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Back to Florida we go!

Well, we have made a decision. We are moving back to Florida. We feel relieved to have made a decision, but still overwhelmed by everything we have to do! We will miss all the great friends we have made here and especially the Powells :( I guess they all will have to vacation in Florida :) We have had soooo much fun and made such great memories in North Carolina! We have been blessed and challenged in the last 20 months, but are thankful for it all! We are looking forward to being back with family and old friends. Aaron and I are looking into becoming teachers, something we have thought about alot, being that I can't seem to get away from working with kids :) Please continue to pray for doors to open. Thanks again for all your support! I will continue to update as "the Marino life" unfolds!

THANK YOU!

I just wanted to thank everyone who has joined us on this journey! We have been blessed through this time with a sense of God's hand and reminded of his faithfulness. We are still praying through our next step and would appreciate your prayers. We know that God is faithful, has a plan for us and that his timing in not always our timing. This has been our theme statement and will continue to be as life continues to unfold. Thanks again and we love and appreciate you all!!!!

Aaron and Cheri

Anyone up for a... / 5 -Ashley Powell

Ok, I have to admit that the runner was inspiring for me... :)
Today, lets take a moment and venture into the lives of Paul and Silas. One particular time in their journey, things were not looking so great. Look at Acts 16:16-28 ----
Acts 16:16-21
"Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. This girl followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, "These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved." She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so troubled that he turned around and said to the spirit, "In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!" At that moment the spirit left her. When the owners of the slave girl realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities. They brought them before the magistrates and said, "These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice.""
Take a moment and just allow that portion of the story to sink in... The first thing that comes to my mind is 'really'?.?.? Can you imagine someone following you for days shouting that you are a servant of God? I can just picture Paul getting so frustrated (probably just at the sound of her voice), that he turns around and does the only thing that he knows to do - rebuke it in the name of Jesus Christ. Well, it worked! Awesome, right... well the owners didn't think so. Imagine that, doing something you think is good for someone and they don't like it - rude, huh... well it gets better... read on
vs.22-24
"The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten" (are you kidding me) "After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. Upon receiving such orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks."
Pause here. I am a mixture of crying and laughing. So, they get stripped and beaten and then thrown into prison. Funny part is that they had the jailer to guard them carefully. I personally think it was because they were scared they would cast demons out of them... lol... ok - let's see how Paul and Silas do...
vs.25-28
"About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open and everybody;s chains cam loose. The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison door open, he drew his swords and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted, "Don't harm yourself! We are all here!"
I am amazed, humbled, and challenged. Paul and Silas were beaten probably to the point where they could barley even move at all and they prayed and sang to God. Would we do that? Do we do that? Challenging - and I told you that the jailers were scared, and they had every right to be, what happened? Within Paul and Silas praises to God, their chains fell off. Another thing I think is interesting is that the jailer was going to kill himself because he though all the prisoners had left and Paul shouted, "No, we are all here." Paul could have just let the jailer die, but he didn't. That is humbling and amazing.
I share this because Paul and Silas continued to praise God through everything. It challenges me and I hope that it challenges you too. Praising God not expecting anything in return but having faith that He is faithful.

Encouragement straight from the Word of God - Ashley Powell

Where does our strength come from? From the Word of God! So today, I just want us to take some time and get encouragement and strength from the Word! As I read these passages, I am so encouraged. I know that during this time, we have grown more than we know. I also know one day, I will look back on this time in our lives and be so blessed to have done this fast with the bestest of friends ever! I know that I am stronger because of all of you and I could not have made it through this year without your prayers and support! Thanks - ok - on to devotions.... lol... ;) When I read this, I just got overflowed with joy and encouragement and I pray it does the same to you! ;) Study this passage and take it in -
2 Corinthians 6:1-16
"As God's fellow workers we urge you not to receive God's grace in vain. For he says, "In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you." I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation. We put no stumbling block in anyone's path, so that our ministry will not be discredited. Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; through the glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything."
reading on Chapter 7:4
"I have great confidence in you; I take great pride in you. I am greatly encouraged; in all our troubles my joy knows no bounds."
.. but wait, there is more encouragement
Romans 5:1-8
"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
Romans 8:37-39
"NO, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demon, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Can someone just shout for me... WOOHOO! AMEN! Wow, talk about strength and blessings. We are children of God... Who are we to sulk around in hard times? (I am talking to myself here more than anything) Jesus loves us!!! He has our best interest at heart! Even in hard times when we feel hopeless - there is hope... I know, I know - easier said than done!!!! It is easy on the days you 'feel' it, right!?!? I encourage us all to read these verses over and over and over and over... allow it to speak to our heart and pierce the depth of our spirit! We have the power to rule over darkness! Let us continue to stand together by the power of the Holy Spirit!
*Can I get a witness?*
much love - have an amazing day!

We Can Do It!

Positive Attitude is a Choice - 3 - Ashley Powell

What a week once again, right.... Pressing through all the 'life' lessons and finding the JOY in it all. Let's face it, sometimes it is just not that easy to do - or is it? I think one of the things that I am really challenged on is the CHOICE that I have in determining my state of mind. Who am I allowing to fill my mind and what am I letting in my mind. We all have bad thoughts, however, how long do we let them stay there? Do we quickly squelch them out with a positive thought or do we dwell on it making our attitudes following what we are thinking. This challenges me because you know I sometimes don't just move it out, I dwell on it, analyze it and pick it to death! I know none of you do that, right! ;) Anyway, what I am getting at here is focus.
Colossians 3:2 says 'Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things'. I don't know about you, but this is sometimes hard to do. What really matters is how I am serving God with my actions and attitude. Have you ever heard the statement 'Actions speak louder than words'? Our actions follow our attitude. What we focus on and allow to stay in our mind directs our attitude. Therefore, it is like a chain reactions. What is in my head effects my attitude effects my actions (weather positive or negative).
Hebrews 4: 12-13 "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edge sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account".
This verse makes me think. The person I am hurting the most with negative and ill thoughts is myself, which then spills over to others. It also makes me realize how to fill my mind with positive things is the Word of God! It is sharper than any double-edge sword. It can cut through the negative and allow us to be filled with positive. Another verse comes to mind:
Psalm 26:2-3 "Test me, O Lord, and try me, examine my heart and my mind; for your love is ever before me, and I walk continually in your truth". Can we truly say this? Lord examine my mind and heart. He knows everything - Psalm 139:1-3 "O Lord, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar, You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways".
So how do we have JOY (Jesus Over You)... It starts in your mind and heart! Controlling your mind and thoughts. And by far, I am no expert! I mess up all the time, however, it is something I strive for. For the Lord to take over and help me clear my mind so I can Focus on the positive and allow Him to fill me! It is an everyday Choice! What are you choosing to do today?
Today I will leave you with a commandment of the Lord Jesus = Focus on it over and over and let it sink in deep into your Mind, penetrate your Heart, to be followed through by your Actions! And experience JOY!
Matthew 22:37 "Jesus replied: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the law and the prophets hang on these two commandments.""