n this episode of the Abiding Family podcast, Ashley Myers shares personal updates about her life, including her recent move from Alaska to Texas, her pregnancy journey, and the challenges of parenting a child with special needs. She discusses the positive impact of Augie's new school program on his development, the difficulties of navigating healthcare and therapy options, and her mental health journey, including decisions about medication. As the holiday season approaches, Ashley reflects on the emotional complexities of this time of year and emphasizes the importance of focusing on faith and hope in Jesus.

Ashley shares her experience of moving her family from Alaska to Texas while being pregnant with her second child. She discusses the challenges of the move, including the limited options for moving from Alaska, the expenses involved, and the logistics of moving household items and vehicles. Ashley also talks about the long road trip with her toddler, the issues they faced with the air conditioning in their truck, and the relief of finally arriving in Texas. She concludes by mentioning that she will share more about their new life in Texas in future episodes.

Ashley shares updates on her life, including the decision to move from Alaska to Texas. She discusses the importance of being mindful of the conversations we have, especially around children, and not letting politics overshadow our values as Christians. Ashley also gives a brief review of the movie Inside Out 2 and shares her moving tips. She expresses excitement about the move to Texas and the opportunities it will bring, while also acknowledging the things she will miss about Alaska.

Chapters

00:00Introduction and Update

01:26Mindful Conversations: Balancing Politics and Values

06:50Inside Out 2: A Visual Exploration of Emotions

10:43Moving Tips: Heavy-Duty Tubs and Unpack First Boxes

21:37Embracing New Opportunities: The Excitement of Moving to Texas

35:17Appreciating Alaska: Scenic Beauty and White Christmases

In this episode, Ashley discusses her experience as a special needs parent and the impact it has had on her family. She talks about the challenges they face, including the need for specialized medical care, therapy sessions, and the financial burden of these services. Ashley also highlights the importance of inclusivity in churches and other community settings for individuals with special needs. She emphasizes the need for understanding, support, and open conversations to create a more welcoming environment for families like hers.

Join me on this months coffee chats with Ash where I talk about all the random things! Things I'm enjoying, not enjoying, and whatever else comes to mind.

This month we're talking about..

I shared a Reel on Instagram sharing about some easy ways to incorporate faith rhythms into your summer. There are so many simple little things we can incorporate into summer to help make faith apart of daily rhythm, and a overall lifestyle for our families.

We can do things like...

☀️Worship Hour: play worship music for an hour a day in the background during play time (if you play consistent songs don’t be surprised if their singing along by the end of summer!)

☀️Christian Children’s Books: intentionally add christian books to your weekly summer reading

☀️Play Outside: when your outside verbally acknowledge parts of creation and praise God for his creation

☀️Rain Ruins plans: thank God for rain that helps the plants grow, and and the animals thrive

☀️Memory Verses: Try a new memory verse each week for the family

☀️Prayer Through Drawing - draw a picture of something you tell God about

☀️Serve Together - find a local organization you can volunteer as family to help tell other people about Jesus.

☀️Books of the Bible - Memorize the books of bibles either to a song or motion

You can find resources for these ideas here at theabidingfamily.org

Oooh this episode is a special one. It's a testament to God's faithfulness. This was not the message I had planned for this week, but instead a message directly from the Lord. In this episode I talk about Frozen II and the song "The Next Right Thing" and how that connects to our lives when we find ourselves in darkness. I reference 1 Peter 1:3-9 and 2:9 about how we are chosen by God to proclaim Him and walk from darkness into His Marvelous Light.

This month’s coffee chats with Ash will be live tomorrow! This episode is covering a wide range of topics such as my unpopular opinion about crumble cookies and Planes the movie. Products I’ve been loving like mini spatulas from @target figment line and @diviofficial hair products. When I knew Andrew was the one. And then I go deep dive into some current things I’m dealing with in figuring out my purpose and calling. 

It's easy for us to find excuses or things we think are true to hinder us from sharing the gospel with others. That thought doesn't stop in our own home with our kids. There are many myths we as parents believe that stop us from establishing a lifestyle of faith in our homes. Lets together talk through the reality of many of those myths we believe.

Whew it's been a doozy of a month/few weeks! Power outages, my son had surgery, family came to visit! Lots of things to talk about in this weeks episode! Sit down with a cup of coffee and let's catch up!