JP: A Party for 30,000

Every now and then someone will ask me, "how can I increase my prayer life?" Typically I would suggest more time reading and studying the Word, having a list of specific things to pray for, specifically scheduling time, and really just gritting your teeth and going for it. However, now I have a new, sure fire solution - come spend New Years Eve at our Onething Conference with approximately 30,000 young adults filled with the joy of the Lord and celebrating His love for them in total abandonment.

If you watch it on the web, I'm sure that it probably looks like any of a number of emotionally charged, high volume, rock concerts complete with choreographed light system and a mosh pit. Yep, yep, yep, and yep. We even have the mosh pit! So, what's the difference?

First, it's free. They don't have to worry about getting their moneys worth. Secondly, it's not about what they can experience or get, it's about what they can give back. Too often we are weighed down with the cares and stresses of life and our lifestyles to even think about God. The only time we acknowledge the Lord is when we want something or when times are hard.

So, what makes these young people turn into human Mexican Jumping beans on New Years Eve? They truly believe the first six words of John 3:16, "For God so loved the world..." And Isaiah 62, "But you will be called Hephzibah (My delight is in you). As well as Zephaniah 3:17, "...He will exult over you with joy...He will rejoice over you with singing." The Hebrew word for exult is yagil which means to dance or to spin around with joy.

They figure what's good for the goose is good for the gander so the saying goes. Or to put it in IHOP lingo, what's good for the Bridegroom King is good for the bride. If He sings and dances while delighting in us, why can't they do the same in response? Who are we to hinder them from emulating God in response?

Thus you have the human Mexican Jumping bean sensation. Children of the King wanting to have fun and relish the joy of the Lord. Jumping, dancing, singing.

And we have the privilege of experiencing this as part of our job! I love to walk from the front of the auditorium to the back just watching all these people from all over the world worshiping our Savior as one body with the same joy. What a great way to ring in the New Year!!

And if the worship doesn't increase your prayer life, then the floor of the convention center bouncing up and down 3 - 4 inches while all 30,000 dance in unison definitely will!!

AP: January 9th!!!!!!!

AP Writes:

Today is January 9th!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Which means.......IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!!!!! =)

I have had quite a busy last couple of weeks with Christmas, OneThing, Lizzy staying with us for a while, and then my birthday. A big group of people went ice skating yesterday downtown at Crown Central for my birthday. It was really cold, 11 degrees without windchill, but it was a lot of fun. Then we went back to my house to have dinner, cupcakes and icecream, play games, hang out, and watch a movie. Some of the girls got to spend the night and this morning we went to church, came home and ate lunch, and took a much needed nap. After we woke up I got to open some presents. =) And now we are preparing for this next school semester.

All in all it was a pretty fabulous birthday! I can't believe I'm 19! I'm really excited to see what God is going to do in this next year of my life!

Here are some highlights of my past year:

>I went from having 27 college credits to 105

>I was able to perform in my friend Kirsti's graduation for dance

>I got my first real job working at Holiday Inn Express as a breakfast hostess

>I got to go on a mission trip to Taiwan and Japan

>I got to visit Georgia this summer for 4 weeks

>I went to summer camp as part of the rising college women (my last year of camp as a camper)

>I got to go to Branson, MO on a trip with my family and grandparents (Tablerock lake.....absolutely beautiful!!!!)

>I went on a cruise paid for by my grandparents to the Bahamas with my family, aunts, uncles, and grandparents

>I was able to have an incredible part in the Christmas performance for dance that I had wanted (I got to represent the Spanish speaking nations by performing Spanish)

>I got to go back to Georgia for Christmas and had our first White Christmas in Georgia since 1882 (and see my old studio's dance performance!)

>I got to have one of my good friends from dance and another good friend whom I've known since 2nd grade come out for OneThing 2010

>And I got to finish out 2010 by participating in the best New Year's Eve party ever with 30,000 of my closest friends! This was my 7th year to be at OneThing for New Year's. I wouldn't miss it for the world. There is just nothing greater than to be worshiping Jesus finishing a year and starting a new one!

So now I have 364 days left of being a teenager.....a very odd thought. =) But I am excited for the new experiences and things God has planned for me for this year!

