Faith-Filled Friday

Hello and welcome back to Faith Filled Friday.

Yesterday I watched a documentary about a man who had lost his face as a result of doing his job as a fire fighter. He was accustomed to running into the flames to save a life but one day it all changed and he was the one who would end up fighting for his own life. Years later found him with no face, no eye lids, nose or even ears. How does one get used to that? His family had gotten used to him wearing glasses and hats to hide the damage that the unforgiving flames had taken from him. 

Years later he was approached by a doctor who had told him that they had been looking for a candidate to do a face transplant. He immediately was on board but it was most risky:  there was a 50/50 chance of survival. They would have to wait for a perfect candidate and one day it happened. A younger man had been killed in an accident and his mother wanted his organs and yes his face to be used for good like her son had previously discussed with her. So the face transplant was a go. 

It took an entire day for this surgery and months of therapy for his facial muscles to help try and make facial expressions.

I can't help but find this a beautiful story. The man was so thankful for a new face. It wasn't perfect with issues of making facial expressions but he was so happy that he had ears, eye lids and a nose again, to not stand out in the crowd. His family was so incredibly happy for him as well.

I can't help but wonder how he sustained himself through such dark times, how his faith was truly tested. Yet through all of that, he had a family that stood by him. They loved, cared and nursed this man back to life. It wasn't just a face, but a feeling of being completely grateful for something that all of us could not even imagine. I can't help but feel inspired by this man and his story, and if I’m honest, a bit envious of the love from his family to help him endure. We should all be so lucky to have such love and bond to family. 

Life surely is too short to not appreciate something as simple as our very face and our expressions that come from it but ultimately start from the abyss deep within. Let us be thankful for all the things we have, even that which we perhaps don't even think of.  

Thankful,

John

Thursday’s Trench Truth and Invitation Thursday!

I’m so excited to have a few moments with you and share some exciting things that are happening with Chicklit Power Ministries and Trench Classes United. Grab your coffee and come on in for a quick moment of truth and a couple of fantastic invitations that you will surely want to save the dates for!

Have you ever participated in a game and not known the rules? Usually you can’t get very far before discovering -- and often the hard way -- that you’ve broken a rule or two, right? No big deal; it’s just a game, right? But what about the unspoken rules that show up in every relationship? It’s those unspoken rules that can really send us into despair and frustration! Join us to learn how to recognize and honor those unspoken relational rules and live fueled by hope, free from anger!

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/living-fueled-by-hope-free-from-anger-tickets-32076892850 

Don’t forget to join me for Coffee Hour Live today on Facebook at 10:00 am where we will discuss some unspoken type of rules that make one unlovable or difficult! www.facebook.com/EvindaLepins

Evinda

Wednesday’s Word

Romans 8:1: Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, for those who walk according to the Sprit and not according to the flesh.

Welcome to Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power and Trench Classes United. I’m so thankful you could join me today for Wednesday’s Word. Grab your Strand of Faith and let’s go tie some knots in our faith with a new perspective on this verse which came from a powerful conversation with my son. The more knots in our faith, the less likely we are to become unraveled in the storms of life.

As I mentioned on Tuesday, my son and I were having a pretty deep conversation about generational cycles and how they affect us, especially the not-so-positive cycles as a result of childhood abuse of any kind. Any time my son and I talk about stuff like this, there’s an overwhelming sadness much like an unexpected breeze that blows around me, threatening to knock me off balance. It brings with it the threat of condemnation and I have to take my thoughts captive, reminding myself of His love that has carried me thus far and his grace that has rendered me forgiven. This conversation was no exception; I still had to work at taking the thoughts of condemnation captive.

Unexpectedly, he changed the direction of the conversation off of others and onto me. What he said rendered me truly joyful…and free! His big brown eyes got even bigger “It’s crazy to think about how far you’ve come, Mom, and how you didn’t do a lot of what was done to you to me”!

I can’t tell you how good that felt to hear that from him, the one I know I parented incorrectly many times; the one whom I unknowingly abused in some ways, becoming what I had learned. There are many times when I’m with him and rewind my mistakes wishing like crazy that I could take back some stuff. That old condemnation starts knocking on the door of my heart and more times than I care to admit, it bangs down the door and gets in there! Are you catching what I’m throwing? 

Now, my son never tries to make me feel that way, and he has event told me on more than one occasion that he remembers exactly when I began to change. I just love talking with him because we are able to connect on so many levels. This is another gift from Him who is concerned about all that concerns us. I know for a fact that it is the Grace of God that has turned my painful past into my passion, what could have been a crutch has become a walking stick, and in many cases, my running stick. J But my breakthrough about this whole condemnation thing didn’t come until the next morning, and you can bet your dollars that I shared this with him, too.

