Wednesday's Word

Tug of War

“I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh and these are contrary to one another so that you do not do the things that you wish.” 

Galatians 5:6-7

Welcome to Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power and Trench Classes United and Wednesday’s Word! I’m so blessed you took the time to join us. I pray these versus come to life within you!

When I read these two verses, I automatically think of a fight, a sort of dueling going on, a power struggle of sorts and sometimes we all know those sort of struggles can be as relentless as two champion boxers in a ring aiming for just the right punch to score the most points while inflicting harm and trying to take us out.

That may seem strongly harsh to you, but when it comes to the battle of the flesh and the Spirit, sometimes it can feel much like a fight. I think the power of that fight is intensified when we fight with just our physical self, or with our physical and emotional parts. 

See, what we tend to forget is that the body is made up of three parts (interestingly enough, the Trinity comes to mind-God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit): mind=emotions + body=physical + soul=spiritual.  

In Genesis we read: “God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” Just as God is Triune, made of three parts, so we are made up of three parts. But why do we tend to leave the spiritual part behind in bed after making it and going on with our day? How many times do we do things without putting our spiritual part into the equation? How many decisions do we make without doing what is spiritual and praying, seeking after the things of God and praying to Him for guidance? Why do we feed our physical selves all sorts of food, and a lot of bad food, feed our emotions all sorts of leisure reading and negative music, watch movies with no moral message, but we do little to feed the spiritual self?

Going about our day without acknowledging our spirit, which is how His Spirit communes with us, within us, is like a car with three wheels, a ship without a captain, and can be as disastrous as a plane without a pilot! Yikes!

The good news is that we could avoid disaster by feeding our spirit with the things of God. The crazy economy of Christ, though, is that even if we don’t, He will use our mistakes, our tug-of-wars to refine us, purify us that we may be more like Him and less like our struggles.

What will you do to feed your Spirit within you?

From my heart to yours,

Evinda

Monday's Mantra

Stop and ask for directions

Psalm 143:9-10: Deliver me, O Lord, from my enemies; in You I take shelter. Teach me to do Your will for You are my God; Your Spirit is good. Lead me in the land of uprightness! 

Welcome to Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power and Trench Classes United. Grab your favorite break-time beverage and come on int!

Have you ever taken a wrong turn and not even realize it for several miles and the only warning was this gut-deep sense of uh-oh, this doesn’t feel right? Now I don’t know about you, but when I’m driving and I get that sense that I’m going in the wrong direction, I practically do a U-turn right then and there…but not so in life. 

Have you ever made a decision and it wasn’t until weeks later, perhaps even months later that you begin to look back and recognize some warning lights that were flashing, albeit dimly? And maybe there were other hints like from a quiet husband whose eyes hurt each time you leave to go to work, wishing he were the one working, or a not so quiet attitude change from within yourself, a sort of shortness of patience, a quick temper, consistent anxiety, all because you thought you had to do what you’re doing and you didn’t really think you had a choice…so off you went, down a wrong turn! 

I mean when walking through a difficult time in life, there are times when we are faced with what seems to be a logical solution so we take it without even a second thought, let alone stopping to ask for directions from the One who knows where we are to go, how to get there and when we’ll get there.

Ugh, why is it I need screaming lights, glaring and flashing warning signals to avoid those wrong turns in the walk of faith? Sometimes I think the hardest thing to recover from is discerning incorrectly…that is until I open His love letters for me and read of others who have endured the exact same thing I have. In fact, any type of life challenge is found in this book of promises, principles and solutions, The Bible.  Here’s what I got when I put my circumstances into Psalm 143:9-10: Deliver me, Lord, from my own agenda; in You I must take shelter. Teach me to do Your will, not mine, for You are God and know what’s best for me; Your Spirit only wants to guide me to what is good!

Why is it so hard to stop and ask for directions?

Perhaps you are faced with a challenge or trial that requires you to make a turn, left, right or a complete U-turn. Will you stop and ask for directions to avoid getting lost?

