Tuesday’s Trench Lessons 4 Life

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power...

Happy Tuesday, my friends. Grab your favorite beverage, and possibly something to nibble on while you join me today. As my sweet friend Kim-Evinda says, I am going to try to be transparent today.

My mom wanted me to watch a movie with her called The Holiday. There is a story line where a woman from England is on vacation in LA to get away from a man she is “in love with,” that got engaged to another woman. You with me so far? Well, this woman meets an old movie writer on the street. He tells her that in the movies, their encounter would be called a meet cute. Actually, he explains that since they aren't romantically involved, it “isn't so cute.” He compares a lot of actual life to stage directions and scenarios in the movies. Later in the movie, when she is telling the writer about this man that she is in love with (who has just been taking advantage of her throughout their whole “relationship”), he tells her this:  “In the movies, we have leading ladies and we have the best friend. You, I can tell, are a leading lady, but for some reason, you're behaving like the best friend.” She then replies: “You're supposed to be the leading lady in your own life, for God's sake!”

When I first heard that line, I immediately thought of my life; who wouldn't, right? I thought about the times when I have allowed others to make me feel small and insignificant. I thought about my first marriage, when my husband cheated on me, made me feel like I was inadequate sexually, and then told me the divorce was my fault because I couldn't communicate properly. I allowed this man to just run me down! I acted like the best friend in this situation. Next, I thought of my second significant relationship. The father of my third child was someone whom I had barely known, but who I quickly fell in love with, or so I thought. After I was pregnant with our son, I discovered he was married!!!! I realize that there was a lot of naiveté on my part in that situation. Nevertheless, this older man proceeded not only to run me down, but to pulverize me! I remember feeling like just a scrap of a person. Total best friend behavior!

Then, I recalled the early part of my second marriage. My husband had cheated on me, but I recall that I didn't really allow myself to react; after all, this is how all relationships went, right? I certainly didn't feel good about myself, and I definitely did not feel like the leading lady! Through lots of prayer and healing, my husband and I got passed the infidelity, and grew to be a strong family. I feel as though my husband has been the leading man in his life, and helped me to act like His leading lady because of HIS (Christ’s) love for me! You heard me right; yes, I said his leading lady. I have married this man, and we are sealed for all time and eternity, so I have no problem saying I belong to him, and he belongs to me. That was a foreign concept coming from a single parent home, but I have embraced it!

Now, there is a whole other side to the spectrum, my friends! It is bad to have best friend behavior when you should be the leading lady, but what about leading lady behavior when you should be the best friend? I tend to be just a tad bit on the controlling side *cough, cough. I like things how I like them, and I prefer to be in the lead. This is not always the most popular attributes to have 24/7. Sometimes I need to let others lead. Sometimes, I need to accept that I cannot have it my way. I always need to accept that it is not always going to be like I envisioned. I need to allow myself to take the back seat, or at least the passenger seat (baby steps!) We read in Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you a future with hope .”  The Lord has planned greatness and blessings for us. The only people that can get in the way of that are ourselves! I struggle daily with giving my life to the Lord, but it is something I strive for. May we all work at turning over our wheels this week and learn when to be that best friend and when to be the leading lady in the movie of our lives!

