So it's almost finals. boo :( only two weeks left of class though, yay! overall I am excited to get this semester over with. I start clinicals in the fall and I am definitely looking forward to leaving all the book work behind and getting my hands dirty! Tonight I was reading my devotional and it was basically about how John the Baptist was sent by God to tell everyone about the light. He was telling anyone who would listen that, "Someone is coming who is far greater than I am". This is from John 1:1-18. As I continued to read, I realized that as finals week approaches, I have several people on my team, just like God had John the Baptist on His team. I have friends who are part of the same process as I am (good luck everyone!) and I have family who are beyond supportive. All of them are great at cheering me on. But as I really start to get tired, frustrated (thanks finance 101), and annoyed, I know the only person I really need is Jesus. He is the ultimate cheerleader. It may sound funny, but I literally can imagine him cheering me on with big gold sparkly pom poms. ha! I know that when I get discouraged, all I need to do is take a moment to stop and pray about it and I'll be good to go! Family and friends are fantastic cheerleaders, but my head cheerleader is Him; is He yours? Just some food for thought
~Ashlin
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; and I will hold you up. Isaiah 41:10
Monday, April 29, 2013
Sunday, April 21, 2013
eyewitness
Happy Sunday Everyone!
So it's not a secret that we as a country have been dealing with some nasty and unfortunate events lately. I could go on and on about what a shame it is or about what my opinion is, but that is not my main priority. Ironically, I opened my devotional this morning where I was instructed to read Luke 1:1-4. This verse says, " Most honorable Theophilus, Many people have written accounts about the events that took place among us. They used as their source material the reports circulating among us from the early disciples and other eyewitnesses of what God has done in fulfillment of his promises. Having carefully investigated all of these accounts from the beginning, I have decided to write a careful summary for you, to reassure you of the truth of all you were taught". This passage was written by Luke about the life of Jesus. Many people had claimed that they had the inside scoop. So Luke took it upon himself to find out the real truth from the testimonies of eyewitnesses.
I think it is important to note that there were several people who claimed to know the truth about Jesus. And you can be sure that not everyone had the same account of His life. This reminded me about the most recent events here in the US. I can recall several times, while following the event on twitter, of news crews and people taking back earlier made statements because they were found to be unsound. This was frustrating. Everyone wants the truth and they want it now and so it becomes difficult to decifer between what is sound and what is just being thrown out there.
Overall, I see things like this happen in every day life. Everyone has an opinion about an event or situation until that eyewitnesses comes around and sets everyone straight. I know I almost always jump to whichever statement or opinion sounds the best. That's the one that has to be right, right?! Not always.
There is good news though! We have an eyewitness that can tell the whole story, from every perspective. The bible. Whenever someone comes to you with uncertainty or has a question weighing on their heart, don't be quick to jump to the "best answer" you can think of. Consult your witness and give that person God's answer. He knows best after all!
Have a great Sunday,
~Ashlin
So it's not a secret that we as a country have been dealing with some nasty and unfortunate events lately. I could go on and on about what a shame it is or about what my opinion is, but that is not my main priority. Ironically, I opened my devotional this morning where I was instructed to read Luke 1:1-4. This verse says, " Most honorable Theophilus, Many people have written accounts about the events that took place among us. They used as their source material the reports circulating among us from the early disciples and other eyewitnesses of what God has done in fulfillment of his promises. Having carefully investigated all of these accounts from the beginning, I have decided to write a careful summary for you, to reassure you of the truth of all you were taught". This passage was written by Luke about the life of Jesus. Many people had claimed that they had the inside scoop. So Luke took it upon himself to find out the real truth from the testimonies of eyewitnesses.
I think it is important to note that there were several people who claimed to know the truth about Jesus. And you can be sure that not everyone had the same account of His life. This reminded me about the most recent events here in the US. I can recall several times, while following the event on twitter, of news crews and people taking back earlier made statements because they were found to be unsound. This was frustrating. Everyone wants the truth and they want it now and so it becomes difficult to decifer between what is sound and what is just being thrown out there.
Overall, I see things like this happen in every day life. Everyone has an opinion about an event or situation until that eyewitnesses comes around and sets everyone straight. I know I almost always jump to whichever statement or opinion sounds the best. That's the one that has to be right, right?! Not always.
There is good news though! We have an eyewitness that can tell the whole story, from every perspective. The bible. Whenever someone comes to you with uncertainty or has a question weighing on their heart, don't be quick to jump to the "best answer" you can think of. Consult your witness and give that person God's answer. He knows best after all!
