Breathtaking!!

If you're a high school girl, I hope you won't miss out on this two-part weekend! We'll be heading to Lake Livingston on Friday and Saturday for a retreat, and Saturday night there will be a father/daughter banquet at the church. The cost of the retreat is $25, and the cost of the banquet is $8 per person. Email me for more details at ashley.wollam@bafbc.org. =) Love you girls!

Those Itchy Little Tags

Has anyone else learned how important it is to read those itchy little tags inside your clothes before you try to wash them? Mmm-hmmm. New red shirts can turn the rest of your laundry pink. "Dry clean only" dresses can come out looking ridiculous if you wash them with your load of blue jeans. Instructions can be very important.

Who makes the rules on the little tags, I wonder? What a crazy job! I'm sure those individuals have to be experts on the types of fabric that are used to make each article of clothing.

Looking at the tag before you wash a new outfit is kind of like reading the little piece of plastic that sticks out of plants at a garden store. Who knew that some plants need to be in the shade and also require 3.75 drops of water every 4 hours? (Slight exaggeration.) I'm sure many plants have died because girls like me have thought "Ooh! Cute plant!" and didn't read the instructions on the little plastic thing sticking out of the dirt. Even worse, sometimes we just pick the pretty flowers right out of the flowerbed because we want to keep them with us. We want them now. Then, of course, the plant dies.

You know what else that's like? We, you and I, were made a very specific way. In some ways we're very delicate, and our Maker is an expert (of course!) on the way that we must be handled….the way our lives must be lived. If we ignore His instructions (like washing clothes the wrong way, or killing a pour little succulent plant because you forget to water it), only bad things can happen. Life becomes what our Maker never intended it to be. Brokenness and darkness and destruction come.

God (such a trustworthy, good, generous God!) has given instructions for our lives that are there to protect us (like keeping your puppy in a fence, because there's a pit bull next door!) and to show us how to best live….how to beautifully live.

One of the instructions He has provided has to do with our sexuality. He has designed us, and designed our sexuality, to work a very specific way. His very good plan is for sex to take place ONLY between one man and one woman who are committed to each other forever in marriage. Misusing sex (like sex outside of marriage, or homosexuality) is like killing a beautiful plant because you yank it out of the ground instead of leaving it where it was meant to grow and thrive. Misusing sex is like ruining that adorable new dress before you ever get to wear it, because you didn't bother to read that water makes the fabric melt! Yikes! Disobeying God's careful instructions about sex (that it is to be between one man and one woman who have said "yes" to forever!) is like showing up at the beach and drinking glass after glass of salt water. Salt water is great to splash around in, but it's poisonous if you use it the wrong way…..poisonous if you misuse it.

Just a glance at the magazines in the checkout line, or 10 seconds of the evening news, and you realize that many, many people haven't read the instructions that our Maker, the Expert on human beings, has given about the use of our sexuality. Celebrities make it look glamorous to sleep with someone who's never promised them "forever"... who's never promised to love them no matter what...who's never decided, "I value you enough to tell myself 'no'." And even those who say "I do" don't seem to really get it, because it's not long before they give up on "forever." Other beautiful young stars decide to ignore the instructions of our Maker by misusing sex in another way…by choosing homosexuality. Our culture celebrates, and makes a trend out of, cheapening and misusing something that was designed to be beautiful….special….powerful….protected. We are all so broken, we human beings, because we have ignored what our Maker has said. And the sad thing is, many people will never know how amazing sexuality could be, how it was designed to be, because they never bothered to read the instructions.

Magazine covers and movie theatres are filled with people who have chosen to wash their "dry clean only" dress with their dirty socks. They've chosen to pick the flower out of the pot because it looks so pretty, never realizing that it will soon whither and die in their hands. They have decided that the owner who put the fence around them was mean or stupid, and have chosen to dig out from under the fence and scamper towards the pit bull.

