The Sacred Wooing Invitation

“Such an intimate encounter with our Lord and Savior… it has changed my relationship with Christ.”

I wrote “The Sacred Wooing” as an invitation to the church to rekindle her “first love” purity for Jesus and as a witness to the blessing of walking wholly devoted to Jesus while empowered by grace.

I warmly welcome beta readers who are passionate about drawing closer to Jesus to review my newest novel, The Sacred Wooing (Experiencing the Bridegroom Love of Jesus), before it’s published.



*Fans of Francine Rivers (Redeeming Love), Paul Young (The Shack), and Sarah Young (Jesus Calling) will enjoy the biblical parable style of The Sacred Wooing, which also captivates fantasy fans with its epic storytelling.

*The words of Christ in this story reflect the universal and eternal longing in every woman’s heart for everlasting love, while also emphasizing the ongoing spiritual battle for the allegiance of men’s souls.

*This story invites readers to experience Jesus’s love as their bridegroom and to reconnect with their First Love (Revelation 2:4).”


Qualifications for Readers:

  1. Readers need to commit to reading the entire manuscript before its publication date. (Please be aware that publication dates can be more fluid than solid and require flexibility. This is usually to the reader’s advantage, as it often takes longer than predicted to finalize a book)
  2. Readers understand that they are committing to write their review on Amazon, Goodreads, Bookbub, and a social media platform of their choice during the first two days of the book’s release. (It’s okay if it’s the same review. As long as it’s your honest and hopefully positive feedback <3)
  3. Readers must not share any material from the manuscript with anyone unless given written permission by the author and/or publisher (this is copyright material).
  4. Readers must love Jesus and desire to love others with His love.
  5. Readers must be available to communicate with the author during the publishing process (I want to hear your thoughts and suggestions, and I will need you to be open, especially as the deadline approaches).

Opening Scene

The highest king sat with blinding light shining from him. Contrasting cumulonimbus clouds and radiant lightning swirled around him like a halo crafted from a tempest, subjugated by an unimaginably powerful force. His appearance was suffused with fiery amber gems. The clouds around him pillowed upward, creating vast, vaporous terrains rippling with the colors of the hemisphere. 

 Majestic flying creatures filled with spiritual power orbited the omnipotent king. Their multiple, feathery wings swayed across their celestial forms like silken curtains. The swooshing of their gargantuan wings caused the air to vibrate with tornadic winds. Their booming voices charged the atmosphere like thunder as they paid homage to the one they revered.  

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come!”

Royal lords donned in flowing, priestly garments bespeckled with jewels bowed reverently as they circled the throne. Their transcendent voices harmonized into a swelling crescendo. The sound was akin to rushing waves, more resplendent than any music on earth. 

“You are worthy oh Lord to receive glory and honor and power! For you created all things! And by your will they exist, and were created!”

Seven golden lampstands flamed brilliantly, and incense rose like a sheet of fragrant mist from the scintillating floor.

The omnipotent king sat on his immaculate throne and held seven gleaming stars in his hand. They glimmered like fiberoptic pearls. His robe cascaded down as the clouds canopy the Amazon forest. His clothes shone whiter than fresh snow and a regal, sash hung like sunlight from his shoulder to his waist. The golden floor was transparent glass, mirroring everything above it with an aureate glow.

To the left of the king sat his father. He was the creator of all. They were unified in purpose and in heart. Their resemblance in soul and features were so akin, that having seen one, you would have known the other. From the father’s mouth came the spirit of life—the most precious breath. A single exhale from this spirit could form planets.

The seated father and kingly son watched for the son’s bride to prepare herself fully. The son had waited patiently for eons and excitedly looked forward to the celebratory day, the day of his gladness of heart. He had prepared himself in the finest apparel. The wine he would offer was the richest created, and he had earnestly desired to drink it with her in the kingdom. A feast in the heavenly clouds, surrounded by a balcony of translucent rainbows and shimmering, fiery jasper stones, had been set. The table alone was lengthier than a galaxy. It would be a greater feast than all royal weddings in created history. Serving angels stood ready to attend to the king and his beloved wife. All that awaited her. 

For thousands of years, the son had sent messages to her, and yet she was easily distracted and discouraged from her bridal preparations…


Story Synopsis

Heaven is prepared for the most joyful wedding feast, but only one thing is missing—the bride. Noelani, a mortal woman with the divine spark of eternity inside her, is troubled by a cohort of evil spiritual beings plotting her downfall. Battle-worn, she begins to lose her only connection to her kingly groom, her faith.

All seems lost until her powerful groom knocks on her door and invites her to take his hand on a journey that will bring out her deepest fears and cause her enemies to double their attacks. Will her faith endure to the end?

Signing Up

Hello everyone, if you’re interested in becoming a beta reader, may you DM me directly at nourishementthroughwords@gmail.com

Thank you so much for your interest! 

