7 Day Bible Verse Challenge - Day 1

I was nominated by a friend on Facebook for the 7 Day Bible Verse Challenge. 

These posts will typically be short and sweet, but I pray that these 7 days will be an encouragement to those who need it. 

Those of you that are waiting on healing... right now, where you are, and in this moment I ask that you will thank God for it. He is already willing to cleanse you, and now all you have to do is accept it!

In the book of Matthew a leper came to Jesus saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean" (Matthew 8:2)

The man in the passage didn't have an issue believing that Jesus had the ability and power to heal him. He was just unsure as to whether or not Jesus was willing to do it for him. 

Now listen to Jesus's response and see God's heart for YOU as far as healing is concerned. 

"I am willing; be cleansed" (Matthew 8:3)

Friends, He is both able AND willing to heal you! Believe that He wants to heal YOU!

<3 Ashley XO

Recipe Club - Oreo Pudding Cookies Edition

Hey friends!! Happy Wednesday! Today I am linking up with sweet Andrea again over at Momfessionals for Recipe Club Wednesday!! Whoop whoop!

If you don't like Oreos and the whole Cookies and Cream idea of things you aren't human. Lol!! So that's why I am sharing a recipe for Oreo Pudding Cookies!

Being that back when I started making these I didn't know I was going to be blogging so I don't have my own picture. This one is from the internet, and sadly mine never looked this pretty! Haha

I made these about three times over Christmas break and they quickly became a family favorite. When I made them for Christmas Day I threw in the red filled Holiday Oreos, I thought they would have made them cute and seasonal instead it made them a red unappealing color. They still tasted delicious, the color was just a tad off-putting ;D

Adding the pudding makes them super soft, so that means they make the perfect snack, and they aren't too heavy!

Recipe courtesy of Chef in Training!

They are super sweet, so if you have a sweet tooth you may be able to eat two or three. Or if you're like me and like an occasional sweet snack you will probably just be able to eat one at a time. 

Enjoy!!

<3 Ashley XO

Goodbye Weekend, Hello Monday! By His Stripes I am Healed Edition!!

Happy Monday, friends! I hope you all had a fantastic weekend!

This past weekend was the best weekend I have had in the last four weeks.

It stated pretty early on Saturday, I woke up and felt SUPER! Fortunately enough feeling super came just in time to make it out to the Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser at my church for our two mission's trips this summer! It felt unbelievably awesome to be around my amazing church family after what felt like a very long time!!

After the breakfast was over I sat and chatted with my awesome pastor and his beautiful wife. First and foremost, they are an INCREDIBLE couple. They both have some of the biggest hearts! I can't find the words to express how blessed and fortunate I am to have them a part of my life. I explained to them everything start to finish regarding all the health issues I have experienced in my life, and next thing I know my pastor was "calling in the troops" as he called it, and I had a numerous amount of my beautiful church family laying hands on me and praying over me. Can I just say, wow! It was truly one of the most beautiful things I have experienced. I felt so uplifted!!

That leads me to my next topic, on how it is incredible that things tie together. For those of you that read my post on Friday I talked about the book I had been reading, Words That Move Mountains. I encouraged you on Friday and I will encourage you again... this is an awesome read! It's easy to understand and follow along with, and the chapters are relatively short.

Definitely consider looking into purchasing a copy of this book, you won't regret it!

When I started reading this book towards the end of last week it had come at the most perfect time. As I began reading I felt personally convicted that in my recent dealings with health issues that I wasn't speaking words that would mountains into my own life. I was feeling sorry for myself, and every now and then I was throwing out an update on Facebook and expecting everyone else to do the praying for/over me. I was doing nothing to help myself! 

Matthew 8:26 says, "He replied, you of little faith, why are you so afraid. Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm"

Basically I was like the disciples in the boat, afraid of the storm going on around me. Yep, I pretty much felt like I was drowning! 

More and more I felt like God was knocking me over the head saying something probably along these lines...

"Hello, Ashley.. are you there?"

"Ashley, what are you doing with your life?"

"You of little faith, why aren't you leaning on me"

Well, I am a tad bit hard headed, but eventually God finally shouted in my ear loud enough, broke me down, and got me to realize I was going about the whole asking for healing thing the wrong way, I wasn't having faith. 

A lot of lines and stories in the book, Words that move Mountains, definitely stuck out to me, but this one stuck out particularly more than others....

"Don't talk sickness; rather, speak the healing Word"

In one particular chapter the writer describes how his daughter had become severely sick while she was on a missions trip with him. With her life at stake he affirmed twenty-six Bible verses over her that contain God's healing power. I am not going to go through all twenty-six verses with you, if you are that curious you will have to just read the book yourselves. He told his daughter that the words he would speak were going to expel the spirits of infirmity and disease! He ends this particular chapter saying this...