Hope you've had a fabulous day!

Ashton =)

105=15=5=120...........college math

Well as most of you know, many colleges have been finishing up with this semester by giving their students final exams. Even though I don't physically go to a university for class, I too had a final yesterday. (I do take my tests at several universities in MO and KS.) My final test for 2010. =) It was Social Science and History.........basically I had to study everything about, well, everything. It covered Western Civilization 1 & 2, United States History 1 & 2, Psychology, Sociology, Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, and much more. It was kinda nerve racking because I had taken this test in May but had not passed. Thankfully though, after many more hours of study, I was able to pass yesterday! =)

So you are probably wondering what the numbers above mean. Well, because I passed my test I now have 105 credits! =) 120 credits is what I'm aiming for, which means I only have 15 credits left before I graduate with a Bachelors in Liberal Studies! I only have 5 more tests. I'm so very excited! This was an amazing early Christmas party!!!!! =)

Have a very Merry Christmas!!! =)

Love,

Ashton

JP: Sports, Finally

JP writes:

If you know me you know I love sports. And finally, God comes through with a sports blog! I was flipping stations on the truck radio as I was heading to the missions base when I landed on a sports talk program. Of course, I just had to stop and listen for a minute. The KC area sports teams generally are at the bottom of the standings regardless of the sport (reminds me of Atlanta's teams when I was growing up in the 70's.) Their fans must be conditioned to complain because that's all they did despite the fact that the KC Chiefs football team is 8-4 and in first place for the first time since I was growing up in Atlanta. Yes Tuffy, that's a long time ago. "The quarterback is not good (just named the Player of the Month for November) , they need to settle on using just one running back rather than two (this despite the fact that they lead the league in running the ball), why didn't they tell us one of the coaches was having knee surgery during the off week, blah, blah, blah..." People, they are in first place! Give them a break and enjoy it.

Then I started thinking. God must be thinking the same thing about us, the body of Christ in the USA. Just like the KC sports fans, we've been conditioned to complain. We're not satisfied. Our churches are big and beautiful with amazing state of the art audio/visual technology, but we still find something to complain about. We don't like the music, the sermon's too offensive, the sanctuary is too warm/cold, the coffee doesn't taste good enough. The same thing goes for our houses and cars. Someone else always has a bigger, nicer one. Our cell phones and ipods are "so yesterday". We wring our hands a complain because right now we can't afford to stop at Starbucks on a daily basis. We are constantly comparing ourselves to those who have more rather than those who have less than we do. Instead of stopping and giving thanks to God for how He has provided, we complain because we want more. It seems like we as a society are never satisfied.

Now imagine what the tribe of Levi must have thought when God divided out the promised land among the Tribes of Israel. The story can be found in the book of Joshua. God first told Moses and now reminds Joshua in detail how to divide the land. Nine of the tribes inherited land on the west side of the Jordan: Simeon, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Benjamin, and Ephraim, plus half the tribe of Manasseh (Joshua 13:7). The tribes of Reuben, Gad, plus the other half of Manasseh, took their inheritance on the east side of the Jordan (Joshua 13:8). And I'm sure people were complaining because they didn't get river front property or didn't have mountains in which to build their weekend retreat. I'm sure that they wanted what the others had received.

But what about the tribe of Levi. Weren't they left out. In fact, it was as if God had said "Sorry, no land for you." However, he did provide them with an inheritance. "But to the tribe of Levi, Moses has given no inheritance; the Lord God of Israel is their inheritance. (Joshua 13:33, Numbers 18:20).

What? No land? I imagine many from every tribe thought that the Levites had received a raw deal. After all land was and still is a sign of wealth and a means to more wealth. Ahh, but God knew that true wealth was found in spending time with Him.

The Levites had inherited the privilege of coming into the Lord's presence on a daily basis and serving Him. They had to learn to be satisfied with just the Lord and nothing else.

And that's the question that the Lord poses to us today - In the world today, if all we had was the Lord, would we be satisfied?

AP: Heart Matters

AP Writes:

Hello all!!!!

