It's Old but Gold 2019

Creating this blog is one of the best things I have ever done. Although I have not been very consistent, everything on this blog is truly a glimpse into my heart as I was growing up. There is simply so much content on this blog that I cant easily transfer all of it to my other blog. I have placed the link to this blog to my main blog. I might not use this blog anymore but even though it's old, it's all still gold!
Here is the link to my main blog! I love yall and thanks for reading all my stuff!
 https://ashleyspeeches.blogspot.com/

Ash,

November 2017 Update

The last few weeks have been insane. I guess the best place to start is by saying that yes, my college is closing in May of 2018 but that's ok.

It wasn't easy when we first heard the news but it has been a little over three weeks. The reason I say it is ok is because I know that God will continue to work in us no matter where we are.

 

It wasn't until our schools announcement was made, that I actually started to confess to God a lot of things that I don't think I would have confessed as quickly otherwise. I need to make it clear that through His goodness, God slowly began to pry out of my soul things that I never wanted to confess verbally to Him or to myself. I had a lot of lies that I was believing deep down inside of my soul.

 

It is true that only God can gently pull our deepest darkest secrets out of inside of us. He is so good.

 

I am so sorry I have not been as dedicated to this blog as I want to be. I did get an instagram recently though so if you want to follow me there, you can. (Username: ashleysrocha98)

 

In many ways, it took my school closing to allow me to get real with God, because now I am faced with the decision of choosing where I should go for college all over again. That decision is part of what triggered the multiple following conversations I had with God. I've been praying a lot and I'm not really sure what I will do for my junior year but God showed me I could trust him when he brought me to a college 2000 miles away from home, so I guess I should probably trust him again hu? Just for clarification, I will be in Spokane next semester (January 2018- May 2018) to finish out my sophomore year but after that, the Moody Spokane campus is closed. The Aviation branch will remain open thankfully! 

 

Thank you for reading this! I really appreciate it! Love you guys!

 

Love, Ash

Moody Mosaic Article: What is Beauty?

I wrote this for our schools news paper last month! Enjoy!

What is beauty? Is beauty found in a rose bud? Is beauty found in the stars that we see in the night sky? Is there a true definition for beauty? Different cultures have distinct views of how to define true beauty. For example, in America, there are many different things that a women can wear to present herself as beautiful. A women could use a lengthy floor dress, a fur coat or high heeled shoes. In contrast, in many parts of Africa, women use face painting to express their beauty. In most of the Middle East, women highly value their modesty, so you will often see them displaying their features by wearing long flowing dresses. All these women are defining beauty by their own cultural standards, so forms of elegance can vary drastically.

In the American culture, we define beauty in many different ways. To most teenage girls in our country, something we might define as beautiful may be the way our best friend did her hair that morning or watching the sun rise. Teenage guys might see a giant mountain they can climb or a valley with a long ice blue river flowing down the middle and those things can be a man’s definition of something beautiful. Some people will look at the ocean and think that that must be what is truly beautiful, while others may have the same opinion about canyons or lakes. Everyone is different.

Even God has things that He calls beautiful. God calls a gentle and quiet spirit beautiful, and, we know He loves waterfalls and rainbows and thunderstorms because He created them all.

Unfortunately, culture presents Americans a twisted view of “true beauty.” Thanks to the Bible, believers have some understanding of what beauty is not. Websites can display inappropriate images of men and women and claim that, because God made us all different, we should feel no shame looking at  images of pornography and lusting after other people. Culture also tell us that young ladies walking around wearing virtually nothing is also considered worthy of attention or “beautiful.”

True beauty can take on so many different forms. A person does not need to enjoy all the same things everyone else does. God created all people different, and we all have things we like and do not like. What is true beauty? Does beauty have a single definition? Once you figure it out, does it line up with what the Bible considers beautiful, which is anything pure and noble and right?   

 

Moody Mosaic News Article: Female Independence

Hi everyone! This semester in college, I began writing for the school news paper! Below is the article I wrote for our first issue that was released on Wednesday!

 

Our news paper has been being published here at Moody for a few years now. I am so privileged to work with such an amazing team of people! There are nine of us on our team! We release our next issue at the end of next month!

