Nana Holds from Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power

Thanks so much for coming back for more of these life-changing moments in this season of Nana Holds.

By now, we are six, almost seven months into this season of parenting/grand-parenting Bryden, and none of us are the same! It’s almost Christmastime; he’s just about potty-trained, both number one and two. Consequently, his piggy-bank is getting full and ours is emptying! Clean pants and a full bank, what a winning combination!

George and I are learning the skill of teamwork – and until this circumstance, I had no idea that we weren’t really functioning as a team and that we had so much to learn in this area. I can’t help but shake my head and chuckle at His sense of humor and how He uses all things for all things! Talk about multi-tasking!

By this time, I definitely am getting used to all the changes that have occurred and I am not harboring any resentment or holding on to bitter waiting for things to get better. I am, as has been the case since the beginning, growing in my circumstance, learning to live outside it instead of it consuming me. But I still had a long way to go in the area of relating instead of just functioning — of course I didn’t realize it; I thought I was doing pretty well but I’ll explain that one later! 

I know I’ve already mentioned in prior coffee hours that Bryden wanted a backpack and a lunch pail for big-boy school, which is the key we used to turn on his little switch from pants to potty. So we knew we were going to get him his

Papa, Bryden and his bawoon!

backpack and lunch pail for Christmas. We kept talking up big boy school, especially after receiving word that we were no longer on the waiting list and he was now officially registered and would begin big boy school January 4th!

So there was that countdown. Thinking about his enthusiasm squeezes my heart with such joy for two reasons: the first being that I can finally recognize his childlike enthusiasm and revel in it, be part of it and appreciate it; and two, I loved and still do love knowing that George and I are part of his enthusiasm; that God chose us to help build his little foundation into something big and strong for his later years moves me so far from myself and to a person I know He is transforming into His likeness every day I share with Bryden.

It has been so many years since I have experienced such a special Christmas. It was like Abba was bringing out the little girl in me by bringing this little boy to us to love and nurture as parents. One of my fondest memories about the whole Christmas season was watching him watch the commercials. Have you ever noticed all the toy commercials they play on T.V. around the holiday season? Actually, the season gets earlier and earlier, but that’s a different blog for a different coffee hour.

I could be in the kitchen preparing dinner or in the laundry room folding clothes and all of a sudden I’d hear the sweetest voice ever say: “Nana, I get one of those for Christmas? Nana, can I have one of those for my birthday?”

Yes, he was already asking for gifts for his birthday because he knew it was shortly after Christmas! No matter where my head was , what I was thinking or feeling, what kind of a day I had had, that innocent voice pleading for a new toy could and would always pull me to him!

Embracing the revelations filled with His love,

Evinda

Nana Holds!

P.S. Don’t forget to join us today, if you are able, for our Blog Talk Radio show airing live at 1:00 Pacific time. If you can’t join us then, simply click on the link and download on your Itunes! www.blogtalkradio.com/Chicklit-Power

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

Perfected in His Presence (April's Words of Wisdom)

April WOW

Genesis 6:8-9

But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. These are the records of the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God. (NAST)

coffee hour at Chicklit Power

Thanks for joining me today, a special day: the very last day for my very last blog . . . Just kidding; April fools!  Grab your coffee and come on in for our monthly words of wisdom and weapons of warfare, definitely needed to keep us armed and alert.
So I’ve changed the title of this one three times and wasn’t sure what I was supposed to share and then when I stopped thinking, it came to me. Why is that? Because He requires us to be still . . . and that includes our minds.
I’m not sure if it’s menopause or all I’ve been going through since our last event, or a combination thereof, but from the outside looking in, whew, I must say I scare myself. Have you ever walked into a room and smelled a bad odor – I think they used to call it B.O. – only to discover it’s you? :) And if it weren’t for this women’s Bible study I’m participating in right now, I think I’d be tempted to pick up my broom and fly far off so as not to turn people away! I just haven’t been myself lately. Have you ever felt like that?
I’m so glad He sees you and me differently. Want to know how I know? It says so right there in Genesis 6, Verses 8-9. I have skimmed over this portion of scripture in the past and don’t recall this speaking to me like it has recently. I’m sure it’s because of the women’s Bible study I’m in called A Woman’s Heart, God’s Dwelling Place by Beth Moore. It’s a study of the tabernacle, and one of the definitions is “dwelling place.” Now put the “heart” and “dwelling place” together and what do you have? His home! Doesn’t that give you goose bumps? There is so many diamonds to dig for in His Love Letters and Lessons to us and for us, and as we dig, He makes His dwelling place.

Anyway, I can’t just jump right in the middle of the story here, and I certainly don’t mean to play theological hopscotch with you, but our WOW, and a couple of verses preceding it, raise a few questions, at least for me. In order to get them answered accordingly, we need to rewind and get the picture of where we are in scripture. I pray that as we explore together, you and I will find things that speak the reality of His love for us.

Creation beckons us . . .

