art+beauty

http://www.chelstinross.com/

my cousin has some pretty sweet art on her website!!! check it out :)

yearning for something more part 2

a couple weeks ago i wrote about a book i started reading, in search of the proverbs 31 man. here is a lil more from the book:

~ many men know about god, but do they really know him?
- one of the first qualifications for our proverbs 31 man if you are a believer, is an intimate relationship with and a personal knowledge of god.

~ no one is perfect, not even a proverbs 31 man. one one walks in the spirit continuously.
- another trait we seek in the man is that he bears the consequences of his mistakes, takes a licking, and keeps on ticking. his spirit is not bowed or crushed by adversity, and he doesn't blame others for his problems. he simply takes responsibility and finds a solution.

~ today we ALL bear the effects of adam's sin.

~ women need men who will seek god's face and secure their future by obedience to his instructions.

~ one of the most beautiful things i ever heard a wife say about her husband was: it feels as if god is loving me through my husband, it's almost as if he anticipates my needs and meets them before i can say a word. (only a man who prays and hears from god can do such a thing for his wife)-- i LOVE this :) i hope we are allll so lucky to have this someday!!

~ if we want a proverbs 31 man, then we have got to be a proverbs 31 woman.

~ in numbers 14:13-20-- i have forgiven them as you asked.
-another translation says that god said he would do what moses asked bc he was his friend! they had a unique friendship. that god would share his emotions and his heart w/a man, listen to his resonse, and consider his words incredible. they had a two-way conversation, moses spoke and god answered.

~ a praying man is a powerful man. a man who touches the heart of god is desiarable to a woman. his relationship w/god is evident in the sensitivity he exhibits toward her. the sense of protection she feels under his prayerful care cannot be articulated.

~ she will never be able to vocalize all that she needs from him, and at times, she herself will not even know her own needs. but through his interaction w/god and instruction from the holy spirit, he will be equipped to respond to the secret desires of her heart :)

~ many woman reading this account right now are saying to themselves, "well, where are these praying men? " or "my husband/boyfriend does not pray as he should. how can i get him to pray like that? i feel as though i am carrying the entire prayer load in my family/relationship."
- the solution is a simple one. continue in prayer yourself, asking god to make your mate a man of prayer. learn more about god for yourself by studying your bible to find out more about him. ask him to reveal to you his personality and character- how he thinks, feels, and operates.
-the more you know about him, the more intimate your relationship w/him will be b/c your prayer life will change. when u understand his heart, you can have trueu conversations w/him. the things you learn will stir up passion and excitement. the result? the same excitement and passion will become contagious.

~ make sure that you share w/your partner as an equal and do not lecture him as if he is a lesser pupil.

~ dont give him a daily lecture about his need to pray. let him know of the need you to feel covered by him w/his prayers.

~ victory comes not from fighting w/physical muscle but from falling on bended knees in submission to god and love for him.

~ for reflection: "charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the lord is to be praised" - prov. 31:30

* the one lasting quality a woman can posses is, w/out fail, wisdom. the wise woman makes choices that make the heart of a man stay w/her.
though you should never neglect your physical appearance, dont rely solely on outward beauty. the internal will keep you beautiful in your man's eyes :)

~the world i come from~

i still believe in love. in fairytales. in chivlary. in marrying your bestfriend. in dreams coming true.

i believe that we serve a god, our father, who wants to make all our dreams come true! but, when we pray do we pray for specific blessings? no matter how little or big, god wants you to ask him- specifically.

a past roommate of mind and good friend once told me to make a list. a list of qualities/characteristics/looks, i was wanting and or attracted to in a man. no matter how silly it may seem- ex. nice teeth- i am a teeth fanatic...so thats something i notice right away in a guy. so, we both wrote out these lists and read them to eachother. i know i still have that list somewhere but since then i have changed and so have the desires in my heart.
now, i'm going to share some of the desires i have in my heart- and some of you may roll your eyes and say tha expectations are to high or that i will never find someone who is perfect. and i'm not looking for perfection but, i'm also not looking to settle for less than god's best. he WANTS to give us HIS BEST!! so why can't my dreams and so much more come true??

this entry is from 2 yrs. ago and i called it: the world i come from...
~ love jesus
~ there would always be love
~ being a true gentleman is a part of this man
~ this man just gets me; allows me to be the woman i am and LOVES it :)
~ my best friend
~ i wouldn't want to go a day w/out him
~ slow to anger- very imortant
~ loves to dream with me
~ dependable
~ makes me feel like the most important girl in his life
~ not afraid to be w/me in public and show affection
~ loves to take walks
~ has nice teeth :)
~ can surprise me
~ treats me with respect
~ only lets me cry happy tears
~ likes children and is good with them
~ has a mother and or father that i love and respect
~ can share his heart with me and not hold back
~ i can't wait to wake up with him by my side :D
~ just by being him, all my dreams come true
~ when we fight/argue how does he handle the situation? would i rather fight w/him then with anyone else?
~ does my heart sing for him?-- a wise woman once asked me while i was in a relationship if my heart sang for this current person i was dating. and i didn't really understand what that meant but, she went on to explain that when i thought of him did my heart feel at home? did i long to be with him? was my heart/soul happy?
~ a man who loves his mom and dad; doesn't mind when i have a close relationship w/eiher of them
~ helps me to grow in my faith- therefore setting the tone to how he would be in marriage/head of household

so you get the idea ;)
and let me tell you i have AWESOME guy friends who have bits and pieces of all these qualities. and i have been so blessed to be around and have relationships with ppl who have these phenominal marriages-- i know it is possible to have all that you desire.

