She is my niece. I have had the pleasure of taking care of her at our house for over a week.

It has been wonderful and has me thinking lots about motherhood.

More thoughts on that to come!

I hear the soft gentle purr of my cat fast asleep to my right as I sit at my kitchen table filling out paperwork for our adoption.

I look out the window and the sun is peeking through the clouds, shining on the . . . → Read More]]>

Note: This is one way that I am working on my goal to Be Present this year. Taking in moments in time. Recording them. Savoring them. Enjoying them!

I hear the soft gentle purr of my cat fast asleep to my right as I sit at my kitchen table filling out paperwork for our adoption.

I look out the window and the sun is peeking through the clouds, shining on the grass and leaves, brightening up this dull day.

I smell the aroma of dinner simmering in the crockpot.

I look across the kitchen and see the dishes waiting to be washed and calling my name.

The house is quiet.Full of peace.

I’m home alone and the cats are all asleep.

I savor the moment.

This.

I hear the sizzle coming from the oven in the kitchen, I can tell from the smell escapingas well that dinner is almost done.

I’m trying the rest, take a few moments to just breath. But, I am distracted.

The smell of the . . . → Read More]]>

Note: This is one way that I am working on my goal to Be Present this year. Taking in moments in time. Recording them. Savoring them. Enjoying them!

I hear the sizzle coming from the oven in the kitchen, I can tell from the smell escapingas well that dinner is almost done.

I’m trying the rest, take a few moments to just breath. But, I am distracted.

The smell of the balsamic vinegar is pleasing to my nose, my interest and hunger are increasing by the minute.

The cat is rubbing up against my leg, she is meowing. It is as if she is begging for a taste of what she smells, our dinner! I guess I am not the only one who is hungry…

It was beautiful today, uncommonly warm for January 6th. The sun was shining and our doors are still open. I am distracted away from my hunger as I hear the faint bark of the dog a few houses away.

I take a drink of my cool water. It’s refreshing.

I breathe in peace and I breathe out contentment.

(I meant to publish this last month…but wowzers! Time goes by too quick!)

Below is a list of the books that I would like to read . . . → Read More]]>

I love to read! Check out my book list and you will see I often have a couple of books I am reading at any given time! My love of reading comes from my love of learning! I hope that I never grow tired of learning and reading!

(I meant to publish this last month…but wowzers! Time goes by too quick!)

Below is a list of the books that I would like to read this year, my goal is to read 24 books. I will mark my progress as I go.

If you have a 2012 Book List, make sure to leave a link in the comments below, I would love to check it out!

My Progress: 6 Books Completed

MARRIAGE

The Joy of Marriage God’s Way – Amazon
Pray Big for Your Marriage – Amazon
Sacred Marriage – Amazon

WIFE TOPICS

The Fruit Of Her Hands – Amazon

HOUSEHOLD TOPICS

The Godly Home – Crossway
Shopping for Time – Crossway

PARENTING

The Mentoring Mom – Amazon
Raising Children To Adore God - Amazon
One Million Arrows – Amazon
Parenting in the Pew – Amazon
Going Public* – Amazon

ADOPTION

The Whole Life Adoption Book* – Amazon – CURRENTLY READING
Wait No More – Amazon
Handbook on Thriving as an Adoptive Family – Amazon -
Love You More – Amazon – Finished

MINISTRY

From One Ministry Wife to Another – Moody – Finished

WOMANHOOD

A Woman’s Journey to the Heart of God – Amazon
What Our Mothers Didn’t Tell Us – Amazon
Intentional Living – Amazon
What Women Fear* – Amazon – Finished
Becoming a Woman Who Pleases God – Amazon
Designing a Lifestyle That Pleases God – Amazon

WRITING

Bird by Bird – Amazon – Finished
A Writer’s Workbook – Amazon – Finished
On Writing Well – Amazon
Starting Over – The Handwritten - Finished

OTHER TOPICS

Because He Loves Me – Amazon – CURRENTLY READING
7 – Amazon
The Backyard Homestead – Amazon
Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day – Amazon – CURRENTLY READING
Speechless* – Amazon
Made to Crave* – Amazon
Blogger Behave – Amazon
A Praying Life* – Amazon
He Heard Hannah – Amazon
The Girlfriends Guidebook – Amazon

*These are kindle books. If you want to borrow one, learn more here and contact me (ashley@puttinggodfirstplace.com) with your amazon e-mail address and the title of the book you want to borrow.

