1104 results for author: Ashlee Schmidt
Streams in the Desert {Part 4}
Streams
I live in a town with two rivers running through it. New Braunfels, Texas is a hotbed in the summer months for river activities—tubing, kayaking, fishing, waterparks, bathers. It’s quite literally a hot mess in the summer months, when thousands of tourists come seeking relief from the heat and fun in the sun.
One of our rivers is the Comal, which is the ‘shortest fastest’ river in Texas. The wellspring of the river is open to the public, and you can watch as thousands of gallons come forcefully bubbling up, unstoppable and rushing. What I love most is watching the people who watch the spring. They all step back from ...
An Offering of Tears; An Offering of Praise
I love to experience the cusp of a changing season. It’s such a relief to smell winter’s thaw as the ground softens and birds return to sing their sweet morning melodies. Few things are as thrilling as that first autumn chill in the air and the sight of the first leaves that harken to the coming of the holiday season’s cheer. The rhythm of change from winter to spring and summer to fall reminds me of Ecclesiastes 3: “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven."
As a woman who loves Jesus and yearns to see His kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven, I long to be “a living sacrifice, holy and ...
Streams in the Desert {Part 3}
Quietly Attend
I love this word, “Behold.” It’s used often in the Bible. It serves as a signpost. In our language and culture, it would be like a neon sign or writing in all caps; if it were an emoji, it would be something like this: ✋❗. “Behold” is meant to make us pause. To stop and pay attention to what is about to be communicated. It had to do with quieting people in the presence of someone or some event of importance.
“Behold, your God will come…”
Truly, that is the most important event in all of history. God Himself was coming, as sure as the sun rises. And if we are not careful, we could breeze ...
Ask the Blog Team: How Did You Decide When to Start Trying to Conceive Again?
Welcome to our Q+A series, Ask the Blog Team. In this series, the Hope Mommies blog team joins together to answer questions that are commonly asked in grief. If there is a question or topic that you have wrestled with in your grief that you would like the opportunity to see how other Hope Moms have processed or answered, we would love to hear from you. You can submit your questions here.
I made it a point to never refer to another child as the rainbow after my grief. I focused on Jesus and working through the waves of my grief more than on having another child; He was the rainbow. We did decide after a few months that the benefit of loving ...
The God Who Sees Hagar
Over the next several weeks we are going to look at how God acts as El Roi, The God Who Sees, through four different biblical mommas who experienced grief and sorrow. We will look at the lives of Hagar, Hannah, Naomi and Mary and see for ourselves how God was faithful to meet them in their pain and sorrow. As we study the testimonies of these four Biblical women, our prayer is that you would know in the depths of your heart that you are seen and heard, that you would feel loved and known.
The first time I fully understood the significance of Hagar’s story, I was in awe. Genesis 16 shares the testimony of a lowly, Egyptian slave girl ...
Streams in the Desert {Part 2}
Behold
The sky was slowly waking up, a pale white light rising over the horizon. The clouds shifted from darkness and became awash with color. I gripped my mug of tea a bit tighter, breathing in the mercy that was coming.
For weeks after Gwendolyn went Home, this became my routine. I would wake early (had I even slept?), steep a bag of vanilla rooibos in my travel mug, and walk through the stillness of our camp home toward the river. A new building was under construction, and I would sit on the balcony amidst the tools and sawdust, watching creation wake up and do what it was—tell the glory of the Creator.
I was beholding without ...
Hope Groups: Seeking the Lord Together in a Community That Understands Loss
Hope Groups are a made up of a group of women who have experienced miscarriage, stillbirth, or infant loss (up to two years of age) at any point in their life. It’s a collection of women who meet and share their stories with one another, pray together, ask questions, share hurts, share happinesses, and cling to His Word to find that there is still hope after the death of their precious sons and daughters.If you are looking for a way to connect with other Hope Moms and be strengthened together through God's Word as you walk through your sorrow side by side, you can register HERE to join a Hope Group today. To learn more about our Spring Hope Group ...
Ask the Blog Team: In What Ways Have You Celebrated Your Hope Babies on Important Dates?
Welcome to our Q+A series, Ask the Blog Team. In this series, the Hope Mommies blog team joins together to answer questions that are commonly asked in grief. If there is a question or topic that you have wrestled with in your grief that you would like the opportunity to see how other Hope Moms have processed or answered, we would love to hear from you. You can submit your questions here.
We like to eat at “Anna’s Pizza” in town on her birthday and invite others if it is a weekend. My husband and I remember her due date together and have gone to Disney a few times to celebrate. I simply requested her birthday off work this year so I ...
