Wednesday’s Word

Grace Reality Check

2^nd Corinthians 12:9a: 

“And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’”

Thanks so much for joining me today for Wednesday’s Word! My prayer: that it would resonate in your heart, plant in your soul and bloom in your life! Grab whatever you’re having for our time together and don’t forget your Strand of Faith!

What if I were to tell you to prepare for a big storm, perhaps a flood, a snow storm, a wind storm, a hurricane or tornado? Would you panic and freeze or allow your panic to help you begin getting ready?

Whether a snow storm, wind storm, or an imminent hurricane or tornado, there are many things we must do to prepare to increase our chances for an easier mode of survival. If you’re lucky enough to receive advance warning, you can do all of these things to prepare and be found ready and waiting: board up the windows; purchase extra food and water to have on hand; have plenty of flashlights and candles as those are a must. You need an evacuation plan and a to-go bag and it’s always better if you let someone you know, know about it. You need some form of communication to stay informed, such as a phone or battery-operated radio; Charge up all your battery-operated essentials because you never know when the power will be back up. Protect your car, keep things from flying around you inside and outside; know right where your important papers are; be prepared for a flood by having mops/towels readily accessible. And don’t forget to have things to entertain the kids with to keep them calm and their minds occupied. Have your rain-gear handy; oh, and don’t forget, have some cash on hand because you never know when/if the ATM’s in your local area will be up or down!

Those are just some of the countless things to do to make life more comfortable in and through a storm. But how do we prepare for those storms within the storm?

Let me share what I mean. Life is full of storms, physical and emotional, expected and unexpected. We lose jobs, opportunities, things, but the worst kind of storm is when we lose loved ones, no matter if that loss is as a result of death physically or a tearing apart emotionally. These are the types of storms within storms that I just don’t think we can really prepare for, or can we? 

Recently, I faced one of my biggest storms: sinus surgery. ☹  That may not sound like a big storm to you or a storm at all, but when you add the issue of claustrophobia to this storm, suddenly it’s like a hurricane, or a gigantic earthquake! I did all I could to “prepare” for it: prayed up, stayed “up,” prayed through, worked through, read scripture, recited scripture, tried to swallow a spoonful of courage daily but the truth was no matter what I did to prepare, I was still not just scared, but terrified!

When the worst of the storm was behind me, and all that was left was the cleaning up in my mind, I was horrified at the mess I had made internally. I had not coped well at all. In fact, one could look inside my heart and see a mess, as if a storm had blown right through it and shaken everything all up. For several days I beat myself up on how I hadn’t really coped in the war room but had survived outside of the war room and every time I looked into the storm-brushed heart, there was still the aftermath of a storm…until finally I heard His voice speak these words:
My grace was and continues to be sufficient! You did nothing at all; I did it all and that’s okay! That in my weakness He was strong!

Talk about sending me to my knees for some serious after-storm cleanup! Oh, how humbled am I by His gentle reminder that I don’t have to do a thing in and through a storm and that my lack of active faith doesn’t render Him gone. That all the while, He not only watched over me, He carried me through the storm!

What storm do you need to prepare for, or just let Him carry you through? 

Carried…

Evinda

Jenn’s Journey

Happy Monday! I almost missed this week due to computer problems. Ah, the conveniences which become inconveniences! I am glad to be back and have you share a cup of coffee and my thoughts!

Life is messy.  When I was growing up, I somehow had the idea that life fits in an ideal little box. I thought I could make my plans and have them work out. I grew up within a religious circle, so I also had the idea that if I “followed the rule”' I'd be safe from harm. 

I've been recovering from those beliefs ever since. This may shock some of you, and I can understand why. I believe it is human nature to desire that our lives fit into the mold we have set for them which is achieved by a list of rules to follow. When we do this, we feel in control. Alas, it is a false sense of control. It quickly loses its luster once something traumatic touches our lives.

Recently, I heard a sermon about the balance of empathy and reality. Empathy is the ability to see life from the perspective of another and reality is the truth about life. The truth about life is that it rarely goes as we hope or expect. Quite often, life throws things at us which shakes and rocks our very foundation. It is then that we need the empathy of another.  In his sermon, the pastor pointed out that empathy is "your pain in my heart." 

