Personalabs

I've joined a company call Personalabs.  This company helps anyone who wants blood work done without seeing a doctor first.  It's great for those who do not have insurance, who are under insured, and those who are not vaccinated.  

How it works:  It's simple.  You go to the website to purchase the lab you want done.  We are partnered with Labcorp and Quest Diagnostics.  You can choose which lab you want to go too.  We have a doctor on staff who will write the order for you and it will then get it emailed to you.  You can print it or you can just keep on your phone.  You then can to go to the lab that day to have your labs done.  Did I mention this is nationwide??  Yep, it is..

Use ASH2016 to get 15% off your order!

I truly believe in this company.  In this day, you cannot get labs done this easy.  If you don't have insurance, you have to pay to see the doctor to get any labs done; and now the labs are no longer included in your visit to the doctor.  You will then have to pay almost $500 for one visit!  Now, it does depend on why you are going to the doctor so it may not cost that much but it's getting more expensive.  These labs can be costly but it depends on the test you need to order.  However, it's still cheaper to see the doctor.

This is a great tool to check on your hormone levels, cholesterol, lipids, and so many more.  These are things that we need to know about so we can keep our bodies healthy.  We are in a society where being healthy is very important.  It's almost becoming obsessive topic [depends who you talk too, I think].  However, the Lord is putting this on mine & Sean's heart.  It's becoming a passion for us to get healthy and physically fit.  It's something that we must do to fulfill the call He has for us.

So, check out the website and if you are in need to get some lab work done, then order from the site and use my code to get 15% off.

A testimony in the making

The last post was about Sean and I starting a new season in our life.  It's safe to say that we have done just that!  So many things have changed for us in the last few months.  We have both had career changes where we have to rely on God.  Our faith has increased in Him to provide every need and He has done just that.  God wants us to be available for Him.  When Sean and I said "yes" to Him in being available for Him, God expedited us into the season we were expecting.  But, we did not expect this season to come so suddenly.  When I look back on the prophetic words of 2016 all I can remember is the word 'suddenly' and how to expect the suddenly's.  It's a great year to expect them and to know that they are from God.  He wants us to be ready to move for Him.  He wants us to be available at all times.  I'm realizing that the more available I am to do His work, the more I see how He excels me.  I'm experiencing it now.  He has done so much for me already this year.. and it's only March!

Sean and I are a 'testimony in the making' (as I like to say) in this new season.  We are still walking out this new journey in our lives and I have enjoyed every aspect of it.. whether it's been good or tough.  It makes us stronger.  It makes us one.

So, are you ready to be available?  Are you ready to be willing to do things for our Father?  If you are ready and take that step to do it all for Him then you will never regret that decision.  God is going to take you places that you will never imagine!  He's doing that right now for me!  You will be blessed beyond measure if you start to become available for Him.

And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. - Philippians 4:19 NKJV

To God be the glory.

A New Season

It truly has been a long time since I posted on here.

I have been in a season where I have been silent.  A season where I was rediscovering myself.

The silence I have been enduring is definitely from the enemy.  He's been whispering in my ear saying I'm not qualified to do the things I want to do, amongst other lies he has been inputting into my mind.  It has been a roller coaster in my mind for a LONG time.  During this summer's revival meetings for our church, the Lord has been slowly reminding of how much He loves me.  He's been reminding me that He sees everything thing I do and telling me that He is proud of me.  A couple of months ago I was praying with some precious people in my life and the Lord set me free from past hurts and rejection that I have dealt with for years.  It was such a wonderful feeling.  The following day, I experienced more freedom when the Lord reminded me that I was still trying to please MAN.   (I had gotten upset about something so stupid and I was asking God why I was upset.  He said gently that I was trying pleasing man and not Him).

The mind is where the battle takes place behind the scenes.  We all know this... so many people deal with this issue.  It's absolutely ridiculous and we MUST TAKE CONTROL OVER THE LIES OF THE ENEMY.

I truly know that Sean and I are walking into a new season for our marriage.  This new season is part of our destiny.  One thing that I am going to share has been weighing on my heart to read again.  It's one of those things that you are so glad you highlighted in a book.  I love that God is doing something great in us because what I'm about to share just burns inside me so much.

