Take Your Dreams.....Make Them a Reality

I would be lying if I said I didn't have big dreams for my life. I mean, who doesn't have big dreams for their lives? But I do, I have big dreams. They may not be big to anyone else, but they are big to me. I came to a realization this weekend. It was probably a realization that I should have come too months ago, but alas, it happened this weekend.
For those of you that don't know, I should be graduating college this May. But, as all of my friends walk across their respective stages at college graduations, I will not be. And believe me, I've come to terms with this. Anyway, long story short, I'm about a year off from getting my Associates degree in Marketing. My educational path has been less than ideal, and not what I planned out in high school. To make things more complicated, I haven't been in school this whole past year. Instead, I've been working full time as a teachers assistant. Don't get me wrong, I love my kids with every single bit of my heart, but this is not what I was called to do. AT ALL. I mean you want to talk about a job that stretches a girl.....this has been it. Budget cuts for our system are literally days from being announced. Teachers/Teachers Assistants are speculating, everyone is really nervous to hear. Me, I've known from the very first day that my job would end at the end of the school year, and that I wouldn't be back because there wouldn't be a position.
Luckily, I've known where I stood all along. Unfortunately, I've been living in this dream land that the school year was going to last forever.  Reality hit when I realized we had 28 days of school left. 28 days. 28 days until my contract expires and I am back to the drawing board. And can I be honest....I'm not one bit sad. I'm a little scared, because I don't have anything lined up, but I'm ok with this chapter of my life ending.
I say all of that (I know I can ramble sometimes :) but I say all of that to say this.....I'm back at my starting place, but my starting place is where I get to dream, and where I get to make my dreams into a reality. There is not a person on this earth that can be responsible for my dreams except for me. I want to graduate from college.....I'm responsible. I want to land that job with a marketing firm.....I'm responsible. Come August, I'll be back in college, finishing my degree. I have no idea where I will be working, or where I will be living, but I do know that school will be taken care of. I'm trusting God to work out all the little things, and He will. Because my God, has a plan, and we're on the same page about it.
What are your dreams? You're never too old to dream. Be responsible, and make them happen.

Britt



Twenty years from now
you will be more disappointed
by the things that you didn't do
than by the ones you did do.
So throw off the bowlines.
...Sail away from the safe harbor.
Catch the trade winds in your sails.
Explore. Dream. Discover.
-Mark Twain

Beauty from Ashes cont.

I just want to touch on what Brittany shared below.  I accepted Christ at a young age although I strayed from that many times as a teenager and young adult.  I have done a lot of things that I'm not proud of and I've made a lot of choices that I knew were outside of what God had for my life.  For me, I can look back at my faith journey and remember those dark times.  In those moments, I felt so lost, so alone, and so broken.  I could not wrap my head around what had happened to my life.  I couldn't see the other side of what God was doing, what He was working together for my good.  Now that I am on the other side, I see how He used all those things to restore and heal all that was broken.  That's what happens when you stop trying to fix things or make things happen in your flesh.  As dark and hard and painful as those times are, when you give it over to God and completely surrender it, He takes those ugly ashes and creates something more beautiful than our minds could've ever comprehended for ourselves.  As Brittany said, I caused a lot of people a lot of pain along the way.  But through the sovereignty and beauty of God's restoration, those relationships are stronger now than I think they would've been had my road not been what it was. 

It's so easy to sometimes allow ourselves to become discouraged and wonder where God is in all the mess.  We were never promised to be spared from hard times; we were never promised to not hurt or cry or break.  We were promised that when everything around us falls, He is there; sovereign, loving, and full of grace.  He is there to hold us and, when the pieces fall completely apart, put them back where He designed them to be.  I very much believe that hope is born of suffering.  We cannot appreciate the greatness of our Savior without understanding (in the very, very limited way that we can) the suffering that He bore for us.  We have that hope because our perfect Father gave His perfect, selfless Son so we could be spared from eternal suffering.  We have to remember that He IS forever faithful and true, unchanging, loving, merciful, just, THE promise...I could go on and on.  WE are not. 

I really didn't mean to go into all of that but I just want to reiterate what Brittany said.  Beauty from ashes is what happens when you give it all to Him and let Him take it from there...

Lindsay

Beauty from Ashes

Where there is a name, there is always a story. Sometimes these stories are stories of great depth, or stories of no depth, regardless, where there is a name, there is a story. Our story behind our blog name is simple yet deep.
The name for our blog actually came to me while I was driving home from The Village's  Good Friday service (which was AMAZING by the way) Anyway, I keep going back to the thought that we can really encourage people through this outlet, and that we should take this seriously. I was texting Lindsay at the time (I know, texting while driving, it's a horrible habit) but I texted her this simple message. "You know we have a common thread through both of our stories....beauty from ashes." to which I got the reply "Love it" so there it was....Beauty from Ashes.
I can look back at my life, and all the crazy stuff that God has brought me through, and look at where I am now, and see that God truly turned something beautiful out of a lot of ugly things. Lindsay can do the same. We have both had some crazy journeys that led us to where we are now. I always say I wouldn't trade my journey for anything. I know that I caused a lot of people pain, and that I did some things that would disappoint my grandmother if she ever found out :) but the bottom line is, God turned beauty from ashes.
So that's our story behind our name, Beauty from Ashes. The truth is that God can do that for you too. We don't know where you are on your journey, we don't know what God has delivered you from, or what your going through right now. But what we do know, and what we both are living testaments of, is that God can turn Beauty from Ashes...


