25, Do We Have To?

As I sat on the couch with my husband last night, with just a few days left of being 24, I looked at him with the dramatic pout I like to give every now and then (because I'm a girl and like to be dramatic), "I'm depressed!" "Why?" he asked. "I don't want to turn 25. Might as well say good bye now, life is pretty much over!" *throws head back, slaps back of hand across forehead, and faints*

I'd be lying if I said I've been excited for Monday to come. I've actually been down about turning 25 (all you people over 25 are rolling your eyes saying, "Oh, please!".) But it's true. There's so much I want to do and a lot of what I want to pursue, I've been told that because of my age, it will be much harder to succeed in this type of business. A lot of serious modeling agencies won't even consider working with you if you're over the age of 18. I've had photographers recently tell me that my age is a real disadvantage for me. I've heard that same thing about the entertainment business as a whole, not just with modeling. And since all of that is what I've been pursuing, this past week thinking about the reality of turning 25 next week, it's basically just been one big pity party around here. Sounds silly, right? I agree.

But today the Lord has been showing me that there's no time limit on His plan. If He has some cool opportunities for me in the acting/modeling/music business then it doesn't matter how old I am, He's going to open those doors. I don't have to worry about all the pieces not fitting together, I just have to have faith and be obedient to where He leads. After Him showing me this I'm actually excited to see what the Lord has in store for me this next year!

So Monday will come (no matter how much I've tried to freeze time this week),  and I'm probably going to put on a pink tutu and dance around the house to Disney princess songs (because that's my idea of fun) and I'll be ready to face a new year with a new outlook. Cheers to 25! (Are you allowed to "cheers" yourself? Because I just did.)

Grace and Mercy

                                

                                                      

This morning I was sitting on my couch reading Ephesians 2:4-10 and I became overwhelmed with Christ's love for me. I can't even comprehend this kind of love. All I can do is sit in His presence with awe and thanksgiving. I'm undeserving of anything good and yet, because of His great love for me, He works ALL things together for good (Romans 8:28).

I hear the words "Grace" and "Mercy" a lot and have known what they mean, but have kind of always thought of them as the same thing. They actually have quite different meanings but are both ways God demonstrates His love toward us. It wasn't until recently that I really looked at the difference between these two words...

GRACE: "Grace" is God giving us what we don't deserve.

MERCY: "Mercy" is God NOT giving us what we do deserve.

I'm so grateful for both. When I deserved death, He gave me life! Thank you, Jesus! His grace and mercy is not something we can work to achieve. He freely gives it to us! A love I can't comprehend, but am so thankful for. What a good God I serve!

Happy Birthday, Brandon!

Today we celebrate my best friend who I've been blessed to know for 9 years...and married for almost 2 of them. Today we celebrate my husband, Brandon! I've prayed for the one I would marry ever since I was young and God blessed me with the most amazing husband and best friend I could ever ask for. He brings me so much joy and I absolutely love doing life with him. I look up to him and respect him so much. He strives to honor God in all he does and to be the husband God has created Him to be. I adore this man and am so thankful for who he is!

Brandon, I'm so excited to see what the Lord has in store for you in this next year! I'm here to pray for you, encourage you, and to be your cheerleader every step of the way:) I love you so much.

A Story About God's Goodness

Hi friends! I just wanted to share a story with you guys about how awesome God is...

Lately the Lord has been putting on my heart to get connected with a nursing home or assisted living place. A lot of these people are in their last days and He's put so strongly on my heart to just go and love on the people there. As they live out the rest of their days on this earth my heart longs for every single one of them to know the Lord!

God has been putting this on my heart for the past year or so, but I never really did anything about it because I used the lame excuse of not knowing how to get connected with a place and was intimidated to randomly call them up. I thought, do people do that? What would I say? "Hey, my name is Ashley...Could I just like....come and love on some people?" But they'll laugh at me! (Ash, get over yourself.)