What makes a bride a bride is that she knows that she stands utterly alone in the eyes of her beloved.  She knows that she is the unique one and the favorite of her husband.  This is why it is so crucial that each heart goes on a personal journey of bridal love.  We each have to stand alone within the fire of His gaze and allow His affections to be deeply personal.  We have to know and feel like the favorite of the Lord, standing utterly alone in His narrow gaze of desire.
   Deep Unto Deep by Dana Candler

I love this paragraph from this book.  It's one of my favorite books to read.  It reminds me of how much our God loves us.  I long to be His bride and I long to see His eyes.  I'm so excited for this new season for Sean and I to be more of one unit and be a bride for our Beloved.  God is so good.  It's time to not be silent.  It's time to be loud with our love and loud with our actions for Jesus.  It's a new season of making His name famous.

Inheritance

Last Friday was Sean's birthday! He is now 30!  We went to Ruth's Chris for dinner and enjoyed some amazing food!  They also gave him free dessert for his birthday.

On Saturday, we went to a friend's house and celebrated his birthday with some of our closest friends here in Fort Myers.  These people have truly become our family and it was a beautiful day to celebrate Sean's life with them.  I found this idea for his cake online.  Sean's favorite cake is Red Velvet.  So our friend Robyn, who owns Heavenly Sweetz by Robyn, made his favorite cake and added regular M&M's in the center.  It was delicious!  Make sure to get her for your next party!

One thing Sean truly wanted for his birthday was to have those who pour into him on a regular basis pray over him.  On Sunday, we were able to do that.  It was such a sweet, sweet blessing.  This year is going to be an incredible year for him and I am so honored to stand along side of him as his wife.

The reason why this post is titled "Inheritance" is because in the Jewish culture when Jesus was walking the earth, at the age of 30 is when the first born receives his inheritance from his father.  The time comes for the son to take over the family business/inherit the trade of his father.  We strongly believe that Sean is receiving his inheritance this year.  We can't wait to see what will happen in our lives!

Last but NOT least!!  My little brother and Sean share the same birthday.  This guy turned 12!!  It's crazy to see how much he has grown!  He also loves his long hair!  I'm so proud of this kid.  He is so smart and I know he is going to do some amazing things with the knowledge that God has given him.

Preparation

So it's been a while since I have given an update.  Honestly, I don't have the time to always write it down!  So much is going on and I'm trying to keep up!

Now then, my children, listen to me; blessed are those who keep my ways.  Listen to my instruction and be wise; do not disregard it.  Blessed are those who listen to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my door.  For those who find me find life and receive favor from the Lord.

  - Proverbs 8:32-35 (NIV)

One thing that has been going on with Sean and I is that we have felt God truly put this in our heart.  Sean and I had a conversation about a month ago on how we want to be healthier (we've had this convo multiple times).  This conversation was different though.  We have friends who are also aligning their bodies & their hearts to what the Lord wants for us.  We had the conversation of "what if"... 

"What if something catastrophic happened to our world?  Would we be ready?"  

Our answer was no at the time.  

Our answer is still no at this present time but we are starting to prepare ourselves for the "what if" and "what could" happen in the future.  The Bible prophecies these things and we believe we are in the last days.  We no longer have time to be slumber and be so drunk in the worldly things that we cannot even see what is happening in the spiritual realm. 

With this being our conversation on that day, we decided to find a new gym that has classes to take rather than just working out on our own.  We found a gym that does crossfit, bootcamp, and strike zone.  This is the perfect solution for us!  Sean can do crossfit and I could do bootcamp.  Sean has been wanting to do crossfit for a few years now and I finally caved in and decided that I will do it with him.  We have completed our intro classes and today we did our first crossfire class this morning.  It was a great first class as well.  The best part was that one of the owners taught our class and he really focuses on form and technique.  I look forward to doing more and getting stronger.

We are in a time to no longer be lazy.  We must get ready for what's to come.  We must follow the instructions of the Lord.  The Lord is pressing our hearts to get ready for Him, to get ready for His will for our lives.  I want wisdom and I want to be blessed because I listened to the Words of the Lord.

We have also been changing our diet slowly so that we don't get burnt out so quickly.  One of my favorite things I enjoy making is smoothies!  I love my smoothies!  They are so filling to me and I love just sipping on them throughout the morning for my breakfast.  The one pictured below has become a favorite recipe of mine.  It's a banana, peanut butter smoothie.  It's full of protein which is so good to have after working out.  Protein helps repair your muscles after working out.  Don't worry, I am not the person that will be a health expert and I don't plan on being that.  It's just a great journey that Sean and I have started.

