Jeff's Java Hour @ Chicklit Power

Jeff’s Java Hour @ Chicklit Power

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power…

How the heck are ya?  Good to hear it… What’s that? Oh, I’m fine; thank you for asking. So get comfy because I have sort of a lot to tell you.
I know I left you with sort of a cliff hanger last week, but before I move forward, I need to take a step back, as my mom always says, and sort of rewind the story because I realize I made a huge leap that caused many to get the wrong idea. I mean, it’s my tendency to omit that got me in this dilemma in the first place. See, about two years ago, I had gotten let go from Chipotle in California; the reason? Well, I began to have a crappy attitude because they had been promising me a kitchen management position and it just wasn’t happening and I began to feel as though I was getting taken advantage of. Hindsight is always 20/20, right? The truth is I didn’t handle it right.
So fast-forward a couple of years to now, actually to a few weeks ago, and I’ve gone through the hiring process, all the interviews, and not once did I mention, hey, by the way, I, uh, didn’t end it on such great terms in California.  I omitted that information on my application. I didn’t tell them what happened with my last experience at Chipotle because, hey, they didn’t ask. In my heart, I felt maybe it wouldn’t follow me and if they don’t ask, then it isn’t lying … right?
Oh, how wrong I was and I wasn’t ready to admit to you all that I had made an omission mistake not once, but twice! And then I expected God to bless me on top of it! Well, it doesn’t work that way, sort of.
See, when you are walking in the Spirit, He does not let you get away with things like that even if they are “little” compared to other things. [Galatians 5:16]
Let me see if I can come up with an analogy. Ah, I have one: How do you keep a mischievous puppy from running amock when you are walking him?  You keep him on a short leash; that’s how.  You watch over him, discipline him, and love him and as you gain confidence in the dog’s ability to listen to commands, you extend the leash but you never purposely let him wander too far off and you always try to keep him within sight.
You know, I think it is kind of funny that God, quite a few times, in His word refers to us as sheep and Himself as a good Shepherd and that is so true.  You know how dumb sheep are?  I wish you could see the look on my face right now because as I am writing this for you, I get it!  We really are like sheep who constantly need to be told the right way to go.  And back in those days, I don’t know if shepherds still do this, but if the sheep would run away a lot, then the shepherd would break the sheep’s leg.  Now after doing this he would have to carry that sheep on this shoulders the whole time and being so close to the sheep’s ears, he would constantly talk to the sheep in a loving voice so that the sheep got to know his master’s voice and he would begin to trust him like he had never trusted him before [John 10:27]. Oh, that I would be like a sheep and just let myself be carried close to Him, and listen to His voice to remind me of these things, like not to omit truths vital to a situation.
Now to get back to my story, I kind of went off on a tangent there, sorry.  So my Good Shepherd broke my leg when on the day of my orientation, I was sent home because they were told that I was labeled a “non-rehire.” I was so embarrassed and crushed at the same time.  I had put all of my eggs in this basket and my boss lived next door to me and it just made sense that this was going to be my job and I was going to do well there. But I was a stubborn sheep.
So you would think my punishment would follow me all the days of my life; I mean that’s what I feel I deserve, but I am learning that our God does wish to bless us despite us, that He loves us too much to leave us the way that we are, with any propensity to sin and miss the mark by omitting a truth.
Just when I thought I would really spiral too hard and too deep, I got a return call from an application I had filled out, and last Friday, as you were reading my blog, I was being interviewed; and it was a great interview. Two hours after the interview, I got the call that I was hired! Here’s the crazy truth: THIS job is so much better for me and my family. See, I’ll be making $3 more an hour than the job with Chipotle, and here’s another HUGE blessing: it’s Monday thru Friday so our church life will not be interrupted! Can you believe it? See what I mean when I say we don’t necessarily get what we deserve from the Shepherd who loves His sheep too much to leave them the way that they are?
There are still some hoops to jump through for this job, but I recognize now that God loves me so much, He had to discipline me.  All in all it was a very hard lesson to learn but as I allow God to carry me on His shoulders, He speaks to me and I am getting to know His voice better and better, to trust Him and rely on Him more and more.
So that’s it, friends, my java joiners.  Integrity will follow me all the days of my life for I have learned the moral of the story: omitting the truth is the same thing as lying, and lying doesn’t represent well for all that I believe.
Lord, I love you.  You make beauty out of ashes.  I can’t fathom Your glory and your power, nor am I able to comprehend the depth of your love for me.  I just pray that you would continue to give me the revelation of your love for me and for others; that it would move my heart to love others like you love them.  Thank you for turning my bruises into blessings.  Amen.

