This, my dear friends, is life.

Back in February, I had the incredible opportunity to attend a training conference led by Dr. Dan Allender. If you haven't read any of Dan's work, do so immediately.  At this conference and through Dan's work, I've learned more about what it means to hold stories with honor.  That being said, I would ask that you hold this story with honor. See the perpetual faithfulness of the Lord throughout it. Keep in mind that this life and this heart is still being created, is still being made new. Growing up with an unchurched childhood was probably one of the greatest blessings I've ever received. With every trial encountered during childhood, I knew, "There's gotta be something more than this." The only way that thought could have entered my mind was through the Lord pursuing me, as I didn't know Him yet. I remember vividly during one of the greatest challenges that tiny Ashton faced, my mother being ill, sitting down in the tub with the shower going

I found myself in yet another place where I wondered, "What am I doing here?" That place just so happened to be at a coffee shop where I didn't know anyone. This coffee shop was a considerable distance away from where I live, the ratings on it were considerably low, and I had never heard of it until I hopped on yelp. "Perfect", I thought to myself. "No one I know will be there." I sought out a place with terrible coffee, just to be away from people. My inner coffee snob was livid. I sat in the corner, journaling with a force that could rip even the strongest paper. Once more, my expectations had been broken. I had started in a job that I loved, that was dangerous, that constantly gave me an adrenaline rush, and where I thought I was making a difference. Through an odd series of events, I left there. In the past year, I had been considerably sick, lived in strangers homes, nearly dropped out of college a couple different times, had multi