One Year Anniversary Adventures

Getting all fancy for each other before going on a picnic for lunch.

Our picnic at the park got rained out so we had a picnic on our balcony. It was just as magical:)

I said "Yes"!

After our picnic we went out for frozen yogurt. 

Then we cooked a nice dinner together.

Before we sat down for dinner we put on what we wore that day, exactly one year ago.

It was a celebration!

We listened to our playlist from our wedding during dinner.

After dinner we watched the video of our wedding ceremony; we hadn't watched it in a year! I cried, of course. We had so much fun looking back on memories from our special day and making new memories of our one year anniversary. I am so blessed to be married to my best friend. I absolutely LOVE being his wife:) It's been such a fun year of marriage and I can't wait to see what God has in store for us in year number two!

My Body: The Temple of the Holy Spirit

Hey! I just wanted to share with you what has been on my heart lately...

This post kind of goes off my last post, "Living a Life of Holiness". I want to honor God in all I do, including what I wear. Everyday is an opportunity for me to share Christ with people and I don't want what I wear to hinder that. Something I've been trying to do lately is... before I go out of the house I look in the mirror and ask myself if this is something I want to be wearing while I'm telling someone about Jesus. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says, "Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's." I want people to see Jesus in me and if I'm dishonoring God with how I dress then it's going to be hard for me to be a light to others.

The Bible also says that we are not to be a stumbling block for others. Girls, we are responsible if we cause a guy to stumble and look on us with lust. I definitely don't want to be the cause of someone else stumbling! Our bodies are meant for our husbands and our husbands only. Many times I'll ask my husband if I have a question about what I'm wearing because I know he'll be completely honest with me since he doesn't want another guy looking at me in the wrong way. Ladies, this doesn't mean we have to walk around in turtlenecks and pants (thank goodness), but there are plenty of super cute modest things out there! Letting it all "hang out" to get attention is not the kind of attention we want to get. Let's strive to glorify God in our body and to save our body for our husband! Whether married or not, our body is still only meant for the man we're married to.

Many think that the pool or beach is an exception to dressing modest, but as Christians, we're still a temple of the Holy Spirit and are to glorify God in our body even when we're at the pool or beach. This is something God has really convicted me about. In case I have the opportunity to share Christ with someone at the pool, I don't want to be barely covered, wearing a bikini. So who wants to make one pieces and tankini swimsuits the cool thing to wear this summer?? I've seen so many SUPER cute ones!!! Who wants to join me??:) I'll try to post pictures of some cute ones I find!

I don't at all have this down perfectly, but it's something I have to face everyday. I can either choose to honor God in what I'm wearing and to be dressed in a way that God can use me or I can choose to dress in a way that people will see my body instead of Jesus in me. I know that dressing modest might be a hard thing for girls to strive for these days because the world is saying, "the lesser clothes the better", but I wanted to write this to hopefully be an encouragement to girls out there!

God Bless You!
-Ash

Living a Life of Holiness

Living a life of holiness in this world can be tough for Christians to do and is never very popular. There are so many things this world has to offer that the enemy tries to deceive Christians into thinking are ok. When we participate in everything the world is doing, then we don't look any different from those who are lost. Leviticus 11:44 says, " 'For I am the Lord your God, you shall therefore consecrate yourselves, and you shall be holy; for I am holy.' " As Christians, we are to live a life of holiness, because that is what God calls us to do. We should also WANT to honor God in all we do, because of what He has done for us!

I strive for holiness because I want to honor my Creator who loves me so much that He sent His Son to die for me. God puts convictions on my heart about things I shouldn't be a part of and I'll gladly turn the other way, because I want to please Him. Though we live IN the world, we are not to be OF the world. We shouldn't be surprised when there seems to be a lot of things Christians shouldn't be a part of, because what this world has to offer is not for us. The amazing thing about God's love and grace is that even when we do mess up and don't honor Him, He still loves us just the same!

Lately God has convicted me a lot about TV shows and movies. Sometimes I might be watching something, let a few things slide by, and just continue watching. The thing is, I'm responsible for everything I choose to watch. I never want to become numb to things that are dishonoring to God. I want to have a PROBLEM with things that are dishonoring to Him. There is a lot that I choose to not participate in that even Christians think I'm weird for, but when God gives me a conviction about something then I'm responsible to live out that conviction. If it doesn't honor God, then I want nothing to do with it.

More than anything, I want my life to be a reflection of Jesus. I want to strive for holiness everyday. If I look just like the rest of the world then how would I ever be a light in this world? I want to experience all that God has for me and the first step is to live a life that honors and glorifies Him! When we live our lives in a way that glorifies Him, I believe it brings great joy to both the Lord AND us!