I was reading in my Sarah Young devotional and it just so happened to be on Romans 8:1 and my heart got stuck on something, so I sat still, asking Him to explain it to me…I didn’t have long to wait. See, I know I am His, but what hadn’t made that 18-inch leap from mind to heart was the part about walking in the flesh and walking in the Spirit…until now. See, to me, I had always thought in the secret place of my heart a bit negative about this verse because I read it like I had to be perfect all the time, you know, like always in the Spirit. But God knows that’s impossible, especially since we are housed in this tent of flesh. All He’s trying to tell us is whenever we do “feel” condemnation, it’s because we are walking/thinking with our flesh, and not walking/thinking with our spiritual selves! In other words, this word is just a little nudge reminding us to move over a lane, into the spiritual lane, for it is when we are plugged into the One who has deposited His Spirit within us upon acknowledgement and receipt of His Son that we CANNOT feel condemnation!

Why do I forget how loving and gentle He is…oh, don’t you love His promises and principles…

Moving forward…in His Spirit

Evinda 

P.S. Don’t forget to join me for Coffee Hour Live tomorrow at 10:00 PST! www.facebook.com/EvindaLepins

Tuesday’s Trench Truth

Thanks for joining us for a quick break and a moment of truth @ Coffee Hour with Chicklit Power and Trench Classes United. I absolutely love sharing these mini downloads I receive from Abba in the classroom of life.

I’ve known for many, many years that the mind is a powerful thing, and if you think about it, the brain only knows what you tell it. Why would I say that? Well, I’m glad you asked. I’ll tell you a very quick story that I remember as if it were yesterday, though it was lots and lots of years ago!

I had just started as a consultant for Princess House Crystal and I was a new mom. I attended my first rally and they were announcing the next contest with the prize being an all-expense paid trip to Hawaii! As I watched, listened, I was overwhelmed with excitement. I had never traveled outside the State of California since coming here at the age of 5, let alone get much farther than out of my city! 

The enthusiastic excitement was so contagious. I left the meeting as if in a trance and I remember saying over and over, “I’m going to Hawaii; I’m going to Hawaii.” Then sometimes doubt would kick in and I’d add, “I don’t know how I’m getting there, but I’m going!"

I repeated that every morning in the mirror and several times throughout the day. The results were astounding! It was a six-month contest which took me just three months to win, and I did go to Hawaii!  Coffee Hour Friend, words actually initiate actions. I’ve seen this truth come to light in a positive way and also in a not-so-positive way. In other words, it can work for us or against us.  Meditate on this truth for a bit, friend, and then consider joining us in May to learn how to transform from the inside out and get on track with life and all your relationships!

A transformed mind produces a transformed life!

Determine in your mind to join us for what is sure to be an exciting journey beginning May 4^th!

Transformed,

Evinda

Learning and unlearning

Evinda

Monday’s Mantra

Thank you so much for stopping by for Monday’s Mantra and Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power and Trench Classes United. I’m excited to share today’s mantra with you and how I received it to give to you. Grab your coffee and your Strand of Faith and let’s go ties some knots in our faith so when challenges come at us from all angels, we won’t come unraveled.

It was my last full day in Texas visiting my son, daughter-in-love and our three grandchildren. In fact, I was just hours away from having to leave. Usually it’s hard to get up and out, because we are all kind of bummed that the time is coming to an end. But this visit was different. We decided to take a quick trip up to Bull Creek and do a little hiking and if the water was warm enough, the kids could go for a quick swim. It felt good to be squeezing every moment of the day as if a wet washrag and creating another memory before I had to leave for home. We hiked a bit upstream, and the kids kept asking, “Dad, can we please go down there?” There was a nature-made crevice of the creek that looked like a slide to go down which dumped them in a nice deep part of the creek. “I’ll take them,” I volunteered. So they took the baby upstream and I went down with the kids, out of the creek of course!

There’s such a joy that comes from watching children be children, laughing, splashing, sliding down the slide and plunging into the midst of the creek. As I watched them, I marveled over the differences between my oldest grandson and my grad daughter. She meets no strangers, and he doesn’t go out of his way to meet anyone. But in the water, all of that changes for him. He is as happy as a fish and inevitably winds up with a new friend or two.

I was so intently watching them that I was startled to see my son walking up right behind me. I think he was going to scare me! We both stood there, watching and talking and somehow our conversation veered over to the statistics of people repeating what they learn as children, including abuse in all forms, and when they become adults, if they’ve experienced a painful childhood, they often use it as a crutch, something to blame, to lean on, an excuse to not change, and what’s even more tragic is that is often unknowingly!

