SYTYCD :: Auditions

So, I've decided that I am NOT going to blog about the auditions for So You Think You Can Dance. I'm just not invested in anyone and I think it will be difficult to really put my thoughts down about the dancers until Vegas week. So, until then.. we watch and wait for Vegas week! :)

Oh, but I did tweet about this: The guy who is a Bio hazard Clean up Guy.. he said he never had a girlfriend because it was hard to explain what he did. Basically he cleans up after murders, suicides, deaths, etc. Then we saw him dance.. country line dance. No dude.. it's not your job, it's your dancing. Hah! ;)

Enjoy the show and "cue music"! See you in Vegas!

There's no such thing as perfect people.

I love that scripture is full of diverse and messy lives that God uses in BIG ways... especially when I am feeling insecure because of the different things in my life. Whether it is past sin, shortcomings, or even just the way I view myself.. there are always people I can look to in scripture and see how God uses every single circumstance and insecurity in our lives for His glory. If you notice, he rarely uses perfect people. Actually, God has only used one perfect person, Jesus. Just look at Noah, David, Thomas, Paul, the list goes on and on!

What encouragement for us today, friends. As Natalie Grant sings, "There's no such thing perfect people. There's no such thing as a perfect life. So come as you are broken and scarred. Life up your heart and be amazed and be change by a perfect God". I don't know what your insecurities are... I don't know what you struggle with... but God knows and he understands. And most of all, he wants you to seek him and let those things be used for His fame.

I'm seeking to offer up my insecurities to God so that he may be able to use them in a mighty way. It's not comfortable and it often leaves me feeling even more insecure but I want my life to be a story of God's glory.. not my comfort or security.

Join me. Offer your insecurity to God and let him radically use your life for His renown.

For such a time as this.

I am beaming right now. I just got an email from World Vision saying that one of the loans that I helped fund has been FULLY funded. Praise the Lord! I wish I could be in the Philippines when they tell her that her loan has been funded and that she can buy what she needs for her business. What a blessing.

This is her bio- Getty Cabanag's business is hog raising. She started raising pigs one year after she got married to a farmer. She has three children, the eldest is 21 years old, who inspire everyday. The income she makes in growing pigs has benefited her children for paying for tuition and school fees. She desires to grow her business. By buying more piglets, she can expand her business more. Getty Cabanag is 45 years old and has been married for 25 years now.

The communities bio- The community of Mountain View is located in a boot-shaped province on Negros Island in the Philippines. Home to Mt. Kanlaon, an active volcano, the area is rich with natural resources. With convenient access to a variety of markets, the community is emerging as a promising frontier for investors. Economic activities revolve around agriculture, fishery, and forestry. Environmental degradation is a pressing concern. The region has been identified as one of the lowest income-earning areas in the country. Families struggle to acquire proper nutrients, and some do not have access to clean water. Malnutrition and disease are constant concerns. Families are hindered by poor road conditions, and many children drop out of school. In Mountain View, World Vision has provided community members with key employment skills, including training in food processing and assistance in livestock rearing. We have also provided medical and housing assistance, supplemental food for malnourished children, fees and materials for children to attend school, and educational support for child laborers.

I was praying for Getty Saturday night. Not only that her loan would be fully funded but that she would be a light for other women in her community. "See what the Lord can provide!" Seeing some of the pictures that were posted from World Vision reminded me of my short time in Guatemala. I remember watching the women make tortillas. From shucking the corn to grinding it to make flour.. it was amazing to see how hard these women worked to provide the basic needs for their families. I love that picture and am reminded of it often. A part of me desires to run out into the mission field somewhere and forget the about the twitters and facebooks and such and just go and live in community and be in community with a people. They don't even have watches.. time doesn't matter. People do. I love that. While I'd go in a heartbeat if God asked, He has called me to be exactly where I am now. Alpharetta, GA. (And goodness knows.. he definitely wants me here.. I can't escape that!) I have this desire for a reason, however. Maybe it's so I will be diligent in funding missions with the resources I've been given. I don't know.

However, what I do know is that God has placed you where you are at this time in history FOR A PURPOSE. Like Esther (one of my favorite stories). Just one seemingly ordinary girl who God had great plans for. She was hand picked by the king to be his wife and when her people were in danger.. she was able to help because she had the kings ear. God had a plan. (Oh, it wasn't all that easy though! If you have never read Esther.. DO IT!)

So, where are you? Who is your mission field? What is holding you back? "Who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?" -Esther 4:14. And maybe when I get to Heaven, I can meet Getty and hear all of the wonderful things she was able to do because of a tiny little thing I helped do.

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For more infromation on funding a World Vision loan.. check out: http://www.worldvisionmicro.org/

Me? A Berean? I thought I was just a perfectionist!

