Check out this picture of one of my sister in law — whenever I see it I feel inspired to do something awesome.

Did anyone else notice the  facebook news feed today? January has others feeling inspired too. Everyone was squawking about their new year’s resolutions, everything from reading through the Bible in a year to maintaining a healthy lifestyle.  I was reminded of all my abandoned resolutions in years gone by.  It was a long flash-back of valiant attempts, most of them discarded by February.  Today I came across something I thought was pure gold! I immediately wanted to share it with all the ladies in my life.  True Woman’s blog had a list of resolutions that seem worth it in light of eternity (click here for a direct link to where they were originialy published). I also like the list that the blog on the website for Lies Young Women Believe had concocted for students (click here for resolutions aimed at highschool/college age girls).  I’m looking forward to discussing these with my friend and the girls in our youth group. I feel energized to be working towards something valuable–I am especially intrigued by the “I will pursue holiness over my happiness this year.” I’m thinking that’s going to be the one to kick my butt.

1. I will praise God on good days and bad days this year.
“You are good, and what you do is good” (Psalm 119:68a).
When everything is going right, it’s easy to believe that God is good and to praise Him because of it. But when life gets tough we are tempted to question God’s goodness and “forget” to praise Him. When your life gets messy, you can choose to believe God’s Word rather than trusting your emotions and praise God in all circumstances.

2. I will live like I am deeply loved this year.
“The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness’” (Jeremiah 31:3).
Feeling unloved can have a huge impact on the way that we live. Specifically, believing the lie that no one cares about you can lead to depression, anxiety, and destructive behaviors. The Truth is that you are deeply loved by God. If you believe God’s love is real and receive it, it will transform your life.

3. I will pay less attention to what others think of me this year.
“For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be pure and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.”(Ephesians 1:4-6).
When a friend, a co-worker, or a loved one rejects us it’s easy to let that rock our world. It’s also easy to get wrapped up in trying to please the people around us in order to avoid that rejection. But God’s Truth is that He chose you and loved you enough to adopt you into His family. Choosing to fully embrace that Truth provides the perspective we need to be less concerned about what others think.

4. I won’t use stuff to make me feel good this year.
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1).
God is enough to satisfy your needs. If you have Him, you have everything you need. Believing this Truth allows you to stop trying to make yourself feel better by having the right stuff. You already have what you need.

5. I will do what it takes to overcome a sinful habit this year.
“For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—because anyone who has died has been freed from sin” (Romans 6:6-7).
God’s Truth is that you do not have to sin, and every sinful pattern in your life can be overcome by the power of Christ living in you. That doesn’t mean that overcoming sin doesn’t often take work. You may need to confess your sin to a Christian friend or pastor, recruit an accountability partner, or remove a habit or relationship that has become a stumbling block in order to stop a sinful habit in your life. But God’s Word promises that you can receive freedom. Believe that Truth and then do what is necessary to remove sin.

6. I will embrace a God-sized challenge this year.
“I can do everything through him who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13).
God has not commanded you to do anything that He will not give you the grace to do. That means, for example, that:
• there is no one you cannot love (Matthew 5:44)
• you can give thanks in all things (1 Thessalonians 5:18)
• there is no one you cannot forgive (Mark 11:25)
• you can be sexually pure (1 Thessalonians 4:3-4)

7. I will accept responsibility for my actions this year.
“The soul who sins is the one who will die. The son will not share the guilt of the father, nor will the father share the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous man will be credited to him, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against him” (Ezekiel 18:20).
You are responsible before God for your behavior, responses, and choices. You may not be able to control the things that happen to you this year, but you can control how you respond to the things God allows to come into your life. Making the choice to stop blaming others for the negative patterns in your life and to assume personal responsibility for your own choices will free you to obey God regardless of your circumstances.

8. I will be more concerned about my holiness than my happiness this year.
“Be holy because I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16).
Jesus didn’t die so that we could live a life for ourselves and our own pleasure, but so we could be free to live a life that pleases Him. Pleasing Him will sometimes require sacrifices. But any sacrifice we make is temporary, and cannot be compared with the joy and fulfillment we will gain in eternity. Only through seeking to be holy can we ever experience true happiness.

