The newlyweds returned from their honeymoon and the young bride called her mother, who lived a couple of hours away.

"How did everything go?" her mom asked.
     
"Oh, mother," she began, "The honeymoon was wonderful! So romantic, we had a terrific time. But…
“But,” her mom repeated, waiting

Well, on our way back, Andy started using really horrible language. Stuff I'd never heard before. Really terrible four-letter words. You've got to come get me and take me home. Please, Mom!"
      
"Honey, what four-letter words?"
      
"I can't tell you, mother, they're too awful! Come get me, please!"

"Come on, sweetheart; tell me what has gotten you so upset.... Tell me what four-letter words he used."

"Mom, he said words like dust, wash, iron, cook."
​
Ah, with much more time on our hands now, maybe it’s time to tackle some of those four-letter chores, and even better, teach our kids how to be great participants in daily living!
 
For more encouragement, join our Facebook community @ www.facebook.com/trenchclassesunited

You bring us peace
You bring us joy
Our hope, our comfort
It dwells within you
Like the sun that shines through  
each coming winter and summer
that wakes us from our slumber
 
and it is the little things You do
That often get misconstrued
We take them for granted
Like the bluebonnets you so perfectly planted
Beautiful promises
That spring is near
The sun peaks out
And we feel You here
Standing beside us 
Always reminding us
That every storm that comes, passes through
and it is the little things You do
That surpass us
A rare love that will forever outlast us
 
Give us hope
Give us light
Let us take each day to love with all of our might
A nation so lost
Waking up to realize the cost
Of those little things You do
As simple as waking us up to a sky painted so perfectly blue
 
Lord, help us show you
That we are your people
and we don't need a church or a steeple
To thank You
To praise You
To be forever grateful
Even when life seems so unstable
Lord, you are unshakeable
 
The storm passes through
The sky returns blue
and it is the little things that You do
Each day to prove to us
That the love you have for us is superfluous
 
Lord, let us be a people more like You
A nation under God
Guided by your staff and your rod
“In that day I will raise up the fallen booth of David, and wall up its breaches;
I will also raise up its ruins and rebuild it as in the days of old” – Amos 9:11
​
​-Abigail Rice

Wow, in these uncertain times, it is imperative that we press in to the Author of Peace, that we may truly claim that while we don’t know what the future holds, we know WHO holds our future. Thanks for joining us today for Faith-Filled Friday with Trench Classes United and Debra Dolce.
 
Love Letter~
 
My warrior, don't let the passion of your emotions lead you to sin! Don't let anger control you or be the fuel for revenge, not even for a day. Don't give the slanderous accuser, the devil, an opportunity to manipulate you!
 
See, not only does the accuser accuse others, he also accuses you…to yourself. He gets in your mind playing racquetball with the "what ifs," with all the "should-haves." The "should-haves" are of the past and can be let go of, for I overcame them. The "what ifs" are future and that is My job as you give them to Me.
 
The enemy will keep you spinning unless you evict him. Fill your mind and heart with My Word and let it heal you and set you free. That place of freedom is called peace and many have desired to buy it, but it is a free gift to those who choose to love and serve Me.
 
Beloved, come and sing of My wonderous works. 
​
~DebraDolce

A little girl, dressed in her Sunday best, was running as fast as she could, trying not to be late for Bible class. As she ran she prayed, "Dear Lord, please don't let me be late! Dear Lord, please don't let me be late!"

As she was running and praying, she tripped on a curb and fell, getting her clothes dirty and tearing her dress.
She got up, brushed herself off, and started running again. As she ran she once again began to pray, "Dear Lord, please don't let me be late... But please don't shove me either!"

Isn’t it so true that sometimes we can blame God for things we’ve asked for, and even those things that we didn’t ask Him for, such as this virus that is sending us into “safe shelter”?

Perhaps it’s time to pick up that unread book, play some board games with your kids, get caught up on long-forgotten projects, do spring cleaning…I mean, there WILL be many beautiful things that come out of this present storm. HE’S PROMISED US THIS in so many scriptures. Look for them, and then commit them to memory, claim them, focus on them and see if your panic doesn’t turn to peace!
 
For more encouragement for the journey, join our community at www.facebook.com/trenchclassesunited
​
Love,
Kim-Evinda

​The gavel came down colliding with her realizations and conviction seeped into her soul, ever so gently but matter-of-factly. “I’m so sorry, Abba,” she cried.

Thanks for joining us for Wednesday’s Word with Trench Classes United and Kim-Evinda. Have you ever experienced an a-ha moment that brought repentance? Take a few moments and come on in and get your  mind off the current pandemic and hear about her revelation that brought a loving sense of conviction. And remember, conviction brings us back to Him; condemnation takes us away from Him.

It was the third day of her study on The Lost Art of Meditating on God’s Word, and she had brought with her to their time her still-shattered heart, her frustrations and questions. “How long, Lord, must I wait,” she cried!

As she settled down and pressed in to her study, her soul quieted and her answer came: “When you are not sure what to do, you do nothing…wait for Me.” She continued to read her study that reminded her that NO word from God would EVER fail, no promise will EVER be broken, and that’s when the collision came. She began to write her convictions down:

           “Oh, Abba, help me to perpetually ponder your promises in my heart, not just for the moment but in all moments because each one of them were not given to me by You through Your own word and/or from others just to get me thru that moment, just to make me feel better. When I use them just for the moment, or to just feel better, I treat them as if they were a drug, a temporary fix! I’m so sorry. No, Abba, Your promises are a permanent fix in a temporary situation, a foundation to build upon, an altar to sacrifice all my cares upon. Please forgive me for treating your Word as if it were a drug, something to get me by to make me feel better…temporarily until the next storm comes. Help my soul to magnify you, Lord and not this current situation.”