Psalm 33:4-6
For the word of the LORD is right and true; he is faithful in all he does. The LORD loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love. By the word of the LORD were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth.
Have a great Sunday,
~Ashlin
Friday, April 19, 2013
Just what are you after anyway?
Good Morning! So yesterday was fun! Today's post is going to be pretty short though. I'm busy busy busy! I notice that a lot! I wake up every morning and there is always something that needs done. I have classes, studying, homework, and meetings to attend; when do I ever have time for myself? Then the next thing I know, its 11 pm and i'm wiped out and ready to hit my pillow. Unfortunately, I've been asking myself the wrong question. It's not about when I have time for me, it's about when I have time for Him.
I purchased a devotions book a few months ago. Ive opened it maybe five times. Embarassing! :/ It seems that I am so busy dealing with what life throws my way that I dont take the time to slow down and spend quality time with God. After a few weeks of this charade, I notice i'm stressed to the max. Huh, how peculiar! And every time, my eyes are pulled to that devotions book on my desk and I think "ohh, shoot". I think we all deal with stuff like this. Life seems to always have something new, exciting, or stressful ready to throw in our faces. All this does is avert us from what is important. Jeramiah 2:25 says "Slow down. Take a deep breath. What's the hurry? Why wear yourself out? Just what are you after anyway?". This is God begging us to spend time with Him. He wants our attention and our full attention. This doesn't mean He wants us to drop everything that is important to us, He just wants us to remember that what we do for ourselves, should ultimately be to glorify Him. If He is not the focus of our actions, then our focus is corrupt. I know I need to remember that and be daily reminded. I hope as your Friday folds out and your weekend begins that you will take some quality time to slow down and spend some time with God. I know I will be!
~Ashlin
In their hearts humans plan their course,
but the LORD establishes their steps.
I purchased a devotions book a few months ago. Ive opened it maybe five times. Embarassing! :/ It seems that I am so busy dealing with what life throws my way that I dont take the time to slow down and spend quality time with God. After a few weeks of this charade, I notice i'm stressed to the max. Huh, how peculiar! And every time, my eyes are pulled to that devotions book on my desk and I think "ohh, shoot". I think we all deal with stuff like this. Life seems to always have something new, exciting, or stressful ready to throw in our faces. All this does is avert us from what is important. Jeramiah 2:25 says "Slow down. Take a deep breath. What's the hurry? Why wear yourself out? Just what are you after anyway?". This is God begging us to spend time with Him. He wants our attention and our full attention. This doesn't mean He wants us to drop everything that is important to us, He just wants us to remember that what we do for ourselves, should ultimately be to glorify Him. If He is not the focus of our actions, then our focus is corrupt. I know I need to remember that and be daily reminded. I hope as your Friday folds out and your weekend begins that you will take some quality time to slow down and spend some time with God. I know I will be!
~Ashlin
Commit to the LORD whatever you do,
and he will establish your plans.
and he will establish your plans.
In their hearts humans plan their course,
but the LORD establishes their steps.