"Believe and receive your healing"

I'm going to be 100% honest with you, I don't think my believing was actually happening until after that fabulous group of people laid hands on me and lifted me up on Saturday... my pastor's prayer partner, who is also another pastor in the area, encouraged me through his prayer over me that my sickness was already taken away. As Jesus was on the whipping post... right then, it was a done deal! By His stripes I am HEALED!! 

Isaiah 53:5- "But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and BY HIS WOUNDS WE ARE HEALED"

BINGO!! There it was, and it happened, I was healed! My recent stomach/gastrointestinal issues are gone. I have continued to proclaim the healing and have been thanking God for it every day since then! While I haven't received my full healing from my NF, I am already thanking Him for that healing as well and continuing to proclaim that into my life every day! 

I encourage you, if you or someone you know is struggling with sickness and awaiting the healing, start thanking God for what is already done, proclaim the healing into your life, and you will see Him do great things in you and through you!! 

Well, with all that excitement the rest of my weekend from that point on seems kind of trivial ;D, but I will share anyways....

Saturday evening my sisters and I spent some much needed time together with a dinner date to Chick-Fil-A.

Sunday morning I finally made it back to church after probably close to four weeks of not being there. 

It was an amazing weekend!! Thank you again to everyone who has prayed for me, encouraged me, and visited me these last few weeks! You all definitely played a very important role, and now we can all rejoice together, and thank God for the healing that He poured out over me!! 

<3 Ashley XO

Friday Favorites - Words That Move Mountains Edition

Happy Spring! My little town in PA welcomed Spring with a beautiful blanket of the white fluffy stuff. Fortunately enough it will be close to 60 degrees tomorrow which means it should all be melted by Sunday!

 

It's Friday which means another week is over, and it also means it's time once again for me to link up with my FAVORITE blogger, Andrea, over at Momfessionals. Also included in the link up are Erika and Narci!

My week was not much different than last, but the last 48 hours I have felt pretty good! This is a huge Praise The Lord!! 

On Wednesday one of my FAVORITE gal friends from church stopped by. She sat and chatted with me, and then she prayed for me. Hopefully all of you know how awesome it feels to have a sweet friend pray over you! It's a beautiful feeling!

Wednesday afternoon Andrea and my three FAVORITE girls stopped by, brought me these beautiful flowers, and of course they're purple... my FAVORITE color.

Another FAVORITE from this week is this book I have continued to read...

It's an easy ready and the chapters are fairly short. Which means, if you're like me you can read about 5-7 chapters at a time. It's a really good book and I highly recommend you invest in a copy. It is sold on Amazon for less than $9.00 and there is also a Kindle edition for only $7.55!

This has been an especially encouraging read for me the last few days. I have been trying hard to not let the words I speak recently continue to be discouraging regarding my recent health issues. In this book it talks about how our words are either going to be words that move mountains or they will be words that are negative and only allow for defeat from the enemy. 

They aren't just referring to the words we speak about ourselves or over ourselves, they refer to the words we speak to and about others. Our tongues are known to be sharper than any two edged sword. 

If we start speaking defeat into our lives the devil will surely take it and run with it. He wants us to feel defeated. 

Make it a point this weekend to remain positive, no matter what is going on around you. Speak the positivity into your life and the lives of those around you, and then cast out any negativity in the name of Jesus! 

I will say a prayer for each of you that will read this post, that you will not be bogged down by the negativity that is only from the enemy, but that you will all be filled with God's hope and the love and encouragement he provides... so that you will be able to speak words that move mountains into the lives of those around you!  

1 John 4:4- "You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world."

(This just so happens to be one of my FAVORITE Bible verses!)

Have a blessed weekend friends! 

<3 Ashley XO

 

Wednesday's Wisdom - Facing Your Giants Edition

For those of you that follow me regularly and actually know me know that I have been facing a giant recently. The last four weeks have consisted of an ER visit, multiple doctor visits, blood tests, etc, etc.

For those of you that are just now starting to follow along with my blog check back to my last couple of posts to get caught up on my recent health issues :)

Let me tell you, when you are down and out with something the Devil is going to use that opportunity to kick you down even more, he's going to steal your joy, basically he's going to everything in his power to do what he can to make you feel worse than you already do! He likes when we feel defeated! He likes when there's this BIG giant staring down on us making us feel bad for ourselves, and sometimes even causing us to lose faith in that the Lord can see the big picture and that He is going to work everything out for our good!

