Sickness
Worry
Doubt
Will we ever understand what life is all about?
The pain
The grief
The agony
Of not understanding our place
Where we are meant to be
Living as though we are free
But reality strikes
And we soon realize
Our shackles have chained us
Deep
 
Were we once meek?
As the days go by
Our eyes begin to open wide
Learning what it means to be truly alive
In a world consumed by false media and lies
Who do you turn to?
What do you yearn for?
Happiness.
No surprise.
But true happiness lies
Where the branch meets the vine
A connection rooted deep
Planted in rich soil
Where our souls meet
 
Intertwined
between mortality
and a long life of spirituality
Where the moon kisses the sun
Mingling as one
As darkness succumbs
The planet goes numb
To the time on the clock
That does not seize to stop
For nothing
No one
Except our Creator
The magnificent Son
Who came and died
To save our fragile lives
And what have we become?
 
 
A lost people
A languished nation
Seeking grandeur
That only comes from Satan
And we wonder why we feel pain
As we seek someone to blame
But look in the mirror
Can you speak your true name?
Or do you hid behind a mask
A false identity
Hoping for freedom at last
Yet your weary soul
Does not know where to go
Attempting to grow through the stone
Oh dear heart, look around
This is not home
 
Your Savior is calling you
To a world unbeknownst
Believe
and be free
Knowing that one day you will meet
Where the root meets the vine
And the branch becomes alive
Living in a place where true happiness
You will find
 
“Behold, days are coming,” declares the LORD,
“when I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man
 and with the seed of beast.
As I have watched over them to pluck up,
to break down, to overthrow, to destroy and to bring disaster,
so I will watch over them to build and to plant,” declares the LORD.”

Jeremiah 31:27-28 NASB

-Abigail Rice
​Fore more from our Author visit instagram.com/trenchclassesunited

Oh, isn’t it easy to get wrapped up in things that don’t necessarily have an eternal value but carry us away from eternity thinking? For example, shopping, worrying, finances.
​
Thanks for joining us for Faith-Filled Friday with Debra Dolce and Trench Classes United. We are confident that this “Love Letter” will speak to your soul like a healing salve.
 
Love Letter~
 
My child, don't set the affections of your heart on this world or in loving the things of this world. My love and the love of the world are incompatible. You cannot share your love and compassion for both Me and the desires of this earth.
 
It's okay to have things and to use them, but love and build the Kingdom like there is no tomorrow because that's always the possibility. You never know the day or the hour, only the Father knows.
 
But you can know this: I am ever interceding on your behalf, no matter what you're dealing with, or if you're right or wrong. Think about this when you're going through things, I am interceding for you. Isn't that exciting to think about? I care about everything that concerns you! I do not leave you in your weakness to figure it out, but I am made strong through your weakness as you learn to trust and rely on Me and My strength.
 
Beloved, in everything give thanks, put your trust completely in Me and I will show you great and mighty things. 
 
~DebraDolce

Welcome to Thursday’s Truthful Humor where we pull truth from humor.

The child was a typical four-year-old girl - cute, inquisitive, bright as a new penny. When she expressed difficulty in grasping the concept of marriage, her father decided to pull out his wedding photo album, thinking visual images would help.
      
One page after another, he pointed out the bride arriving at the church, the entrance, the wedding ceremony, the recessional, the reception, etc.
      
"Now do you understand?" he asked.
      
"I think so," she said, "is that when mommy came to work for us?"

Oh, my goodness, out of the mouth of babes, huh! While it is the woman’s job to make the home a haven, what would this little girl’s words be if she saw mom and dad working as a team?

For more encouragement, join our Insta fam and our Facebook community at www.facebook.com/trenchclassesunited.com and come take a tour at www.trenchclassesunited.com/classes to see if our September Trench is coming to an area near YOU! We'd love to see you there.

Their hunger to understand was made obvious by their questions. It stirred my soul. “Lord, please speak thru me that they would understand” I silently cried. An explanation came dancing into my mind and began to form in my words. “I got it,” I exclaimed!
​
Thanks for joining us today for Wednesday’s Word with Kim-Evinda and Trench Classes United. Our prayer today is that this blog opens your mind, that your heart would follow as we navigate through this world-wide pandemic and all its aftershocks.

I have the humble honor of introducing, training and facilitating Transform to two transitional homes, and it has been so good for my soul as I get down in the trenches with these women who are hungry to learn, un-learn and re-learn so as to be all that they can be in Christ.

Our current trench is about the Root of Rigidity – now keep an open mind as I share today 😊 – and we were talking about moral absolutes versus rigid thinking. They were truly struggling to understand the differences, especially in light of God’s Word.

Here are a few examples of our discussion about moral absolutes vs. rigid thinking:
Lying and pride are sins
Prostitutes are immoral losers
Abortion is inexcusable
Homosexuals are going to hell

As we read through the list, I invited them to look at key words as a guide to suggest whether the statement was a moral absolute or rigid thinking.

