I just watched Schindler's List this weekend...for the first time. Yes, I realize I'm over two decades behind the times. This will come as no surprise but I found the movie incredibly moving. As I watched the horrific, unimaginable treatment of the Jews, the term grace came to mind. I was speaking with a friend last week and she referenced a circumstance in which I should grace towards someone that has repeatedly wronged me. The details of the situation are not important but the idea of grace should not be lost. (Just to clarify I'm equally in the wrong more times than I would ever describe in my blog. Please don't let a few examples of the times I've shown grace towards others paint a picture perfect Ashley for you. FAR FROM IT.) People do wrong...it's the ugliness of our human nature but still we are called to show forgiveness and love regardless of the wrongs against us. There have been several periods in my life where I felt God particularly calling me to share grace with others and unfortunately when God calls you to do this it usually means people are going to wrong you. And you may feel lost and broken. However, I have found a tremendous amount of healing through grace. I find the act of forgiveness often sets you free from the pain. However, as I watched Schindler's List I wondered the limits of my grace. If I had been a Jew in Poland or Germany during the World War II time period and had been treated as Jews were treated...would I be able to have grace towards the Nazi soldiers persecuting me? Honestly, I don't know if my grace extends that far. I can't imagine grace that big. And yet this is the beauty of Christ. His grace is THAT big. On Easter Sunday our church pastor made an incredible comparison to describe Christ's love, forgiveness and grace through His death on the cross. The pastor referenced those commercials on tv where if you give $ 0.31 a day to provide water, food and shelter to a small, innocent child living in poverty. He said Christ's death on the cross was so applicable and free to every single person...it would be like if you replaced the small innocent child in that commercial with a member of ISIS. He asked how many people in the church would give $ 0.31 a day to provide water, food and shelter for a terrorist? Would I provide for a Nazi concentration camp soldier when his or her entire mission was to wipe out a group of people chosen by God? This is how far Christ's love, forgiveness and grace extends. He doesn't care what is in your past, present or future. He loves you irregardless of your actions. He just seeks your trust and faith in him. That's His grace. It's so far and wide, it is beyond comprehension. Romans 8:20-23 For no one can ever be made right in God's sight by doing what his law commands. For the more we know God's law, the clearer it becomes that we aren't obeying it. But now God has shown us a different way of being right in His sight - not by obeying the law but by the way promised in this Scriptures long ago (see Isaiah 53 for reference to "promised in the Scriptures long ago). We are made right in God's sight when we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we all can be saved in this same way, no matter who we are or what we have done. For all have sinned; all fall short of God's glorious standard. And for that I am thankful. I am so thankful I don't have to worry about if I have it in me to extend grace that big to others. Because if I'm too weak or angry and I fail at righteousness (and I do daily), Jesus's grace is wrap around me. And it could be wrapped around you too? Just trust it. 1993, a list and incomprehensible Grace, Ashley Lucille
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I miss my old job. I REALLY miss the people. I was a part of a great team. And there are days that I even miss the drama. The job itself was relatively horrible. I never minded being a leader but being "a boss" is a pretty thankless job. You are always failing in somebody's eyes. However, I still miss it. I loved being a manager and honestly, I never thought I would walk away from it. However, what I gained from giving up my job has been more rewarding than I imagined.
I'm in an online book club and we just attempted to read Being Mortal by Atul Gawande. I say "attempted" because I believe I'm the only one that is finishing the book. It's not that the book isn't great, it just requires a bit of time and focus, both of which we all struggled with this past month. A quick note to my book club friends...I forgive you for abandoning me on this book and I can't wait to start the next on Monday. But find time to go back and finish the book...it picks up in Chapter 6. Anyway, the book is an intimate look at aging, how we deal with our own fate and how healthcare providers deal with their patient's mortality. The author described a shift seen with people aging; a focus shift from one of personal achievement and growth to one of fellowship with family and close friends. Often people associate this shift with just growing old and maybe, gaining wisdom. However, a psychologist named Laura Carstensen has studied the influence of perspective on people's priorities in life. She has reasonable evidence to support personal experience allowing one to gain perspective on life driving