 

Take us further

Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders

Let me walk upon the waters

Wherever you would call me

Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander

And my faith will be made stronger

In the presence of my Savior

                                      Oceans by Hillsong United

This past week was our first Holy Ghost Meetings of 2015 at Light.  It was a great week of meetings.  I was able to just rest in the presence of the Lord during this time.  I mainly work all of our services since Sean is over our Media department and I help out wherever I need to with him.  On Saturday night, Sean and I made a point to actually sit and be a part of the service.  We did not volunteer to help with anything, we just sat and soaked in the presence of the Lord.  

Our church has been singing the bridge to the song called Oceans for over a year now.  I believe we have sung it before it became a huge hit on mainstream Christian radio, who has ran it to the ground (my personal opinion).  Anyways, I have become somewhat numb to this song since it has been over-played everywhere but whenever we sing in our services, it's like God always makes it a love song to our congregation.  I love it.  It's a cry from our heart to take us further in our walk with the Lord.

We sang the bridge this past Saturday night and God just revealed something to me as I was singing this.  He revealed to me that Sean &  I have started this path.  We are walking in this right now.  HE has revealed to me that His trust has no borders; He has called me to a place where I would have never imagined to be; He has taken me to a deeper place; my faith has been tested, therefore, it has been made stronger.

It's so crazy how everything changes when God is in control.  I mean EVERYTHING too.  God has completely changed my mind on so many things since I have lived in Florida.  Yes, I still prefer Alabama seasons, but I cannot imagine Sean and I still living there with what God has called us to do.  God has provided Sean & I a family to be a part of here and when He finally revealed those people to us, life here has been so much better.  The waiting is long & torturous (that's how I felt)  sometimes but it's worth going through. 

So, I encourage you to not despise the wilderness.  The time in the wilderness is good to learn what God wants us to know.  We must try to listen for His voice and understand what His Word says.  I encourage to not despise the waiting period.  Learn to be content where God has you in the season you are in. 

Tale of Three Trees

On Palm Sunday, our kids did their first musical, A Tale of Three Trees.  They did an amazing job too!  They learned all the songs, motions, & speaking parts in about 4 weeks!  I have never seen kids so genuinely excited for a musical.  I grew up in doing kids' musicals at my church and I also helped with some too and I have never this much excitement as these kids.  They loved it so much that they wanted to start working on the next one!  There are not many kids at our church at the moment but these kids can sing too!  When I was in the musicals, we always had the back up voices but these kids knew their words and sang.  It was so refreshing and so much fun watching them.  Sean and I helped with the lighting and I got stuck doing the spotlight...  I have no experience with that either.  haha.  But I did enjoy it and it was more fun that I got to do it for the kids at the church.  These kids are absolutely amazing and full of so much joy.  I think I am just as excited for the next one as they are!!  Here are some pictures from the play.

Me practicing with the spotlight.

All the kids performing.

After the play, Pastor Tommie spoke a little bit.  At the end he started to encourage everyone (including the kids) to worship together.  The best part is seeing the kids participate in worship.  They may not understand everything we talk about yet but they do know how to be respectful to their elders and engage in worship.  The Holy Spirit is known to our children.  I absolutely love them.

You are worth more.

I read a twitter status yesterday by Jenn Johnson:

You are not what you wrestle with.

Since then, I have not stopped thinking about this statement.  I am guilty of judging people by their actions & behaviors at the present time.  I know to look at the heart rather than the outside but we all know that is easier said than done.  I feel like it's even harder to not hold some judgement to those that are in the church.  Especially, if the people in the church were not raised in the church.  It's also a great reminder for myself that even though I have hard times, I know that I am worth more and my God sees much more in me.

Sean and I have recently servicing our youth at Light.  Our Equip classes (aka Sunday School but only lasts for 10 weeks) started February 9th and the youth drama team started on Valentine's day.  We have loved it too!  We have partnered up with another couple whose heart is for teens & I have enjoyed every second getting to know them more & working along side them.  Our kids are dealing with some heavy stuff & it's important to encourage them that God truly loves them.  These kids are smart & I can't wait to challenge them more on what they think on topics we discuss.

This past Sunday we introduced to them that is okay and important to learn to pray for each other.  God moved & I truly believe this is the start of some thing great.  I also believe that they will start to learn what it means to have a family of friends who they can count on.