The conversation that ALL of them [even the super quiet ones] participated in stimulated me and excited me in an indescribable way. But let’s stick with you:

If you’re like most people, you pick out a couple of key words, for example, in the second sentence, we see the word “prostitutes” and we automatically go, oh, that’s a no, no in the Word of God so it must be a moral absolute. In the next one we see “abortion,” and we think, oh, yeah, that’s a sin so it’s morally absolute. And the same with the fourth sentence; we see the word homosexuals and we know what the Word of God says so we say that’s a moral absolute.

Now back to my Trench:

As I listened to their reasons for calling the last three moral absolutes, I was so elated, not because they were incorrect but because it validated this truth: when we stay stuck in black and white thinking we miss grace.
I then encouraged them to look for the one or two words/phrases that felt really condemning. The illumination of understanding began to turn on in each of them, not quite simultaneously as they each processed silently. It was like this domino effect of ah-ha’s and I will carry that with me forever!

Back to you:

While each of those “sins” is a moral absolute, who are we to say a prostitute is an immoral loser. When we say abortion is inexcusable, inexcusable to who? That one really got them and one of our sweet Trenchers stood up and shared about being part of an abortion recovery group and stated had it not been for that group, she never would have accepted Jesus!

And then finally, while the Bible is clear about the lifestyle of homosexuality, it is also clear about Who judges us all. In other words, the way we convey our moral absolutes has everything to do with how they are received.

Jesus says to hate the sin but love the sinner. Do you feel loved when you fall short and someone says, “That was inexcusable!”? I don’t know about you, but when/if someone calls me a loser, that sure doesn’t make me want to check out this Jesus we think we need to defend.

When we project this type of black and white thinking on others, it doesn’t convey love, but condemnation. Isn’t that what we see all over social media? Jesus doesn’t condemn; He convicts, and that’s the difference. I don’t know about you, but the last time I checked, when I pointed a finger at someone for their “sin,” I saw a few more pointing back at me; in other words, he/she who has not sinned can cast the first stone…

Sin is sin and we don’t get to project our punishment on the sinner. That’s God’s job, not ours. Another beautiful analogy given to me by a dear friend: “We are all different flowers from the same garden.” I don’t know about you, but I’ve never seen a flower and thought, “inexcusable,” or, “loser.”

Let us not project labels and punishments on others, but leave that up to the Judge who forgives all sins, the only One who has a camera into our hearts, and remember that the difference between black and white is not just gray but grace.

Thoughtfully,
Kim-Evinda

PS, The only moral absolute is the first one: Lying and pride are sins and Jesus warns us about avoiding the deception that these bring because He loves us. And if you think about it, pride can be a problem when distinguishing between moral absolutes and rigid thinking! 

Welcome to Tuesday’s Truthful Humor where we pull truth from humor.
 
So a young man called his mother and announced ever so excitedly that he had just met the woman of his dreams. He asked his mom: Now what should he do?
      
His mother had an idea: "Why don't you send her flowers, and on the card invite her to your place for a home-cooked meal?"
      
He thought this was a great strategy and arranged a date for a week later.

His mother called the day after the big date to see how things had gone and was surprised at how depressed her son sounded.
      
"The evening was a disaster," he moaned.

"Why, didn't she come over?" asked his mother.
      
"Oh, she came over, but she refused to cook."

Ah, isn’t it so true that certain rules are unspoken! It’s those unspoken rules or expectations that can tend to interfere with thriving in life and love, but how do we let go of those tendencies? If the expectation isn’t spoken, it shouldn’t be expected.

For more encouragement, join our Insta Fam and our Facebook community at www.facebook.com/trrenchclassesunited or take a tour at www.trenchclassesunited.com

Drowning in a sea
Full of insecurity 
What in life
Is really meant for me
Lord, please grant me peace
Would you be willing to die for Me?
Yes, of course
I fall onto my knees
Praying that You would wash these feelings off of me
Like blood staining white sheets
The misery of being lost
Caught in between
My God, it is too much for me
So I sink
Slowly letting go of the brink
Then water
No, heat
Encompasses me
As I lose my grip
You place me back on my two feet
and simply ask
                Would you die for Me?
and I contemplate the question
Searching for the lesson
Yet feeling unworthy
Of such a suggestion
Because what have I done?
What have I given
That is more than enough?
and the answer, dear friend
Is tough
For I constantly feel
Unworthy
Unloved
and the tears that I hold
In the back of my throat
Slowly release
As I slowly let go
and in Your arms
It is me you hold
Sweet, darling this is home
Where the wildflowers grow
As wild as you
Where the fields so green, so groomed
Full of laughter and endless room
To run
To scream
To let loose
You, sweet daughter
Have nothing to prove
The burdens you carry
So laden
You tarry
Can you hand those to Me
Then watch yourself die for Me
So simple
So easy
But the thoughts beneath your mind
Leave your windows so dingy
Open them wide
Letting the cool breeze inside
During all hours of the day
and beneath the moonlight
You will find a safe place
A star named
Just in case
You start to feel this type of way
Now darling let go,
Let loose of those reins
For today is a new day
A day that I, the Lord, have made

-Abigail Rice

For more from today's author visit instagram.com/ajourney2life

Oh, new relationships can be so exciting and thrilling, right? But what happens when the newness wears off? Do we continue to nurture as if it were new? Today’s Love Letter is a great reminder that His love is new every morning
Thanks for joining us for Faith-Filled Friday with Debra Dolce and Trench Classes United.
 