So let me challenge you, ladies: follow the instructions of our Maker. Trust that He knows, much better than we do, how we can best live. Believe that this very complex thing called "sexuality" is delicate, and can be ruined if we use it the wrong way. In fact, the misuse of it is poison to us. Choose to show kindness and grace to those who have ignored the instructions. They are not our enemies! Because they have ignored the instructions, they will experience pain and disappointment. Gently encourage them to trust the Maker, and to follow His instructions, too. And PRAY. Sometimes the urge to yank the flower out of the pot is strong! Sometimes we feel impatient, and want to toss our delicate silk dress in the load with our messy paint clothes. Ask our Maker to help you to trust Him, to help you to follow His instructions carefully, to help you to live beautifully.

The One who made you, ladies, is an unbelievably skillful weaver! He has carefully, lovingly designed the intricate details and elaborate stitching of your heart, body, and soul. Show Him love and respect by being careful and gentle with His masterpiece.

His masterpiece is you.

Revolve Tour!

Ladies, I hope you will plan to attend The Revolve Tour: All Access this February! We'll be heading up to the Toyota Center February 13th (Friday, leaving 5pm) and February 14th (Saturday, leaving 8am...Happy Valentine's Day!) for this amazing event.

This year, we're encouraging as many moms to join us as possible! This is the perfect event for you to have some Mother-Daughter bonding time, while also rocking out with your friends to Hawk Nelson, Krystal Meyers, and Natalie Grant. Tickets are $62, and that price includes lunch on Saturday. We have a limited number of seats together, so sign up now!

GIGO ;)

