Barefooted in the snow...

                                                                It snowed today.

                                             I mean, excuse me, it "dusted" today =)

But no, seriously, it came a serious snowfall this morning around 10:00 am, right in the middle of a Priscilla Shirer bible study I jumped into recently...and I was SO pumped about getting that word today too!!..but God knew what He was doing...even though mamas, daddy's, kiddos and puppy dogs are all stranded in different places tonight...God knew what He was doing...
                                                               He always does.
 The snow today was just beautiful...it's actually still covering our front yard and driveway so technically it's "still" beautiful. As we all got the news that schools would be let out early, my mom called me in a down-right , come to Jesus panic asking that I rush to pick up my brothers..of course, I gave in =) Love those crazy loons..As we arrived at mom's house (going .364859 miles an hour), we stepped out of the car into inches of deep snow...of course, we bundled up and played in it for a good while..but then we went inside and got all cozy by my mom's stinkin' awesome fireplace. It doesn't snow too often in the ole southern city of Birmingham, so when i ended my short work day and got all snuggly in my brothers big baggy clothes (you KNOW it's not an official snow day without big, baggy  "cumfy" clothes), i sorta kinda forgot that there happened to be a blizzard a brewin' right outside my mama's castle...and it hit me like a ton of bricks that I needed to grab something out of my car.

              Like an idiot, I jumped up, shoved open that door and stepped right on out into                                a monsoon of that freezin' cold "dust" in my BAREFEET.
                                                        WHAT WAS I THINKIN?

The icy cold snow hit my feet like an arctic rush and for a moment there, I thought I had lost all my toes. =) I seriously couldn't feel my piggies. (not even the one that went to the market). I stepped out onto uncharted territories, felt snow under my feet which was so not familiar me to...I wasn't used to that at all and as silly as this may sound, God spoke to me through my barefeet covered in snow.

A lot of times, almost always, when you're walking with Jesus and you ask for impossible things to take place in your life...and you ask believing and deep down knowing that He will...maybe not right then, or maybe not even years from then..but sooner or later..in His timing, He will do the impossible for you, it is at that exact moment that He might call you to walk in uncharted territories.. in fact, He is always calling His kiddos to walk with Him in places that should not be familiar to us.. okay, maybe the setting and the environment or building is familiar, the place in our heart is not.

Walking in the snow barefooted doesn't really make sense to us..and why would it? I mean, look at all the terrifying things that could potentially happen...
           ---> you could get serious frostbite and lose your toes..or even your feet..eek. not good.
           ---> you could catch a nasty cold or hey, even pneumonia..
           ---> all your friends might see your dog ugly feet and make fun of you... hehe=)
        
okay, so needless to say, i am not encouraging you to drop it like its hot right now, waltz out of your front door shoeless and prance around like a monkey..(do monkeys prance?..hmm..need to check into that..) What i am trying to convey here is simply this..

There will come a time in your walk when the Lord will ask you to do something beyond your understanding...something that to the world will look insane. Everyone around you will try to give you all the reasons as to why you shouldn't do this crazy thing you know the Lord is asking YOU to do..it's personal to you..and other's don't get it..

BUT THAT'S WHEN YOU BECOME CRAZY FOR THE LORD AND JUMP INTO THE UNCHARTED SNOW ..THAT UNFAMILIAR PLACE..BAREFOOT..AND WALK WITH GOD THROUGH IT.

1 Corinthians 1:26-27...

   "For consider your calling brothers, not many of you were wise according to the worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. << BUT GOD CHOSE WHAT IS FOOLISH IN THE WORLD TO SHAME THE WISE.GOD CHOSE WHAT IS WEAK IN THE WORLD TO SHAME THE STRONG.>>..."

God is so good, ya'll. He is good despite your circumstance. MY JESUS IS SO FLIPPIN GOOD!! Here recently, He has called me in my walk to step out into the snow barefooted..He has asked me to do something that is unfamiliar to me, and that makes me a little shaky, not gonna lie...God provided for me 2 incredible, fabulous, magnificent part time jobs right here in Gardendale. One was to pursue my life long passion as a girls minister in student ministry..wow. How unworthy am I, but how worthy is HE? Through his incredible hand, we have walked together into middle schools, high schools, into girl's homes, and have seen girls walk into my own home...Together, we have grown closer and through His beautiful design, He has allowed this wretch of a gal to experience transformation in hundreds of girl's lives...just....wow.
And then, it was not coincidence that he led me to not just a part time job at a bank in Gardendale, but he lead me to a new family that adopted me in and loved me like i had always been there. I've grown so close to all of the wonderful ladies that I've worked with there..I never in my life thought I would love working at a place as much as I've loved working at BB&T with some of the sweetest, godliest ladies ever to cross my path =)...

God has called me to step outside in the cold, in my barefeet....in uncharted territories..and has told me to quit my position at the bank...

It's more than anything, exciting, but also so very hard to leave one of the best places I have ever worked..EVER. To leave those friendships..and hey, let's be real here, to leave the paycheck...it's definantly not been an easy jump, but in my heart..deep way down in my core, I know God has called me to full time ministry with these girls...I can honestly say at this point, I don't know much...all I know is what I feel the Lord asking me to do, and how as each day passes, I don't look at the what if's...I don't look at the negatives the world tries to throw at me..

I look at Jesus...I'll do crazy things for you Jesus...You will provide.. you will take care of me and Brett and even though I step out barefooted in the snow =)...somehow, I know you'll keep me warm and all snuggly ..right where it means the most..in my beating heart =)

SO....whats he calling you to do? Is it crazy? Does it look insane? Good. that probably means He's all over it =)..

Walk barefooted in that snow girl!!

Love in Jesus,
Ash