so don't settle.

i say this a lot to others and myself- we all carry around this invisible list of must-haves for our future husband/wife-- i'm not saying this is a bad thing but ask yourself if you are your list...before we ask for such things from someone make sure that you can be that person for someone as well. there is gonna come a time where the man/woman in your life is weak or at a low point and where they fall short you will need to be strong and vice versa.

be bold with ur desires before your father. he WANTS to give them to you!!

every word sounds like a shooting star....

a land down under :)

old song but sooo good :)

dreams can come true

love this proposal!!!!

everyone needs a little bieber

i'm not ashamed to admit i like justin bieber :)

take all of me

when life gets you down...

your father is a King

do you have 15 mins?

i want to share a video clip called just stop and think.
no matter where you are in ur walk with god this video is a fantastic reminder of who we are living for :)
i highly recommend checkin out the other videos and or the book crazy love.


you are LOVED. go in LOVE.

(you will have to copy and paste this..sowwyy)

http://crazylovebook.com/videos_stop.html

more like jessica :)

what would happen if we all woke up and gave ourselves this kind of affirmation??!!

do you want to know?

gifts from heaven

this past wknd i went home for a friends bridal shower. i decided when i woke up that morning that i was going to leave early and surprise my family at church- plus another good friend, mallory, and her husband were having their daughter dedicated. well, i missed the dedication but i got to surprise my fam. and sneak some love to little makaria :) i sat with mallory during the second service while her husband gave the sermon and sitting next to her while she held her little girl was truly so special. just watching mallory interact with her daughter, took my breath away. i could feel the love she has to give to makaria, and not only that but i see the love chad, her husband, continues to give to them both. mallory has told me there is no love like the love you have for your child. that having makaria was the BEST thing in the world! if we, on this earth can feel such love for one another, how much more does god feel for us? don't we all yearn to feel so loved by someone? to feel their touch and security?

i'm not saying this is how ya'll should feel but, my prayer is that god would continue to draw me close to him and to keep revealing himself to me. i never want to get to a place where my relationship becomes stale or predictable. i want to believe jesus can fulfill every need i have, and yeah even as a christian you can ask god to help you with your unbelief. most of us have never experienced a love so real, someone who loves you like jesus does. this is where i believe with all my heart that there are relationships between men and women where this happens. not perfection- just a solid foundation- god is the glue that binds everything together no matter what the world throws at them.

dare to believe god can and will make all your dreams come true if you ask and seek him.

for the ups and downs

best friends. do you have a best friend?? i have a lot of close friends but certain ppl i would consider my go to ppl- who love me for allll the good and alll the not so pretty.
..............

one friend in particular i met the summer of 2007 in a place that is pretty much heaven on earth. i worked in GA for Winshape camp and we got placed in the same room during staff training. when i first met her i just shook my head and laughed, here is this beautiful girl with all her luggage in matching vera bradley and a cute lil accent....and so it begins :) we instantly connected during the first 2 wks. of training-- i just knew that we would be friends forever. it's now 2010 and she is still soo close to my heart-- besides that summer we have seen each other 4 other times, a total of 4 times in person!!! the rest of our relationship has been spent over the phone, texting, letters, email, cards, memories and prayers.
i love that no matter how much time has passed since we last talked it never seems that any time has passed. she knows my heart and has a beautiful love for Jesus. she has encouraged me, loved me, and listened to me through some of the happiest and toughest moments in my life and i am forever changed by her love for me and others.
.............

the next person that comes to my mind has been in my life all through college. this person was a friend of a friend but a certain event occurred which brought us close.
lots of laughs and talks and meals/coffee do we share :) have you ever known someone who you feel most like yourself around?? i cherish the moments where i don't have to be looking/acting a certain way. i know this person's heart well and it's in the right place-- always thinking of others and wanting to make a difference.
i know i can count on them to do what they say they are gonna do, pray for me, encourage me, listen, and have a lil tough love. our friendship is give and take-- words don't describe how thankful i am to have them in my life. have we ever had any awkward moments.... never!!
this person has given me such a godly example of what i want out of a relationship and i know they won't let me settle :)
you will always have a special place in my heart,
..............

