So I've been thinking a lot lately, about serving God and being available to His purposes. It's kind of hard to become a servant when you don't actually "practice" being one.
If you want to learn something from God, be open to get outside of your box and experience something you have never done before. Let Him teach you in new ways, and open your mind to the diversity He has created.
Love, Ashleigh
1.31.2009
1.23.2009
Random Thoughts...
Love is in the air.
Heavy it hangs like a fog.
I walk through it, unfazed, because I can overcome.
Eu vou vencer.
The flowers blossom on the trees, their shade a rosy hue, hanging above me while the wind carries the fragrance of their smell so sweet.
How can I resist the tantalizing aroma, when my senses are assailed with it?
Appeal to the senses, must appeal to the senses,
spear an apple and watch the juices flow from the core.
Love too much, love too less.
What is the meaning of love in this day and age? How can I love the way Jesus taught?
Christians are supposed to work together, love one another with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind.
I feel weighed down, how do I go on in this strange abyss of a place?
Burdens for friends, happy for relationships, can't wait for my own.
How do I deal with all of it-balance-show my love?
Why doesn't he understand? I don't think it's meant to be, but only God knows. So Deus sabe.
Heavy it hangs like a fog.
I walk through it, unfazed, because I can overcome.
Eu vou vencer.
The flowers blossom on the trees, their shade a rosy hue, hanging above me while the wind carries the fragrance of their smell so sweet.
How can I resist the tantalizing aroma, when my senses are assailed with it?
Appeal to the senses, must appeal to the senses,
spear an apple and watch the juices flow from the core.
Love too much, love too less.
What is the meaning of love in this day and age? How can I love the way Jesus taught?
Christians are supposed to work together, love one another with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind.
I feel weighed down, how do I go on in this strange abyss of a place?
Burdens for friends, happy for relationships, can't wait for my own.
How do I deal with all of it-balance-show my love?
Why doesn't he understand? I don't think it's meant to be, but only God knows. So Deus sabe.
11.18.2008
Mmmm..Quesedillas...Que sera sera...
I've come to the conlusion that my comfort foods are bananas, chocolate, and quesedillas. I went out for lunch with a friend of mine today, and introduced her to the delicious world of quesedillas. If you have never had one, I suggest you try one next time you're in a restaurant. I consider myself to be a connoisseur, and by far the best is a little restaurant downtown in my city. But since everyone can't come here, than the second best would be at Montana's.
Basically, for those who don't know what these beautiful creations are, a quesidilla is a tortilla which has green onions, tomatoes, sometimes green and red peppers, usually chicken, and my favourite part, CHEDDAR cheese. (am I making your mouth water yet?) These ingredients are placed on one half of the tortilla, while the other side folds over. AFter this, it is baked just until the cheese melts, and then is cut into 4 pieces. It is always served with sour cream and salsa. Don't underestimate the simpleness of this meal-it is most tantalizing indeed :)
I had to work this afternoon, and it was slow until 1 1/2hrs until we closed. I was so tired, because I stayed up until 2:30 AM reading a book, that was, unfortunately, NOT my Bible. However, it is a Christian fiction book, and a mystery to boot, so I couldn't put it down!
Hope everyone has a great night...
Love, Ash
Basically, for those who don't know what these beautiful creations are, a quesidilla is a tortilla which has green onions, tomatoes, sometimes green and red peppers, usually chicken, and my favourite part, CHEDDAR cheese. (am I making your mouth water yet?) These ingredients are placed on one half of the tortilla, while the other side folds over. AFter this, it is baked just until the cheese melts, and then is cut into 4 pieces. It is always served with sour cream and salsa. Don't underestimate the simpleness of this meal-it is most tantalizing indeed :)
I had to work this afternoon, and it was slow until 1 1/2hrs until we closed. I was so tired, because I stayed up until 2:30 AM reading a book, that was, unfortunately, NOT my Bible. However, it is a Christian fiction book, and a mystery to boot, so I couldn't put it down!
Hope everyone has a great night...
Love, Ash
11.17.2008
No Hay Nadie Como Tu.....
I went to the Treasure House today and bought a CD I had ordered in. It was the Hillsong CD in Spanish :) There's something about listening to worship music in another language that is just so beautiful! Even though I don't understand all the words, it just lifts my soul in a way that other things can't do. I know that God created other languages because people were getting too proud(at the Tower of Babel), but His imagination is so amazing! I can't believe how many languages there are in the world, and that some of them are related, but others are vastly different.
I have been missing speaking in Portuguese lately. I don't know what it is about that language, but I always feel so at peace when the words flow from my lips. Aaaah....I have a love affair with language :) God is so good :)
Today was a restful day...my only day off other than Sunday, and I was able to visit with one of my best friends, and catch up on her life. And guess where I went? the coffee shop I work at...
You would think I get enough of that place when I work there!
Yesterday I wrote a song, and unfortunately I haven't been able to record it, otherwise I would likely be able to put it here. However, I will post the words, and hopefully they will touch your heart:
Intro-
Lord, I have come here to worship you x2
You alone are worthy, Lord x2
Verse I
In the silence, You speak to me,
Even when I don't hear Your voice.
