Seven Sacrifices to Joy

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power...

It’s great to have our Coffee Hour and to write from my heart to yours. I know we’ve finally picked up speed and are moving through this series at a much quicker pace. In case you’re wondering why, well, the whole communication piece took the longest because it is the key to all the other sacrifices! So as we turn the corner and head to the finish line of this series with only three more sacrifices to go, I am excited to hint at a new series coming after this one. It involves four-legged children who steal our hearts … yup, dogs! I’ll be co-writing it with our Director of Development who taught her dog how to say “I love you” and of course she passed that lesson on to me and we, in turn, passed it on to our four-legged kiddos! Anyway, I’m looking forward to that fun series and the laughter and joy it will bring! Let’s get back to The Seven Sacrifices to Joy. Grab your coffee and your Strand of Faith and let’s go talk about the fifth sacrifice, joy!

So how could joy be one of the sacrifices to joy? Well, hopefully I’ll be able to paint the answer to that question in this blog.

It seems strange that offering joy before the Lord is considered a sacrifice. However, when we look around and see how many Christians do not exhibit joy we may begin to understand. When we offer up joy, we tell God that we are rejoicing because we have Him and know Him. Joy takes on many forms which actually involve all the senses: hearing, seeing, touching, smelling, feeling. Various things that we listen to can cause the joy within to rise up, for example, in the midst of a noisy day, to stop and take a little worship break and break forth with songs and praise to the Lord. Or how about the calmness that touches our soul when we sit still before the crashing waves from His glories oceans? Or what about the sweet sound of life coming from singing birds; doesn’t that sound squeeze our hearts with joy?

Oh, and His creation beckons and stirs our joy when we take in a glorious sunrise or sunset as the Creator whispers good morning or sweet dreams. The fragrance of flowers, their vibrant colors, their quiet ability to captivate…. Joy!

But how would we know joy if we hadn’t experienced sadness or unhappiness? It is the experiences of the antonyms of joy that increase our joy! It is through those times of the stretching of our faith and increasing our trust boundaries that our joy is not just stirred but increased!

Our joy can be active because of God not just for the good times, but also in the painful circumstances. Joy is based on our internal hope of our eternal destination!

This joy enables us to rejoice in and thru all circumstances, but it doesn’t mean we are joyous for those circumstances while we are in those circumstances! How is that possible? Because of our faith and trust in His faithfulness. And here’s something that can seem a bit unfathomable: Even when we are faithless, He is faithful. Now that’s something to offer up a sacrifice of joy for!

And when life’s difficult situations come crashing upon you like a giant wave, pray for strength to lay aside the innate tendency to worry, to exhibit fear and anxiety and instead, to offer up the sacrifice of joy. God will be well pleased!

Until tomorrow …

Evin

Seven Sacrifices to Joy

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power...

Thanks so much for taking time out of your busy day to join me for a few words, or more, from my heart to yours! We are finally on the fourth sacrifice in the Seven Sacrifices to Joy, a contrite heart. Oh, there is beauty in Godly sorrow! Grab your coffee and your Red Strand of Faith and let’s go ties some more knots in this series.

Have you ever let some words come flying out of your mouth in a burst of anger and then immediately, as soon as they left your tongue, been sorry? Or hit someone and only after you did, were you wishing you could scamper into a hole like a lizard? Or how about those messages from the pulpit where you just know the Pastor is looking right at you because he was at your house the day before sorting through your “dirty laundry” and saw your sin? Oh how beautiful are the quiet crashes of conviction against the soul that bring a contrite heart. A contrite heart is a requirement for change!

Now we want to be careful and not confuse contrite with depressed! To avoid that crash, let’s check out a couple of definitions for contrite.

Hmmm, I just discovered something interesting: contrite is only in the Old Testament! The first occurrence is in Psalm 34:18: “The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart and saves such as have a contrite spirit.”

Wow, the word translates to “daka,” pronounced daw-kaw, and means “to crumble; to dash into pieces or crush.”

That’s a lot of sorrow but look at the promise: The Lord is near … to pick up the pieces! I don’t know about you, but there have been many times where I’ve felt that my world was in pieces and mostly because I had made such a mess of it, but EVERY single time, He was there to turn tragedy into triumph, trash into a testimony for He knew in my heart I was broken and sorrowful.