Last week I sent out an email to everyone in my group at work about the new interactive media implementation I was working on. It included links to connect to our different sites and detailed instructions on how to join the different sites, if they didn't already have an account.

Now, when I say "detailed".. I mean DETAILED. It's been said about me before that I am "extremely detailed orientated". That was always the one question in interviews I got nervous about- "Are you detailed orientated?" Of course I always said yes but I didn't want them to think that I was just saying yes because that is what you "supposed" to say. I wanted to let them know that I was in fact extremely detailed orientated. When I give directions to someone.. they are to a T. When I am fixing a website or documents.. they are always consistent and uniform. I think that's why I got first place on my Senior Portfolio in college.. it was, for a lack of a better word, perfect.

So, I sent out the email explaining how to get social media accounts and I get an email back, "Thanks! Handy guide that was attached, too."

I reply, "Haha.. thanks! I’m a little too extremely detailed orientated! :)"

He responds, "Okay, so that explains Acts 17:11."

The bottom of my email signature reads: "'Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.' - Acts 17:11 (NIV)" This is one of my favorite verses of scripture. (See "Can I be a Berean?")

When I read his email it really hit me.. Wow! God really created me intentionally. He created me with my crazy "detailed orientated/perfectionist" mentality so that I would be diligent in studying His Word... so that I would be a Berean. Very cool. Sometimes I take my personality for granted. I love taking the personality tests (Myers Briggs, etc.). However, I forget that it was GOD who dreamed me up. He was the one who gave me my greatest strengths and worst flaws. What I am to do? Become more and more like his Son.. that way he can use the way He created me to it's fullest potiental. Oh, I pray that I would be diligent in doing so. That the Lord might use me for His glory.

My prayer is the same for you, friend. You are YOU because God created you that way. Strive each day to "have the same attitude of Jesus" (Philippians 2:5-11) so that HE can use you to your fullest potiental for the Kingdom.

SYTYCD :: So You Think You Can Dance

That's right folks.. in exactly one week from today.. it begins..

SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE?!
(nah nah nah nah.. nah nah nah nah)

I love this show! I've been watching it since season two with Benji and Travis. I absolutely fell in love with them. What I am super pumped about this year is that there are going to be some all-stars coming back and dancing again! Among them is one of my all time favorites from the show TWITCH! That's right.. we went to the same high school. ;) If you don't watch this show.. you should. I'm posting 5 of my favorite dances from the past 5 seasons. Obviously, as you can tell my favorite dancers have been Travis, tWitch, and Benji.

Travis & Benji: Hip Hop. Two of my favorite guys. Great season finale!


tWitch & Kherington: Hip Hop. Super cute dance. I loved them as partners!


Chelsea & Mark: Lyrical Hip Hop. Good routine.


Travis & Heidi: Contemporary. Probably my favorite routines from SYTYCD. I remember crying the first time I watched it. I still get chills.. :)


tWitch & Kherington: Contemporary. Beautiful plus, I love John Mayer's music.


Oh yeah.. I think this year.. I'm going to try my hardest to blog every week about the show. Wanna join the conversation? Tune in this Thursday for the season premiere! :)

FYM- Find Your Ministry

I love hearing about different ministries. I think there are so many different types of people that need to be reached in this world and having such a diverse mindset towards ministry is great. One of the newest ministries at Bush Memorial Baptist is "F.A.I.T.H. Riders". It's a motorcycle ministry that shares the Gospel with those that ride bikes right where they are. I love that this ministry strives to share that common ground with people and use it for God's glory. It's really cool. I also think it's neat because it's something that I have no experience in and quite honestly, have no desire to do... BUT there are believers out there who love to ride and want to use that passion for God. Ah, I just love it. :)

Back in college, I was involved with the Baptist Campus Ministries. If you know me I have a passion for music and I just love to dance and have a good time. Through the help of my friend Melodye, who was the same way, we decided to use that passion for God's glory. So, we signed the BCM up for the Step Show. That's right.. BCM at the Step Show. We decided to take some fun Christian hiphop music and choreograph the routine in hopes that we might share the Gospel in this unique way. It actually turned out really well. Not only did we have a BLAST doing it, but a lot of people came up to us afterwards asking about our music we used. :) Very cool.

But I digress.. I think the whole point of the blog post is to encourage you to find your unique ministry and jump on it. God has given you unique passions and talents for a reason. Don't count them out. Do you like to knit? Well, maybe you can start a small group that gets together and knits and talks about scripture during that time. Do you like to do yard work? Well, I can't imagine why BUT maybe you can start a ministry at your church that helps others with yard work who can't so it themselves. Do you like to ride motorcycles? Well, check out F.A.I.T.H. Riders. Do you like hiphop music and like to dance? Well, check out the videos below.. and try not to laugh!



