Wednesday’s Word Another Christmas is coming down the track…seemingly faster than the ones before. Do I stay on the same track or…What do I want to do different this year?
Thanks for joining us for Coffee Hour with Chicklit Power and Wednesday’s Word with Trench Classes United. I hope you enjoy this poem, Gifts of the Season THE GIFTS OF THE SEASON It is not about the presents under the Christmas tree, But the presence of love we feel from friends and family It’s not about the shopping that we feel we must do But about the gift that has been given freely to me and you The gift is a gift that money can’t buy The birth, death & resurrection of Christ is for you and I Nor is it about making a list and then checking it twice And buying countless gifts for the naughty or the nice The reason for the season isn’t about all the debt and stress It’s a season to offer special gifts such as patience and forgiveness Or maybe a gift of time for one whose time is running out A meal for a family in need to encourage hope where there is doubt Or maybe someone needs a helping hand to accomplish a tedious chore Yes, these are the kinds of gifts that keep on giving forever more Oh that we would take the materialism out of this season And in its place remember redemption is our reason Acts of kindness come freely to and from those walking in His Spirit They will outlive materialism though the world doesn’t want to hear it The gifts of Love, joy, peace, patience, don’t need a reason Nor does kindness, gentleness or self-control have to have a season! EL May the gifts of the season guide you to and through the New Year! Love, Kim-Evinda
0 Comments
Monday’s Message Turning your day around But you’ve been drifting off to sea
When life has flipped upside down drowning in a mind filled with unease Is much harder than it seems with thoughts that this life is not working But that heart of yours is stronger than you think exactly how you were hoping The knots you’re feeling Just wait and listen The heart aching Drown out the noise Gut wrenching The thoughts of negativity Twisting and reeling depression, and sorrow stained dreams It’s reeling you in This life is all that we are given, worth much more to feel like a failure than to be driven by self-doubt and fear leaving you wondering When you realize your time is so very near where in the world is my Savior… Happiness will replace those tears “Right here”, he whispers Remember this, and never forget: Everything you are doing is right Keep praying with all of your might Look to the Light Your future, darling, is more than bright Wednesdays’ Word In the midst of what is meant to be a season of giving of gifts, what would it look like if we took the materialism out of it and got creative with our gift-giving? After all, the most generous, creative gift ever given was that from The Father, His only Son, that we would be able to dwell with Him in what is to be the most beautiful dwelling place that we can’t even begin to fathom: heaven!
May this poem inspire you to be creative in your gift-giving this season. On the 1st day of Christmas, my neighbor gave to me A homemade ornament to put on my tree On the 2nd day of Christmas, a stranger said to me Tis the season to be generous after buying my coffee On the 3rd day of Christmas a friend reached out to me In the midst of my loneliness and took me to a movie On the 4th day of Christmas, a surprise came to me I opened up the door to a stocking filled with goodies On the 5th day of Christmas, a long-lost relative Facebooked me With a real apology By the 6th day of Christmas I was starting to recognize That God was using others to open up my eyes So…… On the 7th day of Christmas my neighbor got from me A homemade thank you for the ornament now on my tree On the 8th day of Christmas, I turned to a stranger behind me And said, Tis the season to be generous, let me buy your coffee On the 9th day of Christmas, I called the friend who had reached out to me And invited to pick them up for dinner and a movie On the 10th day of Christmas, I stretched outside of me And went to a stranger’s door and dropped off a bag of goodies On the 11th day of Christmas I asked God to help me Reach out to an old friend with a humble apology By the 12th day of Christmas, I was able to see That God shows His love thru strangers, friends and family. Thanks for joining us for Coffee Hour with Chicklit Power and Wednesday’s Word with Trench Classes United. Love, Kim-Evinda Monday’s Message Oh, my goodness, what an inspiration our Abby is! Today’s message was written from her hospital bed. See, Abby suffers from Crohn’s Disease, a horrible disease that attacks the body viciously but one thing it can’t do is take away the spirit, the heart!
