Foster’s Faith-filled Fridays!

Welcome to Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power and Trench Classes United and welcome to our first Foster’s Faith-filled Friday! You are going to love this girl’s transparency!

Emotions are good! It's okay to feel. 

If you're like me, you have a hard time allowing yourself to feel emotions. For me, I used to suppress my emotions -- angry, sad, upset -- and then try to drink them away; the result, I usually ended up exploding!

I'm learning that it is good to allow yourself to feel every emotion you are experiencing. Emotions trigger our will; they get us moving in a certain direction, and in that aspect, our feelings can be good or bad since they are essentially leading us toward the Lord or away from him.

It's essential to be aware of our feelings even if they are moving us in a sinful direction. Not to repress them or deny them, but admitting and confessing them. Our feelings can be healthy or unhealthy but they are not sinful in and of themselves unless we allow them to control us and thereafter indulge in them. Like holding onto grudges or acting out when angry.

Once we are aware of our feelings we are able to start developing self control. 

It’s best to understand feelings as coming from our mind.  A good rule of life is to always think and feel (back and forth and prayerfully) before you decide to say or do anything of significance. 

One of the hardest things to experience is the way people will invalidate others by telling them how they should feel about something or that there is something wrong with them if they are having the feelings they are having. Don't allow someone to do that to you.  I see now that the times in which I have struggled most have been when I felt something that someone told me I couldn’t. Someone deemed that thing unworthy of feeling bad for and inadvertently (or not) made me feel as though I was unworthy for feeling it.

You know what happens when you let people do that to you? You don’t work through your experiences, let alone your feelings. You let them stay with you. You throw them on top of the already heaping pile of a storm life has you perched on; you sculpt it into another pillar and forget about it. It’s only after enough are built that you realize you’re trapped.

Remember having emotions are good; allow yourself to feel. And remember that your emotions are gauges not guides. Let them tell you where the attack is being made so you can fight it with the right promises. And go to a trusted friend for prayer, perspective, and counsel if you need to.

Mind: “A cheerful mind works healing” (Proverbs 17:22, AMP).

Heart: “Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4).

Body: “Your sensual desires… are ever warring in your bodily members?” (James 4:1, AMP).

Social: “You’re… showing such strong concern for me… You came alongside me in my troubles” (Philippians 4:10, MSG).

Soul: “My soul faints with longing for your salvation” (Psalm 119:81).

Tam’s Trench Truth

As natural as breathing...

When I stop and think about some of the most natural things in life so much comes to mind. Take breathing for instance. Do we ever need to think about doing it? It's just built into our nature to inhale and get our fair share of the o2. It's quite hard to go against that nature and hold our breath beyond the point that is comfortable, and yet the more we practice holding our breath, the longer we can do it. It becomes a valuable tool if one ever needed to use it. So why don't we practice doing it? 

In this thought, I really started thinking about all the things in life I could start to practice more and more a will of getting into the mindset to do what is not natural. Like holding one's breath has to be a choice and an action. You can't make the choice without the action in doing so. For example, my photography, the images I aim to grab are not always natural. I have to sometimes create angles hard for my back to do. I have to experiment with exposure, ISO's, leveling, ever competing shadows and darkness vs. light vs. color. The list is endless. Taking thousands of images has only led me to learn that even holding my breath when shooting photos can even assist in not blurring a photo in the slightest when I zoom in. 

So what of the things that we do over and over again, the things it takes so much heart to stick to despite failing over and over again? They say practice makes perfect. I like to think it makes nature for our hearts and minds. Something we work incredibly hard for really, in a way, becomes part of who we are and our nature. For many years now I have been working on the ability to admit when I am wrong, to not let anger consume me, to not carry burdens, to listen to people with an open mind. I don't always find it in my nature, but it sure has become easier.

We are all works in motion; we are all just trying to breathe, but how many of us could work harder at holding our breath for the things our Father wants us to inhale... and then exhale to the world around us? 

I want the nature of projection, a nature of positive mindset, a nature of love, a nature of photography, and a nature to be the best of friends with people. I want a nature that trusts people despite how many times I am wronged. It's all a delicate balance of controlled breathing, and a practice of paused breathing. It is many tools that all wrap into one: God's instrument.

