How often do we base what we do on what we feel?
Thanks for joining us for Monday’s Message with Abigail Rice and Trench Classes United.

When we push through and do what we don’t feel like doing, or don’t do what we feel like we want to do…this is maturity and maturity breeds discipline. Abigail’s words are a reflection of this.
 
When you don't feel like doing it
That's when you need it the most
 
When the words don't come
and your mind feels numb
 
There's no sustenance there
Like a babe who sucks his thumb
 
Nothing but air
Driving you insane
Like you must have lost your brain
 
Is it out there?
Anywhere?
Somewhere?
 
Somebody come down
And shake me awake
So I can feel even an inkling of productivity today…
 
But I guess that's where we have it wrong
The wrong note
The right song
 
To know and behold
That sometimes
We just need to let go
 
Give ourselves to His ways
Knowing that it will all be okay
 
There is no such thing
As a waste of a day
 
So as long as you are His child
The sun will beam it's rays
And the moon will stay in tune
With the song you play on loop
 
So maybe you missed a note
You're feeling a little baroque
Barely hanging on walking that tightrope
 
and He is right there
Saying it is okay, darling
You can just let go
 
Free fall into my arms
I will catch you
And all your qualms
 
As you stretch out your right palm
Saying this is it
This is all
 
All I have and nothing more
I implore
I rest assure
 
Knowing that You are my King
You, my Good Lord
Will take hold of me
And never let go of me
Even on days when darkness is bestowed upon me
 
You open the clouds
And let Your light fall down
Like Manna touching the ground
 
A sweetness like honey
As I open my mouth
 
And the words
They finally pour out
 
As I praise You forevermore
My King
My Shephard
My merciful Lord
 
Let my words once washed up
Arrive at your shore
Like a mighty lion
They will hear my roar
Singing Your praises
As you love me through all of my phases.
 
And He will provide, always. Giving you exactly what you need, nothing more and nothing less. Like manna in the wilderness: “When they measured it with an omer, he who gathered much had nothing over, and he who gathered little had no lack; each gathered according to his need.” - Exodus 16:18

~ Abigail Rice

Life is a funny thing, a classroom of sorts, and when we lose sight of where we’re going, and/or who we are, we’ve got to spend time to unlearn and relearn.
 
Thanks for joining us for Faith-Filled Friday with Debra Dolce and Trench Classes United. Today’s love letter is one that will help us refocus on what and who is important.
 
Love Letter~
 
My blessed child, when there is no clear prophetic vision, people quickly wander astray. But when you follow the revelation of the Word, heaven's bliss fills your soul. The best way to walk in the revelation of the Word and to be filled with perfect happiness and joy is to stay in My Word, building yourself up in your most holy faith.
 
True happiness comes when you stay focused on Me and believing what My Word says. If you believe My Word, you will practice it, walking it out day by day. Some say they tried it and it didn't work. To them I say, “Were you really trusting Me? Were you just giving to get?”
 
If you truly love Me then you will push through no matter what comes against you, trusting that I will make a way. I have a plan for you, for your life and as you follow after it, you will walk in joy and contentment.
 
Until you know the satisfaction that comes from Me, you don't and won’t really know it at all. I desire to turn your life upside down, or right side up. Beloved, I desire to be your Abba Father and for you to be My child.
 
~DebraDolce

Oh, but today’s Truthful Humour is thought-provoking indeed, and I’ll share what I mean after I tell you the little joke.

The two-thousand-member church was filled to overflowing capacity Sunday morning. The pastor was ready to start sharing when two men, dressed in long black coats and black hats entered thru the rear of the church.
 
One of the two men walked to the middle of the church while the other stayed at the back of the church. They both then reached under their coats and withdrew automatic weapons.
      
The one in the middle announced, "Everyone willing to take a bullet for Jesus stay in your seats!"
      
Naturally, the pews emptied, followed by the choir. The deacons ran out the door, followed by the choir director and the assistant pastor.
 
After a few moments, there were about twenty people left sitting in the church. The pastor was holding steady at the pulpit.


The men put their weapons away and ever so gently said "All right, pastor, the hypocrites are gone now. You may begin the service."
 
So what would you have done? I have to tell you honestly, my first question is well who are these guys and were they just playing a joke? But all kidding aside, I may hesitate, but I’d stay glued to that chair, ready to go into the arms of my Abba…How about you?

Hey, check out www.trenchclassesunited.com for some encouragement to fuel your faith.
Love,
Kim-Evinda

Last week, I was scrolling through my notifications, and saw one from one of my trenchers (now friend.) Her post was pretty darn profound and yet filled my heart with comfort knowing she is learning what she needs to learn in her journey.
 
Thanks for joining us for Wednesday’s Word with Brittany Dean and Trench Classes United. Perhaps her thought will resonate in your heart.
 