Lately I've really been thinking about my time on this earth. I'm only here for a short time and am I using my time the way the Lord wants me to? I don't want to stay busy just doing "stuff". "Stuff" that doesn't matter. Many days I feel like I'm just existing...not really spending much time doing things that have eternal value. Those are the things that truly matter. I don't want to get to the end of my days on this earth, look back, and regret what little impact I had, eternally. This isn't at all about being religious. God isn't interested in us being religious...you can't win brownie points with God. But because of what Christ has done for me I want to spend the rest of my days serving Him and sharing about His amazing grace and love!

The other day during my quiet time I asked the Lord to show me how He wants me to be spending my time. He brought to my attention, again, what He's been putting on my heart over the past year about getting connected with a nursing home/assisted living place so I decided to do something about it this time. I began researching places in the area to call. I prayed that the Lord would confirm it if this is something He's wanting me to pursue or if I'm just trying to make this happen. A few hours later I got a call to audition for a commercial the next day. This is the part where God blew me away... Guess what the commercial is for... It's a commercial for the nation's largest owner and operator of senior living communities throughout the U.S. They're the leading national provider of all senior related services. You can contact them and they'll get you connected with a place in your city. WHAT?! Ok God, I'm listening... I couldn't help but just laugh in that moment. God is so awesome how He works! He blew me away with how He confirmed what it is He wants me doing with my time. He answers our prayers in such amazing and unexpected ways! What an awesome adventure our walk with Christ is!

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Today we celebrate an amazing, godly man who I look up to and respect so much...the man who walked me down the aisle on my wedding day...Happy Birthday to my dad! I am so blessed to be his daughter. My dad is fun, loud, and hilarious, but most of all He loves the Lord and desires to honor Him above all else. My dad has taught me many things, but the most important thing he has instilled in me is the importance of loving God and loving people. That's what we're on this earth to do. My dad has made so many sacrifices for my family....He's a selfless man. I'm so thankful for a dad who prays for his kids and encourages us, daily, to run hard after Jesus. Dad, you've had such an incredible impact on my life and I'm thankful for your love! Thank you for always pointing me to the Lord. I love you!

My Friend, My Role Model, My Mom

Today we celebrate the life of a precious gem who entered this world 51 years ago. Today we celebrate my friend and my role model. Today we celebrate my amazing mom! She is the most loving, caring, selfless, godly woman I know. Her heart for the Lord and for others is something I strive for everyday. She has dedicated her life to serving the Lord and serving people. She is such an amazing example of living a life that honors and glorifies God in all she does. I strive to be the kind of wife, mom, and friend she is. She is a true blessing to those around her. The joy of the Lord shines so brightly through her and I'm so blessed to call this woman "mom"! Happy Birthday, momma! Thank you for always loving me, praying for me, and encouraging me in my walk with Christ. I love you so much!!

A Princess

To the ladies out there:

As little girls, one of our favorite things to do was play dress-up. We always had a favorite thing we liked to dress up as....for most girls it was a princess. In this fantasy world we created, we had a prince who admired us and fought for us (sometimes it was our little brother who we forced to put on a crown...and sometimes it was a mop that we turned upside down). We would get all dolled up in our mom's high heels, pearls, and a bed sheet that we imagined was a beautiful ball gown. Out of everything we could pretend to be, why did we choose a princess? Because princesses are lovely....they are beautiful....they are desired. We wanted to be those things.

We might be older now and don't play dress-up anymore, but we still have that same desire to be a princess. What if I told you that the little girl in you doesn't have to pretend anymore. What if I told you that you ARE that princess you always wanted to be and you have someone who admires you and who has fought for you. The Creator of the universe sees you as a princess! He sees you as LOVELY....PRECIOUS....BEAUTIFUL....He DESIRES you....He DELIGHTS in you....YOU were made in HIS image! You are so special to Him! You bring Him joy:) He wants to spend time with you and He loves you more than you can comprehend. Jesus fought for you on the cross so that He could make a way for you to have a relationship with Him and so you could spend eternity with Him in heaven. He wants to spend forever with you!