Oh, friends, during this time of uncertainty and in whatever else you are going through, may we all learn to take Him at His Word and use it as a way to live through it all, and not just as an escape from it all. While His promises and principles definitely can ease the pain and sorrow, and comfort us in whatever we struggle with, perhaps we need to be upping the amount we ingest so as to allow it to not only seep into our souls but to sprout in our actions.

Love,
Kim-Evinda

As the storm raged, the captain realized his ship was sinking fast.  He called out, "Anyone here know how to pray?"

One man stepped forward. "Aye, Captain, I know how to pray."

"Good," said the captain, "you pray while the rest of us put on our life jackets - we're one short."

Ahh, humor is so important, especially in this time of “safe shelter” and so much uncertainty; perhaps it’s time we all spent some time seeking after God and really getting to know Him so we may abide in Him and allow Him to be our shelter.

For more encouragement for the journey, join our community at www.facebook.com/trenchclassesunited

Amidst the fear
You are here
Yet we turn our ear
Listening to the overwhelming news
Filled with despair
Paired with senseless reasons to carry more than we can bare
And we wonder where?
Where is the peace?
Where is the table where we were promised to eat?
Where is the hope?
Where is end of this burning rope?
We hold on to
Fueling a fire that we ourselves lit
Is this it?
More than this
During hard times
We must remember that we are His
We are the body
Our hands should be moving
Helping
Others who cannot do their own standing
We are the body
Our feet should be moving
To places we are called to be
Despite the disparity
The least we can do is fall on our knees
And there we pray
Pray for a way for us to be his soldiers
Breaking through the barrier of worriers
Leading us back to a place of peace
A sense of ease
His plan is out of our hands
But we have faith that it is grand
And in the end we will still stand
Our faces in the sun
Our toes ready to run
And we hold on to the hope
For this I know

"This light momentary affliction
is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory
beyond all comparison." -2 Corinthians 4:17 

​-Abigail Rice

As a plant needs sunlight and water, so too we need His presence in our souls. It is by soaking up His presence we can come to trust His promises for us. Thanks for joining us for Faith-filled Friday with Trench Classes United and Debra Dolce.

~Love Letter~

​My dear one, I satisfy all who love and trust Me, and I keep every promise I make. Have you written out all the promises I have made to you and recorded their answers?
 
I want you to keep track of all your answered prayers that you may be encouraged by all I have done for you, that you do not forget My marvelous works.
 
My every Word proves trustworthy and true, so if you are walking in My way then you are on the right path. People ask and wonder if they are on the right path and I say, are you walking in My ways? Are you doing according to all that is written in My Word, are you sitting in My Presence and being illuminated by My Light?
 
The most precious time is to be in My Presence and hear what I am saying to you, all the marvelous things I have for you.  Beloved, make time each day to come and hear Me, to come and lift your praise and worship to Me. 
 
~DebraDolce

Q: Did you know that they had automobiles in Jesus’ time?

A: Yes, the Bible says that the disciples were all of one Accord.

God loves humor! And He also loves when we are allowing our faith to fuel our love for one another. While this is especially challenging with the unlovable people in our life, it is possible to live in unity, even if from a distance.

​For more encouraging thoughts, join our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/trenchclassesunited

Ah, have you ever leaned into someone to give them a hug and drawn in even more to the fragrance that released all around you? That happened to me a couple of weeks ago and as I pulled myself from her, and her wonderful scent, I couldn’t help but ask her, “What is that perfume you’re wearing? I have to have it!”

But then there are those that we may lean in to give a hug and pull back swiftly because of a not-so-pleasant odor coming from them.

Our God-given sense of smell, this got me thinking about this verse, and others, that talk about being a fragrance of/for God: Live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” Ephesians 5:2 (ESV)

Why in the world would God bring our sense of smell into scripture, as if that were important? But as I thought about it, it makes sense, spiritually speaking, that is😊 but even humanly speaking because it tells us that Jesus, who walked this earth as a man, understands all of our senses.

There are at least 27 scriptures about being a fragrance of/for God. There is a fragrance of knowledge, of wisdom, of kindness, gentleness, patience, and long-suffering, too, is actually a fragrance. When we suffer well for our own good and His glory, I can just imagine our Abba leaning in to offer us a hug and exclaiming what a beautiful fragrance we are giving off.

See, when I smelled her perfume, it grabbed me, made me smile, made me want to get it, own it…now! It was pleasing to me on so many levels. It was powerfully and wonderfully intoxicating, influencing me in a good, good way. No words needed, just the scent.

Perhaps we are to allow our lives to speak louder than our words in a way that makes others want to have what we have, to lean in more to embrace His sweet fragrance in us. Oh that the fragrance of our life would be captivating to anyone who comes closer to confirm that what they are seeing is really who we are.

Oh, and by the way, the perfume… it is Miss Dior, Absolutely Blooming! 😊

Oh, Abba, please help me partner with you that my life would be a sweet, sweet fragrance to you and to others.

Love,
Kim-Evinda