Just so you all know I am wagging my finger at myself while writing this out to you guys ;)

Last Friday seemed to be especially hard for me. I was dealing with many anxious and negative thoughts. I was looking up at this big giant staring down on me. My dad encouraged me to get into The Word, which I will be honest with you, I haven't been doing since I have been sick. He suggested I download Alistair Begg's Truth for Life app on my phone. (Follow the link to visit his sight. He's an awesome preacher.) If you're the smart phone type I highly recommend you download his Truth for Life app as well! The sermon podcast I listened to was entitled, "Seeing What David Saw". It was the second part of a two part series and based off the scripture found in 1 Samuel 17, which hopefully most of you know is the story of David and Goliath.

Alistair preached on how David could only see the part of the picture that we, as humans can see. He wasn't able to see the big picture! The big picture that God can see! God can see the ENTIRE picture! How awesome is that? That even though we are faced with many giants throughout life, we only see what is right in front of us. We can't see above and beyond!

But what it... what if we tried looking at our giants like how God may see them?

Romans 8:28- And we know in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.

See that, He promises us in His word that He works everything out for our good! Maybe it's not going to be in the time frame we wanted. Like for example, I have to wait almost two weeks until we can take the next step in my diagnosis because they can't do a breath test until you haven't had any antacids in your system for two weeks. When I left the doctor's office this morning I was a tad discouraged and frustrated, but after a visit from a sweet friend who prayed over me, another sweet friend and her beautiful daughters bringing me flowers, and now as I'm writing this to you all... maybe God is going to grow me in these next two weeks, I may be a little uncomfortable but that only means I will have to lean on Him more, keep my eyes focused on Him, and use this as a time to grow more in my relationship with my Heavenly Father.

I have wanted to mope around and look at this recent health trial as a giant, but maybe I should be looking at it as a blessing. Unfortunately, due to me not being able to be dependable I had to step down from my nannying position. So now, I have all the time in the world. Why am I going to continue to sulk when I can be in the Word and nourishing my body spiritually!

Friday evening after I spent time listening to Alistair's sermon I flipped my TV on, and to my still a tad slightly "Negative Nellie" dismay.. Facing The Giants was on. Which just so happens to be one of my most favorite movies. If you haven't seen it you need to run now... GO! Find it on Netflix, Amazon Prime... and watch it NOW! For those of you that maybe haven't seen it I don't want to spoil any of it for you, but for those of you that have, you can agree with me on how it couldn't have come at a more perfect time, right??

I will end on these last two quick notes...

This guy, is my AMAZING Uncle. He is facing a giant, but he doesn't let it bring him down. This man lives everyday with a smile on his face and his head held high. He is definitely my inspiration and an incredible role model to me.

We have been standing in faith the last year the God sees the big picture, He sees Uncle Dave's giant, and we KNOW He is still in control!! 

And on one last note...

Maybe I told a little fib when I said I wasn't going to put in any Facing The Giants spoilers, but this song and the movie go hand in hand. I didn't watch this whole music video, but I hope it doesn't give too much of the movie away! :)

I feel like most of this blog post I was basically writing to myself... haha, but hopefully some of you out there will be blessed by it as well! 

By the way, when you are facing those giants in your life, and that fear starts to set it... don't let it. Did you know God says 365 times in His Word, "Do not fear."

Correct me if I'm wrong, but that's one "Do not fear" for every day of the year ;)

<3 Ashley XO

Friday Favorites - Sweet Friends Edition

Finally!! They day I have been waiting for!! I am linking up with my FAVORITE blogger, Andrea for Friday FAVORITES! Along with Andrea I'm also linked up with Erika and Narci!!

I had my gallbladder ultrasound yesterday, so we are waiting on results from that. I ventured away from my chicken broth and saltine cracker diet this morning and splurged on a Smucker's Uncrustable PB&J Sandwich, and so far it hasn't seemed to set off any stomach episodes so that is very exciting!

It's been a pretty boring week. I have spent most of my days laying on the couch watching day-time television, and for those of you that have been there should know that there is NOTHING on TV during the day. I'm not a "soaps" watcher so that pretty much eliminates half of what is on during the day.

Starting at 2:00 though The Hallmark Channel airs 3 episodes of Little House on the Prairie, which has quickly become one of my FAVORITE TV shows.

Sometimes I wish things were as simple now as they were back then. For some people I'm sure the thought of no electronics would have them passed out cold on the floor. Okay, I'll admit... maybe sometimes I'm THAT person. Ha!