Are You on Your Way 2 Destination? Joyful! (tm)

It’s great to be with you in this quest for Destination? Joyful! ™ Grab your coffee and let’s get back to the analogy of a hypocrite to a flourishing tree, an analogy full of ingredients to avoid in the recipe of joy.
In Job 8:11-14, Matthew Henry compares the hypocrite to a flourishing and well-rooted tree, which did not wither in and of itself, but as the Word says, and Bildad said, it will easily be cut down and exist no more. Obviously pride has no place in the recipe of joy! The crazy thing about Bildad’s summation is he thinks he’s talking about Job, or encouraging Job to come clean and confess whatever he’s done to bring upon himself all these troubles and yet I can see that this applies to Bildad as well!
And haven’t we all wondered at someone who we think we know is not walking with the Lord but everything he does prospers? But God knows that their roots are not rooted; rather they reach and climb over a bunch of rocks and eventually, wither. (Job 8:16-17) So it is with a hypocrite – one who says one thing and does another, and a hypocrite has no joy for joy has no residence in selfishness; rather flourishes in selflessness!
Such a person will not remain standing -- those who make a great noise boasting about all they have, all that they are, who they are -- but suddenly, and when they least expect, neither root nor branch is left (Mal 4:1)! In other words, any kind of worldly gain is external and only lasts for a short while. True joy will carry us into eternity.
And finally we get back on track to our first context of joy in this book of Job: (Job 8:19): “Behold, this is the joy of His way.” In other words, God always wins! It is not His desire that anyone should perish, but as it says in Psalms, “The way of the ungodly shall perish.” (Psalm 1:6)
When we read through the book of Job, it’s hard to imagine that he had joy as he suffered through all the calamity that was heaped upon him, but he did for he had a deep sense of God and he knew God well enough that he could experience a sort of peace – another ingredient of joy – amidst the chaos.
Now that is some true joy. I’ll meet you back here tomorrow for Jeff’s Java Hour, a new addition to Chicklit Power and I must say, I’m thoroughly enjoying what he brings!
Blessings in all your tomorrows,

Evinda

Power Friday @ Chicklit Power

Thanks for joining me for Power Friday @ Chicklit Power. Grab your coffee and come on in.

This week’s power thought came in the midst of a conversation with my son who is struggling with unemployment. Unemployment wreaks havoc because that one issue creates so many other issues, as you can imagine.

As I listened to their situation growing worse with each day that passed with no prospect of employment, I felt helpless for them and yet I knew I wasn’t supposed to jump to their rescue! Yay, I am breaking free! Anyway, I was actually speechless listening to their situation and can admit that it looked so bleak, almost dark, and then out of my mouth came this:

We shine our brightest when we are plugged into Him!

Oh to stop wiggling and risking coming unplugged!

Have a great weekend!

Evinda

Nana Holds-From Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power

Thanks for joining me today. Wow, only six more days until CHRISTmas! I hope you have been able to keep an eternal perspective during this season and are experiencing the true gifts of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control! Now that’s an eternal perspective. Grab your coffee and come on in.

About six weeks after that day that changed all of our lives, Bryce got a “job” transfer to a place that allowed visitors. It was a place we were familiar with because we had gone to see my son there for a season several years ago, a place of recovery with a home-like atmosphere, a place that I never stop thanking God for because life-changing seeds were planted in my son’s life that have rooted and in the not so distant past, began to sprout out and reach others! Teen Challenge will forever be on my top 10 blessing list!

I can’t even begin to tell you what a miracle it is that he’s there, let alone how he got there, but out of respect for him and his journey, that’s all I’ll say about that. To God be the glory and trust me when I say that He does work all things out for His glory for the good of those called according to His purposes. Bryce was “called” years ago; he just didn’t know it.

Within a few days of his transfer to his new “job,” Teen Challenge called George and asked him if we could take him to get a physical and some shots and they also let us know we could bring his clothes and personal belongings. This was another miracle because usually when a student begins the program, they do so with the understanding that they don’t get to have visitors for the first 30 days!