this shift from achievement to fellowship. For example, a person in their early 30s that has encountered a near death experience shifts their focus to family and friends regardless of not being considered elderly. And I buy into this theory whole-hardheartedly. The last five years of my life have been the toughest (so far). I've definitely gained perspective on things I never thought I would have a need to understand; this perspective has opened my mind and shifted my priorities. The shift motivated me to quit a job I loved and refocus my energy into family. My decision (and I stress MY) was definitely met with criticism from others. I had one coworker sit me down and tell me she felt I was "ruining my career". I had a handful of friends question why I was "moving for a guy". But my core friends got it. I had a dear friend tell me she was proud of me for having the courage to do it. To take the leap of faith for something bigger and better without having a clear vision of the path. I had really hoped God was going to make the journey easy with relatively little faith required. I envisioned landing the perfect management job in NC and basically continuing my career. However, God made me work for this one. I moved without secure employment and had to trust God would provide me enough work as an independent nurse consultant. Without fail, God provides. (Please note the present tense on that last sentence.) And because I leaped and more importantly trusted God, I get to enjoy endless hours with my boys (Chris and our two dogs). I get to make plans for our future. I actually have a better paying, less stressful job with 95% flexible hours. When "my boys" decided to go camping midweek, I got to go with them. I get to make dinner each night. (Okay this is a lie. Chris cooks for me most nights. I'm lucky to be in love with someone who loves to cook and is equally competitive as I am. And since we haven't totally decided which of us is the "better cook", we continue to compete.) The flexibility and freedom I've found by allowing a shift in my priorities from achievement and success to fellowship and family has been overwhelming. And you know what...I'm redefining success in my life. I'm still building a career, I'm just building it according to God's timeline and my family. Philippians 4:6-9 Don't worry about anything; instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all He has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. And now, dear brother and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me - everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you. And although I may go back to the hospital someday...in the meantime I'll just keep camping. Courage, two dogs and a campsite, Ashley Lucille I find it a bit odd we call today "Good Friday" when the day has nothing to do with being good. In fact, it has more to do with not being good enough than being good. I could spend my entire life working really hard to be "good" and I still would not spend my eternity in heaven. I almost feel like we should call the day "Not Good Enough Friday" because that's the entire reason why the day exists. That is the reason for the sacrifice. That is the reason for Jesus. (Of course, you can look at the day as "good" because God is so good to us but for the sake of my Good Friday reflection...go with the "Not Good Enough Friday" mentality.) Good is irrelevant. Jesus is all that matters. The gospel is that simple. God loves us but we are not pure enough for His Kingdom so a sacrifice had to occur. Jesus was that sacrifice. He will stand before us in front of God and we will enter His Kingdom. Whether I am "good" or "bad" is irrelevant. Whether I have Jesus on my side is All. That. Matters. Period. I've been a Christian since I was a child but it wasn't until a couple of years ago that salvation clicked with me. I was listening to Mandisa's song "Not Guilty" and I got a glimpse of how standing before God will go. The lyrics are too powerful to summarize so here you go: "Not Guilty" I stand accused There's a list a mile long Of all my sins Of everything that I've done wrong I'm so ashamed There's nowhere left for me to hide This is the day I must answer for my life My fate is in the Judge's hands But then He turns to me and says I know you I love you I gave My life to save you Love paid the price for mercy My verdict not guilty How can it be? I can't begin to comprehend What kind of grace Would take the place of all my sin? I stand in awe Now that I have been set free And the tears well up as I look at that cross 'Cause it should have been me My fate was in the nail scarred hands He stretched them out for me and said I'm falling on my knees to thank You With everything I am I'll praise You So grateful for the words I heard You say My part is that easy. I just need to recognize no matter how hard I try I will never be good enough for the perfection God intended for us. I can try but I will never succeed. Let's start with the 10 commandments...just 10 small commandments. They are listed out in Exodus 20 and include: have no other gods before or bedside Me, do not make or worship other idols, do not take the Lord's name in vain (all that OMG'ing we've got going on...yeah that doesn't fly with the big man), keep the Sabbath day