Britt

Getting to know me....the good, the bad, and maybe the ugly :)

Hello all!

I'm Brittany, or as I am more famously known, Britt or B. I am 21 (I'll be 22 in like 2 weeks :) single with no kids. I was born and raised in Albemarle, in the same little house until I moved off to college. I am blessed with an amazing family. My Mom and Dad have become my very best friends, and I have one older sister, Ashleigh. Up until 2009 that was our family untI my sister got married to her soul mate, Darren, and I gained a niece,Riley. My family went to the same Baptist Church right around the corner from our house, where I was involved in every choir I could be, and the youth group. I lived for the summers with my youth group, and all of our trips which took us to Ohio, Alabama, even to Brazil. Many of those trips and the things I saw, have shaped me into the woman and Christian I am now.

My passion for years has been music and singing. I was involved very heavily in the music ministries at FBC, but I let it fall by the wasteside for the years I was in college and being crazy (I might share that story someday....maybe) but it wasn't until I came to The Village almost a year ago that I have gotten to begin using that gift again. I am more than honored to help lead our people in worship on Sunday mornings. My heart is that every single person, would get to experience the presence of God in such a real way that His presence in their lives would be undeniable. I get to lead alongside some the most talented musicians and I am honored to have an amazing group of friends through the band, and am more than greatful for all that God has blessed me with.

I currently work as a Teachers Assistant in an Elementry School in an EC Classroom in Stanly County, although my dream is to ultimately be in Marketing, and living in Concord closer to my friends. I am looking forward to finishing my degree sometime soon in Marketing, and getting my dream closer to becoming a reality. God has protected me through a crazy ride of life, and I am more than greatful. It can be summed up in about 3 words, beauty from ashes.

As we've said about 5,000 times, I'm not sure what will happen with this blog, but my prayer is that somehow through reading mine and Lindsays posts, that you will be encouraged, that you will see how God is teaching us and growing us in to the women of God He has called us to be. I am sure that you will get some laughs from us along the way as well!

Britt

Getting to know you, getting to know all about you...

Hello peeps!

I am Lindsay and, as Brittany has shared, we are bestest friends.  I am 23 years old, married with two kids.  I was born in Greensboro, NC and raised in the very small Jamestown, NC, nestled right between Greensboro and High Point.  Growing up, I came from a very active family and I was big into dance.  Once I got to high school age, I became very involved with my youth group at church.  My mom and dad are the best, most supportive parents a girl could ever ask for and I have a younger sister who is going to give me gray hairs way too early :)  I also have an older brother who lives in Missouri with his wife.  Jason and I were married in September of 2007 and with him, I got my precious step-son, Pierce who is now 7.  We moved to Huntersville in October of 2008 and VERY shortly after, I found out we were expecting our little princess.  My Reilly Jo came into this world on August 16, 2009 and through that experience, I discovered my true purpose in life...to be a mom!  She is my heart and my joy and my life would be so much dimmer if I didn't have her. 

Jason and I have walked a hard road but I am very blessed to say we surived the hardest of times and have come out stronger on the other side.  I love him more than words could express and could never be without him.  Jason has been in full-time youth ministry for many years, although being out for a few years, he rediscovered his calling and passion through coming to The Village.  We have a heart for youth, to see them completely surrender and commit themselves to Jesus and to find their identity in Him. 

So...this is me.  Brittany and I are looking forward to sharing our hearts through this journey and hope to touch and encourage someone along the way.

B, you're up!

Lindsay

Getting Started :)

Hello!

We started this blog, kind of as a joke, but I'm kind of curious to see where it goes. There is no telling what we will post about....somedays there may be depth to what we post, and others, it may be senseless....none the less, hopefully it will be encouraging somehow! I'll give you a small background, and then in the next few days, hopefully both Lindsay and I will post more about ourselves individually!

Lindsay and I (Brittany) are best friends, and have been friends for about a year. God has truly blessed our friendship.....like for serious :) We both attend the same church, The Village Church, and love it! Lindsay and her husband Jason serve as the Youth Leaders, and I (Brittany) sing with the Worship Team on Sunday mornings, while we both serve on the MLT. We are passionate about 3 things.....God, our families and sushi....

Well, hopefully we won't bore you, but we will try and make this fun! Leave us a comment and let us know you stopped by!!

Britt