By Wednesday I was feeling a little down in the dumps, I was sick of laying around, I was frustrated that it seems like the doctors just want to push us aside and act like nothing is wrong. Low and behold, Wednesday afternoon I received a surprise visit from the incredible family I nanny for. Sweet Kylene and my FAVORITE kiddos brought me these beautiful roses. 

And then this morning one of my lovely, LOVELY church friends stopped by and brought me these beautiful purple flowers, have I mentioned purple is my FAVORITE color? Her visit blessed me, and got my Friday started off on the right foot!! 

Well that just about wraps up my FAVORITES from this week. Hopefully next week I'll have a little more excitement for you guys! 

If I feel well enough tomorrow I am off to spend the morning bridesmaid dress shopping! That's right people, this girl gets to be a BRIDESMAID! I am so excited and honored to stand next to Rebecca this summer when she says, I do! And have I mentioned Rebecca is my FAVORITE friend? ;D Just figured I would throw one more FAVORITE in there to close today's post out with a bang! 

Have a blessed weekend friends!

<3 Ashley XO

P.S. For those of you who are visiting my page for the very first time I also encourage you to head over and like my Facebook Page. I am trying to reach a goal of 40 likes by Sunday!! :)

Wednesday's Wisdom: Are You Lost Edition

Occasionally some mornings I have to take Kiersten to the bus stop. We typically start by jamming out to the Frozen Soundtrack, and then 9 times out of 10 she hops in the front seat and we share some very special conversation. The last couple of times our conversation has revolved around this...

Are you confused yet? Hang in there, I'm going to bring it all together ;)

While I can tell her P means park, R means reverse, N means neutral, and D means drive my lack of car knowledge surfaces when it comes to the 2 and L.

And then one morning Kiersten says to me, "I know what L means. You put it on L when you are lost, and then you will know which way to go."

This got me to thinking, it's only human if sometimes throughout life we feel lost. Sometimes its our own fault, maybe we take a wrong turn, and we get distracted by worldly things and we lose sight of what is really important. Our windshield gets a little mucky, we can no longer see God, and we feel lost. There is absolutely no shame if this has ever happened to you, because believe me... I have been there, done that! There are many promises in God's word that can uplift and encourage us through times like this.

Luke 19:10 says, "For the Son of Man came to seek and save the LOST." 

Another great example we can find by diving into the Bible is The Parable of the Prodigal Son. This Parable is an amazing example of how merciful, compassionate, and forgiving our Heavenly Father is. He loves us very deeply, and His love for us is greater than we can ever imagine! He is delighted when we come back home! The Parable of the Prodigal Son can be found in Luke 15:11-32.

I also find the story in Luke 2:41-52 to be of some use for those times we are feeling lost. In this particular story it speaks about Jesus and his family traveling to Jerusalem for Passover. After the festival was over, and His parents began the journey home Jesus stayed behind. His parents didn't realize until a whole day later that He was not with them! I know the first time I read this it grabbed a hold of my heart, because I realized that when we let those distractions in, and we continue to "travel" further and further away we sometimes don't even realize that we aren't allowing the Lord to "travel" with us. This could be because we know the road we are traveling isn't a road that He may approve of. Now hear me out, because I'm about to tell you the awesome part! When Jesus's parents realized He was not with them they returned to Jerusalem to look for him, they found Him in the temple courts sitting among the teachers, listening and asking questions. Here's my favorite part, verses 48-50 says this, When his parents saw Him they were astonished. His mother said to Him, "Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you?" "Why were you searching for me?" He asked. "Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's House?" But they did not understand what He was saying to them.

Now maybe everybody will interpret this in their own way, but this is how I see it.. they had traveled quite some time before they realized Jesus wasn't with them. When they found Him though, and His mother asked why He had done what He did, He answered her with a question. "Why were you searching for me?" He asked. As if to say, why wouldn't I be here. That's where He was meant to be. 

Typically, when we are lost we eventually realize it. We realize that our windshield got mucky and we drove off the road. Sometimes, we feel like we are unworthy and we need to go back searching for God. This isn't the case at all! By diving into God's word and reading, The Parable of the Prodigal Son, and the story in Luke 2:41-52 we can rejoice that He is ALWAYS right where He should be, standing with arms wide open, ready for us to get back on the road, and run back into His arms. 

Like I said, it happens to all of us at one time or another, so don't be ashamed if this is where you have been, or where you are right now! The next time you find your windshield getting mucky, use life's gear shift (The Bible), to get back into drive!! 

<3 Ashley XO

Goodbye Weekend, Hello Monday!

First, can we all just take a minute and check out these high temperatures for this week? Is spring possibly on the horizon?!