Disclosure: All above links to amazon are affiliate links. This means that if you purchase something from this link, I will get a small percentage of the sale price at no extra charge to you. Thank you for supporting this ministry!

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Is theology just a topic reserved for men? For men who are attending Seminary? Men who hope to go into full-time ministry? Men who are faithfully preaching from the pulpit each week?

Or is knowing God and studying His nature and character something that all Christians, man or woman, seminarian or not, should be devoting themselves to? Passionate about?

As a seminary wife, I ask myself, is theology a . . . → Read More]]>

Theology.

The study of God.

Is theology just a topic reserved for men? For men who are attending Seminary? Men who hope to go into full-time ministry? Men who are faithfully preaching from the pulpit each week?

Or is knowing God and studying His nature and character something that all Christians, man or woman, seminarian or not, should be devoting themselves to? Passionate about?

As a seminary wife, I ask myself, is theology a subject that is reserved for my husband?

The answer: No!

Theology is not just for certain people.

Read this beautiful truth from the book Practical Theology for Women (written by Wendy Alsup, pg. 26, my emphasis),

“If you know Christ as your Savior, you have the same Holy Spirit residing in your heart, the same Word of God at your fingertips, and the same access to the presence of God as the wisest and most godly spiritual leader you know of today. It’s a copout to leave the deep things of God to the pastors and seminary graduates when, in Christ, we have the same access to God that they do.”

Women, we need to realize that we are limiting our potential to further God’s kingdom when we limit our knowledge of the Creator and Lord of the universe!

What we believe about God and His character affects our daily life. Knowing God makes a difference in our lives. Our beliefs affect how we respond to the situations we are placed in throughout our day. How can we approach our circumstances and situations with a biblical worldview if we are not continually growing in our knowledge and passion for knowing who God is?

To live wisely in today’s world, we need to know God! We need to know who He is and what He has done. We also need to know what He is doing and what He is going to do!

Today’s world is unstable and quickly fading. We must know the truths of God and put them into practice day to day! Read what John Piper says about the Christian woman in reference to 1 Peter 3:1-7,

She knows her Bible, and she knows her theology of the sovereignty of God, and she knows his promise that he will be with her and help her strengthen her no matter what. This is the deep, unshakable root of Christian womanhood. And Peter makes it explicit in verse 5. He is not talking about just any women. He is talking about women with unshakable biblical roots in the sovereign goodness of God—holy women who hope in God.

To be holy women we must place our hope in God! To place our hope in God, we must know who He is! To place our hope in God, even in the face of trials and sufferings, we must know and live out our beliefs daily in every aspect of our life.

To live in this life as a Christian woman, I need to know theology.

As a homemaker, I take the responsibility of creating a place of refuge and security very seriously. I take on frequent opportunities to open our home to extended family and strangers alike. I want them to find love in our home. I want to give them comfort and rest. I want to serve them.

It is easy to be overwhelmed and weary by the, sometimes, mundane tasks of managing a home. However, we are building centers of evangelism, each one of us! We are creating, within our four walls, a place where our family and outsiders can come to find refreshment and nourishment and love!

How can I truly love others, through my home, if I don’t know the depths of the love that God has for me?

As a future parent, I have a great responsibility to train up my children and teach them the things of God. As parents, we have the unique opportunity to show our children what it looks like to live out your faith day by day, in public and private. Are you showing them daily that God is faithful? That God provides? That God is worthy of our trust?

When I am blessed with children, I want to raise them to know God. How can I teach them about who God is, if I, myself, do not know Him? How do I teach someone about what is means to be justified by faith alone, if I do not understand what that means? How do I show my children these truths if I do not live them out daily?

