Forrest, I just wanted to tell you I love you...

My fam loves to quote movies.  Someone will randomly throw out a line of a movie in regular conversation & get everyone else to guess what movie it is from.  We love that game.  (It ranks right up there with guess that song.)  On my way home from church tonight this line kept creeping into my mind.  I was praying about some things on my heart & this is the line that I heard:  "Forrest, I just wanted to tell you I love you..."

Um, ok, thanks God.  I know you love me.  But then I heard, have you told others how much you love them.  Well, I show them I love them.  No, He said, that's not what I'm talking about, have you said it with your mouth.  Have you uttered the words I love you?  But they already know, I told God.  He told me to say it again.  Thank you God for the reminder, just as I want it said to me, I must say it to others...so here goes.  :)

To my family, I love you.  I love the way you make me laugh.  I love the what I see God calling you to be.  You are inspiring to me.  I'm so blessed that God put you in my life.  You are treasures and am so blessed to be part of our family, but I refuse to wear orange, it is not in my color wheel....  Movie, anyone?  Love you guys!

HK leaders & SideKicks, I love you.  Your dedication & faithful service to Jesus to impact the next generation is amazing.  You show the living Christ to kids and are willing to be His hands and feet.  I love serving with y'all & I love sharing my life with you.  HKSK, y'all rock!  To be your age & already feel God's call on your life, wow how incredible that you are willing to answer the call!  My prayer is that you follow Him always.

All my EL classmates...y'all are a bunch of crazy Jesus freaks & I love you!!!  Being with you on Thursday nights makes my week complete.  God is so good & knew I needed you. 

Amy J & Dillian J, thank you for looking into my heart & speaking truth into it no matter what I want to hear.  (and for making me cry on more than one occasion.)  I love for you pushing me out of my comfort zone & making me stretch in my service to Jesus.

To all my VH friends, I love you.  You have stood by me in good times & bad.  Through the years we have shared many things, and I can't wait to see what the future holds.

I know I'm leaving out people, so if I am, know I love you.  I'm sure I'll dream about everyone I've left out...I'm a little weird like that.  :) 

Have you told others that you love them?  Don't wait to tell them.  It will make them feel good, and make you feel the peace of God in your heart. 

In Him,
~ashley

Legacy

The way God works is so amazing to me.  I will have lots different things happen in the course of a day that I may think are not related, but God shows me His single strand that holds them all together.

This morning as I was reading in the one year bible, I was getting distracted.  The first reading was from 1 Chronicles 2:18-4:4.  This passage is all about linage.  Who was the father of so-and-so, who was born of whom...it can get boring.  (especially if you can't pronounce half the names correctly.)  I started thinking that I really need one huge gigantic family tree, that would really have helped me a lot.  What God planted on my heart was not the names but the legacy they left.  The legacy through:  who and how they worshipped; their family; and their service.

Later this morning I was privileged to stand by a sweet friend and sister-in-Christ as she said her earthly goodbyes to her loving grandfather.  Her PawPaw's pastor talked about legacy.  (coincidence...I think not!)  Her PawPaw left a wonderful legacy.  He loved Jesus and showed it through his actions and words; he showed his family he loved them by the kind of man he was; and he served his country in World War II and then served his church faithfully for many decades.  Legacy....

I love the song Legacy by Nichole Nordeman.  It's not anything about me that creates my legacy.  It's about who I am in Christ and what I do with it.  Did I share Him with others or horde him?  Do others see my love for Him or love for myself?  Do I give His love freely away or make people try to earn it?  There are so many ways to carry out the sharing and love of Christ, and each one of those leaves a legacy.  A marking through time where you can see God smiling and saying:  "good job y'all, you made me proud today".  What will my legacy be?  When it is time for me to leave my earthly home, what will others say about me?

                                 I know I want to leave a legacy, what about you?

Dearest Jesus, You showed me what legacy is.  You left Your mark on this earth through your love of God the father and people.  Help me to love like You do.  Help me to not grow tired of doing what is right.  May my words be life-giving, my hands be uplifted in praise, and the words of my mouth praise and share Your name with others.  My want is for all of this to bring you honor and glory forever.  May this become my legacy.  In Jesus name, ~Amen

I will not be Afraid

God did not give us a spirit of fear,
but one of love, power and a sound mind

2 Timothy 1:7

Fear....  There are times I wonder:  am I the only one who has it; am I the only one who can be paralyzed by it? 

