Words are like a Lego set; they should be constructed one at a time! EL

Faith-Filled Fridays

Question: Have you ever said something and then immediately wished you could take it back?

Answer: Absodarnlutely!

Welcome to Coffee Hour with Chicklit Power and Faith-filled Fridays with Trench Classes United. Come on in for a word picture built with a Lego set.

I love rewinding memories with my favorite little people. This particular memory is as powerful today as it was then. My granddaughter Tyler had some Lego sets for us to build, and one of them looked quite daunting. I suggested we start with the small one, especially since I’d never, ever played with Legos before, but this precious little giggle-maker wanted to start with the big one, so we did.

Oh, my goodness, I had no idea it would/could be so much fun. As we built the castle from the ground up, I was amazed at all the detail Lego thought of, from tables and chairs, to doorposts, to decorations for the outside. It was absolutely amazing. And the crazy thing for me was the time just flew! I sat still, being and building with my granddaughter for three+ hours!

Putting this Lego set together with Ty-Ty was unbelievably therapeutic for me. As we built it together, one Lego at a time – we literally took turns, each of us getting to place one Lego at a time -- it made me think of our words, how every last word that comes out of our mouth has some power, some significance, either to build up or to tear down. The longer we wait to choose our words/pieces carefully, the more accurate we can be, and maybe we’d even say less!

Each Lego piece had such significance, and had to be placed just right because if we tried to put the wrong Lego in, often we wouldn’t know it until we had laid many more so we would have to tear it apart and rebuild it.

I couldn’t help but think what if we were to carefully build one another up with our words, such that when we walked away, we had a sense of accomplishment knowing that what we had planted could/would help them with any other negative messaging they may be receiving from others? See, unlike Lego building, we don’t get to take our words back, and once they leave our mouths, well, there are consequences: building up or tearing down.

Ephesians 4:29 tells us not to let any corrupt word proceed out of our mouths but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearer.

Oh, Abba, help me, one word at a time, to build others up, and not tear them down. Help me to be mindful of the things that I say so that whatever I say, when I walk away, I know that You will use each word to build them up, to remind them that they are precious in your sight. Help me to remember when I want to tear down and inflict pain with my words that the real enemy is not them, but the Enemy of this world just using them to get to me!

Love,

Kim-Evinda

Are U your own Goliath?

Wednesday’s Word

The messages told me no one would want to hear it, see it or participate in it. As the messenger came close enough to wrap its evil claws around me, I almost chickened out, called it off and said to the heck with it.

Thanks for joining me today for Coffee Hour with Chicklit Power and Wednesday’s Word with Trench Classes United.

Have you ever gone to church and listened to the message and felt like you were the only one in the room? I’m so thankful for those times, and even more thankful that they happen just at the most divine moments. Last Sunday was one of those times wherein even though I was in the VERY last row, his message be-lined it straight to my soul, did not go left, right, but came right at me and I was so refreshed by it.

Just like you, I’ve got a lot of life coming at me; my adopted mama just recently graduated to heaven – I’m crying as I write this – and I’m struggling without her; she was my major cheer leader. In addition to that, I’ve taken two falls, two different times, bruised my ribs, caused a hairline fracture to my elbow, and I was scheduled to begin filming my project the next day that Jesus wrote thru me so many years ago and we’ve been fine-tuning in the trenches for three years.

Anyway his message was about focusing on the good helps us to navigate thru the bad. I admit, I still need some work in this area. I’ve had a lot of negative thrown at me lately, which I have no doubt the enemy wants to use to distract me from this project. But thank God for community, corporate worship and the meaning behind the message: Jesus invites me to trust Him in the pain, not to adjust to the pain!
And then he had us take off our shoes, so, hey, if you have shoes on, feel free to do this. Write one to three things that are interfering with you trusting Him thru whatever you’re going thru. It was in this exercise I realized that fear was driving my emotional car as it relates to one of the painful situations, which was also spilling over and causing me insecurity about this upcoming filming project.

So write those things on your shoes, put them back on…and stomp on them. That’s right! Romans 16:20 says: The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

So since God is not the author of fear and insecurity, but the enemy is, I stomped on fear and insecurity but good and walked out of church ready to film the project He wrote thru me, brought me to and will see me thru.