I try to listen, I want to be free
From the distractions and the noise-
Chorus
With my mouth I will praise you
With my hands I will serve you
With my feet I will go wherever you lead.
With my voice I will worship
With my heart I will love you
With my ears, I will listen and obey.
Not my will, but Yours be done,
Speak to me, here I am!
Verse II
My desire, the only one I need
Is Jesus Christ who died and took my shame.
Lord, You're my light, help me to be
Unashamed to speak Your name!
Chorus
-AshWin-
I hope everyone has a blessed evening!
Love, Ash
I have been missing speaking in Portuguese lately. I don't know what it is about that language, but I always feel so at peace when the words flow from my lips. Aaaah....I have a love affair with language :) God is so good :)
Today was a restful day...my only day off other than Sunday, and I was able to visit with one of my best friends, and catch up on her life. And guess where I went? the coffee shop I work at...
You would think I get enough of that place when I work there!
Yesterday I wrote a song, and unfortunately I haven't been able to record it, otherwise I would likely be able to put it here. However, I will post the words, and hopefully they will touch your heart:
Intro-
Lord, I have come here to worship you x2
You alone are worthy, Lord x2
Verse I
In the silence, You speak to me,
Even when I don't hear Your voice.
I try to listen, I want to be free
From the distractions and the noise-
Chorus
With my mouth I will praise you
With my hands I will serve you
With my feet I will go wherever you lead.
With my voice I will worship
With my heart I will love you
With my ears, I will listen and obey.
Not my will, but Yours be done,
Speak to me, here I am!
Verse II
My desire, the only one I need
Is Jesus Christ who died and took my shame.
Lord, You're my light, help me to be
Unashamed to speak Your name!
Chorus
-AshWin-
I hope everyone has a blessed evening!
Love, Ash
11.15.2008
Rain + Snow = A Winder..er.. WINTER Wonderland :)
I'm sitting here with my decrepit laptop, which is keeping my lap nice and cozy, while trying to ignore the way my frozen toes are screaming at me to warm them up somehow! When the rest of my body is warm, my toes and fingers are always cold. It's one of those things in life I will never understand!
All during my shift at work today, people kept complaining how miserable it was outside, how the rain was ruining their day bla bla bla....I was just happy it wasn't snowing! All of a sudden, Tom called to me and said, "Ash, come look!" Of course...it was snowing. I don't like snow, but for some reason it was comforting. As much as I hate to admit it, snow is pretty, especially when it's falling softly to the ground.
Even with this admission, I still wish I was somewhere warm.
Wish I was sweating buckets instead of freezing ice cubes...
Wish I could see the grass growing instead of the snow accumulating on the ground...
Wish I could smell the hot asphalt instead of the piercing chill of the night.
Love, Ash
All during my shift at work today, people kept complaining how miserable it was outside, how the rain was ruining their day bla bla bla....I was just happy it wasn't snowing! All of a sudden, Tom called to me and said, "Ash, come look!" Of course...it was snowing. I don't like snow, but for some reason it was comforting. As much as I hate to admit it, snow is pretty, especially when it's falling softly to the ground.
Even with this admission, I still wish I was somewhere warm.
Wish I was sweating buckets instead of freezing ice cubes...
Wish I could see the grass growing instead of the snow accumulating on the ground...
Wish I could smell the hot asphalt instead of the piercing chill of the night.
Love, Ash
11.14.2008
More thoughts from Break!
I've been enjoying working these 8-4 shifts, because I get a break and can read my Bible. The other day, I was confronted with questions about "enlightenment", gods from other religions, and other such things I wasn't prepared to answer. The person who posed these questions is someone who does not believe the Bible is inerrant, and so I think he was just saying random stuff to trip me up. However, I was reading in 1 Corinthians again, and found this passage that I really like:
"We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world and that there is no God but one. 5For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many "gods" and many "lords"),
6yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live."
In Chapter 8, Paul is talking to the Corinthians about food sacrificed to idols, and how they need to be respectful of the weaker brother. People who used to worship idols may be tempted to go back to that life if they see someone eating food that was sacrificed to idols. Paul was just reminding them that idols are nothing compared to God, and that no matter what, there is only ONE God, and ONE Lord.
I just thought this was such an amazing statement of belief, and it is so powerful to me!
Love, Ash
"We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world and that there is no God but one. 5For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many "gods" and many "lords"),
6yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live."
In Chapter 8, Paul is talking to the Corinthians about food sacrificed to idols, and how they need to be respectful of the weaker brother. People who used to worship idols may be tempted to go back to that life if they see someone eating food that was sacrificed to idols. Paul was just reminding them that idols are nothing compared to God, and that no matter what, there is only ONE God, and ONE Lord.
I just thought this was such an amazing statement of belief, and it is so powerful to me!
Love, Ash
Just some thoughts....
I was reading my Bible on break today, and decided to start reading in 1 Corinthians. For some reason this passage stuck out to me from 1 Corinthians 1:
27But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.
28He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29so that no one may boast before him.
30It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.
31Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord."