That visit is something I’ll cherish for years to come and it was time that helped ease the pain of the past, a time where we

received some answers to some questions and some suspicions confirmed, and a time where my stepson, for the first time affirmed me. It didn’t erase the past by any means, but understanding always eases the pain, and clarity makes it easier to move forward. When we hugged him good-bye that day, our hearts were much lighter than they had been in the weeks prior, and his last words lifted me off the ground for the whole trip home: “I love you, Kim.” I can’t even begin to put into words how thankful I was that for the prior months, I had hung on to the Father’s garment, sometimes with white knuckles, in order to show this young man love!

We found out about family visiting day just a few days before it was scheduled and I began to prepare Bryden by letting him know that Daddy had gotten a promotion in his job and now he’s somewhere where we can go and visit him. Unfortunately, because of the short notice, I couldn’t get out of a commitment, so George and Bryden went. I’ll forever wish I could have seen what my husband described as he saw his daddy for the first time in almost eight weeks!

They pulled into the church parking and sat for just a few minutes before they saw the Teen Challenge van. George says, “Bryden, there’s your daddy coming in his work van.” Bryden’s eyes followed Papa’s finger and he began to shout for his daddy. George got out of the truck and went around to Bryden’s side and began to get him out of his car seat all the while Bryden was saying “daddy, daddy, daddy.” Talk about an excited little boy. George set him down on the ground and by that time, the van had parked and the guys began spilling out of it.

Suddenly, Bryden pulled away from Papa and with a burst of energy that matched a rocket. He bolted across the parking lot shouting only one word in the happiest of voices: “Daddy, daddy, daddy. . .” It was like each time he said it, he gained momentum. And oh, what I wouldn’t give to have seen Papa as he tried to keep up with him, protecting him from any oncoming cars until Bryden landed ever so enthusiastically and safely in his daddy’s arms.

Joyfully,

Evinda

Nana Holds-From Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power

Thanks so much for joining me today. I enjoy sharing this time with you. Grab your coffee and come on in. We’re at the dinner table and the dreaded question is about to be asked.

Since Bryce wasn’t there, I got to help Bryden wash his hands before dinner. I picked him up and carried him to the kitchen sink and proceeded to teach him how to wash his hands, really wash his hands. He is such a good little student and to this day, that little boy doesn’t just skim soap on his hands, but he puts his little hands together and goes round and round, on the inside first and then the outside! That was my first smile of the day. We were going to get through this.

Little kids are incredibly intuitive in an uncanny sort of way. Dinner was a little quiet, and we were running low on the physical and emotional energy required to try and get Bryden to eat. It was almost like he could sense he was about to get some bad news and he lost his appetite. After several attempts to get him to eat, finally he just blurted out what he wanted to know all along, probably since the minute he stepped foot in the door: “Where’s my daddy?”
I didn’t gasp or anything, but I did hesitate. I caught George’s eyes and I swear they looked a bit glassy. He couldn’t do it. I spoke up very matter-of-factly: “Daddy’s at a new job so he won’t be home for a while.”

“A new job?” he asked.

“Yup, Daddy’s at a new job, the biggest job of his life.” I held my breath.
He seemed to accept that and finished his dinner while I exhaled my relief. George and I didn’t have much of an appetite so didn’t finish our dinner but cleaned up while Bryden watched a little T.V. He seemed perfectly content and okay with what I had told him and so bath time was fun as usual, and I played with him as if everything were okay, because in my heart of hearts, I had to believe that it would be, one day, some day.

We went downstairs and played hide-N-seek for a few minutes; then we settled him down with a book or two. Then it was time for bed and – sorry, I’m starting to cry as I remember this one – normally he would say, “Daddy holds” just before me putting him to bed but tonight, the first night of many that daddy was not around to hold his son, Bryden said these words for the very first time: “Nana holds!”

Our bond was beginning to form.

Join me Monday for more of Nana Holds.

Evinda

Nana Holds-From Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power

Welcome to Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power and thanks for joining me for a little break. I’m excited to be back with this series, Nana Holds. Grab your coffee and come on in!

Just to recap, we left off with me transparently sharing about the perception I have of myself as it relates to children, which has been fairly negative, and I hinted that I thought God would be using little Bryden to change that perception. And then I think I closed the last post in this series with a confession: that my attitude was definitely changing for the better, and I was beginning to be more comfortable with this little two-year-old in our home and not look so much like him when he is throwing a fit!

But then something happened that literally changed all of our worlds. On June 8th, we received a phone call that changed our family dynamic, and was, to put it mildly, a family crisis that left our little grandson Bryden without a daddy for an unknown period of time. I remember feeling a sense of relief because I knew that our Father had brought the truth to the light and that though the days ahead would be tough, this was a new beginning for my stepson.