Might give new meaning to the saying, "I won't hold my breath" when perhaps we should at least give it a thought. ;)

Much love my friends,

  ~John Tam

Wednesday’s Word

Failing Friends and Summer of Psalms

Welcome to Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power and Wednesday’s Word @ Trench 

Classes United. I’m so delighted you took the time to join us for a break today! Grab your coffee and your Strand of Faith and let’s go tie some knots in our faith while learning how to put ourselves into the Scripture with the goal of it coming alive within us!

So we are currently in our Summer of Psalms series, and since today is the 28^th, we’ll go to Psalm 28. It is always good to read any caption that comes before the Psalm as it usually gives us a sort of heads up, why it was written and usually it will tell us by whom it was written. So this particular Psalm was written by David after being betrayed by friends. Let’s stop right there.

Have you ever been betrayed by a friend? Yeah, I feel you;  it’s no fun, and yet, the sooner we realize that all relationships are meant to grow us more into the image of Christ, the sooner others’ betrayals will have less power over our emotions. Don’t get me wrong; unless your emotional dashboard is in the “off” position, it will always be an uncomfortable and even painful occurrence, but those feelings of emotions and betrayal don’t have to drive our cars and cause emotional wrecks in others’ lives!

Think back to when someone you cared about betrayed you. Do you have that in mind? Let’s take a few of these verses and put ourselves in here. For the sake of time, we’re going to start with verse 3.

^3”Do not take me away with the wicked and with the workers of iniquity who speak peace to their neighbors but evil is in their hearts.”

Now we all have seen duplicity, people who say one thing and do another, people who speak kindly to our face but horribly when we turn and look the other way. 

Here’s an example of a rewrite of this verse:

Do not let me be like those who hurt me with their unkind words and actions, whose hearts are filled with ugly things.

Now let’s go to verse 4:

4”Give them according to their deeds and according to the wickedness of their endeavors; give them according to the work of their hands. Render to them what they deserve”

Now notice David is telling God what to do here, which you may think is a bit arrogant, but if we look at the spiritual principle here, he is allowing God to fight his battles. Let’s do the rewrite:

Bring ____ to the end of her/him self that he/she would completely surrender, acknowledging that what they’ve done is not of you and if it is not in their heart to surrender unto you, the Just One, Abba, then give to them what they deserve for when one hurts one of Yours, they hurt You.

Now I don’t know about you, but as I rewrote that verse, my heart softened toward the one(s) that have betrayed me. Coffee Hour Friend, when we take the time to do this, to read, meditate on, rewrite the scriptures according to our own stuff, and then speak them…all I can say is WOW! Try it; you have absolutely nothing to lose and a whole lot to gain.

In His Word,

Evinda

Tuesday’s Trench Truth

Welcome to Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power and Tuesday’s Trench Truth @ Trench Classes United. I’m thankful you made the time to take the time to stop by! Come on in for a quick moment of truth from the trenches.

Have you ever had a meltdown, and afterwards felt like you had just been washed in a tub of humility? Oh, Sister, I have, and too many times to count, especially recently. What in the world can be so beautiful about this, I ask myself.

The beauty comes as I realize that His grace was and still is right beside me…even in the midst of a meltdown!

That’s where this trench truth comes from…a few meltdowns!

Sometimes we have to have a breakdown before we have a breakthrough!

Even in our ugliest moments, His grace never leaves; nor does it change. What a beautiful truth to bathe my soul in that I might have fewer meltdowns and more self-control, and learn to live fearlessly, forgiven and forgiving!

On that note, oftentimes, a getaway is a great way to change perspective, so please accept this invitation to register for weekend getaway!

ONLY 4 DAYS LEFT TO REGISTER

Love,

Evinda

Monday’s Mantra

Thanks for joining us for Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power and Monday’s Mantra at Trench Classes United. Come on inJ

When I say some of life’s most precious moments are born in the valley, what comes to mind? It doesn’t sound possible, huh? Nor does it sound like something we all want to sign up for. This kind of reminds me of the statement in the Serenity Prayer that says “allowing hardships as a pathway to peace.” Sometimes don’t you just want to look up and go, “Really, God?” Yes, these are the times that require us to let go -- of the need to understand why things are happening -- and let God…do His job! But that’s not always so easy.

