Forward

Moving forward in life always requires formation and preparation. This can feel like a lonely, weary place at times, but it is such a great position to be in. Moving forward means that you're moving away from a troubled past and severing its emotional holds. It means that you have a forward gaze fixed on something new. It can happen rather quickly, it can be a sequence of baby steps, or it can come in stages of both, but either way there is progress.

Personally, as I am preparing for the LSAT, graduation, law school, and a legal career, I look to God as my source of motivation and strength. So, this is my encouragement, and I'll share it for anyone else who finds it encouraging:

Prov 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;

2 Cor 3:5 Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.

Gal 6:9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

1 John 5:14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.

Jer 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope."

Jer 32:27 "I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?"

And after much study on my part and trusting God's plan for my life, one day I can say as Paul says in 2 Tim 4:7, " I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."

-Ashli

My Thoughts on CNN's Republican Debate of September 16, 2015

CNN's Republican Debate on September 16, 2015

It is annoying that Donald J. Trump continues to talk surface-level. It's time to know some specifics about his plans if he has any. I enjoy watching him spar with everyone on stage, but it is time to get serious. Secondly, I'm realizing that Dr. Ben Carson, although he is a wonderful, intelligent man, may be most effective if he stays in the field of his expertise. I noticed how his confidence grew as he spoke on the medical issues of immunizations and Veteran's Affairs, and it was significant compared to the way he speaks about foreign policy or immigration. I've supported him for the past two years, and he has some great ideas for America. However, he is incredibly knowledgeable and gifted in the medical world, and he can do a lot of good there. He would be a great Surgeon General or head of Veteran's Affairs. I'm not saying he would not be a great president, but this is just an observation I made. Thirdly, Marco Rubio and Carly Fiorina really impressed me, and they just might be the powerhouses America needs to fix these foreign and domestic issues.

And now that I've brought Fiorina up, let me say this: it is unfair that some are judging her for using the word "women" too much last night or accusing her of having a feminist agenda, which apparently makes her unfit to run for president. Excuse me, but haven't we seen the promotion of the male agenda going on for, like, all of history!?! Of course, we don't call it a male agenda because that's just the norm...it's a man's world, right? Wrong! Women still don't have pay equality. We still don't have as many women in political office as men. We still have the issue of many women being unable to obtain a degree and career because American customs say the woman should stay at home with the kids or else pay a buttload in daycare services. (There's nothing wrong with staying home with the babies. It was a blessing to be home with my kids when they were younger. I'm just saying that it is quite a burden for moms of little ones to work outside of the home or go back to school if she chooses to.) And don't even get me started on the issue of the sex trade and prostitution in America where women literally have a price tag, which is another representation of women degradation. So no, I don't think she has a feminist agenda, I just think she is in touch with the real issues that women face, and that awareness makes her a great candidate.

I'm not pushing for Fiorina either. I have some issues with her background. I have some issues with all of the candidates on both sides, so I'm still bouncing around.

-Ashli Carroll