Thought: We become prisoners of what we create. For instance, if you find yourself in a tough and painful situation, i.e., a bad relationship, or playing a role in your family that you had no business playing, the question you have to ask yourself is: “What role did I play in it?”
 
The Bible says pride comes before a fall, and if we do not own the role we have played in the circumstances we find ourselves in, nothing will change. The only way to break out of that self-made prison is to humble yourself and say IM SORRY.
 
Once you are aware of the problem, you are then accountable (emphasis added) for the outcome. Something I am personally learning with feelings of resentment and mental exhaustion. Pray for clarity and a PURE heart, only then will the chains fall off.
 
#PrayerChangesThings
Thoughtfully,
Brittany Dean

Thanks for joining us for Tuesday’s Truthful Humour

What do we think when we see someone act contrary to their spoken convictions, beliefs, proclamations of faith and Christianity? I think one of the most profound forms of conviction comes out of the mouths of babes.

Let me share what I mean:

Following a great sermon on lifestyle evangelism, one family thought they had better do something to be a witness for Jesus, so they invited their neighbors to dinner the following Friday night.
      
When it came to the meal, mom was keen to show their neighbors that they upheld Christian standards in their home, so she asked her little 5-year-old son to say grace.
      
Little Johnny was a bit shy. "I don't know what to say.” There was an awkward pause, followed by a reassuring smile from the boy's mother.
      
"Well darling," she said, " just say what Daddy said at breakfast this morning."
      
Obediently, the boy repeated, "Oh God, we've got those awful people coming to dinner tonight…"
Oh, my goodness, may we remember that our kids, little or grown, are not only watching, listening but repeating…let’s be a mirror and a mouthpiece for Jesus

For more encouragement, go to www.trenchclassesunited.com
 
Be Blessed
Kim-Evinda

Have you ever experienced a peace beyond comprehension amidst a storm?

Thanks for joining us for Monday’s Message with Abigail Rice and Trench Classes United.
That sweet peace…it is a beautiful thing. And when creation bursts with rain and thunder and lightning, we are reminded of Who is in control, and of so many of His promises.
 
The lightning
Is a magnificent
Beautiful thing
Scary
Terrifying
But awe inspiring
 

The rainbow
A promise
Pure beauty
Love
An ending
and A new beginning

Together they mean everything
We may be promised no more judgement by floods of unending rain
But that does not mean we will not endure pain
That does not mean the lighting will still not sing
With a thunderous, harmonious beat
 
We will feel the heat of the storm before we see it
Although we cannot comprehend it
The moment bestowed upon us
Like the rain drops that still fall
Even with His promise
 
and His promises ring true
As He pours His love over you
Reminding you He is faithful
and He will never leave
Nor forsake you
 
Can you see the beauty amidst the pain?
Can you endure the storm
And dance in the rain?
Laughing
Knowing that this is not the end
For it is not over until the four horses finish
 
The race they have already begun
Waiting for our King to come
And as His last trumpet blows
Where will you be?
Resting you head upon your pillow
Or down on your knees?
Battling beneath
The utter treachery 
 
As the strong winds billow
Whipping the raindrops
To and fro
A vicious downpour
A torrential storm
 
His mighty hand reaches down
Scattering them about
Your worries
Your doubts
They mean nothing now
 
Whatever you do
Don't let that enemy sit down
For he lurks all around
But your good Shepherd is there
Holding the ground
 
And that thunder is just a sound
From the light that pours out
His omnipotent presence
dancing
As we await His grand entrance
 
“And a voice came from the throne, saying,
‘Give praise to our God, all you His bondservants you who fear Him,
The small and the great.’ Then I heard something like the voice of a great multitude
And like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying,
‘Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns.” - Revelation 19:5-6

-Abigail Rice

Have you ever watched a really good tug-of-war? It’s like a see-saw, a back-and-forth until finally, one side pulls the other in and down!

Thanks for joining us today for Faith-filled Friday with Debra Dolce and Trench Classes United. Today’s love letter gives us the picture of when doubt gets in, how it can take us out, but there is a way up when we press in.
 
~Love Letter~
 
My love, don't allow your heart to grow dull or lose your enthusiasm, but follow the example of those who fully received what I promised because of their strong faith and patient endurance. You can look at Abraham and Sarah and you can see their endurance. You can see the faith of Moses even in the face of all the bickering the children of Israel did.
 
My Word is full of examples of people that walked out their faith and they did it because they believed My promises. You too can believe My promises and with that belief comes faith. Stay enthusiastic about Me and My promises.
 
To grow dull is to begin to doubt. Bring all your doubt to Me and let belief rise up in your heart. Practice walking in that belief and then you'll be walking in faith. It doesn't really matter what you can see but what you believe and if you believe My promises, you will have them. That is something to be enthusiastic about.
 