Finding my way,

Evinda

Faith Filled Friday

Welcome to Coffeehour @ Chickllit Power and Trench Classes United. Come on in for a short heart-felt story.

Today I caught myself thinking about seasons. How magical they are and what they might represent for people and how they correspond to one more than another. We are forever bonded to seasons by things that happened as children: Building a snow man, skiing for the first time, running and leaping into the leaves that gracefully fell upon the ground before us so we as gleeful children would leap with blind faith into them. Perhaps it was a season of growth where the next offspring of leaves grow and weave their way back into branches all while bringing the gift of shade on a hot summer's day. Any way you choose to see, feel, touch and absorb them, aren't they just amazing? 

Many years ago I remember living with my grandparents in North Carolina. When fall came around I remember loving seeing all the colorful leaves falling to the ground. One day my Grandfather walked up to me with a rake and some yard waste bags. He told me to rake up all the leaves in the front yard and to stuff the leaves into the yard waste bags. I looked at the yard and remember thinking... Wow... this is going to take a long time. I was discouraged by the very thought of it. I'd rather been out skateboarding... But I got myself into the thick of it. I raked for hours and was getting the most of them into a huge pile. As this pile grew, I notice I felt more and more overwhelmed. But still, I kept at it... until my grandmother brought out some ice cold water and told me to take a break. I remember just letting myself fall back into that pile…and my grandmother followed suit and youthfully did the same! 

I remember loving that she did that with me. It made me feel good and that she was sharing something fun with me. In that moment my Grandmother opened up and shared some youthful memories of her own childhood, diving into piles of leaves as a young girl without a care in the world. I loved laying there and listening to her talking, but I won't lie... I especially enjoyed laying amongst the leaves because it was a lot easier to do than raking them into a pile. So as good things come to an end too... 

My Grandfather came out and told me to get back to it, but first he came over he sat down in the leaves with us and suggested that I rake them into many smaller piles instead of one big one. All I felt was blah... I didn't want to get back to it. Reluctantly, I got up and back to the grind of rakin' leaves I went... In front of me all I saw was a big towering pile but still I wanted to pile it higher and higher... it somehow amused me to do so. So I raked and raked. I soon began to figure out that I was raking so much more than I had too. But part of really wanted to leap harder, higher, farther, faster into them. So still I raked and raked. When I finished and got them into that pile I leaped my biggest leap into them... and it was so much fun but because I was so exhausted... my leap was probably smaller than my first one earlier that day.

Things dawned on me in that moment as I realized my many mistakes. What I had not done was pace myself and pay attention to the overall job. I just saw the reward and not the effort I would have to apply. When my grandfather came back out he told me I needed to have the leaves into bags before sundown. I remember thinking: "How am I going to get all these in these bags before sundown?" I gazed at the pile and felt a stress growing and growing. That overwhelming feeling began again. It ended up taking me past dark... but I finally finished. 

I remember feeling completely exhausted. That is just how big that yard was. But I also remember my grandmother's moment with me earlier... 

I wasn't happy with my grandfather that day so long ago. But as time goes by we begin to think in different ways and realize that sometimes love works in many different ways. You see my Grandfather could have told me from the beginning to sort into different piles... But no he let me do my thing... he let me create that huge pile of leaves to jump in with my grandmother. Only then did he come out and offer his advice to make things easier on me. It was the first time I had learned to work smarter not harder in life. As hard as that day was on me, I love that my grandfather was patient with me even when he saw me struggling. He let me struggle with all the extra effort. 

I have come to believe that in life we surely need the struggle; we need advice; we need to share a good time while we accomplish something and even sometimes accomplish nothing. That was a hard day of effort and yet it was one of my most unforgettable moments I shared with my much missed Grandmother and Grandfather. 