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I’ll explain what “GIGO” is later. Cute word though, huh?
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Ladies, I wanted to share a few things in response to some questions I’ve gotten from some of you about what sorts of books and movies we should choose to read and watch. The “Twilight” craze is a big deal for many of you, and so we should have a Big-Sister-Little-Sister chat about this. =)
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First of all, whether or not to read or watch “Twilight” is up to you and your parents. Your parents are very smart, and love you very much, so talk with them about this issue…and do whatever they say…with a sweet attitude. (I’m a daughter too, remember? And I’ve learned, over the years, the importance of honoring my parents. That “honoring” part refers to our attitudes, too. It makes me sad when girls complain about their parents.)
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Whenever I’m thinking about what movies to watch, books to read, websites to visit, etc., there are several important facts that help me make my decision. I want to share them with you girls.
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Think Aspertane and Sunburns
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Do you know what “aspertane” is? It’s the chemical-y stuff (I’m definitely not a scientist!) in artificial sweeteners. It is in Sweet-N-Low, diet drinks, gum, etc. Apparently it can cause brain cancer! Yikes! I don’t know much about it, but from what I understand it is a very good reason to stay away from diet drinks and fake sweeteners. One Diet Dr. Pepper won’t kill you, but apparently letting aspertane build up in your system over time could be hazardous to your health!
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Everyone knows that getting sunburned too many times can lead to skin cancer, right? Again, sun exposure is a gradual danger. I got a sunburn this summer when we all went to Schlitterbahn. If I don’t make a habit of being careful in the sun and using sunscreen consistently…..Hmm. Bad news for me down the road!
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Have you ever thought about the fact that the stuff we expose our minds to, the stuff we fill our hearts with, might be like aspertane or sun damage? What if even small amounts of bad entertainment can have major, long-term affects on us? Stick with me for a second! You see, I belong to Jesus Christ. He “loves us, and released us from our sins by His blood.” (Rev. 1:6) And I’m ALL His. Forever. And you know what else? I’m learning more and more that He, my MAKER and Savior, is much smarter than me. Big time. And He knows a lot more about what’s good for me than I do. =) So when He says things like He does in these verses, I want to listen! (Don’t skip this part! Most important of all!)
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“Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.” 2 Corinthians 7:1
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“May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.” Psalm 19:14
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“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” James 1:27
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“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus…” Hebrews 12:1-2
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These are just a few verses that tell me some VERY important things about life. About really, beautifully living. Apparently, (this is key! huge! very important!) there are things that I could be exposed to (movies, books, TV shows, music?) that could pollute my mind and heart and soul. Contaminate. Hinder me. Entangle me. And what should break my heart as a daughter of God and follower of Jesus: they could cause me to displease God my Savior. Yikes! I don’t want anything to make me less likely to love God, please God, or honor God. I owe Him everything, all I have to give, forever. I am His.
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Especially as I’ve grown to understand more and more just how amazing God is, and how much we can trust Him and how beautiful it is to obey Him, I have tried to be very careful about what I let into my mind through my eyes or ears. But there have been a few books I’ve read or movies I’ve seen that, even though other Christians didn’t consider them “bad,” ended up causing my mind to think about and be drawn toward things that aren’t pleasing to our Maker and Savior. And that is a tragedy, because I so want to please Him with every thought I think, and every desire of my heart.
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If I spend time focusing on and thinking about characters who don’t love God, who choose to reject the beauty of His design for us, or if I expose my mind to stories that have even hints of evil or demonic things, it may gradually erode my deep conviction that my Maker is good, and that obeying Him is beautiful. I may become slowly, gradually numb to His voice, or careless in my relationship with Him, or get so used to thinking about sin that it is no longer horrible to me. Oh girls….I pray you won’t let this happen to yourselves.
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Think Hawaii.
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Mmmm, Hawaii. Or the Swiss Alps. Or Disney World. Think of someplace that you’d really like to go, but that would be an expensive trip. When people are saving their money for something big and wonderful, they have to say “no” to other stuff, right? If I was saving for a trip to Hawaii, I might have to say “no” to buying Starbucks (which I love!) so that I could have something even better in the long run. Hmmm…. Something better. What if that is true of what we give our heart’s attention, our daydreams and thoughts, to?
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“Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Philippians 4:8
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“Turn my eyes away from worthless things.” Psalm 119:37 (I prayed this so many times during college!)
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Sometimes, there are books and movies that don’t seem that bad to me. But my question for myself, and for you, is whether or not they are best? If my Maker says to only think about what is true, pure, and excellent, then I want to do that because I can trust Him. If there are “worthless things” that I should say no to, so that I can have the much “better” thing of pleasing the Lord with all my thoughts and daydreams and opinions, then I want to have the wisdom to do that.
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It’s okay to be “clueless.”
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People have told me that I am “clueless” my whole life. Although I try not to be, I am sometimes accidentally ditzy. Absent-minded. Clueless. That’s not exactly what I’m talking about here, though.
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When it comes to things that everyone else seems to know about, even my very best friends, sometimes it is ok to be “clueless.” Sometimes, in fact, it’s very good for my mind and heart if there are some movies I haven’t seen, some books I haven’t read, some shows I haven’t watched. Check this out:
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“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” I Peter 2:9
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“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Romans 12:2
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Ephesians 5:1-16 – I hope you’ll go read these verses! They’re too long to put in this already-too-long blog entry, but here we’re told to think about our life in light of what is proper “for God’s holy people,” to “live as children of light…and find out what pleases the Lord,” and (drumroll! important!) to “be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.”
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Soooo…wow. Maybe being His, belonging to Jesus, learning to live as “children of light,” might involve being “clueless” to things that all our friends know about. Maybe that’s part of what “not conforming” to the pattern of this world means. Maybe, instead of automatically reading and watching books and movies that seem cool, we should choose not to “conform” or be like everyone else.
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The sad thing is that quite often movies and books are created by people who are “clueless” about some important things. They are “clueless” to the fact that there is a Maker who tells us how to live beautifully. They are “clueless” to the fact that we need a Savior, and that Jesus is that Savior, and that when we become His, He sets His seal of ownership on us and begins to radically transform us. They are “clueless” to the fact that thinking about and focusing on sin might lure us away from what is beautiful…from the things of God. I would rather be “clueless” about some books and movies, so that I’m not influenced by those who might, sadly, be “clueless” about the God who made us and loves us.
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“GIGO” Defined
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“G.I.G.O.” is an acronym for “Garbage In, Garbage Out.” It’s actually a computer programming term, but is very helpful to our choices about our media “input!” We are more affected by the “garbage” that is found in some movies and books than we might think. Let me explain.
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We are very mold-able. We are affected by the things that we spend time focusing on and thinking about. Did you know that a recent study has shown that teenage girls who watch certain T.V. shows, shows which focus on a version of romance that is not God’s design for us, are more likely to become pregnant as teenagers? Without even realizing what is happening to us, we can begin to act like our favorite characters on TV, or in books, or in movies. Reese Witherspoon is quoted in an awesome book (Lies Young Women Believe, by Nancy Leigh DeMoss), and she says this: “When you make a film you keep people captive for two hours and if you have nothing to say, or the wrong thing to say, it can have a really negative impact.” I wouldn’t recommend every movie that Reese has been in, but she makes a good point there! Because the things that we give our time and attention to are so likely to change and affect the way we look at life, we should be very wise and cautious. Sin is a big deal, and I want to allow God to protect me from it.
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So here’s my GIGO challenge for us. Let’s put our minds and hearts on a diet. Let’s realize that there are some popular movies, or books, or TV shows, or websites that a girl-in-love-with-God decides to avoid, just like there are foods that a healthy girl chooses not to eat. Let’s trust God enough to think about whether or not filling our minds with a certain book or movie is “pleasing” to Him. Let’s get hard-core about this. We won’t regret it in the long run, girls, because what God has for us is truly beautiful. I’m learning that more each day and I want you to, also.

