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
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Wednesday’s Word Have you ever head someone say, “Oh, I can’t wait for heaven”? Or anything like it? My husband used to say this so much and it used to drive me crazy!
Thanks for joining us for Coffee Hour with Chicklit Power and Wednesday’s Word with Trench Classes United. So why did it drive me crazy? I actually couldn’t put my finger on it, or at least express it in a way that didn’t drip with frustration. I used to tell him, “You’re living like you’re dying!” I realized that wasn’t very nice, so I have since stopped sounding so critical. 😊 The other day in my Bible study of the book of Philippians, written by Paul, the guy who wrote three-fourths of the New Testament. He wrote this first chapter most likely when he was imprisoned for sharing his faith. Talk about being eternally minded instead of fleshly focused! When reading thru this chapter, especially verses 21-26, you can literally feel the emotional and spiritual tug of war, and the way to actually visualize it is to come to I so related with his heart, so much so I was rendered in tears as I actually spoke verse 21 aloud: “For to me, to live is Christ, but to die is gain.” In verses 22-26, he was torn between dwelling with Christ and gathering more FOR Christ. Maybe it’s time we change our focus upward and outward that we would be eternally minded inward. Love, Kim-Evinda Wednesday’s Word I just love scrolling thru our Facebook newsfeed and discovering posts of people learning something, or sharing an a-ha moment, a revelation that will take them far in the journey of life. That’s what today’s blog is, an a-ha moment from one of our friends, who is also one of our occasional bloggers.
Thanks for stopping by for Coffee Hour with Chicklit Power and Wednesday’s Word with Trench Classes United. I just know you’re going to enjoy this one today. "Even when things aren't good, God still is." This made me think. If I don't ultimately believe and trust that God is ONLY GOOD, I won't be able to trust Him when things are hard. I've thought a lot about this recently in my personal faith struggle. Here's the thing…we put blame on God for everything that happens, and that's a sad and misleading habit. For example, how often have you heard, "Well, that was God's will" in regards to something bad? You lose a loved one and you're told "God wanted him home" Forces of nature cause destruction and you hear "God was trying to teach them a lesson" It goes on and on.. I am sure you can come up with some of these so called 'faith' gems. We cannot call God good and simultaneously blame Him when bad things happen. It doesn't work that way. No wonder we are confused. We also can't call things as His will when it only aligns with our own agenda. Guess what? The devil rules this earth. He is the one to blame for ALL the chaos, evil, cruelty, despair, anxiety, death. The Bible says he is actively searching for who/what he can destroy. He deserves the finger pointing, not God. So, where is God in all this? Beside me. He might not step in and change circumstances as I wish, but it doesn't change that He loves me and is walking through it with me. For too long I bought into the twisted belief that trusting Him meant I'd have no problems. (This is a very common theme in church by the way) I need to feed my soul with things that show me His Heart. I have to build trust in His ultimate goodness or I'll always be unsure in difficult circumstances. Unlearning and re-learning Jenn 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 Wednesday’s Word Have you ever wished you could influence someone over to a better life, or towards better choices? And watched as they did completely the opposite of what you wished for, or even prayed for?
Thanks for joining us for Coffee Hour with Chicklit Power and Wednesday’s Word with Trench Classes United. It’s always so much easier to recognize bad choices, compromising decisions, and questionable lifestyles in and by others, right? I don’t know how many times I’ve read this prayer in Philippians, but for some reason, as I’m studying this book in the Bible, and really processing verse by verse, I am blown away by its power and purpose. Read this with me from the book of Philippians, Chapter 1, verses 9-11 (MSG): 9-11 So this is my prayer: that your love will flourish and that you will not only love much but well. Learn to love appropriately. You need to use your head and test your feelings so that your love is sincere and intelligent, not sentimental gush. Live a lover’s life, circumspect and exemplary, a life Jesus will be proud of: bountiful in fruits from the soul, making Jesus Christ attractive to all, getting everyone involved in the glory and praise of God What would it be like if we prayed these words over our unlovable and/or difficult people in our lives? One thing for sure, we’d be the ones to change our love would flourish as we learn to love much and love well! Prayerfully, Kim-Evinda Psalm 69:1-3: Save me, O God! For the waters have come up to my neck! I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing; I have come into deep waters where the floods overflow me. I am weary with my crying; my throat is dry; my eyes fail while I wait for my God!