Sometimes it's easy to forget how God sees us. To be reminded everyday of who you are, go out and buy a tiara and place it somewhere you'll see everyday. On your dresser, in your car, etc. Every time you see that tiara know that you are special! You are lovely! You are beautiful! You matter! You are desired! And you are so dearly loved by your Creator!

Our Home. Our Mission Field.

One of my biggest joys in life is having people over to our house. Whether it's hosting a big party or having a friend over for coffee...I just love it:) About a year ago the Lord put it on my heart that I need to learn how to cook (because I would be doing lots of it) and to keep our home prepared for guests because our home is going to be a place where a lot of people come to get away from the craziness of the world to just rest, feel loved, and encouraged in the Lord. Our home is going to be our mission field. Before I got married I hated cooking and cleaning...but because the Lord has called me to use it for His glory, He's instilled a love for it in me! God also put it on my heart to start putting scripture verses around the house so that those who come in our home are surrounded by truth.

My husband and I had a movie night at our place a while ago and someone mentioned that they knew they didn't have to worry about whether the movie we were showing would be appropriate or not because they were at the Hargest's house. They knew it was a safe place. This isn't to give us praise at all, but it's by the grace of God that He's given Brandon and I convictions not only for ourselves, but so that we can be a blessing to others. My desire is for our home to be a safe place for people to come and get away from all the garbage in this world.

My prayer is that the Lord will use our home for HIS glory! I want everyone who comes in this place to feel the love of Jesus. I'm so thankful He has blessed Brandon and I with this new house and I'm excited for the opportunities that we will have here to pray with people and to love on people.

A Love Letter to YOU!

"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."

2 Timothy 3:16-17

Have you ever had a love letter written to you? If you're married like me, you've probably gotten love letters from your spouse. When we sit down to read the letter, we just can't wait to open it! Our heart starts beating a little faster with excitement and as we begin to read the words, we can't help but smile from ear to ear. We feel so special and loved by the words that have been written and it only makes us fall deeper in love with the person who wrote it. Once we finish reading it, we want to read it again...and again... We don't want to set it down, because no one ever gets tired of hearing about how they are admired, desired, and loved. We treasure that love letter and every word that was written.

Have you ever thought about the Bible in that way? The Bible is God's love letter to us! There is no greater love letter than the one He has written. The Bible is the only true Word of God. In the Bible we read about how God loves us and what He's done to demonstrate His love to us! The Bible shows us how to live and how to follow Christ. He knows what's best for us and wants us to experience all that He has for us. It also talks about the hope that He's given us! What a precious treasure the Word of God is! It's so important to get in the Word everyday and to let God speak to us through it and change us. As we read His love letter to us, we get that same feeling we get when we read a love letter from our spouse. We don't want to put it down as we hang onto every word with excitement and anticipation. We can't help but grin from ear to ear as we read about His unfathomable love for us and the great things He has in store for us! If you don't own a Bible please let me know and I would love to send you one!! He wrote this love letter to YOU, don't miss out!

Baby, It's Cold Outside

One of my favorite things about the weather getting cooler are all of the cute winter coats! Below are some of my favorites I've seen this season... I'll take one of each, please. Which one is your favorite??

Don't Miss Out!

When we look around and see what a crazy, messed up world we live in, it makes us more anxious for Jesus' return. Although we long for the day He comes back for His children, and what a glorious day that will be, we must not lose focus on what we are on this earth to do. If we spend our days only focusing on when we get to get out of here, we will miss out on the opportunities God has for us here and now. Our life on this earth is such a unique time that we'll never have again. The choices we make here will have an affect on eternity. With that comes responsibility, but also great OPPORTUNITY!