When Paul wrote his last letter to Timothy, he was in jail and alone.  The emperor Nero was in power, and was notorious in his hatred and persecution of Christians.  Paul was telling his friend Timothy not to be paralyzed by fear.  Paul was telling Timothy to use everything God placed within him to share the gospel:  love:  we are called to love God & love people; power:  it comes directly from God and is something we don't have by ourselves; a sound mind:  it says we are clear headed and focused on what God has called us to do.

I am willing to bet that we all have fears.  What do you do when  you are afraid?

True story:
A few weeks ago my daughter was learning to do a back flip off of the high board for a dive meet.  The high board is 3 meters or 10 feet off the water.  From the pool deck it doesn't look that high, but when you're the one standing on the board, 10 feet is pretty high.  She was afraid.  Her legs were shaking, teeth chattering, tears running down her face.  "I'm afraid" she kept saying.  "I don't want to splat I know it will hurt". 

I told her to push through her fear & to be courageous.  We shouted out 2 Timothy 1:7 and claimed it over her fear.  I'm happy to say she learned her back flip, and now has no fear of doing it.

When Elizabeth was standing on the board she was focused on her fear, and couldn't see past it.  It paralyzed her so she couldn't move forward.  Fear stops us where we are.  It takes courage to push through our fears.  God tells us to be strong and courageous. (Deuteronomy 31:6)  When you find yourself in the grips of fear and need courage, look up and fall into the loving hands of God.  You fall into Him by:  prayer; reading your bible; using resources like biblegateway.com;  talking to your parents, pastors, and other adults you trust.  You don't have to face your fears alone!  Jesus has already made a way for you to live free in His name!  Amen!

Loving the Gift

I was reading an online devotion this morning that I receive via email, and it was very timely for me.  The author spoke about our different spiritual giftings.  She had a hard time accepting the spiritual gift God had given her.  She felt it wasn't important enough.  There was a time I felt the same way.  Then I read 1 Corinthians 12  because it is God explaining how each gift He gives is important, even if we don't think it is. 

I wanted to be a person who revealed God's truths to people.  I wanted them to be able to feel God's love through my words.  I wanted...do you see the problem here?  It's me.  God didn't call me to do those things.  He called me to love kids.  He called me to get so excited when a child made the connection of God's love for them and their need for a savior.  He called me to hurt when they hurt and rejoice when they rejoice.  What greater gift for me could there be?

What did He gift you with?  Do you know  your spiritual gifts?  We all have them.  If you don't know yours, I want to encourage you to find out what it is.  Once you find it out, thank God for your gift & chase it with reckless abandon.  God will fill you with more joy when you're doing His work with the gifts He has given you.

Dear Jesus, thank you for your gifts.  I love the way you have made us all different, and given us a desire to work for your kingdom.  I thank you that even in things we may not see as important, You say they are and find value in everything done for Your church.  Help us discover our purpose and embrace it.  Jesus, you are a wonderful savior, and we want to serve you and be difference makers for our generation and the ones to come.  Thank You for everything You are!  In your name I pray, Amen

In Him,
~ashley

The Great I AM

I love to listen to worship music.  When I can sing to the Lord I feel a peace flow through my spirit.  Last night at church we sang a great song.  It's called 'Great I Am' by New Life Worship.  I started thinking about what it means when we say God is the great I Am.  Where in the world did they get I Am? 

The name I AM is first seen in Exodus 3:14.  The bush is burning, God has informed Moses of his mission to set the Israelites free from the bondage of slavery, but Moses has a few questions.  Questions about himself, the mission, and what to say when the all important question is asked:  "...Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?'  Then what shall I tell them?"  (Exodus 3:13)  God tells him to say to the Israelites:  "...I AM has sent me to you." 

Why I AM?   I AM is the Hebrew word that we get Yahweh from.  (You will also see it written as YHWH.)  Another name of Yahweh is Jehovah.  These names were, to the Jewish people, to sacred to be said out loud, so they called the Lord the I AM. 

OK, so I AM what?  I think they call the Lord the I AM because He is everything.  Do you need a friend?  Jehovah-Shammah.  Do you need peace in your life?  Jehovah-Shalom.  Healing?  Jahovah-Rapha.  Protection?  Jehovah-Rohi.  Someone to fight for you?  Jehovah-Saboath.  An encounter?  Immanuel.  Righteousness?  Jehovah-Tsidkenu.  These are just a few of the names of God.  He has so many names because He is everything we need.   I am thankful God is bigger than what I alone imagine Him to be.  I'm thankful He reveals Himself in these different ways, because we all have different needs.  He is I AM!

