According to the National Child Abuse Hot Line, “Children are suffering from a hidden epidemic of child abuse and neglect. Every year more than three million reports of child abuse are made in the United States involving more than six million children (a report can include multiple children). The United States has one of the worst records among industrialized nations – losing on average between four and seven children every day to child abuse and neglect.” 

And those statistics have risen since COVID.

I could have been one of these statistics and because of the child abuse I suffered, I as a parent could have added to these statistics. I was headed in the direction of repeating the cycle.

Unresolved anger/rage can absolutely become a generational cycle, friends. In other words, if you’ve been on the receiving end of rage, don’t let it go unchecked. If you’ve been the giver of such anger, you can break this cycle.

Join us to learn how to not wound your own soul by wounding another with rage and anger. Surrendering to Serenity is coming to a trench near you.

For more information, go to www.trenchclassesunited.com/classes and/or visit our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/trenchclassesunited

​Surrendering,
Kim-Evinda

She picked up her current Bible study and read the first question: “Why do you think
God made us in His image?” “That’s a great question,” she muttered aloud.

Thanks for joining us for Wednesday’s Word with Kim-Evinda and Trench Classes
United. Our prayer is that you will come to appreciate the significance of being “made in
His image.”

When asked if you know someone, and you don’t really remember if you do, usually we
ask what they look like, right? Or when a guy or girl are going to meet a possible candidate for a date for the first time at the insistence of a “caring” friend who wants to set them up, usually the first question out of their mouth is, “What do they look like?”

Have you ever wondered what Jesus looks like? We know Hollywood paints him as a
guy with close-to-shoulder-length brownish hair, a beard to match, prominent cheek
bones, beautiful gently piercing eyes and an incredible smile. But it doesn’t matter what
He looks like; it’s His image we’re after. “When You said, ‘Seek My face,’ my heart said
to You, Your face, Lord, I will seek.” Psalm 27:8

But let’s talk about the word “image” for a moment. Image has its roots in the
Latin word meaning "to copy or imitate.” Another definition from the Catechism
of the Catholic Church states that image is the “likeness of the Creator. ... Hence
it means the capacity for relationship; it is the human capacity for God."

As I read these explanations, it was as if a light bulb went off…it’s not His appearance
we’re seeking, but His character which is found in His presence. The more we seek
Him, the closer we will get to His intended image for us. He created us in His image
possible only through relationship: He desires to have relationship with each of us.

Abba, teach me how to seek Your face as I strive to turn off the distractions that often
interfere with my vision of your presence so I may reflect Your character.

​Love,
Kim-Evinda

​Have you ever been flipped off for cutting someone off? Whew, I have and
it feels so offensive. This is known as road rage which is different from
anger. How? Anger is situational, temporary; rage is ongoing and growing
All of us have gotten angry over something happening “in the moment” and
when the situation is long gone, our anger goes with it.
Rage, putting it simply, is a pot of past moments, unresolved angering
moments that are simmering and collide with the present.
if I were to ask you what size pot would you need for your unresolved past
moments, what would you answer? And for those of you who say, I just
forget about it, and then bury it, I must share with you, it will keep coming to
the surface of your life, and often when you least expect it

For more information, go to www.trenchclassesunited.com/classes and/or visit our
Facebook page at www.facebook.com/trenchclassesunited

Have you ever attended a Yoga class? It can be frustrating and exhilarating all at the
same time. It requires you to stretch in ways you think are for animals only.
Thanks for joining us for Monday’s Message with Abigail Rice and Trench Classes United.
Life is like that, stretching us beyond our own imagination. When life requires you to
stretch to you break? Today’s message is a great reminder on how to stretch
emotionally and spiritually.