It occurred to me that this lines up with last week’s Wednesday’s Word about David and Goliath, that David did not pay on iota of attention to him and he won the battle…or better said, just showed up…and so did God and the battle was won. Sometimes maybe we need to hush up so we can show up and stop being our own Goliath!

Have a wonderful Wednesday

Kim-Evinda

Tuesday’s Trench Truth

Faith is not a denial of painful circumstances; it’s the ability to trust Him to work in and through them ^EL

Join us for more encouragement at www.facebook.com/trenchclassesunited

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A life guided by the Spirit ignores the calls from the flesh! EL

Thursday’s Trench Truth

Oh, to be more spiritually-minded and less focused on things that have no eternal value!

Join us for more encouragement on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/Trenchclassesunited

Love,

Kim-Evinda

There’s no such thing as a perfect person; but there is a person perfect for you! EL

Wednesday’s Word

It’s that time of year again: school’s out for summer, vacations are being planned and couples are endeavoring to embark upon the waves of marriage, committing to do so before friends and family. Thanks for joining me today for Coffee Hour with Chicklit Power and Wednesday’s Word with Trench Classes United.

I love weddings for lots of reasons, the first being it refreshes my own marriage commitment.  Last week I got to attend a long-awaited wedding. So many of us have prayed that God would bless this guy with someone to love and be loved by. What’s crazy is her family and friends had been praying the same prayer for years!

Their wedding was one of the sweetest, simplest ceremonies I’ve ever attended. It was a wedding I am certain I will never forget. The bride’s brother married them and it was obvious he was significantly emotionally invested in his sister’s happiness. Several times throughout the ceremony he had to stop to catch his breath…and dry the tears of joy.

He began his message with Exodus 14:14: “I will fight for you; you need only to be still.” These were the words the Lord spoke to Moses to give to His people as they wandered in the desert for 40 years, a long time to get where they wanted to be: the Promised Land.

He shared a common piece to both of their stories: they each had been heartbroken several times, had waited for a long, long time for the right person, and had wondered if God was ever going to answer their prayer for a lifelong partner. They both had nearly given up, tired of hearing their own prayers…but the Lord had fought for them and brought them to each other. It was in the struggle that they learned to be still, to trust Him.

Her brother then said: “I’d like to say that now that you’ve found each other, and you’re getting married, that you will have entered the Promised Land;” we all laughed. “But that is certainly not the case.” I absolutely loved the truths that followed and to summarize, he compared the Children of Israel’s journey into the Promised Land to marriage; that there will be times of pain, sorrow, doubt, going without…but remember, the Lord will fight for you; you need only be still.

So, Coffee Hour Friend, what has you struggling emotionally, physically and/or spiritually? Can I encourage you to take this promise to the bank, trusting that it will not bounce; it’s a guaranteed, already-paid for promise! He will fight for you; He has your very best interest at heart.

Love,

Kim-Evinda

The melody of our lives should bring harmony to others’ lives.

 Tuesday’s Trench Truth

The melody of our lives should bring harmony to others’ lives.
In other words, disagreement need not bring dissention and disconnection, but can actually be a beautiful harmony!
Join us on our Facebook page for daily doses of encouragement from the trenches at www.facebook.com/trenchclassesunited
​Love,
Kim-Evinda

Love allows for disagreements without disconnections! EL

 Monday’s Mantra

Have you ever had a disagreement with the one you love that exasperated and baffled you all at the same time? Recently I had one of those with my husband and it left me truly frustrated and perplexed, but it also taught me something! Thanks for joining me for Coffee Hour with Chicklit Power and Monday’s Mantra with Trench Classes United.

The disagreement was definitely not what I would consider trivial but without getting into the details, we each were stuck on our interpretation and feelings about what we were disagreeing about. I was defending what was right, not who was right.

We were about a good 15 minutes into it when a light bulb went on for me and I realized we weren’t getting anywhere because we both believed what we believe, so I decided to just stop talking about it. I mean the disagreement looked something like a truck stuck in wet sand, the engine trying with all its power to get a burst of traction to move even an inch, but it just couldn’t muster up the power.

When I pulled away from the tug-of-war, a very quiet voice said these words: Love does not demand its own way.