holy, honor your father and mother (I'm pretty sure I failed this yesterday when I got a bit cranky with my mom on the phone...sorry mom), do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not lie, and do not covet your neighbor. Okay so some of these I think I'll be good on...for example, I hope to resist murder in this life. However in God's eyes...murder and lying are on the same playing field. Sins aren't "ranked" as worst to best...there is no place for any sin in heaven. So basically...we are all screwed. Enter Jesus. Because Jesus was sacrificed (to death) we can be in paradise. He literally will stand before God and represent us upon meeting our Maker. I find something so incredibly cool about that...Jesus is going to stand up for me. All I have to do is let Him. So today, "Not Good Enough Friday", is the day we remember the sacrifice. Today is the day we remember the death that had to occur so we can have a chance at paradise. And although we celebrate the Risen King in just a few days...without the sacrifice there would be no reason to celebrate. So Happy "Not So Good Friday". Get on board with Jesus because eternity in paradise is going to be one amazing place. A Sacrifice, a Savior and a Friday, Ashley Lucille I love the Oscars...I love the glitz and glam and fashion. I don't even watch all that many movies but I still enjoy watching the award shows (the same goes for the Grammy's!). My college roommates and I actually threw watch parties in college. However, I was beyond disappointed this year. It is unclear to me if Chris Rock or the Academy made it about race but thanks to his opening monologue, I couldn't even watch it. The opening monologue made me realize that we aren't over the whole white/black thing. As a society we keep bringing it up. We are keeping it alive. It is so sad. I am absolutely against slavery or segregation...there's no sound argument to support either in my book. I hate that this is part of our country's history but I did not take part in it and I really have no intention of keeping that history alive. I don't see people in black and white...I just see people. I love culture and learning about people different than me but I believe this probably comes from my drive for a better perspective in this world. A let me define my use of "different" for you...anyone that looks, believes, acts or lives in a manner not the same as me. This past year I watched the movie "The Butler" and was overwhelmed with emotion. (Although I'm not a member of "The Academy" and know absolutely nothing about awarding Oscars, I highly recommend it!) This movie helped me understand the sense of pride, accomplishment, and just an overall feeling of overcoming adversity people of African American decent felt when President Barack Obama was elected into office 8 years ago. That moment signified (or should have) overcoming a hurdle of our country's past. However, I can't help but feel over the last several years, our society has actually grown more racial divided. (Clarification...I'm not blaming Obama. I am blaming society - we own this.) Distinguishing white from black seems to be lingering in our vocabulary and I can't help but be disappointed in our entire society because of it. And while I can appreciate there are people in this world that are still racist, I have to hope these people are slowly becoming extinct. By way of the average life expectancy, in the next 20-30 years we should see no more living people that experienced regulated inequality through segregation. I really hope in 20 years we find ourselves living among people that don't see the world in black or white but that just see the world. So if sentiments of racism linger, we are the only ones to blame. And I do believe anyone holding onto these sentiments, past, present and future will be held accountable before God. Our ancestors that participated in slavery have stood before God and were accountable for their behavior. Our relatives that were actively abusive to anyone during the civil rights battles of 1960s will be held accountable. In the Bible, we saw a ton of segregation based on both race and belief however it is clear we are all equal in Christ. Acts 10:34-35 Opening his mouth, Peter said: "I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality, but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him. Galations 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. I don't think the fact there were no black nominees had anything to do about race or opportunity. It had to do with good movies in 2015. When you watch a basketball game and there are no white men playing on a team...I don't think that's about race either. I think that is about talent. And for whatever reason, in that moment of time, at that basketball audition or draft, there were no white players that made the cut (by the way...is there even a basketball draft?). It's about making hoops not race. Just like this year, there were no movies or stars "Oscar - worthy" that included people of African American decent. And let's be honest, as a whole do we ever agree with what the Academy deems "Oscar-worth"? Sometimes they get it right and sometimes they are way off irregardless of race. Our society made it about race this year and for that I couldn't even watch it. (Although