Emmanuel, God with us...

"Its the most wonderful time of the year..." Yes, it is the most wonderful time of the year!  I love my first "red" cup of coffee from Starbucks, choosing a night to decorate the Christmas tree, hearing "Jingle Bells" played on the radio, going to holiday parties with friends, more reasons to justify baking, hanging the stocking, lighting the Christmas tree scented candles.... even though its 80 degrees here in Dallas, Christmas is in the air!  And I love it!  But my heart can get so distracted from the true meaning of this season...

On Sunday, our pastor, said something though, that really stopped me in my festive cheer.... "Are we falalalalaing the Treasure away?" 

Emmanuel, God with us... this is Christmas.  Its so easy to love the season, but to forget the reason.  Its sounds funny, but so many Christmas's have passed, with my heart loving the season, loving the cheer, loving the gifts, the memories, the traditions, but forgetting or just passively remembering the Treasure.    

Isaiah 7:14 "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel."

Christmas is, God came to earth, to save His people from their sins!  What news this heralds!  HE CAME!  He did what we could NEVER do for ourselves! He came to save us! 

Christmas is, God came to be with us.  I had to blink the tears away as I spoke over myself, "God wants to be with you, Ashley."  Really, Lord?  You want to be with tired, arrogant, angry, impatient, rude... me?  And He whispers again, yes, you, my daughter, my Ashley... I want to be with you."  CHRISTmas should whisper to our souls the comfort of, "I want to be with you."

Lord, give us courage this beautiful season of Christmas to not only remember you... but to announce to a dying world that YOU are the Treasure, the Reason, the Gift!  Help us to stand up against the materialism and the traditions void of You.  Remind us again, why You came.... the love that You have for Your children.  Show us Your heart, this season.  

"Hark the herald angels sing, glory to the new born king!"

"Joy to the world, the Lord has come, let earth receive her king!"

"Oh come, Oh come Emmanuel!"

life in pics

baby boy is getting SO big!

handsome boy!

froyo with our friend carol

this boy is a ham! he keeps us laughing!

my boy and i spend many afternoons napping...
and i've grown to learn that napping is perfectly ok for mommies too! :)

uh-oh!

just sittin on my scooter watching yo-gabba gabba

fall has come to the hunt house... and i LOVE it!

amazing things happening here at CFNI..
our times of worship here have marked us forever...
if you ever want to watch, tune into cfni.tv 

these little danskos are getting lots of use..
being a full time nurse again :)
and i like it!

my punkin in his new soccer chair!!

seriously, the light of my life

rockin our nikes :)

watching the dodge-ball tournament with mommy!
all the kids got a chance to go out and play too and my boy, apprehensive at first,
got in the game!!

faith and barrett.
barrett HAD to wear his football uniform for her! cute!

in the quiet

Been fighting a fog this past week... worked a slew of night shifts close together and it has taken me my whole 4 days off to regain my motivation and a semi-normal schedule.  

Had a beautiful weekend with my family.  We just enjoyed being together.  I drank lots of coffee.  Ray made me laugh.  And Barrett kept us busy.  We went on our first date since we moved here.  It was a special time... it was different than any other date we have had.  I'm not exactly sure why... but our hearts connected on a different level than ever before.  God is giving us more and more of the same heart.  I could write MUCH about our marriage... where it has been, the very hard and trying times, but right now, God is re-writing parts of our story and it is covered with forgiveness... He is making it more about Him and less about us.  This is the Scripture that He has given me for this time.  There is always HOPE...

"And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart."

Ezekial 36:26 NLT

Right now... I am enjoying a quiet booth to myself at Panera.  I am drinking a big glass of sweet tea since I hit my coffee intake quota for the week and its only Monday! It is Quiet... something I don't practice much...  I am constantly making lists, setting goals, planning...    

It hard for me to shut my mind off and just be still.  But my Father is teaching me... To be still, means I have to trust that in my stillness God is going to speak.  There is no point in being still and waiting on God if I don't believe that something awesome is going to happen in the stillness.  

I have plenty to do.  But I am learning that the quiet is a much better place than the things I think I need to do.  When I am quiet... my heart connects with His heart, my mind is transformed, my desires are changed, my thoughts are towards Him and His kingdom, and my passion become His passion.  When I sit at His feet, sometimes never uttering a word, my life changes and it is SO much better than anything I would have chosen to do.  If only I could remember this.

Quiet, is marked by little or no motion or activity.  In our world, it is so hard for us to do this!  Quiet makes us face things in our life and heart that we never even knew were there.  We would rather run from these things than to face them head on.  Leave the dishes in the sink, don't worry about the clutter... Run to find a quiet place and I promise you won't be disappointed!   

