​If you’ve ever lost someone close to you, you may or may not have regrets.
Thanks for joining us for Faith-Filled Friday with Brandi Linai and Trench
Classes United. Today’s blog is a great reminder of this truth: No one
knows when their last opportunity to laugh and love will be so live like
you’re alive and love all you can.

We’ve all heard it, life is short. Last week my family and I came face to face with just how short it
really is.

A little over a year ago my mom was diagnosed with a host of heart conditions - it runs in her
family - and we have all been nervous hawks watching her every move; making sure she eats
right, gets rest, takes her meds, makes every single doctor appointment and stays as stress-
free as possible…whew, we’re exhausted.

But the day before Valentine’s Day, tragedy hit our family. It wasn’t mom though. Her husband
died unexpectedly. Right there, sitting in his favorite chair, in front of the TV, still wearing his
Super Bowl jersey, my stepdad took his last breath. It still doesn’t seem real. Mom is still in
shock, and she keeps saying  “I was supposed to go first.” But that’s the thing about life: none of
us knows how much time we are given or how much time we will have with the ones we love.

So make every moment count. Take advantage of every opportunity to make memories, to tell
the ones you love how much they mean to you. Laugh, be silly, do and say all the things, so that
when that day comes, you have no regrets. Hug the ones you love as tight as you can for as
long as you can. Because we never know which smile, which laugh, which hug will be the last
one you get to share.

We are spiritual beings housed in a physical body, but how often do we
begin and go through our day without any consideration to our spiritual
self?
​
Let me break it down like this: When we are hungry, we eat; when we are
thirsty, we have something to drink; that’s the physical self. Did you know
that when we feed our soul, our spiritual self, that we are more emotionally
balanced?

When we are hurting emotionally, what do we do? Some of us run from the
pain, or self-medicate to bury the pain, but un-dealt with emotional pain
always resurfaces.

When feeding yourself today, can I encourage you to take in some soul
food? You will be surprised at how much better and balanced you’ll feel.

Truthfully,
Kim-Evinda

She imagined them all sitting in a circle, listening intently with a yearning to understand
what He was saying, relating to those who didn’t really get it, and happy for those who
did.

Have you ever been lost because of not reading or heeding directions, or even asking
for them?

Thanks for joining us for Wednesday’s Word with Km-Evinda and Trench Classes
United. Today’s blog takes us to and through a time of reflection as Kim-Evinda writes
from her heart to yours.

She looked at the next part of her study which asked what lessons could be learned
from the facts of the verse; as well as looking for a warning to heed or an example to
follow or a command to obey.

“You know the way to the place where I Am going.”

She allowed the words to seep into her soul silently…and as they did, the lesson to be
learned, the warning to heed beckoned her in a way that connected her to The One she
tried to love and serve, the same One who told His disciples all those years ago that
they knew the way to get to where He was going and is now.
​
She began to write, trying to write as fast as the realizations were tumbling
out of her heart: “I have left you My Word and My Spirit to guide you to where I Am now. And if
ever you get lost, these will guide you back toward Me.”

She stopped writing as she searched for the warning to heed, but He was quick to give
it to her: “Because you know how to and what to do to get to Me, you are
accountable…but not alone.”

Out of nowhere, a distant memory surfaced of her drive home from Texas the day after
Christmas. The airport was utter and complete chaos as flights were cancelled, leaving
people stranded. She had rented a car to get home so as not to be stranded for the
estimated six days they were telling her it would take to get her back home. She
remembered the feeling of fear when she plugged the destination in and when the GPS
indicated 19 hours and 46 minutes, her fear was put on steroids because she had never
driven this far by herself.

She would never, ever forget that NONSTOP relentless drive from Austin, Texas to her
home in Southern California. Her sense of focus on the GPS was like super glue as the
miles disappeared in a blur. She didn’t dare deviate as she is one that can’t find her way
out of a paper bag.

As the memory of the drive faded and she returned to her study, she knew God was
speaking to her, reminding her that in life, we all have an internal GPS, God’s present
strength, to guide us to our final destination.

​Recently I had a bout with diverticulitis and set out to educate myself on the
causes. One of the most profound things I learned is that our gut has a
brain!

Diet doesn’t just pertain to what you feed the physical body, but it also has
everything to do with what you feed your mind, and your soul.
What we take in with our eyes and our ears affects us as much as
what we put in our mouths!

What if we looked at the word “DIET” like this: Do ingest energy today?
In other words, don’t ingest stress, anger, frustration and/or unforgiveness
because your gut’s likely to tell on you.

Can I encourage you today to be mindful of what you take in with your
mind, your ears, and not just your mouth?

Truthfully,
Kim-Evinda

How many times do you stop to glance into a mirror to check your
appearance?