9. I will add praise, thanksgiving, listening, and confession into my prayer life this year.
“For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son” (Romans 8:29a).
God is more concerned about changing you and glorifying Himself than about solving your problems. With that Truth in mind, a balanced prayer life should include more than just asking God to fix your problems. Work to build a relationship with God that is not strictly focused on asking Him to change your circumstances.

10. I will focus more on Jesus and less on myself this year.
“He must become greater; I must become less” (John 3:30).
The Truth is it’s not about you; it’s all about Him. The world was not created to revolve around you. It was created to revolve around Christ. This year, look for every opportunity to make your life more about serving Jesus and attracting others to Him.

January 4th, 2010 | Tags: resolutions, students, Teenagers, women, young adults, Youth Group, youth ministry | Category: ashley ponders | Comments (1)

I regret I didn’t live up to my word.  I promised a blog post by 2010 and here I am, almost 3 days into January and just getting around to a hasty update.  As I get used to my new planner, I am thinking about how fast the years have gone since 2000.  I rang in the new millennium with a sleep over at my house…I was a freshman in high school with superficial concerns and lacking maturity.  Now, I am a wife, an aunt and a daughter-in-law—I have things like a home, taxes, salaries and high deductible health insurance plans to be concerned about (and a better idea of where to cast those burdens).  My maturity—probably still questionable!

2009 was a great year, but like any year it had its ups and downs.  I guess you can’t appreciate the ups until you realize when you’re climbing out of the downs.  Ministry at our church has been time consuming but worth it.  We started the year of with a winter retreat at beloved Camp Spofford.  Through out the spring and summer Sam cooked up ideas of service projects at local ministries like Helping Hand Rescue Mission and perhaps the most successful event – our youth group put on a VBS program for Roosevelt Bible Church.  Like last summer, our group also partnered with Grace Bible Church in Philadelphia for a week of exposure to ministry in an urban setting.  I love the youth at our church.  Watching them grow and mature is a joy and a privilege.  After many hectic weeks Sam and I ended the summer by celebrating our 1^st Anniversary on a nice, relaxing vacation in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.  We did nothing but be beach bums, it was amazing!

On a much more personal note, this year was definitely colored by one painful event.  In April, I was surprised to find myself pregnant. We were overwhelmed by the pregnancy but our worries and concerns gave way to joy and on Mother’s Day we revealed the news to our families.  For reasons unknown, I miscarried our baby by the middle of May.  I feel this event will haunt us for the rest of our lives, but “hope is born of suffering” and I marvel and the comfort and peace God provided through some dark days.  On our mantel sits a box with the sonogram picture of our first child God knitted in my womb.  It is also filled with the kindest notes and prayers I received due to that loss.  I have never been more thankful for supportive family, kind friends and our church’s tender and loving community.  Most important to me were the relationships formed and strengthened with women who had experienced the same tragedy.  It was their words that made the deepest impression on me, especially those who made a point to reach out to me weeks and months after the event.  I remember that day as the saddest in my life but I also remember it as the day I saw on a deeper level how much of a treasure Sam is to me.  I wonder at how God has been so kind to me in that area. I wish you could have seen how gentle Sam’s eyes are – from when he looked down on me as I lay in the hospital bed before going into the operating room to four months later as he patiently dealt with me as I continued to work through my grief and frustration.

