You know, the one thing that gets under my skin the most is when people take their opinions, and put words in God's mouth. It makes my blood boil. Things like when I'm listening to my music, "Oh, I bet God hates that music". Yes, it is metal, yes, they do scream, yes, THEY ARE A CHRISTIAN BAND!!! They are talking about God defeating hell, about loving the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind, they are just doing it in a way that reaches kids who don't get the word of God in any other way. Apparently, if you don't like screaming, that's not a good thing. I listen to bands like Hawk Nelson, Amanda Falk, For Today, Flyleaf, The Letter Black, Seventh Day Slumber, Group 1 Crew, David Crowder Band, Breaking Benjamin, TobyMac, Bluetree, Rapture Ruckus, Manafest, Thousand Foot Krutch, Skillet, Carrie Underwood, Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus, for crying out loud! I listen to pretty much everything. Except opera. Or the Beach Boys. Ick. You could not pay me enough money to listen to either of those. Check some of those bands out. Even if you only listen to the first 30 seconds of their songs and then turn it off. I'm not telling you to like this music or just get off the face of the earth. I'm asking you to listen to the music, decide for yourself if you like it, and listen to the lyrics. If nothing else, listen to the lyrics. (Or look them up, if you can't understand them :) ) They are all very different groups. Metal, rock, praise and worship, alternative, country, whatever! I love it. Diversity, in anything, makes us beautiful.
Another thing, "Who ever said that Jesus was fun?" (By the way, I am not saying names in this because I don't want these people to get hurt. I am angry. I am venting. But I am not bringing you into it. Please don't make this a big deal.) Who ever said Jesus wasn't fun?!?!?! Agh!!!! First off, if people didn't have fun with Jesus, do you think anyone would follow him? No! Would people listen to him talk for hours on end? No! Would people try to get other people to follow him? No! How would people get to follow Jesus if he was boring? "Oh yeah, there's this guy...in heaven...who loves you...nothing exciting really happens in your life...you just kinda believe in him...even though you can't see him...but you know...he loves you...so you should follow him." NO!!! Guys, I have seen proof of God. That is so exciting! When God works in your life. When he shows himself, when he works in others lives. It makes you want to jump and scream and dance all around the room! It's fun. It's exciting. Working at camp, serving God, it's fun. If I didn't have fun at camp, I would not work there. It's as simple as that. Yes, God has some serious work for us to do. But I think he wants us to have fun with it. He doesn't want us to suffer. He won't give you anything that you can't handle.
Here's the thing. I try to speak the truth all the time. If I've offended you, get over it. This is what is true. I hope that I haven't butchered any of this. If I have, I'm sorry, please correct me. But, if you say "You've offended me" to anything that I've said that is true, this is my reply: "I don't care." I'm not being mean. I'm being truthful. I really do love you all. And I will show you love, but I'm also an incredibly sarcastic and irritating individual, as some of you will and have found out. I am me. Take it or leave it. I'm not changing for anybody, and I've learned that you can't please everyone, so please God, and no one else matters after that.
God bless,
Ariel
November 27, 2010
November 21, 2010
Tick, tick, tick...
Okay, this blog post is most likely going to be very much out of anger. Unless you'd rather call it passion. Or some other word. Either way, brace yourselves, I am a ticking time bomb right now...
First off, I am going to be a rebel for God. Whether you like it or not. People have certain opinions, but when they try to tie those opinions in with things in the bible, that are not right, that is a huge pet peeve of mine. I will get angry. I will snap. My head may blow off of my body. Just saying. I am going to get tattoos. Pretty sure no one's going to change that. I don't want to be like everyone else. I want to be unique. Having a tattoo can open a door. That door being someone asking, "What does your tattoo mean to you?" Huge door. I love that door. People tend to think that all Christians have to be little goody-two-shoes, good little Church goers. Um, k, we're people, not clones. (P.S., I am just a tad ticked off, if you have not already noticed) When people look at me in the future, they'll probably say, "she doesn't look like a Christian" and label me right off the bat. I'm going to break the chain. Your looks don't define who you are. Your body is your outer shell. I am going to have piercings and tattoos. I may dress in crazy clothes or have crazy hair. I have no idea what I'm going to do! But that's what I love. The unpredictability of it. I just want to have fun. But, if something does not honour God, I'm not going to do it. Let's get that clear right now. My life is not my own, but God's. Part of the reason I want to get tattoos is to open that door. But I also want to be able to look at my arm in a time of troubles and see and encouraging verse that will keep me hanging on. This is my opinion. My personal view point. It is not right or wrong. This is just who I am. I might have said something dumb in there. I have no idea, but please don't fight me on this. Don't try to change me. It's not going to happen. And I will get very angry, and I will blow up. Again, just saying.
