Seasons of Life

Next Wednesday starts the most holy time of the year for Christians.  We begin the season of Lent.  Lent is the time between Ash Wednesday and the Saturday before Easter.  It lasts for 40 day, excluding Sundays, and it represents the 40 days Jesus fasted, prayed, and was tempted in the wilderness.  (Matthew 4:1-3; Luke 4:1-3)

As I was reading & studying what Lent is, I found it odd how some sites defined what it is.  They said Lent is a time to:  "reflect on the significance of Christ’s death, examine our hearts, and confess our sins. It can be a time of spiritual cleansing and renewal."  (http://reflections.cyberpastor.net/bible/what-is-lent/0)  Another site said it is a time of moderation. 

I had to ask myself one main question.  Why do they say Lent is the time to focus on these things?  In my opinion, it's not meant to be confined to one time of year.  It should be joy to:  focus on Christ's death, examine my heart, confess my sins, and practice what they are calling moderation.  Doing what God has called me to do is not a burden.  If it ever becomes a burden, it is my responsibility to ask God to show me the areas in my life I'm not living within His will.  Once He shows me my sins, I confess them.  It's all for my benefit. 

During this season of Lent, I will focus on the wonderful gift Christ is.  I will focus on what each part of what He went through means for me, because each part of His torture, cruxifiction, and resurrection have specific meanings and promises for every Christian.  One prayer I have for myself and for you is that we will not confine what we do during Lent to the 40 days before Easter.  We are Easter people because Christ is risen, and we are Easter people all year long, not just 40 days during the year. 

I'm including a recipe for Resurrection Cookies.  If you've never made them before it's a lot of fun.  It takes a little time, but really worth it.  You make them the Saturday night before Easter Sunday, and they will be ready Easter.  Just follow the directions, it's easy.

Live in Christ and live free.  Easter is a time where we remember who we are and who we live for.  We are made alive in Christ.

In Him,
~ashley

Listening to the Music

First, I want to put a few disclaimers in before this week's devotion.
1.  I wish I could say I have the entire bible memorized, but I don't.  I love reading & studying the bible, and I know where a lot of scriptures are, but I also use a wonderful website called Biblegateway.com.  You have the bible at the tips of your fingers!  On the left side of the blog you will see a link.  Very cool site!
2.  When I get excited about things I will talk and talk and talk, or in this case write, and write, and write.  If I get long winded, please excuse me.  It's just that I'm passionate about things.  I'm working on being shorter and to the point.
3.  The bible is God's love letter to us.  To not read/study/cherish it is to tell God is love letter is not worth our time.  Like any person who sends a letter, He wants you to be excited to read it, and reread it often.  He wants it to be yellowed with constant use.

Whew, I feel better having said those few things...now, onto the devotion.  :)

I love music.  All different types too.  You know when you hear a song that you love it just makes you feel like you can fly.  I like to turn my speakers up loud & sing.  (I have to turn them up loud because I am going to have to wait until I get to heaven to get my perfected singing voice.)

For as much as I love music, I dislike commercials.  Especially on the radio.  A lot of times when a commercial comes on I will start to press the seek button on my radio.  (This mostly happens in the car, of which I spend a lot of time. :/)

A few weeks ago when I was flipping I came to a radio station & the song Grenade was playing & it says:

Gave you all I had and you tossed it in the trash.  

Tossed in the trash, yes you did. 

To give me all your love is all I'd ever ask.  

Cause, what you don't understand... is I'd catch a grenade for 'ya.  

Throw my hand on a blade for 'ya.  

Jump in front of a train for 'ya.  You know I'd do anything for 'ya.  

I would go through all this pain, take a bullet straight through my brain. 

Yes, I would die for you baby, but you won't do the same."  

For some reason, as I was listening to this song, I thought of Jesus.

I know that it may seem weird that Jesus would come to mind, but He did.  I started thinking of all the things He has done for me; what He went through for me, so I could talk to Him and He can be my best friend.  I know we talk about it, but have you ever really stopped and thought about what He went through?  The emotional and physical pain.  It's sobering.  All he has ever asked for is our love. He put aside all the glory of heaven, was born as a human baby, lived a complete human life, was beaten, bruised, and hung on a cross just so I won't be separated from Him. (Philippians 2:5:11)  And all he wants is my love?  WOW!  I know I'm getting the good part of this, but how many times have I taken the love He has offered and thrown it back in His face?  Every time I sin that is what I do...but, He is so wonderful!  Christ came and He forgives because He wants us all to be saved.  (John 3:16-17)  His love always brings me back. (Romans 2:4b; 2 Cor. 7:10)

Christ's love is the music of our spirit.  He wants you to turn Him up LOUD & SING with everything you have.  Christ wants you to love; hang-out with; talk to; worship; praise; and need Him.  He wants to be everything to you.  When you allow Him to be your everything, and you are listening to His song over your life, you will find there is no sweeter sound.