Lord, thank you for not leaving us alone to fend for ourselves.  Thank you for being I AM.  Thank you for Immanuel, God with us, Jesus.  Lord  you are our everything, and I praise your name!  Lord, when I call on You, I have confidence that You hear me.  You know what I need before I ask.  Lord I rest in You, and want You with me always to guide me in this life.  I love you Lord, my I AM.  In Jesus name, ~Amen.

In Him,
~ashley

Follow Through

Have you ever been a situation that you needed someone to pull their weight with a project, or they promised you something & then didn't follow through?  One of the things that drives me crazy is people who say they will do something and then don't do it.  Something has happened to me recently to see what God says about it, because both sides of this coin are very important.

If you are the person who has said you will do something, do it.  It doesn't matter what it is.  Be trustworthy.  I went to one of my favorite websites, biblegateway.com, and looked up trustworthy.  The first time that word is used is in the book of Exodus.  God had saved the Israelites from Egypt, and Moses' father-in-law, Jethro came out to meet him at the base of God's mountain.  Moses was do everything himself and not letting anyone help him.  Read what Jethro tells Moses in Exodus 18:20-22, about finding people to help him: 
"Teach them his decrees and instructions, and show them the way they are to live and how they are to behave. But select capable men from all the people—men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain—and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you."

We were not meant to do life on our own.  When we choose to do it by ourselves, we are robbing others of God's blessings.  This is a very hard concept for me.  I have been left holding the bag when others don't do what they said they would do.  But, like Jethro tells Moses I need to pray for wisdom in choosing those who will be sharing my burden, because the load will be made lighter.

On the flip-side, if I am the person who says I will do something, I need to make sure I understand what is required of me, and do it.  When I decide not to follow through several things happen:  1.  People know I can not be trusted to do what I say; 2.  I will not be asked to handle bigger responsibilities, and grow my relationships with my fellow man and God; 3.  I can ruin my testimony of Christ.  Of all the consequences, ruining my testimony for Jesus is the worst.  If someone can't trust me in the little things, how can I be trusted with something bigger?  It doesn't matter how small that responsibility is to you, because it matters to someone who is counting on you. 

Lord Jesus, You had the ultimate follow through.  You could have decided not to die for me on the cross, but You finished the job so thoroughly and have allowed me to approach your throne.  Thank you for Your example.  Help me to be willing to trust my fellow man and when it's my turn to be trustworthy, let me follow Your lead and do it for Your glory.  Thank you Jesus for all You have done for me.  You are my precious Lord.  Guide me in all I do.  In Your name, Amen

In Him,
~ashley

A Light in the Darkness

I don't like walking around when it's dark.  I hear creaks and bumps in my house & I'll rush to turn on the light.  If I'm outside I feel like I'm being watched.  It's creepy.
Have you ever wondered why we feel more comfortable during the daylight instead of the darkness?

In the light it is easier to see where you're going.  In the light nothing is hidden.  The light gives us security the darkness tries to take away.

The bible talks a lot about light and darkness.  As Christians we are told to walk in the light.  To not know Jesus is to be living in darkness.  1 Thessalonians 5:5 says:  " You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness." 

We were not supposed to be bothered by darkness.  When satan decided to do his own thing when he was in heaven is when the trouble started. I think that's what boggles my mind more than anything.  He was the most beautiful angel in heaven.  He was put in charge of worship, and I would imagine he hung out with God a lot.  His one major problem is that he wanted to be God.

In the book of Revelation it talks about the light coming from heaven as shadowless.  Meaning this light shines in all directions, and permiates everything. The light is God's holiness shining.  Can you imagine a shadowless light, it is hard for me to.

I want to be a child of light.  I want the light of Christ to shine through me.  I want people to not see me, but see Christ in me, and I want to help show other the miracle of Easter.

Lord Jesus, I love you and want to follow you.  I want to shine your light in the darkness of this world.  Use me Father to be a difference maker for your kingdom.  Draw me close to you and shine Your light in the dark places in my life.  Help me be a child of the light. I am so thankful for all my many blessings!  In Jesus name I pray, ~Amen