Also, girls, I have a bone to pick with you. Read closely. I'm not talking to anyone in particular (except the women, of course). This may not even apply to you. But I feel that it's necessary. At the start of the summer, I really wasn't sure why WBC had such a strict dress code. No cleavage, no bra straps, shorts have to have a 3 inch in-seam, no bikinis, etc. (Not sure what the guy's code was, seeing as I'm not a dude) But since then, I've had numerous opportunities to see into the mind of a male. At camp the girls got to ask the guy leaders questions, and vise versa. I went to a Healthy Sexuality youth thing. Everyone you talk to, will tell you that guys are incredibly visual. Now I get why the dress code was so strict. Apparently, some guys can get turned on by something, what girls see as a little thing, like bra straps. So girls, now it comes to our job. COVER UP!!!!!!! It really is as simple as that. If your tank top goes just a bit too low that you can see cleavage, wear an under shirt. If you have to keep tugging at your shorts to cover up your butt, chances are, your shorts are too short. If you're uncomfortable or self conscious in anything you're wearing, you probably shouldn't be wearing it. Wow, logical, isn't it? I honestly don't know how girls can be so comfortable with having half of their boobs hanging out of their shirt. a) it's not attractive at all and b) it does not look comfortable. Yet I see it all the time at school. You want your boyfriend to stop pressuring you to have sex? Stop dressing slutty. Never would've guessed that one, would ya? (If you haven't caught the sarcasm in this text yet, I'm incredibly sorry. I'm sure I'll get a slap from someone for this post.)
Wow, it feels good to get that out of my system. I'm sure there will be some chuckles at this post. There usually are when I get worked up. This really wasn't a "big deal" post, but really just something I felt that I needed to get out there.
God bless you guys,
Ariel
First off, I am going to be a rebel for God. Whether you like it or not. People have certain opinions, but when they try to tie those opinions in with things in the bible, that are not right, that is a huge pet peeve of mine. I will get angry. I will snap. My head may blow off of my body. Just saying. I am going to get tattoos. Pretty sure no one's going to change that. I don't want to be like everyone else. I want to be unique. Having a tattoo can open a door. That door being someone asking, "What does your tattoo mean to you?" Huge door. I love that door. People tend to think that all Christians have to be little goody-two-shoes, good little Church goers. Um, k, we're people, not clones. (P.S., I am just a tad ticked off, if you have not already noticed) When people look at me in the future, they'll probably say, "she doesn't look like a Christian" and label me right off the bat. I'm going to break the chain. Your looks don't define who you are. Your body is your outer shell. I am going to have piercings and tattoos. I may dress in crazy clothes or have crazy hair. I have no idea what I'm going to do! But that's what I love. The unpredictability of it. I just want to have fun. But, if something does not honour God, I'm not going to do it. Let's get that clear right now. My life is not my own, but God's. Part of the reason I want to get tattoos is to open that door. But I also want to be able to look at my arm in a time of troubles and see and encouraging verse that will keep me hanging on. This is my opinion. My personal view point. It is not right or wrong. This is just who I am. I might have said something dumb in there. I have no idea, but please don't fight me on this. Don't try to change me. It's not going to happen. And I will get very angry, and I will blow up. Again, just saying.