God Bless you all

Lea

Jeff's Java Hour @ Chicklit Power

Jeff’s Java Hour @ Chicklit Power

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power…

So, first of all, how the heck are ya? I trust you are doing well! Soooooo, something happened the other night which inspired me to write on this topic, bitterness turned to un-forgiveness.
As I pulled into our apartment complex, and up to our garage, I wasn’t prepared to be unable to park where I wanted to so that started me on bitter. That bitterness stirred up more bitterness and I began to voice this mental argument with someone out loud by myself in my car while drove around and around and around to find a parking spot at my own house. I was exhausted after a long day at my new job so I’m sure that didn’t help matters. The issue that I was arguing with this person about, unbeknownst to them, was the issue of bitterness! Why bitterness? Well, I was so upset that I couldn’t find a parking spot in my complex within a hundred yards that the issue of bitterness was naturally occurring in my thoughts. I started thinking of all the reasons that my wife could have left the garage parking for me, and one thought begat another which begat another which begat bitterness.
But then, conviction entered and I really got to thinking: Un-forgiveness is a great big deal and can send one straight to bitterness; and bitterness is the souring overcoming the sweetness in our hearts. Jesus said in Matthew 18:35, “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.”
That quote from Jesus got me to take the mental elevator up a floor. I realized how petty I was being and how petty we all can be. I mean, think about it; Jesus forgave us not only for our sins but He let OUR sins put Him on a cross, after having been beaten within an inch of his life first and forgave us not only before He died and before we sinned but also while He was being beaten and having His beard ripped out of his face, being spat on, mocked, tortured, wrongfully accused, despised, cursed at, and so many other things and then being marched to His death while carrying His instrument of death reminding Him of how much worse the pain was going to be shortly. That is hardcore!!!
And to emphasize the forgiveness and clarify that there was no bitterness, Jesus didn’t say anything back to these people, defend himself, or hit back because those people who were doing all of these terrible things to Him were all of us. It takes real power to be meek and forgiving. How hard would it be for us to ask God to forgive the people who were nailing us to a cross while they were doing it? Hello, McFly! I don’t know if I could do that… Actually I am telling you right now I couldn’t.
He did all of that so we could come to the throne of God with confidence, knowing we are forgiven, and can receive redemption, so who are we to hold un-forgiveness in our heart toward anyone? If the murderer still has breath in his lungs, then God will forgive him if he turns his heart toward Him and repents.
Here are some truths I am learning and re-learning:
Un-forgiveness spoils our hearts and turns our love into paranoia. We begin to see people as annoying and uncooperative. We begin to think that everyone is just out to try and get something for themselves and that there are few genuine people left in the world and if we are unfortunate enough to meet one, then we soon find out that they too have faults and won’t/can’t fulfill our unrealistic expectations for them.
Un-forgiveness will turn your gifts into tools to manipulate people into the places that you want them to be in your life. For a person with the gift of giving who has been taken advantage of over and over again begins to grow bitter and their gift starts to be used as a way to attach strings to people or they turn the other direction because giving is not something that lights that part of the heart up anymore so they don’t do it.
Un-forgiveness literally takes our spirit and our bodies through a slow and bitter death. It turns into poison in our blood and does things like give us ulcers, turn our hair gray, raise our blood pressure through the roof because bitterness is a catalyst for un-paralelled stress.
I am sharing all of this with you because I was incredibly convicted in my little car thinking about these things, thankful I was actually thinking about them because they go so unnoticed every day. I am so used to living with my issues that I forget what they Bible tells me about this very subject. I need to forgive; we need to forgive, guys.
Is there someone in your life who needs your forgiveness? Ask God to bring to mind anyone in your life who you haven’t forgiven yet. You will be surprised, because when you ask, He will answer, and the crazy thing is it may be someone that you thought that you have already forgiven. This means that we have to keep forgiving that person, not just a one timer, but perhaps over and over again, especially if you see this person all the time!
Chances are if you can’t help but complain about someone when you see them or even think about them, then there is something that they have done that you haven’t forgiven them for, or maybe you need to keep forgiving them until you are completely set free from whatever it is. I was told once, from a very wise man, pray for them. And I know, it’s like “DUHHHHHH” we should pray for them, but he said not just to pray for them but to pray that God blesses that person and get specific with it.
As I made my way upstairs, I was actually grateful for the extra time it took to park because it gave God some time to deal with my heart!
Thank you for letting me share what “was” on my heart!

Monday's Manna from Castro's Corner @ Chicklit Power

Happy Monday Manna!