It was the sweetest scolding I’ve ever gotten. J J J

I’d like to say that I immediately, in slow motion, went running to my husband, gushing with apologetic love…but that’s not what happened. But what did happen is these quiet words spoken in the crevices of my frustrated soul, only after I had dared to step back, took me out of the tug-of-war and affirmed my resignation with yet another whisper, an echo of a verse I had heard at a wedding: “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” ^{Exodus 14:14}

Help me, oh, Lord, to love and respect him, to pull out of the tug-of-war without pulling away from him!

Love,

Kim-Evinda

His creation sings of His love for us!

 Faith-filled Fridays

Isaiah 41:10 New Living Translation (NLT)

¹⁰ Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.   Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.

Today is a new day. This is the day that the Lord has made I will rejoice and be glad in it. This is so important for me to say to myself in the mornings. I can wake up joyful and triumph or I can wake up tired and cranky, either way it’s so important to remember to say this to myself.  Thanks for joining me for a new day, Coffee Hour with Chicklit Power and Faith Filled Fridays with Trench Classes United.

The verse above, reminds me that God and I are hand in hand and that He will supply all my wisdom and strength for the day. He will get me through my tough days, reminding me to not be discouraged, for I have great plans for you. Be patient my child I will make a way for you, He whispers in my ear. Be joyful in all things!

As I listen to the birds sing, the beautiful butterflies flutter by, and the sun falls warmly on my face, I am filled afresh with God’s great love for me. He reminds me again, to see Him in the small things. Rejoice and praise Him for the small things, such as, the birds singing His praises and the warm sun upon my face.

I believe in our fast pace world we need to see the grand in all things. But this thing of instant gratification which is what we are accustomed to makes this a challenge, doesn’t it? When we feel that God is being slow to answer, we fall apart and don’t know what to do, or think He has forgotten us. He hasn’t forgotten any one of us!

So in the waiting, remember that He knows best for us, so It is best that we wait. I encourage you today, to think on how God showed up simply this morning for you, a small reminder for you of His great love.

Let me share with you one of Gods small things that bring me great comfort. If I am overwhelmed, stressed, worried, and I am outside talking with the Lord unloading my every burden, and I see a butterfly flutter by, right then and there I feel a pouring of His peace over me. I take a deep breath and say thank you, Lord. 

Is there something tiny like this God does for you, or have you taken the time to notice the whispers of His love for you? I encourage you to take a good look today, a minute out of the hustle and bustle and see and feel God’s love all over and around you.

Ashley

Pleasing God surpasses pleasing people.

 Faith Filled Friday

Happy Friday! Today I want to talk about the dangers of trying to please others, and the harm it can do to us. Thanks for joining me for Coffee Hour with Chicklit Power and Faith-Filled Friday with Trench Classes United.

I feel the Lord’s whisper: “Why are you worried my beloved over such a trivial thing?” I was worrying, yet, I didn’t realize where this worry was truly stemming from. As I sat in prayer, the Lord revealed the answer to me and I’d like to share with you what He gave me in my time with Him.

Pleasing God surpasses pleasing people.

1 Thessalonians 2:4 New Living Translation (NLT)

“For we speak as messengers approved by God to be entrusted with the Good News. Our purpose is to please God, not people. He alone examines the motives of our hearts.”

The need to be accepted and liked is too grand in my mind. After reading this, here’s what I wondered: What does it mean eternally and temporally? Why do I need to feel accepted, liked, and or wanted by others? Why is the need so grand in me? I am God’s beloved and He cherishes me and loves me infinitely. He will never leave me or forsake. My Lord is enough!

 However, I get caught up in the questions like: Am I good enough? Was what I said enough or right? It’s exhausting, questioning my every move! I’m learning that I can’t sacrifice my very being to be accepted or liked. What does it matter? It doesn’t! When I have sought the Holy Spirit’s guidance, His words, and I’ve done all that He has asked of me, everything else is to be left in His hands. For in mine, nothing but chaos takes place, disconnecting me and filling me with an anxiety that leaves me lost.

Philippians 4:6-7 New King James Version (NKJV)

⁶ Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; ⁷ and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Do you find yourself trying to please others, in your head about your words and deeds? If so, meditate on these loving instructions from our God for the have brought me great encouragement and I trust that they will encourage you too. Don’t let Satan lie to you or cause you to think of less of yourself because of someone. You are cherished and loved by God. He is jealous for you and longs for time with you. Put your energy and focus on Him and He will bring the right people into your life and help you let go of the ones who aren’t.