I apologize for not writing sooner! My life has been super busy this past couple of months with preparation for the Mystery of Christmas. (We performed this past weekend. It went really well and was so much fun! I'm kind of sad it is over, but relieved to be able to sleep again!) Recently over the past couple of months God has really been highlighting to me the state at which I hold my heart. I often find myself in the prayer room just flipping through different parts of the Bible when verses I've never noticed before will jump out at me, all of them dealing with issues of the heart. I've even had conversations with different close friends about how our hearts are doing.

I was struggling in October/November with really trying to understand my heart and feeling kind of disappointed that I wasn't able to control the emotions of my heart well. I found a verse in Jeremiah that said "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" (Jer. 17:9) I was reminded that my heart was human, and that if I followed what my heart was 'feeling' then I was following things that were untrue. I found the verse that said, "Now devote your heart and soul to seeking the Lord your God." (1Chron. 22:19) I realized that we are supposed to give ourselves in our day to day business. Even though our hearts are wicked, God still really wants them!

He even knows the secrets of our hearts. Which, honestly, could be a little scary for most of us if we stop and think about it. God knowing everything we think........everything. It makes you not want to think! =) "God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." That would probably be my prayer right now. That in everything, through everything, that my gaze would be such that I would depend on God to sustain my heart. He should be the strength of my heart......He's the one who created me. I have nothing that I could give Him in return for His sacrifice for me. He deserves every second of every day.

It also says in Matt. 5:8, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." Doesn't that make you want to go get your heart in check? I mean, who wouldn't want to see God? I love how blunt the Bible is. It tells you what to do in order to get desired results. Only, they aren't things we can do on our own......we have to depend on His guidance. =) Colossians 3:1 is also encouraging because it says, "Set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God." God wants us to meditate on Him. How cool is that? Our job is to think about Jesus. =) I also like Phil. 4:7 which says that the peace of God will guard your heart and mind. The thought that God's peace will guard our hearts is so comforting to me because that means I don't have to be in control! He leads my heart!

One day during this past week, I was putting my makeup on for the show and Uncle Matt came up while fixing his suit/costume and asked me a few questions. I love it when he asks me questions because it always makes me think. He wants to know what's going on deep in the heart, not just the surface. I love that about him! =) He was asking me about my heart and how my life was going. Through our conversation I was reminded that the matters of the heart are so extremely important! We should hide ourselves in Christ. (Col 3:3)

I also really like this quote. It would be so cool if this were the case of the guy I end up marrying! =)

"A woman's heart should be so hidden in God that a man has to seek Him just to find her."

Max Lucado

Hope to write more later!

Ashton =)

JP: Dust off and get back in the game

JP writes:

Isaiah 52 begins with the Lord saying, "awake, awake, O Zion, clothe yourself with strength. Put on your garments of splendor.....shake off your dust, rise up, sit enthroned." There are two things that He wants us to do. First, to wake up from our deep, comfortable, cozy slumber called contentedness. And secondly, to shake off the dust, rise up, and walk into the glory and power that He desires for us and makes available to us. Or in other words, to get back in the game as I like to put it.

God desires to use us to heal, evangelize, and prophesy on a regular basis. However, somewhere along the way in our christian walk, we as a church body have lost our initial zeal for the Lord and have gotten knocked down by the tribulations of life. Now, we are afraid of getting back up and causing waves. Afraid of what others may say and of losing their so called respect. We have written our selves off as useful in the kingdom of God. We don't see ourselves as God sees us. Wollowing in the self-pity of our human weakness, we crawl to the sidelines and take our place on the bench content to watch the "game". Giving into the lie that our sin is bigger than God's power. We need to shake off the dust because the enemy wants to speak lies into your brain saying that what you've done in your past disqualifies you from being used by God. He wants to speak lies to us saying that we are not worthy.

The Lord is crying out "awake, awake. It's time to get up, brush off, and get back in the game. I came to set you free so that I can use you to set others free." We have to do something. We have to wake ourselves from the lethargy of unbelief. We have to get up! I remember getting knocked down several times in sports growing up and not wanting to get back in the game. It was painful and many times I was afraid. But as I was picking myself up, brushing off, and doubting myself, my coach would be there reminding me of the player he knew me to be. Telling me to not look at the circumstances, but at the facts. God does the same thing when He tells us to walk by faith, not by sight in 2 Corinthians 5:7 and to agree with who He says we are!