Have you ever felt that kind of empathy from someone? I have. It's at those times that the reality of life feels easier to bear. True empathy does not try to convince you not to feel, or that the trouble will be short lived. It simply acknowledges and sits with the pain.

The truth is, God does not keep us from all harm. He does not promise a life full of ease. Sin, free will, the devil and the controversy between good and evil are at play every second of every day. I am reminded of John 16:33, "I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." This is the the ultimate in reality and empathy. 

Until next week, be blessed,

Jenn

Freedom Fridays

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power...

It’s Freedom Friday! Grab your drink and your strand of faith and let’s go tie some more knots in our faith!

What is the opposite of freedom?

There are many words that mean the opposite of freedom.  Two words that jump out at me are “captivity” and “enslavement.”  Did you know that what we aren’t free from enslaves us?  That sounds pretty harsh but it is a stark reality.

Galatians 5:1 “[The Life of Freedom] Christ has set us free to live a free life. So take your stand! Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you.”

We can become a slave to our own emotions.  These can lead us around without us even knowing it sometimes.  It clouds our judgement, our reactions and interferes with our sleep. It is possible to be free, truly free and not let our feelings dictate our actions.  The key is to always turn towards God when we start to feel the pull of those emotions.  That sounds easy; it’s not, but it is possible. 

I have struggled with depression for many years, more than I even realized.  I found it difficult to sleep or even eat sometimes.  I have recently turned a corner in my freedom walk which involved walking away from my depression.  I didn’t even realize it until recently. There is a situation wherein depression had the opportunity to take hold of me and it simply didn’t.  But I discovered something powerful: The root of my depression was anger, and anger that started forming in me at age 3 when I was first molested! That anger ran deeper and grew stronger over the years when I was molested and then raped at 15. 

The crazy thing is I didn’t realize I was angry until I received some counsel and was told it was ok to be angry.  That opened up a flood gate so wide that I was worried I wouldn’t be able to close it.  I didn’t know I was free of it until I was in a hurtful situation and I was sad but I didn’t fall into the pit of depression. I was/am free from the anger! 

Part of what helped me was this quote from Nancy Leigh DeMoss in her book Choosing Forgiveness.  “God does not want you to run away from your pain but to run to Him in the midst of your pain -  to fly head-on into the full fury of it, to face it, to let Him meet you right where it hurts and give you the grace to be set free from any bondage to that hurt.” 

It is possible to be free from every bondage that holds us back.  No matter how deep or how long the pain has been there.  It just takes time, grace (for and to self as well as for/to others) and a whole lot of running to His arms.

Run as fast as you can; let loose the chains that have been holding you back and take flight in His freedom for you!

Running towards my freedom,

Jennifer

Wednesday’s Word

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power...

I Wanna Be a Pollyanna!

Philippians 4:8: Finally, ________, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy, meditate on these things.

Welcome to Wednesday’s Word & Coffee Hour @ Chicklitpower and Trench Classes United! Grab whatever drink you have for your break, a journal for notes and your strand of faith and hopefully you’ll leave with a couple knots tied and your faith that much stronger.

Have you ever caught yourself focusing on what’s wrong in your life, or in someone else’s for that matter, or what’s wrong about another person and their actions, especially as they pertain to you, instead of all that is right? Why does it seem to be so much easier to focus on the wrong instead of the right? 

I don’t know about you but sometimes I can really be a negative Nelly. Funny, just writing about this is taking me back to when my mom used to call me Pollyanna! There were times she said it sarcastically – that was in our time of Exodus which was when I was 12 all the way to 49 -- but I’ll never forget the time she said it while she was in the hospital and I was coming to see her every day.

I was telling her she had to get better so we could spend time together when she got out, and she smiled the sweetest smile – something I had rarely seen – and said, “You are such a Pollyanna.” 

It caused me to stop what I was doing and look at her to confirm she was really being sweet…she was.

It wasn’t until later that I looked it up and it made me weep and I do mean weep. My tears turned on like a faucet full blast and humility washed me clean of all the years where I had misunderstood her. See, the definition for a Pollyanna is “an excessively cheerful or optimistic person”!