❤

Thank you so much for your time and commitment! I pray you are ushered into a deeper relationship with Jesus that brings wholesome love and restoration to your soul.

Thirsting for God

As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? -Psalm 42:1-2 NIV

Have you ever felt dry on the inside?

The scent of strawberry marshmallow and the sight of golden accent lights greet my senses like a pleasant smile. Outside, the sky is a cool gray-blue, and the crisp, cool evening ushers in the approach of Autumn.

As the world around me quiets down, I turn my attention to my heavenly Father. In this turning of attention, in this still place, the ache inside of me is finally heard.

For months, I’ve been at a loss for words. My inspiration has felt dry. What once thrived like a watered garden now feels like a desert.

No poetry, bubbles from my soul like a warm spring. Inside, I sense the same familiar conflict that has troubled me for far too long. And yet, I long to feel the presence of Jesus and the Father’s Spirit inside.

Lord, where are you?

I yearn to meet you here again.

I hunger to dine with you in deep, intimate fellowship, where my heart is fed from your table of love.

I crave the peace that comes when my mind is filled with your thoughts.

I desire to meet with You, Jesus, in a way where the Word becomes flesh once again in the deepest place of my soul.

I know only You can satisfy. Nothing on this earth can quench the place of eternity in my heart, except You.


My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” -Psalm 42:3 NIV

Lord, I want to minister to others, to the person reading this right now, to the students that I teach, to my own children, and my husband… but I feel depleted and void of your resting presence.

I know I’m not alone in this.

I’m not the only person who has struggled to draw near to you and yet feel like there’s an insurmountable distance separating you from them.

Even someone as close to you as King David often poured out his heart in psalms, asking for your presence.

But Father, through it all, I know your Word is true.

I know you hear my every cry. I know you see my heart’s desire for you. I know you love me beyond my current understanding.

I know you will never leave me nor forsake me.

You are a Father who loves at all times.

And so, my prayer is not just for myself, but every child of yours who longs for a heart-fellowship with you.


Dear Father,

I come before your throne room of grace in Jesus’ name, and I thank you for the love you have proven through your Son. I thank you that you never wanted to be separated from us, so you gave us your Son.

I thank you that your Word says that if you did not spare us your Son, then how will you not with him freely give us all things.

Please help us to receive your soothing grace, your healing peace, and the beauty of your loving presence. May we fellowship with you deep inside our hearts. May you open our eyes to the ways that you continually watch over us. May you help us to wait upon you and know that you are God.

We trust ourselves to you. We acknowledge that you are our life, our hope, our strength, our joy, our truest love, and our only God. We trust you to help us to walk by faith and not by sight (or by our feelings).

Thank you for every promise in your Word. Thank you for all the miracles in our lives. Thank you for every blessing you’ve ever given us. Thank you that you are omnipresent, whether we discern your presence or not.

We praise you and we thank you for your faithfulness to us, for putting us in your Son, Jesus, and for sealing us with your Holy Spirit. We love you, Father.

In Jesus’ name, amen.


“Ashley presents us with a true cornucopia of modern psalms, personal testimonies, and short stories. She has set out to reveal and unravel some of the most complex heart issues mankind faces in our quest of understanding what true intimacy with God really looks like. Prepare to have your soul massaged and worked on as you read Visions of Celestial Love.” — Jeremy Minard

*To read for free with KU, click here.

Heart Fellowship

~A prayer written in my journal.

One thing I ask from the LORD, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple. -Psalm 27:4 NIV

Father God, I pray you would touch my heart

Awaken my heart

Warm my heart

Revive my heart

Stir up my hunger, arouse my thirst, and cause me to go deeper

Oh Jesus, I want to know you more

Let my heart be eternally connected to you

Make me a woman after your own heart

Usher me to abide with you more closely

Let me taste from the banquet of your love

Lead me through the rooms of your affections, thoughts, desires, and emotions

Lead me to the dining room of communion

Be like a warm hearth… a delightful fireplace, fragrant with sweet spices on a cold winter’s night

Be to me an inner heat

Be the air in my lungs

Revive me

Stir me with your compassion

Awaken me, Creator of Love

Touch me afresh and cause every cell and fiber of my being to adore you

Kiss the deepest place within me… the place of eternity, and let my inner being praise you

Warm my heart with your love

Defrost the slick glass of fear over my heart

Hold my soul

Soak my heart with worship

I want you deeply, Abba

Cover me with your Holy Spirit

Show me what it means to be a beloved of the King of kings and Lord of lords

Reveal yourself to me as the Holy Bridegroom

Unite my heart solely to worship you

Let me gaze upon the sweet attractiveness of your face

This is the one thing that I ask for

This alone shall I seek

After removing Saul, he made David their king. God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’ -Acts 13:22 NIV