Tuesday’s Trench Lessons 4 Life

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power...

Welcome to our new Tuesday series: Tuesday’s Trench Lessons! I am so excited about this series which will be written by one of my Transformers…and there may be a couple other Trenchers who join this blog, but I’m super excited about how this series came to be. To make that long story short, let me just say, it’s been a year-long process, and this came about by Divine ordination! I am incredibly proud to introduce you to one of my original Transformers whom God is truly transforming, Lea Province. You’re going to love her writing!

When will my life begin….By Lea Provence

I have always been a Disney fan. During summer vacations, my dad would take us to Disneyland…every year. We had Disney books, Disney toys and a whole collection of Disney movies. Do you remember those movies? Dick VanDyke and Mary Poppins and Hayley Mills in Pollyanna! Don’t get me started! And of course being a “girl,” I enjoyed the princess movies.

As I grew and started a family, I must confess, I still have all things “Disney!” More and more movies are being released and we naturally have seen them many, many times. Once is never enough. I can literally quote about 90% of the movies…word for word!

I wanted to give you that background to share with you that little nugget of truth and light I was given recently. I was listening to our “Princess Songs” CD when a song from “Tangled” sang by Mandy Moore played. It is called “When will my life begin.” The song starts with Rapunzel listing off all the tasks that she does throughout the day: chores and other things such as: reading, sewing, games, crafts, cooking and backing to name a few. As she goes about her day, she wonders to herself, when will my life begin? She feels as though she’s stuck in the same place she has always been. Would it be like to embark outside of her little world?

Now I have heard and sang this song numerous times. It wasn’t until a month ago that the words of this song literally pierced my heart and I began to cry. I then realized that this is exactly how I have been living my life: I’m on the shampoo lifestyle, rinse and repeat, wondering when will my life begin?

When I was younger, I used to think I’d make some money and buy a house, and that’s when my life would begin. Or, after I lose weight, I’d be more comfortable and that’s when my life would really start. Oh, and the best, after my husband finishes his medical treatment, his attitude will improve and our life will begin and be great! Merely existing is what I have been doing for 35 years, waiting for my life to begin. But I’m realizing that while I’ve been waiting, life has been passing me by!

My oldest baby, my daughter, will graduate next year! Before I know it, it will be here. I could possibly be a grandmother within the next five years! Oh, my goodness, I’m getting ahead of life while wondering when it will begin! How can that be? In a little over a decade all of my children will be adults. Why is it I can imagine life… and not get in it and allow it to pass me by?

If I continue to give my life conditions, you know, the shampoo, rinse, condition cycle, and demand perfection from myself, I will never enjoy life, nor will I truly grow and move forward with and in my life. Romans 3:23 reminds us for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God! We will never reach perfection in this world. In my case, I cannot even see where perfection resides. I’ve decided to stop looking at my life as a finite thing. When I look at my existence eternally, I can see that my conditions are just stepping stones on my journey of progression to perfection.

Oh, the lessons I’m learning in the trench …

Lea

Jenn’s Journey from Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power...

Good morning, friends, here's hoping you had a nice weekend and were able to stay cool in this heat! Summer is really here, isn't it? This weekend we celebrated dads and all they do for us. I am blessed with a great dad and I am thankful for him. I know not everyone can say that, for often our earthly fathers let us down. Thank goodness we can turn to our Heavenly Father anytime!!!

A few months back I made a decision to leave a dental office I had worked in for many years. I'd seen a lot changes and some of those were not a good fit for me. This was not an easy decision as I loved my patients, many of whom had become friends. I knew I had a job waiting for me in a few months, but I had to look very carefully at my finances before taking this step.

I was a bit nervous, because even though I'd carefully considered most things in this decision, there is always the unexpected. Through prayer and talking with a few of my wise and trusted friends, I knew God was leading me to go this way.  He has blessed me in the past and I felt He'd continue doing so. He has given me the opportunity to be an almost-always stay-at-home mom, which was a dream of mine. I've been able to spend more quiet time with Him as well, and that is definitely something that money cannot buy!

My new job begins in August so I decided that I would just enjoy the summer with my daughter. Once school begins again, I'd get serious about finding more hours. In the meantime, I was called to do some temp hours for a friend, a confirmation that God was watching out for me. I have to admit that sometimes I started to feel worried…my mind filled with questions: How will I find work that allows me to still be present for V? Will I have to look further from home again? What if I can't find more hours?

Then...the other day, I was driving home from the store and I got a call. It was the office where I am to start working in August…long story short, the office manager was calling to offer me more hours! Would you believe that they are dream hours? Hours that allow me to drop my daughter off at school as well as be available to pick her up shortly after school gets out? I got chills! I knew, once again, that God has worked out an answer to prayer, and I am amazed. Why am I amazed? He's done this for me before. How quickly I forget all the good He does.

