February WOW: Part 2

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power...

Thanks for joining me for a coffee break and Part 2 of our WOW. Grab your coffee and let’s look at these words again so we can taste what we are about to chew on! 

“I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh and these are contrary to one another so that you do not do the things that you wish.” Galatians 5:6-7

When I read these two verses, I automatically think of a fight, a sort of dueling going on, a power struggle of sorts and sometimes we all know those sorts of struggles can be as relentless as two champion boxers in a ring aiming for just the right punch to score the most points while inflicting harm and trying to take the opponent, that's us, out.

That may seem strongly harsh to you, but when it comes to the battle of the flesh and the Spirit, sometimes it can feel much like a fight. I think the power of that fight is intensified when we fight with just our physical self, or with our physical and emotional parts.

See, what we tend to forget is that the body is made up of three parts -- (interestingly enough, the Trinity comes to mind: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit): the mind=emotions + body=physical + soul=spiritual.

In Genesis we read: “God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” Just as God is Triune, made of three parts, so we are made up of three parts. But why do we tend to leave the spiritual part behind in bed after making it and going on with our day? How many times do we do things without putting our spiritual part into the equation? How many decisions do we make without doing what is spiritual and praying, seeking after the things of God and praying to Him for guidance? Why do we feed our physical selves all sorts of food, and a lot of bad food, feed our emotions all sorts of leisure reading and negative music, watch movies with no moral message, but we do little to feed the spiritual self?

Going about our day without acknowledging our spirit, which is how His Spirit communes with us, within us, is like a car with three wheels, a ship without a captain, and can be as disastrous as a plane without a pilot! The good news is that we could avoid disaster by feeding our spirit with the things of God. The crazy economy of Christ, though, is that even if we don’t, He will use our mistakes, our tug-of-wars to refine us, purify us that we may be more like Him and less like our struggles.

Paul explicitly confirms this division of parts in 1st Thessalonians 5:23: “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (NASB)
There are many examples in the Word of God that refer to our flesh as “tents of flesh.” When I think of a “tent,” I think of camping, which is never something I would do on a permanent basis! :) Therefore, our flesh is a temporary dwelling place that houses the emotional and spiritual parts. In other words, our bodies are sort of the physical container that holds the emotional and spiritual beings until we get to our permanent dwelling place, eternity. (See 1st Corinthians 5:1)
Could it be that we engage in so many tug-of-wars because we come to the tug-of-war in our flesh, without our spirit?

Join me tomorrow for some real-life tug-of-wars.

Letting go and letting Him,
Evinda

February WOW!

The Tug-of-War

“I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh and these are contrary to one another so that you do not do the things that you wish.”

                                      Galatians 5:6-7

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power...

Welcome to Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power and our second WOW of the year. Oh, how we are in desperate need of these weapons of warfare and words of wisdom to pull us through these constant tug-of-wars we find ourselves in. Grab your coffee and come on in. Let’s look at two verses that used to make me scratch my head in questioning wonder.

As you read these verses, can’t you just visualize this unbelievable tug-of-war? And oh, how thick is the rope so as not to tear. Nope, victory comes from the pulling, tugging, the struggle or even the letting go! I can hear you say, “But if I let go, that means I lose, right?” Not necessarily. Excuse me as I bow my head for some help from The Spirit!

Amen.

Okay. Let’s go: As I began to study these verses, I became a bit overwhelmed by the task and not sure which angle to take, where to start to build the framework. The more I dug, the more I realized I know so little and have so much to learn. For instance, “walking in the Spirit” is in the Bible 42 times! Well, don’t worry; we won’t be walking to and through all 42! We may visit a couple just to clarify this very complicated principle of “walking in the Spirit” so we may set our feet on solid ground and walk with The Helper given to each of us, The Spirit.

And as a point of clarification, I’m not speaking of a ghost, either, as in the movie Ghost, who shows up intermittently and is able to look right into the face of his earthly wife and watch the tears stream down her face as she laments his passing. He reaches for her, almost as if to steady her, as she struggles to take her first steps without him. And when she needs to make her first decisions and choices, without him, he tries to whisper to her. He watches as she senses that he’s there with her, and reaches for him, grappling with reality and a spirit that comes and goes, struggling to let go, fighting to hang on, and how obvious is her desperation for him to come back to her? Oops, this blog isn't about a ghost, but wasn’t that such a sad movie?