Stretch
Stretch your boundaries
Stretch your mind
Begin feeling alive
Once more
Again
A sliver
A slice
Light
Creeping in
Stars begin to dim
To Your beauty
Your grace
No human can fathom
The brightness of Your face
But with faith
We dare to move
As you shift mountains
Just to prove
You are God
Almighty
Powerful
Above all
And with all
Transcending time

Transcending the fall
Of humankind
Your masterpiece
Has forgotten it’s feats
Leavings this world
Shattered
No peace
Yet there You are
Bold power
Standing tall
Taller than the evergreen trees
You have so perfectly weaved
Golden hues
Doused with green leaves
Don’t leave
Stay here
Stay near
We need You now
Calming the fear
The trembling
Weak knees
Our hearts bleed
Pouring out
Begging, Lord, please
Save them
Take me
For I am
Unworthy
Of Your love
Of Your grace
The starlight beaming
Blinding beneath Your omnipotent face
Yet you hold me
Warmth
Embrace
As embers dance
To the fire within
Lord, take me from this place
Stretch your hand
Open palms
Lord, You are the still
The quiet
The calm
Let us remember who we are

Your children
Your mothers
Your fathers
Your brothers
Your people
Your army
Your bride
& for You
We give our lives

​~Abigail

Did you know there are more than 3,500 promises in the Word of God? The dictionary
definition defines promise in this way: a declaration or assurance that one will do a
particular thing or that a particular thing will happen.

Thanks for joining us for Faith-Filled Friday with Debra Dolce and Trench Classes
United. What a comforting thought to think that there are more than 3,000 declarations,
assurances for us, and they are for any situation we encounter. Today’s Love Letter
shares the truth of are promise-keeping God.

~Love Letter~

My dear one, when I, Yahweh, delight in how you live your life, I establish your every
step. This is so exciting for you!

Let those who struggle, struggle no more. Know I am very close to you. When you walk
in My ways, you please Me.  I will establish your ways and direct your path. Isn't that
what you pray for anyway?

My Word is so full of My promises for you, your family, even your nation. Find My
promises; pray them and believe for your answer.

I gave you those promises so you can stand in faith, believing. I want you to believe for
your life, and all that concerns you. Then come to me for the concerns of the world
around you, for your nation, for the government. And talk with me about the schools and
those that have influence on the children. In this way, we can partner together.

Beloved, I have a plan for good and not for evil and that's for everyone. I work through
people to bring about My plan for all people who are seeking me with their whole heart. 

​~DebraDolce

He who has begun a new work, a good work, will be faithful to complete it…

For years I would always stop there, but that’s not the entirety of the verse. The rest of it
says…until the time of Christ. In other words, He loves us too much to leave us the way
that we are.

If you’re a parent, you know with your inner being you want the best for your child or
children, right?

Well, when we look to our Heavenly Father for parenting, we can easily finish this verse
without so much frustration and apply progression over perfection, trusting He will make
all things right, including those we’ve done wrong. This will help us to choose serenity
over frustration and anger. In fact, it’s in the progressing that He is perfecting.

If you’d like to learn how to surrender to serenity, and stay in the process to see your
progress, join us in a trench near you. For more information go to www.trenchclassesunited.com/classes

Progressing,
Kim-Evinda

The tears came trickling down as the words she read went through her mind, seeping
into her soul. Her thoughts seemed to scream: I want to live this, Lord, I really do, but
how? She continued reading, yearning for more insight to be free from the fury that
would rise every time, any time thoughts of this one person came to mind.

​Welcome to Wednesday’s Word with Kim-Evinda and Trench Classes United. Has this
ever happened to you, conviction mixed with frustration? Where you read truth and it
seeps into your soul and calls you to rise to the change? We pray this blog will open the
eyes of your heart and bring you freedom to love those who have hurt you.

She continued to read…and to cry tears of conviction, refusing to stop reading until she
had finished. It was the daily devotional from her church titled: The Explosive Power of
Love.

It started off with the command from Jesus Himself found in Matthew 5:44 directing us
to love our enemies. Oh, I’ve had to deal with many an unlovable, she thought to
herself, remembering just the other day while court-reporting a deposition thru Zoom
and wanting to reach through cyber space and wring the neck of the questioning
attorney and the doctor for making her job nearly impossible.

But she knew this devotion was taking her deeper, for that type of frustration and anger
is only temporary. What this devotion was addressing was geared more towards those
whom our hearts are more invested in. As she continued to read this devotional, she
realized she was still a bit stuck because any time she thought of the two main
characters in her life-changing betrayal, she struggled to find anything positive.

“I won’t stop trying to rise to this challenge of applying and complying with this incredibly
demanding verse. I can’t, especially if I call myself a child of Yours, God.”