I never did get to discuss that with her because she never did make it out of the hospital, but, oh, how happy I was to be sad…for God had finally made right what was wrong all those years.

See, all those years I thought she was focusing on something negative about me which kept her from me and it wasn’t that at all.

How many times have we thought incredibly negative thoughts of someone just because of what we think they’re thinking of us?

 Ugh, I don’t know about you, but I’ve done that too many times to count. And I find myself in yet another difficult season with someone I love, my covenant partner, yes, my husband. Without letting you into every room and detail of our lives, let me just say that it’s a difficult season right now and I am having a difficult time being his Pollyanna!

And please don’t misunderstand  or misinterpret what I’m saying and how I’m using our scripture; God does not call us to be doormats for ANYONE; He does call us to get our focus on what is right about the situation, or about the person, and get it off of what’s wrong. He calls us to meditate on things that are true, noble and just – which may not describe the situation or the difficult person you are dealing with but there is ONE who is all of these things. He calls us to mediate on anything that is praiseworthy, on things of any virtue. Go ahead and put your name in that blank: Finally, ________, whatever is …

Friend, when we honestly seek our hearts and do this, we can honestly come up with something of virtue, something that is praiseworthy. I’ve truly been trying to practice this principle and I can honestly say my husband does have many positive virtues! See, though our circumstances are not ideal, and I have caught myself derailed by the propensity to pick apart any and all things he does wrong, this God-breathed command spoken to us through Paul reminds us to quit picking apart and looking for all that is wrong, for when we do focus on what is right, the guarantee we have is we will be changed!

When we are focusing on what’s wrong, we rarely have eyes to realize what’s right…and what’s right usually far out-weighs what’s wrong, especially when we let go of what’s wrong and let Him make it right!

How about you; are you a negative Nelly or a Pollyanna? When we chew on His principles and promises, we can’t help but allow them to change us into a Pollyanna!

Love and laughter,

Evinda

Jenn’s Journey

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power...

Happy Monday! Welcome to a new week and thank you for being here this morning. Grab whatever you’re having and join me for some powerful internal insight about external things!

One of my favorite things to do is drive around towns or neighborhoods, looking at buildings, houses, and yards. I like to see the unique designs and sometimes I get ideas for my house or yard. There is a building in downtown Redlands that I always admire. It's Spanish style, with a beautiful paint job and a beautifully manicured yard. The other day I happened to have an appointment in that building. I arrived early so I walked around the outside a few times to get a little exercise and see the building up close and personal.

I was a bit surprised, to say the least. Have you ever noticed how getting close gives you a different perspective? As I walked around this beautiful building, I noticed something. There were areas where the paint was chipping away. There was garbage strewn in some of the bushes, and there was a not so nice smell about the place.

Isn't it easy to judge by appearances? To judge ourselves, or others, by what we look like. Last week I wrote about shells. A shell is just what we see on the outside. In 1 Samuel 16:7  God says, "The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."

I used to worry about my physical appearance a lot more than I do now. Perhaps it's age. Maybe it's that my shell is cracked and God is working on what's inside. Personally, I hope that is what it is! Some days I feel like that building...my paint is peeling; there's garbage everywhere and the smell is less than pleasant. Maybe someone has pointed out a fault or two, or I regret words that flew out of my mouth...yes, life has a way of chipping away at my reserves.

This is when I know that I have to head to the feet of Jesus. I need my time with Him so He can remind me who I am. He loves me, shattered shell and all. He gently restores.

"He refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name's sake." Psalm 23:3. I’m so thankful for His presence, His principles and His promises that refresh me, the very depths of my soul!

Until next week, be blessed,

Jenn

Freedom Fridays

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power...

It’s another fantastic Friday! Grab your coffee, your strand of faith and a journal too! You’ll want to jot down some notes from this one as Jennifer continues to share from her heart to yours her freedom journey!

Rest

Last week I shared that I am a Martha, a doer that sometimes never rests.  For me rest always means napping or slacking off but recently I have learned a new definition:  Rest, to me, now means to be at peace no matter what the circumstances are. 