There's a verse that I was reminded of; it's found in Philippians 4:19: "And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.”

What do you need? Is there something that you need God to do for you?  Because my “God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work." 2 Corinthians 9:8

Until next week, be blessed,

Jenn

Faith Filled Fridays From Croley’s Corner of Chicklit Power

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power...

Welcome and glad we could spend a few moments together. Grab your favorite beverage and journal in hopes that today’s blog will create a “new meaning” as we head into this weekend.

For many years we used to get our paychecks at the end of the week, for some, you may receive it every two weeks. Yet no matter how you received it, you went after work to the bank and made a deposit. You physically handed the teller your weeks’ pay to put into your personal account. Gone are those days for most! Now everything is electronically deposited.  No worries of ever losing or misplacing your check, such a convenience.  However this is where my story ends and another picks up; about deposits.

On several occasions I have chosen not to blog on a holiday that usually follows our Friday Coffee Hour but today is going to be different. Yes, Sunday is Father’s Day, as if you didn’t already know; and just in case you didn’t, well, you do now.  I want to paint a picture of a few fathers who have made deposits into lives all through scripture and how it correlates with making those deposits into our lives, today.

When we reflect on a father, we often picture them as our hero, a strong and sturdy, steadfast image. Down through the ages we have heard of many fathers whose works have been noble and inspiring and for some not so noble or inspiring. However we will find that even through those not so great examples, God’s sovereignty still looked beyond their faults and ahead into each of our lives.

So I figured I’d find some examples though God’s word, and of course, the first earthly Father was Adam. Genesis 1:26.

He had no example to follow except God. Although Adam weakened and sin entered this world he did suffer the significance of his actions. God named him the first of all fathers and he certainly has much to teach today's fathers about the consequences of our actions and the absolute necessity of obeying God.

Next on my list was Noah, a righteous man in spite of all the wickedness that surrounded him. He was far from perfect, but he was humble and protective of his family. He courageously accepted the task which God assigned to him, and carried it through, the building of the Ark. Then I see Abraham who was the Father of the Jewish nation yet in his vulnerability was asked to face a difficult test. Yes, Abraham had weaknesses of impatience, fear, and a tendency to lie under pressure.  But Abraham demonstrated extraordinary faith, trust and obedience to the will of God.

Another father is one that ...well, I think was underrated as far as fathers go. His name is Joseph the foster father of Jesus. Joseph had a noble quality and was a righteous man. God honored Joseph's integrity by entrusting him with a great responsibility to raise the Son of God.

I’ve saved the best for last, God the Father.  When we see God as our heavenly Father He is the perfect example for all earthly fathers He is our provider and protector, and when we see Him as such it puts our life into a whole new perspective. He is holy, just and fair, but above all His most outstanding quality is love and His love motivates everything He does. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 1 John 4:8

He is personal Father who knows our ever every need. Jesus said God knows us so well he has numbered every hair on our head. Luke 12:7

I love the strengths of God the Father: He is omnipotent (all powerful)…omniscient (all knowing)…and omnipresent (everywhere).

Yes the thought did occur to me that there are those who did not have a father’s image...however just as Joseph was a foster father to Jesus, God has in His omnipotent way allowed Himself to deposit into your life. That’s the love of our Father…there’s not one of us that would be overlooked.

There are many fathers who will be celebrated this weekend and for some they will reflect those who have entered into their eternal home. Nevertheless they were a source of strength and wisdom.

Today or whenever you gather together, take time to pause and reflect on their many attributes and qualities and maybe even their shortcomings and thank them for their gifts that have been deposited into your own life. We truly are the image of our own Father’s. John 14:8-11

Embrace and acknowledge that which has been given to you... just as my own father is, on a personal note, an inspiration to me, I dedicate this blog to him: Happy Blessed Father’s Day… until next week, hold Him close to your heart...

Deb

Seven Sacrifices to Joy

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power...

It’s great to be with you for Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power. Thank you so much for joining me for the conclusion of one of the longest series in my blogging history! Grab your Red Strand of Faith and let’s return to where we left off, comparing the Old Testament sacrifice of a body to the New Testament sacrifice of our body. I’m hoping we will tie several more knots in the conclusion of this series, the Sacrifice of the Body.

We’ve learned that whenever an Old Testament sacrifice was offered, it couldn’t be reclaimed. It became holy and dedicated, or sanctified unto the Lord. Sanctified means to be set apart, so that paints a vivid picture when we put ourselves on/in the canvas of it, aka, the altar of life!