Over the last couple of weeks, I have heard and read several scripture reminders about how our struggles are allowed for growth; that it’s in the valleys of life that true fruit is planted; that hardships really are a pathway to peace.  I’ve lived through so many valleys and I do know this to be true, though sometimes I think my pathway to peace is a heck of a lot longer than others! J

If I’m honest, I can also share with you that when I’m in that valley, it’s so hard to focus on these truths; instead, I tend to focus on the pain of it all, and then look for the lesson. I can’t help but ask, “Will I ever learn to remember and recognize these spiritual truths that would literally lift my eyes off of the painful process and set them upon my Refiner, the one who takes tragedies and trials and turns them into triumphs, if I let Him?”

How do we walk in and through those valleys with our focus on the One who is not only the director, but the author of the full movie, knows every scene that will take us out of the valley? Simple one step at a time, with our hand stretched out to Papa, our heart entwined with His, trusting that His plan is not to harm us, but to grow us, lift us up; in other words, taking Him at His Word.

I can either enjoy the scenery while waiting patiently in the valley, or I can cry and complain, wiggle and wrestle.  Considering how many valleys He’s already brought me to and through, I think I’ll work harder at enjoying the scenery, taking Him at His word. After all, it’s not like my problems have knocked Him off of His throne; He still is, and always will be, in control!

Now let me finally share with you the “a-ha” that I had the other day when I was thinking of the current situation I’m in and all those involved: This is where HE has me!  Am I really going to wiggle and wrestle, which is a form of shaking my fist at Him?

Are you in an uncomfortable situation, friend? Are you feeling a bit miserable, uncertain, questioning what in the heck is He doing?

I don’t know about you, but knowing this is where He has me brings me comfort and takes me to the whole fruit in the valley and hardships as a pathway to peace principles. So if I really believe He’s in control, then why should I wrestle and wiggle? Why not enjoy the ride and get to the end of the lesson a heck of a lot more invigorated than stressed? Can I challenge you, Coffee Hour Friend, to trust His plan for you? It’s not like He doesn’t know what He’s doing!

Learning and unlearning,

Evinda

Faith Filled Friday

I have noticed that over the last few years it has become increasingly difficult to write. Ten years ago, writing used to be much easier; I always could find the words that expressed my feelings. It was as if I was a waterfall of emotions, both good and bad.

In these last years I am not sure why I struggle so much. Perhaps writing has shifted from an expression to more of a fight against the silence? Might I write to combat the silence? To feel, to live, to breathe, to yearn for that waterfall to flow again despite the drought that overtook it?

I have started asking myself a question lately which I cannot seem to find the answer for. How can one love life so much and yet feel the passion slip away despite grasping and trying so hard to not let it go? So I have been asking for God's interjection to get my heart and mind networked again.

I don't believe I have a problem with the heart or maybe even the mind in this. I believe it’s more about the road in between, the one that connects the two together. Maybe it's the street signs along the way that I have missed? Or maybe it’s the pot holes I swerved to avoid and maybe lost my direction or directive. Maybe it's the mud slides of life that cover the road and I find myself waiting to travel between the two again. I will trust Him to show me the way to bring the two together, to network mind and soul. I believe that with God and connection to God, anything is attainable and quite possible. My faith will certainly hold the road...

I will not let the fray of life take me from my spirituality, nor my faith... Please God irrigate through these empty lines new and old passions to the place within me that is found wanting.

Only God can hydrate these parts of us. Are you experiencing a spiritual drought? Are you plugged into your source?  I pray that in the days to come, you and I would feel the hydration of God's love feeding our passions and helping us through and to the networking of mind and soul.

~John 

Thursday’s Trench Truth

Welcome to Thursday’s Trench Truth @ Coffee Hour with Chicklit Power and Trench Classes United. The focus of this blog is to give you a truth from the trenches that we are in the midst of uncovering and discovering…or already have. So grab your coffee and come in for a quick moment of truth.

