Attitude Matters

Hey y'all!

In case you hadn't already noticed, I gave the blog a makeover! Yahoo! I'm still in the process of ironing things out and trying to make everything look as pretty as possible, so bear with me. But, I hope you enjoy the new look. ;)

As most of you probably know, a couple weeks ago I fell during rehearsal as I was dancing, more specifically jumping, and broke my fifth metatarsal and sprained my ankle. I know...yikes! When the incident first occurred, I thought to myself, "Oh well. I hurt my foot. Big deal. Happens all the time. The doc said I'd be as good as new in a week." Later on, I came to find out that it was not getting better. I continued to crutch around everywhere and hop back and forth. We decided to take another trip to the doctor and they said, "Surprise! It's broken." Woops. They didn't catch that the first time around. I am sentenced to wear a boot for four weeks, praying it will soon heal. Oh, fun times.

What I thought was not going to be a big deal at all turned into a pain in the rump. I can't drive, because it's my right foot, so that causes some issues. Walking is possible, but it hurts sometimes. And I can't even really fully walk correctly yet. A trip to Target is a doozy. Bottom line, having a broken foot is NO FUN. I'm sorry. It's just not.

So guess what I'm learning right now: attitude matters. 

Sigh.

"Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, 'children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.' Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky." 
{Philippians 2:14-15, NIV}

(covers ears) LALALALALA.

"You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had."
{Philippians 2:5, NLT}

...ouch.

In those moments when the Holy Spirit catches me with a lot of frustration and a bad attitude, I take a second to pray and ask the Lord for a new attitude. Let's try again. Alright...die, flesh, die. I have the mind of Christ and I am to have His attitude as well. Help me, Lord.

A Christ-like attitude is something I have to work on. Especially under these circumstances. I'll surely mess up, but I can try again. A good attitude sets a good example and we are to glorify the Lord at all times, even when it's hard.

So I encourage you all to have a good attitude today! Maybe you just started school and you're already moaning and groaning all day. Perhaps you're injured too! Or maybe there's something else going on! Whatever it is, remember to have the same attitude as Jesus.

Feel free to Facebook, Instagram, and/or Pin this verse everywhere. Share the encouragement!

And just for kicks...

I know. I'm cool.

Love you all!

The Doubt Dilemma

Can't sleep. Let the rambling begin.

Today as I was reading Matthew 21, this super cool story in verses 18 through 22 really stood out to me so I thought I'd share. Here's how it goes, with my random thoughts included.

"Now in the morning, as He returned to the city, He was hungry." 
{verse 18, NKJV}

Jesus was hungry. I get hungry. Oh yeah, Jesus was human. Sweet!

"And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, 'Let no fruit grow on you ever again.' Immediately the fig tree withered away." 
{verse 19, NKJV}

Uhh...okay. That's pretty legit. And slightly random, I suppose.

"And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, 'How did the fig tree wither away so soon?'" 
{verse 20, NKJV}

Yeah, how come?!

"So Jesus answered and said to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' it will be done. And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive." 
{verses 21-22, NKJV}

Wow...this. is. AWESOME.

How amazing is that?! Told ya this story was cool.

What I really loved about this is how Jesus addressed the subject of faith versus doubt. So often it's easy to become full of doubt and discouragement. I've struggled with this. Heck, I still do from time to time! The truth is that doubt is the opposite of trusting God completely. This gets you nowhere. Not good. Faith, on the other hand, declares total confidence and belief in the Lord and what He will accomplish. This moves mountains. Much better.

This is what He is saying to us:

"Listen to Me, you saw what I just did to this fig tree; you know what I'm capable of. I'm telling you that if you just believe wholeheartedly without a shadow of a doubt, you can accomplish much greater things through Me! Pray with that faith. Believe and you will receive."

What type of doubt do you struggle with? Maybe it's not major, but it tends to sneak up on you, doesn't it? Perhaps the devil is using it to distract you from the truth. And you know what the truth does, don't you? It sets you free. Walk in freedom! Stop doubting and just believe! I know it's easier said than done, but have faith. God is ready to wither fig trees and move mountains through you.

"Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!"
{Mark 9:24}

xo,
AKG

Speak Truth

I dare you to read this. 

Then, I dare you to read this out loud.

Friend, do it. This is powerful. Speak truth into your life.

My God is with me to strengthen me, help me, and uphold me. Therefore, I refuse to be afraid. All who rage war against me will be disgraced and perish. The Lord my God takes hold of my right hand and says, "Do not fear. I will help you." I am a servant of the Lord. He delights in me and places His Spirit upon me. I am called to righteousness and to be His witness, that He is God. It is essential that I forget the past, for He is making me new; He creates a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. 

I am loved by the Almighty God.

Amen!

{Isaiah 41, 42, 43}

xo,

AKG

There Will Be A Day

You know those moments you have with the Lord? Those Jesus moments? The ones where you know so clearly what He is speaking to you? Well, I sure do!

Let me start by saying this, I love the sky. I adore the use of each color the Lord paints with to create a unique masterpiece every single day. My heart swoons when I see a sunrise, rain clouds, clean, crisp blue, a sunset, and stars against a black sheet. I admire His creation most when there is a special sky in the background. Sorry if that is far too overdramatic, but seriously, the sky is really cool. Just look up and see for yourself.

Now, the Lord knows me inside and out. He knows that the beauty of the sky pulls at my heart strings. He knows that I especially love to see the clouds frame the sun to cause its brightness to shine through gloriously. So how does He romance me? How does He get my attention? The sky. Always.

When I was driving home yesterday in the evening, I caught myself staring at the sky. It was gorgeous. As I struggled to keep my eyes on the road, (It's okay Mom, I really was paying attention. I promise.) I was listening to the song "There Will Be A Day" on the radio. What perfect timing. As I looked at that heavenly sky with the setting sun radiantly beaming through the surrounding clouds, it was a Jesus moment. It was a Heaven moment.

"There will be a day with no more tears
No more pain, and no more fears
There will be a day when the burdens of this place
Will be no more, we'll see Jesus face to face."
{Jeremy Camp}

Maybe you're having a rough morning already and you're not too optimistic about your day. Maybe you're going through a time when you don't want to fight the fight of faith. Maybe you're you're weak. Maybe you're hurt. Maybe you're frustrated. The list goes on and on, people! But if you're a believer, you have hope of eternal life. In Heaven. WAHOO!

I feel like the Lord wanted me to encourage y'all with a couple things. One, whatever your circumstances are, do not forget your hope of Heaven. There will be a day. Also, how are we promoting His Kingdom here on earth? What would change about what we did today if we solely sought Him first? (Hint, Matthew 6:33.)

I hope this made sense. I hope my points got across to you clearly. I hope the Lord uses this to touch your heart. And I hope for Heaven.

Have a great day!

"He will swallow up death forever, And the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces; The rebuke of His people He will take from all the earth; For the LORD has spoken."
{Isaiah 25:8, NKJV}

xo,
AKG

When You Realize You're A Cow

My friends! Happy Thursday! What a great day it is.

It's a cloudy day.
It's a coffee day.
It's a Bible study date day.
It's a Pinterest project day.
It's a restful day.
It's a blogging day.

Oh happy day. :)

This morning, I met my (adopted) aunt at Starbucks for our new, exciting study through the book Preparing To Be A Help Meet by Debi Pearl. (I highly recommend it, especially for single and dating women.) Today we discussed chapter two which brings up the topic of stubbornness. Oh dear. To prepare for this week, I searched the word stubborn on Google. Dictionary.com defined it as, "fixed or set in purpose or opinion; resolute." Collins English Dictionary defined it as, "refusing to comply, agree or give in; obstinate. Difficult to handle, treat, or overcome. Persistant and dogged." Wowza. Something clicked in my head and I realized this:

I've totally been stubborn with the Lord before.

