August's WOW - IRA or ERA

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power...

Proverbs 23:5 Will you set your eyes on that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away like an eagle towards heaven.

Wow, I don’t know what you think when you read that verse, but my head and my heart so need this visual truth. It’s almost like you can see dollar bills of every denomination sprout wings and fly away, especially after a session of bill paying, huh? Anyway, thanks so much for stopping by today for our Coffee Hour! It’s that time again, our WOW time! Whew, I can’t believe August is almost gone. Where has this year gone? Anyway, if you’re new to CPM and TCU, WOW stands for Weapons of Warfare and/or Words of Wisdom so grab your coffee and your strand of faith and let’s go tie some knots as we put ourselves into our WOW for August.

Just last week, I parked my car in the credit union parking lot, ready to bang my head on the steering wheel as I contemplated what I was about to go do: -- no, I wasn’t about to rob the bank; J however, I was going to withdraw yet again from the savings account. My mind raced with all sorts of thoughts, positive, negative and everything in between. I was getting closer and closer to the ledge of despair as I calculated how much we needed this month. “But at least we have it,” I muttered aloud. Another negative thought pulled on my emotions, and again I pushed it away with a positive thought. I reminded myself that it never pays off to put our hope in money.  But let’s be honest: it sure does help us along, doesn’t it?

I tried not to dance with the enemy by entertaining the constant thoughts and questions flitting through my head as if they were all doing the fox trot on hallowed ground, but I wasn’t quite able to send all of them out on their butts. I had sort of a scowl in my heart, and honestly, I questioned God, asking Him why I had to be tested so much; I’d surrendered to my calling in ministry; what more did/does He want? A groan escaped me as tears ran down my face, tears that cried “When will you put my husband back to work?” More tears came trickling down as more questions surfaced unspoken: When would I have to stop simplifying and minimizing in the name of a budget, and when would my needs be met according to His riches in heaven? (Phil. 4:19)

What an emotional tug-of-war that was, aka, a pity party and I was the only party present! Have you ever been present at anyone else’s pity party, or thrown your own? Well, there’s nothing positive about a pity party and the longer we stay there, the more uninvited guests will show up; you know, negative Nellie, desperate Debra, sad Sally…you get the picture.  I blew my nose, wiped my face and gathered my purse and phone, ordering the thoughts to go away.  Truth pushed me out my car door and into the door of the credit union, the truth that at least we have a savings account to take from.  Funny thing was I walked right up to a teller; there was no one in line. I guess God didn’t want to give me any more time in my pity party.  I was in and out of there so fast my head was sort of spinning!

By the time I got home, I had left my pity party, physically and emotionally; I had moved on to the next thing: my last class for the semester! It wasn’t until the next morning in my own Coffee Hour with my Abba that He reminded me of that pity party with Proverbs 23:5 and I can still hear Him in a gentle kind of stern voice ask me: “Will you set your eyes on that which is not?” Oh, His Word can really render me silent and humble! And then I finished reading:”For riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away like an eagle towards heaven.”

Oh, Coffee Hour friend, there is nothing concrete about money and as I continued on with my time with Him, I was reminded that to have an Eternal Retirement Account is so much better than to have an Investment Retirement Account. What are we investing in? Are we diligently and consistently seeking after the things of God, with God and for God? How do we spend our days? Are we too busy worrying how our next bill will get paid, so much so that we miss out on those moments where we just know His fingerprints were left upon us and He provided?

Really what it comes down to is we just need to be about His business because He’s all about ours and He does have our every need in His heart and will meet it. Perhaps we confuse need with want and when we focus on a want, perhaps that want may escort us right into a pity party. Will we walk into that party, or will we turn the other way and seek to find a praise party?

The more I learn, the less I know, but this I do know: HIS WORD NEVER LIES! His promises are checks that will not bounce! You can deposit them…in the depths of your soul that you may withdraw from them whenever you need them.

As you read this, I pray that you will hear Him ask you these questions in such a loving and assuring voice and that you would know that you know that you know that He will never leave you high and dry, never leave you or forsake you and He will never leave you in time of need…as long as He’s invited to the party of your life!

Love,

Evinda

July’s WOW Worship…or Worry?

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power...