Thanks for joining us for Monday’s Message with Abigail Rice and Trench
Classes United. If you were to look in the internal mirror, what do you see?
Today’s message is a great reminder that times of reflection are even more
important, helping us to become all that we are meant to be.

Look in the mirror
What do you see?
I see a girl
staring back at me
A girl with hope
A girl with dreams
A girl that’s been beat
Dragged and torn
A soul that has been worn
Silence
In silence she cries out
Lord, where are You?
Why is this happening?
Silence
defeat
and in silence she sits
Looking at the face in the mirror
Whispering “this isn’t me.
This isn’t who I was called to be.”
But darling, hold o!
The storm
It feels strong
The sea roars
and The rain pours
But soon
Soon those tears will all be gone
Humility
What does that even mean?
Because right now it just feels like pain to me
Am I doing this wrong?
When did my feet slip?
What path is this?
It’s the path God prepared for me
The one my soul needs
To be transformed
Renewed and restored
So weather the storm
Feel the grief
Mourn for the girl you used to be
But darling, don’t believe
The lies you hear constantly
Hissing in your ear
Telling you there is no end
Life will always be like this
But He is near
Your God
Your King
Your Father
Sees you as you weep
He holds you in your grief
and you?
All you have to do
Is just believe
Believe that you can surrender it all
Lay down those burdens
and then start laying the bricks
Because in this moment
Right here
Right now
As you sit on the floor
Feeling like you can’t take anymore
Remember this:
What He has in store
Is more than you could ever wish
Or even dream for
So pick up that head
Let Him grab you by the hand
and show you how to stand
On that foundation you’ve built
Through the grief and the guilt
Because you decided to kneel.
—-
“Fear not, for you shall not be ashamed; neither be confounded and depressed, for
you shall not be put to shame. For you shall forget the shame of your youth, and you
shall not [seriously] remember the reproach of your widowhood any more.
For your Maker is your Husband—the Lord of hosts is His name—and the Holy
One of Israel is your Redeemer; the God of the whole earth He is called.
For the Lord has called you like a woman forsaken, grieved in spirit, and
heartsore—even a wife [wooed and won] in youth, when she is [later]
refused and scorned, says your God.
For a brief moment I forsook you, but with great compassion and
mercy I will gather you [to Me] again.

We’ve heard the saying (from the Bible) you have not because you ask not (paraphrased). Is
there something you haven’t invited Him to?

Thanks for joining us for Faith-Filled Friday with Brandi Linai. Today’s blog is a great reminder
that while God is not to be treated as a Genie in a bottle, He does long to be invited into every
area of our lives that He may bless us in unexpected ways, in unexpected places.
Looking for God in all the strange places…

The other day I saw a video on social media. It was KTSY’s artist Blessing Offor Face-Timing
fellow artist TobyMac. They were talking about the premise of one of Blessing’s new songs,
“Looking For God”. The idea is that God can be found in the most unexpected places, but
sometimes we trap God in our own comfort zone. If we look beyond the expected, we can start
to see God in unusual places and circumstances.

Blessing was posing the question to various friends, where is the strangest place you find God?
TobyMac’s response was that he finds God when he’s alone, walking the golf course at sunset.
The peace, the tranquility, the stillness of it, that’s where he feels connected to God and has
some of his best conversations with his Heavenly Father.

So I’m asking YOU; what’s one of the least expected places YOU have found God? What was
the unique circumstance where you felt God’s presence? If you’re drawing a blank, maybe you
can start to look for HIM in the least likely way or place you’d expect to find HIM.

Love,
Brandi-Linai

Thanks for joining me for Thursday’s Trench Truth.

Did you know there are 69 physical/emotional conditions involving
confusion! Is it any wonder it’s the enemy’s strongest weapon.
Let’s look at some of the most common yet least expected
conditions/symptoms of confusion, and as I read them, ask yourself if any
of these are yours:

 a. Low blood sugar (this affects the body’s ability to break down sugars which
ultimately affects how you think): ____
b. High blood sugar (If we are taking in too much sugar, this is making our brain
work harder which ultimately tires it out): _____
c. Alcohol abuse and/or addiction (too much alcohol in the blood can lead to serious
mental and physical symptoms): ____
d. Caffeine overdose (occurs when you ingest more than 2-300 milligrams per day
though this is dependent upon the weight of the individual, but caffeine is also
considered a stimulant/drug): ____.
e. Hyperventilation/difficulty breathing (healthy breathing is a balance of breathing
in oxygen and breathing out carbon dioxide. When this healthy balance is off, it
affects the blood supply to the brain): ____
f. Prescription drug use/addiction (medications used to treat pain often have
opiates in them and long-term use of these medications increase sensitivity to
pain and affect the brain in negative ways): ____
g. Sleep disorders (when sleep is interrupted, this can cause you to feel fatigued
and irritable which intensifies/aggravates confusion): ____
h. Eating disorders (anorexia, bulimia and overeating most certainly contribute to
confusion because we know it’s not normal. We hide, we obsess, we lie to cover
it up, but we can’t stop it. And if we are eating the wrong foods, overeating all the
foods, giving back the foods, we are confusing our blood system, our intestines,
and our brain): _____
​
There is a solution…and there’s still time to join us and learn how to Rise Above Chaos
and Confusion!