She continued to read …” loving our enemies is not an optional request but a
command”!!! (emphasis mine)

She stopped, realizing how all-knowing of our Abba, that He knew there would be more
than one enemy! 

What enemy or enemies the enemy uses for evil, God will use for my good, she assured
herself. She sighed and closed her Bible, thanking God for His Word, for it truly was the
one foundation that would never crumble from under her; in fact, it would help her rise
above this painful season. And even if she didn’t see her betrayers face to face, she
was determined to separate the betrayal from the betrayer and pray for them. This was
a start.

Friend, we must remember that “the enemy” we are dealing with is Satan himself, not
the one(s) he uses as his minions to promote his agenda.

​Learning and unlearning
Kim-Evinda

When you have been hurt or betrayed, what do you do? Many of us have been taught to bury it, like a dog buries a bone, deep and almost unfindable. This sort of not feeling and/or dealing only creates more problems because eventually it comes to the surface of other circumstances. See, a momentary fix is only providing a temporary feeling which produces a long-lasting, not so positive result.

​If you’d like to learn how to meet life on life’s terms with serenity, join us for Surrendering to Serenity coming to a trench near you. For more information go to www.trenchclassesunited.com/classes

Surrendering…
Kim-Evinda

Where do you go when life is happening at a speed and intensity that makes you want
to run and hide?

Thanks for joining us for Monday’s Message with Abigail Rice and Trench Classes
United. Today’s message is a great reminder of this truth: God promises that life will not
be pain-free, but He also promise that His help is free.

Root down deep
Come back to Me
For trouble and strife
Are looming

The storm brewing
On the sky’s horizon
Is trying to break free
and pour down
Rain drops likes knives
and animosity

Lightning strikes
As I hold it back
The whole wide world
Sitting in the palm of My hand
and I just want you to know
That I Am
Has a plan

My one small light
Resides in the corner of your mind
and I just beg for you to please hold on
and let Me be strong

Don’t stop trying
Keep on fighting
Even when the light dims
and you feel as though you cannot win
Remember
and consider

How big your faith really is
When the lights go out
Do you still believe the moon will help you see?
and when your shut your eyes to sleep
Do you still believe the sun will wake at the break of day?

Or do you doubt
That all you see
Was ordered and ordained by Me?

So then I ask, dear daughter,
Where is your belief?

Be still now
and lean on Me
God your Father
God your King

“Look upon Zion, the city of our set feasts and solemnities! Your eyes shall see
Jerusalem, a quiet habitation, a tent that shall not be taken down; not one of its
stakes shall ever be pulled up, neither shall any of its cords be broken. But there
the Lord will be for us in majesty and splendor a place of broad rivers and
streams, where no oar-propelled boat can go, and no mighty and stately ship
can pass. For the Lord is our Judge, the Lord is our Lawgiver, the Lord is our
King; He will save us.”
- Isaiah 33:20-22

​In His name,
Abigail

Did you know that no matter what difficulty you are facing, there’s an
encouraging promise in His Love Letters to us?

Thanks for joining us for Faith-Filled Friday with Debra Dolce and Trench
Classes United.

I love the promise in the Word of God that says: Do not grow weary in
doing good for in due time, you shall reap a harvest. We’ve all grown weary
in difficult times, but it’s the not giving up that brings the blessing; it’s the not letting others’ actions dictate your attitude and actions. Today’s LoveLetter is a great reminder of this very truth.

~Love Letter~
My love, if you walk in My statutes and keep My commandments, and perform them,
then I will give you rain in its season, the land shall yield its produce, and the trees of
the field shall yield their fruit. What a great promise this is for you.

Do not be hampered by what other people do or don't do. In other words, others’ actions
should not dictate yours. It is then that others will then see My goodness in your life, and
they will ask how this is possible when their life is so dry and desolate. This will present
more opportunities for you to share of My love and My goodness and then you can
instruct and show others the way.

Remember there is a season for everything. Ask Me and seek My counsel. Scripture
says the secret things I reveal are for you and your children.

Do not become weary in doing good for in due time you shall reap a harvest.
Beloved, I desire you to look refreshed and for you to flourish even when those around
you look dry and even withered. Then you can bring hope and even rain to their desert
because of Me. 

​~DebraDolce