How can we teach our children the things of God if we do not know them ourselves?

As a wife, I am a partner in life with my husband and together we help each other to grow in godliness. I love the question that Gary Thomas poses about marriage, “What if God designed marriage to make us holy instead of happy?” What does this look like in real life?

When you and your husband are in the midst of an argument, are you quick to become bitter and harbor feelings of anger and resentment? Do you struggling with showing your husband respect, in public or private? Do you trust in your husband and more importantly, trust that God will guide him and direct him to lead you and your family?

How can we truly trust our husbands unless we truly trust God and know that His plans are for our ultimate good?

As a woman, when I am struggling with the aches and pains of this world, I can take comfort in knowing that God is my portion and my strength. It’s a difficult balance. It is facing the reality of suffering and struggles with your eyes focused on eternity. It means realizing that this world leaves us thirsting for more, thirsting for Him, thirsting for eternity.

This world is not our home. We are sojourners here. We have a day to look forward to when we will see Jesus face to face. One day, we will take our last breath here in this tainted world and our next breath will be our first breath in the presence of our Lord.

How can we keep our eyes on eternity if we don’t know the wonderful promises that God has given to us about our future glory?

Knowing God is important for all Christians.

Not only are we wives, mothers, homemakers…we are also theologians!

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We are moving forward!!! Praise the Lord we had our home visit yesterday and have finished nearly every paper needing to be filled out.

We still have a couple of things to do at our house, then we will have another quick home visit. We need to get CPR and First Aid certified (which will . . . → Read More]]>

After doing weekly adoption updates before my blogging break, it seems so long since I’ve given an adoption update!

We are moving forward!!! Praise the Lord we had our home visit yesterday and have finished nearly every paper needing to be filled out.

We still have a couple of things to do at our house, then we will have another quick home visit. We need to get CPR and First Aid certified (which will happen next month) and we need to finish all of our homework from our training classes (which will be getting done very soon!).

Here’s the really good news:

We should be licensed sometime next month!

That means that anytime after that we may receive a placement!

Prayer points:

• Wisdom for when to accept a placement.
• Quickness in receiving a placement.
• We would love a placement of 3-4 children that are close to or already have their parental rights terminated.
• Willingness to take a “risky” placement (parental rights not terminated) if it seems like a good fit.
• Grace for the “fostering” season.
• Guidance from the Lord for every decision we need to make
• That the medically fragile state-wide training will be in the next few months

Thank you all for continuing with us on this journey!!! You can read more about our adoption journey and my adoption posts here.

*I will not be posting weekly adoption updates. However, I will update you on milestones through the rest of our process!

12 months. One focus. What will be?

I sit. I ponder. I look out . . . → Read More]]>

Well, after sharing my new mission for blogging…I never would have thought I would wait so long to post again. However, after nearly a week of being sick and then catching up to the world that continued to move, time went by quickly. Thank you for your continued patience and grace!

One focus.

One focus for 2012.

12 months. One focus. What will be?

I sit. I ponder. I look out the window with my cat next to me. I think. I pray. I wonder. What will it be?

I blink.

12 months flash before my eyes. It seems like yesterday when 2011 came into being. But yet, here I am ponder a new year, and all that it may hold.

Where does time go? How does it go by so quickly without me taking notice?

I ponder the year ahead of me. I think about how I do not want it to go by so quickly.

How do I stop this fast moving world? How do I make time slow down for me to enjoy each moment?

I remember reading…how to live fully.

What does the year 2012 hold for me? I do not know. But this I know, and I am going to hold it close to my heart:

The year 2012, is going to be a year of living in the present. Living in the now. Not letting a moment go by too quickly, but instead living life fully with eyes wide open, living today in the present.

Have you chosen a focus for the year? Maybe one word? Maybe a couple {like me}? I’d love to hear in the comments!

p.s. I’ve got an inspiration board forming for my focus, Be Present. The pictures from this post are all from it.