No, that’s definitely not the type of spirit I’m referring to, nor is it who or what this Scripture is referring to. The Spirit referenced in our WOW is the promise of The Comforter, our Tour Guide, our Director, our Counselor, our Helper, our Running Partner – oh my goodness. I just discovered that this same Holy Spirit we are going to be talking about, so we can be walking about with Him, has over 3100 names! Whew, I promise, we’re not going to go there either but let me give you just a few! :) They may help you to discern His presence in your life a little easier in the tug-of-wars of life: dove, wind or breath, fire, and here’s a big one: water! Could it be that water/Spirit washes us, cleanses us?

That is a study in and of itself about the Spirit and the symbol of water, but that’s for another blog series! Let’s walk to another reference for “walking in the Spirit.” Get your walking shoes on and come with me to: Romans 8:1 (NKJV)

“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”

Before I go any further, let me make one more clarification: when we talk about walking in the Spirit, with the Spirit, it is assumed that the one doing the walking with or in is filled with that same Spirit. In fact, being “filled” and “walking in” the Spirit are used synonymously in the Word. And don’t think I’m talking about someone exhibiting an abundance of “spiritual” kicking and hooting and hollering down the aisles of the sanctuary for attention, as I’ve seen some do! I’m not talking about that kind of “spirit filled.” No, the Spirit with which we are to walk with is the gift given to each of us in exchange for our lives.

Let me leave you with this thought-provoking question: What in your flesh keeps rearing its ugly head or hand to grasp for that rope in a tug-of-war to pull you away from the Spirit who longs to walk with you?

Join me tomorrow as we observe from the front row various tug-of-wars.

Evinda

Monday Manna; a fresh new series!

Happy Monday! And as promised last week, beginning this week, we have a guest blogger every Monday, so without further ado, let me introduce you to Garret Castro, a close friend from Fitness 19 who will be sharing his heart with us every Monday for Monday's Manna, in his corner (Castro's Corner) of Chicklit Power! Enjoy reading from his heart right to yours!

He Never Lets Go!

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power...

Hello CPM’ers!

My name is Garrett Castro and I am deeply honored to be writing for this week’s edition of Monday Manna. When Kim (Evinda) asked me if I would be interested in writing on the blog, I was ecstatic, but also slightly apprehensive, since I’ve never written for such an esteemed blog as CPM. I’ve been asked to share my story with all of you, and I am extremely blessed to do so. My only mission from this writing is to demonstrate how God has impacted my life and is sovereign in providing for my every need.

I remember September of 1998 like it was yesterday. I recall how uncomfortable my soccer cleats felt during our 6th grade scrimmage and I remember Mr. Johnson, our elementary principal, sprinting from the administrative office, towards the over-grown soccer field. As he approached I could see that his eyes were fixed on me and his countenance was grim. He gently placed his hand on my shoulder and he said, “Garrett, you need to go home. Your Dad isn’t doing well.”

As we pulled onto our street I could see cars lined up and down both sides of the curb. I can still remember the nauseous feeling I had in my stomach as I approached the front door of our home on College Avenue. As we entered I saw friends, family, church members, and neighbors all throughout the house; our home was only 1300 square feet so we had people extended into the kitchen. I still remember the weeping and whispering as I slowly approached my father’s bedside; I was afraid to look up, because I didn’t know what I would see.

As my mother, my brother, and I held his hand, we witnessed him take his last breath; as he took his very last breath we saw him raise his hands into the air, as if his spirit was being carried away by the angels. I will never forget that day. I was eleven years old and I was angry, upset, and confused as to why God betrayed our family. My dad was my hero and God took him away from me. My father battled lung-cancer for 16 years and EVERY single night I can remember praying to God that he would be healed, but God never answered my prayer. I was bitter.

As I intentionally distanced myself from God throughout high-school and my college career, I lived a carnal lifestyle and did everything for “Me.” My selfish lifestyle was driven by my anger towards God’s decision to take my father. I wanted nothing to do with the church and my Bible began collecting dust.