Also, girls, I have a bone to pick with you. Read closely. I'm not talking to anyone in particular (except the women, of course). This may not even apply to you. But I feel that it's necessary. At the start of the summer, I really wasn't sure why WBC had such a strict dress code. No cleavage, no bra straps, shorts have to have a 3 inch in-seam, no bikinis, etc. (Not sure what the guy's code was, seeing as I'm not a dude) But since then, I've had numerous opportunities to see into the mind of a male. At camp the girls got to ask the guy leaders questions, and vise versa. I went to a Healthy Sexuality youth thing. Everyone you talk to, will tell you that guys are incredibly visual. Now I get why the dress code was so strict. Apparently, some guys can get turned on by something, what girls see as a little thing, like bra straps. So girls, now it comes to our job. COVER UP!!!!!!! It really is as simple as that. If your tank top goes just a bit too low that you can see cleavage, wear an under shirt. If you have to keep tugging at your shorts to cover up your butt, chances are, your shorts are too short. If you're uncomfortable or self conscious in anything you're wearing, you probably shouldn't be wearing it. Wow, logical, isn't it? I honestly don't know how girls can be so comfortable with having half of their boobs hanging out of their shirt. a) it's not attractive at all and b) it does not look comfortable. Yet I see it all the time at school. You want your boyfriend to stop pressuring you to have sex? Stop dressing slutty. Never would've guessed that one, would ya? (If you haven't caught the sarcasm in this text yet, I'm incredibly sorry. I'm sure I'll get a slap from someone for this post.)
Wow, it feels good to get that out of my system. I'm sure there will be some chuckles at this post. There usually are when I get worked up. This really wasn't a "big deal" post, but really just something I felt that I needed to get out there.
God bless you guys,
Ariel
November 17, 2010
Kingdom [Day 2]
Day 2 started very early, earlier than any of us had intended! 7am. Kristy is an early riser, but a heavy sleeper, makes me laugh :) Oh, this was a full day! 7am until 1am. Brace yourselves.
We are the light of God. Word for word from my journal. Chris told the story about when Jesus took 3 of his disciples, Peter, James and John up to a mountain. Jesus was transformed right in front of them, his face shone as bright as the sun, his clothes white as the light, and Elijah and Moses appeared. God said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!" [Matthew 17:1-13]. Jesus shone like the light because he was God's light. We're supposed to be God's light to the world. People are supposed to look at us and not be able to figure out why we are the way we are, and want what we have. Do you know what the greatest miracle to ever take place on this earth is?? No? Can't think of it? Do you want to know? When the Holy Spirit enters your body, enters your heart, and makes you a child of God, that is the greatest miracle that can ever, ever happen. God recreates. If you're an alcoholic, or do drugs, or a prostitute, or anything else, and you invite Jesus into your heart, don't expect him to completely destroy and rebuild you. He won't do that. It's not that easy. What he will do is recreate your mind, your soul, your spirit. He'll renew you. He'll make you into His image, with a lot of prayer, faith and hard work from you. I'm only beginning this journey, but guys, it is so worth it! This is going to sound harsh, but if you really look at it, every single one of us, is dirt. Now, I don't mean this in a way of putting people down. God made this earth, he made everything on it, he made us. When he made Adam, he made him out of dirt. He breathed the breath of life into Adam's nose. Chris said not his mouth, because that would be CPR. Haha. We're all made out of the dirt of the earth. A lot of the time, in the bible it says man did this and man did that, when it says "man", it means all of mankind, women included. Here's a really cool thing that we learned: Your body is not the real you. It's the outer shell. Your spirit, that's the real you. Chris said that people are wrong when they say "I have cancer" or whatever, they should say "My body has cancer", because your body is not the real you, your spirit is.
Earth is like boot camp. And some days, I know it sure feels like it! Basically, God's training us for leadership. You have the power to transform this world. All things are possible in Christ who strengthens me. All things. One thing that Chris said, was that God never told you to "afford" anything, he just told you to do it. Trust in him, and do what he asks of you, and he will supply. Man, this is gonna be one wild ride!
Like I've said before, the Holy Spirit is in us. God communicates to us through the Holy Spirit. When God thinks something, you will think it too. Your thoughts come from Him. Don't get me wrong, he's not going to give you evil thoughts. That's completely the devil trying to get you off track. DON'T LET HIM!! Fight. Fight hard. God has emotions. He has deep emotions. When you hurt, it hurts him even more deeply, he hates to see us hurt. When someone is saved, and brought to Christ, he rejoices! He's so happy! He can't contain himself! I know a lot of the times, I've never thought about God having emotions. But it's so cool, how deeply wrapped up in us he is, that when we feel, he feels.
Another cool thing: God doesn't hide our destiny from us, he hides it for us. He wants us to find our destiny! But he wants us to look for it, to be so wrapped up in him, so that he can reveal it to us. When we ask, he will help us. Seek and you will find. God, he has a book in heaven written about you. About your destiny. About what he wants you to do. The desires that you have, he puts them in your heart. If you desire a husband, God will give you a husband. If you desire children, God will give you children. If you desire a car, or a house, God will give it to you. But keep in mind, it's all in his will. Your kingdom come, your will be done, Father.