Doubt wants to fight against your faith. Beloved, stand firm in your belief and give no place to the deceiver. 
 
 ~DebraDolce

I learned, though I forget, that most men are quite simple; we as women tend to complicate them!

Thanks for joining me for Thursday’s truthful humour where we pull truth from humour.
 
A man dies and goes to Heaven. He gets to meet GOD and asks GOD if he can ask him a few questions.
"Sure," GOD says, "Go right ahead".
      
"OK," the man says. "Why did you make women so pretty?"
      
GOD says, "So you would like them."
      
"OK," the guy says. "But how come you made them so beautiful?"
      
"So you would LOVE them", GOD replies.
      
The man ponders a moment and then asks, "But why did you make them such airheads?"
      
GOD says, "So they would love you!"
 
Okay, we women aren’t airheads by any means or we couldn’t and wouldn’t dare to wear all the hats we do on top of our heads! The truth from this bit of humour is  we as women do tend to over-think things and sometimes it comes down to our men just want to be loved, not analysed…Ouch! Now that’s a truth that can hurt but heal

Have a terrific Thursday and check out www.trenchclassesunited.com for more encouragement

Love,
Kim-Evinda

In the midst of all the pain, a light of truth shown so brightly that it paused the darkness named sorrow and suffering, and suddenly clarity came, out of nowhere, rendering me yet again humbled.
 
Thanks for joining us for Wednesday’s Word with Kim-Evinda and Trench Classes United.  Have you ever been so focused on what someone has done to hurt you that you had no idea you had a part in it? Today’s blog is for such a circumstance as this, and reveals something so freeing, we hope you will try it.
 
To step out of our own pain and pray for understanding is one of the hardest, but most rewarding spiritual exercises I have ever experienced...and continue to experience.
​
How do we step out of our own pain? Change our focus, and for many of us, that’s not so easy, at least for me it’s not. Proverbs 3:5 tells us to lean not on our own understanding but in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your path. There seems to be so many opportunities to apply this instruction lately, but let me share one from not too long ago:
 
I remember spending an entire night praying with a heart that cried out for help, asking my Heavenly Father to hold me and to reveal my part in a very painful situation. I had been so immersed in and blinded by my own pain, I just knew I had to do something different. So instead of sitting in my pain, focusing on my right to be mad, hurt, and angry, I changed my focus. I didn’t ask Him to change the other person; I begged Him to reveal my part.
 
Now, this requires that we sit in that pain, if you will, and not run from it, as many of us are tempted to do. Society teaches us that we shouldn’t feel pain; we should only do what makes us happy. Why is that false? Because pain and sorrow can bring understanding, but only if we change our focus to the One whose plan is to help us, lift us up and out of ourselves that we may learn from the pain.  Let me say this: God wastes NOTHING, and certainly not any pain or sorrow.
 
In other words, sometimes it takes pain to learn a lesson, to discover more about ourselves, to cut away that which needs to go that we may become more like our Creator.
 
My daughter-in-love gave me a beautiful word a while ago that emphasizes what I’m trying to share here: What we focus on expands. What is it I wish to expand? My pain or His plan?
 
My heart is yet again soothed to know He is with me in it all; He’s highly invested in expanding my character and as I let Him change me, the pain diminishes and turns into understanding…and my heart smiles again.

May we keep our eyes on The One Who knows all things and works all things together for His glory and our eventual good.
 
Love,
Kim-Evinda

Proverbs 15:15 tells us that a merry heart does good, so thanks for joining me today for Tuesday’s Truthful humour where we pull truth from humour
 
A local United Way office realized that it had never received a donation from the town's most successful lawyer. The person in charge of contributions called him to persuade him to contribute.

"Our research shows that out of a yearly income of at least $500,000, you give not a penny to charity. Wouldn't you like to give back to the community in some way?"
  
The lawyer mulled this over for a moment and replied, "First, did your research also show that my mother is dying after a long illness, and has medical bills that are several times her annual income?"
 
Embarrassed, the United Way rep mumbled, "Um...no." "--or that my brother, a disabled veteran, is blind and confined to a wheelchair?"
 
The stricken United Way rep began to stammer out an apology but was interrupted, "--or that my sister's husband died in a traffic accident," the lawyer's voice rising in indignation, "leaving her penniless with three children?!"
 
The humiliated United Way rep, completely beaten, said simply, "I had no idea..."

On a roll, the lawyer cut him off once again: "--so if I don't give any money to them, why should I give any to you?!?"
 
Oh my goodness, take time to not just recognize others’ struggles but to show a bit of compassion because a little compassion goes a long way!
Check out Trench Classes United for more encouragement and you can read more Christian humour at www.christiansunite.com

Love,
Kim-Evinda