“Cast your cares on the Lord; He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous fall.” Psalm 55:22

Happy day to you and thanks for returning for our Coffee Hour and our July’s Weapons of Warfare and Words of Wisdom! Grab your coffee, journal and your Strand of Faith. I’m praying you will tie some major double-knots in that SOF! I left off with hearing the words “worship or worry”!

I shook my head with conviction as I pondered on those words. Immediately I confessed my choosing to worry instead of worshipping. I got the movie and watched it from where/when it had started, ever so slow and sneakily. I should have harnessed it right back on track, but instead I followed the pull and rewinding it and really looking at it, I can see the track it took me to: seeking control! That’s not living up to God’s standard…to trust Him in all things knowing that His plan is to lift us up, not tear us down! Oh, how true it is, another mini download He gave me: the more we seek control, the more we worry.

Oh to be utterly and completely out of control trusting the “One “who has all the control. I guess a good way of saying it is the more I relinquish control the more in control I am.  But there’s more; He wasn’t done with me yet and He added some distance to my intended run! And what I heard next did stop me in my tracks…I nearly tripped over this gentle form of conviction: “Did you know that worry is a form of worship?”

As I stood there for a few minutes, I repeated those words with my own question attached to them: “How and who?”

“Worry is a form of self-worship!”

Ouch… Yes, my Coffee Hour friend to worry and be anxious about anything is missing the mark by not living up to His standard by failing to believe He loves us enough to carry us over and above all that worries us and causes us anxiety. Oh, how I love these promises that come right after the simple directive of casting our burden upon the Lord, our Abba, for He will sustain us and He will never let us fall…so this is as much for me as it is for you, Friend. Are you crumbling under worry and anxiety, or you casting all that concerns you upon the One who loves you and will never leave or forsake you?

Father, forgive me for thinking higher of myself than I ought to by trying to tend to, hold on to every detail physically, emotionally and spiritually. Please help me to worry less and worship you more…knowing YOU got this!

Letting go…hourly…of worry,

Evinda

July's WOW Worship…or Worry?

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power...

Psalm 55:22 “Cast your cares on the Lord; He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous fall.”

Thanks for taking time out of your day for our Coffee Hour! I almost forgot about our monthly WOW, Words of Wisdom and/or Weapons of Warfare. Oh, how true it is that the Word is our greatest tool, turned weapon , in times of difficulty, times of reaching out to others, times of joy, sadness…all the time the Word is powerfully refreshing, granting a new perspective, especially if we make a habit to feast upon it! Grab your coffee and your Strand of Faith (SOF) and let’s go and talk about worry!

I am really good at minimizing this word, offering a cliché statement like, “everybody does it,” or “who doesn’t have worry?” Well, over the last several weeks, more than I care to admit, I’ve been in a constant state of worry and anxiety, finding it difficult to take a deep breath, let alone breath normal. Let me tell you, I am learning that neither of those statements actually negates this truth: that while the Bible doesn’t call worry a sin, He does grieve when we worry. Why? Because to have worry and/or anxiety as a constant companion is actually a failure to trust the “One” who loves us so much He sent His Son to die for all that I/we worry about, for every ounce of our worry and anxiety! I so wish I would have had this vision earlier of disappointing Him. I can almost see Him standing there, looking at me run around like a chicken with my head cut off, shaking his head not in frustration or anger, but in sadness, holding His hands out, asking ever so quietly, “Are you going to give me that which worries you, Evinda, that which is causing you so much anxiety?” Oh, what a visual.

I can honestly see how easy it is to get caught in a whirlpool and undercurrent of worry! Why oh why did I minimize the dangers of worry and anxiety? There is absolutely no excuse, especially since many of His promises have come alive in me in my lifetime! Well, I am guilty as charged and now because of what I know, I must choose a different way of stress management.

Let me share how I came upon these truths:

It wasn’t until I was out for my run just the other day that this hit me…nearly stopping me dead in my tracks while allowing a source of lightning of understanding pulse through to my soul. There I was, running…not very fast. As a matter of fact, my thoughts were definitely running faster than I was, felt like at the speed of lighting. Inside my head was what felt like a thousand details to tend to for our Five-year anniversary party which was just a few days away at that time and you would think the faster the thoughts came, the more I picked up speed. Normally that’s what happens…but not this time; I think a turtle would have caught up to me!