Autumn quickly turned into Christmas-tide.  In that time we’ve celebrated multiple weddings of family and friends (going to weddings is sooo much fun when you know how much marriage means to you), kept up with normal schedules, welcomed a second nephew into our lives, got another dog and discovered we’d have another nephew in the spring.  Thanksgiving also took on a new meaning as our first niece was born prematurely—we continue to be grateful for her continued growth and health.  Soon, she’ll be home with her mom and dad and we couldn’t be more thrilled.  I am looking forward to meeting this little one who has consumed my prayers! Christmas ’09 was quite the busy one! I am proud of Sam and I.  Every now and then I’ll look at him and think “we did it!”  In 11 days, we hosted 15 different people and 2 dogs (not counting our own) at our home.  Some stayed for a night, some for a few days and some for a week, but not all at the same time! Throw in a wedding, a blizzard, Christmas and Sam generally being busier with the church Christmas schedule—well, I don’t know what that makes for, but it’s crazy fun! By our front door hangs a plaque we received as wedding gift.  It reads “whether you come to visit or just to rest, when you enter our home may you be blessed.”  That is my hope for our house.  We were delighted that our home could be the hub for Sam’s family during his brother’s wedding, enabling most of his side to celebrate Christmas a few days early.  I also was delighted to celebrate Christmas with my entire family. With one brother in Cali and the other in Louisville, this isn’t going to happen a lot and I’m grateful when we can actually pull it off. Well there ya have it! If you want more details, all you have to do is ask.  Sam and I recouped by spending a night in New York City.  Nothing like starting the new year off on the right foot! Beware, I plan on “blogging” a whole lot more in 2010.  Thanks for taking the time to care about us, whoever our readers are (hi mom)!!!

January 2nd, 2010 | Tags: DHEFC, New York City, students, Teenagers, vacation, Youth Group, youth ministry | Category: ashley ponders, ministry | Comments (3)

Wishing you all a very Happy Christmas! As I write this “It’s A Wonderful Life” is on in the background. Our home has been the hub for family activity — both on my side and Sam’s. I am grateful for all that we have in our parents, grandparents, siblings, nephews, nieces, cousins and friends. May Jesus bring warmth into your heart this holiday season. It’s been a busy season — I promise to be back and blogging before 2010.

December 24th, 2009 | Category: sam reflects | Leave a comment

I have to be awake in a couple hours…the problem is I’m awake now. I have a lot running through my head – everything from my lesson for small group tomorrow night to what I should get my nephew for Christmas…oy vey. Speaking of Small Group – let me give you a sneak peak of what goes on Wednesday nights in my home – for about 1.5 hours every week, 8 girls walk into my home. I also have another young woman helping me, and let me tell you – she is a God-sent, ready and willing to serve  in teaching, encouraging, praying and even driving (she often gives girls rides to and from small group, giving up her valuable time just to ensure girls are consistently engaging in our community). We’ve been meeting in my basement discussing God, life and where those two things intersect. We’ve also been praying a lot for one another-to hear the prayers these girls utter is such a precious part of our time. I’ve been really burdened for these girls lately – I look back at my closest set of friends in Jr. High – not many of them have made the best decisions, seems like the world just has a way of sucking them into a vaccuum. I couldn’t help but wonder what the story holds for my small group. I increasingly feel more and more what a parent must feel – a deeply rooted longing to protect a child from every bad choice, motive, influence, character trait, inicident, etc. I admit at times hanging around a bunch of talkative teens is the last thing I want to do after a long day of answering phones, writing emails, reporting to others and making sure I’m communicating all that I have to to keep up with my work. But then I think of the accountability, encouragement, sister-hood and community that God fosters and I feel His strength enabling me. Girls in jr./sr. high school have it rough, (I think things have gotten harder since I was in high school which was only 6 years ago) and my prayer is that every girl that passes through the youth ministry program at DHEFC will realize the following:
1. They are deeply loved by Jesus
2. Their life has a purpose
3. They were created by God

Would you join with me in praying for the girls of the youth group? Pray that they wouldn’t go off course, following the empty promises of the world, but that they would know the greatest love there is, the greatest eternal purpose that they could live for, the most loving being who out-shines any other suitor. I get excited thinking about young women who will change lives by showing the world a faith that is gentle yet strong…I think of the hope they profess and how that hope will come into the lives of those who are at wit’s end.

November 11th, 2009 | Tags: DHEFC, students, Teenagers, Youth Group, youth ministry | Category: sam reflects | Comments (2)

Barb/Dave sent me this comic about youth group attendance. It made me laugh, but as I thought about it I was really thankful for our group of students in our youth group or even our other church ministries.  Our attendance is consistently higher for service activities over fun activities. During the summer, I’ll get like 17 people for Great Adventure, and 40 for putting on an urban VBS in Roosevelt. We’ll get 4 for beach day and 15 for Helping Hand rescue mission.