I hear another question echoing in the hallways of my heart: what about those that have sinned against us and don’t have a “contrite” heart for hurting us? I guess the simplistic answer to such a difficult but honest question is to truly have a contrite heart means we experience remorse over sin … not just our own, but those committed against us! In other words, our heart will break for what breaks His!

A contrite heart experiences repentance and true repentance is seen by a turning away from that which we are repenting from. Let’s sit here for just a minute… without a gavel in our hands!

There are two types of repentance that exist: genuine repentance and false repentance. Genuine repentance occurs when we come clean before God and confess sin out of a true sense of remorse at having offended God.

False repentance occurs when an individual says, "I am sorry" because someone else discovers him in sin and points it out. The apology does not bring change to the one who is falsely repenting, but that’s not for us to decide!

God wants us to be honest with Him, contrite before Him and not wait until we are discovered by others to repent.

A contrite heart will keep us in our own lane and in our own car so we don’t cause emotional wrecks in others’ lives! A contrite heart forgives without being asked for forgiveness!

One of the greatest prayers we could pray for ourselves and those who have hurt us is to have a contrite heart, which is a humble heart that truly desires to walk with God and be what He wants.

A “contrite heart” is considered a sacrifice because it sets aside selfish desires and wants and waits for God's will.

Oh, to offer up a contrite heart, to walk in this journey with the broken in a way that makes Him smile …

Join me tomorrow for the fifth sacrifice in this series!

Evind

Seven Sacrifices to Joy

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power...

Oh, happy day to you and thanks so, so much for stopping by to have coffee with me! We are tying the final knots in this sacrifice of communication, and I’m hoping to be done with this sacrifice after our Coffee Hour tomorrow, and yet, if He leads me to communicate more to you from my heart to yours … so be it! Grab your coffee, and your red Strand of Faith (SOF), and let’s get back to some Biblical ingredients for good communication.
Oh, this next reminder is a good one! It sort of has a sharp edge of conviction to it, at least to me. Ephesians 4:29 reminds us to not let any corrupt communication come out of our mouths but use language that lifts up, not tears down for this blesses God in Heaven.
Now, the first thing I thought of is cussing, or a “slip of the tongue". When I think of the truth that one minute I can have a potty mouth and the next minute be praising Him, I am a bit convicted of talking out of two different sides of my mouth! See one slip of the tongue leads to another, and another, and another … before you know it, our tongue’s totally slipped and we’re falling all over ourselves! But does corrupt just mean, for example, cuss words, or foul language? I’m not sure. Something tells me there might be more to this word than meets the eye. Let’s go check in my handy-dandy Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance.
Wow, first of all, this double r word is in the Word over 50 times and it has about 12 translations between the Old and New Testament! Let’s go right to the context of Ephesians and see what we find: “Defiling speech,” which makes sense because defiling speech tears down and certainly doesn’t lift up. Let’s see what else it says: “it is said of a tree and its fruit”!
So you might not see the symbolism, but I actually got goose bumps. See, if we are abiding in Him, our Tree of Life, then our fruit will not be – as this translation goes on to say – “of poor quality, unfit for use, putrid”!
And one more definition under this context: “rotten, worthless or morally bad.” Oh, ouch; oh, ouch! What falls under this category of rotten, worthless or morally bad? Hmmm, a harsh tone is definitely a culprit, but so is gossip, so are lies, so are words spoken with an angry heart! Remember, out of the mouth comes what’s in the heart. I mean, it’s almost as if the words form the picture of all that’s in the heart, and if there’s a bunch of stuff you don’t want others to see … then maybe we should harness that tongue and do some heart-cleaning before we speak so we will not be found guilty of committing this offense of corrupt communication.
When we began this particular sacrifice, I was ministering to, or trying to, a new believer who had stepped outside of the nest and rather than clip her little wings, I truly wanted to hold her hands, join hearts and pray for restoration, for her good and God’s glory. I know in my heart that this blessed Him, for I wasn’t harsh, wasn’t trying to take her by the gruff of the neck and lead her to her stinky pooh, per say; I simply wanted to love her back into the nest so she could experience the restorative power that forgiveness brings, and break some more chains. Well, since speaking to her and asking to meet with her, she seems to have flown away, and all I can do is ask God to watch over her, to use the seeds that we planted in her life in a way that would bring her back to us … or to another nest that she would continue her process of undoing all that’s been done to her, to break cycles that have held her in bondage, seen and unseen bondage.
I know when someone has an issue with me, when they make a deposit first before taking a withdrawal, in other words, lift me up before knocking me down, I am more apt to not get knocked down but continue soaring on wings of eagles as I yearn to become more like Him who has loved me into change!
Join me tomorrow for a final Biblical principle for the Sacrifice of Communication,