When I didn't want to surrender, commit my plans to Him, or do things His way, I was a stubborn girl. I knew that I went through periods when I struggled with letting go and letting God take the lead, but I never really connected the dots that I was clearly demonstrating a stubborn attitude. In Preparing To Be A Help Meet, Pearl states, "Stubbornness can wreck your life" (26). To me, stubbornness sounds like:

I have my own plan.
I want to be in control.
Lord, it's okay; I can handle it.

Oh how this does indeed wreck your life.

During our discussion while sipping our morning coffee, Auntie Kim brought up that she studied the word stubborn on Blue Letter Bible. The Hebrew word for stubborn (סָרַר) is used in the Bible to describe Israel's rebellion and unfaithfulness to God. Hosea 4:16 says, "For Israel slideth back (סָרַר) as a backsliding (סָרַר) heifer." {KJV} Being stubborn is like a rebellious cow?! How totally awesome. I love being compared to a heifer. Ew.

The super cool thing about this topic is its timing. Yesterday, I just began day one of the She Reads Truth study through the book of Hosea, which means for the next sixteen days I will be reading and studying all about how my stubborn actions relate to an adulterous woman AND how the Lord continues to love me through it all. Just thought that was kinda awesome! Don't you just love when the Holy Spirit works like that?! Woo, this is gonna be good. :)

I encourage you to search your heart to see if you find any stubborn qualities in yourself. I know I can! Also, if you want to jump on board with me and hundreds of other women to study the book of Hosea, sign up here! You're only one day behind; I just know you can catch up and take the challenge. DO IT!

Thank you, Auntie Kim.
Thank you, #SheReadsTruth.
Thank you, Thursday.
Thank You, Jesus.

xo,
AKG

Glorifying God Through a Wooden Boy

Happy Tuesday my friends! As many of you know, this past weekend we put on an incredibly diverse, goofy, heartfelt, worshipful dance production entitled "Pinocchio: A Story of the Prodigal Son". Yes, I just said "Pinocchio" and "The Prodigal Son" in the same sentence. It was all about the Lord. (Keep reading.)

I remember when our director first called me after having a vision about this production. As she laid on her bed fighting a serious illness in the midst of our December show, God spoke to her. She told me we were going to put on a show in April that was a spin on Pinocchio with the message of the prodigal son. Uh...okay, I thought, Sounds fun! So, we set out to do what God had told us. And boy was He pulling out miracles left and right throughout this whole process. Even as the Lord was demonstrating His faithfulness over and over again, I still had my doubts. Heck, I bet we all did! Putting on a whole new show in only three short months? Like that's gonna happen, the devil would say. The Lord would say, All things are possible with Me. Yes Lord, I know, but I still had my doubts. I even wanted to call it quits a week before the show! I was done being Pinocchio! I didn't want attention, added stress, more rehearsals, and time away from homework. I was done. BUT, God reminded me that it was all about Him and His glory, not about me and my comfort.

So, we pulled it off God worked through us to accomplish His will. The gospel was preached to many people. Hearts were touched. I believe that lives were changed. And all because we answered when God called, even when it was tough.

With all that being said, here are some (well, maybe far too many) closing thoughts.

I loved being a part of "Pinocchio"*

* I loved the special peace that surrounded my heart and body the day of the show. Jesus was with me.

* I loved being able to flex my feet whenever I pleased. No one cared. I was a wooden boy for goodness sake!

* I loved that people thought my usual goofiness was golden humor.

* I loved wearing one costume the.whole.entire.show. It's really the best thing in the world.

* I loved the awkward moments on stage due to technical difficulties. It challenged my abilities as a dancer, actress, and comedian. ;)

* I loved hearing the audience laugh, swoon, gasp, cry, and applaud all at once.

* I loved that I stuffed my face with cookies while onstage and not having enough time to chew and swallow. I picked up the Bible and read it in front of the audience, conveying a serious message of conviction and repentance, as I was trying to gulp the remains of chocolate down my throat. I almost lost it and starting laughing. True story.

* I loved the moms backstage who were constantly asking me if I was drinking enough water or eating enough food. You guys rock!

* I loved the sweet times of prayer I had with others before showtime. So encouraging.

* I loved that I turned my head every time someone said, "Pinocchio". My brain has now adapted to that name.