God has so many great things in store for us here on this earth and I don't want to miss out on a single thing! We are to be ready for Jesus' return, but instead of just trying to hurry this life up, let's take advantage of this time the Lord has given us. Let's not get wrapped up in the things of this earth, because those are going to pass, but let's fill our days with things that have eternal value. Those are the things that matter.

I think if we realized just how significant our time is here on this earth, we'd be living a lot differently. We're only passing through for a short time, so let's not be in such a rush to get out of here that we miss out on the opportunities we have here to make an impact. God has big plans for you if you let Him use you! And how cool is it that the God of the universe wants to use US?! Way cool. Don't miss out!

What I'm Wearing

Top: Thrifted

Jeans: 2 BW/U

Bracelets: Thrifted

Shoes: Thrifted

What I'm Wearing

Top: Thrifted

Pants: Forever 21

Shoes: Gap

Shades: Can't remember! (and that would be my husband in the reflection)

Necklace: My great grandma's

Dear Mom and Dad

"Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not

depart from it." -Proverbs 22:6

This is the man and woman who taught me about the love of Jesus. They've prayed for me since before I was born and have encouraged and cheered me on daily in my walk with Christ. They have taught me the importance of loving God and loving people. They have taught me to honor God in all I do and have led by example. They raised my brothers and sisters and I to know God's Word and to stand firm on it. As I get older, I realize that not many kids have that growing up. I'm so blessed to call these two mom and dad. I love you guys so much! Thank you for how you've poured into me!

THANK YOU!

I have been overwhelmed with the amount of encouragement and support I have gotten over the past several days ever since the Disney thing didn't work out. I just wanted to thank all of you for the phone calls, texts, emails, Facebook messages, tweets, etc. You guys have been so awesome...THANK YOU! Me turning down Disney because of my convictions says nothing about me, but it is Jesus who lives in me! I'm capable of nothing good on my own...to God be the glory! I'm so thankful for the convictions the Lord gives me and that He is there to help me live them out. I'm a complete mess on my own and need Him every second of every day. So thankful He protected me from making a decision that would not have been profitable.

Disney Princess Update

As most of you know, I got hired back in May to be a princess at Disney World. After I got hired I've been waiting for them to call and tell me when they needed me to head to Florida. Well today they called and were ready for me to come down. They said they wanted me to be Ariel. The shell bra outfit Ariel wears is more revealing than something I feel comfortable wearing. I told the lady that modesty is really important to me and that I wasn't really comfortable wearing her mermaid outfit. She said they unfortunately wouldn't be able to use me if I wasn't willing to wear it. They want all of the girls they hire to be able to be any of the princesses so they can easily switch girls in and out for whatever they need. I thanked the lady for the awesome opportunity, but said that I just couldn't compromise my convictions. It looks like God has a different plan for me and it doesn't involve being a Disney Princess.

After I got off the phone having just said no to something I had been extremely excited about for the past 4 months, I called my husband in tears. Not because I regretted my decision, because I didn't one bit, but it was just a bummer after looking forward to this for so long and then having to turn it down because of the situation. We even moved out of our apartment to be free to go down when they called.

Although things seem like a bummer at the moment, I don't regret my decision. I want to honor God in ALL I do. I've shared my heart about modesty and what good would it be to say one thing and go down to Florida and do another. I don't want to be someone who just talks the talk, but I want to live out the convictions the Lord gives me. I want others to see Jesus through me and I never want to be a stumbling block for anyone. Even though being a Disney Princess seemed liked such a fun opportunity, it wasn't worth compromising my convictions. Nothing is worth compromising the convictions God gives us.

With all that said... I believe God has something even greater in store for me! Going to Florida was my plan, but it wasn't God's plan. I want what God has for me, not what I want for myself. Although today has been somewhat of a sad day, it's exciting to know that since God has closed this door, I'm one step closer to what He has for me. I can't wait to see what that is! My husband and I have lots to be praying about as we seek out what the Lord has for us next. First on our to-do list... find a home!