As I wrestled with several of the details, I’m sure if someone were to take a picture of the inside of my brain, they would have seen a giant roller-coaster whose track went in every single direction, including dips and climbs, and someone resembling a freaked-out mouse on the track! :-)

I can hear you say, “Why didn’t you delegate?” Oh, I did, trust me…but could have done so even more! Anyway, I’m running along and all of a sudden, in the quietness of my soul two words came up and out and I mean I actually spoke them after I heard them! “Worship or worry”?

I almost stopped but I wanted to hear more…and I did!

Join me tomorrow for the conclusion to our July’s WOW!

Letting go of worry…one minute at a time

Evinda

June’s WOW Life in the Fast Lane and the Narrow Road

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power...

Matthew 7:14 “For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

Thanks so much for joining me today for our Coffee Hour and more of our WOW for June. Can you believe it; June’s about gone! Whew, talk about the fast lane! Grab your coffee and your strand of faith, and let’s get back to my car situation where I had completely blown by a dummy light, which turned out to be a real warning sign!

There is a double edged sword to being in ministry because what I teach, I must live and as I write from my heart to yours, I have to tell you, I have told/taught my trench students over and over again to pay attention to the emotional dashboard, analogizing it to the dashboard in our cars! Well, hello! My car was trying to tell me something and I was too busy to listen! Really!?!  Yes, because I was too busy, and didn’t make the time to take the time, I blew right by the warning signs.

A few days after telling my husband the first time, I got in my car…in a hurry, and saw the light again. Hey, at least I was slowing down enough to see it! I dug into my memory bank, deeper … farther … oh, yeah, there it is! I remembered! This light was trying to tell me something about my tire; that’s right. I breathed a sigh of relief and pushed it back, though not as far down, but still down the hallway of my mind, moving on to my next destination. It could wait for later, I thought. Besides, the car felt fine. I didn’t feel anything different.

Well, later didn’t come until a week later, and only after my husband had asked me, for the “inth” time, if I had gotten it taken care of and got tired of hearing me say, “I haven’t had time,” did he take it to our local tire place. When he came home, he was a tiny bit irritated with me, letting me know that, unbeknownst to me, my tire was screaming for help and what apparently started as a little hole, became a bigger one and had to be replaced!

How in the world did my car even know that? As I realized the possible ramifications and just how many angels He must have had watching over me as I went here and there and everywhere on the crazy freeways of California, and how wonderful my husband is to take care of things I just don’t make the time to take the time for…my heart squeezed with humble joy, knowing I am loved that much. Oh, how I take so many things for granted.

I hugged my honey, and thanked him for taking care of it for me, for making me feel taken care of as well, and didn’t think too much more about it…until the next day when I got in the car to go to a meeting that required some freeway driving.

I don’t even remember where it was I was going; all I remembered noticing a difference in how the car drove! It was ever so slight, but I noticed that the ride was smoother and there wasn’t this pull … to the right.

That made me think; wow, life can be like that, right? Little by little, day by day, if we don’t do our tune-ups, do our maintenance, meet with our Maker, aka the Tour Guide, life can tend to pull us off track, off the narrow road and onto a path more traveled, and before we know it, we are going with the flow and against God’s will. When that happens, Coffee Hour Friend, stop, right where you are and allow yourself to be guided back to the narrow road!

Love from above,

Evinda

June’s WOW Life in the Fast Lane and the Narrow Road

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power...

Matthew 7:14 “For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

Welcome to Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power and thanks for joining us for this special time of the month, our Words of Wisdom and Weapons of Warfare. Oh, how awesome it is when something in our lives collides with a circumstance and fills it with wonder, with hope, widening our knowledge while narrowing the road in our journey. Come on; grab your coffee and let’s go talk about the narrow road.

As I read this verse, and did a little research on it, I was reminded of something that actually brought it to life for me. Before I tell you how and why, I have to ask you this: did you know that gate and road are analogous to “way” and that “life” is used in this context as eternal life? So let’s rewrite it just to wrap our hearts around it: For the way is narrow and the way is hard that leads to eternal life!