During the summer of 2009, I received an email from Kayla Little, my elementary sweetheart. She was on the soccer field that same day I was told the horrific news that my dad was dying. After 10 years God brought this girl back into my life. She abruptly gave me an ultimatum- keep living my selfish lifestyle I insisted upon living or surrender; I decided to take the latter of the two options.
God brought Kayla back into my life in order to save me from my own imminent destruction. Kayla and I married on December 30, 2012. I thank God every day for my wife and the second chance that I was given. God’s provision is always sufficient and He overcomes all that we can’t.

So if you ever feel as though God’s given up on you, I can assure you He hasn’t; He didn’t and He won’t!

Garret


P.S. Join Evinda & Steve at 1:00 Pacific time today for How to Love Who You Love! Have any relationship conflicts? Tune in and if you can't tune in at 1:00, feel free to click on the link and listen at your convenience! And join us tomorrow for February's WOW! www.blogtalkradio.com/Chicklit-Power

Power Friday!

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power...

Thanks so much for joining me for Power Friday at Chicklit Power. Can you believe that this is already the last Friday of the first month of this year? Whew! Oh, how thankful I am that I am learning to live in the moments and January has been a month full of moments! Grab your coffee and come on in for a little break. :)

This Friday’s power thought, or mini download as I like to call them, fits right in with where we are in Nana Holds: a major life change. I don’t know about you, but sometimes, if I am warned about a change, I am better equipped, or so it seems, to just transition without questioning and/or worrying. But there are those times when change sneaks up on me and I am not so good at the lane-change. Such was a time that I am currently writing about in Nana Holds.

When I received the news that would once again change our lives forever, I began to worry, and worry, and worry, until I got myself so worked up that He had to pop my delusional balloon that puffs up every time I even think I’m in some sort of control!

That’s where this power thought comes in and I hope and pray it reminds you of His command to us not to worry, for which of us can gain a single day of life by worrying? In fact, the opposite is true; we lose life!

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

Have a worry-free weekend!

Evinda


P.S. You won't want to miss Monday's blog . . . from a new member of the CPM team. God is truly expanding our territory and reaching out to men as well. Hmm, maybe we should have a subsidiary of Chicklit Power Ministries: Chick-a-Dude Power Ministries? :) :)

Nana Holds Continues

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power...

Thanks so much for stopping by today. I promise it will get a little happier here soon so stick with me as we get closer to wrapping up Nana Holds; and stand by for more of life’s valuable lessons in months to come as He prepares me to share Nana Prays! Grab your coffee and let’s get back to coffee with my girlfriend.

I stared at her, my heart overflowing with gratitude that despite me, she was learning something incredibly valuable about God! And how funny it was that God had allowed me to be used in her life in some of her darkest moments, and now He was using her in mine! Yes, one of God’s most precious gifts He gives us is relationship. I was sort of dumbfounded by the irony of it all.

Her words echoed in the hallways of my mind, spilling comfort over into the depths of my heart: “Well, He’s not going to leave you now. He’s brought you this far. It’s just another change.”

“I definitely know that, friend and” – the ringing of my phone collided into the end of thought. I looked at her. "It's him."

She motioned for me to answer it.

“Hello.”

“We’re on our way!” His enthusiasm tugged at my heart and I couldn’t help but smile, but only a little bit. It had been a long time since I had seen or heard such happiness, such life in his voice and I certainly didn’t want to rain on it with any level of bitterness.

I looked at my watch. It was already almost 12! “So where did you want to eat?” I asked him.

“Where are you right now?”

“I’m with Joanne at Starbucks by the freeway.”

“Let’s meet at Red Robin.”

Silence.

“I’m starving like Marvin,” he laughed at himself.

I couldn’t even think of eating at the moment, but I didn’t tell him that.

“Invite Joanne to come. I haven’t seen her in a while. It will be fun.”

His childlike enthusiasm pulled at the strings of my heart again and I smiled because I had missed that part of him for so long.

Joanne had heard him, too, and she was shaking her head vehemently.

“I don’t want to interrupt in your family time,” she whispered for my ears only.

“So what time do you want me there?” I asked.