Evinda

In or Out? Join us for Jenn's Journey @ ChicklitPower

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power…

Welcome Monday…and a warm welcome to each of you who have come to read my thoughts on this beautiful day. How many of us have felt a void in our hearts and souls? What have you used to fill that void? People, things, busyness, food, alcohol, outward appearance and sex are a few of the ways us humans try to escape the emptiness we often feel. There’s only one true Way to fill that hole…and that’s what we’re going to discuss today. Pour a cup of coffee, and join me in taking a look at what takes up space in our hearts.

“I’m having a bad hair day” “This outfit just isn’t right” “What was she thinking going out in public like that?” “He’s put on a few pounds; he better start working out” “Why don’t they do something about their yard?”
It’s so easy to judge by appearances isn’t it? Do any of the above phrases sound familiar to you? Do you judge yourself or others by looks? Or perhaps by actions? I know that this is a trap I have fallen into many times…and for most years of my life felt I did not measure up with my looks, clothing choices, and even decisions. The self criticism spilled over into my thoughts and judgments of those around me. It’s a vicious circle, one that can greatly contribute to general dissatisfaction in life.
It doesn’t take long to see how the world around us focuses on looks… all media practically screams  that we are not ok unless we sport the newest fashion, the best hairdo for the shape of our face, wear flawless makeup or have the body of a svelte 20 year old. Step into a room of women and listen to what they tell each other…”Wow, you look so good; have you lost weight?” Or “I love that outfit, where do you shop?” How often have you done this or had it happen to you?
Those compliments feel great, of course, but doesn’t that feeling end? Usually it does. And what if, heaven forbid, you don’t get any compliments on that great new haircut? Do you somehow feel deflated? Like something is missing?
Something is indeed missing…but the good news is that there is a remedy for that emptiness. It’s found in knowing who you are in God’s eyes. The One who made you, and me, thinks we are fantastic. He loves us where we are, no matter if we are wearing a shirt from 1995, the most expensive pair of jeans or we’ve just yelled at a loved one. When we fall short, He is right there to pick us up and bring us back into relationship with Him.
1 Samuel 16:7 says “Man looks at the outward appearance but God looks at the heart,” my heart. That’s it. All I am responsible for is allowing Him to work in my heart…and when I take my focus off of what I look like, how I or others fall short, He can do His best work. This has been a very freeing concept for me. What if, this week, I try to see me as He sees me? What if you try to see yourself as He sees you?
Be blessed.

Jenn

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Faith-Filled Friday @ Coffee Hour with Chicklit Power

Thanks for joining me for our Faith-Filled Friday! I am looking forward to discovering things from the Hall of Faith that strengthen your faith and mine. Let’s grab our coffee and our faith and begin.

We are finally at the actual recorded Hall of Faith in Hebrews 11! Let me tell you, I hope you are hungry! Grab a big plate and some good utensils to feast with because there is a lot of meat here! I’m sure we’ll find our vegetables and lots of sweetness along the way as well. 

So the very first portion/verse says that “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” And what’s the difference between faith and hope? Hope is innate while faith is His gift to us upon confessing that we are a sinner in need of a savior! Even an atheist has an inclination toward hoping for certain things.

Have you ever witnessed hope come to life in the midst of a tragedy? Recently, a friend of mine who is a sweet sister in the Lord experienced tragedy in her family and it involved her nephew. He had been involved in a serious car accident that left him with extensive brain damage. Death was knocking on his door. While he lay in a coma, many of his family members surrounded him, cemented by his bedside with hope. I don’t know how many or who of those in his family were at that moment in their lives without a relationship with Christ, but when this young man showed signs of actually feeling pain, their hope was renewed that maybe, just maybe death would leave and life would remain intact.

Their hope turned them toward the possibility of faith in Christ. Were they searching more for a miracle than they were for the miracle maker? That’s not for you or me to ascertain; it was just a reminder to me that often, for a nonbeliever, hope stirs up our faith. And for those of us who have been walking with the Author of our Faith for awhile, the reverse is also true: Faith reminds us to hope and in “Whom” to hope!