Wow, in other words, the high way to heaven is the hard way, a narrow way but the good news is that the closer we stick to our Travel Guide through this life, the more we’ll hear and see the warning signs and the less we’ll detour. I must admit, there are times when I’m moving so fast I forget to acknowledge He’s even there.

As I was driving along the other day, I noticed one of my, what I refer to as, dummy lights on the dashboard … “what is that telling me?” I wondered aloud. Well that thought was fleeting, as I pulled off the freeway headed towards my first to-do of the day, thinking about the rest of the day’s appointments and things I needed to get done at the office … until I got back in the car several hours later and there it was again.

Later on, I told my husband that the light was on, thought it was something to do with the tire, but I wasn’t sure. His response: “You should take it by Good Year tomorrow.” Again I pushed it into the crevices of my brain!

Oh, how many times have we done that when temptation of any kind strikes? You know what I mean, when we ignore that little still voice of the soul that warns us not to do something? I know I have my hands raised and anything else I can to admit: I’m guilty! Those warnings are there for a reason: to keep us from danger and/or harm!

Our bodies give us signals; for example: I know my body doesn’t do well with too much sugar, especially the chocolate kind, but it’s even more dangerous for me right before bed. Why? I’m so glad you asked: Because I wind up in a full-blown hormonal panic attack! Do you think that has stopped me from doing it again? Uh, well, no. I have repeated it but not very often. I try to pay attention to that warning within.

But what about those life-altering warnings that had we heeded, just maybe things would be different; for example, a not-so-healthy relationship choice, or a temptation to return to an old not-so-healthy habit/behavior because, what the heck, everyone else does it?

When we are so busy living life in the fast lane, we can tend to lose our way, wind up on the wider road, go in a direction we shouldn’t…but the good news is that God can right the wrong turn, the wrong choice, the wrong road taken…if we slow down enough to take the time to make the time to seek Him in all things. The farther we stray from His Spirit, the more we’ll miss those warning signs and the wider the road comes. The wider the road, the faster life goes. I know this because in ministry, though I know what I believe and am confident of my relationship with Him, life can get very fast and though the road is still narrow, I can tend to lose my way if I get even just a step ahead.

Join me tomorrow for the conclusion to this month’s WOW! And remember, keep your eyes and ears open for the warning signs that try and keep you away from the road less traveled…and try to avoid the fast lane!

Love from above,

Evinda

Faith Keeps Us Walking When Understanding Takes a Hike - Part II

Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths.

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power...

Oh, happy day to you! Thanks for taking the time to stop by for our Coffee Hour and more of our September’s Wow, which is all about keeping the faith, even when you don’t understand the what and why of your circumstances. Grab your coffee and come on in. It’s moving day in Austin, Texas!
As I recall the day we were moving them into their new apartment in Austin, Texas. It was one of those unforgettable God-incidences – not a mere coincidence -- where you knew that you knew that He had ordained everything up to that moment in time.
We had been unloading the truck for a couple of hours, and Lauren, my daughter-in-love, had been in the hot, and I do mean hot, moving truck pushing things to the front and directing the unpacking traffic. She began to suffer from heat exhaustion, unbeknownst to her, but my husband recognized it and got my attention.
I looked up from what I was doing to see him guiding her over to the curb that they shared with their neighbors, and he set her down ever so carefully. “Bring me some paper towels soaked in the ice water from the ice chest.”
Now, the tone in my husband’s voice told me not only was he serious, but he spoke with such an authority I knew something was up, and it wasn’t good. I ran the ice cold paper towels over to them and saw immediately that the color from Lauren’s face had drained and she wasn’t looking so good.
As we began to press the cold paper towels on her neck, her forehead, the color in her face began to come back … but not for long, because when she tried to stand up about fifteen minutes later, the color ran away so fast she nearly collapsed.
George was right there to keep her from falling, but she was complaining of feeling incredibly nauseous so he told her to sit right back down. She did without any argument.
Now before all this with Lauren had started, we met their neighbor Aaron who showed some Texas hospitality right away and jumped right in to help unload the truck. He shared that he and his wife had just moved from Kansas. And I thought we had a long-haul move! He and I began to work together to unload more items from the truck while George stayed with Lauren, and Jeff was in feeding the kids.
After getting her somewhat stable, George decided to take Lauren into the apartment and out of the heat, but again, when she stood, her legs were like wobbly sticks, unable to hold her up completely. Jeff had just come out and when he saw that, he ran to her other side. He and George each took an arm and helped her up and into the apartment while Aaron and I continued working, and talking.
“So did you have to hire movers to get ya’ll out from Kansas to Texas?”
He smiled at my attempt to sound like I was from Texas. “Oh, no, my wife’s company moved us out here.”
I was impressed and didn’t hesitate to ask what his wife did. “She works for Chipotle Restaurants.”
“Get out! Shut the front door!” I exclaimed. He looked almost offended and I quickly added; “That’s why Jeff’s here, because he’s supposed to start working for them”!
“Really?” he asked.
“Yes!” I stopped to set down the heavy dresser we were moving out of the truck. “So what does your wife do?”
He looked almost shy as he responded: “Well, she has 24, or 25 restaurants.”
Again, I didn’t hide my emotion laced with shock and disbelief wrapped up in a knowledge that God was definitely up to something!
He went on to explain she was the district manager and I wondered out loud if this is who Jeff had been dealing with, and asked her name.
“Elsa.”
I’ll be right back; I’ve just got to find out if your wife is his potential boss!”
I ran up the stairs so fast you would have thought I was shot up there through a torpedo machine. “Jeff, Lauren, who is it you’ve been dealing with at Chipotle?”
In unison they bother answered: “Elsa!”
I jumped up and hollered. “Your future boss is your neighbor! Aaron is her husband!” I haven’t been this excited since I don’t know when but let me tell you, I was beside myself in disbelief, comforted by God’s sovereignty. This latest signature on their moving papers went a long way in helping me to surrender my son to Austin Texas … things were going to be just fine … or so I understood!
Join me next week for the conclusion to our monthly WOW!
Faith-ing thru those times of not understanding,