Thanks for joining us for Coffee Hour with Chicklit Power and Monday’s Message with Abby and Trench Classes United. I was so blown away, humbled by her generosity despite her adversity! I trust you will be too. He is my rock He quenches my thirst My fortress and heals my disease In all times of need my disease of becoming ungrateful unable to see how much in this life He has truly given me Food to eat Soak into me Songs to sing Your everlasting love His Word to drink The ultimate gift from above Oh Lord, You are my beloved Forgive me For being a human Your love Merely unable to see It never ceases for me How Your goodness & mercy flows into me Always chasing after me It heals me It seeks me I fall to Your feet Out to the world I promise to send it Forgive me; Always lend it I thirst for Your Word to those in need Quench me; In need of Your light Let your light flow into me In longing for Your love Lord, let your Spirit reach into me; Heal me; send me Love, Abby Wednesday’s word Twas the night before Thanksgiving and all through the house
Every creature was stirring, including the mouse Everyone was working on all of the fixings The noise and smells were coming from the kitchen The children were busy with their tablets and toys Captured in their games, they made not a noise While the adults laughed and worked all collectively What a beautiful sight it was for any heart to see When all of a sudden there arose such a clatter Mom ran to the kitchen to see what was the matter She looked to the left and she looked to the right She couldn’t believe what was in plain sight There was broken glass from a favorite platter And at first glance, she knew it didn’t matter Everyone was frozen, waiting for her reaction But she didn’t give the devil that satisfaction The counters were a mess, preparations everywhere It looked as though a tornado had just gone thru there The turkey had flown from the platter to the floor The poor thing looked like it just couldn’t take no more The stove was a disaster waiting to happen full of pots and pans, handles overlapping The old mom would have immediately gotten on her broom And painted the atmosphere with a bit of doom and gloom But the new and improved mom was no longer that way For she had learned the true meaning of Thanksgiving Day She stared at each of them and the mess they surrounded Knowing her response would leave each one of them astounded Now sons, now daughters, in-laws and friends like family Is this ever a sight for the eyes of my heart to see? More than the chaos, the mess on the floor The memories we’re making are worth so much more So grab a rag, and a dishtowel too Here’s one for each and every one of you Let’s work together in cleaning up this mess It will only take a few minutes or less Pick up the turkey, and we’ll wash him off We’ll stuff him but good and put him in the trough We’ll baste him all over, and get him ready to eat No one will ever know we stepped on his feet And when the morrow comes and we gather for the meal We’ll be able to discern what matters and what’s real Faith, family, friends, love and laughter Help to bring us all the happily ever after I looked to each of them with tears in my eyes And said something I had just realized Oh, why can’t it be Thanksgiving every day? Loving each other in a Christ-like way Patience, self-control, love and joy too Are there for the asking for each of you We don’t have to wait for a holiday to see That Christ’s greatest gift is that of family Praying you enjoy your Thanksgiving, no matter what circumstances you are in, no matter who you are with … or not with! Thankfully, Kim-Evinda Monday’s Mantra ~Love Letter~
Come closer, My beloved… Those who are motivated by the flesh only pursue what benefits themselves. But those who live by the prompting of the Holy Spirit are motivated to pursue spiritual realities. And this must be sought after by pursuing Me, by desiring the deep things of the Spirit. Come, My love, come and spend time with Me. Make it a daily habit that We can spend time together so you learn My voice, My leading and where I'm taking you. Before you go anywhere in the natural, I desire you to come and know what I desire in the spiritual. I have much to share with you as you make that place of giving to Me. Never let your life become so busy that there's no time for Me, for you lose your sensitivity to Me and then you are doing things in yourself. And then before you know it, My beloved, you are wore down and out. Build yourself up in your most holy faith by singing songs and hymns and spiritual songs. Dance before Me just as I sing and take delight in you. Let your love for Me spill out even as My love for you fills your heart and life. From God thru… Debra Thursday’s Trench Truth He loves us too much to leave us in the same spot!
Come be part of our community for more encouraging thoughts that will inspire you to keep moving forward. www.facebook.com/trenchclassesunited Love, Kim-Evinda Wednesday’s Word Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art.... It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things which give value to survival.”
― C.S. Lewis, The Four Love Welcome to Wednesday’s Word. Grab whatever you are having for your break and come on in and join me for what I pray will be a knot-tying time for us! Don’t forget that strand of faith, because friendship has a lot to do with our faith! The last several weeks, there are two struggles that keep running into me, or should I say I keep running into them in my journey: Conflict and forgiveness! Ugh, sometimes I just want to blow right by them like I would an unseen stop sign. However, when I take the time to stop, HE never fails to grant me a new lesson, a new revelation. Granted, there are times I think, why do I always have to be the one to change? Well, because God has granted me the courage to know that the only one I can change is me! The illustrations He gives, the lengths He goes to in order to bring me through this lesson victoriously are…well, simply astounding! Have you ever watched children in conflict? There is actually something to be learned by observing their struggle with innocence and their juggling of their little cups of pride that spill out onto the one they are conflicted with or by. There is this sort of bittersweet thing about them as they wiggle through their own frustration. My grandchildren amaze me…fill my heart with so much love I never thought I had and at their young age, they teach me more than I thought I needed to know. When I watch them struggle in their childish conflicts, I realize that they still have a blanket of innocence around them that comes out after a few minutes of struggle and helps them to get over conflict so much quicker than you or I! To watch children wiggle and wrestle with conflict is to witness the ingredients to what it takes to live out Colossians 3:12-13 which tells us “to put on tender mercies, kindness humility, meekness, long suffering, bearing with one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a complaint against the other, even as Christ forgave you, so you must do.” Let me try and paint this picture verbally: At one of our grandson’s birthday party, there was a little girl whom he was in conflict with and as the party progressed, this girl, who by the way little B says “She’s a girl and she’s a friend, but she’s not my girlfriend” J – rather aggressively demanded her way continually. At first he ignored her; that didn’t work. Then he tried appeasing her; that worked for a New York minute. And then as these things didn’t accomplish her desired goal, the conflict escalated and they began to sort of toss their point of view across to the other in hopes that the other would catch it. But then, a burst of innocence would happen and one of them would stop it with a hug, or a simple “I’m sorry,” and the conflict was over. All was forgiven…until the next time she, or he, didn’t get their way, or the other felt slighted or ignored and not special and then the tug of war began all over again. His other grandma, whom my heart loves, and I were talking about it and she called them “frien-emies” and that stuck with me; you can’t be an enemy unless you’ve been a friend first! Think about it; we aren’t nearly as hurt or offended by a stranger’s behavior as we are by the behavior of one whom we love or care deeply for. Why can’t we be more like children, and get through the conflict with a simple “I’m sorry”? Why does it seem to require so much more as we get older? Maybe it’s time to consider the value that that frien-emy brings to our life…and if there’s more conflict than caring, maybe it’s time to evaluate the amount of space they take up in our hearts without paying rent… True transformation can only happen with another and that’s the value that a friend brings! Love, Evinda P.S. I’d like to wish one of my very best friends Janine Andriese Peace a beautiful and happy birthday. Love you so much, you amazing lady of God! Faith Filled Friday I just love the simplicity of Jenn’s blogs and I know you will too! Come on in and thanks for joining us for Coffee Hour with Chicklit Power and Faith Filled Friday with Trench Classes United.