You know how when a girl knows that a guy likes her, she plays "hard to get"? Just because it's encouraging for girls when a guy pursues her. It makes them confident. It makes them feel wanted, loved. God does the exact same thing! He wants you to pursue him! He wants to feel loved by you and wanted by you! He's not going to come somewhere that he's not welcomed or respected. You have to invite him. You have to want him.
Chris told us about the three things that we can never talk about in a mean or hateful way: Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and the blood of Jesus. Jesus is so precious. He loves you so much. It hurts him when you talk about him in a hateful way, and it should hurt you too. It's not in any way acceptable.
You need to be intimate with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is your ticket to God. He wants to have a relationship with you. The Holy Spirit is living inside of you, you can't get any closer! Romans 12:11 says to be on fire for God!
Another thing that we learned, was that when something Heavenly is lifted off of you, people tend to look for something earthly to cover you. Like Adam and Eve, after Adam at the fruit from the tree that God told them not to eat from, they realized that they were naked. They looked for leaves to cover their bodies, because they sinned against God. Also tying into that, when something Heavenly is removed, religion comes in. Everyone talks about religion and being Christian and stuff, but personally, I don't like the term Christian. Jesus never called us to be "Christians", he called us to follow him. Followers of Christ. Religion, I think, is just going through the motions. Because we feel we have to. I don't want that.
Jesus should be our standard. Not a camp counsellor, or anyone else. We should strive to be like Him. He should be our role model. It makes me so sad to see girls looking up to famous people like Rhianna or Katy Perry, or whoever. Don't get me wrong, I don't know who they are as a person, because I've never met them, but neither do these girls, and that's what makes me nervous. You see Rhianna or Katy wearing very little clothing, a lot of makeup, their lyrics are not appropriate. We think that that's the person they are. And that scares me, because how a person looks, and what they sing, are not who they are, but that's what these girls look up to. Looks and lyrics.
Romans 12:2 says, "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." One thing that Chris said to us was that we should look at the Bible like we're looking into a mirror. You should be a reflection of Jesus.
A super cool thing that we experienced this weekend was healing. Dean (our youth pastor) came up to the front after praise and worship on Saturday morning. He started saying that God had given him a vision that there was someone there who had one leg shorter than the other and that it caused them pain throughout their body. He asked them to raise their hand, and two sisters raised their hands. (They did give me permission to share this story.) He asked them to come up to the front, and sit down with their legs out so that he could see the difference. He asked Chris and Kris to come up to the front and pray for them. They started with Natalie, she's about my age, they just started praying and praying, and afterwards went to Alayna, the older sister, and prayed for her. Guys, NATALIE AND ALAYNA ARE HEALED!!!!!! I cannot stress enough how real this is! Their legs are now the same length. I talked to them yesterday, their legs are still good. Amazing. God is so good, guys. Right there, in front of all of us, God showed himself to us. After reading this, there is no way you could tell me that there is not a God. Because deep down inside you, that seed is planted. And it's all my fault :) Chris was saying how every day, people say that their back hurts, or their arm, or something that's causing them discomfort. He said that all we have to do is ask them if we can pray for them. The worst thing that they can say is no. All you have to pray is this, "The kingdom of God has come upon you. In the name of Jesus Christ, be healed!" That's it. You just have to believe, have faith, that God can do anything. And honestly, he really can. You can't afford to think, "what if". It just isn't an option. He still performs miracles, he's not done with us, guys! And to those of you who are still struggling with deciding whether you believe in God or not, think about this: You can't see your brain between your ears, but you have faith that you do, in fact, have a brain.