* I loved greeting young boys and girls after the performance like I was a Disney character. Dream come true right there.

* I loved speaking in front of a rather large audience for the first time in a Pinocchio costume. Also, I just loved speaking. It was all the Lord.

* I loved my first sip of coffee after fasting for over thirty days. My goodness, how enjoyable it was.

* I loved that our idea of partying was eating pizza and talking with everyone about the show and the shows to come.

* I loved that everything was all about Jesus.

Just for laughs, here's a sneak peak of our show.

(Giggles) Fun memories. :)

I hope your week is going well! God bless!

Love,
Pinocch- ...I mean, Ashton

"Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but to Your name give glory, because of Your mercy, because of Your truth." 
{Psalm 115:1, NKJV}

xo,
AKG

Road Trip Memories and Lessons

Well friends, Easter break is officially over and I'm headed back to school. Sigh. It never lasts long enough, does it? I had a lovely week, however. Our fam went on a road trip! I'll spare you the millions of details and wrap it up in a nutshell:

9 days
40 hours in the car
6 states (including Cali)
4 hotels, 1 mobile home
1 memorable family vacation

We all had our moments, but we still love each other. No one killed anyone. Yet. ;)

The final day of our trip, Resurrection Sunday, we visited our old church for Easter service. What a great time of worship and hearing the Word being preached!

Recently, it had been on my heart to contact this church and see if they would be interested in hosting our Christian dance ministry for performances. I wanted to make connections with the church while I was physically there, but when the opportune moment came, I didn't feel up to it. I'll just email or call them instead. Later.

My mom asked me after the service was over if I wanted to find someone to talk with about us performing there. Yes! But, no. Kinda, sorta. Nah. It's okay. I shrugged it off. For some strange reason, it sounded scary to me. I knew this was something I wanted to do, but something was seriously holding me back.

After we took a typical family photo outside of the church, I decided to make a little bit of a deal. If I find our business card in my purse, I'll go find someone to talk to. I began to search my wallet and bag. No business cards were in sight. That's it, I won't go.

Word got to my dad that I was itching to talk to someone and he basically dragged me into the sanctuary kicking and screaming. (Well, at least that's how I felt.) Right before we were about to go introduce ourselves to some of the main people in the church, I broke. I started crying. Yep, I was scared out of my wits. Oh dear.

People, hear me out. All the Lord was calling me to do was introduce myself. To friendly people. And talk. About dancing. For Jesus. In church. This was NBD. These are all things I am normally super comfortable with. I've done far scarier things in my time. What in the world was wrong with me?! Fear had overtaken me completely.

My poor family was wondering what happened to me that would cause me cry over something like this. My tears are not an everyday occurrence...something had to have been wrong! Honestly, I just told them that I didn't know why I was crying; I really didn't. Looking back on it now, it's clear this was a serious spiritual attack.

"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and of a sound mind." 
{2 Timothy 1:7, NKJV}

God does not place a fearful spirit within us. That fearfully shy spirit that came upon me was not from the Lord. In fact, the Bible says that perfect love casts out all fear. His love gets rid of that fear. Casts it out. Throws it away. When that timidity is gone, we are fearless in Christ. And guess what? The devil just won't put up with that. At all. How did he attack? By crippling me with fear. It almost worked.

Praise the Lord my dad had the courage to go up and talk to people while I was collecting myself and drying my tears. I finally decided I had to accomplish this small mission. So I did. I talked to the right people, made connections, and did what I knew I had to do. Thank You, Jesus.

I know this whole story may make me sound incredibly lame, but this is real life. I didn't share this with everyone to talk about random occurrences during my Easter break. I want to encourage you if you're fearful and tell you, "I totally know. I've been there!" Our flesh constantly wages war with our spirit and we give way to fear. We're human. We get scared at the little things that really are no big deal at all. Heck, I even got scared about publishing this post! Fear hinders us from accomplishing God's will in our lives. Don't let the devil scare you from setting out on a mission for the Lord. Be bold. DO IT.