It was in the midst of this conversation with my son that this truth came to the surface of my heart and mind: To move on does not always mean you’re moving forward!

I haven’t just moved on; I’ve moved forward!

You may be asking, what’s the difference? When moving on is “just getting over it,” we aren’t really able to move forward with the intention He intended. See, just as I shared last week, sometimes the way we move on just may be with a mask on!

When we just move on, there are a whole host of effects that interfere with healthy relationships and healthily communication.

Have you just moved on…or do you feel like you’re moving forward, learning and unlearning? Would you like to learn how to move forward with those difficult or unlovable people in your life? Join me Thursday for Coffee Hour Live on Facebook! Just go to www.facebook.com/Evindalepins and let’s have coffee and let’s talk live about this.

Join me tomorrow for Tuesday’s Trench Truth and Wednesday for more of this conversation which led me to our Wednesday’s Word.

Moving Forward,

Evinda

Faith-Filled Friday

Hello and welcome to Faith Filled Friday. Today I decided to let myself get out and take a drive. I didn't want to answer phones, read Facebook or text messages. I didn't want to be inside. I felt like I needed to look for something. So I took to the road, happy to just be out in the daylight as I don't get out in it anywhere near enough. It was nice to listen to my music and feel the temperature outside feel just right. Though it was nice and quite peaceful, I still had that feeling I was looking for something. Most of my life I have felt like I am on a journey for something special. It comes at times, but never stays. It's the thing that I feel comes from being a part of a family…love. But was I seeking it today? It didn't quite feel that way. 

In my last relationship I had grown to truly love my girlfriend’s daughter...so much. I have always wanted my own children. I have always loved the thought of being a family man with something/someone to come home to, something/someone to be inspired by and even fight for if need be. Doesn’t that something or someone give more meaning to life? For me it's just everything, but we can't always get what we want most in life. While driving I found myself thinking about my ex-girlfriend’s daughter. It made me so sad and I could not help but wonder if this thing I was looking for was just letting this child I love go in some way so that it did not continue to break my heart. It has been hard the last year and two months; this heartbreak of losing not just my girlfriend but her daughter as well was like a double-whammy! 

Eventually I ended up in a huge Target parking lot where everyone was scuffling about at the end of their day. It had just gotten dark and I saw several cars go by a mother and her daughter waiting with shopping cart just outside the store waiting to walk across to the parking lot. They just kept whizzing by as if they weren’t there! I opted to stop and my window was down so I could hear the mother say out loud, "Thank-you!"

My headlights were on and I was far back enough to where she could not really see me. As they walked across in front of me, her daughter looked over and despite most likely not even being able to see me through the brightness of the headlights, I saw her start to look at me, and out of nowhere she started smiling.

I couldn't help but wonder if she was smiling at me or just smiling as children sometimes do but I soon got my answer because then she waved at me. She was so adorable, and her smile hit me like a freight train of happiness. I waved at the little girl and as our paths parted I found myself realizing I had found not what I looking for but what I needed. I just needed a smile from someone.

I have been feeling incredible loneliness in my life and sometimes just the simple acknowledgment from someone helps me know I’m alive. I can't tell you how much that little girl’s smile and wave meant to me. I drove around to the back of the stores and pulled off the side of the road and just had a cry. Being a man I try my best to not cry, but sometimes you just can't help it. 

Toward the end of my emotional side coming out, I felt a peace, too. I heard a voice inside literally say to me "You can let her go." But it wasn't for my x-girlfriend. It was for her daughter. Love itself can sometimes become such a huge burden on this planet. But love also sees us through. I've always worried that this girl I thought of as my own would think I abandoned her. This completely broke my heart thinking about it, because I myself was abandoned as a child many times. But after tonight, seeing that little girl smile and wave at me, that thought vanished and in its place is a feeling that she will know I loved her so much and that she will be ok.

So as much it has hurt me and still does... tonight I find myself just being ok and thankful for the time I had with her. I pray that she will continue to have a great upbringing with her mother. I pray that her mother finds the happiness she seeks. But I am also praying and saying thanks to God for this moment of sending His love and peace through the eyes, the smile and the wave of a child. And to think if I had just driven on by like everyone else, I could have missed it too.

Until next week's Faith Filled Friday,

John

Thuraday’s Trench Truth

Thank you for joining me for just a few moments for Thursday’s Trench Truth, always based on a life lesson learned! Grab your coffee, or whatever you’re having and come on in.

Do you ever feel like you need to get away from it all? Oh, sometimes we have to step back to have a comeback!  We need a new perspective, a change of heart and mind.