Have you ever had to face something that you just didn’t know how you were going to face? Welcome to Coffee Hour with Chicklit Power and Wednesday’s Word with Trench Classes United. Sometimes life can feel like waves of an ocean. Perhaps there’s a wave coming and you’re trying to run from it. Ask the one who has just discovered their significant other has been cheating on them, or lying to them, or the patient who’s just been told they have cancer; or the one who has just received a notice of foreclosure in the mail, or the young couple working really hard and still not making it. Let’s face it; life is like an ocean, taking us to unseen places, places without borders, per se, as the waves of life knock us to and fro. But what would it look like if we could just determine in our soul to just try and stand in what feels like sinking sand, our hand in His, maybe gripping it really hard, but still, our hand in His, and as the wave came toward us, we cast the white flag of surrender up and in our fatigue, our eyes and souls exhausted from crying out in fear, we just lean in…to Him and really experience the beauty of trusting that He will save us, and pick us up if He has to, to carry us through that wave of a circumstance, and once again, set us down…on solid ground. Abba, I want to trust you like that…I am claiming that you will not only guide me upwards towards a new territory, but you will cause me to soar on wings of eagles towards new territory. What about you, what would you like Him to save you from? What has you weary and crying? 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! Wednesday’s Word Have you ever received a message that you know that you know it was from God? Did you know He talks to you in your own language?
Thanks for joining me for Coffee Hour with Chicklit Power and Wednesday’s Word with Trench Classes United. Last week I shared some unexpected news I received after a 3D mammogram and another very specific mammogram to reveal the need for a biopsy but what I didn’t share with you is a very specific message I received in the most unexpected place and time. We were making our way back to the boating dock after a great day on the lake. For the most part, I had left my news at home, but every now and then, it would weigh in on my thoughts like an anchor holding a boat in one place while bouncing up and down, side to side in response to the passing boaters. I was up front with one of my friends, and I remember sharing my fears about the biopsy, still in disbelief that I have to have it done but then again, I didn’t linger there long. I relaxed in the bow of the boat, listening to the steady sound of the engine on the water, the music of the waves splashing as we crashed over them, and Pandora blaring Country music which had been playing the entire time…until all of a sudden, I’m singing the words to a Christian song, and at the same time, sort of puzzled by the change in genre but nevertheless I kept singing. When the solid ground is falling out from underneath my feet Between the black skies, and my red eyes, I can barely see When I realize I've been sold out by my friends and my family I can feel the rain reminding me In the eye of the storm, You remain in control In the middle of the war, You guard my soul You alone are the anchor, when my sails are torn Your love surrounds me In the eye of the storm As the words came out of my mouth, their meaning warmed my soul and tears ran down my face, the wind drying them almost as fast as they fell. I continued to sing along to this song I hadn’t heard in a very long time When my hopes and dreams are far from me And I'm runnin' out of faith I see the future I picture slowly fade away And when the tears of pain and heartache Are pouring… In the eye of the storm, You remain in control In the middle of the war, You guard my soul You alone are the anchor, when my sails are torn Your love surrounds me In the eye of the storm As soon as the song finished, Pandora returned to the Country genre and my girlfriend looked at me, I looked at her, and I’ll never, ever forget her affirmation: If that wasn’t God talking to you, girl, I don’t know what was! My hope is that I’ll have only one more blog to write about this storm, sharing how I get thru the biopsy and thereafter receive positive results…but only He knows when my next storm will come and He promises to be there with me. I pray that you take time to listen to God speaking to you, for you and about you Love, Kim-Evinda 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 Wednesday’s Word Thanks for joining me for Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power and Wednesday’s Word @ Trench Classes United. It’s a great day for a Psalm! Grab your coffee, (iced J ) a pen, journal, your strand of faith and let’s get right into the word at Psalm 19.
Within the first six verses we can see that this is a Psalm of praise for God’s creation and His Word. I don’t know about you, but I often miss the small things about creation that are really quite significant, especially in the world of social media. But when I press the pause button in my life and just gaze upon them, it’s like I took a deep, cleansing breath that inhales beauty and exhales chaos. For example: what do you do when you see a new flower in bloom, or the splendor of the hills, the mountains, the puffy clouds of all sizes and shapes? Do you ever take the time to gaze upon His artwork seen in a beautiful sunrise, the promise of a new day; or a beautiful sunset, a beautiful finish to another day of life? And even more awe-inspiring is new life, such as brand new humming birds that were recently born in our Ficus tree. Watching these creations changes our perspective, refreshes us. There are so many pieces of creation that beckon us to stop, pay attention and let it soak into our being for then we can be refreshed with hope because we’ve acknowledged our Creator. I could sit in this mode for a long time; however, I want us to begin today with verse 7. “The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul. The testimony of the Lord is sure; making wise the simple. 8. The statues of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart. The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.” Now let’s try a rewrite of this verse, which is merely putting yourself in it; in this way, you will make it yours, honest, from your heart: “Abba, your principles and promises are perfect, and they are continuing to convert my soul. Your words are true, giving me depth in my soul. 8. Your requirements are right and they make my heart glad. The commandment to love You with all my heart, soul and mind keeps the eyes of my heart open to the things of You created by You.” Let’s wrap up this rewriting session with the final verse, which we can make the cry of our hearts daily: 14. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O, Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.” I don’t know about you, but I say there’s no need to do anything with that but write it, speak it and deposit it in the core of your soul! Loving and learning in the Psalms, Kim-Evinda |
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