I pray each and every one of you had an awesome weekend. Last week was an interesting one for me. We had a company meeting in Las Vegas and I drove up separately, since my sister-in law Amanda is still hanging onto her baby at 39 weeks! I reassured my wife that if Amanda did go into labor, I would have the ability to ditch out early but of course this wasn’t the case and she WILL BE induced this Tuesday so all prayers are welcomed! I had the honor to share rooms with a believer and brother over those three days and we had some awesome fellowship.
As I was driving to Vegas I began to think of my wife Kay and I just thanked God for her and all of the support she provides to me. There have been countless instances of doubting my own abilities to lead the awesome team God has given to me, but Kay always reassures me that I can do it. She’s so strong, and I often feel like I’ve failed when I lose faith or when the race becomes too overwhelming. Her words of encouragement always lift me up and I can’t begin to thank God enough for this woman that has literally rocked my world. The enemy sees my weaknesses as opportunities, but Kay always reminds me that my weaknesses are made perfect through God’s ability [2nd Corinthians 12:9]. Marriage is God’s institution, not man’s.
Maybe I think too much while I’m on the road. I’m the driver that forgets how he got from point “A” to point “B,” even if the drive was over 100 miles. Driving serves as private time for me to just thank God for all he has done in my life and although sometimes it’s distracting as I’m trying to pray over my little Toyota’s roaring motor as it tries to keep up with traffic on the I-10, I still make private time with my Creator.
As I approached the towering buildings, the scandalous billboard advertisements, and the bright lights of the Las Vegas strip, I felt like I was too far away from home. I parked and checked in at the resort and found out I was rooming with Mike, one of the strongest believers and brothers in my life. We woke up the next morning and prayed together, got in the Word, and even had conversations about what we though heaven would be like. Fellowship does happen in Las Vegas!
We attended the company meeting later that day and the Vice President awarded our owner with an award that we all pitched in for. Our owner is a prolific speaker (Just like Evinda) and when he walks into a room, his presence is known and people just look and listen attentively. He has a huge heart and as he began to speak about our mission as a company, he reminded us that our primary goal is to serve our members with humble hearts. As he continued to speak, he began to get choked up and so did the rest of the audience. I am so thankful that God has given me the ability to be part of a team whose mission is to change lives.
Have an awesome week!

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Monday's Manna from Castro's Corner @ Chicklit Power

Happy Monday Manna!

I pray each and every one of you had an awesome weekend. Last week was an interesting one for me. We had a company meeting in Las Vegas and I drove up separately, since my sister-in law Amanda is still hanging onto her baby at 39 weeks! I reassured my wife that if Amanda did go into labor, I would have the ability to ditch out early but of course this wasn’t the case and she WILL BE induced this Tuesday so all prayers are welcomed! I had the honor to share rooms with a believer and brother over those three days and we had some awesome fellowship.
As I was driving to Vegas I began to think of my wife Kay and I just thanked God for her and all of the support she provides to me. There have been countless instances of doubting my own abilities to lead the awesome team God has given to me, but Kay always reassures me that I can do it. She’s so strong, and I often feel like I’ve failed when I lose faith or when the race becomes too overwhelming. Her words of encouragement always lift me up and I can’t begin to thank God enough for this woman that has literally rocked my world. The enemy sees my weaknesses as opportunities, but Kay always reminds me that my weaknesses are made perfect through God’s ability [2nd Corinthians 12:9]. Marriage is God’s institution, not man’s.
Maybe I think too much while I’m on the road. I’m the driver that forgets how he got from point “A” to point “B,” even if the drive was over 100 miles. Driving serves as private time for me to just thank God for all he has done in my life and although sometimes it’s distracting as I’m trying to pray over my little Toyota’s roaring motor as it tries to keep up with traffic on the I-10, I still make private time with my Creator.
As I approached the towering buildings, the scandalous billboard advertisements, and the bright lights of the Las Vegas strip, I felt like I was too far away from home. I parked and checked in at the resort and found out I was rooming with Mike, one of the strongest believers and brothers in my life. We woke up the next morning and prayed together, got in the Word, and even had conversations about what we though heaven would be like. Fellowship does happen in Las Vegas!
We attended the company meeting later that day and the Vice President awarded our owner with an award that we all pitched in for. Our owner is a prolific speaker (Just like Evinda) and when he walks into a room, his presence is known and people just look and listen attentively. He has a huge heart and as he began to speak about our mission as a company, he reminded us that our primary goal is to serve our members with humble hearts. As he continued to speak, he began to get choked up and so did the rest of the audience. I am so thankful that God has given me the ability to be part of a team whose mission is to change lives.
Have an awesome week!