~Love Letter~
 
My dear one, look at how much encouragement you found in your relationship with Me, the Anointed One! You are filled to overflowing with My comforting love. You have experienced a deepening friendship with the Holy Spirit and have felt My tender affection and mercy.
 
Continue to develop your relationship with Me, in My Word and in prayer, for this is where the important things in life come from. My Word is your instruction manual and you will find the answers there. I am your answer in every situation. I will help you with everything you bring to Me.
 
I take the things the enemy meant for bad and I turn them around for your good and for My glory, so stay close to Me. Come each day bringing your offering, yourself, and wait in My Presence. Meditate on My love and on My goodness and receive what I have for you. Wait on a fresh Word as you spend time in My Presence. Do you read and study enough that I can speak My Scriptures to you? Beloved, come fill yourself continually day and night like a skilled scholar in My Holy Scriptures. 
 
~DebraDolce

Welcome to Thursday’s Truthful Humor where we pull truth from humor.

So a child asks his dad, Daddy, why are all those cars beeping their horns? Dad responds: Because there's a wedding either about to happen or it’s already happened.

The little boy very innocently asks: Don't we beep the horn as a warning signal, Daddy?

To which dad responds: Exactly, son.

Oh, isn’t it true that marriage is not for the weak or for the quitter, but it’s also made better when we accept that marriage is a classroom to learn all about ourselves.

​For more encouragement, go to www.trenchclassesunited.com and join our Facebook community at www.Facebook.com/trenchclassesunited

We all watched as the man boldly walked down the street with the American Flag, shouting God Bless you,” as well as his truths about our world and its current physical, emotional and spiritual climate.

Thanks for joining us for Wednesday’s Word with Kim-Evinda and Trench Classes United. Please be advised, this is NOT a political post! 😉

The bold young man ended with “Don’t think I’m crazy; I’m just speaking truth.”

A couple sitting in the very front of the covered patio of the restaurant laughed, but not at the guy. “I don’t think you’re crazy,” the man nearly shouted, I happen to agree with you.” Suddenly all of us sitting in the area started to chime in our agreement, raising our glasses, “Cheers” I said. Laughter followed and as the last of it melted into the Laguna beach air, we all returned to our meals and conversations but with a sense of camaraderie, as if we’d known each other for some time. No one there spent any time talking about the differences in opinion, or any negativity whatsoever. It was one of many great moments that made for a great day.

The next morning, in my quiet time, I had a thought; It’s easy to feel that sense of belonging and camaraderie when you’re all agreeing, but why can’t we have that when we don’t agree about things, whether they be politically, spiritually, relationally or anything in between?

My mind rewound to a couple days prior when a long-time friend and I were out in my backyard talking, and of course all that’s happening around us came up. Her and I are on different sides, so to speak, on several things, but the cool thing was, I listened to her; she listened to me, and there was no anger involved, no name calling, no hate. In fact, it was very fulfilling to be able to agree to disagree.

Isaiah 1:18 says: “Come, let us reason together…” so let’s look at the word “reason.” In the Hebrew translation, it means “to explain, argue, substantiate, motivate.”

I don’t know about you, but when I hear the word “argue,” my defenses go up. This holy-inspired scripture is not permission to argue with anger; however I do believe that God gives us permission to agree to disagree with grace. That’s healthy arguing. How do I know that? So glad you asked. In 1st Peter 3:15, we’re instructed to give our answers with gentleness and respect. Respect does not mean you agree with them; in fact, to truly respect someone is to be okay with the differences, and when it comes to any moral issues, remember Who has the camera into the heart; you and I don’t!

Don’t spend positive time on negative thoughts-meaning don’t spend time figuring out how you can win someone over to your opinion no matter what the situation; just take the time to appreciate the differences.

Thoughtfully,
Kim-Evinda

Welcome to Tuesday’s Truthful Humor where we pull truth from humor.

A man came through my lane at the grocery store with a jug of wine and a bouquet of roses. But before paying, he set the two items aside and said, “I’ll be right back.”

He ran off, only to ­return a minute later with a second jug of wine and another bouquet of roses.

“Two girlfriends?” I asked.

“No,” he said. “Just one really angry one.”

While this is a very nice gesture, owning what we do to anger those we love will carry us a lot further toward a healthy relationship.

For more encouragement, go to www.trenchclassesunited.com and join our Facebook community at www.Facebook.com/trenchclassesunited