Love,
Kim-Evinda

Have you ever been watching an action-packed movie where the main
character is in the midst of a horrendous death-defying adventure, hanging
on with all their strength, trying their best to not let go. The gritting of the
teeth, the grunts and groans, the pained expression of will power and sheer
determination are captured by the camera and then suddenly, almost
unexpectedly, like an assault to our senses, they let go and plunge to…

Welcome to Wednesday’s Word with Trench Classes United and Kim-
Evinda.

There are circumstances in life that have us doing just that, holding on with
all our might, sheer strength powered by determination and a belief that if
only…but there comes a point where we must surrender our will, let go and
let ourselves fall into the love and protection of our Father.

It is in that letting go that we discover that we don’t have to give up hope,
but letting go is letting God. We don’t have to help in the matter; we just
need to let go of the matter that has us in such a fight or flight plan of
action.

If you’re anything like me, especially when I’m hurting emotionally, the
propensity to say, “Yeah, but what if I do this, or say that, or say this” is so
great sometimes that I lose sight of the freedom of falling into His love, His
grace, His plan for my life.

That’s what this type of letting go is like: free-falling and landing on the
foundation of love and grace ever so gently while experiencing healing for
the hurt that found me grappling for control in the first place.
And when the temptation comes to grab ahold of whatever it is we’re
supposed to let go of, may we allow ourselves to fall once again into the
presence, protection, and provision of Him whose plans are to lift us up, to
prosper us, give us a future, and a hope.

May the God of hope fill you, (put your name here) with all joy and peace
(by-products of hope) in believing, that you may abound in hope by the
power of the Holy Spirit (for it is HIS Spirit that fuels our hope so stay
plugged in).
​
Letting go…
Kim-Evinda

Thanks for joining me for Tuesday’s Trench Truth.

In an ever-changing, fast-paced, too-many-choices kind of world, is it any
wonder that we’ve lost the true meaning of being/feeing normal. Let me
read you an excerpt from Rising above Chaos and Confusion from my
former therapist, now friend, Steve Atkinson:

“Normal: My normal, your normal, Baptist normal, Catholic normal. This
concept is like using the word ‘appropriate.’ These terms are used to control an
environment and ultimately a person. These terms inspire dysfunction because
most of us are too afraid to be free to be ourselves. We ask about being normal,
but ‘normal’ and ‘appropriate’ according to whom? According to what? These
terms are in direct contrast to ‘healthy’ and ‘freedom.’
​
“The reality, according to the Webster’s definition of normal, is that
‘healthy’ mental health isn’t normal because it leaves out the ‘spiritual health.’
“‘Normal’ today is fitting in, looking common, and doing what one can to
avoid rejection so as to maintain the illusion of belonging. The cost of normal is
the self. I lose ‘myself’ to be normal.”

​Chances are you’ve had an opportunity to quiet a child’s fears, to comfort
them and reassure them. It’s a sweet visual when you allow yourself to
think about it.

Thanks for joining us for Monday’s Message with Debra Dolce and Trench
Classes United. Today’s “Love Letter” is a great reminder of this truth: Our
Heavenly Father is there to comfort us through every fear; He’s always
near.

~Love Letter~
​
I'm such a safe and powerful place to find refuge! I'm a proven help in times of trouble-
more than enough and always available whenever you need Me. So never fear even if
every structure of support were to crumble away. Do not fear even when the earth
shakes, moving mountains and casting them into the sea. This is a time of great fear.
Meditate on this excellent Word. Let it put your heart at ease and reveal to you the truth
about Myself.

When you put yourself in My powerful safe place and you find refuge in Me there is no
need to fear. For I am a proven help in times of trouble. I am always available whenever
you need Me and I am more than enough to help you with your every need. I am a great
structure of support to you when you feel your life crumbling. When there are times of
quaking and shaking in your life.

I am steadfast and unmovable. You can trust and rely on Me in every circumstance.
There is no need for you to quake in fear for I am always near. This should bring you
peace and fill you with an excitement to know that the God of the universe lives inside
you. That I am always here ready to help whenever you turn to Me. So don't wait until
your life is falling apart to turn to Me but continually commune with Me.
Let our ongoing communication direct you and comfort you in everything that's going on
around you. Beloved, the enemy would try to destroy you through fear but remember
perfect love casts out fear and I'm that perfect love! 

~DebraDolce