“Well, we just left Santa Ana, so let’s say 12:45.”

I agreed and then asked to talk with John for a second. He came on the phone and I congratulated him for his release and confirmed God’s hand in it. He sounded relieved but otherwise pretty non-emotional, which I had learned by this time didn't mean anything negative from him; it is just part of his makeup. After we said good-bye and I hung up, I felt as though I was the one with dual personalities: how could I be so torn but still be so kind to this person who was in so many ways still more boy than man? Would the things I learned while he was home for those thirty days stick? And what about all that I'd learned the entire almost two years? Would we continue to build the foundation we started with the little bit of conversing we had finally engaged in? Would the respect continue to grow? And then there was George and our relationship. Would he ever value me just as important as his kids? Would he learn to confirm his convictions with them and for them?

I sat back in my chair, willing myself to just stay in each moment, to not mind-screw the future to death and rip myself off of any lesson I needed to learn. Joanne and I shared a comfortable silence, each of us lost in our own thoughts.

Finally, I looked up at her and re-invited her to lunch.

She repeated her desire to not intrude on our “family” time and I assured her she would be doing me a favor, sort of helping me ease into this new lane of change. With that, she agreed and I told her I’d pick her up at her house in a half hour.

My confession of needing her help must have triggered something because she changed her mind and even offered to pick me up from my house in a half hour. She wanted to go home and change, and so did I. There was no need to stay in my workout clothes. I needed to make an effort at looking happy, even though my heart was not quite there.

We’ll resume with more of the ending of Nana Holds after our WOW next week. Join me tomorrow for Power Friday.

Reminiscing with thankfulness,
Evinda

Nana holds . . . in her heart

Nana Holds: Coffee Confession Part 2

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power...

Happy Wednesday to you and thanks so much for taking time out of your day to have coffee with me and share more of this series which is slowly coming to an end. Oh, how I wish I could drag it out and savor the beauty of it all. Grab your coffee and come join me and my girlfriend. I’ve just put a confession out there on the table!

With my fears exposed and out there for me to look at, I breathed a sigh of bittersweet relief.

“How ironic, huh?” I said to my girlfriend, almost with a chuckle.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, a year and a half ago, I wanted nothing to do with any of it, especially participating in raising a little one.” I stayed stuck on that truth for a few seconds, allowing it to soften my heart and allay my fears. “And now I want things to stay right where they are.”

A heavy sigh escaped again.

“I remember that,” my friend confirmed.

“Yeah, if anyone says God doesn’t have a sense of humor, they don’t really know Him.”

We sat there for some time, reminiscing about the difficult transitions we each had passed through, bringing with the passage an understanding of the difficulty of marriage, revealing us both desperately seeking to stay in our own lanes and not crash into our husband’s. She had been one person I had shared with during that difficult thirty-day trial because God had joined us in friendship with the common denominator: we were both in the throes of a difficult marriage, riding the roller-coaster of emotions that come with the reality and necessity for self-growth while trying desperately to hang on in our own car and not try and fix and/or change our spouse.
                                                                                                                                     He loves his
                                                                                                                                    cooooookies!

God knew my heart then, and He certainly knows the desire of it now; that my life would do the speaking so my words don’t hinder His will or work in my life and the lives of those He puts in my path. I yearn to allow my transparency and my desire for truth to be used for His glory and not mine, that it would encourage and equip others toward a deeper walk with Him.

What my friend said next rendered me faith-filled and fueled once again because you see, she had been coming to our events, had admitted to not liking church growing up and not raising her daughter in church, but little by little, her heart was changing and so were many of her choices, and therefore her life was transforming before my very eyes. She had not yet accepted Christ as her Savior but her life and her heart were headed that way. God used her that day to remind me of one of my very favorite life verses that, like all the others, has been proven to be true in each and every one of my circumstances, confirming that He does work ALL things together for my good and His glory.

Very matter-of-factly she said: “Well, He’s not going to leave you now. He’s brought you this far. It’s just another change.”

Oh, Coffee Hour friend, we have just a few coffee hours left with this series and let me say now that I wish I could share with you all the changes that are still taking place, but that will have to wait until He opens the door for Nana Prays, and I know He will because it’s another season of growth that I’m currently walking through and until I get through it, I can’t share it because I don’t have all the lessons from it learned quite yet.