Falling in Love in Virginia

It's true. While I was on vacation in Virginia (back in Lynchburg, where I lived for four years during college. Go Liberty!), love was in the air. =) And my heart melted big time.

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I didn't meet Mr. Right, but I was reminded of the huge, drastic, pursuing love that our Maker has for us, and couldn't help but respond to Him. It just seemed to be the theme of the week, from the time I settled down at my gate at the airport on the 21st with my Bible and my journal, to the beautiful drive back (full of worship music and a beaming heart) to the airport in North Carolina on the 28th. It seemed so clear to me, before I even left Texas, that what I needed most during my vacation was to be reminded of my "first love," like our Savior talks to us about in Revelation 2:4. He (Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God...just think about that for a minute!) is the passion of my life, my Rescuer, my Leader, my King. And every moment of my life should be characterized by this overwhelming love for Him! Just a thought of Him melts my heart, but my heart is too often distracted or busy. Right before I left town, my seminary professor asked us, "When was the last time that your heart skipped a beat at the mention of His name?" I wanted to cry. It had been far too long, for me... even though I hated to admit it.

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And so, as I got ready to board my airplane and fly away to one of my favorite places on the entire planet, I asked God to teach me to really love. I asked Him to help me to begin to love Him more intensely than I ever have before, and to be reminded of His love for me, and to better love the people that He loves. =)

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I got stuck, like the entire week, in 1 John 3-4. Those two chapters contained so much important truth from God that I just kept going back every morning to linger there. I was reminded in chapter 4 about how God has proven His love to us through His dramatic rescue mission, His sacrifice of Jesus in your place and in my place (check out 1 John 4:9-10), so that we could have life and be reunited with Him. Wow. I pray that that truth will melt your heart, like it did mine (all over again). And then I read 4:16, and prayed that for myself, and for you girls...that we would "come to know" and "believe the love which God has for us." Do you and I really get that amazing love? Not even close....but you should try really hard to think about it. =) He'll melt your heart, too.

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Then I read in verse 18 about how this perfect love of God "drives out fear." And then, I was reminded of something that is so, so, so true: "We love, because He first loved us." He has come after us with His love. We were jerks, disobeying and rejecting Him along with every other human being, and yet He decided to love us, and rescue us, and make us His own children. And when we see that kind of love, when we're rescued by a God who loves us that much, we can't help but love Him in return.

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In chapter three, I kept reading and being reminded of how His love changes us. When we see His love, and begin to fall in love with Him, we also begin to love what He loves....other people. =) Even the people that annoy us, or that we don't understand, or that it's hard to get along with...everyone.

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I've been learning about love for so long, but I still have SO much to learn. My trip to Virginia was a sweet, wonderful, convicting reminder from my Father...a lesson on love. And I started to fall more in love with Him (I hope I never stop....I hope my love for Him just keeps growing!). And I was reminded to love as He loves. SUCH good stuff. I had to update you girls.