What is a sacrifice of Joy? Join us for Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power

Thanks so much for stopping by for our Coffee Hour! I’m truly excited that you’re here! So last week I started a new series, Thinking out Loud Thursdays and it was about peace. We actually did have quite a response to it, but I haven’t been able to ask if we could post that response on the blog, so hopefully we can pick up with that next week. But the good news is we can continue on with our big dig in our search for all the ingredients of joy, and we left off with a sacrifice of joy and how it all ties in as far as us in the world today. Grab your coffee and come on in, with your shovels!
In my research for deeper understanding as to the term of “a sacrifice of joy,” I came upon the verse we talked about yesterday, 1^st Peter 2:5 wherein Peter is succinctly sharing to his fellow believers then, as well as to us here and now, that when we come to accept Christ as our Savior, we become one of the priests in the priesthood, aka, a member of the family of Christ, part of the Bride (church) of Christ. So each one of us are priests! Really? Okay, I’ll tell on myself here: I’ve always thought the term “priest” was associated to being a Catholic and declaring celibacy for all the days of your life, in addition to being completely devoted to Christ, of course. But here, in 1^st Peter, God, through Peter, is declaring that each one of us is a priest in the Royal Priesthood!
Okay, stay with me now because I’m about to get to the sacrifice part, which began in the Old Testament days wherein priests would offer up sacrifices for themselves and for their people – whew, I bet they were extremely thankful when that responsibility was taken from them by and through the Ultimate Sacrifice!
Once the Ultimate Sacrifice was made, the New Testament church, meaning all of us, received the direction to offer up spiritual sacrifices and this is where this gets super exciting. Why? Because it’s something we can do! It’s not bloody and gory, but these types of sacrifices are obtainable … for a cost! Yup, I said there’s a cost so let’s do some digging to see what all it’s going to cost us to offer up a sacrifice of joy.
According to the New Testament each one of us has the obligation of offering up not one but seven sacrifices! Something tells me after we get through each one of them we are going to understand this term, “a sacrifice of joy” a lot better.
The first one is found in Hebrews 13:15: “By Him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name.” So sacrifice number 1 is praise. Why do suppose that “praise” is a sacrifice?”
Well, I know when I’m feeling like picking up my broom and flying around the room, and maybe even leaving home with it, to just stop and actually say the name Jesus, and begin to think upon things that are noble, whatever is lovely, things that are true takes a real act of discipline. In fact, it sometimes feels like pulling the reigns in on a wild horse that refuses to listen to direction!
As a matter of fact, this very thing just happened the other day as we were trying to get some last minute things done before leaving for the long drive to pick up our little four-year-old grandson for a three-week visit, a long overdue visit, I might add. As the minutes ticked away, my husband’s warning that I better be on time and ready to go at 10:00, not 10:01 got louder and closer as if it were reverberating right in my ear. And then I began to get really irritable, downright grumpy, and I started to pick a fight with him because he wasn’t helping me by doing something the way that I thought he should. I mean, he was helping me but making a complete mess while he was at it! And I let him know it! Ugh… I get so disgusted with myself sometimes and disillusioned at how ugly I can be!
But let me tell you, my emotional thermostat was about to explode and I was headed for that broom and was about to leave home and tell him to go by himself. But greater is He that is in me than he who is in the world. [1st John 4:4] I actually stopped slamming things around and swiping at the counter fast and furiously long enough to say the name Jesus, and you know what? That was a form of praise to His ears! I came to my senses almost immediately! Oh, how I thank God for His merciful reminders of who I am in Him, how far I’ve come, and all that I’ve learned, because I stopped what I was doing after I received a little tap-tap in my conscience that echoed down into my heart, and I explained to my husband, “It’s not you; it’s me.”
Of course he had to have a smart retort and I almost fell for the enemy’s plot to have me strike another match in the now smoldering fire and give him a “WHATEVER!” But I didn’t. In my mind, I just remember asking for Jesus to intervene so I wouldn’t make a mess of things, thanking Him for loving me enough to not let me continue in my flesh without a conscience choice. I began to explain to my husband that while I was so looking forward to seeing our little guy, I was also nervous about how he would receive us, if he was looking forward to coming home with us for a few weeks, and I also expressed a reality that I’m trying to wrestle with: the work of it all!
Immediately I felt better; it didn’t solve what I was having all the anxiety about, but it put me in touch with it and I vocalized it by sharing it, risking my husband’s disapproval. It was out there on the counter so I could look at it and deal with it and become better equipped to get through it.
You know what? It worked. He actually, not right away, but within minutes, said, “I understand!”
My mouth dropped and I actually said, “You do?”
“Yeah, I get it.”
My heart immediately filled with praise, which calmed my spirit and I was able to chill out and remember that whatever God brings me to, He’ll bring me through. He honored my tiny, tiny, tiny sacrifice of praise and turned it into a jinormous praise party within me!
Join me next week for the other six sacrifices, which include a sacrifice of joy!
Joyfully,

Evinda

WHAT is GODLY SORROW?