I am happy Leo won...I'm totally a #teamleo #itstartedwithromeoandjuliet fan.) Racism, disappointment, and hope for a better day, Ashley Lucille Several weeks ago, I had a discussion with some family about abortion clinics because my sister had two options for delivering her baby: a private practice physician group she didn't like or the local abortion clinic. I actually didn't know abortion clinics deliver babies but apparently they can/do...or at least the one in town does. However, most women that want to delivery a healthy, alive baby do not want to do so within the walls of an abortion clinic. One reason, is obvious, the stigma around abortion. The second reason is having to deal with protesters standing outside the clinic. I really struggle with this one...abortion clinic protesters. I get it and agree that abortion is wrong. I even understand the empowerment through civil protest when it is against a concept or the government or to take a stand against an issue. But when protesting is done in a manner that makes others feel worse or disgraced, I'm not sure I get it. I believe life is formed at conception and feel confident God intimately knows us and loves us at this moment. Our beginning, if you will. However, I am not sure standing outside the clinic and protesting to young women struggling, in pain, faced with the decision to kill their unborn child, is the right or best approach. I am not sure it is the loving approach. And I'm not sure it is demonstrating the commandment to "love one another". If you must protest, protest against legislation around abortion in Washington. I think there's a difference there. Now before I go on...I am sure there is a protestor or two out there that has stopped someone from going through with an abortion. And that's awesome...a life saved. I'm not saying this approach isn't good for someone, somewhere. I just question if protesting outside of an abortion clinic is the best approach or an approach that is for the masses. I believe women facing the decision of abortion are in a really, really rough place. My heart breaks for these women and honestly it breaks for many of the "mainstream sinners" that are the topic of many of our religious conversations. Just because my sins don't make the "hot topic" list, does not make them less applicable sins in God's eyes. I think if I had to walk by a group of protesters every time I choose to sin, I wouldn't feel very loved especially if it was a sin I really struggled with. I think it actually might fester angry and resentment in heart. When did judging and condemning each other become the role of being a Christian. Last time I checked, the Bible was very clear on our duty: go make disciplines, love God, and love one another. Judgment is left up to God. And we will all face our own individual judgment someday. On that day, I'm going to be thankful for Jesus and Grace because of all the times I've failed in this life. Sin has a powerful hold on us, but that's another blog, another day. As a Christian, I really struggle with other Christians when it comes to judgment. (I struggle to the point of borderline judging them which in itself is a sin. I pray about this often.) Living a Christian life is relatively easy when you live in a bubble and surround yourself with only "like beings". However, in the real world, you are faced with learning to love people that don't love God or honor His commandments. God's commandment didn't say "Love only people that love me." It read "love one another". So we have to learn how to act in a way that demonstrates God's love and acceptance of each other, including each others faults, flaws and sins. I don't have to agree with you, to demonstrate a love toward you. Unfortunately, mastering this skill is a fine art. There is a difference between discerning between right and wrong and the act of judgment. We are quick to judge and resistant to love one another especially when the "one another" is someone different than us. Luke 6:41-42 (Jesus is talking here...) Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye; when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye. Just a note...I'm still working on the plank in my own eye. Correction...planks (plural!). I only hope I live out at least a little bit of the love and grace God has shown to me. To any women out there that have gone through an abortion, I hope you know I will never protest you. I will share my heart for God's will and then I will show nothing less than love for you. I will not judge you or condemn you. I might believe what you did was wrong in God's eyes but I serve a loving and forgiving God that is full of grace. And I want to demonstrate His love and grace...nothing more and nothing less. I have enough sin in my own life to deal with before I climb into an ivory tower and look down on you. So before you pick up your sign and join the picket, consider God's love and grace. Grace, love and lots babies, Ashley Lucille I am usually huge on New Year's Resolutions. However, this year I was at a loss for what to tackle as my resolution (or I thought I was at a loss!). Generally, I am pretty good at sticking to resolutions so I do spend a bit of time committing to them. For example, blogging was my 2014 New Year's Resolution. I don't always commit