 Many Blessings,

Ashley Zito

When we are able to correct with love we will connect in love! EL

Invitation Tuesday

Are you the fun parent or the disciplinary parent? Would you like a better connection with your child or children?

Join us tomorrow night for our Facebook live at 5:45 @ www.facebook.com/trenchclassesunited  to gain some insight into your parenting style and THIS Saturday, for our powerful, life-changing relationship seminar with best-selling authors of the book How We Love. Tickets still available

See you there,

Kim-Evinda

P.S. Don’t forget to join me live at 5:45 tomorrow night @ www.facebook.com/trenchclassesunited

There is a difference between servant-hood and servitude!

I find annual cancer screenings as dreadful as dental appointments. I put them off until I can’t procrastinate any longer!

Welcome to Coffee Hour and Monday’s Mantra with Trench Classes United; a division of Chicklit Power Ministries.

I’m sure my hesitancy falls into the “normal” category when it comes to routine cancer screening. Even though I feel healthy, I realize test results can prove otherwise. I have had tests prove otherwise. I always pray God will grant me concrete results, regardless of the outcome. Still, I arrived at my mammogram appointment tense and nervous.

My mammography technologist picked up on my tension. She immediately went to work to diffuse it. As she put me through the routine procedures, she engaged me in conversation. Somewhere along the way, our conversation turned to the subject of food. I hardly remember the mammogram. I vividly remember her recipes for corned beef, cabbage, and Spanish rice! She accomplished what she set out to do, ensuring that everyone who enters her exam room leaves relaxed and comfortable. This honorable woman of God displays the perfect example of servant-hood.

As Christians, we can confuse servant-hood with servitude. Servitude implies slavery and involuntary labor. Someone ensnared in servitude serves out of a sense of fear and duty. Someone serving in the spirit of servant-hood does so willingly with a sense of love and commitment. Servant-hood is beautifully illustrated in John 13:12-15.

“When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example: that you also should do just as I have done to you.”

In Matthew 20:28 Jesus defined servant -hood when he said, “the Son of man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

By the grace of God, we all can rise to the calling of true servant-hood. Through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we can fulfill possibilities otherwise unknown. We need only to allow God to guide us.

The greatest among you shall be your servant. (Mathew 23:11)

Your questions and comments are always welcome.

Lovingly in Christ,

Megan

Thursday’s Trench Truth

It’s rather telling when you go to dinner with your spouse and look around and you see other couples…on their phones and not speaking a word! You know what I’m talking about, right?

Thanks for joining me for Coffee Hour with Chicklit Power and Thursday’s Trench Truth with Trench Classes United.

In a world of social connection, we seem to be disconnecting from one another. Studies are proving that phone/computer games, text messaging are taking the place of face-to-face connection, crippling communication on so many levels. Likes, hearts, shares and re-tweets are how we feed our egos. Cyber bullying is at its highest ever!

How do we connect with those we love in such a technologically-driven, fast-paced society?

Join us for our next trench class to learn how to connect healthily with those in your circle of love.

https://www.eventbrite.com/myevent?eid=41095324221

Hope to see you there!

Evinda

Tuesday’s Trench Truth

Thoughtful Thankfulness

I love this time of year, when the weather begins to cool down, creation’s colors change and bright oranges, reds and yellows burst forth upon the leaves of the trees.  There’s a sort of fall scent that comes with it all, too.  This harvest season is the beginning of the holiday season and while I’d rather stay in this “thankful” season, I’ve come to realize that we don’t have to have Thanksgiving to be thankful.

Every morning, I begin my quiet time by being still and inviting Him into the rewind of my previous day. Together we go through the things that happened and the moments where He was blessing me, or trying to get my attention, and/or moments that make me super thankful I am His and He is mine. As I am still, I can recognize all kinds of things to be thankful for, and I do acknowledge them through journaling and prayer.