Join us for our very first retreat and what is sure to be a transformational getaway that will have you living fearlessly, forgiven and forgiving…because a life lived forgiven is worth the living!

Excited

Evinda

Wednesday’s Word

Living Like You Believe…in What/Who?

John 3:17:” For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world but that the world through Him might be saved.”

Thanks so much for joining me today for Wednesday’s Word & Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power and Trench Classes United. I’m excited to be sharing this break time with you! Grab your coffee and your strand of faith and join me back on the airplane headed for Texas and an experience that also reflects living like we believe…whatever it is we believe!

Have you ever seen something on someone that you just couldn’t stop looking at? As though your eyes were glued to it, and then suddenly the person catches you staring and you pretend to not be staring? J L J So I’m on the plane waiting for the connecting flight passengers to begin boarding and the staff is getting the flight ready when another flight steward joins them.

Hmmm, how to describe him without putting him in some sort of box…well, he was definitely in touch with his feminine side. I’ll start from the feet up, because that’s what I saw first. He had loafer-type tennis shoes on and amazingly toned and tanned legs that were…yup, newly shaved! My gaze continued to look up and he had shorts on, and a blue Southwest Polo-type shirt on. I almost gasped as I noticed that his nails were manicured with the white tips and on his ring finger was a gorgeous ring!

My eyes were glued to that ring. I was trying to determine if it was a band or – nope, there was a big diamond sticking out from the middle of it!

His face was tanned, big brown eyes with beautiful eyebrows. His hair was bleached blond with its original dark color seeping its way through turning it almost orange. My eyes went to his ring again, and his manicured nails. I can’t tell you how many times this happened –I’d be mortified if someone had counted and told me. L J

And as if that wasn’t enough to teach me a lesson, our Father placed a couple right beside me. I didn’t have much of a strain to see she obviously had a faith, a belief system of sorts for she wore two different rubber-type bracelets – you know the one’s I’m talking about? Anyway, one said “More of Him and less of me,” and the other one said something like: Savior, one life, one purpose. Well, that’s cool, I thought to myself. The conundrum was what I observed during the course of the flight that sent me into my thoughts about living like we believe. See, in this situation, there was something I did count, the bottles of hard liquor that they drank with their diet Coke, but only after I noticed a behavior change. She became very talkative, in a very random sort of way; you know what I’m talking about?

Anyway, I did engage with her, but only after she asked me if I was writing for a newspaper, a book or a magazine. I looked at her like I hadn’t heard her, because honestly I wasn’t sure if I had heard correctly, and she repeated herself.

“Oh, no,” I said, “I have a blog I write for and –“

“It’s really good,” she said.

My eyes quickly scanned to see what she had been reading and it was Tuesday’s Trench Truth. “Thank you.”

We began talking and I learned that they lived about 60 miles west of where my kids are, and that they were part of a very, very large church. She truly talked like she believes. But here’s where the light turned on for me, especially since this was the third occurrence with the same theme in one week! The first one had been a powerful conversation with an attorney who was, as he called himself, a practicing Jew and the conversation was about “gay” marriage. He too learned a powerful truth from his adult children.

Who am I to judge how someone lives what they believe? Didn’t Jesus Himself say in John 3:17 “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world but that the world through Him might be saved”?

It was with that freedom that I was actually able to converse with this lady, and with the guy with the beautiful ring and manicured nails! It was/is freeing to just let people be who they are without judging them but instead loving them by respecting them. Aren’t they living what they believe? Just because it’s not how I live my life doesn’t give me permission to pick up the gavel and start slamming it down in condemnation! Didn’t Jesus speak with the “ho” at the well with the utmost of gentleness and respect?

Perhaps there is much to be learned and to be unlearned. See, society says: Respect has to be earned; Jesus says respect is to love that person right where they’re at…It doesn’t mean you agree with their lifestyle or their actions but it does mean we quit putting ourselves above others, taking ourselves off the bench and remembering Who is really on the throne!

We just need to be like Jesus, and He’ll do the rest!

Learning and unlearning

Evinda

Invitation Tuesday

Thanks for stopping by for Tuesday’s Trench Truth @ Coffee Hour with Chicklit Power and Trench Classes United. Grab your favorite break-time beverage and join me for a moment of truth and for a special invitation

Do you ever find yourself saying, “If only he or she would do ____, then I’d be happy”? What about, “If he or she would just stop ____, then I could be happy; life would be better?” My guess is we could easily fill in that line with something that someone’s not doing or doing that they shouldn’t be doing, right?

Oh, my goodness, I used to be filled with “if-onlys” and “what-ifs” and as a result, my happiness was out of my hands. In other words, I gave my power to be healthy and happy over to those whom I put unrealistic expectations upon! Are you catching what I’m throwing? 