to them for life; like the year I committed to keeping a clean and tidy car. I did keep my car clean for a year but only a year. (Confession time: although my car is relatively clean, it is rarely tidy. And it always smell like my chocolate lab. But I did keep it clean AND tidy for one entire year.) Anyway, it's February 1st and I am just now committing to a New Year's Resolution. However, I am pretty sure God had my resolution picked out on January 1st, I was just too slow to realize it (or avoiding it). I think God is not-so-subtly telling me to spend more time on my knees in prayer. As 2015 closed out, I was overwhelmed with answered prayers. God just took care of so many things for me...things I know many people were praying about it. And regrettably, things I worried about. My worry overwhelmed me until one day God just revealed many answered prayers to me. It was like He looked down and said, "See, I told you. I GOT THIS." Philippians 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And it was with the first of many answered prayers that I felt an urge to devote the year to praying for others. Sure, I pray for others on a regular basis. But I wouldn't say I commit to prayer on a regular basis. And I just feel like God has called me to this resolution. For example, after feeling the initial urge to pick this resolution (but still actively resisting it!) a co-worker showed up in my office with a prayer journal. She said she found it in her house, wasn't going to use it and thought maybe I might make use of it. I thought to myself, "That's odd. I've been thinking about spending more time in prayer and she just so happened to offer me...a prayer journal. (Note: I wonder how God feels when I respond to Him with a "that's odd".) You'd think that would make me dive into prayer...however, I continued to resist. Until yesterday. I am confident it was not a coincidence that the first church I attended, on the first Sunday after I moved to Morehead City, NC was a church working on a stronger commitment to God in...PRAYER. The moment the pastor said the church leadership was feeling as though God wanted them to lead others in a stronger commitment to prayer...I knew God was right there talking to me. So today I took my first step toward my New Year's (minus 1 month) Resolution and pulled out that little prayer journal to start my day of. Sometimes I can't believe how slow I am when God is trying to pull me in a certain direction (obviously a direction toward Him) but I resist the pull or stand still. When I finally move, I always feel right when I step forward. So over this next year, I will be looking to pour out blessings of prayer on others in honor of God and the many answered prayers in my own life. I also have a feeling this might be one of those resolutions that I don't give up after a year. 1 Thessalonians 5:16 Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. Need prayer...just say so and I'll lift you up in prayer. Resolutions, resistance and prayer, Ashley Lucille It's been awhile since I published a blog but I promise I have a good reason for neglecting the blog. Big changes in this life of mine. Today was the first day of the "next chapter" of my life. On Friday, I said goodbye to a great job, close friends and a city I loved in order to pack up and move to North Carolina. For the past 11 years, I have poured my heart and soul into a career that literally sucked the life out of me. Don't get me wrong, I loved my job. And I really, really loved my team. However, I realized I was being a big fat hypocrite. When I was a new nurse, a guy ran a red light and T-boned my car. Thankfully I was ok but I did have to call out of work 1 shift due to some horrible post-crash pain. I remember the first manager I ever had calling me to say, "Ashley I am so glad you are okay...we can't afford to be down a nurse on the unit" and I remember thinking, "Lady you are crazy...when it comes to car crashes and the value of my life, work is not the priority." I have always remembered the way she made me feel and I have tried really hard to NOT be that type of manager. I have really tried to be a leader that valued life over work but at the end of the day, I have lost the value in my own life. My personal life has been squeezed in brief moments between the many demands of my work life (and for awhile school life). So about 6 months ago, I decided to make a change. On the same trip to Scotland that Chris proposed to me, I read Jen Hatmaker's book "For the love". It was a great book and somewhere in it, she reminded her readers that we should work to live and that we should not live to work. As I reflected on her book, amongst the gorgeous highlands of Scotland, I realized I had become someone living to work. As life would have it, during this period of reflection, an amazing man proposed to me. And when I said "yes" to committing to him in marriage, I also said yes to a different life. A life that is going to teach me to live and let work be a sidekick. Today I kicked off that life. Don't misunderstand me...I am still very much committed to being a nurse AND being a nurse leader. However, I am giving myself time to find the balance between working as a nurse leader and being a future wife and maybe even a mom. And right now this balance involves a career shift with a much different pace. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens. a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace. For me, it's a season to take time to invest in people. A time for my faith to grow. A time for my love of Him to grow. A time to surrender to His plan even though it looks nothing like my original plan (or my back up plan for that matter!). AND I am also preparing to embark on one of my bucket list items...which is to write a book (Of course...this will only happen if it is God's plan!). I have mentioned wanting to do this to Chris a couple of times and possibly using a chunk of time while I am not working in a hospital to tackle this task. So last night when I arrived at my apartment in NC, I found a brand new desk and computer with a note from my love telling me the desk and computer is for my new work and hopefully inspires me to write more, since he knows how much I love writing. What a blessing to have found a man that supports me and my dreams. I am blessed. So today was Day One of this new life. I worked exactly 5 hours (ONLY 5 HOURS - my former secretary would be so proud of me!!!). I unpacked and settled into my apartment. I actually got to workout during daylight hours. I took my elderly dog for two long walks. I went to dinner with a friend. I had time to enjoy the little things in life with a only side serving of work. Sure, one day I might get bored and decide it's time for a change. Until that time, now is the time to soak up life. Time, work and life, Ashley Lucille This morning I had a bit of a travel/packing wardrobe malfunction. I only had black tights with a leather strip down the side (essentially leather pants!) or jeans to wear to church. Not only did I only have these leather pants and/or jeans but my blouse was not long enough to cover my backside in my leather pants. There is just something about tight leather pants without a long blouse that screams Las Vegas night club instead of church. (In fact, I have actually worn these pants in a Las Vegas night club…yikes!). So off to attend my mother’s church in leather pants with my bum showing a bit more than I would normally permit.
Well when I arrived at church…I realized it really didn’t matter what I was wearing. There were jeans, shorts, sneakers, spike heels, tight red leather pants, fur jackets, t-shirts, flip flops and even a kilt…you name it, it was there. More importantly, you name it and it was welcomed there. My mom attends Church by the Glades in Coral Springs, FL. And more so than any church I’ve ever been to…this church just gets it. Church is not about getting dressed up. It isn’t about appearances. It isn’t about putting on a show. It is about being real. It is about being real with real people. Real imperfect people. People that wear leather pants and are just doing their best to get by in this world. This church chooses to focus on God, His Word and our salvation in a way that is real to our lives each and every day. Way too often is "church" something reserved for Sunday mornings. Too many people live a fragmented life where God’s Word is separate from your life. You have “life” Monday through Saturday and then church on Sunday. Instead of integrating what you learn on Sunday about God’s love and salvation into your life and integrating your life into your “Sunday” they are separate. Your salvation, love and obedience to God aren’t intended to be silos in your life…they are your life. They are one and the same. This church gets that. The people that go to this church get that. If I can Whip Nae Nae on a Friday, then we can Whip Nae Nae on a Sunday morning (and they did!). I’m not even kidding. So after a powerful morning and what I consider to be the best service I have attended in my life (which may be an entirely separate blog), I came to a simple conclusion. If it is okay for me to wear leather pants on Saturday night in a nightclub in Las Vegas then it is equally acceptable on Sunday morning. God accepts me exactly how I am. And He is with me equally on Saturday night as He is with me on Sunday morning. He loves me the same. He forgives me the same. He is the same. Acts 10:34-36, 42 Then Peter replied, "I see very clearly that God shows no favoritism. In every nation He accepts those who fear him and do what is right. This is the message of Good News for the people of Israel - that there is peace with God through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all....And he ordered us to preach everywhere and to testify that Jesus is the one appointed by God to be the judge of all - the living and the dead." God doesn't care if you are wearing leather pants...he doesn't play favorites. He commands us to preach His Good News EVERYWHERE. Leather pants, a wild church and people that just get it, Ashley Lucille I grew up with a family that owned guns. To my knowledge and memory, they were locked away. As an adult, I am also a gun owner. I keep my gun loaded, ready to use but secure (as appropriate), and I actually know how to shoot it. I consider myself a responsible gun owner because I believe "responsible" is the only way to be if you make the decision to have a gun. Honestly, I keep the gun to protect me from other people with bad intentions and guns. If tomorrow you told me, all of the guns were being removed from our country, with the exception of the military, I could live with that decision. I have no plans to kill a single living being. And in the unlikely event I am attacked or my family is attacked and I decide to pull the trigger...I expect two things. I expect to kill someone. And I expect to be held accountable before God someday for murder. Irregardless of the circumstances around the killing.