The Time Is Now

Have you ever stopped to think about just how significant our time is here on this earth? We're only passing through for a short time and it's the only time we're ever going to have to make choices that will have an affect on eternity. Although we long for the day Jesus returns, let's not be in such a rush to get out of here that we miss out on the opportunities we have here to make an impact. Our life on this earth is such a unique time that we won't have again, so the time is now! The earthly things are going to pass, so let's fill our days with things that have eternal value. Let's not miss out on what God has for us here and now!

The Lucy Show

People have been asking what happened to Lucy and why she hasn't made a video recently. Well Lucy got off her hiney and got a job. But she'll be back! For those who haven't yet.... meet Lucy below!

"Sometimes I Like to Eat Puddin' "

"Sometimes I Like to See How Many Pieces of Candy I Can Fit in My Mouth From the Candy Jar"

"Sometimes I Like to Pretend That I'm Having Tea With the Queen (of England)"

"Meet Lucy"

"Q&A's With Lucy"

"Sometimes I Like to Sing About Chocolate"

"Sometimes I Like to Workout"

"Uh Oh"

An Exciting Adventure!

Pretend for a moment that you're at the movies... The movie you're seeing is full of excitement and suspense. Scene after scene you're on the edge of your seat excited to see what's going to happen next! The person next to you has eaten all of your popcorn and you don't even notice because you're so focused on what's happening in the movie (even if you did notice you wouldn't care because this movie is just so dang good). Your eyes are wide open and you won't dare let yourself blink in fear of missing something great! This is what our walk with God should look like.

A lot of people seem to think being a Christian is a total snooze fest. They just see Christians as living a boring life and having to abide by a bunch of rules. But, friends, let me tell you....when you're actively pursuing God, your life will be anything but boring! Serving the Creator of the universe is an exciting adventure! All you have to do is look around at His creation to see that He's not a boring God. God could have created only one type of fish and one type of bird, but instead He created THOUSANDS of different kinds of fish and THOUSANDS of different kinds of birds! 

After you get saved, don't let that be the end. You'll miss out on so much! Once we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, that's just the beginning. Now God can start using us! God has so many great things in store for His children. I don't want to just settle....I want to experience ALL the Lord has for me! I believe God has things in store for me that are so much greater than I could ever even imagine for myself. It keeps me on the edge of my seat ready to see what's next! Every morning when I wake up I ask the Lord to use me in big ways that day. Getting to be a part of God's work is such an amazing and exciting adventure that I don't want to miss out on! And He doesn't want us to miss out on it either!

A Free Gift!

Who likes free gifts? Who am I kidding, everybody likes free gifts! What if I told you that there's a FREE GIFT just for you! It has your name on it and you don't have to do a single thing but just ACCEPT the gift. Sounds pretty flippin' awesome, right? We're all born sinners and in need of a Savior. When Jesus died on the cross He PAID for our sins and made a way for us to have a relationship with Him. Christ has already completed what needed to be done in order for us to be free of our sins once and for all! He paid the price FOR us. And you know what's amazing? We don't have to do a single thing but just accept what He did for us. What He did is enough! We are so undeserving, but God is a God of LOVE and GRACE! This is where a lot of people miss it. Many try to work for their salvation, thinking that if they do enough good things then they will be saved. It's not about works, it's all about God's grace! If our salvation was based on what WE did then we'd never be saved, because we're messed up sinners. It required the blood of Jesus. Jesus is the ONLY way. In John 14:6 Jesus says," 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.' "

How much better does it sound just getting to accept something rather than having to work for it? Yes, it's that easy! The price has already been paid. Friends, don't miss out on this amazing free gift!

"If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." Romans 10:9


Check out this awesome song by Steven Curtis Chapman called "Free". It talks about the freedom we have in Christ!