Get excited! If you're like me you're ready to open the windows, and "air the winter" out of your house!

My weekend was pretty boring. Those that know me know that I have been struggling with some health issues lately that we are still trying to get straightened out. For those that don't know me as well, I have been struggling with some gastrointestinal problems going on almost three weeks now. I get a surge of severe pain in my abdomen and then typically, I throw up. After throwing up I feel better, the pain never goes away, but I will take pain over nausea any day! Can I get an amen? I already have one trip to the ER and a trip to the family doctor under my belt, and neither have had a productive outcome. At this point, they have ruled out any issues with the gallbladder, appendix, and kidney. "Come back if you have another episode," they say. Anyone that has any thoughts or direction on this issue PLEASE let me know. I am open to any and all advice! 

So ANYWAYS, Saturday I spent in my bed. I found a channel that was playing all three Shrek movies and was quite content. 

Because everyone loves Donkey ;)

Sunday I didn't make it to church on a count of still not feeling well. So while the family was at church I got myself cleaned up and hung out with my man, Ron Carpenter.  

If for some reason I can't attend actual church on a Sunday I try to make it a priority to watch a service on TV. Ron Carpenter (http://www.rwoc.org/) and Dr. David Jeremiah (http://www.davidjeremiah.org/site/) are two of my favorites. Both offer apps for your smart phone which I strongly encourage you check out. If you like more the mellow, traditional church/preaching atmosphere definitely check out Dr. David Jeremiah. If you like the more contemporary church/preaching Ron Carpenter is your man!

The rest of Sunday was spent like Saturday, except I actually ventured out onto the couch. I found The Polar Express on one of our local channels, and because it's one of my favorite movies... 

I  broke the, "No Christmas Movies after December Rule". 

Oh, and I did take this selfie just so you guys that have been truly and genuinely concerned don't think I'm dying ;)

Don't mind the no make up, and the all natural hair :)

5:45 Monday morning came early, and I mustered up the energy to climb out of bed and get to work. I managed to eat somewhat of a normal meal, and felt pretty good most of Monday morning. I was hopeful, on the flip side maybe? Not so much. Mommy and I packed the kids in the car for a trip to Walmart and a McDonald's lunch date, I was still feeling pretty good though Walmart, after I checked out I started to feel that little twinge of pain, a tad bit of nausea, all I could think was... 

"No... 

... not here...

... not now..."

We drove over to McDonald's where the pain and nausea only intensified. All I could think was, "I wonder how classy throwing up in the McDonald's bathroom is?" Thankfully, the kids finished eating and we made it home so I could pop a Zofran. The nausea subsided, but the pain has not. I am currently waiting on a call back from my family doctor on what our next move could be in order to figure out what in the world is going on. 

I had high hopes to get all kinds of cute "day out" pictures today, pssh.... I'll try again next time. Lol! I was lucky enough to have my mom to capture this moment between brother and sister at McDonald's. 

Yikes, are you still with me? I know, I know, another long boring post all about me. But I promise it will start to get more exciting, tune in tomorrow and I will be linking up with one of my favorite bloggers for, Show and Tell Tuesday!! You won't want to miss it!!

<3 Ashley XO

First Blog Post: Selfie Saturday

Happy Saturday! Welcome to my blog! Starting a blog has been something I aspire to. I have totally became a "blog stalker", checking my favorite blogs twice, maybe three times a day! They have been my motivation. So here I am! I wanted to use my first post to tell you all a little about myself. My name is Ashley, and I live in a quaint little town nestled in Pennsylvania. I'm 21 years old and currently nannying for the two most adorable kids to ever walk the face of the earth, but of course I may be a little biased ;)

I am the oldest of three girls. Elisabeth is 16 and Danielle is 12. They are my best friends, and I don't know what I would do without them.

My beautiful parents are happily married 22 years, and just as in love as they were then! They're both incredible people. They have set a perfect example of what a Christ-centered relationship looks like, putting the needs of the other person above your own and keeping Christ number one.

My Faith and my family play the two most important roles in my life. The Lord has brought me out of some very tough times in the last 22 years, as I was born with a neurological birth defect called, Neurofibromatosis. I was diagnosed at 8 months old, and while it has brought some very low points about in my life it has also brought some of the highest points. Most people can't even tell I have this condition because I am one of the few fortunate patients with this disease to lead a pretty normal life! It hasn't always been easy, but God is AWESOME and His mercies are new everyday! 

Well, hopefully I haven't bored you too much with my first post. I know I am excited about this new adventure I am about to embark on, and I hope you will all check back very often!

Thanks for stopping by!

<3 Ashley XO