When there’s a potential conflict that you can see clear as day, what do you normally do? Do you cringe, run away from it, turn your head, or turn and face it? Some of you may say you pray about it. That’s great, actually, but the vast majority of us really don’t know how to deal with it, especially conflict with those closest to us.

What if we were to look at conflict with a different perspective? What if we were to look at conflict as a character developer?

If someone would have shared this concept with me years ago, I would have laughed! Now I can honestly agree and vehemently add this statement:

Conflict is the stretch many of us need to grow in our relationships, including our relationship with Christ.

See when we get there, He’s not going to talk to us about the conflict and the right and wrong of principle; instead He will speak with us about how we handled the conflict!

Join us for a getaway to learn how to resolve conflict in a way that makes Him smile!

Register today!

Wednesday’s Word

Welcome to Wednesday’s Word @ Coffee Hour with Chicklit Power and Trench Classes United. I’m so glad you joined me today. Grab your coffee and come on in.

Well, summer is in full swing, right?! The seasons seem to be rolling right into each other, one right after the other, and as they do, I declare in my heart to do something different, not let life pass me by without my involvement. One way to ensure that that doesn’t happen is to soak myself in His Word, His love letters to us. There is nothing like some Biblical principles and promises to splash perspective on anything we are going through!

I remember when I was intimidated by the big book; and I know many are, right? Where do we start? Do we hold it in our hands and let it magically open up on its own, allowing the wind to open the pages and settle on a portion of scripture? Do we follow a one year reading plan – oh my goodness, I must say, those aren’t for me; I get too curious as I’m reading and often go off on research detours! Well, I thought it would be fun to do a Biblical exercise with you; one that I guarantee is life-changing!

In July my church will be doing a summer of Psalms and when I heard about that, it took me back to when I first began reading the Psalms: I would read it silently to myself, then read it aloud, let my heart hear the words, and then I would rewrite it according to what was happening in my life. In other words I would put myself and my circumstances in there. Guess what? Everything about you and me is already in there, but let me tell you, there’s power when we do this. Scripture is alive and doing this helps it to come alive in our life!

So, I thought I would try this with you for a few Wednesdays. So today is the 21^st so let’s go to Psalm 21.

Many Bibles will offer a description of who wrote it and why, so we see that this Psalm was written after David won a big battle, so it’s a Psalm of praise. So before we start, think of a time where you experienced a victory, a victory that at the time seemed so amazing, and that includes a long-awaited answer to prayer. Remember how you felt? Do you have that in mind? Good. It’s so important that we remember these victories because when we are in a spiritual desert, it’s those remembrances of victories that can quench our thirst.

Here’s the Psalm:

^“1The king shall have joy in Your strength O Lord; and in Your salvation how greatly shall he rejoice.”

Let’s stop there and rewrite it now

_______ (put your name in there) shall have joy in Your strength, O Lord; and in Your free gift of salvation how greatly shall I rejoice.

^“2You have given him his heart’s desire, and have not withheld the request of his lips.”

Now, if you are in the midst of a battle or unanswered prayer, it could be written something like this:

Rewrite: You will give me my heart’s desire and You do hear the request of my lips. Let’s go on to verse 3 & 4.

³For You meet him with the blessings of goodness; You set a crown of pure gold upon his head. ⁴He asked life from You, and You gave it to him – length of days forever and ever.”

Rewrite: For You, oh God have met me with blessings of goodness and when my time on earth is done you will set a crown of pure gold upon my head. I have surrendered to you and in exchange you have granted me eternal life, length of days forever and ever.

⁵His glory is great in Your salvation; honor and majesty You have placed upon him. ⁶ For You have made him most blessed forever; You have made him exceedingly glad with Your presence.”

Now, I know we aren’t kings going into battles trying to take the land, but we each have a victory to win, a battle that He waits to fight for us, a sort of promised land of our own, so with that in mind, let’s rewrite these two verses:
Rewrite: My reward is great for it is within the gift of Your salvation; You have called me Your own, and have given me honor, though sometimes I don’t feel it in this world, I know You have called me blessed forever and when I am in Your presence, I am exceedingly glad.

Now, notice, I was honest, so you be honest, too. Share your heart, your burdens, cry out to Him.