Front row.. second from the right. Then i move to the left side of the screen and stay there from the rest of this part of the video.


You can't miss me in this video because yep.. that's me preachin' it! Sweet. Oh and that "Go Ashley" is from a sorority sister! :)

The Spirit.

I love it when a sermon hits me right between the eyes. It's like God taps me on the shoulder and whispers, "Beloved, I want to show you something new. I want to take you a step deeper." Then it's up to me to take that opportunity or walk away from him. I'd like to say that more often than not that I take the opportunity and run with God, but I fear that has not always been true. It's definitely a journey and I just have to follow step-by-step, in faith.

Today, my pastor brought it with an anointed sermon on Ephesians 5:15-21. I love that he totally busted it into a sermon about the Holy Spirit. Ever since before Passion I had longing to learn more about the Holy Spirit. At Passion, a friend and I had this conversation and he suggested a book for me to read. By God's sovereignty, I had the opportunity to attend a bible study led by my high school mentor on that very book. (Very neat!) With all the busyness of my life currently, this was a well-timed reminder.

My pastor mentioned that there are two negative dealings we have with the Spirit. Quenching and grieving. I've heard those phrases over and over yet never really dug into them deep.

Quench (1 Thessalonians 5:16-21) - "Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Quench not the Spirit. Despise not prophesyings. Prove all things; hold fast that which is good."
Grieve (Ephesians 4:30) - "And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption."

Here are the conclusions I came to regarding these dealings:

Quench- things we don't do. (like, we don't rejoice, we don't pray, we don't do what God tells us to, etc.)
Grieve- things we do. (like, we are angry, have unwholesome talk, etc.)

After further reflection I came to a few realizations of how I do both of these things.

Ashley's confessional time: (yep, that's right!)

Quench (things I don't do) - Not taking actions to further my relationship with the Lord above all other things.
What are these actions that I don't do? (Not an exhaustive list.. just a few examples):
Matthew 6:33 - But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
1 Thessalonians 5:17 - Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
Isaiah 55:6-9 (read the whole chapter when you can.. but I need to grab a few bits from this chapter to save your eyes)- "Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."

Grieve (things I do) - Doing life (whether in thoughts, attitudes, or actions) my own way instead of seeking his desires.
What does this look like? (Not an exhaustive list.. just a few examples):
Philippians 4:8 - "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."
Philippians 2:5-8 - "Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death- even death on a cross!"
James 2:17-18 - "In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, 'You have faith; I have deeds.' Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do."

I think my next step is to dig into these verses (and others that apply.. which there are several) and really seek the Lord in these matters so that I may "be filled with the Spirit" (Ephesians 5:18).

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P.S. Did you know that in scripture the phrase "filled with the Spirit" usually comes with amazing power and boldness? I WANT THAT! There a tons of examples (especailly in Acts) but these are a few of my favorites!
Check it out:
Micah 3:8 - “But as for me, I am filled with power, with the Spirit of the LORD, and with justice and might, to declare to Jacob his transgression, to Israel his sin.”
Acts 4:31 - “After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.”
Acts 13:9-12 - “Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said, ‘You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord? Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind, and for a time you will be unable to see the light of the sun.’ Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he groped about, seeking someone to lead him by the hand. When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord.

Cribs - Alpharetta addition.

Welcome home! :)

The inside look at my front door.

Downstairs bathroom. Nautilus shell inspired.

Kitchen. This is what sold me on the house. LOVE IT!

Backyard! I haven't done anything with it yet.. but planning on getting a grill and some lawn chairs. It's nice and shaded back there. AND I have a screen door thanks to Karen Tabler. ;)

Guest bedroom/ office/ music room/ storage. Yeah, this room is a mess because I haven't fully unpacked. Can't wait to get it organized!

Master bedroom. Yeah, I didn't make my bed this morning.

Master bathroom. Ultra girly with a huge bath rub for wonderful baths!

There you have it. Come visit some time!

Love.

I was curious about how much I use the word love and in what context. I googled my email and here is what I found. The last 10 times I used the word love were in reference to-

1. grabbing coffee with a friend
2. talking with someone
3. singer/songwriter
4. hearing a story
5. attending an event
6. worship
7. my job
8. mexican food
9. church family
10. The color green

And the last 10 times I used the word hate were in reference to-

1. bugs
2. saying no to opportunities
3. saying "i told you so" to my dad.. (i was being sarcastic)
4. house shopping
5. packing
6. being inconvenienced
7. a city
8. letting people down
9. waiting
10. the enemy

Wow. That's just interesting. I feel like I should guard my words more.