For twenty-two days now, I’ve seen posts on Facebook talking about the things they are thankful for because this is the “month of thankfulness.” Every day brings a new thing to be thankful for and I absolutely love the simplicity of many of the things that others are thankful for. As this month seems to hurry into the next, I can see that the attitude of gratitude has diminished, like so many other good intentions.

Could it be to practice thankfulness is a challenge? I think that it can be and that being thankful requires more than written or spoken works. It requires action. Do my actions line up with my words of thankfulness? Am I living like I’m thankful? What does it take for an attitude of gratitude to be my constant companion?

Here are some truths that I’ve learned and am trying to live about thankfulness:

Learning how to be thankful for the little things gets us through the big, difficult things.

Thankfulness is a choice!

Thankfulness can pull us out of the pit of depression and brighten perspective.

Thankfulness is an act of worship and blesses God!

Thankfulness is an anti-inflammatory that decreases pride.

Thankfulness is an antibiotic for negativity.

Thankfulness opens the door to more blessings.

Thankfulness can turn a frown upside down!

Thankfulness helps us stay in the moments instead of living for the next.

A little thankfulness goes a long way!

Now it’s your turn; what does an attitude of thankfulness do for you? Remember, we don’t need to wait for Thanksgiving to be thankful!

Thankful,

Evinda

Faith Filled Friday

Frinemies!

Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art.... It has no survival value; 

rather it is one of those things which give value to survival.”
― C.S. Lewis, The Four Love

Thanks for joining us for Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power and Faith Filled Friday with Trench Classes United. Grab your coffee and your Strand of Faith and come on in. I hope what is shared today will go with you this weekend and follow you into any kind of conflict you find yourself in with a friend whom you may now consider an enemy, aka, a frienemy! J

Have you ever watched children in conflict? There is actually something to be learned by observing their struggle with innocence and their juggling of their little cups of pride that spill out onto the one they are conflicted with or by. There is this sort of bittersweet thing about them as they wiggle through the conflict.

I got to watch how littles handle conflict at one of our grandson’s birthday parties a while back. Of course, everyone wanted to be around him and it was pretty interesting to watch him trying to juggle all the attention, especially since he was the birthday boy and everyone wanted to be his number one friend. Well, there was this one friend there who was insistent upon him paying more attention to her. It was kind of funny, in a peculiar sort of way and in other ways, not so funny. As I watched them, I marveled at the truth that we as adults can be so like children, except – and this is a big one – they still have a blanket of innocence around them and they get over conflict soooo much quicker!

Watching this very assertive little girl and how little B handled her attention was like witnessing the acting out of Colossians 3:12a-13 which tells us “to put on tender mercies, kindness humility, meekness, longsuffering, bearing with one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a complaint against the other, even as Christ forgave you, so you must do.”

Let me try and paint this picture verbally: As the party progressed, this girl, who by the way little B says “She’s a girl and she’s a friend, but she’s not my girlfriend” J – rather aggressively demanded her way.   At first he ignored her; that didn’t work. Then he tried appeasing her; that worked for a New York minute. And then as these things didn’t accomplish her desired goal, the conflict escalated and they began to sort of toss their point of view across to the other in hopes that the other would catch it. But then, a burst of innocence would happen and one of them would stop it with a hug, or a simple “I’m sorry,” and the conflict was over. All was forgiven…until the next time she, or he, didn’t get their way, or the other felt slighted or ignored and not special and then the tug of war began all over again.

 His other grandma, whom my heart loves, and I were talking about it and she called them “frien-emies” and that stuck with me; you can’t be an enemy unless you’ve been a friend first! Think about it; we aren’t nearly as hurt or offended by a stranger’s behavior as we are by the behavior of one whom we love or care deeply for.

Why can’t we be more like children, and get through the conflict with a simple “I’m sorry”? Why does it seem to require so much more as we get older? 

Maybe it’s time to consider the value that that frien-emy brings to our life…and if there’s more conflict than caring, maybe it’s time to evaluate the amount of space they take up in our hearts without paying rent…

True transformation can only happen with another and that’s the value that a friend brings!

Love,

Evinda

Thursday’s Trench Truth

Are you tired of relationship chaos? Do you wonder if that unlovable person in your life will ever see things from your perspective? Two broken halves do not make a whole! Join us to rise above relational chaos and embrace your God-given identity! https://www.trenchclassesunited.com/transformtrenchclasses.html