The following day, I was asked to rake the back yard. So let me ask you all... which way do you think I raked their back yard? Yes, of course I took my grandpa's advice and did it his way! But being me, I also opted to rake three piles together that were close to one another. It took me half the time it had the day before and yet I still got to take a huge leap! Sometimes we need to listen to those that love us for they might just know a little more than we do. Maybe God is telling us something? Maybe a loved one is trying to share something with us whether a story or a lesson... it's all bathed in love. Remembering this has cast a light of understanding that love is so much more dynamic and brighter when we don't just do things OUR OWN WAY. Even the falling leaves of a season can light our way.

What might be the memory that brings the feeling of your favorite season? What might have you found in thinking back upon it? Dare yourself to be a little vulnerable; trust those leaves and leap into your very own season! 

Much love everyone,

John

Wednesday's Word

Don’t Let Go!

Hebrews 10: 23: Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering for He who promised is faithful!

Thank you so much for joining me today for our Wednesday’s Word. I’m delighted to share my heart with you! Grab your favorite beverage and of course don’t forget your Strand of Faith and let’s go tie some knots together in our faith journey.

Today’s blog actually is a spinoff of Monday’s Mantra, and as usual, the words come from my recent experiences…which of course include mistakes! And it usually takes two to three knock-knocks before the light turns on and my mind and heart connect the dots! Oh, and I must be still, too, something that happens only in the morning for me…until right before bed and then I’m so exhausted, I can’t hear anything.

See, a few weeks ago, a realization hit me like a ton of bricks and sunk to the bottom of my soul, weighing me down and throwing me off balance. It was kind of sneaky the way the enemy did it because this realization has actually been a reality for months now, and I’ve not felt the heaviness of it until just recently. Unfortunately, it caused me to take my focus off of Him who has been sustaining me all this time and put it on myself, as if I am the one to save the day! 

It wasn’t until Sunday, during the message, that I realized God had been trying to whisper a message to me over the last couple of weeks, though in the form of a question: “What are you pursuing? Because it is revealing who you are pursuing!”

And this whispered message was sort of gently pounded into my heart with a few of the pastor’s statements, for example: behaviors are a direct result of our focus!

Ouch…so the fact that I’ve been short-tempered lately, tired, and carrying around a divided heart is as a result of my focus focusing on my troubles instead of He who triumphs over my troubles!

The fact that I’ve been focused on earning enough money to make this gargantious house payment tells me I’m pursuing a house payment instead of my Provider, the One who pays all my debts!

And the more I work, the harder I work. It becomes like this crazy cycle where you get pulled in a little bit at a time and before you know it…you’re spinning faster and faster and it’s hard to stop and be still. Here’s another profound truth:  We can’t outrun God! He pursues us relentlessly, and He will use all things, including our mistakes, for our good and His glory in this classroom of life…as long as we show up, and hold on.

Father, thank you for redirecting my focus; please help me to fix my eyes on you once again, focused on your purpose for my life instead of the cares of this life.

Evinda   

Monday's Mantra

For Him or With Him?

Philippians 4:13: I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me!

Welcome to Monday’s Mantra @ Coffeehour with Chicklit Power & Trench Classes United! So glad you could join me today! Grab your favorite beverage and your Strand of Faith and let’s go tie some knots in our faith while maintaining some sort of balance.

Have you ever had one of those weeks where you felt as though you were juggling so many things that your brain would burst and surely something important would fall through the cracks?  And when everything was all said and done, your body collapses but your mind keeps running around like mouse in training for a triathlon? It’s not a good feeling and the older I get, the more I dislike that craziness. 

There is nothing like scripture to rein it all in, mind, body and emotions! And yet, scripture needs to be our first go-to daily in order to accomplish any and all things that we do throughout the day, whether you’re a mom of little ones, teenagers, or someone who has the freedom to enjoy volunteer work for a cause or causes, and then of course, if you’re married, maintaining that marriage in a way that we are called to. 

The truth is, we can get so busy being busy that we lose focus and when that happens, it’s time for a three-point balance check:

1. Why am I doing what I’m doing? 
2. Do I need to be doing as much as I am doing? 
3. What are my motives for doing what I’m doing? 

Here’s what we discover when we answer these questions:

What we are doing reveals who/what we are pursuing!