If you made it to the end of this post (and actually read the whole thing) give yourself a pat on the back. It was long. If you're my family who's reading this, you're probably laughing because you were there with me during my most vulnerable moments. Thanks for stickin' up for me. You rock.

With that being said, I am off to school! Since it's first day back after Easter vacation, this is my attire for the morning. Don't hate. Chemistry at 7:00 am shows no mercy.

I hope each of you had a wonderful Easter! Jesus is ALIVE! Amen?!

"Death has been beaten,
the grave has been conquered.
Jesus is risen,
life ever after!"
{"The Victory" by Phil Wickham}

xo,
AKG

Easter Break

Hi friends! Today is Friday, and a happy Friday it is indeed! This Friday isn't just the end of the week, it's the beginning of SPRING BREAK. Oh how sweet the sound! Spring is officially in the air. Thank You, Lord!

Disneyland flowers at spring. Aren't they gorg?!

This morning I was sitting in my four-hour statistics class more anxious than ever. During the last five minutes, my foot was tapping rapidly as I watched each second on the clock slowly tick. I thought to myself, "Spring break! I am so stoked for some time off. I'll get to relax, read, journal, sleep, go on a road trip (oh yes!), and spend time with the fam. This is gonna be great!" Then, this question popped into my head.

"Why do you have spring break anyways?"

"Well...for Easter, duh."

"Don't forget," He said to me, "Don't loose sight of the Me."

You see, spring break isn't just a mid-semester break from the busyness and stress of school; it should be a time to focus on Jesus, His love, His sacrifice, His death, and of course, His resurrection. Once again, Jesus is the reason for the season.

During this week, I want to dig into the God's Word and meditate on the treasure and gift of Palm Sunday, Good Friday, and Easter. I encourage you to do the same as well. Don't forget. Don't loose sight. Remember, it's all about Him, not us.

"Praise be to the God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has give us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." {1 Peter 1:3, NIV}

Happy spring Easter break! How are you going to celebrate Jesus this week?

xo,

AKG

First Time For Everything

Hello all! I present to you my very first blog post on Her Renewed Strength. Oh, this is so exciting.

I'm one of those girls absolutely loves to journal out her thoughts and experiences. Recently, I had been itching to start a blog so I could share with everyone what I put on paper. God pressed it on my heart and I decided to go for it. So here I am!

The name Her Renewed Strength was brought forth from Isaiah 40:28-31, a passage that I LOVE.

Have you not known?
Have you not heard?
The everlasting God, the LORD,
The Creator of the ends of the earth,
Neither faints nor is weary.
His understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the weak,
And to those who have no might He increases strength.
Even the youths shall faint and be weary,
And the young men shall utterly fall,
But those who wait on the LORD
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.
{NKJV}

Ah, so good.

I don't know about you, but I am human. Hu-man. I get tired. I get weak. I can't do it all, no matter how hard I try. Thankfully, I have a Savior named Jesus and when I put my hope in Him, my strength is made new. Refreshed. Revived. Renewed. Thank you, Lord. He is my source of ultimate satisfaction, refreshment, grace, mercy, love, and so much more; He is my everything. It is only in Jesus where I find my renewed strength. He knows oh so well that I cannot do it on my own; I am weak but He is strong.

"My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness. Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
{2 Corinthians 12:9-10 NKJV}

Thanks Paul. You rock.

That's the story behind the blog, but here's the purpose:

To spread the good news of Jesus Christ and bring glory to His Name.

That's it. Simple as that. It's not about me, it's about Him working in and through me. Jesus, take it away!

Thanks for visting this baby blog. Hope you're here to stay!

xo,
AKG

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Wanna know a little bit more about me? 
Here's a list of things I LOVE:
JESUS, family, friends, romance, laughter, dancing, coffee, children, dresses with pockets, black and white, traveling, bows, red shoes, bookstores, coffee shops, earrings, musicals, antiques, photographs, all things Disney, early mornings, long walks, red nails, Pinterest, the beach, journals, balloons, writing in cursive, red roses, riding bikes, typewriters, and so much more. :)