Saturday, July 21, 2012

Pray for your enemies

Saw this today and LOVED it.  Had to share and hoping it helps you along the way too!
Thank you to ~Let Your Light Shine~ for the encouragement.


Pray for those who seek to hurt and destroy others for they are revealed for what they are through their actions: HURT & DESTROYED.  No one who is in the spirit is able to cause intentional harm to his/her sister.  The absence of His spirit in us is torment.

Father God I come to You with gratitude that through Your Son, my Savior, Jesus Christ I am saved from the destruction of sin.  I am thankful for Your spirit of love and peace that dwells in me and makes it possible for me to forgive as I have been forgiven.  Thank You Father for new eyes that allow me to see the hurt, pain and torment that resides in those who are unkind, cruel and angry.  Father I pray You grant them mercy and forgiveness as You have forgiven me for my sins.  I pray that Your peace enfolds them and softens their hearts so they can know Your love and extend it to others.  ~AMEN~
"But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray
for those who persecute you."
Matthew 5:44

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

May 29th

As you are well aware, I really enjoy reading inspirational things.  Woke up this morning in a SUPER good mood.  Weekend was long but NOT LONG ENOUGH!  Not exactly wanting to go to work this morning.....BUT, we do what is required of us!  I'd honestly much rather be sitting on my back deck listening to the birds sing.  Petting my dogs that are wanting some attention from me as I sit and enjoy my first cup of dreamy coffee.  THAT HAS HAPPINESS written all over it. 
Remember my Prayers for Emotional Wholeness by Stormie Omartian?  It's a daily reflections with each prayer being paired with Scripture that I absolutely ADORE!  I liked today's so much I thought I should share.

MAY 29th

Lord, deliver me from the hands of the enemy.  Help me be set free from anything and anyone who would try to harm me in any way.  I thank You that You are my protector and the liberator of my soul.  If ever I am tempted to step out from under the covering of Your protection, deliver me from that temptation, too.  Thank you for restoring me to complete wholeness.

The Lord shall help them and deliver them;
He shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them,
because they trust in HIM.
Psalm 37:40

WHAT A SPECIAL GIFT HE GIVES US ~ ALL WE EVER HAVE TO DO IS HAVE FAITH, BELIEVE AND TRUST IN HIM ALONE!



Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Letter from Cameron


Tonight was graduation from the 6th grade for Cameron Michael.
I must share this proud moment with you.  He received Gold Principal's Award.
That means he scored straight A's ~ We got a smart one on our hands folks :)
Congrats Kiddo & Best wishes heading into Jr. High.

05.22.12 ~ Oakridge Elementary

I wanted to share a letter Cameron wrote to his family and gave to us tonight:

Dear Family,
Thank you for everything you do to help me.  I am so thankful to have y'all.
You guys come to everything for me.  Thank you for your love and support.
I can't ask for a better family.  We are always there for each other.  Thank 
you for showing up and supporting me.  I am so thankful to have a family like
you guys.  Thank you, and I love you.  I am glad to have a brother like the one
I have.

Sincerely,
Son & Brother 



Let me explain something to you Mr. Cameron ~ YOU bring so much joy to our
 lives.  You have a HUGE heart full of love.  I admire how compassionate you
 are.  I honestly am saddened by the fact you are growing up and things in
life are changing so fast for you.  I want you to experience everything
but maybe at a slower pace.  Selfish on my part, maybe. 
I just enjoy our moments together.
  Meaning I know all the basketball games, football games, camps,
nights of having friends over, snow cone/ice cream trips, late night video
 tournaments, traveling with friends during baseball season, eating
McDonald's (when I'd rather not) and ALL those things kids like you enjoy
 ........ those moments will not last forever. 
My main concern is you finding your own happiness in life. 
Living it to the fullest and making the best of every situation. 
Knowing you have God in your heart,  I
100% have faith you will be successful at ANYTHING!