The staff at Light did a three week fast of your choice.  Our pastors and majority of us did the Daniel Fast.  It was mine & Sean's first time to do it.  We really enjoyed the fast because we are trying to start living healthy and eliminating the foods we do not need.  My main struggle that I had with the food part was not eating chicken.  If you know me, you know how much I love chicken and how much I eat chicken on a regularly basis.  Sean also struggled not having meat towards the end.  Even though the fast is over, we plan on to continue to keep the foods we have been eating in our meal plan.  We have completely eliminated sodas from our choice of drinks.  I am still working on less coffee intake.  It's a work in progress :)

This fast has been helping us realize what we need to do spiritually.  For one, we both have forsaken our First Love and we starting to make Him the true center of our relationship.  This has been a little hard for us because we have had little time to devote to us and our devotion time.  We were so busy during our fast with things in our lives and it hasn't really slowed down.  So we are learning to balance this.  It is an adjustment that we must make but I am so excited to make this adjustment for us and our relationship with our Father.

One thing that has really stuck out to me towards the end of our fast is how I have become completely drunk and consumed in this world.  I have been consumed with others (which isn't bad) and I have been selfish.  It amazes me how I see things and let it consume me.  It may be because I am still trying to adjust to the life here.  I am not sure but I do know that it has taken me a while to get used to life down here.  I love it down here but it is hard when it is your first time to ever 'move' away from home.  Sean has been so great to me.. listening to me when I get home sick and when I reminisce.  He truly is an amazing husband.
 So with all that being said, I have started to really reading the Word daily again.  Right now it's been my daily devo's on my phone and I am thankful for them.  One thing God has really laid on my heart was becoming sober again,  here is a passage:

But as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine:  that the older men be sober, reverent, temperate, sound in faith, in love, in patience;  the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things—  that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children,  to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed.
          Titus 2:1-5


I love this passage because it reminds me of part of my purpose here on earth.  We are here to stand out of the crowd by the way we live.  I have let myself forget my purpose but now that it is a new season for Sean & I, we are not letting this season go to waste.  We are so excited for God is doing in our lives right now.  We are excited to see the things come to pass that have been promised to us.  We are excited to be serving together as one for our King. 

A Florida Christmas

This Christmas was different for both of us.  Our original plans were to spend it with Sean's family since it is his year for the holidays.  His family didn't do anything big this year so we were kind of at a loss of what to do.  As Christmas got closer, my mom wanted to come down and be with us.  Then we found out his parents were coming down too!  So our plans changed that were able to see our family.  Sean's parents came down the weekend before Christmas Day and spent the night with us.  They were able to visit our church and attend the Candlelight service.  On that Monday, Sean & I picked up my mom at the Tampa airport and then we drove to see Sean's grandparents for Christmas dinner.  We had a great time that night and I know Sean loved seeing his family.  We didn't get to spend Christmas Day with his family since Sean had to work Christmas Eve and the day after Christmas.  My mom stayed with us for the whole week of Christmas and I loved every minute of it.  It was hard to believe that it's been 3 months since I had seen my mom!  We didn't do much this Christmas but I think it was a good thing since we are trying to save money.

The one thing we did do was go see a couple of movies..  One request my mom wanted to see was FROZEN.  If you know my mom this is a big deal!  So we went to see it on Christmas Eve.  We loved it!  It reminded me of Wicked.  There was more music in the movie than we thought but I love musicals so I have no problem with that.  I realized Idina Menzel was the voice of Elsa half way through the movie and I got really excited.  I love her voice.  Kristen Bell plays Anna and I am a fan of her acting as well.  Can't wait to see The Veronica Mars Movie. 

Christmas Day, Sean and I saw Tyler Perry's Madea Christmas.  It was hilarious like all of the Madea movies.  We recommend it to everyone.  We didn't have a traditional Christmas meal since it was the three of us but we did have steak & some yummy broccoli that Sean and I made.  Sean's parents had to drive back to Louisiana on Christmas Day to be back at work. 

We made some eggrolls while my mom was here.  They are delicious as always! 

Even though this Christmas was different, I really enjoyed it.  The best part about this whole thing is that I got to spend it with my husband and our family.  Gifts were not our focus and I LOVED that.  We did receive gifts and we got to give a few to our loved ones but in the end nothing is better than spending time with those you love. 

The next post will have the photos of this Christmas season for us.

Appreciation Dinner

The Sunday before Thanksgiving, Light at Fort Myers had an Appreciation Dinner/Thanksgiving dinner.  There was a committee of ladies who put this together and I was honored to be a part of this committee.  The idea of an "Appreciation Dinner" is to buy someone's meal that you appreciate.  It's that simple.  With the short time of planning this event, we did not do it the way we had originally planned but we still had a great turn out for our first one.  The meal for adults was 3 bucks!  And for kids, it was one dollar.  You can't beat this price for a Thanksgiving meal.  This will be annual event at Light. 