Happy Tuesday! It’s a new day, a new chance to not let adversity take our focus off of our Father whose love never changes no matter what is going on! That truth right there is enough to stir up a good amount of joy! Oh that we would think on the things that are true. Grab your coffee and join me for these discoveries we are making about the recipe of joy!
We discovered that Joy follows Godly sorrow, but what is Godly sorrow? Let’s look at 2^nd Corinthians 7:9-10 where Paul, in his letter to the Church of Corinth is addressing this very subject: “Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a Godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing. For Godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted, but the sorrow of the world produces death.”
Whew, what a mouthful. Let me see if I can share an example; it shouldn’t be too hard for I have actually experienced Godly sorrow more times than I care to admit – well, wait a minute! As I wrote that last sentence, I realized that I have misunderstood Godly sorrow for many of my Christian years. See, Godly sorrow does not produce condemnation; nor is it filled with regret, guilt, shame; no, that's worldly sorrow.
This is the kind of worldly sorrow that Paul is talking about. See, that kind of sorrow keeps you doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different result. So let me start over and say I have experienced Godly sorrow in many areas of my life that have led to repentance, a turning away from that which grieved my Abba Daddy and ripped me off in some way or another!
Let me share one of my first experiences of Godly sorrow that definitely ushered the presence of joy into the situation. I was not quite two years into my marriage and still suffering from bouts of looking back instead of up, truly wondering if God had made a mistake because I was absolutely miserable more than I was joyful! And marriage, for the third time, was still so new! I had gone to a women’s retreat and I don’t even remember what they were talking about as I share this with you, but something stirred up some strong conviction about the way I was loving my husband. Actually, it’s probably more accurate to say the ways I was not loving him! There were a whole host of reasons, all of which circled around the many adjustments and ways I was having to stretch to fit into my new skin He was/is trying to dress me in by the use of this marriage!
Anyway, to make that incredibly long story short and to get to the happy ending, I came home from that retreat with a soft and repentant heart. I apologized to my husband for not being the kind of wife I now knew God was calling me, and continues to call me, to be, for not loving him in the ways that marriage requires. I was truly sorry, and because I had that Godly sorrow, immediately, or maybe it was simultaneously, there was a desire to do it differently, a determination to get it right.
I remember the apology as if it were yesterday – it’s been almost eight years ago! He was lying down and I went and sat on the bed, bracing myself in such a way that I could look right at him. I began to share the highlights of the retreat. Their effects were still fresh in my heart, so fresh that the closer I got to the apology my lips began to tremble and my eyes filled up. Suddenly he looked so blurry, but not so blurry that I missed the expression of utter surprise, a sort of stupefied look came over his face as I uttered the unpracticed words of apology.
He brought me down to him and took me into his arms, whispering his unconditional love for me, confirming that God had brought us together and my past would not tear us apart.
Oh the joy that follows Godly sorrow! How about you; do you remember a time that you experienced that type of sorrow that beckoned change? I’d love to hear about it!
Joyfully,

Evinda

Coffee in Cabo from Chicklit Power

Thanks for joining me for a few more Cabo memories and Coffee Hour. Grab whatever you’re having and come on in.

I hope you had a heart-squeezing Mother’s Day! I can’t wait to share one of the sweetest moments I experienced this Mother’s Day all because of getting to be mama/nana but I’ll share that in the Nana Holds series next week.

So the last time we met for Coffee in Cabo, we were on our way to the 3:00 session of the book signing so come with me to the beautiful lobby of Playa Grande.