WHAT  A  TRUE  BLESSING  YOU  ARE  T
 OUR  FAMILY




Monday, May 21, 2012

J.C. & Tissa King


dum, dum, da-dum ~ ~ Don't act like you don't know what that is!
My baby brother J.C. King married the love of his life Tissa McClure this past Friday, May 18th.  The groom was simply handsome in his tux.  The bride was stunning and displayed a certain glow about her.  Decor was all draped in shades of the most splendid regency purple to give it that perfect touch of wedding WOW!  Everything about this wedding had touches of both their personalities.  I must say I cried WAY before the wedding started.  I happened to be where the bride was prepping and read the most thoughtful and caring handwritten love letter with a diamond necklace attached to it from J.C. to his bride to be.  Melted and touched my heart.  I think all who read it cried, let's be honest.  SO ROMANTIC!  I really enjoyed the evening and couldn't be happier for them.  Here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure.






HERE COMES THE BRIDE
 




To my brother and his bride:
~ CONGRATULATIONS ~
I wish you happiness and years of growth.
May your joining together bring you more happiness than you can imagine.
Thank you for letting me share in your joyous moment.
I look forward to watching you both in the next steps of your journey.
Love Always,
Andrea Dyan


Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Stop, Breathe & Take It All In

Here we go again ~ ~ Shamefully behind on updating BUT with good reason.  Our COUGARS are in full swing with baseball season.  While driving home from a trip to Van Buren, Arkansas for a tournament I fell ill.  I am here to tell you that it was the most horrible stomach pains I have ever felt in my life.  I would not wish this kind of pain on anyone.  By the time we got home I was at my worst.  That Monday I went to my doctor only to be scheduled for an ultrasound and possibly surgery.  Well, surgery it was because I had gallstones.  The gallbladder was removed on April 27th.  Prior to surgery I spent almost every moment of 4 days in bed on pain pills.  I slept SO much but the best sleep came a few days after surgery, during recovery.  It was a long couple of weeks of dealing with all this.  I thought to myself I could get up and blog but what would I say?  Doubted it would be positive or uplifting in any way so I had better not.  If you know me I find happiness in the small things.  I cut these from my front yard and you talk about a bright spot in my day.  They smelled so good and lifted my spirits.  Folks sometimes we just have to STOP ~ BREATHE & TAKE IT ALL IN.  No matter how bad a situation can be there is always GOD.  I turned it over to him.  I knew I had friends and family behind me in prayer and that was enough for me.  I went into surgery 100% not scared but relieved that He has placed people in my life for a reason.  From my husband, children to the hands that repaired me.  Thank you for the many blessing!


I wanted to take a moment and say a HUGE THANK YOU to my husband & boys for taking such good care of me and getting things done while I was healing.  Thank you to all my family & friends that took time to come visit me, sent sweet get well wishes on facebook, through cards, text messages, prayers and flowers, etc.  It was VERY thoughtful and MUCH appreciated.  Feels good to know you have people who care about you and want to see you better soon.  THANK YOU!

Now for some COUGARS updates.  As I said before the boys were in Arkansas and here are some pics for your viewing pleasure....Talk about how time flies.  These boys are growing up so fast.  Taking in as many of these moments as I possibly can.  I know it will pass us by and we won't get these times back.  Boy oh boy these are the joys of being a baseball mom!















WE LOVE OUR COUGARS
Looking forward to a great season full of memories!
Each of you boys hold so much talent and potential!
~*~ GO COUGARS ~*~

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Thank you Purpose Fairy


I was doing some reading on another blog today.  I liked it so much that I was compelled to share.  It's something to think about folks.  Even if you just adapted a few of these concepts I think you'd find yourself a happier person.  Imagine if everyone tried this..... 
I got this from PURPOSE FAIRY




Here is a list of 15 things which, if you give up on them, will make your life a lot easier and much, much happier. We hold on to so many things that cause us a great deal of pain, stress and suffering – and instead of letting them all go, instead of allowing ourselves to be stress free and happy – we cling on to them. Not anymore. Starting today we will give up on all those things that no longer serve us, and we will embrace change. Ready? Here we go:

1. Give up your need to always be right. There are so many of us who can’t stand the idea of being wrong – wanting to always be right – even at the risk of ending great relationships or causing a great deal of stress and pain, for us and for others. It’s just not worth it. Whenever you feel the ‘urgent’ need to jump into a fight over who is right and who is wrong, ask yourself this question: “Would I rather be right, or would I rather be kind?” Wayne Dyer. What difference will that make? Is your ego really that big?