 

Here are some pictures of our news paper!

 

Also, the option of accessing it online will be available soon! Thank you for all your support!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is one of the two articles I wrote:

 

 

 

Today in the world, women have become more and more independent of men. One of the greatest causes of this is often because women fear that men will restrain them from potential leadership opportunities. For the most part, in the Bible, God designed men to be the leaders and woman to be the helpers and the followers. Because some women fear men ruling over them, and have often been participants in abusive relationships, and historically have suffered a long period of being unfairly treated, some women are now stepping out and starting their own organizations and ministries. Many women, fortunately, have had wonderful relationships with the men in their lives, but they expand their horizon simply because they want to do great things in life.  

Women have been making their statements in parades and rallies. They are now capable of providing for themselves and their families and that they deserve higher leadership roles in businesses. Evidence of this movement is revealed in many films in theaters today, as women are now given the lead roles as heroines.

Believers have had many debates over how we should view this rise of female self-reliance, Biblically, is there really a problem with women growing in their independence? The Bible says Deborah led an army of men straight into battle. Miriam, Moses’s sister, also had authority over many of the Israelite women during the Exodus. In the movie production realm, Wonder Woman, and Rey in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, are icons that represent the feminist movement. As believers, how should we feel if women all around the globe begin taking on leadership positions everywhere?

It is the believer's responsibility to understand God’s perspective of this female independence issue. Additionally, it is a Christian's job, as Christ's ambassadors, to handle these dilemmas in an appropriate manner. Should Christians encourage female independence?   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



My Summer in Texas

Because school ended for the year, I am happily back home with my family! It has been so hot here in Texas but I love it!

 

I am currently working on a very exciting blog post that I hope to finish writing in the next few weeks!

 

My time here at home has been long and very restful. I have a few weeks left here at home then I will head back to Washington! College is so full of new experiences to be a part of and new amazing people to meet.

 

I love and miss my housemates!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm so excited for next semester and I'm looking forward to all the things that God will be doing in our lives this coming semester at Moody!

 

Love,

 

Ash,

College Pictures

Yay! I finally have these up! My first semester there were nine girls living in our house but now there are only seven of us! I will split the pictures up by semester:)

 

Semester #1:

 

 

This was Thanksgiving Day! Our whole house!

Back row staring on the left: Noelle, Brianna, Shatara, Katelynn, and Sarah, Front row Left to right: Me, Kate, Savanna (the RA) and Victoria

 

 

 

Pumpkin patch with some friends!

 

 

 

 

 

 

My roommate and I before a Christmas Eve service that the school presented!

 

  Pumpkin patch again with my roommate!!

 

 

 

 

 

This was our first day all together in August!!!

Left to right: Katelynn, Shatara, Brianna, Kate, and Victoria

 

 

 

 

 Ummmm we were taking pictures right before class started.  .  .

 

  My roommate and I on the first day!!

 

 

 

 

 

 Another Thanksgiving Day picture!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Semester #2:

 

 

My roommate and I had our last night together before she left to go live and work with a mission organization! This was the night I got back from Christmas break and her and I drank hot chocolate together that my mom sent along for us!  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just a random picture from a few days ago!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Cool view from the airplane!!!

 

Me on Valentines Day!!!!!

 

 

  

 

 
 
 

 

  Victoria and Sarah!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Left to right: Sarah, Savanna, Brianna, Victoria









 

There were cookies that students could decorate in the main office on Valentines Day!

The one on the plate is mine!



  

    These are all Valentines Day pictures!!! So fun!!!





 

 

 Another random picture from right before class!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

These were taken on Easter! Sarah took them for us!! There I am with one of my housemates Katelynn!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks! I'm sure much more it yet to come!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

April 2017 Update

           Hey everyone! I hope everyone is doing fabulous! I'm so sorry it has taken me so long to write. Most days consist of homework and doing life here around Washington. I've been learning so much! My major is currently biblical studies with an interdisciplinary in biblical exposition (preaching and speaking). I now live with six other girls. We lost two at the end of last semester due to God calling them to separate ministries! I hope to return back home at the end of May! This week starts Spring Break for me! I will write more soon! I hope to also get some pictures up soon too! Love you all! Love Ash,