We walked through the back doors and saw right away that Paula and the General Manager had made good on their promise. They had moved our display to the place I had requested, the same place I had sat and signed my very first book, A Cup of Encouragement for the Day. My spirits lifted as I made my way over to our table and began to put books on display.

our new location

Moments later, I looked up to see Rodney and Cheryl making their way toward us, looking rested, refreshed and incredibly happy. Every time I think of these two, I smile from the inside out! Being around them is like opening Christmas presents, a time of anticipation, joy and rejuvenation! Anyway, by the time she made it over to the table, someone else had too. I invited her to sit down and I explained a little about each book, sharing with her that the “Cup” series is sort of like a Chicken Soup for the Chic’s soul, and that Back to Single is my first fiction novel, the first of what I think is a trilogy.

Something in the explanation of Back to Single turned something on in her and she just began to share with me about her life, her current situation, her career. Her transparency was like a baited hook that I drank in to my soul. She has an ideal job, and a part-time marriage. What in the heck does that mean? Well, she explained that she sees her husband ten days out of the month and it works for them. Oh, for those of you who really know me, I’m sure you can imagine how had it was for me to keep my opinions to myself, but by golly – no, by the Grace of God, I did. See, I don’t know all the circumstances, but from our conversation, I knew she needed a different perspective.

Danielle . . .

She picked up A Cup of Hope and began to thumb through it and exclaimed, “Well, this looks like something I would like, too.”

Meanwhile, Cheryl is sitting beside me chomping at the bit, elbowing me with her eyes as she whispers, “Give her a deal for all three!”

What a great idea. Why didn’t I think of that?

Cheryl picked up “A Cup of Encouragement.” Here, if you like that one, then you will like this one too. This is her first one and I loved it. If you buy all three, you get a better deal.”

I almost burst out laughing at the ease with which Cheryl spoke. I mean it was joyful, not forceful, and I envied her this gift! I mean, she could teach the pushy people on the boardwalk a thing or two about suggestive selling because they border on being a bit offensive!  I picked up from where she left off: “Yeah, we’ll give you $5 off!”

“Do you take pesos?”

Cheryl looked at me, her eyes big with that question, waiting for me to respond.

“Absolutely, not a problem,” I chimed in and I grabbed the calculator to figure out the exact number of pesos required. Cheryl began writing the receipt while I signed all three of her books. As I handed them to her, I asked if she would mind writing a review on Amazon when she was done with each of them. She was so positively agreeable, happy to help and her willingness squeezed my heart with encouragement and confidence.

This is what these book signings are all about, moments to share, heart to heart, one heart at a time, moments that won’t be as possible when the line is hanging out the door to buy something He writes through me!

Writing from my heart to yours . . .

Evinda

P.S. Join me tomorrow for more Coffee in Cabo, and don’t forget today at 1:00 Pacific time is our Blog Talk Radio show on breaking free from co-dependency. We’re going to be talking about empowerment! Join us at www.blogtalkradio.com/Chicklit-Power

P.S.S. I feel compelled to tell you of a new fact we learned while out there this time and we learned it from a brother we met last year and found again this year: Minimum wage for most guys is $8 a week! Does that ever explain the desperation!  Oh, may we walk in an attitude of gratitude!

Wednesday’s Word from Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power

Welcome to our coffee hour and to Wednesday’s Word. I realize it’s the 1st of the month, which is normally our WOW time, but I’m still praying for direction as to which verse He wants me to share, so I’m postponing our WOW until next week. In the meantime, I do have another powerful revelation to put into words inspired by His love and patience.

Last week, George and I found ourselves in a bit of a precarious situation where we had to pray and trust instead of worry and fret. The thing that made it a lot harder is we were so far away from the situation physically speaking, so the only thing we really could do was pray. We clasped hands and did just that.

When we were done, we both got up and I began to do something – I don’t remember what, and I looked over at George and he was just standing and staring off into who knows where. I fanned my hand in front of his face to see if he would come back and at least blink, and it worked! Where did you go? I asked. “I’m just worried,” and then he did something so cool: As if God were physically there, he began to talk with Him, and refreshing his own faith with scripture. It was one of those moments in our marriage that I will savor for a long, long time.

So as I share this power thought which is a great accountability tool, I hope it helps you overcome the sin of worrying:

Worry is like a squatter: it sneaks in and tries to stay without paying rent! Serve it eviction papers!

Oh, that we would worry less and pray more . . .

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