More than six years ago when God called me into ministry, I learned a very powerful lesson of working for Him versus working with Him. See, when we are relying on His Spirit within us to guide us, His Word to refresh and remind us, we will be working with Him and not grow weary to the point of chaos and confusion. This past week has reminded me of that; I have taken back a burden and placed it on my shoulders, and thus found myself spinning out of balance! I’m so thankful that it doesn’t take me as long to recognize this craziness.

When we are doing things for Him, we will head toward exhaustion, an out-of-balanced life and burnout. And the crazy thing is we hide behind that motive of working/doing for Him. 

Father, before I say yes again, or add another item on my to-do list, help me discern the why of it all that I may maintain a balance of You in me working thru me, not me working for you and burning out!

Love,

Evinda

Faith Filled Friday

Welcome to our Faith-Filled Fridays and John’s perspective…it is such an insightful thing to be able to almost see inside the heart of another, which is how John writes. Grab your favorite beverage and join him for a powerful faith-filled Friday!

I have been playing the piano more and more lately as my camera officially lived its last days. Photography and music are things in me which bring me a sense of peace. They are artful expressions and they have been a huge part of how I have sought healing in my life. Photography was something I picked up after my best friend/dog Bella passed away. Shooting photos has been part of therapy with PTSD. It has created a flowing of understanding and answers within me, sometimes long before I ever had the most naked question. 

So there I was, practicing my scales upon the piano and I felt an impact. I felt words from out of nowhere crash into me. The words: “Bitter to Better” hit me like a freight train and my hands felt motionless upon the keyboard. It was surely a moment and a God-sent epiphany. I really needed them and their healing revelation they delivered.

Many times in life when I feel a rising bitterness start to germinate and move through the weed-filled soil of my soul, I can feel it pierce through where it seeks to photosynthesize and grow into something I care not to hydrate, bare nor carry. To do so could be natural and normal for the world we live in. It's a cruelty that is extremely taxing to not only carry for others... but also myself. Bitterness is surely a weapon of mass destruction within one's own spirituality. I once said something to someone many years ago and I saw the pain it caused them in their eyes... it didn't only hurt that person but it hurt me and I suspect it hurt God as well. It was such a huge price to pay. I could not bear to carry this powerful hurt I caused another and it almost felt as though I had stoned myself with my own anger, bitterness and words. 

That was a huge day in life for me. A place I often find myself being tested from. It takes not only prayers but solid dedication to not become a person that becomes bitter and stays that way. You see, anger and bitterness at first do not break through to the light to photosynthesize because it is more at home in a cold darkness. In this darkness one can become lost and soon the heart, mind and soul follow. 

Bitterness can not only cut us short of who we seek to be, but from the love we yearn to feel and give back to others. Trust me when I say no balance will ever be found within hurtful emotions, not for others, nor for self. Sad is the anger that fills one with a false sense of power and instead an emptiness that consumes one from the ability to ultimately let go and love life completely.

So what does it all mean? I think the sum of it all just might be this: Sometimes we must endure a finish line we never sought in the first place but perhaps when we pray, we train our minds to be muscles of reflex for positive thinking, and let our heart's be just vulnerable enough to feel we can also see that the other side of that line is actually a new starting line, a new fresh beginning... For me it's the place where bitter moves to better and hurt moves to HEALING... 

Even as I write this, I dare myself to step over that line... sometimes all we need to do is start moving our fingers once again on the piano... 

On your mark, get ready, set, GO! 

Much love…

John

Wednesday's Word

RX for NTS (Negative Thought Syndrome)

Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, if there is anything of good report, if there is any virtue, and if there is anything praiseworthy, meditate on these things. Phil. 4:8

Welcome to Wednesday’s Word @ Coffeehour with ChicklitPower! Grab your favorite beverage, your Strand of Faith and let’s go tie some knots in our faith!