Let’s face it, all of us have been let down by others, in some shape or form, and if that continues to happen, we all know what happens: bitterness plants in the soul and comes out in the attitudes and actions.

If you have at least one “if-only” in your heart, then this invitation is for you!

I would love to work with you in the trenches

Evinda

Monday’s Mantra

Live Like You Believe!

Wow, these Mondays seem to be running together! Time’s flying so push the pause button on the rest of your day, and join me for a few minutes for Monday’s Mantra and Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power and Trench Classes United. Come on; we’re going to the airport!

I had been anxious all morning, despite getting everything done. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, let alone wrap my mind on what I was feeling. It was as if I was on auto pilot. I mean if you were to open my mind, you wouldn’t know which trail to take because there’s so much going on in there! I guess that’s why I require longer “quiet times” with Abba, because it takes a lot to quiet my mind but oh, how beautiful it is when that finally happens and I am still and experiencing God (Psalm 46:10). By the way, did you know that “know” in this verse, “Be still and know that I am God” translates to experience with your inner being! There are amazing diamonds in the scriptures! J

Anyway, so my love loaded up the car with my suitcase, my carry-on and of course our four-legged children. I was fretting a little bit about not being able to take my four-legged little girl. She’s gotten so old suddenly and I know she has a hard time when I’m not around. Oops, I’m detouring again, sorry.

As we pulled up to the Southwest curbside in Ontario, I was greeted by a very nice guy who proceeded to take my luggage, asked my last name and where I was going. I already had my boarding pass on my phone but by the time I made it to the counter, he had already printed it, and I just loved his great attitude; I didn’t have the heart to tell him I didn’t need the one he printed.

I looked behind me and George was walking towards me with my carry-on. I met him halfway. He let the handle go and wrapped me in his arms. His eyes caught mine and suddenly, I felt pools of tears threatening to overspill. I turned and buried my face in his chest.

“What’s wrong?”

“I don’t like traveling without you.” My anxiety had caught up with me, and I realized I truly was anxious about going alone – I’m getting better at flying but the truth is I still get nervous -- but that wasn’t all. I also realized something that actually rendered me happy to be sad: I really didn’t want to go without him! This was/is truly a miracle considering the last two years, an incredibly tough season, and we are actually still going through it but hopefully we are at the tail end. We are beginning to see a light at the end of what was once a very dark tunnel. Oops, there I go, getting distracted again!
He held my face between his hands and again looked right at me.  “You go and have a good time with the kids, okay?”

My throat was so full of tears, I couldn’t speak.

“Okay?” he repeated.

I nodded affirmatively. He hugged me to him one more time and then turned to walk back to the car. I ran after him, actually right past him, and quickly gave each of our four-legged children a hug and a kiss, closed the door, said good-bye and kept my head down so he couldn’t see the tears that were now escaping my throat and pouring out. I went behind the wall, took off my glasses and just let them fall, all the way down to the ground.

Without warning, I actually started to go down Panic Place, but then a Power greater than I tugged on my mind, reminding me of the pastor’s message from last Sunday entitled “This Changes Everything.” He went on to share that we are limited by our beliefs, and if we don’t believe that Jesus resurrected, where does that leave us?  He was speaking about the gospel truth, that because of the death of Christ, His resurrection and ascension into heaven, He left us with the gift of His Spirit.

Now, I don’t know about you, but when someone gives me a gift, though it may be sometimes awkward to accept, I take it and appreciate it. How do I show appreciation? By using it, if it’s something to use, and if it’s not, but rather something to just look at, I put it where I can see it often.

If we have truly accepted the gift of Christ into our hearts and lives, the gift of grace, then we need to realize that that gift comes with a gift: that of the Spirit to do life with. That truth begs this question: Do I live like I believe… His Spirit is in me? Doesn’t the Word tell me that greater is He that is in me than He who is in the world? (1^st John 4:4)

I dried my eyes, but what I wouldn’t have given for a napkin to blow my nose! I made my way inside, and went right through without all the security drama because I had been TSA preapproved. I smiled from within, knowing that because He lives in me, I can face anything, including an airplane ride without my husband.

Coffee Hour Friend, wherever you’re going today, in whatever you endeavor to do, can I encourage you to remember that greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world! Seize the opportunities coming your way to live like you believe!

Join me tomorrow for Trench Tuesday and of course Wednesday for Wednesday’s Word where I’ll share what happened on the plane and how He showed Himself to me!

Filled,

Evinda

Faith-filled Friday

Thanks for joining us for Faith-filled Friday!