In the evening session, Chris called us all forward, we sang Fire Fall Down again. Then he asked whoever didn't feel filled with the Holy Spirit to step forward. I didn't at first, but I felt God pushing me, so after a little push from Him, I stepped forward along with about 10 other people. Chris, Kris and Dean started going from person to person and praying with them. On November 13, 2010, I was baptized in the Holy Spirit. We all learned how to speak in tongues. I really don't like saying "learned" but I don't know how else to phrase it. At first, I was just scared. About what was going to come out of my mouth, if I was going to sound stupid, what people would think, what if it didn't come naturally, what if I was just making it up. But again, we can't afford to think, "what if". After I just let go of whatever worries I had, and it took a little bit, the words just started flowing. Let me tell you, speaking in tongues was something I never thought I would experience or be able to do. I thought that you wouldn't know what was happening, that God would all of a sudden just make weird words come out of your mouth. But it doesn't work that way. Once I let the words come out, they flowed. I have no clue what I said, I didn't even listen to myself as I was speaking, I don't try, I don't think. It is the most amazing gift from God. That night I also talked to Kristy about my past, I had really been struggling with it for a long time. She prayed for me, and she said, "You know, in God's mind, none of that stuff ever happened. It doesn't exist. Never happened." So, so true. Ever since I started thinking about that, I've been at so much peace. It never happened. My past never happened. I love that.
Don't get me wrong, this weekend wasn't all such serious and heavy stuff. Although, the heavy stuff was probably my favorite part! We did this game, the Blanket Toss. So fun! Basically, a bunch of people are around a blanket, holding onto the handles. A person goes in the middle, and we all yell "One! Two! THREE!" And throw them up in the air! Sooo fun! I went, I was really scared to, but man, I flew!! I'm so light, so I went so high! (I just realized I used the word "so" three times in that sentence, is that grammatically correct? If Adam Wiebe is reading this right now, this is all I have to say to you: Smart AleK.) After the evening session some of us stayed back and were just hanging out. The guys started talking about poop (no surprise) and I was the only girl there, so I decided to go to be before the lights all got shut off on me. I was walking back to our chalet, and after about 5 seconds, I hear Hannah Montana blasting out of the Wigwam!! It wouldn't have been so funny, but there were like, 15 guys in there, rocking out to Hannah Montana!!! Soooo funny!
Blessings,
Ariel
P.S. I will try to finish Day 3 soon!!
We are the light of God. Word for word from my journal. Chris told the story about when Jesus took 3 of his disciples, Peter, James and John up to a mountain. Jesus was transformed right in front of them, his face shone as bright as the sun, his clothes white as the light, and Elijah and Moses appeared. God said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!" [Matthew 17:1-13]. Jesus shone like the light because he was God's light. We're supposed to be God's light to the world. People are supposed to look at us and not be able to figure out why we are the way we are, and want what we have. Do you know what the greatest miracle to ever take place on this earth is?? No? Can't think of it? Do you want to know? When the Holy Spirit enters your body, enters your heart, and makes you a child of God, that is the greatest miracle that can ever, ever happen. God recreates. If you're an alcoholic, or do drugs, or a prostitute, or anything else, and you invite Jesus into your heart, don't expect him to completely destroy and rebuild you. He won't do that. It's not that easy. What he will do is recreate your mind, your soul, your spirit. He'll renew you. He'll make you into His image, with a lot of prayer, faith and hard work from you. I'm only beginning this journey, but guys, it is so worth it! This is going to sound harsh, but if you really look at it, every single one of us, is dirt. Now, I don't mean this in a way of putting people down. God made this earth, he made everything on it, he made us. When he made Adam, he made him out of dirt. He breathed the breath of life into Adam's nose. Chris said not his mouth, because that would be CPR. Haha. We're all made out of the dirt of the earth. A lot of the time, in the bible it says man did this and man did that, when it says "man", it means all of mankind, women included. Here's a really cool thing that we learned: Your body is not the real you. It's the outer shell. Your spirit, that's the real you. Chris said that people are wrong when they say "I have cancer" or whatever, they should say "My body has cancer", because your body is not the real you, your spirit is.
Earth is like boot camp. And some days, I know it sure feels like it! Basically, God's training us for leadership. You have the power to transform this world. All things are possible in Christ who strengthens me. All things. One thing that Chris said, was that God never told you to "afford" anything, he just told you to do it. Trust in him, and do what he asks of you, and he will supply. Man, this is gonna be one wild ride!
Like I've said before, the Holy Spirit is in us. God communicates to us through the Holy Spirit. When God thinks something, you will think it too. Your thoughts come from Him. Don't get me wrong, he's not going to give you evil thoughts. That's completely the devil trying to get you off track. DON'T LET HIM!! Fight. Fight hard. God has emotions. He has deep emotions. When you hurt, it hurts him even more deeply, he hates to see us hurt. When someone is saved, and brought to Christ, he rejoices! He's so happy! He can't contain himself! I know a lot of the times, I've never thought about God having emotions. But it's so cool, how deeply wrapped up in us he is, that when we feel, he feels.