~let me just say that A LOT of ppl have touched my life and i will never forget them. just bc i have chosen to write about 3 ppl doesn't mean i couldn't write about 30 ppl i consider to be part of my life and have had a HUGE impact on the woman i am today-- YOU are LOVED!!~
..............

lastly, but certainly NOT least, i give you the story of someone who might just have been separated from me at birth- lol
we met 2 summers ago and let me tell you when she first came up to me i was like what....are u kidding? no one is THAT nice haha she was going on about my tattoo and how beautiful it was-- not once did she stop smiling. i will never forget her giving me her cell # and when i asked her to spell her last name she did and then said you know, just like Jesus was. i knew right there i was in for such a journey!!
we spent an unforgettable wknd together that summer and bonded right away. things that might not get talked about until more time has passed in a friendship were talked about and right away a piece of my heart was with her.
i have never laughed so hard or cried so freely with someone. things that would normally be made fun of or held over your head are never something to worry about in our relationship. there is true freedom in letting go of expectations. when tough love needs to be had there is true growth in us individually and in our souls. don't you love when you have so many inside jokes or things you know will make them laugh, even if it's just one word ;) our friendship is special in that we have also been able to grow our bond through the distance. we rely on phone calls, skype--haha, texts, memories and prayers. at my times of low she knows how to calm my heart with just the right words. i know she will always be in my life and that things will only get better and better. i admire her so much!! i continue to let iron sharpen iron :) she encourages and affirms in me the woman god has made me to be. her spirit is so free, she knows who she is in god and she is bold with her faith. thank you for being my rock, my comforter, my person when the world has fallen out from under me... i am forever blessed by the memories we have and cont. to make!!
.............

don't you just love when ppl come into your life and you are amazed at how you went through life all of your life without them?? all of these ppl and so many more have been such an example of jesus in my life! that's what this life is all about right.... we were made for relationships :) let god be at the center of your life and you will radiate his love-- you may be the only jesus some every meet.
someone once told me, if ppl aren't asking you what makes you so different you're doing something wrong. how will you leave your mark?

breathe on me

breathe on me. all you are is all i want. draw me close in your arms.

those words come from a song near to my heart-- hillsong united "always"-- that song was on a worship mix i was given by 2 special friends after my dad passed away. i even selected that cd to be played during my dad's visitation. after everyone had paid their respects that night i sat in the front row and just let this song wash over me. i felt so so close to god during that time-- just at peace even though i was grieving. when i hear this song now i long to feel that closeness, i yearn for it.

recently i was having a convo with one of my very best friends and she asked how i was doing with everything. i told her i have never wanted jesus to come back so badly!! ha and i apologized for sounding so morbid-- i meant i understood, like tip of the iceberg understood, what it felt/feels like to suffer and i was soo over it. not just me but this world!! i went on to explain how i can't imagine going through panic, disease, deaths, etc. without knowing god-- even at my low points where i didn't see the end i knew deep down i was going to get through it, that god was in control. and she said ash, that is so encouraging!! you wanting jesus to come back isn't a bad thing... you are yearning for a good thing...how many times a day do you hear ppl say they are ready for jesus to come back to earth?! a light bulb went off at that moment and all i could do was say thank you. allll these yrs. (ok like the past 5)after i got my tattoo ("yearn" - on the inside of my left wrist in hebrew--from psalm 63), i had the intention of it to remind me that god yearns for me. he yearns for a relationship with me just like i yearn for a relationship on earth with a boy. while that is still awesome it doesn't mean it can't have multiple meanings :)

slowly but surly i am beginning to hear god's voice more. it may not be an actual audible voice but he is leading me. my mentor that i get to see once a week asked me tonight if i read the chapter she had given me-- and i told her some things that stuck out to me. the more we talked about what stuck out to me and how my thoughts lead back to those verses though the week the more excited she became. she said ash, i was just reminded how awesome god is!! when i was going through hard times and read over this chapter the lord spoke out dif. things to me and as i was waiting for you to mention the same things the lord said no, this was meant for ashley- this is what she needed to hear. the word is alive my friends-- you may have read the same story/verses a couple times b4 in ur life but each time god will reveal himself to meet your needs. god is a gentleman through and through, he will not force himself on you. he is patient, he will pursue you gently and intimately.

john ch.11:1-43 is what she had me read...i encourage you to read it. read it just to read it, don't pick it apart. see what god wants to say to you :)

this blog was kinda all over the place tonight-- i felt so much and im so thankful for this woman in my life to speak truth to me. im still grasping just HOW MUCH god loves me...even when we think we have been loved by our families, friends, bf, gf, etc. god loves us so much more. im gonna share this- i used to tell the girls at camp while i was a counselor to imagine standing on a beach. can u see and feel the sand? imagine picking up a handful of sand, there are soo many tiny, tiny pieces crushed together alll over the world. i want you to know that god loves YOU more than every grain of sand covering the earth!! WOW unreal. speechless. what do you even do with that?? well, i don't think we are supposed to ever have all the answers-believers will have all of eternity to experience it :)