Recently I have come across several people that have been caught out in the rain. I always seem to come across them when I am on my way home. The other day I came across a girl who was skating down the street on a long-board in the rain. I had just pulled up to my home and was looking forward to getting in and taking a shower and doing some meditation. Just as I pulled up and parked, she skated by. So I started my engine back up and shouted out to her, asking if she'd like a ride. I wasn't expecting her to say yes as most times women do not take rides from men they don't know, and who can blame them?

However, she responded that she'd love a ride. So she hopped in with her skateboard and backpack and I asked her where she was going. She was on her way to the Napa Valley Roasting company, a great place for a cup of coffee and conversation.

I always look for ways to start up conversations with people. I do this partly because I believe that every person on this earth has a purpose and a message and I am always trying to understand people and what message they might have, just where they might fit into the puzzle of our society. It has led to some amazing conversations and oftentimes inspiration too.

I asked the girl if she was ok; she seemed like she was thinking about something. She said it was her mother's birthday and that she wishes that she could call her but that they were not on good terms. This hit a note with me because my mother and me also have a very strained relationship. So I asked her if she thought about maybe sending an email, a text message or just a simple letter. She said she wouldn't know what to say. I told her that I too did not always know what to say to my mother but that sometimes we don't need to say anything other than "I love you, Mom". Or just a simple Happy Birthday wish on a piece of paper. I told her that keeping it simple is sometimes just the best way but that it's always in her own interest as well as her mother's to send her love. 

Love is surely not meant to be held inward. It was meant to catch the wind and fill the sail. Wind is invisible and yet it's so powerful. Love is the same way; you can't necessarily see it but it can move things... and once it does, then you see love's powerful force and outcome. Love gives us meaning and understanding and sometimes it gives us a card or letter with only a few words.

She told me that she would send her at least a letter but would have to find an envelope. Anyhow with that she was out the door and I wished her well. On the way home I had a thought so when I got there, I hurried in the door and grabbed a notebook, a couple pens, my book of stamps and several envelopes. I put them in a big zip lock so they could stay dry and drove back to the coffee shop hoping she would still be there. When I got there she was sitting there already drinking a cup of coffee.

I handed her the bag and told her that whenever she missed home or her mother, to write a few sentences and drop it in the mail. I told her that if she'd write a small letter to her mother right there, that I would write one as well. As I got done (after her of course as I am slow) I asked her if I could get a stamp back as I'd given her all of mine. She laughed and told me how cool it was that I did that with her.  And then she asked if I could mail her letter for her. I was so honored that she'd entrust me with that letter to her mother. 

I dropped our mothers’ letters in the mail on the way home. It felt so good just to be trusted like that. In the end of this experience that girl gave me something that I really miss. I miss people in the world trusting a stranger, to believe they are going to do you right, to me trust is the most important thing. It expands love and it's the most amazing thing to be grateful for. When someone looks at you and they just know you got their back, for me, that’s an amazing feeling. I want to trust people like this and I surely want them to trust me this way. Like I said, everyone has a message to give us in the puzzle of life, even when they don't know it

~John Tam

Thursday’s Trench Truth

Thanks for stopping by for Thursday’s Trench Truth as well as Invitation Thursdays @ Coffeehour with Chicklit Power and Trench Classes United. Grab your break-time beverage and come on in for a moment of truth and an invitation which I hope you will accept. Laughter that renders us speechless if worth repeating! It Pays to Laugh! Join us

Wednesday’s Word

The 6^th of the 7^th Presumptuous sins and the Mask

Proverbs 6:19:”… A false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among brethren,”

Thanks so much for stopping by for our time together @ Coffee Hour with Chicklit Power and Trench Classes United. I love Wednesday’s Word and the opportunity to share from my heart to yours. Grab your coffee, or whatever you’re having, and your Strand of Faith so we can tie some knots in our faith

As I shared in Monday’s Mantra, I’ve been mentoring a 30+ year old young lady in her spiritual journey and had invited her to let me know if she had any questions when it came to reading scripture. She, like many of us, says she reads it and she just doesn’t understand; it doesn’t speak to her, so I’ve given her a couple of tools and tips to use when endeavoring to journey through the Greatest Book ever written. And last week, she called and said she had some questions. I just love it when people take me up on that invitation! It’s usually a win/win where we both learn!

We met a few days later and she opened up her Bible to her questions and it was so refreshing to see where she had circled the portion of scripture she read and put a big question mark to the right of it. I was excited to bite into it and enjoy the scriptural meal with her. J

I asked her if she had ever heard of “The 7 Sins” and she shook her head no.  I read the verses aloud and as I got to verse 19, which reads, “A false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among brethren,” my heart skipped a beat as it collided with my passion.