⁷For the king trusts in the Lord and through the mercy of the Most High, he shall not be moved.”

Rewrite: For I do trust in you Lord, and because of Your grace, mercy which fills me with strength, I shall not be moved; my faith shall not waiver!

Let’s do one more verse and then I’ll let you go to finish up on your own.

⁸Your hand will find all Your enemies; Your right hand will find those who hate You.”

Let’s pause here a second and let me ask you: Do you have any enemies?  Most of us don’t like to think that we may especially because “enemy” is such a strong word and involves hatred. There is beauty in this verse, for if someone deems you an enemy, then they are an enemy of the Lord also! Let me show you:
Your hand will find all those who deem me their enemy for if they hate me, then they cannot love You, and only You can see into their heart.

Your turn, go ahead and go on to verse 9; have some fun with this and don’t try to be grammatically perfect.

Loving the Psalms,

Evinda 

Tuesday’s Trench Truth and Invitation, Too!

Welcome to Tuesday’s Trench Truth at Trench Classes United and Coffee Hour with Chicklit Power. Grab your favorite break-time beverage and join me for a moment of truth and an invitation, too.

Have you ever felt left out in a crowd of “friends?” or lonely despite being in a crowd? You and I are born with God-given desires: To love and be loved; to be accepted…and accept. One thing that interferes with these God-given needs is our own self-value. How do you see yourself?

I’ve come to learn this truth and I see it play out over and over again:

The more insignificant we feel in the lives of significant others, the more significantly we fear!

Join us to learn how to live fearlessly, embracing who we are meant to be and setting others free!

Registration is NOW open.

Hope to see you there.

Evinda

Monday’s Musings….

Welcome to Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power and Monday’s Musings @ Trench Classes United. Today’s blog is written by a special guest…someone I’ve known since she was about knee-height to me! She holds a special place in my heart and I saw this post she had written last week and asked if I could share it. It is so transparent, so what we represent at Trench Classes United. I pray you will enjoy it as much as I did. Who can’t relate to “turning down the volume of the His voice?”

Today I battled with my own flesh, trying to escape the Lord’s convictions about going to the river. Wanting badly to go, I simply decided to turn down the volume of His voice. I do that when I don’t like what I’m hearing, or when God is trying to move me in a different direction than I planned. It could be something He wants me to do or something He wants me to stop, a turn He is asking me to take or one He wants me to avoid.

If He’s moving me where I want to go, I am happy to listen to Him. It’s when I don’t like where He’s moving me that I suddenly grow deaf.

I got home tonight after going about my day as though I were going to go to the river tomorrow and I’m not sure what I was doing when I heard Him say loud and clear "NOT YET"!!  I stood still for an endless moment.

There was no mistaking it!

In this situation and many others, it has felt as though God holds the button for His volume control, no matter how hard I try to snatch it from His hands. I’ve learned that He will use whatever alarm He needs to use to wake me up. He didn't say I can never go to the river again, He said just not yet.

The Lord didn't allow my fleshly desires to overpower His will and my commitment to be fully submissive to Him. Letting go requires a death of sorts, as we mourn the loss of a life we were clinging to and embrace the dream of a God who is clinging to us.

Saying yes to God means saying yes to a bigger life, and He won’t settle for less. He doesn’t want us to either. Turn the volume up!

Love,

Breanna

Faith Filled Fridays

Welcome back everyone to another Faith Filled Friday... 

Have you ever fallen…and looked up to see others not only looking but laughing? Well, I have, just the other day, and as I fell in front of a bunch of people and heard the giggles... a thought came to me. 

When I fail, when I fall... doesn't it really offer proof of my dedication to keep trying? That I am still working hard toward a better life? Surely if a wave had an epiphany to realize it is not a mere wave but in essence the ocean itself... then maybe even one's clumsy falls have an enlightenment to itself as well? The act of getting up itself is a mighty spiritual thing.  

I am trying to add positive things to the negative thoughts that sometimes pour from my mind. Instead of an explanation point at the end with negativity, I am really trying to emphasize the good that is coming because of it. One of my goals in this life is to try and get to a point where I direct more feelings of happiness and positive directions instead of only redirecting the bad that has happened. It's a start to change the mindset and this is a different step. 