– Proverbs 16:3 and 16:9
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Growing up Christian
So I'm not going to lie, this is going to be rough! I've never hosted a
blog before so bear with me while I figure this all out. Basically for
my first blog poster EVER, I'll just be sharing a little bit about
myself. I am hoping this will create a clearer picture as to why I even
started a blog in the first place. Okay, here it goes! :)
My name is Ashlin. I grew up in a small town outside of a big city. I went to your average high school where kids cared about who they hung out with, what their plans were Friday night, and which sporting event would take home a State title that year. I had grown up in what I guess you could call a "Christian" home. At least it started out that way and kinda faded as the years went on. I grew up Brethren, and to be completely honest, I have almost no clue at all what that means. My parents took me to church every Sunday. Until they got divorced that is. It wasn't the worst thing in the world. I was young enough to understand that mommy and daddy still loved me, they just didn't love each other anymore, yet young enough to not truly understand what type of impact this would have on the rest of my childhood and adolescence. As my childhood turned into middle school, the prevalence of our Sunday church goings got thinner. The importance of church never changed; we just didn't go much anymore. My brother and I were both well into our sports and activities stage and to be honest I think my parents enjoyed the snooze button on weekends. We would go occasionally and of course on important holidays like Easter and Christmas but for most Sundays, church was kind of just shrugged off as a non-necessity. I never really gave any thought to it until high school. As I began getting closer and closer to becoming an adult I started to notice the more specific reasons why we didn't go to church. As with any business or organization, I started to understand that church, unfortunately, came with political and financial discussions as well. (who knew?!). I had also noticed, well before this point, that hitting the snooze button wasn't so much to enjoy that extra hour of sleep, it was needed for my mom and step-dad. Through the stresses of life, work, and family my parents had both developed their own forms of coping. That extra hour was non-negotiable. So as a senior in high school I had often struggled with how to hold on to the faith that had been instilled in me as a child. I was often the "good kid". I didn't drink, I didn't do drugs, etc. And I was often asked why. I couldn't give a straight up answer. I knew deep in me that my answer was easy; those are not things that glorify God. But how was I supposed to use that as my excuse to a bunch of high schoolers? This scared me. If I couldn't justify my choices with people who I would probably never see again due to us all leaving for separate college educations, how was I supposed to stick to my guns with people I had never met once I got to college? Honestly, I don't think I figured this out until my junior year of college. And that is where life has me today. Through the help of God, and some wonderful people I have met here at school, I have finally begun to figure out what it means to be Christian in college. We are all on our own walks with God, and I am hoping by walking with me in mine, you will be able to walk stronger in yours. I know I just threw a bunch of fluff at you but I figured at least this would help you understand how I got to this point; how I got to decide I was going to write a blog. At the end of each post, I will be posting a verse or two that helped encourage me through my day. Thanks so much for following me and I encourage you to open your eyes and your heart to what God may be trying to show to tell you today. ~Ashlin
Jesus Christ (the Messiah) is [always] the same, yesterday, today, [yes] and forever (to the ages) Hebrews 13:8
My name is Ashlin. I grew up in a small town outside of a big city. I went to your average high school where kids cared about who they hung out with, what their plans were Friday night, and which sporting event would take home a State title that year. I had grown up in what I guess you could call a "Christian" home. At least it started out that way and kinda faded as the years went on. I grew up Brethren, and to be completely honest, I have almost no clue at all what that means. My parents took me to church every Sunday. Until they got divorced that is. It wasn't the worst thing in the world. I was young enough to understand that mommy and daddy still loved me, they just didn't love each other anymore, yet young enough to not truly understand what type of impact this would have on the rest of my childhood and adolescence. As my childhood turned into middle school, the prevalence of our Sunday church goings got thinner. The importance of church never changed; we just didn't go much anymore. My brother and I were both well into our sports and activities stage and to be honest I think my parents enjoyed the snooze button on weekends. We would go occasionally and of course on important holidays like Easter and Christmas but for most Sundays, church was kind of just shrugged off as a non-necessity. I never really gave any thought to it until high school. As I began getting closer and closer to becoming an adult I started to notice the more specific reasons why we didn't go to church. As with any business or organization, I started to understand that church, unfortunately, came with political and financial discussions as well. (who knew?!). I had also noticed, well before this point, that hitting the snooze button wasn't so much to enjoy that extra hour of sleep, it was needed for my mom and step-dad. Through the stresses of life, work, and family my parents had both developed their own forms of coping. That extra hour was non-negotiable. So as a senior in high school I had often struggled with how to hold on to the faith that had been instilled in me as a child. I was often the "good kid". I didn't drink, I didn't do drugs, etc. And I was often asked why. I couldn't give a straight up answer. I knew deep in me that my answer was easy; those are not things that glorify God. But how was I supposed to use that as my excuse to a bunch of high schoolers? This scared me. If I couldn't justify my choices with people who I would probably never see again due to us all leaving for separate college educations, how was I supposed to stick to my guns with people I had never met once I got to college? Honestly, I don't think I figured this out until my junior year of college. And that is where life has me today. Through the help of God, and some wonderful people I have met here at school, I have finally begun to figure out what it means to be Christian in college. We are all on our own walks with God, and I am hoping by walking with me in mine, you will be able to walk stronger in yours. I know I just threw a bunch of fluff at you but I figured at least this would help you understand how I got to this point; how I got to decide I was going to write a blog. At the end of each post, I will be posting a verse or two that helped encourage me through my day. Thanks so much for following me and I encourage you to open your eyes and your heart to what God may be trying to show to tell you today. ~Ashlin
Jesus Christ (the Messiah) is [always] the same, yesterday, today, [yes] and forever (to the ages) Hebrews 13:8
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)