What is an example of “the evidence of things not seen”? Well, in fact, every example in the Hall of Faith is unseen by us, but our faith accepts each example in the Hall of Faith as true. We know and understand that the common thread in the Hall of Faith is the Author of their faith.

But let’s narrow the lens to things not seen in this life, our here and now. The very first thing that comes to mind is redemption. Another is transformation. Redemption and transformation are not physical things that we can grasp with our physical eyes; but they are the evidence of things seen with the eyes of our heart.

As I shared in the beginning of this series, my faith wasn’t just born full-grown and adult-like. I didn’t have that miraculous introduction where I came to Jesus and immediately had no more junk and was free from myself! No, He’s taken me through an unpacking process, to and through some things to strengthen, refine and purify my faith. And all the while, He remained behind the scenes, unseen.

Just because I can’t physically see Him working, the eyes of my heart are opened to His working all things together for my good and His glory, thus fulfilling His promise: to build me up and not tear me down, to give me a future . . .

What about you; what is He doing for you behind the scenes that can’t be seen with your physical eyes but you know in your heart you see?

Join me next Friday for more of this faith-filled series!

Evinda

The Nondenominational Gift-Conclusion for March WOW-From Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power

Happy day to you and thanks for taking time to take a break in the midst of what I’m sure is a busy schedule! Grab your coffee and let’s get back to the conclusion to this month’s WOW, The Nondenominational Gift!

Since this has been rather lengthy —   — here’s the WOW again to refresh our memories and hearts: Romans 10:11-13: For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

I’m so thankful that He led me to these verses because I know I’ve been guilty at times of pointing fingers at denominations I thought were off base but recent experience on the other end of this issue has taught me how that grieves His heart. It’s definitely no fun when others question your beliefs and accuse you of being in a wrong denomination because of their perception of that denomination and/or lack of understanding based on what others have told them. And yet, I can honestly say that this experience has led me deeper into His Letters for answers!

The day after this actually happened to me, I had an awe-inspiring conversation with a new friend, CPM’s landlord, if you will, who also happens to be the founder of C.S. Lewis Foundation. I shared my recent experience with him and also asked him some very important questions. I have a lot of respect for this guy and after this conversation wherein I feel Abba spoke through him, I came away with a much lighter heart, and another knot in my strand of faith as well as a deeper conviction for the ministry He has given us.

Stan said, “You want to know why we named our organization C.S. Lewis?” He didn’t wait for me to answer. “It’s not because he was an amazing writer, which he was. It’s not because he was a brilliant man, but we all know that he was. It’s because he transcended all denominations. His philosophy was, let’s major in the majors and minor in the minors. In other words, let’s stick to what we agree on, i.e. the major issues of salvation, and leave the minor stuff for the theologians.”

My heart lit up with understanding because that is exactly the mission of CPM, to inspire others toward the reality of the necessity of the love and grace of our Savior in their journey; that they may work out their salvation! It’s a heart matter, and though there is some pretty weird stuff out there in many denominations, it’s not our place to judge them, point fingers at them or shy away from them as if they have a plague or are some creature from Mars. Get in the Word and become stronger in your own faith, your own relationship, and your own salvation; don’t get trapped in the arguments and detours of denomination!

I’m so thankful for our Nondenominational Savior!

Evinda


P.S. Join us for more of Breaking Free From Co-Dependency, our Blog Talk Radio Show live at 1:00 P.M. Eastern time! www.blogtalkradio.com/Chicklit-Power 

Love Thoughts to Ponder-From Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power

Thanks for joining me today for some thoughts to ponder about love. Grab your coffee and come on in!

So I left off with a tough question and I’d like to transparently answer it: It takes a giant leap and a tiny seed of faith. See, 1st John 4:12 reminds us that no one has seen God at any time, but if we love one another, God abides in us. I’ll be the first to admit that we can’t love one another without that true love!

The first step to receiving that “true” love is by confessing Christ as our Savior. His Word tells us that when we do that, He comes into our heart, “He,” meaning His Spirit abides in us. But what if it’s stuck somewhere between your head and your heart? I have felt like that so much of my life and that feeling multiplies a hundred times when I’m feeling as though I’m in a rut.