Matthew 5:38-39 You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. There is a whole lot of chatter around gun control in our country right now. Every single time there is a mass shooting (or really any shooting), politicians leverage the event to further build their platform. And it disgusts me. The country's problem with violence is not a platform for political agenda. It is a red flag that we have a serious, heartbreaking problem. And the problem isn't related to guns. The problem is related to people. People that need support, help, love, structure and a big dose of God. The right to bear arms outlined in our Constitutional Amendments originated from a right to be able to defend our country as a united group of people. It was not permission to go kill people. I still very much believe in the freedom to bear arms and I believe the need for war and acts of war as outlined in our history and more importantly as outlined in the bible. War is very real in the bible. The freedom to bear arms, and the many other freedoms, granted to us does NOT give us the right to do whatever we desire. It does not give us the freedom to act like lunatics. We've confused "freedom of (you fill the in blank)" with freedom to do whatever. There is a BIG difference. And the accountability lives with our entire culture: our government, our media, our healthcare system, and our people...each and every person owns a piece of the disaster we've become in this world. Freedom, accountability and a gun, Ashley Lucille As we approach the holiday season, our focus often shifts to that of giving (and honestly, that of receiving). We buy, wrap, exchange and receive gifts galore. Some glamorous and sparkly, others a bit less desired. However, I feel like all too often gift exchanges are more or less out of obligation than rooted in a spirit of giving. Giving is not always defined by gifts or money and it looks different to different people. I once had a pastor explain giving like this: when asked how much should we give, he replied: Give until it hurts and then keep giving until it doesn't hurt anymore. I couldn't agree more and have used this to guide my own giving in life. I also believe we should challenge ourselves to give things that have meaning to us -- this is where the "give until it hurts" part comes in. For example, if you are the type of person that values your time and is often focused on yourself (and really, who isn't these days!), dedicating your time in service to others is probably a good way to "give until it hurts". If money is something you struggle with, give money. Find what would be a sacrifice for you and give it away. If you find yourself placing too much value on any one thing, you might just challenge yourself to give that away. A couple of years ago, God challenged me to let go of something rather expensive I had once placed a ton of value on. After spending several weeks struggling with the nudge from God, I gave it away to a friend in need. To an outsider it made absolutely no sense. However, in my heart it just felt right. It was my sacrifice in giving. It hurt right up until the moment I gave it away. Deuteronomy 15:10 Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your hard work and in everything you put your hand to. Another struggle with giving is also being focused on ensuring what you give is put to "good use." No one wants to give to a scam and see his/her money, time or effort wasted' However, the beautiful thing about a spirit of giving, is your responsibility is only to give. You are not going to be held accountable for what the receiver does with your gift. It's the spirit and act of giving that counts! You have to give without reservation or stipulation. The spirit of giving is about giving. What the receiver does with the gift, is between God and him/her. Your role and responsibility is in the act of giving. And God actually commands us to give to one another and His commandment to give extends past the holiday season. However, the celebration of Christmas provides us the absolute best example of giving. God gave until it hurt...He gave up the ultimate sacrifice. God gave us His one and only Son. I bet watching His Son die on the cross hurt - I actually can't imagine a greater sacrifice. But He gave to us without reservation. And His gift comes without stipulation. What WE do with His gift, is up to us. We can choose to accept it and use it to greater His kingdom or we can waste it. John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. I am so incredibly thankful for God's Spirit of Giving. I can only hope to have an ounce of His Spirit of Giving. Giving, sacrifice and blessings, Ashley Lucille |
Ashley LucilleJust a few reflections about everything God is teaching me in this life...a journey deeper into His purpose for my life. Categories |