Author Archives: ashleealleycrawford

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About ashleealleycrawford

I am the Associate Director for the Office of Clergy Excellence in the Great Plains United Methodist Church. I particularly enjoy helping people see what God is calling them to do and knowing how to respond to that. I'm an ordained elder in the UMC and love to talk all things discipleship, crochet, flowers, family, and friends.

And Yet…

Posted on March 22, 2008 by ashleealleycrawford

After the supper was over, Jesus and his disciples left the Upper Room and went to a garden called Gethsemane. Jesus knew that his time on earth was limited and the unfolding events would alter not only his life, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Lent | Leave a comment

Lenten Lament

Posted on February 25, 2008 by ashleealleycrawford

The season of Lent is upon us! We are caught in the middle of the time when we are initiated into death (Ash Wednesday) and when we celebrate the New Life of Jesus Christ through Resurrection Sunday (Easter). I did … Continue reading →

Posted in Campus Ministry, Discipleship, Lent | Leave a comment

We Will Never Forget

Posted on January 26, 2008 by ashleealleycrawford

I woke up this morning to fog outside. I don’t live in a valley or near a body of water, and yet from time to time we wake up to fog. The sun is now out and has burned it … Continue reading →

Posted in Holly, personal | 17 Comments

Living God’s Call in Hard Times

Posted on January 18, 2008 by ashleealleycrawford

There is a caricature of the “Christian Life”, sometime propagated by Hollywood, sometimes by TV Preachers, that says that a person who has a messed up life can bring all their problems to God and, snap, things are going to … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Campus Ministry, Chapel | 1 Comment

Newly Resolved

Posted on January 3, 2008 by ashleealleycrawford

It’s that time of year when we make all sorts of new resolutions–to lose weight, to exercise more, to de-clutter our lives, etc. We start out strong, but after a couple weeks, our newfound resolve starts to shrink and we … Continue reading →

Posted in life, new year, personal | Leave a comment

Planning for the Future

Posted on December 20, 2007 by ashleealleycrawford

One of the students here at Southwestern is putting together a devotion book based on Proverbs 31. She asked me to contribute something…here it is: “She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.” … Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Woman, Devotion | Leave a comment

Finding a Balance

Posted on November 1, 2007 by ashleealleycrawford

It’s a precarious path we walk in helping students identify the areas that can help them to grow spiritually. There are two extremes: 1.) They are so eager to please those in authority that they set many goals for every … Continue reading →

Posted in Campus Ministry, Training | 1 Comment

Training Others to Lead In the Name of Jesus

Posted on September 27, 2007 by ashleealleycrawford

It’s a thin, small book with a non-descript cover. Just a faint green form, that you assume to be a cross, with black font on the front. The title: In the Name of Jesus: Reflections on Christian Leadership by Henri … Continue reading →

Posted in Campus Ministry, Henri Nouwen, Training | 1 Comment

Answered Prayers

Posted on September 3, 2007 by ashleealleycrawford

Two days ago I was flipping through a book that I literally have not picked up in 10 years. It was a book about youth ministry, as I’m preparing to teach a class and I was considering using the book … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Worth the wait

Posted on August 13, 2007 by ashleealleycrawford

Tonight there are supposed to be meteor showers. Well, I suppose that there are meteor showers every night, but tonight there are more that will be visible than usual. So, instead of going to bed at my usual time, I’m … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments