Thursday, December 18, 2008
About that semester verse ...
As I think about the verse I claimed this semester (see right) I can’t help but smile. God certainly did a “new thing” in the last 4 months, but it wasn’t what I had wished/hoped/prayed for (although it was definitely a gift from Him).
When I came across that verse at the end of the summer, I had one and only one thing on my mind ~ church. “This was it!” I thought. “Now is the time. Things will be different this go ’round. Push past all the past hurt and rejection and watch what God will do.” Ha. I was operating under the ‘fake it till ya feel it’ method. I’m not so sure that’s effective, for the record.
So off to the College Dept. I went. I’d get myself up and drive to church in time for Sunday School. I went to the Sunday night program after the p.m. church service. I went to game nights and movie nights. When everything within me wanted to sit and quietly wait for the teaching to start, I would dig my thumb fingernail into the palm of my hand, quote the semester verse to myself, and force myself to walk up to a circle of people I didn’t know and try to strike up a conversation. To say that didn’t work so well would be an understatement. I convinced myself to give it more time. I prayed for a miracle, truly believing that’s what it would take.
One late September night, a friend of mine asked me if she could go with me. I was all too eager to have someone to talk to while there, so I agreed. Little did I know, that night would be a defining moment for me. As we walked out of the church she and I went and sat in my car to talk. She looked at me and said, “Ash, can I be honest with you?” “Of course you can,” I replied. “That was horrible.” Oh what a sweet release! The only thing I can remember saying to her after that was “I just can’t do it anymore. I just can’t.” I NEEDED that. I needed someone without the previous experiences I’ve had there to agree with me. I needed someone from “the outside” to see what I, who of all people should be on “the inside” having gone to the same church for 13 years, face every time I went there. As I so often lamented to my parents in the course of arguments over church during my high school days: “What kind of idiot repeatedly places themselves in situations in which they know they’ll be rejected? That’s just plain stupid!” I haven’t stepped foot in that department since that day either.
So if the “new thing” obviously wasn’t regarding church, what was it?
Priorities changed. Instead of focusing so much energy on praying for friends from church, I stepped back and re-evaluated. I chose to see my friends as God-picked. He knows what He’s doing. For the vast majority who aren’t Christ-followers, I looked at them as opportunities to share His love, wisdom, and grace whenever the opportunity presented itself – not in a preachy, beat you over the head way, but in the course of day-to-day life. For those who were luke-warm, I tried to spur them on into a deeper relationship with Him. And for the ones who are passionate about Him, we encouraged one another and aimed to increase in intimacy with Him.
Another priority: FUN! I had more fun and made more memories outside of school this semester than any other semester. (And no, my grades didn’t suffer. I still pulled 6 A’s. It’s all about balancing!) We’d hang out, go to the movies, go to sporting events on campus, grab lunch, etc. I quickly realized that my time with these friends was fleeting. Graduation is now only 5 months away. Why is it that I started valuing this time more when I had an “end date” in sight?
About two weeks ago I was thinking back on this semester and wondering if I even made a difference. Just a day or two later, a friend of mine posted this:
What is the best feature about Ashley: Your total personality; more specifically, one of the best things about you is the fact that you are an amazing listener and always have a small piece of advice for anyone who talks to you. You seem to be able to calm people down and help them find their footing before they go mad with confusion and you're always there for your friends, no questions asked.
If that friend ever decides to open a Bible, she’ll realize much of my advice is from the Best Listener and the Giver of wisdom. I can’t want it for her, but I can pray for her. For now, that’s what I do. I pray for opportunities, pray for the boldness to stand firm in my convictions and to articulate what I believe and why, and leave the results up to God. He is the God of the Harvest after all. That harvest isn’t just foreign missions. It’s right here, right now. For such a time as this.
When I came across that verse at the end of the summer, I had one and only one thing on my mind ~ church. “This was it!” I thought. “Now is the time. Things will be different this go ’round. Push past all the past hurt and rejection and watch what God will do.” Ha. I was operating under the ‘fake it till ya feel it’ method. I’m not so sure that’s effective, for the record.
So off to the College Dept. I went. I’d get myself up and drive to church in time for Sunday School. I went to the Sunday night program after the p.m. church service. I went to game nights and movie nights. When everything within me wanted to sit and quietly wait for the teaching to start, I would dig my thumb fingernail into the palm of my hand, quote the semester verse to myself, and force myself to walk up to a circle of people I didn’t know and try to strike up a conversation. To say that didn’t work so well would be an understatement. I convinced myself to give it more time. I prayed for a miracle, truly believing that’s what it would take.
One late September night, a friend of mine asked me if she could go with me. I was all too eager to have someone to talk to while there, so I agreed. Little did I know, that night would be a defining moment for me. As we walked out of the church she and I went and sat in my car to talk. She looked at me and said, “Ash, can I be honest with you?” “Of course you can,” I replied. “That was horrible.” Oh what a sweet release! The only thing I can remember saying to her after that was “I just can’t do it anymore. I just can’t.” I NEEDED that. I needed someone without the previous experiences I’ve had there to agree with me. I needed someone from “the outside” to see what I, who of all people should be on “the inside” having gone to the same church for 13 years, face every time I went there. As I so often lamented to my parents in the course of arguments over church during my high school days: “What kind of idiot repeatedly places themselves in situations in which they know they’ll be rejected? That’s just plain stupid!” I haven’t stepped foot in that department since that day either.
So if the “new thing” obviously wasn’t regarding church, what was it?
Priorities changed. Instead of focusing so much energy on praying for friends from church, I stepped back and re-evaluated. I chose to see my friends as God-picked. He knows what He’s doing. For the vast majority who aren’t Christ-followers, I looked at them as opportunities to share His love, wisdom, and grace whenever the opportunity presented itself – not in a preachy, beat you over the head way, but in the course of day-to-day life. For those who were luke-warm, I tried to spur them on into a deeper relationship with Him. And for the ones who are passionate about Him, we encouraged one another and aimed to increase in intimacy with Him.
Another priority: FUN! I had more fun and made more memories outside of school this semester than any other semester. (And no, my grades didn’t suffer. I still pulled 6 A’s. It’s all about balancing!) We’d hang out, go to the movies, go to sporting events on campus, grab lunch, etc. I quickly realized that my time with these friends was fleeting. Graduation is now only 5 months away. Why is it that I started valuing this time more when I had an “end date” in sight?
About two weeks ago I was thinking back on this semester and wondering if I even made a difference. Just a day or two later, a friend of mine posted this:
What is the best feature about Ashley: Your total personality; more specifically, one of the best things about you is the fact that you are an amazing listener and always have a small piece of advice for anyone who talks to you. You seem to be able to calm people down and help them find their footing before they go mad with confusion and you're always there for your friends, no questions asked.
If that friend ever decides to open a Bible, she’ll realize much of my advice is from the Best Listener and the Giver of wisdom. I can’t want it for her, but I can pray for her. For now, that’s what I do. I pray for opportunities, pray for the boldness to stand firm in my convictions and to articulate what I believe and why, and leave the results up to God. He is the God of the Harvest after all. That harvest isn’t just foreign missions. It’s right here, right now. For such a time as this.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Self-Control
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and SELF-CONTROL. ~ Galatians 5:22
Oh what a lesson I had in self-control today. I should’ve known a teachable moment was coming when Matthew 12:34 popped into my head before an ever-so-important meeting. I was meeting with a department chair regarding allowing me into a certain required class in the Spring. I met with this man in November, but he told me he couldn’t (WOULDN’T is a better word) do anything until grades posted (along with some other crap that would be borderline discriminatory, but I won’t go into that here.) .
Fast forward to today …
Grades had to be posted by noon today. I had word from an informant (kidding … it was his secretary) that the department chair would be in around 9. I was armed with my transcript, degree plan, and Fall grade sheet.
One problem: one class still didn’t have a grade posted. Dang it. This stickler of a man I was to meet with probably would tell me he couldn’t (wouldn’t) do anything.
Plan B: I called the wife of my professor (she works as my professor’s secretary and they’re family friends) and inquired as to when grades would be posted. She told me my grade is a 100, so I have an A. I almost asked her to send over a notarized statement declaring that, but I thought better of it. So I add her phone number to the list of things I’m taking to this meeting I’m dreading.
One last thing before I leave to this meeting – I check to make sure the class is open. The chair has to approve every student who wants to take this class (can you say DUMB!?!), so I wanted to make sure I wasn’t wasting my time if the class was already closed. It was open. Yay!
Have I mentioned that I was dreading the meeting? From our meeting in November I already had some pretty strong opinions formed about this man. They’re not positive. (For the sake of time & energy, I’m leaving out the drama that occurred last month. However, a lot of that fueled the emotional rollercoaster today).
Off to the meeting …
I get to his office at 9. He’s there. He has the secretary pull my file (which is a whole ‘nother issue!!)
Our “meeting” consists of this:
Him: (after looking at me with this look of disgust) Do you know your major is listed as General Business in the system?
Me: (trying HARD to disregard the look he gave me) My major is General Business. I’m just here to get permission to take Policy online.
Him: No. It’s full. You’ll have to take it on-campus.
And here comes the self-control part …
I clenched my fists, turned around and walked out without saying a word. Oh if you only knew the amount of self-control that took!!! Everything within me was yelling at this man. I refused to open my mouth because I knew if I did I wouldn’t be able to control what came out and what I was thinking 1) would NOT have helped the situation at all and 2) certainly wouldn’t have been God-honoring.
He doesn’t know who he’s dealing with …
I quickly walk to my mom’s office … fuming all the way. By this point my blood is boiling. It wasn’t so much his “no” that enraged me but rather his dismissal. Couple that with last month’s “excitement” and well, I’m pretty upset. I pull up the course listing on her computer and guess what it shows. Yeah, the same thing it did right before I left for the meeting ~ the class is OPEN. Oh no he didn’t.
So I printed the screen with the date and time showing and sent that man an e-mail. I was NOT rude, but I was assertive. There’s a difference. You can be kind without being a doormat (now that’s a lesson that took me some time to learn!).
Here’s what I said:
I just spoke with you regarding {insert class name} and you told me that the class was full. If this is correct, please explain to me why the {school system} shows that the class is open. Please see that attached screen shot with the date and time showing that clearly indicates that {the class} is still open.
I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Thank you,
Ashley
See? Assertive but not rude. :)
And to top it off … I cc-ed the Dean. Oh yes I did. She needs to know that she has department chairs lying to students (not to mention discriminating, but I said I wasn’t going there, remember?!)
And this is why you don’t send angry emails …
As soon as I’d clicked “send” and my inbox popped up again, I had an e-mail from the man I’d just met with telling me that he’d decided to let me in because I have an internship in the Spring. WHAT!?!? I thought the class was full. (Oh and for the record I told him I had an internship when we had our first meeting in November.)
Closing thoughts …
I’m proud of myself. I exercised some serious self-control even when it was hard. I refused to allow this man with a serious god-complex to run me over. As my boss said when I told her the story: “He obviously doesn’t know you. You don’t give up that easily.” True, true. I don’t give up and I don’t back down.
I have a Type-A personality to the core and it was beneficial today. Old-Ashley would’ve quietly walked away and been disappointed that he said no. New-Ashley, who embraces her Type-A-ness while still trying to radiate HIM (and yes, both can be done) knew that she wasn’t going to back down. Even if things didn’t turn out favorable for me, I was going to run it up the chain of command because the policies of this man were unfair, discriminatory, and just plain dumb (personal opinion). Most students would’ve walked out of that office feeling that was it. Not me. Not today (or any day for that matter).
As I was re-telling the events of the day to my dad, I mentioned how shocked I was at my own reaction. It generally takes a lot to make me mad, so to feel the anger swell inside of me so rapidly almost scared me. In the heat of the moment it would’ve been so easy to say exactly what I was feeling. I’m glad God planted that verse in my mind BEFORE the meeting … it would’ve been hard to get through to me during it. ;)
P.S. – 2 things:
1) Early this afternoon the class status was changed to closed.
2) The man I’ve jumped through hoops with is NOT the professor of the class. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!!
Oh what a lesson I had in self-control today. I should’ve known a teachable moment was coming when Matthew 12:34 popped into my head before an ever-so-important meeting. I was meeting with a department chair regarding allowing me into a certain required class in the Spring. I met with this man in November, but he told me he couldn’t (WOULDN’T is a better word) do anything until grades posted (along with some other crap that would be borderline discriminatory, but I won’t go into that here.) .
Fast forward to today …
Grades had to be posted by noon today. I had word from an informant (kidding … it was his secretary) that the department chair would be in around 9. I was armed with my transcript, degree plan, and Fall grade sheet.
One problem: one class still didn’t have a grade posted. Dang it. This stickler of a man I was to meet with probably would tell me he couldn’t (wouldn’t) do anything.
Plan B: I called the wife of my professor (she works as my professor’s secretary and they’re family friends) and inquired as to when grades would be posted. She told me my grade is a 100, so I have an A. I almost asked her to send over a notarized statement declaring that, but I thought better of it. So I add her phone number to the list of things I’m taking to this meeting I’m dreading.
One last thing before I leave to this meeting – I check to make sure the class is open. The chair has to approve every student who wants to take this class (can you say DUMB!?!), so I wanted to make sure I wasn’t wasting my time if the class was already closed. It was open. Yay!
Have I mentioned that I was dreading the meeting? From our meeting in November I already had some pretty strong opinions formed about this man. They’re not positive. (For the sake of time & energy, I’m leaving out the drama that occurred last month. However, a lot of that fueled the emotional rollercoaster today).
Off to the meeting …
I get to his office at 9. He’s there. He has the secretary pull my file (which is a whole ‘nother issue!!)
Our “meeting” consists of this:
Him: (after looking at me with this look of disgust) Do you know your major is listed as General Business in the system?
Me: (trying HARD to disregard the look he gave me) My major is General Business. I’m just here to get permission to take Policy online.
Him: No. It’s full. You’ll have to take it on-campus.
And here comes the self-control part …
I clenched my fists, turned around and walked out without saying a word. Oh if you only knew the amount of self-control that took!!! Everything within me was yelling at this man. I refused to open my mouth because I knew if I did I wouldn’t be able to control what came out and what I was thinking 1) would NOT have helped the situation at all and 2) certainly wouldn’t have been God-honoring.
He doesn’t know who he’s dealing with …
I quickly walk to my mom’s office … fuming all the way. By this point my blood is boiling. It wasn’t so much his “no” that enraged me but rather his dismissal. Couple that with last month’s “excitement” and well, I’m pretty upset. I pull up the course listing on her computer and guess what it shows. Yeah, the same thing it did right before I left for the meeting ~ the class is OPEN. Oh no he didn’t.
So I printed the screen with the date and time showing and sent that man an e-mail. I was NOT rude, but I was assertive. There’s a difference. You can be kind without being a doormat (now that’s a lesson that took me some time to learn!).
Here’s what I said:
I just spoke with you regarding {insert class name} and you told me that the class was full. If this is correct, please explain to me why the {school system} shows that the class is open. Please see that attached screen shot with the date and time showing that clearly indicates that {the class} is still open.
I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Thank you,
Ashley
See? Assertive but not rude. :)
And to top it off … I cc-ed the Dean. Oh yes I did. She needs to know that she has department chairs lying to students (not to mention discriminating, but I said I wasn’t going there, remember?!)
And this is why you don’t send angry emails …
As soon as I’d clicked “send” and my inbox popped up again, I had an e-mail from the man I’d just met with telling me that he’d decided to let me in because I have an internship in the Spring. WHAT!?!? I thought the class was full. (Oh and for the record I told him I had an internship when we had our first meeting in November.)
Closing thoughts …
I’m proud of myself. I exercised some serious self-control even when it was hard. I refused to allow this man with a serious god-complex to run me over. As my boss said when I told her the story: “He obviously doesn’t know you. You don’t give up that easily.” True, true. I don’t give up and I don’t back down.
I have a Type-A personality to the core and it was beneficial today. Old-Ashley would’ve quietly walked away and been disappointed that he said no. New-Ashley, who embraces her Type-A-ness while still trying to radiate HIM (and yes, both can be done) knew that she wasn’t going to back down. Even if things didn’t turn out favorable for me, I was going to run it up the chain of command because the policies of this man were unfair, discriminatory, and just plain dumb (personal opinion). Most students would’ve walked out of that office feeling that was it. Not me. Not today (or any day for that matter).
As I was re-telling the events of the day to my dad, I mentioned how shocked I was at my own reaction. It generally takes a lot to make me mad, so to feel the anger swell inside of me so rapidly almost scared me. In the heat of the moment it would’ve been so easy to say exactly what I was feeling. I’m glad God planted that verse in my mind BEFORE the meeting … it would’ve been hard to get through to me during it. ;)
P.S. – 2 things:
1) Early this afternoon the class status was changed to closed.
2) The man I’ve jumped through hoops with is NOT the professor of the class. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!!
Monday, December 15, 2008
The Best Sunday ...
Yesterday was the best Sunday I’ve had in many, many months (since July).
It was so nice to sing songs I’ve actually heard of before.
There’s just something about being able to close your eyes and sing solely to Jesus – as if it’s just you and Him in that room.
Going to a new church is nice. Thanks, Jesus.
It was so nice to sing songs I’ve actually heard of before.
There’s just something about being able to close your eyes and sing solely to Jesus – as if it’s just you and Him in that room.
Going to a new church is nice. Thanks, Jesus.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
2nd post today ... keep scrolling!
This is all too true ... (borrowed from the facebook page of a friend of mine)
---
Academic Bulimia-
The process of learning or memorizing by rote, subsequently followed by the regurgitation of that knowledge onto an exam answer sheet. Just as with the serious eating disorder, this form of bulimia results in no real retention of substance.
I can't remember anything that I learned last night. It's like I grabbed the answer sheet, puked out all the answers and forgot everything immediately. I'd say that's academic bulimia.
---
At times, this is truly what it feels like. However, academic bulimia was much more common in high school for me ... what can I say, I'm a product of public education and standardized testing!?!
---
Academic Bulimia-
The process of learning or memorizing by rote, subsequently followed by the regurgitation of that knowledge onto an exam answer sheet. Just as with the serious eating disorder, this form of bulimia results in no real retention of substance.
I can't remember anything that I learned last night. It's like I grabbed the answer sheet, puked out all the answers and forgot everything immediately. I'd say that's academic bulimia.
---
At times, this is truly what it feels like. However, academic bulimia was much more common in high school for me ... what can I say, I'm a product of public education and standardized testing!?!
DONE!
I feel sleepy, oh so sleepy (sung to the tune of “I feel pretty, oh so pretty …”)
I survived another Finals Week and have finished an 18 hour semester.
1 semester separates me from graduation … only 4 more classes to go!
Now I’m just hoping that I can make it through work today (and tomorrow) without falling asleep. I’m having some serious doubts at this point in time.
The Spring semester starts 6 weeks from today. Yay for long vacations with no school. This is my first Christmas vacation without a class. I’m going to go crazy having nothing to do for 6 weeks. Oh well, I think I’ll manage. :) (Well, truth be told, I guess I have nothing planned for 5 weeks … I do have some plans for one of those weeks.)
Now that finals are over I feel like I can focus solely on the holidays and making some fun memories.
Hope your holiday season is going well!
I survived another Finals Week and have finished an 18 hour semester.
1 semester separates me from graduation … only 4 more classes to go!
Now I’m just hoping that I can make it through work today (and tomorrow) without falling asleep. I’m having some serious doubts at this point in time.
The Spring semester starts 6 weeks from today. Yay for long vacations with no school. This is my first Christmas vacation without a class. I’m going to go crazy having nothing to do for 6 weeks. Oh well, I think I’ll manage. :) (Well, truth be told, I guess I have nothing planned for 5 weeks … I do have some plans for one of those weeks.)
Now that finals are over I feel like I can focus solely on the holidays and making some fun memories.
Hope your holiday season is going well!
Monday, December 8, 2008
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Christmas Meme
1.Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Hot Chocolate
2.Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Santa doesn’t stop here (1 day of coal vs. 364 days of fun … I’ll take my chances!)
3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? colored
4. Do you hang mistletoe? no
5. When do you put your decorations up? day or weekend after Thanksgiving
6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? Nothing really stands out … it’s all too yummy!
7. Favorite holiday memory as a child: one Christmas eve our church had a candle lit service … I was like a kid in a candy store while my mother was a nervous wreck. (We just recently started burning candles in our home, need I say more about the type of kid I was?)
8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? The same uncle that ruined it for my sister ruined it for me … that scrooge! Kidding.
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Only our calendars
10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? Our Christmas tree is truly a walk down memory lane. It’s like a scrapbook of our lives. We add a new ornament every year commemorating something significant that occurred that year. It takes forever to decorate because I like to sit and look and think back on days gone by.
11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? LOVE it!
12. Can you ice skate? Never been
13. Do you remember your favorite gift? Yes because it was a total surprise … one Christmas my sister and I got “tickets” in our stockings good for one trip to Colorado leaving the next morning. Best surprise EVER!
14. What is the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Jesus ~ making sure people remember the real reason for the holiday, giving of myself, and family time are pretty important too, but they pale in comparison to Him.
15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Peach cobbler is my fav but that’s not really a holiday dessert
16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? My extended family used to have a Christmas eve party every year … haven’t done that in several years now due to people traveling
17. What tops your tree? Currently nothing. Gotta work on that! ;)
18. Which do you prefer giving or receiving? Giving hands down. (no lie!)
19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? The past few years it’s been “Mary Did You Know?” … quite possibly replaced this year by Casting Crown’s “While You Were Sleeping” (see video at the bottom of this post)
20. Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum? Yum if they’re the Spree ones!
21. What do you want for Christmas? Ski trip to Colorado
22. Do you attend an annual Christmas Party? no
23. Do you dress up on Christmas or wear PJs? PJs in the morning, casual clothes for family lunch
24. Do you own a Santa hat? Somewhere
25. Who do you normally spend Christmas with? Parents and grandparents
2.Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Santa doesn’t stop here (1 day of coal vs. 364 days of fun … I’ll take my chances!)
3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? colored
4. Do you hang mistletoe? no
5. When do you put your decorations up? day or weekend after Thanksgiving
6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? Nothing really stands out … it’s all too yummy!
7. Favorite holiday memory as a child: one Christmas eve our church had a candle lit service … I was like a kid in a candy store while my mother was a nervous wreck. (We just recently started burning candles in our home, need I say more about the type of kid I was?)
8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? The same uncle that ruined it for my sister ruined it for me … that scrooge! Kidding.
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Only our calendars
10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? Our Christmas tree is truly a walk down memory lane. It’s like a scrapbook of our lives. We add a new ornament every year commemorating something significant that occurred that year. It takes forever to decorate because I like to sit and look and think back on days gone by.
11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? LOVE it!
12. Can you ice skate? Never been
13. Do you remember your favorite gift? Yes because it was a total surprise … one Christmas my sister and I got “tickets” in our stockings good for one trip to Colorado leaving the next morning. Best surprise EVER!
14. What is the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Jesus ~ making sure people remember the real reason for the holiday, giving of myself, and family time are pretty important too, but they pale in comparison to Him.
15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Peach cobbler is my fav but that’s not really a holiday dessert
16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? My extended family used to have a Christmas eve party every year … haven’t done that in several years now due to people traveling
17. What tops your tree? Currently nothing. Gotta work on that! ;)
18. Which do you prefer giving or receiving? Giving hands down. (no lie!)
19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? The past few years it’s been “Mary Did You Know?” … quite possibly replaced this year by Casting Crown’s “While You Were Sleeping” (see video at the bottom of this post)
20. Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum? Yum if they’re the Spree ones!
21. What do you want for Christmas? Ski trip to Colorado
22. Do you attend an annual Christmas Party? no
23. Do you dress up on Christmas or wear PJs? PJs in the morning, casual clothes for family lunch
24. Do you own a Santa hat? Somewhere
25. Who do you normally spend Christmas with? Parents and grandparents
Monday, December 1, 2008
Happy December
Happy December yall!
I had a fabulous Thanksgiving break and am ready to finish this semester strong. 7 days and counting!
The Christmas trees are up and decorated, the house looks like it’s the holiday season, and winter is in the air. Life is good. This is by far my favorite time of the year. :)
Today is World AIDS Day. Let’s pray for a cure, for the people who live with AIDS, and for those who are orphaned by this horrible disease.
Oh, and then there’s this …
“This holiday season, Starbucks will contribute five cents from the sale of any (STARBUCKS)RED EXCLUSIVE beverage* at participating stores in the United States and Canada to the Global Fund to help eliminate AIDS in Africa.
*(STARBUCKS)RED EXCLUSIVE Holiday beverages are Espresso Truffle, Peppermint Mocha Twist and Gingersnap Latte. They are available at participating stores in the US and Canada between November 27th 2008 and January 2nd 2009.”
I know 5 cents doesn’t sound like much, but there are a lot of Starbucks stores so this could really add up. So get a Holiday beverage and know you've played a part in eliminating AIDS in Africa.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Tuesday's Thoughts & A Funny Story
1) I need Africa more than it needs me. You must go read THIS post. I don't link too often, so you better believe it's good when I do.
2) I'm officially on Thanksgiving break. Woohoo! :)
3) If you feel the earth tilt, don't be alarmed. It's caused by the mass of humanity (a/k/a my family) that is converging upon my neck of the woods. At last count, the headcount was somewhere between 30 and 40. Mercy. This holiday ought to be interesting. Maybe I'll get a good blog post out of it. :)
4) I'm still laughing about some of the songs that popped up as responses in my last post.
5) Happy Thanksgiving. Choose an attitude of gratefulness this holiday season (and always). As a friend and I were "talking" (typing) about last night/this morning (for her), attitude is a BIG part of thankfulness. There will always be someone who has more or better things, but they're just that ... things. Stop the horizontal comparisons ... stick with the vertical.
6) I love Skype ... and the person it let me talk to! :)
7) There's a sweet feeling of satisfaction (not pride) that sweeps over me when I see hard work paying off.
8) Sometimes you give "it" everything you've got and things still don't go your way. Sometimes your best is not good enough. No amount of blood, sweat, or tears will change that. It's a hard lesson in life to learn.
And now for the funny .... consider this a PSA.
** I feel like I should preface this story with this fact: I'm not dumb. This will indeed be in question at the end. :)
A few weeks ago, I was shopping at Bath & Body Works. My favorite scent of theirs is Winter Candy Apple. They had a new product available that I'd never tried before, so I figured, what the heck ... let's give it a try. Here is the product: (for what it's worth, the words say "roll-on shimmer scent")
2) I'm officially on Thanksgiving break. Woohoo! :)
3) If you feel the earth tilt, don't be alarmed. It's caused by the mass of humanity (a/k/a my family) that is converging upon my neck of the woods. At last count, the headcount was somewhere between 30 and 40. Mercy. This holiday ought to be interesting. Maybe I'll get a good blog post out of it. :)
4) I'm still laughing about some of the songs that popped up as responses in my last post.
5) Happy Thanksgiving. Choose an attitude of gratefulness this holiday season (and always). As a friend and I were "talking" (typing) about last night/this morning (for her), attitude is a BIG part of thankfulness. There will always be someone who has more or better things, but they're just that ... things. Stop the horizontal comparisons ... stick with the vertical.
6) I love Skype ... and the person it let me talk to! :)
7) There's a sweet feeling of satisfaction (not pride) that sweeps over me when I see hard work paying off.
8) Sometimes you give "it" everything you've got and things still don't go your way. Sometimes your best is not good enough. No amount of blood, sweat, or tears will change that. It's a hard lesson in life to learn.
And now for the funny .... consider this a PSA.
** I feel like I should preface this story with this fact: I'm not dumb. This will indeed be in question at the end. :)
A few weeks ago, I was shopping at Bath & Body Works. My favorite scent of theirs is Winter Candy Apple. They had a new product available that I'd never tried before, so I figured, what the heck ... let's give it a try. Here is the product: (for what it's worth, the words say "roll-on shimmer scent")
What does that look like to you? Please, for the love of everything good, will someone please comment and agree with me that it looks like lip gloss. When you unscrew the lid, it has one of those roll on applicators like some lip glosses do too. (Sorry, no picture ... just try to imagine it.)
Well, I get home all giddy to try on my new purchase. What could go wrong ... my favorite scent AND a shimmery lip gloss. Hmph.
Wanna know what my first indication was that this was indeed NOT lip gloss .... the burning sensation on my lips. My second indication? The overwhelming alcohol smell.
I take off running through the house yelling "What's poison control's number? Where's one of those YUCK stickers when I need them? Mom, are my lips peeling off?" (Okay, so I can be a tad bit dramatic.)
Now that the burning sensation is dying down, I take the product to my mom and ask her what she thinks it is. She concurs that it is lip gloss. Wrong.
Oh wait ... the story gets better ...
So curiosity gets the best of me and I've just got to know where this product is supposed to be used. I'm pretty sure I sent the precious girl that answered the telephone that night into fits of hysteria as soon as she hung up with me. Turns out it's to be rolled on your wrist or neck for a little bit of scent and some shimmer. "It's perfectly sized for your purse," she tells me. Yeah, but who designed the dad-gum thing?!?!
So consider this fare warning ... if you are the recipient of such a gift this holiday season, do your lips a favor and don't apply it there.
*PS - My lips did not fall off and the burning did eventually stop. I tallied this up to one of the stupidest things I've ever done while thinking I was doing it right. He's gotta keep me humble, right?! ;)
Happy Thanksgiving!
Be a blessing.
Monday, November 24, 2008
We're Young and Beautiful
1. Put your music on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS!
IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY" YOU SAY?
Undone
WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven
WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
Things That Never Cross a Man’s Mind
HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
Flat on the Floor
WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?
Don’t Blink
WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
Change
WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
American Dream
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
Set the World on Fire
WHAT IS 2+2?
Guitars and Tiki Bars
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
All-American Girl
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Take a Little Time
WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
Father, Spirit, Jesus
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
Miss Independent
WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?For Future Generations
WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
Fearless
WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
Here With Me
WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
Starts With Goodbye
WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
The Life
WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
Our God is With Us
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
Trust in You
WHAT'S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?
There’s Gotta Be Something More
HOW WILL YOU DIE?
Just a Dream
WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?
Let My Words Be Few
WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?
Me and Jesus
WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?
Speak to Me
WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?
I Ain’t Settling (Dear Lord, please don’t let this be a sign.)
WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST?
Crazy Dreams
DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?
Your Love is Extravagant
IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?Got a Little Crazy
WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?
So Small
WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
We’re Young and Beautiful
---
Some of those responses had me laughing out loud. :)
Feel free to play along. If you do, let me know so I can stop by and read your answers.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS!
IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY" YOU SAY?
Undone
WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven
WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
Things That Never Cross a Man’s Mind
HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
Flat on the Floor
WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?
Don’t Blink
WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
Change
WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
American Dream
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
Set the World on Fire
WHAT IS 2+2?
Guitars and Tiki Bars
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
All-American Girl
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Take a Little Time
WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
Father, Spirit, Jesus
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
Miss Independent
WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?For Future Generations
WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
Fearless
WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
Here With Me
WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
Starts With Goodbye
WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
The Life
WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
Our God is With Us
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
Trust in You
WHAT'S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?
There’s Gotta Be Something More
HOW WILL YOU DIE?
Just a Dream
WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?
Let My Words Be Few
WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?
Me and Jesus
WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?
Speak to Me
WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?
I Ain’t Settling (Dear Lord, please don’t let this be a sign.)
WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST?
Crazy Dreams
DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?
Your Love is Extravagant
IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?Got a Little Crazy
WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?
So Small
WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
We’re Young and Beautiful
---
Some of those responses had me laughing out loud. :)
Feel free to play along. If you do, let me know so I can stop by and read your answers.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
An Award ... for me!
~LL~ gave me an award!Now, here are the *rules* that go along with this award:
1. Put the award up on your blog
2. Add a link to the person who awarded it to you
3. Nominate at least seven other blogs
4. Add links to these blogs on your blog
5. Leave a message for your nominee on their blog
1. Put the award up on your blog
2. Add a link to the person who awarded it to you
3. Nominate at least seven other blogs
4. Add links to these blogs on your blog
5. Leave a message for your nominee on their blog
7 people with cool blogs:
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Those Yankees!
Mass. woman's 1 cent debt paid in full
"ATTLEBORO, Mass. – A 74-year-old blind woman's 1 cent debt to a Massachusetts city has been settled.
People from across the country called Attleboro City Hall on Tuesday offering to pay the 1 cent balance owed by Eileen Wilbur for an overdue water and sewer bill.
Antonio Viveiros, a former city councilor who does not know Wilbur, wrote a check for one penny. He says he was "irked" by the fact that the federal government can spend billions for bailouts, yet a senior citizen was threatened with a lien on her home over 1 cent.
Wilbur's daughter first noticed the letter that warned of a lien and a $48 penalty if the overdue bill was not paid by Dec. 10.
Mayor Kevin Dumas says the whole situation was blown out of proportion."
Ya think?
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081119/ap_on_re_us/odd_penny_bill
"ATTLEBORO, Mass. – A 74-year-old blind woman's 1 cent debt to a Massachusetts city has been settled.
People from across the country called Attleboro City Hall on Tuesday offering to pay the 1 cent balance owed by Eileen Wilbur for an overdue water and sewer bill.
Antonio Viveiros, a former city councilor who does not know Wilbur, wrote a check for one penny. He says he was "irked" by the fact that the federal government can spend billions for bailouts, yet a senior citizen was threatened with a lien on her home over 1 cent.
Wilbur's daughter first noticed the letter that warned of a lien and a $48 penalty if the overdue bill was not paid by Dec. 10.
Mayor Kevin Dumas says the whole situation was blown out of proportion."
Ya think?
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081119/ap_on_re_us/odd_penny_bill
Sunday, November 16, 2008
One and Only One?
Thanks to those of you who voted in the poll on this question. I can honestly say that I’m not surprised as to the results of it. As far as I know, there is no clear, definite answer to this question, thus the following is my opinion. You’re certainly free to disagree with me. :)
Short answer: Do I feel there is one and only one person meant for you to marry? No I don’t.
*Insert gasps here.*
Initially this was my opinion simply because of the improbability of it. Knowing that there are 6.something billion people on the planet, the idea that God has one and only one person out there somewhere seems to me like a game of hide & go seek. However, I decided my position needed a little more sustenance, so I went to the Word.
First things first ~ I do believe that God is concerned with who we marry. For Christians, there are certain criteria that any potential spouse should have – namely being a Christian – but beyond that I think we’re free to choose. God can certainly lead – through leading you to a certain church, a certain job, a certain city, etc. but the choice is yours.
ALL choices have consequences – some good and some bad. I believe that even if you marry “Mr. Wrong” once you say “I do” he becomes your “Mr. Right.” There’s a reason many vows include the phrase “Forsaking all others …” You are making a choice to commit to that person and marriage is based on commitment, not on feelings. (Note: I know there are biblical grounds for divorice, but just because it’s permitted does not mean that the pain of the divorice is minimized.)
Proverbs 18:22 – He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the Lord.
Proverbs 31: 10 – A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.
These are verses I’ve read many times in the past, but this time the word “find” stuck out to me.
Our society today has a skewed view on love. All too often it’s a selfish thing. That couldn’t be farther from what true love is. Read 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 and 1 John 4:19 (just to name a few).
I’ve found in my life that there are rarely “burning bush” moments. Where’s the faith in that? More times than not, I must weigh decisions based on His character and His standards that are outlined in His Word as opposed to receiving a burning bush of direction. That’s how intimacy is developed and grows. I don’t say that to downgrade burning bush moments. If God wanted to, He certainly could plop someone down on your path with a blinking arrow above their head that says “This is the one!” I’ve yet to meet someone that has had that happen though. ;)
The Bible story that I’ve heard used the most to advocate this “God has one person for you” idea is in Genesis 24 where Abraham sends his servant to find a wife for his son Isaac.
Then he [the servant] prayed, “O Lord, God of my master Abraham, give me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water. May it be that when I say to a girl, ‘Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, and I’ll water your camels too’ – let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master.” (Genesis 24:12-14) {Does anyone else wish it were this easy today?? :)}
Well guess what … Rebekah responded just how the servant had prayed she would. But I think the kicker is in verse 21. (Which is often skipped over when people refer to this story.)
Vs 21 – Without saying a word, the man watched her closely to learn whether or not the Lord had made his journey successful.
Even though Rebekah responded in the way the servant prayed she would, the servant still watched her to determine if she would make a good wife for Isaac. And for what it’s worth, just because God led the servant to Rebekah for Isaac doesn’t mean He’s promising to do that for everyone.
Who we choose to marry is no surprise to God. He is all-knowing after all. While there are certain attributes that believers should look for when seeking a marriage partner, we’re free to choose who to commit to. Seek Him for wisdom, make a decision, view marriage as the ministry it is, aim to fulfill your God-given gender roles (knowing that you will fail time and time again), and above all, seek to glorify Him in and through your marriage. That’s what matters.
Short answer: Do I feel there is one and only one person meant for you to marry? No I don’t.
*Insert gasps here.*
Initially this was my opinion simply because of the improbability of it. Knowing that there are 6.something billion people on the planet, the idea that God has one and only one person out there somewhere seems to me like a game of hide & go seek. However, I decided my position needed a little more sustenance, so I went to the Word.
First things first ~ I do believe that God is concerned with who we marry. For Christians, there are certain criteria that any potential spouse should have – namely being a Christian – but beyond that I think we’re free to choose. God can certainly lead – through leading you to a certain church, a certain job, a certain city, etc. but the choice is yours.
ALL choices have consequences – some good and some bad. I believe that even if you marry “Mr. Wrong” once you say “I do” he becomes your “Mr. Right.” There’s a reason many vows include the phrase “Forsaking all others …” You are making a choice to commit to that person and marriage is based on commitment, not on feelings. (Note: I know there are biblical grounds for divorice, but just because it’s permitted does not mean that the pain of the divorice is minimized.)
Proverbs 18:22 – He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the Lord.
Proverbs 31: 10 – A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.
These are verses I’ve read many times in the past, but this time the word “find” stuck out to me.
Our society today has a skewed view on love. All too often it’s a selfish thing. That couldn’t be farther from what true love is. Read 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 and 1 John 4:19 (just to name a few).
I’ve found in my life that there are rarely “burning bush” moments. Where’s the faith in that? More times than not, I must weigh decisions based on His character and His standards that are outlined in His Word as opposed to receiving a burning bush of direction. That’s how intimacy is developed and grows. I don’t say that to downgrade burning bush moments. If God wanted to, He certainly could plop someone down on your path with a blinking arrow above their head that says “This is the one!” I’ve yet to meet someone that has had that happen though. ;)
The Bible story that I’ve heard used the most to advocate this “God has one person for you” idea is in Genesis 24 where Abraham sends his servant to find a wife for his son Isaac.
Then he [the servant] prayed, “O Lord, God of my master Abraham, give me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water. May it be that when I say to a girl, ‘Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, and I’ll water your camels too’ – let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master.” (Genesis 24:12-14) {Does anyone else wish it were this easy today?? :)}
Well guess what … Rebekah responded just how the servant had prayed she would. But I think the kicker is in verse 21. (Which is often skipped over when people refer to this story.)
Vs 21 – Without saying a word, the man watched her closely to learn whether or not the Lord had made his journey successful.
Even though Rebekah responded in the way the servant prayed she would, the servant still watched her to determine if she would make a good wife for Isaac. And for what it’s worth, just because God led the servant to Rebekah for Isaac doesn’t mean He’s promising to do that for everyone.
Who we choose to marry is no surprise to God. He is all-knowing after all. While there are certain attributes that believers should look for when seeking a marriage partner, we’re free to choose who to commit to. Seek Him for wisdom, make a decision, view marriage as the ministry it is, aim to fulfill your God-given gender roles (knowing that you will fail time and time again), and above all, seek to glorify Him in and through your marriage. That’s what matters.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Simple Joys
After a particularly trying 2 weeks FULL of assignments, studying, tests, crazy work days, late nights/early mornings, etc. today was a good day. It’s all about the simple joys:
· Lunch with friends
· A quiet afternoon at work
· Tried a Vanilla Bean Frappucino (sp?) from Starbucks (it was alright…I'm not hooked though!)
· Drove home barefoot with my windows down … had my hair whipping in the wind … favorite song blaring on the radio {I think this is my favorite one on the list!}
· Burning a cinnamon candle
· New CD playing
· A soft pink and blue and purple sunset that took my breath away
16 days left of the semester … 8 until Thanksgiving Break!!
Life is good.
God is good.
PS - Have you voted in the poll on yesterday's post? Go do it ... now! (Please.) :)
· Lunch with friends
· A quiet afternoon at work
· Tried a Vanilla Bean Frappucino (sp?) from Starbucks (it was alright…I'm not hooked though!)
· Drove home barefoot with my windows down … had my hair whipping in the wind … favorite song blaring on the radio {I think this is my favorite one on the list!}
· Burning a cinnamon candle
· New CD playing
· A soft pink and blue and purple sunset that took my breath away
16 days left of the semester … 8 until Thanksgiving Break!!
Life is good.
God is good.
PS - Have you voted in the poll on yesterday's post? Go do it ... now! (Please.) :)
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Marriage: Predestined vs. Free-Choice
This is what happens when my mind is in overload with school ... I start contemplating way too deep of issues at way too late (or early) in the day.
I thought it would be fun to have yall weigh in before I post my thoughts on this.
I thought it would be fun to have yall weigh in before I post my thoughts on this.
Friday, November 7, 2008
International Day of Prayer
This Sunday (11/9) is the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. Personally I feel that we should lift up our persecuted brothers and sisters daily, but I digress.
Here are some specific prayer requests from Voice of the Martyrs:
· The Lord will give courage to His people who are enduring persecution for His Name
· The Lord will place His restraining hand on those who seek to harm His people
· Churches facing government opposition will stand firm in their ministry
· Christians will have opportunities to reach out with the Gospel without fear of intimidation or harassment
· Servants of the Lord will be able to deliver Bibles and Christian literature to places where they are most needed
· Christians who have been left without pastors and teachers may be kept strong in their faith
· Christians who have been imprisoned for their faith will be released safely
· The Lord will restrain the callousness and brutality of prison guards in their treatment of Christians in prison
· Pray against the increasing problem of young Christian girls being kidnapped, r*ped and forced to marry
· Those who have lost loved ones by martyrdom will be comforted and strengthened by God during their grief
· Christian pastors will be kept from danger and strengthened in their faith as they care for the people of God
· New converts may be protected and provided for should their family turn against them.
· The current laws in many restricted nations forbidding evangelism, missionary activity and religious instruction, will be repealed
I’ve often said that Christ-followers in America have it easy. Sure we may be judged, scorned, or made fun of, but that’s nothing compared to the conditions in which many Christians around the world live. Let’s lift them up today and every day.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
I love this nation!
*I wanted to post this yesterday, but I was just too busy.*
Election 2008. What a historic one it was!
First things first ~ I am no doubt disappointed with the outcome of this election. I have cried out to God many, many times in the last 2 days regarding the future of this great nation. The first words out of my mouth when I heard that Obama was the projected winner were "Dear Lord, what have we done to ourselves?" But that's not the purpose of this post (that was the last post!)...
The truth of the matter is this: I GOT THE CHANCE TO MAKE MY VOICE HEARD!
My current Facebook status says "Ashley loves the U.S.A.!" A friend of mine approached me about this, basically questioning how I could say such a thing at such a time as this. Here's my response: "While the candidate I supported may not have been elected by the majority, I still got a chance to have my say. That's a privilege many people around the world would kill for. I don't agree with where Obama stands, but the majority has spoken. So now I pray ... for him and the nation ... just like I've been doing while President Bush has been in office."
Regardless of my personal views of them, I am proud that my first presidential election had both a female and an African-American running. But more than that, I am grateful that I, as a woman, had the chance to peacefully make my voice heard without fear of retaliation. That is a blessing that I certainly do not take for granted. I love this nation!
Election 2008. What a historic one it was!
First things first ~ I am no doubt disappointed with the outcome of this election. I have cried out to God many, many times in the last 2 days regarding the future of this great nation. The first words out of my mouth when I heard that Obama was the projected winner were "Dear Lord, what have we done to ourselves?" But that's not the purpose of this post (that was the last post!)...
The truth of the matter is this: I GOT THE CHANCE TO MAKE MY VOICE HEARD!
My current Facebook status says "Ashley loves the U.S.A.!" A friend of mine approached me about this, basically questioning how I could say such a thing at such a time as this. Here's my response: "While the candidate I supported may not have been elected by the majority, I still got a chance to have my say. That's a privilege many people around the world would kill for. I don't agree with where Obama stands, but the majority has spoken. So now I pray ... for him and the nation ... just like I've been doing while President Bush has been in office."
Regardless of my personal views of them, I am proud that my first presidential election had both a female and an African-American running. But more than that, I am grateful that I, as a woman, had the chance to peacefully make my voice heard without fear of retaliation. That is a blessing that I certainly do not take for granted. I love this nation!
Monday, November 3, 2008
My Thoughts on Election 08
I love all (Okay ... most) things political. I could "discuss" (or debate depending on who I'm with!) politics all day long and not grow tired of it. So really, you should consider yourself blessed that this is my first (and most likely only) political post. You're welcome. ;)
This election is critical. A lot of people died for your right to vote ... so GO VOTE! Don't mock their sacrifice.
If you're a Christian, you'd better vote Biblically. There is a clear choice.
First, I want to point out that there is no perfect candidate. Both are fallen, sinful men (Romans 3:23).
Now with that said, let’s talk issues.
Almost every Obama-supporter that I’ve talked with cites the economy as the reason for their Obama vote. I agree that our economy is in pretty bad shape. As someone who will be graduating college in 6 months, the job market has never been more important to me. BUT (you knew a but was coming, didn’t you?) here’s the deal: my God trumps the economy. Every. Single. Time. Jehovah Jireh – God our Provider. God’s sovereignty isn’t impacted in the least by the condition of the economy. I would also like to point out that the fluctuations in our economy are part of the beauty of capitalism – the ebb and flow of the markets.
For many voters, the economy is the #1 issue. This grieves me deeply. How can we put money/jobs/lifestyles over the sanctity of human life? (1 Timothy 6:10 comes to mind) I cannot … nope, strike that … WILL NOT support a candidate who does not value human life. Once a baby has been aborted, he or she is dead – never to have a chance at life on Earth. The economy fluctuates. Why is it that the permanent decision of abortion is given less importance than the temporal condition of the economy?
Not only does Obama not support unborn life, he apparently doesn’t support life at all. The Born Alive Infant Protection Act is a piece of legislation that would require hospitals to care for infants who survived an abortion. Guess who voted against it? That’s right … Obama. So if by some miracle of God, a baby managed to survive his or her attempted murder, Obama voted against the hospital having to care for him or her. Does this make anyone else literally sick to their stomach?
Does it seem like I’m passionate about the topic of abortion? YOU BET I AM!!! I will do everything within my power to speak up for those who cannot yet speak for themselves, but who have been lovingly created by God and knit together by His hand.
Do you believe marriage is a sacred covenant between one man and one woman that’s been established by God? If so, Obama’s not the candidate for you. He doesn’t.
The next president will nominate several Supreme Court judges. It is of the utmost importance – for our generation and our children’s – that we have a president who stands with us on issues such as abortion and the sanctity of marriage. Judges technically serve for life, therefore the next president’s decisions on nominations have far reaching implications. For your children’s sake, I plead with you to vote Biblically.
I’d like to close this post with some of my thoughts.
• The outcome of this election – either way – will not be a surprise to God.
• He will still be on His throne and His sovereignty will not change.
• As I spent some serious time in prayer about this election, God reminded me of Romans 13:1 – Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.
• Just an FYI - My prayers have not been focused on who wins, but rather that God will not completely turn this nation over to our sinful desires.
May God be glorified!
This election is critical. A lot of people died for your right to vote ... so GO VOTE! Don't mock their sacrifice.
If you're a Christian, you'd better vote Biblically. There is a clear choice.
First, I want to point out that there is no perfect candidate. Both are fallen, sinful men (Romans 3:23).
Now with that said, let’s talk issues.
Almost every Obama-supporter that I’ve talked with cites the economy as the reason for their Obama vote. I agree that our economy is in pretty bad shape. As someone who will be graduating college in 6 months, the job market has never been more important to me. BUT (you knew a but was coming, didn’t you?) here’s the deal: my God trumps the economy. Every. Single. Time. Jehovah Jireh – God our Provider. God’s sovereignty isn’t impacted in the least by the condition of the economy. I would also like to point out that the fluctuations in our economy are part of the beauty of capitalism – the ebb and flow of the markets.
For many voters, the economy is the #1 issue. This grieves me deeply. How can we put money/jobs/lifestyles over the sanctity of human life? (1 Timothy 6:10 comes to mind) I cannot … nope, strike that … WILL NOT support a candidate who does not value human life. Once a baby has been aborted, he or she is dead – never to have a chance at life on Earth. The economy fluctuates. Why is it that the permanent decision of abortion is given less importance than the temporal condition of the economy?
Not only does Obama not support unborn life, he apparently doesn’t support life at all. The Born Alive Infant Protection Act is a piece of legislation that would require hospitals to care for infants who survived an abortion. Guess who voted against it? That’s right … Obama. So if by some miracle of God, a baby managed to survive his or her attempted murder, Obama voted against the hospital having to care for him or her. Does this make anyone else literally sick to their stomach?
Does it seem like I’m passionate about the topic of abortion? YOU BET I AM!!! I will do everything within my power to speak up for those who cannot yet speak for themselves, but who have been lovingly created by God and knit together by His hand.
Do you believe marriage is a sacred covenant between one man and one woman that’s been established by God? If so, Obama’s not the candidate for you. He doesn’t.
The next president will nominate several Supreme Court judges. It is of the utmost importance – for our generation and our children’s – that we have a president who stands with us on issues such as abortion and the sanctity of marriage. Judges technically serve for life, therefore the next president’s decisions on nominations have far reaching implications. For your children’s sake, I plead with you to vote Biblically.
I’d like to close this post with some of my thoughts.
• The outcome of this election – either way – will not be a surprise to God.
• He will still be on His throne and His sovereignty will not change.
• As I spent some serious time in prayer about this election, God reminded me of Romans 13:1 – Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.
• Just an FYI - My prayers have not been focused on who wins, but rather that God will not completely turn this nation over to our sinful desires.
May God be glorified!
Friday, October 31, 2008
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
What if ...
What if …
… I viewed every friendship as “on purpose”?
… I used my words to consistently build others up?
… I viewed unfulfilled desires as material for sacrifice?
… I rested in who He says I am, as opposed to how the world defines me?
… I moved out of my “Christian bubble” and attempted to truly impact the world – starting where God has me at this moment?
… I were faithful in the little things?
… I consistently looked for ways to minister to people?
What would life be like?
“I wonder what life would be like if we let Jesus live through you and me”
– Lyric from Big Daddy Weave’s song “What Life Would Be Like”
… I viewed every friendship as “on purpose”?
… I used my words to consistently build others up?
… I viewed unfulfilled desires as material for sacrifice?
… I rested in who He says I am, as opposed to how the world defines me?
… I moved out of my “Christian bubble” and attempted to truly impact the world – starting where God has me at this moment?
… I were faithful in the little things?
… I consistently looked for ways to minister to people?
What would life be like?
“I wonder what life would be like if we let Jesus live through you and me”
– Lyric from Big Daddy Weave’s song “What Life Would Be Like”
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Monday, October 27, 2008
Friday, October 24, 2008
He Answers Prayers
I prayed for cold weather since we're having our Homecoming Bonfire tonight. {The idea of wearing capris and a t-shirt to a bonfire just doesn't sound right!} He answered ...
Happy Friday!! :)
Monday, October 20, 2008
Crazy Week
This week is going to be crazy but fun ...
Monday ~ my sister and her kids are coming over
Wednesday ~ Bible study
Thursday ~ movies with a friend
Friday ~ homecoming activities - bonfire, pep rally, party, etc. - and spending the night (morning?) with my best friend
Saturday ~ my niece's 2nd birthday party (where did the time go?)
Random pic from this weekend:
The thermometer as I left for work at 7:30 Sat. morning. Jesus loves me.Saturday, October 18, 2008
Catch-Up Post 1 of 3
6 Random Things About Me …
Anne tagged me for this meme.
1. I by no means claim to be an English person (math is my true 1st love!), but there is one grammar error that drives me crazy – the misuse of words like there/their/they’re or here/hear. Ugh – I cringe just thinking about it.
2. I think people should walk on the right side of hallways, through doors, up stairs, etc. It makes traffic flow smoother and, after all, this is America!
3. I am beyond-a-shadow-of-a-doubt my own worst critic. I tally that up to my Type-A personality.
4. Bath & Body Works now has their Holiday Collection out. To me, that’s the official kick-off to the holiday season! :)
5. Christmas is my absolute favorite time of the year.
6. Current favorite Bible verse: Ephesians 2:10
Anne tagged me for this meme.
1. I by no means claim to be an English person (math is my true 1st love!), but there is one grammar error that drives me crazy – the misuse of words like there/their/they’re or here/hear. Ugh – I cringe just thinking about it.
2. I think people should walk on the right side of hallways, through doors, up stairs, etc. It makes traffic flow smoother and, after all, this is America!
3. I am beyond-a-shadow-of-a-doubt my own worst critic. I tally that up to my Type-A personality.
4. Bath & Body Works now has their Holiday Collection out. To me, that’s the official kick-off to the holiday season! :)
5. Christmas is my absolute favorite time of the year.
6. Current favorite Bible verse: Ephesians 2:10
Thursday, October 16, 2008
The Countdown is ON!
Barring any unforeseen catastrophe, this time in 7 months I’ll be walking across that graduation stage receiving one very expensive (and hard-earned) piece of paper.
Yesterday was mid-semester. That means I have a semester and a half left of college. Weird.
* PS - check out the time this post was written. I was taking a study break! Oh how I love midterms. ;)
Yesterday was mid-semester. That means I have a semester and a half left of college. Weird.
* PS - check out the time this post was written. I was taking a study break! Oh how I love midterms. ;)
Monday, October 13, 2008
Today's the Day
Today’s the day my friends leave for the mission field. They have a long journey ahead of them and I know they’d appreciate your prayers.
They will be in daily contact with people who have NEVER heard the name of Jesus before. Try and let that sink in for a minute … mind-boggling isn’t it??
I couldn’t be any prouder of them. I know this is the assignment FOR THEM. How else can you use words like “peace,” “contentment,” and “excitement” to describe moving your family around the world in less than a week?!?!
I’m honored to have walked part of this journey with them – many months of prayer, trying to provide encouragement along the way, being at their Commissioning Service, etc. It’s been fun (in a heart-wrenching sort of way ... it’s never easy when people you love move away)!
Nobody said following Christ would be easy. Sometimes He calls us to leave behind friends and family that we love, to sell years worth of stuff we’ve accumulated, and to leave our comfortable American lives and to move ½ way across the world to share His name. Will we cling to the things of this world or relentlessly pursue Him and His purpose?
After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. (Revelation 7:9a)
Oh what a day that will be! :)
*For a more comical post, read below!*
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Christian Pick-Up Lines
A friend passed this on to me and I just had to share ... enjoy! :)
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Christian Pick-Up Lines
"Nice bible."
"Is this pew taken?"
"For you I would slay two Goliaths"
"I would go through more than Job for you"
"You are perfect, except with all the sin."
"The word says 'Give drink to those who are thirsty, and feed the hungry'; how about dinner?"
"I didn’t believe in predestination until tonight."
"I believe one of my ribs belongs to you."
"Now I know why Solomon had 700 wives... Because he never met you."
"Bathsheba had nothing on you"
"How would you like to join my Purpose Driven Life?"
"I really like your spirituality, it goes well with that shirt."
"Welcome to the Christian family... the only family where brothers and sisters can marry each other"
"Not a big fan of your last name, but that’s cool, I can change that."
"When I read Philippians 4:8, I think about you."
"You make me want to be a better Christian."
"I predicted David over Goliath... now I'm betting on you and me."
"I mentioned you in my testimony."
---
Christian Pick-Up Lines
"Nice bible."
"Is this pew taken?"
"For you I would slay two Goliaths"
"I would go through more than Job for you"
"You are perfect, except with all the sin."
"The word says 'Give drink to those who are thirsty, and feed the hungry'; how about dinner?"
"I didn’t believe in predestination until tonight."
"I believe one of my ribs belongs to you."
"Now I know why Solomon had 700 wives... Because he never met you."
"Bathsheba had nothing on you"
"How would you like to join my Purpose Driven Life?"
"I really like your spirituality, it goes well with that shirt."
"Welcome to the Christian family... the only family where brothers and sisters can marry each other"
"Not a big fan of your last name, but that’s cool, I can change that."
"When I read Philippians 4:8, I think about you."
"You make me want to be a better Christian."
"I predicted David over Goliath... now I'm betting on you and me."
"I mentioned you in my testimony."
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
When your heart's so full it could BURST!!
Yesterday was one of those days that turned out nothing like I thought it would when I got up ... it turned out so much better!! I got to have lunch with some people I thought I had said "see ya later" (not goodbye ... just see ya later) to back in July and got to help them get things for their upcoming trip.
2 of my favorite church peeps ...
Me & "Mom"
"Mom" and Flea
2 of my favorite church peeps ...
Me & "Mom"
"Mom" and Flea
So here's to you Flea ~ for inviting me to go with you, for telling your mom she had to let me off work, and for the good conversations we had.
And here's to you "Mom" ~ for answering my questions like "What are you feeling RIGHT NOW?", for singing Captivate Us with no music, for letting us tag-along as you shopped, and for sharing your birth story (haha!).
To both of you ~ for the times we just stopped in the middle of an aisle at Wal*Mart to talk (and laugh), knowing that the time together was special and to be treasured.
Love you both.
~ AJF
Monday, October 6, 2008
35 Things
35 Odd Things About Me You Probably Never Wanted to Know
1. Do you like blue cheese salad dressing? No
2. Do you own a gun? I live in Texas, what kind of question is that!?!
3. What's your favorite drink at Starbucks? Hot chocolate; I love the coffee shop atmosphere and the smells of all the freshly brewed coffee, but I absolutely cannot stand the taste of coffee!
4. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? Dr Pepper
5. Do you do pushups? Not in a while
6. What's your favorite piece of jewelry? Hmmm … don’t have one
7. Favorite hobby? Taking pictures
8. Do you have A.D.D? No
9. What's one trait that you hate about yourself? I’m way too hard on myself
10. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment: Should I go to grad school? Why do I currently feel unsettled? What is God up to?
11. Name 4 drinks you regularly drink. Dr Pepper, Cherry Coke, water, sweet tea
12. Current worry right now? I have a speech I have to videotape and mail by tomorrow … I haven’t even written it ;)
13. Current hate right now? Being sick
14. Favorite place to be? Colorado
15. Do you like to travel? Yes
16. What color shirt are you wearing? Grey
17. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? Yes
18. Can you whistle? Yep
19. Favorite color? Green
20. If you could would you be a pirate? No
21. What song do you sing in the shower? I typically just sing along with the radio, so whatever is on
22. Favorite girls name? Elizabeth
23. Favorite boy's name? Cade
24. What's in your pocket right now? Nothing
25. Favorite bedsheets as a child? Green and pink polka dot
26. Worst injury? I’ve been blessed – no serious injuries
27. Do you love where you live? At times, yes; at this moment … well, read #10.
28. How many TVs do you have in your house? 4
29. Who is your loudest friend? Not naming names ...
30. How many pets do you have? None
31. Does someone have a crush on you? Duh! (kidding … totally kidding!)
32. What is your Favorite Book? Bible – it’s the Living Word … what’s not to love?!
33. What's your favorite candy? Skittles
34. Favorite Sports Team? Don’t watch sports much besides my university’s team
35. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up? Is it really time to get up? (I’m so NOT a morning person!)
1. Do you like blue cheese salad dressing? No
2. Do you own a gun? I live in Texas, what kind of question is that!?!
3. What's your favorite drink at Starbucks? Hot chocolate; I love the coffee shop atmosphere and the smells of all the freshly brewed coffee, but I absolutely cannot stand the taste of coffee!
4. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? Dr Pepper
5. Do you do pushups? Not in a while
6. What's your favorite piece of jewelry? Hmmm … don’t have one
7. Favorite hobby? Taking pictures
8. Do you have A.D.D? No
9. What's one trait that you hate about yourself? I’m way too hard on myself
10. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment: Should I go to grad school? Why do I currently feel unsettled? What is God up to?
11. Name 4 drinks you regularly drink. Dr Pepper, Cherry Coke, water, sweet tea
12. Current worry right now? I have a speech I have to videotape and mail by tomorrow … I haven’t even written it ;)
13. Current hate right now? Being sick
14. Favorite place to be? Colorado
15. Do you like to travel? Yes
16. What color shirt are you wearing? Grey
17. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? Yes
18. Can you whistle? Yep
19. Favorite color? Green
20. If you could would you be a pirate? No
21. What song do you sing in the shower? I typically just sing along with the radio, so whatever is on
22. Favorite girls name? Elizabeth
23. Favorite boy's name? Cade
24. What's in your pocket right now? Nothing
25. Favorite bedsheets as a child? Green and pink polka dot
26. Worst injury? I’ve been blessed – no serious injuries
27. Do you love where you live? At times, yes; at this moment … well, read #10.
28. How many TVs do you have in your house? 4
29. Who is your loudest friend? Not naming names ...
30. How many pets do you have? None
31. Does someone have a crush on you? Duh! (kidding … totally kidding!)
32. What is your Favorite Book? Bible – it’s the Living Word … what’s not to love?!
33. What's your favorite candy? Skittles
34. Favorite Sports Team? Don’t watch sports much besides my university’s team
35. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up? Is it really time to get up? (I’m so NOT a morning person!)
Saturday, October 4, 2008
The Cry of My Heart
Give me a revelation
Show me what to do
'Cause I've been trying to find my way
I haven't got a clue
TELL ME SHOULD I STAY HERE
OR DO I NEED TO MOVE
Give me a revelation
I've got nothing without you
I've got nothing without you
- lyrics to Third Day's song "Revelation"
Show me what to do
'Cause I've been trying to find my way
I haven't got a clue
TELL ME SHOULD I STAY HERE
OR DO I NEED TO MOVE
Give me a revelation
I've got nothing without you
I've got nothing without you
- lyrics to Third Day's song "Revelation"
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Thanks Mom! :)
You just made my day.
Click HERE to read what my "adopted" mom said!
She speaks my love language well.
Click HERE to read what my "adopted" mom said!
She speaks my love language well.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Weekend Fun with my Best Friend
So I was supposed to go over to my best friend's house Saturday afternoon to watch a movie. Little did I know it would turn into nearly 8 HOURS of fun. I think the pictures can speak for themselves (that's code for I'm not telling the stories that go with them!).
Mud masks
And then there was a little 'playing dress-up' ...
For what it's worth ~ the dress wasn't that short when my arms weren't raised. (see previous picture)
The 3 of us ... my best friend's little sister, my best friend, and me ...
Most definitely the highlight of my weekend. :)
Friday, September 19, 2008
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Hurricane Ike
It's now day 4 without electricity. I'm back to work and school today and to be honest, I'm glad. At least we have lights here!
The Lord has been SO GOOD to us. He sent a cold front that put our temps in the low 70s yesterday afternoon and in the low 50s last night. This is truly unheard of for Texas in mid-September!!! Praise Him. It has made having no a/c bearable. (When I woke up chilly on Monday morning I had to strain to think where I was. It felt so much like a Colorado morning!)
My muscles are sore from all the cleanup, but I'm not complaining ... things could've been so much worse. We are all safe and our property sustained no serious damage. That's more than a lot of people can say.
So without further ado, here's some pics from Ike.
During the storm ...
The Lord has been SO GOOD to us. He sent a cold front that put our temps in the low 70s yesterday afternoon and in the low 50s last night. This is truly unheard of for Texas in mid-September!!! Praise Him. It has made having no a/c bearable. (When I woke up chilly on Monday morning I had to strain to think where I was. It felt so much like a Colorado morning!)
My muscles are sore from all the cleanup, but I'm not complaining ... things could've been so much worse. We are all safe and our property sustained no serious damage. That's more than a lot of people can say.
So without further ado, here's some pics from Ike.
During the storm ...
If you look closely, you can see the sheets of rain that we got. This was at the beginning of the storm (I know because there are so few limbs down in the yard!) Also, if you look at the top left you can see how the trees are getting pushed around by the wind.
The sky right before the worst of the storm hit.
If you look at the top right corner, you can see the trees bent over from the wind. We did get some serious gusts (not to mention the sustained winds)!
That poor tree. I sat in my parents' room at watched it go round and round all day Saturday. It's a miracle it didn't just snap off.
My Dad and I about to go out in the hurricane (much to the dismay of Mom). That was one of the best times of my life. Purely exhilarating!! You only live once, right?!?! ;)
I like hurricanes!
(I'm bummed that the rain didn't show up in this pic ... take my word for it -- it was raining!)
Excuse the hair ... I was in a hurricane though! There's also a downed tree behind me. I was pretending to be a Weather Woman -- "I'd say cloudy with a 100% chance of rain today. Back to you in the studio ..."
Damages around our house ...
This is our road.
A common sight - trees totally blown over (not snapped ... the whole trees (roots and all) are just laying on the ground.) This is me underneath the roots.
Damages around town ...
I'm pretty sure that's not supposed to be like that ...
Clean-up ...
My job ~ stomping on the limbs to fit more in the trailer. Then my dad and I would go dump it at the back of our property.
Me having a little fun while working. Just sitting on top of the limbs would be too easy. I decided it would be much more fun to surf on top while going down the bumpy pasture land. My mother didn't agree.
Helping clean up my grandparents' yard.Well there you have it ... a little taste of what I've been through the last 4 days.
On a random side note, I did my Bible Study on the front porch Saturday morning right before the storm hit. It had just started sprinkling and the wind was just starting to pick up. What a fun memory to have. I wrote in the margins of my book "Lesson done outside during Hurricane Ike - 9.13.08" :)
God is good.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Hurricane Update
Just stopping in to let yall know that I'm okay. We survived Ike! :)
Now the fun part begins ... the no-electricity adventure. When the last major storm hit in '06, we were without electricity for a week. This is the worst part - the hot and humid, can't do much aftermath of the storm.
Thanks for praying.
I'll have a great Hurricane Ike post when I get electricity back. I took lots of pictures and had so much fun playing in the storm. You only live once, right?? ;)
Now the fun part begins ... the no-electricity adventure. When the last major storm hit in '06, we were without electricity for a week. This is the worst part - the hot and humid, can't do much aftermath of the storm.
Thanks for praying.
I'll have a great Hurricane Ike post when I get electricity back. I took lots of pictures and had so much fun playing in the storm. You only live once, right?? ;)
Thursday, September 11, 2008
There's A Hurricane A Comin' ....
Y'all I am a total weather nerd and my God is about to show His power again.
Here comes Ike.
Please pray for those on the coast and those who will be affected by this storm.
The men were amazed and asked, "What kind of man is this [Jesus]? Even the winds and the waves obey him!"
~ Matthew 8:27
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Every Thought Captive
“Every thought captive” is a phrase that I tell myself a lot. As a Believer, I’m supposed to take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:25). That seems to be more and more of a challenge lately. Most of those thoughts that need to be taken captive revolve around future plans.
As most of you know, I’m set to graduate in May – as in 8 ½ months from now. I have no clue where I’ll be or what I’ll be doing a year from now. My heart is full of dreams and desires, from career goals to becoming a wife and mother (how GREAT is that going to be!!), but those have been placed at the feet of the One who knows the future and holds all things together. There is such peace when I rest in His plan. The Almighty One who set the stars in the sky and put the planets in their place knows ME. (Try to let that thought sink in … ) However, I don’t always experience that peace. When my eyes aren’t fixed on Him, or when I allow peoples’ seemingly never-ending questions to get to me, or I focus on the date on the calendar, where there was once peace, there is now panic. Believe me - that’s not a fun place to be! I would much rather rest in His presence. The fact is that He’s working … all the time. He has just chosen not to reveal the next step to me yet. However, in His time He will.
One huge lesson that I’ve learned over the past few months is that God does not work on my time schedule. If I could wrap my hard head around that and allow it to sink in, I’d be much better off! :) I can’t rush God. Satan would like nothing more than to use this situation to convince me that God’s not really working or doesn’t care. That couldn’t be farther from the truth. Psalm 40 has been one of my favorites this summer and I often say it to combat Satan’s lies. That Psalm starts out “I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.” (v 1-2).
I’ll close with this thought – it’s a struggle. Taking every thought captive isn’t easy and it certainly requires effort. Trust in Him today with your everything – with your hopes and dreams, with your plans, with your life, with your soul. He is passionately pursuing you. Can you say the same about how you’re pursing Him?
---
If any of this resonated with you, I’d love to hear from you! Please leave a comment.
As most of you know, I’m set to graduate in May – as in 8 ½ months from now. I have no clue where I’ll be or what I’ll be doing a year from now. My heart is full of dreams and desires, from career goals to becoming a wife and mother (how GREAT is that going to be!!), but those have been placed at the feet of the One who knows the future and holds all things together. There is such peace when I rest in His plan. The Almighty One who set the stars in the sky and put the planets in their place knows ME. (Try to let that thought sink in … ) However, I don’t always experience that peace. When my eyes aren’t fixed on Him, or when I allow peoples’ seemingly never-ending questions to get to me, or I focus on the date on the calendar, where there was once peace, there is now panic. Believe me - that’s not a fun place to be! I would much rather rest in His presence. The fact is that He’s working … all the time. He has just chosen not to reveal the next step to me yet. However, in His time He will.
One huge lesson that I’ve learned over the past few months is that God does not work on my time schedule. If I could wrap my hard head around that and allow it to sink in, I’d be much better off! :) I can’t rush God. Satan would like nothing more than to use this situation to convince me that God’s not really working or doesn’t care. That couldn’t be farther from the truth. Psalm 40 has been one of my favorites this summer and I often say it to combat Satan’s lies. That Psalm starts out “I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.” (v 1-2).
I’ll close with this thought – it’s a struggle. Taking every thought captive isn’t easy and it certainly requires effort. Trust in Him today with your everything – with your hopes and dreams, with your plans, with your life, with your soul. He is passionately pursuing you. Can you say the same about how you’re pursing Him?
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If any of this resonated with you, I’d love to hear from you! Please leave a comment.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Weekend Recap
I wish you all could see just how excited I am to write this post. I’ve read lots of your blogs where you post Weekend Recaps and I just love them. Generally speaking, though, my weekends aren’t anything really blog-worthy. Well that changed this weekend. As I was thinking back on the weekend and realized that I had indeed had a blog-worthy weekend, I was ecstatic! So without further ado …
Friday
Last Friday was my Friday off of work, so I went home at 11 once I was done with class. I got some work done and took a nice long 3 hour nap. I knew I would need that extra rest in order to enjoy myself Friday night (plus the first week back to school is always exhausting). The college group at church was having a movie/game night from 7:30-11:30 (yes … that’s p.m. ~ anyone who knows me knows that I don’t often stay out late … in fact, I’ve never even had a curfew – but that’s beside the point). I had invited a friend to go with me and she and I had an absolute blast. We played “murder in the dark” which is kinda like a mix of hide-and-go-seek and Mafia. Great fun! (Although I will admit a big church that was mostly dark can be a little scary!) Then around 10 we started the movie – Hoodwinked. One word: ha-larious! I laughed so hard. All in all, Friday night was great fun and I met lots of new people. It was my first act of obedience in reference to my new semester verse (Isaiah 43:18-19a).
Saturday
After getting to sleep sometime after 1 a.m. (too much excitement from the night before), I awoke early – we had hurricane preparation to do! Off to town we went for last minute necessities. Then it was back to the house to remove everything from the yard/porches that could potentially come flying through the windows. Saturday afternoon I headed off to the tailgate party and Saturday night was our first football game of the season. We won. Actually, we dominated. My best friend met me at the game so it was good to catch up with her while watching the game. After the game, it was back to the store for some forgotten items from that morning and to Sonic for a cherry coke (yum!).
Sunday
Act of obedience regarding semester verse #2 – I get myself up and go to Sunday School. Luckily I had a friend meeting me there so there was no “I’ll start going next Sunday …” under-the-covers conversation. (I speak from experience!) The Lord and I had a good long conversation about what I was about to do while I was getting ready. It’s weird how a silent house welcomes deep conversation with Christ. I told Him that I was praying in faith for Him to do “a new thing” like those verses talk about. If I had a penny for every time I quoted those verses to myself in the Sunday School hour I would be a rich girl. My best friend, who can read me like a book, knew I was nervous (and found humor in it), but she did her best to keep me talking (which I’m not quite sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing …) Anyway, Sunday morning was a success. I saw many of the same people from Friday night. I heard a phenomenal message, including a startling fact. The university I attend has enrollment somewhere around 12,000. Several churches called around getting the average Sunday School attendance of college students at every church in our town (regardless of denomination). On any given Sunday, there are around 400 college students in Sunday School … out of 12,000ish. Y’all that’s barely 3%. Wow! I was (and still am) shocked at that one.
Compared to the College Department, “big church” was nothing special. (Wow – I can’t believe I just typed those words …)
** Funny story – after church I talked to a friend of mine who is old enough to be my mother (truly … her son and I are 3 months apart) … anyway, she was asking if I had fun Friday night at church (her son was there too) and said that she was shocked that I was out of the house (she just loves to tease me). Then she admired my new look and asks “What is up with you, girl?” Here’s a piece of the conversation that took place after that:
Her: I didn’t see you when I came to sit down.
Me: Sunday School ran late.
Her: Blank stare – trying to figure out if I’m kidding or not.
Me: Yes … be shocked.
Her: Let me get this straight – you went out on Friday night AND you went to Sunday School this morning?
Me: Yes AND I went to the football game last night.
Her: (practically yelling) ARE YOU ON DRUGS????
Hahaha! I assured her I was not but that I was making some big changes this semester.
---
Sunday afternoon my parents and I went out to see my sister, brother-in-law, nephew, and niece. It was a good visit and the kiddos sure enjoyed having us play at their house.
Monday
Pretty much just a lazy day. I did some school work, but honestly wasn’t too antsy to do it, because I just knew school would be cancelled today (Tuesday) due to the hurricane. WRONG! Bummer.
I watched a movie and just enjoyed my last vacation day until Thanksgiving Break.
All in all, it was a great weekend - had lots of fun, made some memories, and above all, was obedient to Him when everything within me wanted me to dwell on the past and remember the former things.
Friday
Last Friday was my Friday off of work, so I went home at 11 once I was done with class. I got some work done and took a nice long 3 hour nap. I knew I would need that extra rest in order to enjoy myself Friday night (plus the first week back to school is always exhausting). The college group at church was having a movie/game night from 7:30-11:30 (yes … that’s p.m. ~ anyone who knows me knows that I don’t often stay out late … in fact, I’ve never even had a curfew – but that’s beside the point). I had invited a friend to go with me and she and I had an absolute blast. We played “murder in the dark” which is kinda like a mix of hide-and-go-seek and Mafia. Great fun! (Although I will admit a big church that was mostly dark can be a little scary!) Then around 10 we started the movie – Hoodwinked. One word: ha-larious! I laughed so hard. All in all, Friday night was great fun and I met lots of new people. It was my first act of obedience in reference to my new semester verse (Isaiah 43:18-19a).
Saturday
After getting to sleep sometime after 1 a.m. (too much excitement from the night before), I awoke early – we had hurricane preparation to do! Off to town we went for last minute necessities. Then it was back to the house to remove everything from the yard/porches that could potentially come flying through the windows. Saturday afternoon I headed off to the tailgate party and Saturday night was our first football game of the season. We won. Actually, we dominated. My best friend met me at the game so it was good to catch up with her while watching the game. After the game, it was back to the store for some forgotten items from that morning and to Sonic for a cherry coke (yum!).
Sunday
Act of obedience regarding semester verse #2 – I get myself up and go to Sunday School. Luckily I had a friend meeting me there so there was no “I’ll start going next Sunday …” under-the-covers conversation. (I speak from experience!) The Lord and I had a good long conversation about what I was about to do while I was getting ready. It’s weird how a silent house welcomes deep conversation with Christ. I told Him that I was praying in faith for Him to do “a new thing” like those verses talk about. If I had a penny for every time I quoted those verses to myself in the Sunday School hour I would be a rich girl. My best friend, who can read me like a book, knew I was nervous (and found humor in it), but she did her best to keep me talking (which I’m not quite sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing …) Anyway, Sunday morning was a success. I saw many of the same people from Friday night. I heard a phenomenal message, including a startling fact. The university I attend has enrollment somewhere around 12,000. Several churches called around getting the average Sunday School attendance of college students at every church in our town (regardless of denomination). On any given Sunday, there are around 400 college students in Sunday School … out of 12,000ish. Y’all that’s barely 3%. Wow! I was (and still am) shocked at that one.
Compared to the College Department, “big church” was nothing special. (Wow – I can’t believe I just typed those words …)
** Funny story – after church I talked to a friend of mine who is old enough to be my mother (truly … her son and I are 3 months apart) … anyway, she was asking if I had fun Friday night at church (her son was there too) and said that she was shocked that I was out of the house (she just loves to tease me). Then she admired my new look and asks “What is up with you, girl?” Here’s a piece of the conversation that took place after that:
Her: I didn’t see you when I came to sit down.
Me: Sunday School ran late.
Her: Blank stare – trying to figure out if I’m kidding or not.
Me: Yes … be shocked.
Her: Let me get this straight – you went out on Friday night AND you went to Sunday School this morning?
Me: Yes AND I went to the football game last night.
Her: (practically yelling) ARE YOU ON DRUGS????
Hahaha! I assured her I was not but that I was making some big changes this semester.
---
Sunday afternoon my parents and I went out to see my sister, brother-in-law, nephew, and niece. It was a good visit and the kiddos sure enjoyed having us play at their house.
Monday
Pretty much just a lazy day. I did some school work, but honestly wasn’t too antsy to do it, because I just knew school would be cancelled today (Tuesday) due to the hurricane. WRONG! Bummer.
I watched a movie and just enjoyed my last vacation day until Thanksgiving Break.
All in all, it was a great weekend - had lots of fun, made some memories, and above all, was obedient to Him when everything within me wanted me to dwell on the past and remember the former things.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
So This Got Me Thinking ....
I read this (you really should read it ... it's short I promise!) article today and it really got me thinking ~ How many of the people who have had a great spiritual impact on my life were "in ministry"?
When I think about those who've impacted me greatly, 2 former minister's wives come to mind, along with a former youth worker (a parent). My list is short, but I don't mind. The wealth of knowledge and compassion and love those three ladies have poured into me is simply phenomenal. Even though I no longer live in the same town as 2 of the 3, we still keep in touch. I think it says something when you can keep in regular contact with former ministers' families who are no longer serving at your church.
Who has greatly impacted your spiritual life? Were they "in the ministry"?
When I think about those who've impacted me greatly, 2 former minister's wives come to mind, along with a former youth worker (a parent). My list is short, but I don't mind. The wealth of knowledge and compassion and love those three ladies have poured into me is simply phenomenal. Even though I no longer live in the same town as 2 of the 3, we still keep in touch. I think it says something when you can keep in regular contact with former ministers' families who are no longer serving at your church.
Who has greatly impacted your spiritual life? Were they "in the ministry"?
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
WOOHOO!!
Yay for a fresh new look for Absolutely His.
Thanks to The Blog Fairy for this gift (and setting it up!)!!
**EDIT: IT'S 11:20 A.M ON 8/27 -- THE BLOG FAIRY IS GIVING AWAY 2 MORE LAYOUTS ... CLICK ON THE LINK ABOVE TO SEE IF YOU CAN GET ONE OF THEM!! :) **
Thanks to The Blog Fairy for this gift (and setting it up!)!!
**EDIT: IT'S 11:20 A.M ON 8/27 -- THE BLOG FAIRY IS GIVING AWAY 2 MORE LAYOUTS ... CLICK ON THE LINK ABOVE TO SEE IF YOU CAN GET ONE OF THEM!! :) **
Sunday, August 24, 2008
I'm Not A Kid Anymore
I am not a kid anymore.
I am not a kid anymore.
I am not a kid anymore.
Now if only I could get that concept through my head when it comes to taking on leadership positions.
----
Let me back up …
The church I attend has a WMU (Women’s Missionary Union) group. There are 5 faithful attendees (including the leader). {I have several theories as to why that is, but I won’t go into that.} Anyway, the WMU leader has been in charge for many years; however, she and her husband are moving 2 states away. So there is a vacancy for a WMU president.
At home, I (jokingly) call our once-a-month meetings “The 70+ Club” because 3 out of the 5 people who go fit into that age range. I guess I could call it the 50+ club because that would encompass everyone except yours truly.
About three months ago, our president announced that she would be moving and that we should start praying for someone to take over her responsibilities. The other 3 ladies were just distraught because none of them had the time/were in good enough health to take over her job, but the idea of seeing this ministry die was just heartbreaking.
So I started praying and it was then that I felt like an invitation was extended. It wasn’t a command to do it, but more of an invitation. So my prayers changed from Lord, please send someone. to Lord, do you want ME to do this????
My initial reaction to this invitation – God, you know I’m a “behind the scenes” kind of person. Are you sure you want to invite ME to do this? Surely there’s someone else more qualified.
Up to this point, I hadn’t said anything to my parents about the fact that I was even praying about taking over WMU. One evening, my dad and I were talking and the conversation went something like this ~
Me: “It would hurt so bad to see WMU just die at our church.”
Him: “I think you should lead it.”
Me: “What? I can’t do that!”
Him: “Why not?”
Me: “Well for one, I’m graduating in less than a year.”
Him: “So. Pour yourself into it for a year and then pray for God to raise up someone else to take over when you leave.”
Me: “Hmmm …. I guess the thing I struggle with the most is that I still just see myself as a kid. I can’t take on a leadership position in a ministry at church. I’m too young.”
Him: (Giving me the look that says “You know what the Bible has to say about that!”) “One work: baloney. Ash, you’re not a kid anymore.”
----
Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity.
~ 1 Timothy 4:12
That’s a verse I clung to during my high school ministry days and it’s one that I stand by now in my college ministry days.
----
So, 2 weeks ago I made a deal with God (ha!). If He wanted me to do this, the job vacancy would still have to be there when we met last Thursday. I was basically giving Him 2 weeks to find someone else to do it! Well, at the meeting the director announced that no one had volunteered to take over the ministry, so we needed to keep praying. Until someone volunteered, there would be no more meetings. It was then, that I got the “DO IT!” push. It changed from an invitation to a command (although the choice to disobey was still there … that’s the essence of the free-will God gives us).
The WMU ministry of the church I attend now has a 19 year old president. I’m pretty sure that’s a first for our church. :)
I’m excited about this new year. I’m planning on shaking some things up (I guess I’ll see if I’m trying to light wet wood). I’m going to be intentional about targeting actions towards some of the theories I have as to why a church with several hundred people in attendance every Sunday and a Great Commission push from the pulpit has 5 people in WMU. I’m going to give it my all and leave the results up to God. I’m sure I’ll be stretched and pulled as a result of this leadership position.
May it all be for His glory!
I am not a kid anymore.
I am not a kid anymore.
Now if only I could get that concept through my head when it comes to taking on leadership positions.
----
Let me back up …
The church I attend has a WMU (Women’s Missionary Union) group. There are 5 faithful attendees (including the leader). {I have several theories as to why that is, but I won’t go into that.} Anyway, the WMU leader has been in charge for many years; however, she and her husband are moving 2 states away. So there is a vacancy for a WMU president.
At home, I (jokingly) call our once-a-month meetings “The 70+ Club” because 3 out of the 5 people who go fit into that age range. I guess I could call it the 50+ club because that would encompass everyone except yours truly.
About three months ago, our president announced that she would be moving and that we should start praying for someone to take over her responsibilities. The other 3 ladies were just distraught because none of them had the time/were in good enough health to take over her job, but the idea of seeing this ministry die was just heartbreaking.
So I started praying and it was then that I felt like an invitation was extended. It wasn’t a command to do it, but more of an invitation. So my prayers changed from Lord, please send someone. to Lord, do you want ME to do this????
My initial reaction to this invitation – God, you know I’m a “behind the scenes” kind of person. Are you sure you want to invite ME to do this? Surely there’s someone else more qualified.
Up to this point, I hadn’t said anything to my parents about the fact that I was even praying about taking over WMU. One evening, my dad and I were talking and the conversation went something like this ~
Me: “It would hurt so bad to see WMU just die at our church.”
Him: “I think you should lead it.”
Me: “What? I can’t do that!”
Him: “Why not?”
Me: “Well for one, I’m graduating in less than a year.”
Him: “So. Pour yourself into it for a year and then pray for God to raise up someone else to take over when you leave.”
Me: “Hmmm …. I guess the thing I struggle with the most is that I still just see myself as a kid. I can’t take on a leadership position in a ministry at church. I’m too young.”
Him: (Giving me the look that says “You know what the Bible has to say about that!”) “One work: baloney. Ash, you’re not a kid anymore.”
----
Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity.
~ 1 Timothy 4:12
That’s a verse I clung to during my high school ministry days and it’s one that I stand by now in my college ministry days.
----
So, 2 weeks ago I made a deal with God (ha!). If He wanted me to do this, the job vacancy would still have to be there when we met last Thursday. I was basically giving Him 2 weeks to find someone else to do it! Well, at the meeting the director announced that no one had volunteered to take over the ministry, so we needed to keep praying. Until someone volunteered, there would be no more meetings. It was then, that I got the “DO IT!” push. It changed from an invitation to a command (although the choice to disobey was still there … that’s the essence of the free-will God gives us).
The WMU ministry of the church I attend now has a 19 year old president. I’m pretty sure that’s a first for our church. :)
I’m excited about this new year. I’m planning on shaking some things up (I guess I’ll see if I’m trying to light wet wood). I’m going to be intentional about targeting actions towards some of the theories I have as to why a church with several hundred people in attendance every Sunday and a Great Commission push from the pulpit has 5 people in WMU. I’m going to give it my all and leave the results up to God. I’m sure I’ll be stretched and pulled as a result of this leadership position.
May it all be for His glory!
Friday, August 22, 2008
Randomness
- Today is my last day of summer vacation ever. (Well at least for my undergraduate career).
- All the "lasts" I've been experiencing (last summer to take classes, last time to deal with the Scholarship office, (hopefully) last time to train a new worker at work, etc.) make the dream of graduation seem a little more "real." Weird.
- I spent nearly $700 on textbooks. Gosh I love buying books. :(
- I can't believe my 2 weeks of summer vacation is over. I've gone into work a couple of days. I've spent extra time with family. I've gone out with friends. I've worked on a class. I've slept till noon. All in all, it's been great!!
- I didn't accomplish either of the 2 goals I had for the time off: 1) to scrapbook my pics from the summer and 2) to finish the class I'm working on. Oh well! ;)
- Campus is crazy busy now. Move-in started yesterday. The streets in town are packed, people are everywhere, and there's lots of excitement all around.
- I was asked at least 5 times yesterday if I was a Freshman. Imagine the shocked looks I got when I said, "Nope, I'm a senior."
- I can count the number of classes I have left on MY HANDS! Woohoo!
- I'm looking forward to the new semester. I love the excitement that comes with new classes, new syllabi, new professors, etc.
- I've found my "Semester Verse" ~ Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! (Isaiah 43:18-19a NIV)
- I've taken on a leadership position in a ministry at church. *Gulp.*
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Friday, August 15, 2008
Back for less than a week ...
... and I already got a blog award!!
Here's what was said about me ...
Ashley (because any college-age girl with a heart for God like hers is definitely Brillante!)
Thanks Fuschia! :)
Symptoms of Inner Peace
I was clearing out some old files and came across this article. Enjoy!
---
Symptoms of Inner Peace
by Saskia Davis
Be on the lookout for symptoms of inner peace!
The hearts of a great many have already been expose to inner peace and it is possible that people everywhere could come down with it in epidemic proportions. This could pose a serious threat to what has, up to now, been a fairly stable condition of conflict in the world.
Some signs and symptoms of inner peace:
· A tendency to think and act spontaneously rather than on fears based on past experiences.
· An unmistakable ability to enjoy each moment.
· A loss of interest in judging other people.
· A loss of interest in judging self.
· A loss of interest in interpreting the actions of others.
· A loss of interest in conflict.
· A loss of the ability to worry. (This is a very serious symptom.)
· Frequent, overwhelming episodes of appreciation.
· Contented feelings of connectedness with others and nature.
· Frequent attacks of smiling.
· An increasing tendency to let things happen rather than (try to) make them happen.
· An increased susceptibility to the love extended by others as well as the uncontrollable urge to extend it.
WARNING:If you have some or all of the above symptoms, please be advised that your condition of inner peace may be so far advanced as to not be curable. If you are exposed to anyone exhibiting any of these symptoms, remain exposed only at your own risk.
---
Symptoms of Inner Peace
by Saskia Davis
Be on the lookout for symptoms of inner peace!
The hearts of a great many have already been expose to inner peace and it is possible that people everywhere could come down with it in epidemic proportions. This could pose a serious threat to what has, up to now, been a fairly stable condition of conflict in the world.
Some signs and symptoms of inner peace:
· A tendency to think and act spontaneously rather than on fears based on past experiences.
· An unmistakable ability to enjoy each moment.
· A loss of interest in judging other people.
· A loss of interest in judging self.
· A loss of interest in interpreting the actions of others.
· A loss of interest in conflict.
· A loss of the ability to worry. (This is a very serious symptom.)
· Frequent, overwhelming episodes of appreciation.
· Contented feelings of connectedness with others and nature.
· Frequent attacks of smiling.
· An increasing tendency to let things happen rather than (try to) make them happen.
· An increased susceptibility to the love extended by others as well as the uncontrollable urge to extend it.
WARNING:If you have some or all of the above symptoms, please be advised that your condition of inner peace may be so far advanced as to not be curable. If you are exposed to anyone exhibiting any of these symptoms, remain exposed only at your own risk.
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