So let’s push the pause button on my mentoring session for a few minutes because it also collides with this very important question I was asked several weeks ago which I’d like to now ask you:

What moves you so deeply that it keeps you awake at night? Can you even answer that?  I’ve asked that of many people and I am amazed at their inability to answer.

When I read that a few weeks ago, I wrote my answer so fast that I surprised myself! My heart aches over the way in which we’ve been taught not to be transparent in dealing with our past, and to forget it as well as our current struggles! Now, I may step on some toes here, but please know it’s done with a passion for change, not condemnation.

Why is it that we get to a certain age and discover we’ve lost ourselves? Do we just get so busy living that we forget how to really live life? Why do we not live out our God-given potential, and instead become what we think others want us to be?

I think this collides with the 6^th of the 7 presumptuous sins, which is being a false witness, and that takes on many forms, but a common and often unconscious form is denying our past, running from it instead of facing it and learning from it. This is a form of poison within the church and is doing a lot of damage.

I have learned firsthand that the way the church spiritualizes emotional issues and dysfunctional cycles as a result of any form of abuse actually makes the problem a bigger problem and creates a mask that we in the faith hide behind!

For over three years, I have watched transparency bring freedom to study dysfunctional cycles, which has helped the transformers not repeat them. Hear this truth, Coffee Hour Friend: History must be studied or we will repeat it!

That’s my heart!

See, the 6^th of the 7 presumptuous sins is “a false witness who breathes out lies,” and when we read that, especially if we are “believers,” we think, we’ll that’s not me; whew, I’m safe. However, we see Satan doing his best work in the church! Why is that? How can that be, right? Because hurt people hurt people!

How many times have we heard 1^st Corinthians 5:17 which states that when we come to Christ, we’re a new creation all things of old have gone and we are made new (paraphrased)? How many times is that taken as a permission slip to forget about our painful past, but then what?

We can’t deny our past because inevitably effects of the past surface and spill over into every relationship! But when we continue hiding behind our mask of faith, repeating those negative relational cycles without answers, this becomes a false witness.

So what moves you, Friend? What God-given passion is buried inside of you, or hiding behind the mask of faith?

In His Love,

Evinda

Tuesday’s Trench Truth

Thanks for stopping by Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power and Trench Classes United for our Tuesday’s Trench Truth, which also includes a special invite to our next Trench Class. Grab your coffee and come on in for a couple minutes.

What is it like to live fueled by hope? What would it be like to live free from anger? Does this mean I’ll never be down, or never get angry? Absolutely not, but I believe to live fueled by hope is only possible when we stop hoping in others for our happiness! Have you ever said “If only _____ would do ______, then I’d be happy”? Or, “if only ____ wouldn’t do _____, then we’d be happy”?

Chances are, your hope hinges on something or someone who keeps sending your hope out the door! Join us to learn how to have healthy relational expectations that fuel us with hope and free us from angerhttps://www.trenchclassesunited.com/transformtrenchclasses.html

Looking forward to working with you,

Evinda

Monday’s Mantra

Spiritually Slothful or Spiritually Fit…

Welcome to Monday’s Mantra @ Coffee Hour with Chicklit Power and Trench Classes United. I’m so glad you could join me today for an interesting mantra. Grab your coffee and your Strand of Faith and come on in.

Have you ever heard of “The 7 Sins,” or “The 7 Presumptuous Sins”? Actually, I’ve heard these phrases several times and have been curious about their origin and meaning, but I just haven’t gotten around to studying them…that is until a sweet, sweet young lady that I’ve been mentoring pointed them out with a question.

She showed me a passage of scripture she had circled and outside of the circle was a big question mark. It was this portion of scripture, Proverbs 6:6-19, and as soon as I read it, I had my own a-ha moment for finally I was reading about “The 7 Sins”! To paraphrase, they are: pride, envy, lust, gluttony, anger, greed or sloth. Let’s push the pause button right here!

What caused my heart to pitter-patter was the definition for the 7^th sin, sloth. Sloth means “the avoidance of physical or spiritual work.” 

I must admit, I’m ecstatic to see that “spiritual” work is included! What does “spiritual work” mean to you?

We all encounter slothful or lazy people but how would you describe someone who is spiritually slothful? We are told in Philippians2:2 that we are to work out our salvation…and I do believe that is a daily workout! When I go to the gym, I usually have a routine, if you will, to exercising. I usually start with some cardio, and then I concentrate on at least two muscle groups. And I don’t take a long time to do it, but I get it done!

What does a spiritual workout look like? Now, don’t misunderstand me and think I’m saying our salvation is procured by works because it’s not. Our salvation is procured by grace, not works, but it is an exercise to be completed daily; otherwise, how will your spiritual muscles grow?