In the meantime, join me tomorrow for more of what I am able to share in Nana Holds, 

Evinda

Nana holds . . . in her heart

Nana Holds: Nearing the End

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power...

Thanks for joining me today for coffee and more of Nana Holds. It’s hard to believe this series is coming to an end, and yet, around the corner in the not so distant future is Nana Prays! Grab your coffee and come on in.

I received the phone call on the way to our office. It was George.

I clicked the button to answer from my steering wheel. “Hi, honey.”

He didn’t hear me.
“Hello . . .”

“He’s done! It’s over. He’s coming home.”

Silence.

“Did you hear me? Are you there?”

“Yeah, I’m here.” The relief I thought I would feel when this day came was nowhere to be found and its absence rendered me confused and speechless.

But George didn’t pick up on it. “We have to go back and get his things and then we’ll be on our way home. Do you want to meet for lunch?”

I looked at the clock; it was only 9:45 and time seemed to stand still right then. I couldn’t think two hours ahead, let alone about eating; I was stuck on what the future would now hold with John coming home.
 
George repeated his question.

I mumbled a question back at him. “What time?”

“We’ll give you a call when we’ve gotten all his stuff and we are on our way home,” emphasis on home.

We said our good-byes and hung up.

I decided that going to the office wasn’t a strong enough distraction, and that staying in auto-pilot mode, or survival mode, wouldn’t accomplish anything. I completed a couple of errands and then went for a quick workout at the gym after calling a friend and asking her to meet me later for coffee and conversation.

My workout was intense and I was done in thirty minutes. I didn’t even bother to go home and change; besides the fact there wasn’t enough time. I knew I didn’t have to and I could be myself with her.

I pulled up to the Starbucks and parked right beside her and walked in to get a small coffee. She took one look at me and knew something was wrong. I despise myself for that! Why can’t I just keep my emotions to myself? Ugh! (Heavy sigh.)

“What’s going on?”

“Let’s get our coffee and go outside.”

We sat down at our table outside and she asked me if I was okay. When I changed the subject, she 
 didn’t push and for the first half hour, we talked about her stuff, but then she came back to mine.

I relayed the turn of events with tears streaming down my face as I informed her that John was coming home . . . today!

“Well, isn’t that a good thing?”

At first, I was dumbfounded by this question because all I could see was my own reasons for why it didn’t “feel” like a good thing and my silence prompted her to ask the question again.

“I guess it can be,” I admitted, but not quite convinced.

She broke my silence. “But now that he’s home, won’t it make things easier for you?”

This time I looked at her like she was a foreigner speaking to me in a language she thought I had learned, like French or something crazy hard like that. “Easier in what way?”

“With little Johnny.”

I about fell out of my chair, doubled over with more anguish, as I imagined little Johnny and the upcoming change. “I hadn’t even thought of that, but --” I sipped my coffee nervously while she patiently waited for me to finish my response.

“But what?” she encouraged.

Memories of the distant past filled all my senses, flooding out into the open sky and forming clouds that hung over me ominously. “I am so afraid for my marriage, afraid that George won’t protect me if John falls. I’m scared that history will once again repeat itself because we haven’t had a chance to prepare for this. I mean we had that thirty-day trial run, but there were no rules to live by put in place for a permanent situation and George and I were in our own corners most of those thirty days.”

The memory of the marital pain thickened my fears, trying to choke back my tears, but emotion won and I let the tears come.

My friend just listened so I continued.

“I’m just getting the hang of this with little Johnny and “-- I choked down another sob. “—and I don’t want anyone to interfere with this incredible new bond we have.”

The confession was like a hot air balloon that popped. Once out on the table, I was able to look at everything, and faith intervened and filled my senses. I knew that this new turn of events hadn’t knocked Him off of His throne, and though I wasn’t happy about the change, and more scared than anything, I reminded myself of a truth that has been proven over and over and over again in my life: that the plans He has for me are not to harm me, but to lift me up, to give me a hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11)

Join me tomorrow for more.

Faith-ing through the changes,
Evinda

Nana holds . . . in her heart