I saw this bumper sticker: “If you see me on the ground, please drag me across the finish line.” I am assuming this person was a marathoner. At first, I chuckled because that would be me if I attempted to run a marathon. :) There's a bigger thought here however. As some of you know, I am big on sharing my journey, the ups and downs, even my struggles with faith. I believe in being real, authentic. I am incredibly grateful for the prayers others send up, for the inspiration I find everywhere, and the family/friends who talk me off the proverbial ledge. I like to think I return that favor when needed. The Bible says in Thessalonians 5:11 "Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing." This is what we are here for. This is what we go through struggles for. So that in turn we can be of help and encouragement to a fellow runner. Life is like a race; sometimes one of us lags behind, maybe even lays on the ground until another comes along and “pulls us towards or over the finish line.” I’ll do it for you; will you do it for others? Thoughtfully, Jenn Wednesday’s Word Have you ever done something and then thought, oh no, I shouldn’t have done that? Oh, have I got a big uh-oh to share with you today.
Thanks for joining me for Coffee Hour with Chicklit Power and Wednesday’s Word with Trench Classes United. So picking up where we left off on Monday, I’m on my way home and discover that my GPS must have been in the mood for my company because it took me the long/wrong way home and by the time I realized it, there was no going back so I just settled in and continued making phone calls until I finally reached my off ramp, and wanted to drive the rest of the way home listening to some uplifting music and unwinding as much as one can in the car after an emotionally draining day. As I made my way to San Timateo Canyon Road and turned left, I pulled up alongside and eventually passed a slow-going train. I thought, oh, I may have to stop up ahead when I make my right on Live Canyon. But I didn’t. There were a couple cars ahead of me that turned right and went over the railroad tracks, and I looked at the railroad crossing bars to make sure they weren’t coming down or that the lights weren’t on yet. They weren’t, so I proceeded forward. I looked to the right, quickly, and I saw the slow-moving train about 1.5 football fields down the track. No problem. I turned and as I landed on the tracks, the railroad crossing bar was coming down! Instinctively, and quickly, I tried to back up. Nope! The one behind me was coming down on me!! By this time, the train was about a football field down the track. I slammed the car back into gear and pushed the pedal to the medal. My car lunged forward so fast and I escaped as the rear crossing bar came down on the roof of my car. I drove in utter and complete shock for about a half mile and dared to look out my back window. I saw a piece of something hanging so I pulled over and got out. It was a rubber piece that encased the antennae on the roof of the car. The little red wing that covered the piece that encased the antennae was gone, but at that moment I didn’t see any other damage…until I got home. By the time I did get home, the reality of what had just happened had washed all through me and I was near hysterics. I went back and forth between thanking God for his provision of protection and beating myself up for not stopping and just waiting for the frapping train to pass. Why had I taken such a risk? I couldn’t sit still for hours; I was really wound up like an angry robot swimming between thankfulness, disbelief and trying not to drown in it all. I kept seeing the train coming and the forward and rear crossing guards coming down on my car, as if to trap me…but why didn’t they? There’s no other explanation other than to say: God met me in the midst of my problem and He rescued me, despite me! See, in my heart, I know that I am not supposed to be working more than ONE day a week; and I keep pushing the envelope. From the drive to get to work, to the computer problems trying to prevent me from working to the long drive to make it home to a near-death experience, God was there…despite my choices. Coffee Hour Friend, in what area of your life do you need rescuing? Can I encourage you that no matter where you are in any mistake you may have made that God is ready, willing and able to meet you there! Love, Kim-Evinda |
Archives
March 2024
|