Daddy Holds!

That relief was short-lived because later that day, a terror-like feeling gripped me, nearly choking me as the gravity of the reality hit: George and I were now to be parents to this little two-year-old. As I stood there in the silence, I began to try and think through all that this meant, but I couldn’t wrap my brain around it in that moment. Though I could see some eternally-valued things, I couldn’t hold on to the eternal perspective. It was just too much for me in my flesh.

My world, as I knew it, was coming to an abrupt stop; everything about it required redirection for now it was really no longer all about me and my agenda, “my ministry,” but all about a two-year-old and his little soul. This was going to require more of me and yet less of me at the same time for there was no way I could do this in my own strength.
Finally, I began to think about someone else besides myself: little Bryden. As I anticipated him looking for his daddy.

Later that evening, around dinner time, I fell to my knees, the tears coming from the depth of my soul. “Whatever am I going to tell him when he asks where his daddy is?” This is what I heard:
“Tell him he’s at a new job, the biggest job of his life.”

With a strength that was not in me or of me, I stood and embraced the rest of the day, rehearsing the words given to me while on my knees.

Join me tomorrow for Bryden’s response.

Evinda

Am I a Parrot or an Eagle-November’s WOW from Chicklit Power

Is it really November 1st? At the risk of sounding like a parrot, I have to confess, I’m not sure where the year has gone, because we all know that with the holidays, the New Year will be here in the blink of an eye! Wow, what a blur! Grab your coffee and come on in for our monthly words of wisdom and weapons of warfare.

I wasn’t too sure what we were supposed to talk about for our WOW, so instead of relying on my own understanding, I asked Him, and last Saturday, in the midst of my run, He reminded me of all that I am learning as I practice living outside my circumstances. I must confess, I am blown away by how much easier it is when scripture comes to life right smack in the middle of my circumstance, enabling me to rise above it instead of staying stuck in it. Not only does this month’s wow do just that, but it holds me accountable, keeping me from just talking the talk instead of walking the walk, or flying the coop!

So let’s get into our words of wisdom and weapons of warfare found in Isaiah 40:31: Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings of eagles, they shall run and not grow weary; they shall walk and not grow faint.

There are a few word pictures in here so let’s break this down so it will root in our heart and take flight in our hearts. The first words that beckon me to stop and ponder them are “wait on the Lord…” The verb wait never used to be anything I liked to do, and in some cases, it’s still a struggle. But when you add “on the Lord” to the equation, that’s like saying wait + the Lord = Hope, so it’s gotten a lot easier for me.

There are so many circumstances, seasons, difficulties that require us to wait: The mom waits for her prodigal child to return from his/her wandering. The wife waits for her husband to join her in her faith. The childless woman waits to conceive. The jobless person is waiting for a job while the ownership of their home is dwindling away. The hungry homeless man is waiting for food and shelter. The trafficked victim is waiting to experience a rescue. Some of us are waiting for someone we love to get over their addictions.

The list goes on and on and on. All of these themes of waiting have the same theme: they signify a measure of faith, a sort of looking toward or for, a faith that fuels hope, or is it hope that fuels the faith?

Back in the days of Isaiah, the term “wait upon” referred to servants waiting for their Master’s orders! Have we strayed from that waiting? In modern usage, those who wait are those who show their confidence in the God’s ability and willingness to fulfill His promises by patiently awaiting their fulfillment. Let me turn to my concordance and see what we find.

OMG, the Hebrew translation for the word “wait” is to adhere to! That makes my skin tingle as I visualize that. I can literally see myself clinging to Him, sometimes loosely, and oftentimes ever so tightly. I want so much to paint this verbal picture so you can see yourself adhering to Him! Picture a tree and its branches. The branches don’t worry about how they will stay attached; they just are. He is the tree and we are His branches. He’s our glue when we feel we are coming unglued!

During these tough situations of waiting on the Lord, there is something to help us wait, a promise if you will: renewed strength! Then if that’s the case, I’m not really waiting on my own, but on and in Him and when I am losing strength, I simply just need to come back to my source of strength. I can also almost see an exchange taking place here, the waiting for renewed strength. Wow, after all I’ve learned about waiting, it all boils down to the truth that this type of waiting is restful!

Whew, I’d better let you go for now, but please join me tomorrow for the conclusion of our monthly WOW! We won’t have Power Friday like we usually do because I don’t want to interrupt this!

Renewed,

Evinda