Go Be Beautiful You....

I just finished reading the book of Esther. It's always been one of my favorites for sure. It's full of adventure, inspiration, betrayal, suspense, unlikely heroes, and of course who doesn't love a good ending? A real box office winner! 

The book is really short but is packed with so much meaning. Esther herself of course is a true heroine and star. But what caught my attention most this time was her cousin Mordicai. What if he had not been wise enough to advise Esther on what she should do? What if he had not supported her and encouraged her to make the possibly life threatening decisions she made. What if throughout her childhood Mordicai had not instilled in Esther the importance of faith and even respect? If Esther had not been taught respect, and had approached the king in the wrong way, not only could it have meant her untimely death, but also the death of her family and thousands of her race.

 Not only did Mordicai and Esther show they had extreme faith, but there's something more. Imagine the fear they had to overcome to step out on that faith. We think it's hard to speak up about our beliefs in front of our friends and coworkers! How would you feel about speaking up about your faith to save your whole race? 

Yeah sure, we read the heroic story and it makes us feel proud and brave. And we might even think, "if they could do it; so can I." And it's totally true; you can do it. But usually where people get stuck is when fear is a reality and it's right in front of your face! Mordicai and  Esther had great faith. And it was truly a do or die situation. In fact, it was a do or die, and a do and might die anyway situation.

I want to be like Esther. I want that kind of faith, bravery, and confidence to boldly and nationally make requests and make statements that can change the lives of others; maybe even the world. I want to be like Mordicai and be a parent that teaches and instills that faith and determination in my children. I want to be that living, breathing example that Mordicai was to Esther, his family, and his people. He even became a leader in a nation of people that didn't even share his beliefs! How crazy is that! What a podium to stand on! You had people plotting your death because of your beliefs, and for that very same belief you become a leader of nations! 

Talk about a way to change the world. We can do it too. We may never become Queen or President or be a leader in society. But as a woman, you have more power than you think. We know how to get things done with respect, grace, class, love, and kindness. 

It's such a beautiful thing. Go be beautiful you.......

<3XOXO

Ashley E

Women Living Real: Understanding the Old to Get the New

Women Living Real: Understanding the Old to Get the New: We are living in the New Testament and following by what is written in the New Testament; meaning the second half of the Bible. But...

Understanding the Old to Get the New

We are living in the New Testament and following by what is written in the New Testament; meaning the second half of the Bible. But I believe after really reading the Old Testament, I was then able to actually understand the New Testament much better. You see, the Old Testament was rough and raw, and the way of religious life was by no means easy. You literally had to make real life sacrifices to God. Killing cows and sheep, people!!! And if you didn't do it, then that's bad news for you! So once you can grasp the complexity and seemingly cruelness in the Old Testament, then you will be able to really understand and appreciate how Jesus literally rocked our world when he showed up on the scene.....

xoxo <3

Ashley Echevarria

Missing You!

So sorry I have been away for so long, especially since I was just getting started with this blog! My grandfather recently passed away very unexpectedly, and along with a lot of other crazy circumstances, it has thrown my way off my predicted planned schedule. Which is fine, because as we all know very well, that is part of life! Right?!?!

I just wanted to share with you all that I have not forgotten about you, or randomly decided to stop blogging after just two posts!:) Thanks for hanging in there with me and being patient. I have so many ideas and requests from everyone on topics to go over, and I am very excited to dive in with all of you!

Please let me know by commenting or private messaging me on your thoughts and what's on your heart! I truly see this going to great heights and can't wait to see what the future holds for us all!!!

I'll be sending good things your way soon! Xoxo<3

Abandonment- Is It Even Real?

Will God abandon us during our tough times??

Heck no He won't! Quite the opposite actually! Check out these verses as proof:

Psalm 9:10
"Those who know your name trust in you, for you, O Lord, have never abandoned anyone who searches for you."

Psalm 27:10
"Even if my father and mother abandon me, The Lord will hold me close."

1st John 14:16
"And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor, who will never leave you."

2nd Corinthians 4:9
"We are hunted down, but God never abandons us. We get knocked down, but we get up again and keep going."

I know sometimes in my life, especially on those "down days", I have to remind myself that God is with me. I thought these verses would be helpful to so many of you who experience those same frustrating days at times.

To All You Real Women Out There

Welcome to my newest creation! Well, it's actually not all that new. And it's really not even a new idea for the topic. In fact, what I have to talk about is actually really really old! And by today's standards it can even be considered boring. Don't freak: its the Bible! And God, and Jesus, and all that goes with it!

Actually, to be honest, this is not a boring topic at all. It's amazing, wild, crazy, heroic, tragic, full of romance and love stories. You name it and the Bible has it! And I am here to let you in on a little secret on how to never get bored with the Bible again!

So here is a little bit about my background. I grew up in church. I had an awesome mom who never let an opportunity go by to get me and my siblings to church. Oh and I also grew up in a small town; in the South! If you are an American, you probably know what that means: Sunday school on Sunday mornings, Sunday morning church service, Sunday night church service, and don't forget Wednesday night services too. Oh, and when you get to be old enough to be in youth group, you can add in another day as well. So I don't remember a time in my childhood where I didn't already know about God and all the churchy things. You know, the "Sunday school answers".

This isn't a bad thing! By all means understand that I have an incredible mom that loves her children so much that she wanted the very best for them from the beginning and she knew where to find it: Church! Church kept me out of a lot of trouble. I got into a lot of trouble there too. But let's be real: how many of us that grew up in church can quote the story of Noah and the arc? What about Adam and Eve? And don't forget Moses and those Ten Commandments that we all have memorized now thanks for flannel boards! 

So if we know all of these stories, then why do we now as adults find ourselves zoning out during a church service or Bible study group? I'll tell you why: we were never taught to read the Bible for ourselves! I challenged myself at the end of last year to read the Bible from cover to cover as though I had never even heard of the Bible before. I wanted more out of my "walk with God" and to be truly satisfied and happy in my life. 

So I did it; I started the process of really reading the Bible. And what I read blew my mind!!! It was like I was constantly being shocked over and over by the details of what I was reading. The pure fierceness of God in the old testament just blew me away! I couldn't wait to get up the next morning and continue reading to see what was going to happen next! 

This is where it is my turn to share with you, real women, what I have rediscovered. Or perhaps I should say discovered since most of these things were seen by me for the first time with my own eyes. Join me! You'll love the realness that is in the Bible. The rawness that is what we call life. This is for real women; women who want to live real without apology.