See, our bodies have been sanctified unto the Lord when He purchased us with His own blood. Sounds a bit gory, and many of us don’t like to think of the great lengths He went through to pay for our junk, but the shedding of His blood as an atonement for our sins is a reality that must be brought to the forefront of our souls, a tool, if you will, to help us surrender and render our bodies as His, as He did for us.

His sacrifice is what purchased us and He thereafter quick-claimed the deed of ownership to us in hopes that we would willingly and whole-heartedly sign the title back to Him! This is confirmed in 1st Corinthians 6:19-20 which tells us, "Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God and you are not your own”!

The difference between the Old Testament offering and the offering of our bodies is that the Old Testament offering was dead and could not jump down off of the altar when the fire became hot, but we can! Oh, how difficult it is when the heat of living for Christ and taking a stand begins to be turned up, right? Do we, a living sacrifice, jump down off the altar of consecration to God and reclaim ourselves as our own or do we cling to Him so as to become like Him, surrendered and available?

To offer or present our bodies as a living sacrifice unto God means we are to be available for His use at His discretion. Our flesh may really struggle with that truth, to show up and shut up, wondering where and when, questioning the how of it all. Often it is the undesired, the unlovely, and the unglamorous places, times, and persons that our loving God, who loves us too much to leave us how we are, will use to bless us with the richest of life's lessons in preparation for the future.

Yes, this sacrifice requires life, not death, and that surrendered, sacrificial life brings glory to God. Heat is part of being on the altar for God and His glory is the result. Oh, Father, may I be a living sacrifice, one hour, one day at a time on my way to You!

That’s a wrap! Join us tomorrow for Faith Filled Fridays @ Croley’s Corner of Chicklit Power.

Love,

Evinda

Seven Sacrifices to Joy

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power...

Thanks so much for taking time out of your day to come and share Coffee Hour with me and take in more of this series, The Seven Sacrifices to Joy.” The good news is we are headed toward the finish line of this series and the series to follow will have you giggling from the inside out for sure! Grab your SOF (strand of faith) and your coffee, hot or cold, and let’s go tie some knots in our faith as we learn more about what it means to offer up our bodies as a sacrifice.

Another definition for bodies, (soma) from the Greek concordance reads: “it is translated ‘slaves.’ In its figurative uses the essential idea is preserved, the complete man.”  Here’s my summation of that translation: I choose to be a slave… to freedom in Christ or to bondage of my flesh. Does that make sense?

Let’s paint a verbal picture of a tug of war. On one side is your physical self, your flesh, and on the other side is your spiritual self, your soul. You may be wondering, well, where’s the mind? Right in the middle and it will follow whatever pulls the hardest! So when the flesh screams for something not so good and contradictory to the spirit, that’s the first tug. And trust me when I say that what the flesh wants, it usually screams for if not given right away and the spirit, well that can tend to be drowned out by the screaming of the flesh if we are not still and listening to its whisper.

Now, the spirit will tug back, and the more it has been nourished, the harder it can pull, allowing your spiritual self to win over the flesh, thereby becoming a slave to Christ. Each victory intensifies the next tug…and the next, and then next, and so on and so on; the good news is that the intensity of each victory increases too and increases our awareness of the next tug, and sometimes before it even happens, because His Spirit within you has increased your awareness, wisdom and discernment.

But then there will be a different tug-of-war, and so on and so forth. Life is full of tug-of-wars, the flesh over the spirit. As soon as we have figured out how to let our flesh win over the body in one air, He moves us into another area that needs refining, pruning, sharpening. Sometimes it feels as though our hands, and hearts, are full of blisters from all the tugging, but can I assure you that staying in the fight to learn how to offer up our bodies as a living sacrifice will help us finish the race!

The next thing I discern from this one verse, this sacrifice of our body, is to be available… and not just on Sundays, or whenever your Sabbath is. This scripture is saying that we are to render to God the use of our bodies as a living sacrifice to Him. Unfortunately, we can be living externally but actually dead…internally and therefore eternally.

In the Old Testament, when the offering was placed upon the altar, it was not to be reclaimed; it was to be consumed before the Lord. In other words, there was no taking it back, no Indian-giving! :-)

Now, while our bodies are not laid upon an altar as was done in the Old Testament, they are still to be a sacrifice offered to God for consumption in the gospel ministry and never to be reclaimed as our own again. I keep hearing that song, “I have decided to follow Jesus; I have decided to follow Jesus; I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back, no turning back”!