It’s not a stopping of doing; it’s a knowing.  Let me illustrate.

The story of Jesus calming the storm is told in three if the Gospels: Matthew, Mark, and Luke.

Jesus had been teaching near the Sea of Galilee. When He was done He decided to take a boat to the opposite shore where there were no large towns (Mark 4:35–36). Not long after they sailed, Jesus fell asleep and a storm arose (Luke 8:23).  Then the disciples on board with Him were afraid and thought they would die (Luke 8:24). 

My first thought when I read this is that this must have been a really bad storm. The disciples that were most likely with Him were trained and professional fisherman.  This was not their first storm. Imagine these big men scared and freaking out while Jesus is sound asleep. 

I think that Jesus was at rest….the sleep of a believer will be sweet and peaceful because he knows the Lord is with him (Proverbs 3:24; Psalm 4:8). This is why Jesus asked the disciples the question “Have you still no faith?” (Mark 4:40)

I don’t know about you, but my faith is not always 100% so I understand where they were coming from.  The truth we need to realize is that if Jesus was able to calm the storm, He is also able to rescue us from the storms of everyday life: sickness, job loss, marriage problems, and even the sting of death (1 Corinthians 15:55).

We were never promised a perfect and peaceful life; in fact, we were told that we would experience difficulties (John 16:33).

True rest is this: knowing He has your back when everything is coming at you and/or after you.  True rest is knowing/believing He is always with us.  True rest is letting go of worry.  True rest is sleeping in the midst of the storm because you have complete confidence that He won’t let you drown (Deuteronomy 31:8; James 1:12).

Resting,

Jennifer

Wednesday’s Word

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power...

What’s Your Ocean?

Psalm 69:1-3: Save me, O God! For the waters have come up to my neck! I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing; I have come into deep waters where the floods overflow me. I am weary with my crying; my throat is dry; my eyes fail while I wait for my God!  

Wow, spring is here; Easter has come and gone, but the truth of what it all means remains forever! I’m so thankful for His death that brought us life! Grab your coffee and your Strand of Faith, and join me for a little break.

 When I first heard this portion of scripture from our pastor in a message, I giggled, quietly of course. But as the words settled in, they began to shape into meaning for me. See, as my sinus surgery date approached, these verses hit me over the head like a two-by-four -- well, maybe not that rough, but certainly the realization was as powerful, though nowhere near as harmful as getting hit over the head by a two-by-four! See, I have this issue and I’m a bit claustrophobic! The thought of waking up with my nose packed sends me out there, to another phobia, the waves of an unrelenting ocean. One terror chasing another!

Now, you may be saying, quit being so dramatic, but hear me out on this because these God-breathed, Spirit-inspired words penned by David have a purpose: to be used as a life preserver when we feel like we just can’t stand anymore because life has become like an ocean, overwhelming us with waves of trials and challenges too big for us to withstand, let alone swim through.

Do I have your attention yet?  Have you ever had to face something that you just didn’t know how you were going to face? Perhaps there’s a wave coming and you’re trying to run from it.  Ask the woman who’s just discovered her significant other has been cheating on her, lying to her, or the patient just told they have cancer; or the one who has just received a notice of foreclosure in the mail. Let’s face it; life is like an ocean, taking us to unseen places, places without borders per se, as the waves of life knock us to and fro.

But what would it look like if we could just determine in our soul to just try and stand in what feels like sinking sand, our hand in His, maybe gripping it really hard, but still, our hand in His, and as the wave came toward us, we cast the white flag of surrender up and in our fatigue, our eyes and souls exhausted from crying out in fear, we just lean in…to Him and really experience the beauty of trusting that He will save us, and pick us up if He has to, to carry us through that wave of a circumstance, and once again, set us down…on solid ground.

Abba, I want to trust you like that…I am claiming that you will not only guide the surgeon’s hands as he drains fluid close to my brain, reconstructs the deviated septum, but you will do surgery on my terror, removing it from my being.

What about you; what would you like Him to save you from? What circumstance or challenge is rising up to your neck? What has you weary and crying?

Evinda