Come exploring with me back to the beginning of creation, well, not the very beginning, but almost. Creation is alive and so is sin, sin of every kind, utter and complete despicable universal wickedness. In fact, that is what God Himself called it when He looked down upon His creation. Verse 5 says that “The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. Talk about regrets!
Let’s get our shovels and look at that last statement, about thoughts of the heart. See, one of the definitions in the Hebrew concordance for heart states that the heart is the seat for the mind. In other words, sin begins in the mind, the thought process. Some thought processes are fleeting and incredibly quick, and others are more pre-meditated. I just discovered that the use of the word “wickedness” in verse 5 also refers to thoughts as well as actions.
The reason that’s important in establishing before we move on to our WOW is so you will see the significance of how He sees us as He does and why.
Finish up our time today with remembering when you’ve had a time of intense regret. What did you do with that regret?
Join me tomorrow for the continuation of our words of wisdom.
Evinda

Faith-Filled Fridays From Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power

Welcome to Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power and thanks so much for joining me for this Faith-Filled Friday series.

Before we go to and through the Hall of Faith, there’s one more fact I’d like to share about faith, one that has actually revolutionized my portion of faith, breathing new life into it. This fact is based upon the scripture found in Matthew 17. Jesus has just healed a demon-possessed boy, the one that the disciples could not cure. The disciples asked Him in private – paraphrasing – so how come we couldn’t do what you just did, and Jesus’ response is: If you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there, and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”

I know, that sounds a little faithless when we actually contemplate moving a mountain, huh? Well, the actual diamond lies hidden in the “mustard seed.” See, Jesus wasn’t just referring to the “amount” of faith needed, although that is important as well because a mustard seed is barely a grain of pepper. No, what is tucked behind the word is its meaning. See, a mustard seed is the only seed that cannot be cross-pollinated; therefore it is pure.

Jesus was referring the purity of our faith! Are you walking with the Purifier of your faith?

Have a great weekend,

Evinda

Nana Holds-From Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power

Welcome to Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power and welcome back to Nana Holds. Grab your coffee and come on in. We are in the kitchen unloading the dishwasher!

When Bryden first began to help us unload the dishwasher, I didn’t think anything of how he used the actual door as a stepstool to reach all the things he wanted to take out, but as time has gone by, he’s grown so now I’ve got to help him understand why that’s no longer okay. I think the best way is to compliment him on how big and strong he’s become and if he steps on it now, it may break. Speaking of breaking, we have had a couple of mishaps while unloading the dishwasher, so he knows “breaking” something is to be avoided as much as possible.

The first time he broke a crystal glass, we both were so startled by the sound of shattering glass everywhere and when I looked at him, he looked a little scared and simultaneously, panic hit as I realized if he moved in any direction, he was going to step on shards of glass. My voice came out an octave higher than I intended and reached for him and hurriedly scooped him up to avoid him cutting his little feet on the now scattered glass. On the other side of my brain, I’m reminding myself that it’s just a stupid crystal glass and it was definitely an accident, but Bry’s little feelings were already hurt and he began to cry, big giant crocodile tears spilling down his face.

I picked him back up and held him to my heart assuring him that it was an accident and that Nana wasn’t mad. “I just didn’t want you to cut yourself on all the glass.” That seemed to satisfy him. And then I showed him how it had gone everywhere and that Nana needed to vacuum the floor to make sure he didn’t step on any hidden pieces.

Bryden’s response displayed his heart for me to see: “I wanna help you, Nana.” This was one of those times where I truly needed to slow down, grasp for patience and try as hard as I could to see things from his little perspective, which as I write this I realize how foreign that was for me back then but oh, how relieved I am with my whole heart as I acknowledge that I have made great strides of growth in this area.

So as not to burst his good intentions with my lack of understanding, I quickly came to a compromise, telling him he could help me get the vacuum and then Nana would go first and then he could help me. That seemed okay with him, until he saw me begin to vacuum. “Nanna, I do it now?” (I so wish I could play it for you, his sweet tone mixed with a bit of question/begging) to which I would respond, “Almost, buddy, almost,” as I’m scurrying along with the vacuum hose, silently begging the vacuum to do its job and do it quickly!
The good news: we managed to get all the glass vacuumed up without a scrape or a cut!

All these helping-hand moments came in extra handy when it came time to decorate the yard with the fall/harvest decorations. I rewind the camera of my mind and true joy opens the door of my heart and nestles in there bringing a smile to my face. Never has decorating the yard for fall been more fun.

Every piece of yard art brought a different exclamation from him and various expressions that would make even the grumpiest of people smile. Watching him place them where we all decided was just as entertaining and when he would begin to get frustrated with one that wasn’t quite cooperating as he tried to push it into the ground, Papa and Nana were right there to be his helping hand. Oh, the joy of learning to look at things from the eyes of a child . . .

Evinda

Wednesday’s Word-From Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power

Thanks so much for joining me for Wednesday’s Word! I’m so excited about this one He gave me while doing my Bible study homework. Grab your coffee and come on in so I can share this with you.

I am currently leading a women’s study at our church called A Woman’s Heart, God’s Dwelling Place. It’s an in-depth study of the tabernacle and God’s desire to dwell with us, but there’s so much more. Anyway, I was reading in Genesis about Noah and in Chapter 6, Verses 8 & 9, the Word describes Noah as a just man, perfect in his generations!

Now that word “perfect” caused me to really pause but His Word nudged me forward and right after the words “perfect in his generations,” it says that Noah walked with God and then it hit me: Noah wasn’t perfect, but because he walked with God, God saw him in this way, perfected in the process.
Now put your name in place of Noah’s and what do you have? One who is without all the junk, the apple of His eye, His treasure, perfected in His presence!

That’s where Wednesday’s Word comes from.

As His children, we are not perfect but perfected in His presence!

Walk with Him today, and tomorrow, and the next day and the next . . .

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