I admit this is very difficult step for me. I have so many things go wrong and I feel the failure in deep emotions... but hey my friendly morning crows will still show up in the morning... LOL Ha'... see I just did it. :) Seriously, though, I have two crows that come by every morning. It seems that I have earned their friendship and have earned their trust. I feed them some grapes and popcorn.... I just know that they look forward to seeing me.

Lately when something happens to me that really hurts me, I finish the sentence or statement by putting that out there about those two crows. I have no doubt that God has sent them my way. At least I hope He did, for they have been a much needed source of comfort.  

Trying to be more positive for me is a sort of homecoming I want to realize in my own life. Thriving...fishing for an ending that shows hope, and redirects energy to at least realize a possibility that despite what might be holding me down, or holding me back might just be a resistance much like a head wind where thought it is grueling, soon enough more muscle helps you push through. A place where once you push through, you find yourself upon that enlightened wave that realize its true genetic structure is so much more... the ocean within me.

Much love as always everyone...

~John

Thursday’s Trench Truth and Invitation Too

Welcome to Tuesday’s Trench Truth, and Invitation, too @ Coffee Hour with Chicklit Power and Trench Classes United. Come on in for what I hope will be an eye-opening truth for you!

If I were to ask you, what is the difference between responding and reacting, what would you say? It’s kind of thought provoking when you apply this principle to your personal interpersonal communications with others.

To react means we jump forward…without any thought or prayer, and to respond is to step back, put some thought and/or prayer into the situation and determine if you even need to respond.

Would you say you’re a reactor or a responder?

What about when it comes to life’s challenges and/or hurts; do you react or respond to them? Do we step back and invite Him into the situation or challenge, or do we move forward without any thought, prayer or planning? I don’t know about you, but my old propensity was to jump forward without prayer and planning, and usually that was followed by a mistake or regret!

What would it take to change from reactor to responder? For me, it’s been a change of one thing first: putting Him first, first thing in the morning, getting to know Him, His character, His principles and promises. He has turned me into a responder and He can do the same for you!

Join us to learn how to respond to life’s challenges by Living Fearlessly, Forgiven and Forgiving, because a life lived forgiven is worth living! Registration is now open!

-Wednesday’s Word

Dressed to Impress…or Eternal Success?

Colossians 3:12

¹² Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

Thank you for joining me for Wednesday’s Word & Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power and Trench Classes United.  Summer is in full swing, huh?!

It was a workday and I stood in my closet in Yucaipa, California trying to anticipate what the weather would be like later on in Los Angeles. Hmmm, I wondered aloud, what to wear? I was trying to focus on the task at hand, but my head was wrapped around a new discovery: someone who I thought was a friend had un-friended me on Facebook and I was just a bit irritated! J I don’t want to give the enemy any more credit, so I won’t elaborate on this, but I am certain that you understand the feeling of rejection followed by frustration when this type of thing happens on social media. What a way to go into your day, huh? And yet, there is the fact that everyone is given freedom of choice, and we are not His puppets on a piece of string dangling from heaven. Oh, sometimes don’t you wish others were? J

As my hands ran through the hangers of clothes, my mind was racing, and yet there was a smile on my face because that earlier discovery of rejection did not overtake me, nor did I give in to the temptation to message that person to ask what the heck or defend myself. Instead, I actually put her first on my prayer list for the day. J

Oh, back to the “what-to-wear” dilemma!

I was preparing for an all-day video deposition, so I knew I’d need to not only feel comfortable but confident. Video depositions are quite a bit more challenging because you have to get every “okay,” every “hmmm,” every false start, and every sound, which can be challenging to write, let alone spell on our little court reporting machine. J J

My eyes skimmed over a couple of skirts, and I pulled a couple of sleeveless blouses off the hangers to see how they would look, and then a colorful sweater to finish each of the outfits off. I put my first choice on…and didn’t like it at all! Then I put the second choice on, and it just didn’t do anything for me. “Ugh, is it going to be one of those days?” I groaned aloud.