But that's easier sad than done because we look at weak, little ol' us and compare ourself to those that we are in awe of on the ministry stage. We look at them wondering what amazing things are going to come forth from them next. Wes Hall recently shared at a service that often the leaders are sitting there thinking, "Man, I'm tired and really hungry. The music is irritating me and that guy in the 5th row is really bugging me. I really wish I could go home and be with my children! I just don't feel it." In reality, they are just like us. They, too, have to shake off the dust.

We all have times when we feel it, but the majority of the time we don't. If we operated on feelings, no one would show up. That's why we walk by faith not by sight. Kind of like a train. Lead with faith, and the feelings will follow. We need to wake up to who we are - sons and daughters of the King of kings. Royalty equipped to do His works. It's not so that man gets the glory, it's so that God gets the glory.

Many of us are sitting in the dust waiting for God's big crane to pick us up when it's time, shake us, and then set us up where we are supposed to minister. However, He has already done His part, now He's waiting for us to do ours. Most likely your ministry field is right there in your day to day life. It's time to get back in the game. Keep going even if you get knocked down the first time. Don't be afraid. Our Heavenly Father is right there cheering you on and whispering secrets to unlock hearts. It's our job to rise up and get going. the results are up to Him.

I'll close by quoting that great theologian Adrian Balboa of Rocky movie fame:

Rocky - "But, I'm afraid."
Adrian - "There's nothing wrong with being afraid. You're human aren't you?.. You're the one that has to carry that fear around inside you... Get rid of it, because it's going to bother you for the rest of your life. Look at what it's doing to you now."
Rocky - "And if I lose?"
Adrian - "At least you lose with no excuses. No fear. And I know that you can live with that"

AP: Word of the Day

AP writes:

I thought a while ago I should unsubscribe from the Dictionary word of the day. Moma signed me up for this a couple of years ago to prep for the SAT. But now that I am a college Senior it seemed as if it was not serving its purpose anymore. I'm so thankful I kept it! The funniest words come through! Here are just a few of them:

Slugabed \SLUHG-uh-bed\, noun:

One who stays in bed until a late hour; a sluggard.

Viand \VAHY-uhnd\, noun:

An article of food, now usually of a choice or delicate kind.

  

Smithereens \smith-uh-REENZ\, noun:

Small pieces; bits.

Acta \AK-tuh\, noun:

Official records, as of acts, deeds, proceedings, transactions, or the like. 

Lucifugous \loo-see-FOO-guhs\, adjective:

Avoiding light.-----------(Interesting since Satan's name is Lucifer and he hates God, who is light.....)

Hobbledehoy \HOB-uhl-dee-hoy\, noun:

An awkward, gawky young fellow.

Frabjous \FRAB-juhs\, adjective:

Wonderful, elegant, superb, or delicious.

  

Brobdingnagian \brob-ding-NAG-ee-uhn\, adjective:

Of extraordinary size; gigantic; enormous.

Quaggy \KWAG-ee\, adjective:

1. Marshy; boggy.
2. Soft or flabby.

Tittle \TIT-l\, noun:

1. A dot or other small mark in writing or printing, used as a diacritic, punctuation, etc.
2. A very small part or quantity; a particle, jot, or whit

Kenspeckle \KEN-spek-uhl\, adjective:

Conspicuous; easily seen or recognized.

Mojo \MOH-joh\, noun:

1. Personal magnetism; charm.
2. The art or practice of casting magic spells; magic; voodoo.
3. An object, as an amulet or charm, that is believed to carry a magic spell.
4. Good luck or favor concerning an event or individual.

Yeuk \YOOK\, noun:

1. An itching sensation.

verb:
1. To itch.

Cheechako \chee-CHAH-koh\, noun:

A tenderfoot; greenhorn; newcomer.

There are so many funny ones!!!!!!!!!!! All this to say, you should sign up for the Dictionary word of the day; it provides you with a fantastic vocabulary and you will laugh twice! (once on your own and then again when telling all your friends!) =)

Have a great day!

Ashton =)