The committee consisted of about 10 or so ladies.  We all cooked a turkey (if not more than one) & dressing, some of us cooked a ham, some did desserts, some did the mashed potatoes & green beans.  We asked the congregation to bring dessert as well.  Some of the ladies decorated the fellowship hall.

This is us meeting a week before the event to make sure we all know what we are doing.  We had a great time planning this event for the church.

The four pictures below are what I made for the dinner: brownies, cupcakes, ham & turkey.

     

 This is my TURKEY recipe that I used.  It turned out great!!  Well, I actually did not try it but Sean did and said it was great, so I will be doing this again.  I did it in a crockpot because I have never cooked a turkey and you can never go wrong with a slow cook meal.  Plus, this was easy & recommended by one of the ladies for me to do.

Below are some random photos of the event.  Please disregard the alignment of them, I am having some issues with the photos aligning properly.  I hope you enjoy them!

   

The ladies above are amazing.  Deanna (left) made the fellowship hall look wonderful!  & Gaila (right) was our wonderful director of this whole event!

                                                

        

    

      

This is my plate of food.  It was delicious!  Sorry but I prefer ham instead of turkey on Thanksgiving.

       

We had over 200 hundred people come to eat & fellowship with us!  We were so thankful to have guests and family to come to this event.  We cannot wait for next year's dinner!  We also had entertainment throughout the meal.  Thanks to all who performed!  You all did a great job!!

Busy, busy, busy

I know it's been a couple of weeks since I have really posted anything but we have been busy.  Seriously.

I started working earlier this month and we have been going ever since.  My first week of work was great but exhausting.  We had our monthly Holy Ghost Meetings so I had to get used to go from doing nothing for a month to being out for over 12 hours. It's been awesome though!  The first week of work included a black and white event.  Unfortunately, Sean and I didn't get a picture together but we had a great time with coworkers who are also church friends.

 Me, Aprile, & Ashley at the 2nd Annual End of Summer Affair at Clive Daniel.

 Holy Ghost meetings not only allow the adults to grow closer to God but KIDS are coming to know their Heavenly Father.  

Our church has been experiencing great things!  The building we have been occupying is now officially in our name!  This is huge deal for us!  We can now move forward with updating our facility, structurally, as well as spiritually.  This facility has had so much bondage.  God is starting to rebuild to this building and His people that attend our church. 

As Sean and I have gotten more involved with the church I have gotten more familiar with the people in the church.  It's starting to feel like a family to me.  I really enjoy that because that is what I had back in Birmingham.  I am so thankful that God brought us here to be with a church.  This move would have been much harder if we were not already connected and involved with a church.  If you are not used to having a family at church, I encourage you to get involved in a place that you like.  That also means you have to work at it and not just wait for the people to come to you.  My heart is growing for the people of Fort Myers.  My heart is growing for the city.  I firmly believe that you have to have the heart and passion for a city to change it. 

Another update will hopefully come sooner rather than later.  While writing this post, my mind has been all over the place so I hope I will be more focused for the next post!  Be blessed!!!

a quickie

Hello Readers!!

I thought I would give you a quick update on what's going on with us.  This past weekend we got to go to the Art Walk in downtown Fort Myers.  It was fun!  Sean and I got to walk into boutiques to see what they sell and see some free art galleries.  The only gallery we went to see was pretty disturbing.  We are not sure if it was supposed to be dark due to Halloween coming up but it was something that really demonic.  The mediums that were used were fantastic!  Just not the overall expedition.

Saturday we went to Naples with some friends.  We went to see the office where I will be working.  It was beautiful down there!!  We went to the pier and saw three dolphins!  There were people fishing and they ended up feeding the dolphins.  The dolphins would chase the line where the fish was hooked and the fishermen would reel the fish in too fast and the fish kept breaking free!  Alas, the dolphins had there lunch courtesy of the fishermen.

Sunday was the start of this month's Holy Ghost meetings.  The meetings have been great so far!  We had three people go out on the streets yesterday and we had 51 people commit their lives to the Lord!  How awesome is that!!!  Praise the Lord!!  These meetings are wonderful and we keep getting refreshed in His love and presence.  It's been a great week so far!

Have a great day! and I hope to post again this week!

much love!!

ash