What if we faced each temptation to give into flesh and allowed His Spirit to tug us through and over the victory line? Each victory will lessen the chances of turning back and increase the propensity to offer up our body as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto the One who joins us in the tug-of-wars of this life, welcoming us into the next…

Join me tomorrow for the CONCLUSION of this series!

Love,

Evinda

Seven Sacrifices to Joy

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power...

Hello and happy day to you! Thanks for joining me for our Coffee Hour and more of this series The Seven Sacrifices to Joy as I write from my heart to yours the road to joy. I had no idea it would have so many twists, turns and tumultuous obstacles to get to and through! Grab your coffee and your Strand of Faith and let’s go to the seventh sacrifice…. Finally!

The seventh sacrifice is our body.  Now, I’m not speaking about becoming like the animals that were put upon the altar as a sacrifice in the Old Testament… ugh, that’s a bit gory. No, I’m talking about something completely different, a different sacrifice that we can offer because of the gift of grace. Let’s take a look at Romans 12:1 and begin to see why/how our bodies are deemed to be a sacrifice.

"I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God, which is your spiritual worship." (Romans 12.1: Harper Collins Study Bible.)

So we see that our bodies are deemed a “living sacrifice,” and that doesn’t mean the walking dead! Then what in the world… how in the world… first of all, “bodies” in this context refers to total self, aka, mind, body and soul/heart! Whew, but there’s probably a seven-course meal in that one verse… but don’t panic; we won’t park here for too long, just what is necessary to really grasp what this sacrifice is all about.

The word “bodies” translates in the Greek to “soma” and means “the body as a whole, the instrument of life.”  So this confirms the principle of mind, body and soul. But how many of us get up in the morning physically and emotionally, perhaps even with an emotional hangover, and begin our day without our spiritual selves? When and if we do that, we would perpetuate that emotional hangover because we are functioning out of balance!

Oh, how I remember the days of my feet hitting the floor and running through my to-do list like a marathon runner desperately yearning to cross the finish line! See, going through the day like that is like riding the oceans of life in a boat without a captain, or attending and learning the lessons in the classroom of life without a teacher, or traveling the globe in a plane without a captain: DANGEROUS!

What would our lives look like if we put our whole self in and incorporated the spiritual component into our days, our agendas, our families … instead of playing Hokey Pokey and turning ourselves around in the same circle, over and over and over again?

So could it be that one way our bodies are a sacrifice is when we live with all three components, mind, body and soul/spirit so as to avoid crashing when the waves of life hit us?

Join me tomorrow for more on this sacrifice!

Evinda

Jenn’s Journey from Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power...

A blessed and happy Monday to you my friends. As I sit and write, I am sipping on some coffee, and it's nice to think you will be joining me. Summer is moving right along. In our house we're enjoying the more relaxed schedule, and the fun times we are having with family and friends.

Last week, I talked about my recovering perfectionism. Funny how God keeps sending me little messages along this line! I never know what He is going to use to speak into my heart and mind, so I try to keep listening for that still small voice.

Last weekend my daughter and I were getting ready to go to church. She is exercising new independence and wants to dress herself. Well, she came out of her room wearing a leopard print tank top and some of her “gently worn” black shorts. I was taken aback. I said to her "Oh no, honey, you need to find a dress; we're going to church, remember?" I could feel my stomach seize a bit, you know, the feeling "What will people think?"

Instantly, conditioning from years past rushed into my head just as she answered: "Mom, I've decided trusting God is more important than looking pretty!"

Now what does a mother say to that? I tried to answer with "Well, when we go to church we dress our best to honor God" but you know what? It sounded empty and hollow. My daughter had hit the nail on the head with her remark and there was nothing I could say. Everything I've been teaching her was up front and in my face. :-) I was immediately humbled.

We went to church, just as she was. I have to admit to spending just a wee bit of time wondering what other parents were thinking, but I let it go. LOL!

I could not help but ponder this scenario for days after. I thought again of how caught up I/we are in looking perfect, and how that seeps into every aspect of our lives. How many times have I gone to church with the perfect outfit but with something seething inside? Worry, anger, resentment...all things that God wishes to erase with His perfect love. In fact, THAT is what church should be, a place where we can take those imperfections and meet with God, to be reminded of what He does for us, and trust Him to keep doing it.

"But the LORD said to Samuel, ‘The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.’" 1 Samuel 16:7

There it is. In black and white! The Lord looks at what is in our hearts. He's been working in mine now for quite some time and I am so grateful He promises to keep doing that until the day He comes. All around us we see the emphasis on looks, yet it is not God's way. True beauty comes from the inside out.

I pray that as He continues to free me of my perfectionism, I can be like a little child and say "Trusting God is more important than how I look!"

Until next week, be blessed,

Jenn