I hung them all back up and went back into my closet and gave one more glance at my skirts. I saw my pleated navy blue with off-white polka dots, quickly picked out a crème colored lacey top, and grabbed a navy blue sweater off its hanger and determined to like it. Wisdom has taught me to give more attention to how I am dressed internally than externally, and I can really work myself in a tailspin if I spend too much time in my closet. 

My thoughts returned to the day ahead. As I get older, I’ve noticed that there are times that it takes a lot more energy to remain patient with attorneys and witnesses. You would think that with almost 27 years of experience that wouldn’t be the case, but then again, it’s just more opportunity for me to rely on Him, and invite Him into the deposition with me.

I quickly did my makeup, and hair, and then put on the outfit I had chosen, grabbed my blue strappy pumps and headed downstairs with the words of wisdom in Colossians 3:12 echoing in the hallways of my heart and I am grateful for the reminder that while I may need to feel confident and comfortable in my earthly outfit, I truly need to dress for eternal success more than I need to dress to impress.

I can be confident not because of what I wear externally, but because HIS word says I am dearly loved and I had spent the time I needed with Him that morning to be reminded of just that! Living like I am “dearly loved” will clothe me with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience, even for those fast-talking witnesses and attorneys who sometimes cause me to want to throw my computer and run away. Something tells me that if I turn my focus on my eternal outfit, my external outfit won’t matter so much! I’m off for another day on the record!

Dressed for Eternal Success,

Evinda

Tuesday’s Trench Truth and Invitation too!

Welcome to Tuesday’s Trench Truth, and Invitation, too @ Coffee Hour with Chicklit Power and Trench Classes United. Come on in for what I hope will be an eye-opening truth for you!

In class last week we began the root of rage…and one of my leaders shared that many people couldn’t relate to the word “rage” because they don’t consider themselves to have rage, per say. He felt the word was a bit harsh, too strong. Well, that led into a beautiful open-group discussion and following along with the curriculum, we suggested trading the word “rage” for “anger” and then we shared some differences between the two.

Today, I’d like to share the first difference with you that I pray will help you determine if you have any seed of rage planting in your heart.

“Anger is temporary, usually situational whereas rage is ongoing and growing!”

Let me give you an example:  “All of us have gotten angry over something happening ‘in the moment,’ and when the situation is long gone, our anger goes with it. Rage is an over-the-top and excessive reaction having little or nothing to do with what has happened in the moment but more about things from the past.”

Rage is like an emotional pot where every hurt and/or wrong done to you gets added to this invisible pot and simmers and simmers until something else happens and then…poof, it boils over and everyone around gets burned!

So, Coffee Hour Friend, do you have an invisible pot simmering inside of you, or are you able to let it go?

One way to “cool off” would be to laugh! On that note, join us for a Night of Laughter and Squeaky Clean Comedy!

Hope to see you there

Evinda

Monday’s Mantra

Welcome to Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power and Trench Classes United. It’s another Monday and hopefully our Monday’s Mantra will make Monday a fun day and not a mundane day! Grab your coffee and come on in.

Have you ever yearned for heaven, or wondered what it would be like? In our connection group last week, we were discussing heaven and there were a couple of very profound questions we had to share our answers to. One of the questions was what would we ask Him when we get there, and then what do we expect to be freed from once there.

It was a powerful discussion where we each shared transparently. Many of us had questions and a genuine lack of understanding about death and abuse of children. I mean we talked about some pretty emotionally excruciating tragedies that we all are either walking through or that our friends are walking through.

As I listened, tears in my eyes mirrored the tears in the eyes of everyone there.  I realized that oftentimes, in our humanness we want to understand these things, and the truth is that we cannot. We cannot wrap our brains around the why, or the how, much less know HIS thoughts and understand His ways. This is when faith is moved from “park” to “drive”!

The truth is:

Faith is not a denial of painful circumstances; it’s the ability to allow Him to work in and through the painful circumstances.

Coffee Hour Friend, are you going through something that is requiring you to take your faith out of park and move it into the drive position? He has much to reveal to us in His time, and one thing we can count on is that though we don’t understand now, we will then…when we are face to face with our Abba Daddy whose plan has always been to offer us a hope, not to harm us, to life us up, not beat us down.

Faith-ing thru the journey,

Evinda