Diet and exercise do not just apply to the physical being! We are created mind, body and soul and when we feed and/or exercise the body without feeding and/or exercising the soul, we are out of balance. It’s kind of analogous to a car without the fourth tire, or a boat without a captain, or even more dramatic and traumatic, a plane without a pilot.  We’ve got to avoid becoming an emotional wreck and out of balance as a result of spiritual slothfulness. 

To create a spiritual diet, think of it as Digesting Internally Eternal Things.  What does that mean? Well I’ll answer with a question: Did you know what goes in is what comes out?   What are you taking in with your eyes, ears and mind…spiritually? You can always begin your spiritually fit routine with prayer! He loves it when you talk with Him and consistent communication with Him is sure to grow your spiritual muscles! Start planning your spiritual diet that you may become spiritually fit and not considered spiritually slothful!

Thoughtfully,

Evinda

Faith Filled Friday

Welcome back everyone. Another Faith Filled Friday is here. Join me for a few minutes.

A lot of stress and anxiety has seemed to be crashing into me lately. The other night while working my mind drifted to when I used to live in a small trailer when I was trying to get back on my feet from being homeless. It was out in a field near a barn and a pine tree. The day I moved into the little trailer. It took me most of the day to get situated. I left to get something for dinner and when I came back it was completely pitch black out there. I pulled in and flipped off the headlights and engine. I got out and I was startled to hear these shrieks coming from the tree and from over by the barn. It was so loud and seemed to come from out of nowhere. I soon realized the shrieking was coming from owls that lived there. They were obviously upset that I had moved into a trailer that was for the most part abandoned and not used by the family that also lived on the same land but in a house. 

It was as if I had invaded their space, which obviously I had. The first week I was there they let me know it every night. Before long the squawks and the shrieking sounds they made became far and few. They had finally adjusted to me being there. I actually came to love them so much. They were my watch dogs and my guardians. On nights where the moon was brighter, I'd sit out in a lawn chair and watch them swoop out of the tree and grab field mice from the grassy fields all around us. If anyone came out my way, I'd always know because they'd start shrieking. They were surely the best neighbors and I have always thought of them as friends while I lived out there.

Sometimes I'd play music for them to hear. Over time one came to branches quite low on the pine tree. He or she never let me get near but it just felt amazing. It felt like the most peaceful place to be. The trailer did not have a working stove or bathroom, so it was hard living, but at least it was shelter and I found comfort there. 

After the bank served the owners of the home and property with papers to foreclose, it was time to move on. I remember being sad to leave my owl friends behind. My last night there I spoke my last goodbye's and wished them farewell.

Now fast-forward to all these years later… I was out the other night and was thinking about how I wish they were around because I have been feeling so much sadness and anxiety. I remember saying what I guess was a prayer out loud, "Where are all of the owls? I could use you guys again."

Now the reason I say it had to of been a prayer is because not even three minutes later I came around the corner and swerved to not hit what I thought was a rock in the road. After all the storms lately, there have been so many mudslides and rocks in the road. But still something in me questioned whether that was a rock or something else. I have always been a most curious person. Something in me said to turn back... and so I did.

When I came back, there in the road was the most amazing little owl sitting right smack in the middle of the road. I was so happy to see an owl from out of nowhere. At first I thought it was a baby owl but later learned that it is naturally a very small owl, smaller than the barn owls I had befriended years earlier. It was 3 in the morning and there is no traffic coming, so I just sat there and started chatting with the owl. He moved his head back and forth like owl's do. I was so shocked he was not flying away. The owl seemed just as intrigued about me as I was with him. 

I wish I had my better camera with me than my smart phone. But I still got a little shot of the little guy that to me was an answer to prayer. I think that's one of the things about prayer, is that sometimes we might not even realize we’re speaking to God. God doesn't always need a prayer to fill a void or gap. I really needed that the other night with so much on my mind and heart: my friend's anniversary of her child that committed suicide was coming up; my sinking business and bad issues with my health, my PTSD has been raging. Those anxieties sent me calling out for my owl friends, and marveling over this little owl trusting me enough to sit there with me and trust me not to run him over.

Was that God in all that answering prayer? I like to think so. I was the luckiest guy on planet earth that night. After about an incredible 5 minutes, he flew away... and I continued with work. We are just two living things passing one another in the night... and God gave us the time to enjoy one another's company. I thanked God for that and I share it with you tonight as I write this.

Let us not forget to keep our eyes open and our curiosity going... God uses it all to help us if we are open to turning around and going back to check on something. Things like this surely make me think "God is Great"... 

Much love and till next Friday, take it easy my friends.

John