What to do? One of the things I enjoy doing is journaling the journey, which I do every morning. What I journal is the events of the day before. I sort of rewind the film, reflecting on it, which means I have to be still. It is then that I am able to pull out some nuggets of recognition that sparkle with truth that He hovered over my day, protecting me, providing for me. As I reflect, I realize that many times I’ve missed His whispers of love and fingerprints of provision and protection because I’m not staying in the moments! It is then that faith sparks the embers of love, moving them from that in-between place and directly into my heart.

Reading His love letters is another way to keep His love moving from your head to your heart but always, before you do, invite him into the reading! Ask Him for understanding, and when you ask, be prepared to receive as the Scriptures come alive for you. Put your name in what you read and it has to come to life for you!

Let me give you an example found in 1st John 4, beginning with verse 7: Beloved (your name), let us love one another, for love  is of God and _________ who loves is born of God and knows God. He/she who does not love does not know God – STOP! That word “know” translates to “experience with your inner being,” which means in your heart! – for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested (poured out) toward ________, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world that ________ might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God (first) but that He loved _________ and sent His Son to be the propitiation (payment) for our sins. ____________ if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

There are sooooo many diamonds in that passage that I could pull out that would have your heart sparkling crystal clean and ready to receive the “True” love, but I’ve kept you long enough and hopefully, His Spirit has assured you of His love for you!

In love with Him and His ways,

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

Nana Holds From Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power

Thanks for joining me today for our Coffee Hour and this life-changing series Nana Holds. It encourages my heart knowing there is you to share it with. As I go out into the world and hear story after story of life happening, my heart hurts over the number of people walking in our very shoes, these shoes that were so uncomfortable at first and needed some serious stretching and breaking in.
Oh, to comfort others with the comfort we’ve been given! Grab your coffee and come on in.

The second week was a bit easier as far as getting into a routine with Bryden, but tougher emotionally as I realized how fragile my husband was. As I look to my journal for a recordation of what was happening, I am shocked at how raw my own emotions were and just how fragile George was, his fragility stretching me beyond my capabilities, causing me to rely on our God more than ever. As I rewind to that period of time, I certainly wouldn’t give me an A in the area of compassion and patience, but I did get a “passing” grade, at least.

We were dealing with raw emotions from all sides and I’m not sure whether it’s fortunate or unfortunate at this point – it felt and still feels unfortunate to us – but Bryden has a lot of family that loves him, including his biological mother, as much as she is capable, and her parents. Talk about issues! So since there isn’t a whole lot that would edify, I’m not going to let anything fly out of my mouth. Maybe someday I’ll have a huge testimony to share when it comes to all of them, but our struggle felt more like major interference as they wanted a piece of little Bry, too! So while we were trying to create some sort of stable environment for him, they were tugging on us, demanding they get to see him too.

As I think about it, all of that struggling led to many good things but the first apparent one was that we realized we were going to have to do something legal in order to protect him and by doing so, we would bring some sort of security to this tough little guy and shield him from others’ craziness and selfishness.

Yes, looking through the second week’s journal entries, the eyes of my heart opened to the reality of the constant threat upon our home and marriage and the cry of my heart was unto Him. I prayed for understanding, strength and a love beyond myself, and His answer often came through this little boy who was now in the habit of saying: “Nana holds,” and soothing my ever-aching soul.

Join me tomorrow for more of this life-changing series,

Evinda

Merry Christmas from our house to yours!

P.S. Join us today for more of breaking free from co-dependency on Blog Talk Radio! www.blogtalkradio.com/Chicklit-Power

Nana Holds-From Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power

Thank you for joining me today for a little break. Grab your coffee and come on in, away from the distractions and pulls on you!

The first week was probably the hardest for many reasons but the main one was the overwhelming reality of the responsibility of Bryden, how to protect him from the choices that his parents had made while convincing him everything in his world hadn’t changed. But it had and I consistently reminded myself that our God had brought us to this situation and HE would carry us through with or without our trust so I may as well lean on and in Him so as to gain all the revelations along the way.

Bryden’s world isn’t the only one that had changed. His papa’s world changed dramatically and he had a hard time hiding the sadness. That was probably what weighed heavier on and in my heart then the reality of the responsibility of a toddler and having to start over raising a child. Day after day I watched my husband age with the burden of sadness.