This made me remember that we cannot take any glory for anything that God has given us---He deserves it all!!!
Just something to think about...
Love, Ash
27But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.
28He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29so that no one may boast before him.
30It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.
31Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord."
This made me remember that we cannot take any glory for anything that God has given us---He deserves it all!!!
Just something to think about...
Love, Ash
5.09.2008
South Asia...
We arrived yesterday, safe and sound, exhausted but happy, and God is protecting us. Thank you all for your prayers!
It is hot here, hot and humid, and I can't believe the amount of sweat one can produce while simply walking around outside:)
Today we went to church, an English-speaking church, and then we toured some historical places, as well as saw the parliament buildings. It's beautiful here!
They are slowly easing us into the culture, and soon we will be visiting some of the poorer places.
The food is amazing, and the people are so nice!
Love and miss you all..I'm not sure of the next time I will have internet access, but please continue to pray for us!
Until next time....
Love, Ash
It is hot here, hot and humid, and I can't believe the amount of sweat one can produce while simply walking around outside:)
Today we went to church, an English-speaking church, and then we toured some historical places, as well as saw the parliament buildings. It's beautiful here!
They are slowly easing us into the culture, and soon we will be visiting some of the poorer places.
The food is amazing, and the people are so nice!
Love and miss you all..I'm not sure of the next time I will have internet access, but please continue to pray for us!
Until next time....
Love, Ash
5.07.2008
Made it to the Desert!
Hi everyone!
Just want to give you a quick update. Our almost 14 hour flight to the United Arab Emirates went well...long, but well :) and now I'm standing at a free internet cafe in the airport waiting for our flight to our final destination, which will be in about an hour and a half.
We have completed an 18 hour layover, which we were able to make faster by going on a desert safari with the team for initial bonding. I will tell you more about that later, but it was a blast!
Now the the real test of faith begins, and we are thanking God for the unity he has brought to a group of people who have never met, but have spent almost two days together on a long flight and a hot desert.
Thank you for your prayers, and I will let you know how things go as we go along! Please continue to pray that we will grow from this experience, and that we will learn much!
Love always,
ASh
Just want to give you a quick update. Our almost 14 hour flight to the United Arab Emirates went well...long, but well :) and now I'm standing at a free internet cafe in the airport waiting for our flight to our final destination, which will be in about an hour and a half.
We have completed an 18 hour layover, which we were able to make faster by going on a desert safari with the team for initial bonding. I will tell you more about that later, but it was a blast!
Now the the real test of faith begins, and we are thanking God for the unity he has brought to a group of people who have never met, but have spent almost two days together on a long flight and a hot desert.
Thank you for your prayers, and I will let you know how things go as we go along! Please continue to pray that we will grow from this experience, and that we will learn much!
Love always,
ASh
5.05.2008
Vision trip Update
To my dear family and friends:
The moment has arrived. I can hardly believe it, but tomorrow at 10:20 AM I will be on a plane heading for South Asia, where I will stay for two weeks! Only ONE more sleep! (Truth be told, I will probably get no sleep tonight!)
I want to thank everyone for their words of encouragement, your prayers, and your financial support that has lead up to this time. I have some good news: I have all the financial support I need! Thank you all!
Prayer is one of the most important parts of the trip. I would ask that you would pray for our team in these next two weeks. None of us have ever been on an adventure like this before, and I am sure that many on the team have nervous stomachs today!
I also ask for prayer that we will not take things at face value, but that we will get into the culture and learn more about the people in a deep way. I hope that we will learn much, and that we will experience how God is working in this country.
The team from Wycliffe that is there also asks for prayer, as they are going through some changes to make Bible translation more effective. Pray that God will give them the strength to do what they need to do for Him!
Please pray that we will be safe as we travel there, as well as our travels while we are there, as we will be going to many different places.
I’m not sure if I will have access to the internet too much. May God bless you all in the coming two weeks, and I will update you all when I get back!
Thank you again, and please continue your prayers!
Love,
Ashleigh
The moment has arrived. I can hardly believe it, but tomorrow at 10:20 AM I will be on a plane heading for South Asia, where I will stay for two weeks! Only ONE more sleep! (Truth be told, I will probably get no sleep tonight!)
I want to thank everyone for their words of encouragement, your prayers, and your financial support that has lead up to this time. I have some good news: I have all the financial support I need! Thank you all!
Prayer is one of the most important parts of the trip. I would ask that you would pray for our team in these next two weeks. None of us have ever been on an adventure like this before, and I am sure that many on the team have nervous stomachs today!
I also ask for prayer that we will not take things at face value, but that we will get into the culture and learn more about the people in a deep way. I hope that we will learn much, and that we will experience how God is working in this country.
The team from Wycliffe that is there also asks for prayer, as they are going through some changes to make Bible translation more effective. Pray that God will give them the strength to do what they need to do for Him!
Please pray that we will be safe as we travel there, as well as our travels while we are there, as we will be going to many different places.
I’m not sure if I will have access to the internet too much. May God bless you all in the coming two weeks, and I will update you all when I get back!
Thank you again, and please continue your prayers!
Love,
Ashleigh
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