This morning I went to chapel with Ray.  We both LOVE starting our day out together worshipping, getting refocused.  It is a time we have grown to cherish.  But this morning, the worship leader said, "Lets worship Jesus before we start worship."  Is sounds funny, but many time we wait for the music to start and then eventually we start singing and sometimes our spirit gets engaged.  But this morning, without any music, the room erupted in worship to Jesus.  There was nothing stirring our hearts other than the Holy Spirit.  It was quiet, it was weird to actually start worshipping without music and loud instruments.  But I am learning to press in, to press into all that God has.  I have had to push through the fog the past few days... and it has been hard!  But as I press in, seeking for more and more of His presence, I have found that HE ALWAYS SHOWS UP and give more and more of Himself!  And He doesn't just show up... HE shows up in mighty power... causing my heart to love him more and transforming EVERY part of my life! He wants to do the same for all of us.  His love is great... greater than we could ever imagine.  

This my favorite song right now... I cry every time we sing it...   Thinking on the words.. it is all worth it.  He is worth it.  Take it all, just give me Jesus...  

Beautiful Man,
Beautiful God,
You're more than worth my time.
You're more than worth these longings of my heart
Left unfulfilled,
Just for a time.

And I know You don't come as easy as some,
But I will watch and pray,
I will watch and pray.

Beautiful Man,
Beautiful God,
You're more than worth my time.
You're more than worth these longings of my heart
Left unfulfilled,
Just for a time.[ Lyrics from: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/k/kristene_mueller/all_my_devotion.html ]
And I know You don't come as easy as some,
But I will watch and pray,
I will watch and pray.
And I know You don't come as easy as some,
But I will watch and pray,
I will watch and pray.

Take it all,
Take it all,
Just give me Jesus,
Just give me Jesus.

Take it all,
Take it all,
Just give me Jesus,
Just give me Jesus.

I don't want any other lovers,
I don't want any other lovers,
I don't want any other lovers,
I don't want any other lovers,
For all my devotion belongs to this Man,
All my devotion belongs to this Man,
All my devotion belongs to this Man,
All my devotion belongs to this Man.

Kristene Mueller

What God is doing here at CFNI!!

I've been watching this video over and over again... such a beautiful symbol of putting the old man to death so that we can live the abundant life that Christ intended for us!  Pumped for these girls and all that God is going to do in and through them!  They are spurring me on!




We started off the semester a few weeks ago praying for each different apartment complex and each family represented. Our's is Dayspring... And we have surely found a home here. God's blessings have been so evident from the moment we moved in. We love the community that we share here.. it is a unique and precious season of our lives. My favorite part of living here is walking out this spiritual journey together... all our stories are different, yet all the same.  

 

 

 This was the abortion Rally that Ray participated in this past weekend.  It was silent, sobering, and God's Spirit fell in amazing ways in many peoples lives!  We have been learning so much about this topic... and what it really means to uphold the sanctitiy of life.  Our hearts have been moved and we cannot sit back and let the Enemy continue to steal millions of precious babies lives...  

 

 

 

This is my dearest friend here... Thias.

She is a godly woman. 

This picture brings tears to my eyes...

This is what it is ALL about...

FORGIVENESS and HEALING in the name of Jesus

FOR ALL...

 

And this is Thias's daughter Larissa...

She stood for LIFE.

It was incredible.

 

 

We miss all our Virginia friends dearly, especially this time of year as Fall starts to emerge!

But we are SO happy here...

We see the hand of God as we look back over the past few months...

He has been with us, guiding us, calling us, pursuing us...

 

XOXO,

Ray & Ash

 

my favorite day

our weekly mommy/barrett day is becoming my favorite day!

we visited the dallas arboretum.

the amazing pumpkin village was a perfect start to fall!

i LOVE this

mommy, go get those balls... swim... get them! haha

"to the moon, best friends, forever"
and then B usually adds an "Amen!" :)

yes, he asked the man for a football...

this face... SMOOCH!

helping mommy cook and clean!
learning to be a servant!!

we get free bananas every week... and banana bread has become one of our favorite lately!
ray said it was a 10... that NEVER happens!! :)

fall = chili

the leaves aren't changing here,

and the temperature is still at 95,

but we are loving life in dallas...

meeting new friends,

trying new things,

experiencing God is new and amazing ways!

i will cherish these memories forever...

Treasures in Texas

So I changed the name of my blog...
It is now OUR blog, about our life, as a family, here in Texas.
We want to remember and document the things that God teaches us here at CFNI.

"Passion should drive you, but wisdom should hold the reigns."

We believe that God has brought us to this place in Texas for a time of hiding... a time of saturation... a season of preparation... a time of God marking us for what is to come. There are treasures hidden here for us, but we must seek HIS HEART with all our hearts. Surrender. Lay aside the sins that so easily entangle. Remove distractions. Get on our faces.

God has been asking us... Are you seeking my presence? Are you addicted to Me? Obsessed with Me? Do you know My heart? Do you love My presence? I know it sounds weird... but when we taste and see that the Lord is good, we will NEVER turn back! The things that break His heart, will not only break our hearts, but will move us to intercede, to fight.

