Sweet Sponsor: Always Ashley
Hope you're having a blessed and lovely Sunday, sweet girls!
I am quickly droppin' in to share another amazing blogger with you who is also my sponsor this month - her name is Ashley and she is just such a wonderful leader and woman of God. She has an awesome blog and does the most fun & encouraging YouTube videos. So go check it out & follow her - you won't be sorry ;) She's really amazing. I've disabled comments so ya can go show her love! I asked her a few questions so we could all get to know her better!
Love you all & can't wait til next week - I have some very important things to share with you. Stay tuned :)
1 // Tell us all about your encouraging blog and why you chose the name?? Can you also share about your YouTube videos? My blog is simply a place for my inner monologue to have a home (lol). It's a place for me to, prayerfully, encourage all who read it as they read about my day-to-do victories, struggles, questions and quirkiness as I try my best to live my life as a light for God. My blog is a place where you can sit in front of your laptop (or tablet, or phone...or whatever cool gadget you have these days) with a cup of tea and get your mind off of the business of every day life. It's a place for all of my randomness to get together and pretend to be organized. I have been a writer for most of my life, and even got my first short story published when I was just an ambitious little third-grader. I guess I've always known that writing is the avenue God has chosen for me to share His love with others. I started the blog about two years ago, but it had another name. My life became very hectic shortly after and I wasn't able to dedicate myself to it like I'd originally hoped. In May of 2012, I relaunched the blog and renamed it "Always Ashley". Now, this name was chosen for a couple of reasons. The first reason was because of how my life has drastically changed over the past few years. I was commonly known as a professionally upwardly mobile, young woman who was steadily clawing her way to the top of the freelance journalism world. I had friends, living family, and was financially sound. But I secretly battled with feelings of inadequacy and depression. I kept myself wrapped up in projects that I seemed to always assume the leadership role in because I so desperately found my self worth in praise from others. It wasn't until I fully committed myself to Christ in January of 2010 that I began to really focus on what God wanted for me life. This is by far the biggest and most beneficial change I've made in my entire life, even though me getting married to my personal Prince Charming in December of 2011 runs a close second!
When it comes to my YouTube channel, I wanted it to be a place where women with a similar hair texture as mine to be able to find help on how to take care of it without stressing out. There are several "natural hair" YouTube vloggers (thousands!) but I could only find a few who had hair like mine and actually made quality videos. Another vlogger recommended that I start my own channel because if I was looking for videos like these, then someone else was as well. I must say, it has taken off must faster than I'd anticipated and has grown into something truly beautiful. I consider it to be another ministry of mine. I always include a scripture at the end of my videos and I have gotten so many E-mails from women around the country who have told me that those scriptures have really inspired them. And that's what it's all about; living for God and leading people towards Christ.
With all of these major transformations, I gave my blog this name because no matter what my last name may be, no matter what place of worship I attend, now matter how I'm choosing I wear my hair these days...I'm always Ashley.
I am quickly droppin' in to share another amazing blogger with you who is also my sponsor this month - her name is Ashley and she is just such a wonderful leader and woman of God. She has an awesome blog and does the most fun & encouraging YouTube videos. So go check it out & follow her - you won't be sorry ;) She's really amazing. I've disabled comments so ya can go show her love! I asked her a few questions so we could all get to know her better!
Love you all & can't wait til next week - I have some very important things to share with you. Stay tuned :)
With all of these major transformations, I gave my blog this name because no matter what my last name may be, no matter what place of worship I attend, now matter how I'm choosing I wear my hair these days...I'm always Ashley.
2 // What is the Lord teaching you right now God is really showing me how to be patient and careful with my tongue. I am currently on the sofa in my living room, wrapped in my comfy robe with my Bible propped up on my knees appearing to be quite peaceful. But a few recent event have me just itching to give someone a piece of my mind about a few things. Thank God for His precious Holy Spirit! Lol. I am learning more and more every day that He is the only one who can change someone's heart. The best thing I can do for someone who has wronged me (when they will not listen to me express my hurt) is pray for them. He's also teaching me how to endure through difficult time, not just for my own sake, but for those around me. So many people have been coming up to me lately letting me know that my positive attitude and bubbly personality brightens them up. Just imagine how my mood might affect them differently if I allowed myself to be consumed my worry, hurt, and anxiety.
3 // If your life was made into a movie, which actress would you choose to portray you and why? Probably Kerry Washington. I just love how she completely throw herself into every role she plays in. I have been known to be a very complex person at times and I'd need someone who could get that across on screen while portraying my goofiness as well! I'd probably cast Keke Palmer to play me as a teenager.
4 // If you were stranded on a deserted island and you could only have 3 items, what would you bring? Uhhh...ummm...that's a toughy! I guess it would have to be my NLT Life Application Bible, my Tresemme Naturals conditioner and (this may be cheating but...) my laptop with an international Wi-Fi card so I can video chat with my family and friends who aren't on the island! What can I say? I'm a people person!
5 // What is your favorite thing about blogging? What is one tip you can share to help other bloggers? I love that blogging allows me to express how I really feel, about ANYTHING and I don't have to worry about anyone cutting me off or telling me that I've been talking too long. Also, if I want to get a point across but someone doesn't have the time to have a full conversation, they can just read it at their leisure and just tell me their thoughts in a comment or E-mail. Plus I love the relationships I have formed with other bloggers and vloggers since I've started. I have met so many wonderful women who have a true passion for serving God and building up other women. Media so often teaches women to tear each other down, and I love that the blogging communities I have found aren't like that. One tip I'll give anyone who blogs or has a YouTube channel is to always be yourself. Don't compare your blog or channel to anyone else's. God will point people towards your blog because of the word He has given you for them; not because of how many cool widgets you have.
Where you can find me:
Where you can find me:
INSTAGRAM: @_alwaysashley_ or http://instagram.com/_alwaysashley_
...and my mentoring program...