Tell someone about Jesus!  Tell them that if God had a refrigerator, their picture would be on it.  (That always makes me smile.)  Tell them that He already did everything for them, and all we need to do is ask Him to come into our lives and live in our hearts.  He wants all we are.  Listen for Christ's song over you this week.  Write down all the ways He has blessed you.  And don't forget to tell Him thank you for all He has done, is doing, and will do for you!


In Him,
~Ashley

Speaking and Beliving

Did you know that for every negative comment you say about someone (or yourself) it takes 10 positive ones to counteract it?  That's psychology 101, but more importantly it's bible 101 as well.  I do want to clarify a little between hurtful speech and constructive criticism.  Constructive criticism has your best interest at heart, and is done in a spirit of love.  (Hebrews 12:5-6; )  Hurtful speech is done to intentionally hurt you (Psalm 52:2; Proverbs 6:16-19; James 3:6) 

Why do we listen to the bad?  Why do we let the hurtful things play over and over in our minds.  We listen to the lies that are whispered in our ears telling us what we know isn't true.  Why is it so easy to hear and listen to the bad, but harder to believe the truth?  I wish I knew the answer.  I wish I could say I never believe the lies, but there are times I do.  But, I also know there's a way to combat the lies.  God's truths.  Who does He say I am?  What does He want me to believe? 

Before you say:  "I know it's in the bible, but where?"; "I know it's God's truth, but I've never seen it."; "I'm not a bible scholar, so how am I supposed to find these bible verses."; "I am a bad person, and I know God could never love me."  Never fear!  God always provides a way out and the words He wants you to know.  I did a bible study called LIFE about 5 years ago.  (Living In Freedom Everyday)  My leader gave us all a sheet that changed my life.  I had never seen a list like this one.  It listed what I wouldn't speak over myself and then it had a list of what I would, and it had the bible verses to back it up.  Click HERE to go to the list so you can read it and print it out.

First apply the list to yourself.  Know these verses are about you and how God sees you through Christ.  Then I want you to read it about others, because it explains who they are too.  The bible says in Deut 30:19-20: "This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life..."  I think that is such a great life verse. 

When someone says something intentionally hurtful to you, call it what it is:  a lie.  A lie is like a weed.  It wants to grow where it's unwanted and kill what is beautiful.  Ask God to remove the lie from your heart and mind so that you will only dwell on His truths, and if there is anything you need to ask forgiveness for that He will show you what it is.  As we read God's word His truth is shown and it's good for everything our lives.  (2 Timothy 3:16-17) 

I love this list.  The list is the essence of the Lord.  He is love.  (1 John 4:8)  I have a copy of the list in my bible; I have it saved on my computer; and now, I will have it saved here.  Speak and believe these words that God has said about you.  I dare you to do as it says in Deuteronomy: choose life, choose blessings, choose for the Lord to be your life.  Oh yeah, and pass it on to someone else.  Good stuff is always better when it's shared.

In Him,
~Ashley

Life through Rose Colored Glasses

1 Chronicles 16:9-11

Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts.
Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.
Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.

I love my sunglasses.  I love what they make the world look like, especially the sunrise & sunset.  You see my sunglasses are rose colored.  Have you ever heard the saying:  "That you see the world through rose colored glasses?"  It means that you see things as good and right, and nothing is going to spoil your outlook.  A lot of people see others who look at the world that way as simple and foolish.  But I would have to strongly disagree.  (1 Corinthians 1:27)  Look for glimpses of Christ in our world.  He makes Himself known everywhere and in everything.  Keep a piece of paper handy one weekend and write down all the places you see Him, it will amaze you.

Why should we as Christians look at everything through rose colored glasses?  Why should we try to find
Christ in all that we see?  Why do we focus our lives to Him?  It's simple really.  When we choose to look for Christ, He will show up.  (Deut 4:29, 2 Chron. 7:14, Ps 9:10,  Luke 11:10, Hebrews 11:6) 

Does God show up because He knows He's all that & a bag of chips?  No, He knows we need Him.  Pretend in your mind you see a friend drowning in a lake.  You're in a deep part of the lake where it's about 100 feet to the bottom.  You know it will be bad if you don't get your friend help.   Are you going to quietly talk to your friend as you try to throw them a life preserver, or are you going to be yelling at them to reach for what you know will save their life?  When you choose to look for Christ, worship and praise Him, and live for Him, He is your life preserver.  This world can be a very sad place.  Things have happened throughout history that are horrible, and will continue to happen until Christ returns, because we live in a fallen world.  But Christ is our pair of rose colored glasses.  (Romans 5:17)  He lived the life of a man and faced all the things we face so we would know He understands;  He understands our hurts, our dreams, our very lives.  He gave all He had for me, and I choose to follow Him, love Him, and live for Him.

Choose to look through His rose colored glasses this week and see how you feel.  Write down for one day everywhere you see Him & what you find will amaze you!

In Him,
~ashley

PS~ Make sure you look up the scriptures if you have time.  You should do it to verify what I have said for yourself.  Don’t trust my words, trust His.  It will be a blessing to you.

Here is the regular view out of my garage door.



And here is the same view through my rose colored glasses.



A Light in the darkness

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning.  Through him all things were made…In him was life, and life was the light of all mankind.  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness had not overcome it.”  John 1:1-5

We want to be a generation that is unashamed of Jesus & the gospel.  Did you know that the word gospel means ‘good news’?  Who is our good news?  You know it…Jesus!  The bible says in John 1:14 that ‘Jesus is the word made flesh.’ The bible also tells us in John 1:1-5 that Christ, the Word, was with God in the beginning, and that all things are made through Him.   You are here because of Jesus.  All of us exist because of Him; and we exist for Him.   You are His because of His great love for you.  When they asked Him how much He loved you, He spread His arms out the length of the cross.

When you think of His love for you and me that way it is pretty powerful.  Jesus wants us to love Him & love others.  That’s it.  He knows that if we do those two things, which can be hard sometimes, then we are doing what He wants us to do.  When we serve out of love, it’s not hard.  It doesn’t feel like work. 

I remember a time when I felt like I needed to be doing a lot of “church work” to make God love me.  I was so miserable.  I was busy and stressed out.  Someone told me that if you were busy you were:  Burdened Under Satan’s Yoke.  God doesn’t want us busy, he wants us free.  (2 Corinthians 3:17)  He gives us gifts (natural abilities to do something we like) so we can find our passion and fulfill it.  For example:  I love to see when kids have that moment when they understand Jesus.  I want to see your generation be on fire for Him.  I want to be a part of that.  I love it!  I love to watch you worship & study His word.  You are difference makers for Christ, even at your age!   When I get to do stuff for Highland’s Kids, it doesn’t feel like work; it’s fun. 

What is God calling you to do?  How can you shine His light where ever you are? 

In Him,

 ~Ashley

So now you're a servant...

In the last posting I talked about being a cheerful giver.  (2 Cor 9:7)  We talked that it not only deals with money, but also using your spiritual gifts to serve others.  Well, you’ve  decided to serve so now what? 

I started to think about what it means to be a servant.  So many times we think of being a servant as bad, but it’s really not.  There were servants who were purchased for only a certain amount of time.  After the time of service was completed they were free to go.  Sometimes, the person would choose to stay and remain a servant.  Can you imagine...they wanted to stay, they chose to stay.  I’m sure there were many reasons why someone may have wanted to stay.  One of the reasons may have been because they knew they were going to live and eat better as a servant than they would as a free person, but for some, they loved their masters, and served them out of love and obedience.  These slaves had a special name.  They were bond servants.  A bond servant is beloved by his master.  A bond servant serves out of love not duty. 

I want to be a bond servant of Jesus.  Psalm 86:4 “Bring joy to your servant, Lord, for I put my trust in you.”  I want to stay with Him & serve Him out of love.  (meaning I get to serve instead of I have to, there’s a huge difference.)  I want, when people think of me, they see His name and glory and not me.   I want the children of HK to be able to experience the risen savior every day.  I want that for you too.  I want you to join with the adult leaders of HK and become bond servants of Jesus too.  Be loved by Him and let him be your master.

You are the difference makers of today.  We want you to be a generation that is unashamed of Jesus & the gospel.  Did you know that the word gospel means ‘good word’?  Who is our good word?  Well, we’ll cover that in next week’s devotion.

Be blessed this week!

~Mrs. Ashley

Being a Cheerful Giver

“Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”  2 Corinthians 9:7

When we think of giving we often think of money, but that is not the only thing we can give.  God wants us to willingly serve others with our spiritual gifts.  This week I’m focusing on the first step, because it is a process.  We first accept the gift that Jesus gave us when he died on the cross.  Along with that gift comes God’s mercy and grace.  Mercy is what God gives us when we sin and ask for forgiveness.  We don’t deserve it, but God grants it to us because of Jesus’ sacrifice.  Jesus took all our sins, past, present, and future and nailed them on the cross. (Colossians 2:14)  Grace is defined in the 1828 Webster’s dictionary as:  “favorable influence of God; divine influence or the influence of the spirit, in renewing the heart and restraining from sin.”  Grace is given to us when we accept Christ:  it is His influence on us that makes us want to live our lives for Him.  God’s love, mercy, and grace can change a person. 

You are a difference maker.  You get to show God’s love, mercy, and grace.  Did you know there are people around you who have never heard of Jesus?  You may be the only Jesus they see.  What a great opportunity to let them look and think they are seeing you when really they get to see a glimpse of Jesus in you.  All you have to do is love.  

I dare you to show the love of Christ to someone.  Tell them about His amazing love, mercy, and grace.  If you take me up on the dare, let me know.  I would love to hear from you. 

In Him,

~Ashley