"The only thing worse than being blind, is being blind without vision."

helen keller

So lately, I have been asking God for His heart for me... His vision for our family. None of us can change the whole world and all the horrible things that happen daily... no child should die of cancer, no little girl should be sold as a sex slave, no unborn child should be murdered, no woman should be raped, no children should be without a father... this world is far from Christ... but Christ is not far from this world. What is the cause of Christ that grips your heart most? What causes you to lay in bed at night and weep? These causes deserve our heart, because they break the Fathers. We cannot change all of these things, but we can make a difference in the lives of the broken... even if its just one! We have the HOPE that the world needs... How can we as Christian be silent any longer? How can we shrug off the questions?

Oh God, Help us not to turn a blind eye to the hurting. Help us to stay flexible and pliable to the work of your Holy Spirit in our lives! Help us to learn to listen and to wait! Pry open our eyes to the hurting ones... not for our glory... not so that we think we are doing good... but because you see and you heal! You LONG to deliver, to save, to heal, to restore...

What is the cause that you will refuse to shrug off any longer? What is the passion of your heart? What are the dreams that your Father placed in your heart long ago? Maybe you don't know exactly what it is right now... I am still asking the Father for His heart for me... BUT don't stop asking, don't stop seeking; linger in His presence just a few moments longer...

What moves you with compassion?

turning up the heat

Well its H-O-T here today in Dallas, Texas... and we are without AC!  We noticed on Friday evening that our house was feeling a bit warmer than usual, then we started to sweat... then we realized no AC.  After notifying the after hours maintenance here on campus, we were informed that there is no one on call this weekend to fix the AC... they will be back on Tuesday.  Tuesday?!?!  That is almost 5 days of, what we feel, is excruciating heat.  We were able to sleep in another empty apartment last night... which felt AMAZING!  But sadly, we have pretty much been complaining on and off for the past 3 days... "its too hot! 5 days?!? this is just not right!  we have a toddler!  we have to keep walking back and forth to get our stuff from one apartment to the next!!"  Oh, just typing all this complaining makes my heart sad.  But God is always faithful to direct His children back to His Word...

As I was doing dishes in our burning hot house, sweat dripping off of me, I heard the Lord's kind, gentle voice say (not audibly, but in my heart), "Are you content in all circumstances?  Have you learned to love me, to love your family, to love others, even when you feel uncomfortable?"  I shared this with Ray... we both felt conviction in our hearts.  We refocused our eyes and saw that this trial, and yes this is a trial in our lives, is testing our faith in our Father.  We know that these things that we are going through right now are only working in out lives to prepare us for whatever the Lord calls us to in the future.

We are now feeling nice and cool, sitting in our friends apartment.  We are learning what it means to be content in ALL circumstances... Our faithful Father is turning up the HEAT just a little to remind us where our hope and trust lie.

this is not todays actual weather, but it is what we have been seeing the past few days... whew!

good-bye Virginia friends...

a few of our good-bye pics...

even though this song is kinda dorky... its so true... we have some very very special friends that will forever be in our hearts...

Packing up the dreams God planted
In the fertile soil of you
I can't believe the hopes He's granted
Means a chapter of your life is through

B will miss his auntie kk

 But we'll keep you close as always 
It won't even seem you've gone 
'Cause our hearts in big and small ways 
Will keep the love that keeps us strong 

b & nanny, beach buddies

 And friends are friends forever 
If the Lord's the Lord of them 
And a friend will not say never 
'Cause the welcome will not end 
Though it's hard to let you go 
In the Father's hands we know 
That a lifetime's not too long 
To live as friends 

our little family with Meema...
we will miss her SO much!

 And with the faith and love God's given 
Springing from the hope we know 
We will pray the joy you live in 
Is the strength that now you show 

b & his buddy ty

little cuties

 We'll keep you close as always 
It won't even seem you've gone 
'Cause our hearts in big and small ways 
Will keep the love that keeps us strong 

b's hero

b & his big boy friends 

 And friends are friends forever 
If the Lord's the Lord of them 
And a friend will not say never 
'Cause the welcome will not end 
Though it's hard to let you go 
In the Father's hands we know 
That a lifetime's not too long 
To live as friends 

bye baby olive... you're in our hearts sweet girl

l o v e

i'll miss ALL my dear nursing friends

 Though it's hard to let you go 
In the Father's hands we know 
That a lifetime's not too long 
To live as friends 

bye bye paw paw... see ya soon!

love my co-workers

bye bye house

love these girls!

 And friends are friends forever 
If the Lord's the Lord of them 
And a friend will not say never 
'Cause the welcome will not end 
Though it's hard to let you go 
In the Father's hands we know 
That a lifetime's not too long 

To live as friends 

we'll miss you hammy & gdaddy

family

my heart

the staunton kids! keeping up with the tradition!

we love auntie betsy and uncle pat!

gdaddy and his boy

bye bye great- grandma

love you baby olive

our last night with the fam...
b & his 2 favorite people... gigi & uncle caleb

and we're off :)