Each morning I’d hear his steps as he walked across the bathroom floor, heavy, heavy, heavy, and it wasn’t until several days later that I realized that something was missing: He was no longer singing in the shower like he used to. That may sound funny in a weird way to you but I can remember the first years of our marriage, how he always sang worship songs in the shower and whenever it stopped, I then would know that he had a heavy heart. Well, this was definitely one of those seasons.
Just a little detour: Ladies, if you are married, pay attention to the little things that your guy does that make you smile and appreciate him for them.

Because George’s world had changed, my world had changed. Watching him wait for the daily phone call from my stepson, his son, was also incredibly painful, but when the call finally came, some of the tension released. The first ray of hope came that first week with that first phone call that I answered and I’ll never, ever forget it. George wasn’t home so I got to talk with him for a couple of minutes and it was in this conversation that my stepson told me something he had never told me in the eight-plus years I’ve been married to his dad: He told me he loved me and how sorry he was; he then went on to acknowledge, “You’ve been like a mom to me and… I’m so sorry. I love you, Kim.”


My heart stopped long enough to soak up those words and I had no idea they would mean so very much, as if I had waited all this time for them. As I hung up the phone, I felt that spark of hope ignite within me again reminding me that He who works all things together for good was and is and always will be sovereign and in control.

Humbly,

Evinda

The Adulterous Woman-Conclusion! From Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power

Thank you for joining me for your coffee break today at Chicklit Power. Grab your coffee and let’s get back to you, me and The Adulterous Woman.
Jesus has just spoken fifteen words that create one of the most important lessons we as Christians desperately need to learn. Basically, He’s beat the prideful Pharisees and religious leaders at their attempt to have Him arrested, but no trickery was involved on His part.

Now, at this point, the adulterous woman is sitting on the ground, “in the midst” the scriptures say and I found this painting of her online that I must share with you that captures her so beautifully.



Though there is nothing in the book of John suggesting that her hand was outstretched, all I have to do is close my eyes and put myself in The Adulterous Woman’s place, and this is exactly what I would do, especially after hearing such words of conviction! I would reach my hand out just like this and I probably wouldn’t be able to keep my conviction quiet, either as I begged for mercy and tears stream down my face!

After Jesus spoke, He stooped back down and the Scriptures go on to confirm that those who heard Him, indeed their conscience convicted them and they left the Temple one by one. No one remained except Jesus and The Adulterous Woman. But wait! How interesting is this? Now she’s standing. Can you imagine the disbelief she stood in, mixed with relief? Something tells me her recognition has fully dawned and she realizes she’s looking at her Savior.

Then Jesus raises Himself back up and said to her: “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” And she replies, “No one, Lord.” Jesus thereafter voices His forgiveness of her sins and encourages her to go and sin no more.

Wow! All I can say is HE is the only one with that power and authority to forgive the adulterous woman, aka, you and me. Only He has the videotape of my heart and yours, or any other adulterous woman’s for that matter, and He is who we all will answer to. May we learn to be less and less like the Pharisees and more and more like the forgiven adulterous woman clothed now in humility!

Thanks so much for sticking with me in this series. I hope you can join me tomorrow for a new mini-series called Dancing with a Butterfly.

Humbly,

Evinda

Power Friday-From Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power

Thanks for stopping by for Power Friday, especially on Black Friday! Hey, I saw something the other day about a country artist trying to make this Pink Friday! Hmm. Grab your coffee and come on in for a few. I won’t keep you long. I know you may want to go out there and join that crazy frenzy of Black Friday shopping.

So just a bit of an accountability session here regarding last Friday’s power thought, “Don’t turn your back; turn the other cheek”: I am learning to do this much better with my husband; however, I still need the prescription of practice, practice, practice when it comes to others in my life. Oh the desire of my heart is to be assertive and not aggressive with all whom I interact with!

Now for today’s power thought which is helpful with becoming assertive versus aggressive in all relationships and has to do with the definition for boundary integrity, which is: keeping the same boundaries no matter whom I am dealing with or whom I am with!

I hope this thought permeates in your mind and dissipates in your heart as you interact with others today, tomorrow and the tomorrow after that.

Assertively

Evinda

P.S. Happy, happy birthday to my son, Jeff. I thank God for the gift of you, how your testimony has strengthened me, my faith and my desire for our Father. I pray that this year will be a year of consistent forwards and new beginnings that inspire you, strengthen you and encourage you as you continue to become all that He’s called you to be. I love you, Son