I heard the alarm go off. It had been one of those restless nights of waking up several  times, looking at the clock wondering if it was time to get up yet. I couldn’t afford to oversleep. I desperately needed my quiet time with Abba before even attempting to make it thru this full day, which included a train ride to L.A to drop off a 300 page transcript and then to one of my favorite law firms for an all-day video deposition. My husband nudged me, gentle at first, and then not so gentle as I took my time to wake up.

As I placed my feet on the floor, I made a conscious choice to bite back the thought screaming in my head: “I don’t want to get up.” I succeeded and picked up speed as I whispered good morning to my Abba and headed straight for the coffee pot and quiet time!

Lately, I’ve had a propensity toward anxiety, sadness and a constant sense of being overwhelmed, which translates to focusing on my broken relationships and other problems, thus making my problems bigger than my God. Oh, how easy it is to go off on a detour toward NTS. Why do you think that is? I actually found that answer in a devotional from Bible.com that one of my close friends sent me. It was on the subject of emotions, and guarding our heart. 

Did you know that our emotions travel 80,000 times faster than our thoughts? Oh, Mylanta, no wonder we feel so much pain when painful things happen, or when people we love hurt us! This also explains why so many of us, “Christians” included, operate out of feelings, allowing them to drive our emotional cars and cause emotional wrecks. Is it any wonder that hurt people hurt people?

So again, the question still remains: How do I flee from NTS? Well, as I was driving to the train station, I picked up my pink scripture cards and began going through them, trying to commit them to memory. I picked up the third one, and it began convicting me in a different way from when I had originally written it on the card. Scripture tends to do that, friend, come alive in you each and every time, but in a new and life-changing way.

As I kept reciting Phil. 4:8 while driving down the freeway, I realized that the things I’ve been meditating on lately haven’t been necessarily true, noble, just, let alone pure, lovely, admirable and praiseworthy! So as I recited each part of the verse, it began to come alive. 

Let me share how:

Whatever is true—I know He loves me; that’s a truth I can take to the bank. I must focus on His truths, not what others think of me! (Isn’t that so hard at times?)

Whatever is noble—Striving for an attitude of gratitude while in the midst of a painful circumstance is noble (admirable) not repaying evil for evil.

Whatever is just—His discipline for me is just; His hand in my life is always just, not always comfortable but righteous and just. He uses all things to refine me and mold me more into His image.

Whatever is pure-His love is the purest thing I know and it’s mine!

Whatever is lovely-I need to take a look around at His artwork for when I do that, I am never, ever disappointed.

Whatever things are of good report-We are inundated with  negative messaging; oh, how crucial it is to learn to recognize His hand in the little things and the big things and when I am focused on what He has done, not what I want Him to do, I am in a better place emotionally, spiritually and thus physically.

If there is any virtue…hmmm, I got stuck on this one for a minute and had to really thing J Virtue = a behavior that exhibits high moral standards..so the verb form of faith (faith-ing) would be something to meditate on as our thoughts produce actions, positive or negative, but if we feed our faith and not our fears, the actions that follow will be worthy of praise!

It’s your turn…take each one of these things that our Father tells us to think about and fill in what you believe to be true, noble, just, pure, lovely, things of good report – there is much to praise Him for – something you know He has worked in you, all of which equates to praiseworthy thoughts and gets you away from NTS!

Thoughtfully,

Evinda

Monday's Mantra

Angels Flexing over our Protection! 

Luke 4:10: For it is written: He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you.

Welcome to #Coffeehour @ Chicklit Power and Trench Classes United. This is a new Monday series, and my heart hopes that you will find meaning in Monday’s Mantra each week! Grab your favorite beverage and your Strand of Faith (SOF) and come join me for a true story.

Mondays always seem to be extra busy for some reason, especially now that I’m back to court reporting three to four days a week. Last Monday was no exception; in fact, my to-do list seemed to be put on steroids – meet with assistant, leadership training meeting, our Night of Purpose event list of things to do, upcoming class to begin preparing for, raffle gifts to procure, but in the midst of it all I needed and wanted to make time to have a late lunch with my adopted mom who is recovering from pneumonia. This would be our first lunch in weeks. I just needed to be with her. She’s calming for me, understands me like no one else, gently advises and offers her wisdom, and has this ability to bring my world back to a more accurate perception. She was God’s first example of unconditional love in human form! 