2. Give up your need for control. 
Be willing to give up your need to always control everything that happens to you and around you – situations, events, people, etc. Whether they are loved ones, coworkers, or just strangers you meet on the street – just allow them to be. Allow everything and everyone to be just as they are and you will see how much better will that make you feel.
“By letting it go it all gets done. The world is won by those who let it go. But when you try and try. The world is beyond winning.” Lao Tzu

3. Give up on blame.  Give up on your need to blame others for what you have or don’t have, for what you feel or don’t feel. Stop giving your powers away and start taking responsibility for your life.

4. Give up your self-defeating self-talk.  Oh my. How many people are hurting themselves because of their negative, polluted and repetitive self-defeating mindset? Don’t believe everything that your mind is telling you – especially if it’s negative and self-defeating. You are better than that.
“The mind is a superb instrument if used rightly. Used wrongly, however, it becomes very destructive.” Eckhart Tolle

5. Give up your limiting beliefs about what you can or cannot do, about what is possible or impossible. From now on, you are no longer going to allow your limiting beliefs to keep you stuck in the wrong place. Spread your wings and fly!
“A belief is not an idea held by the mind, it is an idea that holds the mind” Elly Roselle

6. Give up complaining.  Give up your constant need to complain about those many, many, maaany things – people, situations, events that make you unhappy, sad and depressed. Nobody can make you unhappy, no situation can make you sad or miserable unless you allow it to. It’s not the situation that triggers those feelings in you, but how you choose to look at it. Never underestimate the power of positive thinking.

7. Give up the luxury of criticism.  Give up your need to criticize things, events or people that are different than you. We are all different, yet we are all the same. We all want to be happy, we all want to love and be loved and we all want to be understood. We all want something, and something is wished by us all.

8. Give up your need to impress others.  Stop trying so hard to be something that you’re not just to make others like you. It doesn’t work this way. The moment you stop trying so hard to be something that you’re not, the moment you take of all your masks, the moment you accept and embrace the real you, you will find people will be drawn to you, effortlessly.

9. Give up your resistance to change.  Change is good. Change will help you move from A to B. Change will help you make improvements in your life and also the lives of those around you. Follow your bliss, embrace change – don’t resist it.
“Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors for you where there were only walls”
Joseph Campbell

10. Give up labels.  Stop labeling those things, people or events that you don’t understand as being weird or different and try opening your mind, little by little. Minds only work when open.
“The highest form of ignorance is when you reject something you don’t know anything about.” Wayne Dyer

11. Give up on your fears.  Fear is just an illusion, it doesn’t exist – you created it. It’s all in your mind. Correct the inside and the outside will fall into place.
“The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself.”
Franklin D. Roosevelt

12. Give up your excuses.  Send them packing and tell them they’re fired. You no longer need them. A lot of times we limit ourselves because of the many excuses we use. Instead of growing and working on improving ourselves and our lives, we get stuck, lying to ourselves, using all kind of excuses – excuses that 99.9% of the time are not even real.

13. Give up the past.  I know, I know. It’s hard. Especially when the past looks so much better than the present and the future looks so frightening, but you have to take into consideration the fact that the present moment is all you have and all you will ever have. The past you are now longing for – the past that you are now dreaming about – was ignored by you when it was present. Stop deluding yourself. Be present in everything you do and enjoy life. After all life is a journey not a destination. Have a clear vision for the future, prepare yourself, but always be present in the now.

14. Give up attachment. This is a concept that, for most of us is so hard to grasp and I have to tell you that it was for me too, (it still is) but it’s not something impossible. You get better and better at with time and practice. The moment you detach yourself from all things, (and that doesn’t mean you give up your love for them – because love and attachment have nothing to do with one another, attachment comes from a place of fear, while love… well, real love is pure, kind, and self less, where there is love there can’t be fear, and because of that, attachment and love cannot coexist) you become so peaceful, so tolerant, so kind, and so serene. You will get to a place where you will be able to understand all things without even trying. A state beyond words.

15. Give up living your life to other people’s expectations. Way too many people are living a life that is not theirs to live. They live their lives according to what others think is best for them, they live their lives according to what their parents think is best for them, to what their friends, their enemies and their teachers, their government and the media think is best for them. They ignore their inner voice, that inner calling. They are so busy with pleasing everybody, with living up to other people’s expectations, that they lose control over their lives. They forget what makes them happy, what they want, what they need….and eventually they forget about themselves. You have one life – this one right now – you must live it, own it, and especially don’t let other people’s opinions distract you from your path.