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Ike: A Glimpse at the Real You!

After a crazy (ummm...let's go with "very scary!") night of listening to the wind blow, the trees crack, and my little sisters wimper in fear as they snuggled close, this was the site we stumbled out the front door to see last Saturday morning. Not even CLOSE to what some families experienced - we were so, so blessed to be safe and dry - but still very weird. Huge trees were down, the neighborhood looked like a lake, and I'm not sure how many times our "let's go to Sonic. It's hot!" suggestions were followed by, "Oh wait...The whole town is shut down."

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All of you have your own stories to tell about Ike, and may have experienced or seen some very difficult things during the last two weeks. Just a short drive away from us, people are returning to what looks like a war zone, and some are realizing that life will never be the same....Hmm.

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When our lives get a little crazy, or when our circumstances are suddenly far from normal, there is an opportunity to take an inspection of our hearts and additudes, and so I have a question for you.

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What did Ike show you about yourself? When you were hot, or tired, or scared, or bored.....how did you respond? What was your attitude like? What was going through your head? How did you treat the people you were with? What were the things that you missed the most? Air conditioning? TV? The internet? Cold drinks?

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Some of us may have been surprised by our reactions. I know that my Maker is trustworthy and good and "mighty to save." So why was I so very scared all day Friday, and during that long night? I know that the luxuries we have are not what life is about....that they can actually be a distraction from what I want my life to be about, which is focusing on and knowing and loving and obeying Jesus. So why did I miss facebook and frappucino and text messaging and my quiet, peaceful apartment so much?

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Craziness in our lives, craziness like hurricanes and life without electricity, provides a great chance to look at ourselves for who we really are. They can show us what our treasures really are (did you think you'd go crazy if you had to go one more minute without TV or air conditioning or a charge for your iPod?) and how we respond when life gets a little difficult.

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Let's take a good, hard look at ourselves. Use last week as a mirror or a magnifying glass or a flashlight on your heart and life.

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"Search me, Oh God, and know my heart. Try me, and know my anxieties. See if there's any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." (Psalm 139:23-24)

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Are you willing to let God "search you" and show you the sin in your heart? Maybe the way you felt or acted or spoke, last week, revealed some areas of your life that are not pleasing to God. Are you willing to ask God to change you, to help you to please Him in your thoughts and attitudes, to "lead you in the way everlasting"? Do you want, deep in your heart, to please and obey Jesus Christ? Oh my goodness, I pray that that will be true of us, girls!

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If there is any wicked way in me, I want to hate it. I don't want to be ok with it. During a hurricane or during perfect weather, with power or without it, I want every thought, every attitude, every conversation to please my Savior. The Bible says that we are to "make it our goal to please Him," (2 Corinthians 5:9) and I pray often that I will truly please and honor the One who Made me, the One who has rescued me from myself, and from sin, and from death. I am HIS. And so that should change the way I react to scary times, or annoying times, or I'm-hot-and-tired-and-just-want-a-frappucino times.

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When God reveals to us the ugly, sinful areas of our hearts (which we always will find, as we ask God to search our hearts, and during this long "sanctification" process in which God is making us more and more like Jesus), we should be disgusted. We should hate sin. And then, we should turn to the One who has covered our sin with His own righteousness, who has claimed us for Himself and is making us new, and obey what He said: "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (I John 1:9)

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Mmmm, that's good stuff, girls....to trust Him enought to say "search me," and when He does, to be disgusted, ask for forgiveness, and invite Him to keep "changing us." Ooooh, how we need Him to change us. And oooooh how beautiful to watch and see as He (slowly but surely!) does.

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Know that He is still working on you, girls (Phil. 1:6) and know that His purpose has always been to make you beautiful...to make you like Jesus (Romans 8:29).

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Let Ike be an opportunity to, well.... inspect your heart. And as we ask God to take away what is ugly in His sight, and ask Him to make us what He wants us to be, cool things will happen. Things that only God can do in our hearts.

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And that, ladies, is living beautifully.

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Because I want to give Him all of me,

Ashley