Maybe that’s something really admirable about Long Island – the schools really promote community service. Way to go students! (and lots of good parents that encourage loving through service)

November 10th, 2009 | Category: sam reflects | Leave a comment

That’s right we adopted another dog… she’s pretty cute… and mischievous. Her name is Bella – she’s a 7 month year old Shiba Inu

October 8th, 2009 | Category: sam reflects, sights and sounds | Comments (2)

So we just got our DirectTV back after a couple months of going without TV…  here one of the things we started doing late at night at Mikey’s expense… he has way too much energy.

October 1st, 2009 | Tags: Mikey | Category: sights and sounds | Comments (1)

The Complete NEW TESTAMENT resource for YOUTH WORKERS.

Jack Crabtree and some of his youth ministry friends (like Me, Kevin and EmLam and Jimmy)  wrote a bunch of youth group lessons complete with games application, etc – and finally the first volume is published. It’s a pretty huge publisher (that’s right dad, you will probably be able to pick this book up at Ollies soon LOL) So, I’m praying that this is a help to especially the volunteer youth group teachers who can use some guidance in knowing how to teach students.  Volume two is on its way

Publisher Blurb:

The Complete New Testament Resource for Youth Workers, Volume 1 by Livingstone Corporation, General Coming Soon!

Never before has there been a resource this comprehensive, this practical, and this relevant for teaching the New Testament to your students. With the topic overview, ideas for games, outlines for messages, study questions, and ideas to incorporate media or real-life experience into the teaching, and a searchable CD-ROM, you now have everything you need to lead students through more than 100 New Testament lessons.

Walking students through the New Testament can feel like a daunting task?especially if you’re trying to create studies that are relevant and engaging to your students. But fear not! You now have a diverse team of nearly thirty youth ministry practitioners working for you and they’ve put together more than 100 studies that will make your job easier while helping your students dig into the Bible! Never before has there been a resource this comprehensive, this practical, and this relevant for teaching the New Testament to your students. With the topic overview, ideas for games, outlines for messages, study questions, and ideas to incorporate media or real-life experience into the teaching, the Complete New Testament Resource for Youth Workers, Volume 1 has everything you need to lead students through these New Testament books:

• Matthew
• John
• Romans
• Galatians
• Ephesians
• Philippians
• Colossians
• 1 Timothy
• 2 Timothy
• Titus
• Philemon
• 1 John
• 2 John
• 3 John
• Jude

Whether you lead them yourself or hand the lessons over to your volunteers, each lesson is easy to implement and can be used alone or combined with lessons that have already been planned. You?ll also find a searchable CD-ROM, making it even easier to find exactly what you need to help lead your students deeper into some of these life-changing books from the New Testament.

September 22nd, 2009 | Tags: things we read, youth ministry | Category: sam reflects, things we read | Comments (3)

So Pastor Steve has asked me to teach an adult (yeah, I know – scary) Sunday School class this fall on Islam (also scary?) Here’s kinda what I’m looking at putting together – it still has a ways to go – I’m still working on syllabus – My only real experience with teaching adults is directing the Keswick Bible Institute – where people were scared of my class because I assigned like 900 pages of reading. I may have to tone it down from that… but still should be sweet – any ideas?? Do you know any Muslims who’d like to talk to me for a while… I have a lot to learn.

Jesus Loves Muslims, and so should you! Loving your Muslim neighbor as Jesus would.

“And who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:29) – In the parable of the Good Samaritan Jesus teaches us to love even those who we are inclined to hate. There is a good analogy to make between Christians/Muslims and Israelites/Samaritans. Both groups claim the same heritage and have awful histories of hatred that separates them. This quarter-long class on Christianity and Islam has some pretty simple, Jesus-commanded goals.  1) Understand your Muslim Neighbors. 2) Figure out how to show them love.  We’ll be studying Christianity to know how and why our theology differs. We’ll study the history and theology of Islam and the differing beliefs of different forms of Islam.  This will be an intense course with assignments; students will learn both sides of the conversation well – come for the challenge.  Lord-willing we will be able to have some real conversations with Muslims from our area.

August 20th, 2009 | Tags: Dix Hills, Islam, Sunday School | Category: ministry, sam reflects | Comments (1)