Sunday, April 1, 2012

Holy Hot Mess March

Talk about a whirlwind of events that have taken place in my neck of the woods. I had promised myself I would update my blog on a more regular basis and again I fell short.  Such is life sometimes.  I guess you can't really be too upset when you are living a fun filled life and keeping busy with family & friends. 
It's GO! GO! GO season for The Ash's! 

I love when I can see God continuing to work in me.  I love when I feel led and moved by HIM.  I love even more when life tries to step in and change things up and try to take over.  Regardless I choose to not allow certain people or situations to steal my happiness.  Wondering what's been going on this past month???  Our church started a ladies group.  There were SO many people who showed up to the first meeting.  It was there that we were put into smaller groups.  I honestly went with a group of ladies I have never talked to before and over time hope to know on a more personal spiritual level.  Our first gathering was in Norman (03.02.12) at The Grey Owl Coffee Shop.  It was more of a get to know each other type of meeting.  Very much looking forward to our next gathering and getting more into the word! Here is our first group pic-

A dear friend of mine came to town while her mother was set to undergo surgery on March 8th.  She was diagnosed with breast cancer.  It's just one of those moments in life where you take a closer look at your life realising just how precious health and people are to you.  I am happy to say the surgery went just fine and she is recovering.  So far so good.  I believe God answers prayers!! 

I saw this yesterday and loved it so much~ Today I choose to live with gratitude for the LOVE that fills my heart, the PEACE that rests within my spirit and the voice of HOPE that says ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE!

Something else that happened this month is my Dad & Sandy's home was broken into.  Those thieves took their personal banking and other account information not to mention they stole guns and other property.  What hurt my heart and I know theirs too was what happened to their Great Dane.  She was beat with two different fireplace pokers.  Those are made of pretty thick metal folks and here's a picture just to show the kind of damage that was done.
With everything that had taken place I noticed how my dad reacted to the situation as a whole.  He was upset as anyone would be.  He felt violated just as Sandy did but he still kept his cool and said the things that were taken were just that, "things".  They can't steal is faith!  They didn't harm him or his wife.  They didn't kill his animals.  They didn't do that much damage to his home and it could have been a whole lot worse had one of them been home during the actual invasion.  They still have so much to be thankful for.  He said it over and over again.  That spoke volumes to me.  You can allow situations to take over but it's not worth it.  Only makes matters worse in the long run.  It was a good lesson for me.  I admire his spirit and I admire his passion.  Talk about being thankful I am happy he's my DAD!  Now I am going to brag on him even more.  I feel I have that right since he did just become a Chaplain this month!!!  What an accomplishment Dad, SO VERY proud of you!

As for me personally, so much for FREE time... I am no longer subbing at Cameron's school because I started a new job.  Not something I was actually looking for but it did fall right into my lap.  I feel like it all happened for a reason and I will accept it for what it is and see where this blessing and this journey takes me.  It's a perfect job for me and allows me to work under pressure in certain seasons.  I feel like I do some of my best work under pressure and I am ready for this challenge.   

Another big thing is baseball season has started.  The boys have played in 2 tournaments in the month of March and placed 2nd in both.  Now being April 1st, it's OFFICIALLY COUGAR BASEBALL SEASON!  I crack up because Mike always tells the boys that March is their "pre-season" and like the pro's they will take it up a notch starting in April.  

One of Kyle's good friends had his first baby March 20th.  We were happy to go visit Miss BraeLynn Pistole and welcome her into the world on the first day of spring.  Talk about a blessing.  Nothing brings more smiles, warmth and the feeling of overwhelming love then seeing a newborn baby.  Congrats Chance & ChrisTina.  She's perfect and absolutely adorable!!!

Last Sunday (03.25.12) at Harvest Church we had a guest speaker.  His name was Seth Franco.  He's a former member of The Harlem Globetrotters.  I really enjoyed his simple yet meaningful message.  He has a genuine gift to share with people and I am certainly glad we were able to receive it.  Here are some pics from after the service. 


So, with all of this being said hopefully you can see where time kinda takes over and I forget to update.  I look forward to an amazing Easter service.  I look forward to spending time with family in the upcoming days and I look forward to what God has in store for me and my family during the month of April.  No April Fool's jokes here just happy and hoping for the best for everyone reading this.  Go make it a beautiful day folks!  Until next time......