Evinda

Even when I Fail, He is Faithful-February’s Wow-Part 1

Thanks so much for joining me for Coffee Hour and our monthly WOW (words of wisdom; weapons of warfare). I can’t believe January is already gone and something tells me February is going to fly by faster, and not just because it’s a shorter month! Grab your coffee and come on in.

Do you ever experience times when you wish you hadn’t said something, acted in a certain way with a wrong attitude, or done something you knew that you knew you shouldn’t do? Oh, sister, I have, and way too many times to count!

He just brought to mind a poignant memory that helps soothe that uncomfortable frustration. It was a Tuesday evening and our church service had just ended. I was standing in the back musing on this exact frustration while all the guys were putting away all the chairs and cleaning up everything, leaving not a trace of a church service for the elementary students the next day. (We were meeting in an elementary school at the time.) I must have really been deep in thought because when I heard my pastor say my name, I remember being startled but pleasantly surprised.

We began to walk toward each other. I don’t’ remember how we started the conversation but I do remember that we wound up talking about this very subject and I shared the frustration I was feeling with him about myself!

This pastor is a gentle soul and his words of encouragement will resonate in my heart forever. He said: “You are a leader with a gift of words, which can be like a double-edged sword and the key is learning the how to use them to edify and not tear down, and that includes not tearing yourself down! He recognized that while I was frustrated with the situation, I was more frustrated with myself! I felt validated in my frustration and encouraged to just keep trying to get it right and be more accepting of the gift of words God had given me. Maybe if I relaxed a bit, I might not offend so often?

I still make mistakes in the area of saying too much, being too transparent, but I’m so thankful for His Word that splashes perspective and reminds me that the work He began in me will continue until I am face to face with Him!

This month’s WOW is from the book of Psalms, 73:26: My flesh and my heart fail; but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever!

Honestly, I had no intention of sharing that first part and I didn’t mean to get off on that little detour, but that’s where He led, so we’ll pick up with our WOW on Wednesday, and I’ll share the incident that led me to these words of wisdom and how they came to life within me and I pray they will do the same for you!

Have an awesome Monday, and if you can, tune in with us at 1:00 Pacific time at Blog Talk Radio for our show on breaking free from co-dependency! www.blogtalkradion.com/Chicklit-Power
Don’t forget to join me tomorrow for Invitation Tuesday because I’ll be giving a little heads-up about our next event!

Humbly,

Evinda