Anyway, we were inside eating lunch for a good hour and as we made our way out, we were still talking while walking to my car…that is until I looked up. What I saw rendered me speechless! Imagine me, a person of soooo many words, speechless! J I stopped mid-sentence and stood there, holding mom back as I pointed to what I was seeing: my driver’s side car door wide open!

The movie replayed in my head and I realized that after getting out of the car, and not shutting my door, heading for the trunk to get her walker, then over to her to help her up, I just had a brain toot and forgot to close and lock my door! We stood there a couple of seconds; I looked at her, and she looked at the open door and at first this feeling of dreadful fear came over me. I motioned for her to stay right there as I made my way across the lane toward my car. With every step the fear lessened and when I got to the car and peeked in the back seat to confirm that my laptop and newly purchased bags of Bath & Body Works stuff was still there, I gasped…in thanksgiving more than disbelief. 

“Nothing’s taken, Mom” I hollered across the lane. I went and got her and both of us were in a sort of dumbfounded quiet, both of us knowing with every cell in our being that God’s angels had to do a bit of overtime on my behalf. Angels were flexing over my protection for sure, protecting everything that concerns me. There is no other explanation; no denying He was defying any evil coming my way, protecting me from my mistake, going ahead of me and watching behind me. To say I felt loved and protected is an understatement. 

May I challenge you to look for ways that He protects you throughout your day; they may be blatant; they may be subtle but I can say with an experienced certainty, His protection is there! Seek and find…

Love,

Evinda

Faith Filled Friday

Hey folks... how everyone doing this week? Great I hope. 

This time around I wanted to talk about something I have come to call invisible bullets. I think in today's world we are a type of people that have become more and more judgmental of others and the ways in which they live. We take pens to paper, fingers to keyboards, emotions from within where we pull them pull them back out and express in ways that perhaps we shouldn't. These expressions can often fall under fire where people then do the same...all this hate and anger running free in the world. It is incredibly overwhelming and sad. It's all bullets to me. People don't have to pick up a firearm to hurt and harm one another for sometimes our voices are the biggest guns of all. They can drop bombs all over another person. What's even sadder is that they are often oblivious to these invisible bullets and bombs. 

I can never understand why, when it feels so good to connect with people on things that we both share a passion for, why we can't do it more often? Where is the benefit of the doubt these days? Where is the love in just trying to get along? Why so much oblivious nature when these bullets start flying? I have come to believe that people don't want to feel vulnerable in body, situation or opinion. They want to secure the borders within and anyone outside the scope of that is perceived as a possible threat. 

Do we as a people really want to live that way? I surely don't. If people want to constantly find the bad things in you and call you pathetic, there is nothing you can do about it. We must seek to connect those dots with those who represent love to us and we must throw out a lifeline of our own understanding of people that differ from us. I have always found it difficult to pray for those who hurt me violently, who hurt me emotionally. The older I get the more I find that Jesus taking to prayer when He was tortured and led to a hill where He surely knew what was coming, and still He made the climb, filled with love for those who spit upon Him with their hatred. How horribly hard that must have been and yet completely natural for God's son to do such a thing. 

How blessed are we to have had love like that along the path of mankind's existence. One of my most constant prayers is for God to fill me with love and understanding... My new prayer this last year has been to also identify and pray for those who hurt others, and that includes myself. I don't want to carry hate. I want to talk to those who have hurt me and tell them what they did to me. If they care not to listen or hear that conversation then I have to leave it with God.  

Isn't it amazing that we can leave these things in God's care? That He can help alleviate the wounds we have suffered not only from others but from our own choices and fault. Let's put down the way of hurting one another and be filled with the light of love. It's what God wants and surely intended for every single one of us. I would love to see more of that go viral in the world, wouldn't you? 

Much love & God bless everyone...

John