Another cool thing: God doesn't hide our destiny from us, he hides it for us. He wants us to find our destiny! But he wants us to look for it, to be so wrapped up in him, so that he can reveal it to us. When we ask, he will help us. Seek and you will find. God, he has a book in heaven written about you. About your destiny. About what he wants you to do. The desires that you have, he puts them in your heart. If you desire a husband, God will give you a husband. If you desire children, God will give you children. If you desire a car, or a house, God will give it to you. But keep in mind, it's all in his will. Your kingdom come, your will be done, Father.
You know how when a girl knows that a guy likes her, she plays "hard to get"? Just because it's encouraging for girls when a guy pursues her. It makes them confident. It makes them feel wanted, loved. God does the exact same thing! He wants you to pursue him! He wants to feel loved by you and wanted by you! He's not going to come somewhere that he's not welcomed or respected. You have to invite him. You have to want him.
Chris told us about the three things that we can never talk about in a mean or hateful way: Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and the blood of Jesus. Jesus is so precious. He loves you so much. It hurts him when you talk about him in a hateful way, and it should hurt you too. It's not in any way acceptable.
You need to be intimate with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is your ticket to God. He wants to have a relationship with you. The Holy Spirit is living inside of you, you can't get any closer! Romans 12:11 says to be on fire for God!
Another thing that we learned, was that when something Heavenly is lifted off of you, people tend to look for something earthly to cover you. Like Adam and Eve, after Adam at the fruit from the tree that God told them not to eat from, they realized that they were naked. They looked for leaves to cover their bodies, because they sinned against God. Also tying into that, when something Heavenly is removed, religion comes in. Everyone talks about religion and being Christian and stuff, but personally, I don't like the term Christian. Jesus never called us to be "Christians", he called us to follow him. Followers of Christ. Religion, I think, is just going through the motions. Because we feel we have to. I don't want that.
Jesus should be our standard. Not a camp counsellor, or anyone else. We should strive to be like Him. He should be our role model. It makes me so sad to see girls looking up to famous people like Rhianna or Katy Perry, or whoever. Don't get me wrong, I don't know who they are as a person, because I've never met them, but neither do these girls, and that's what makes me nervous. You see Rhianna or Katy wearing very little clothing, a lot of makeup, their lyrics are not appropriate. We think that that's the person they are. And that scares me, because how a person looks, and what they sing, are not who they are, but that's what these girls look up to. Looks and lyrics.
Romans 12:2 says, "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." One thing that Chris said to us was that we should look at the Bible like we're looking into a mirror. You should be a reflection of Jesus.
A super cool thing that we experienced this weekend was healing. Dean (our youth pastor) came up to the front after praise and worship on Saturday morning. He started saying that God had given him a vision that there was someone there who had one leg shorter than the other and that it caused them pain throughout their body. He asked them to raise their hand, and two sisters raised their hands. (They did give me permission to share this story.) He asked them to come up to the front, and sit down with their legs out so that he could see the difference. He asked Chris and Kris to come up to the front and pray for them. They started with Natalie, she's about my age, they just started praying and praying, and afterwards went to Alayna, the older sister, and prayed for her. Guys, NATALIE AND ALAYNA ARE HEALED!!!!!! I cannot stress enough how real this is! Their legs are now the same length. I talked to them yesterday, their legs are still good. Amazing. God is so good, guys. Right there, in front of all of us, God showed himself to us. After reading this, there is no way you could tell me that there is not a God. Because deep down inside you, that seed is planted. And it's all my fault :) Chris was saying how every day, people say that their back hurts, or their arm, or something that's causing them discomfort. He said that all we have to do is ask them if we can pray for them. The worst thing that they can say is no. All you have to pray is this, "The kingdom of God has come upon you. In the name of Jesus Christ, be healed!" That's it. You just have to believe, have faith, that God can do anything. And honestly, he really can. You can't afford to think, "what if". It just isn't an option. He still performs miracles, he's not done with us, guys! And to those of you who are still struggling with deciding whether you believe in God or not, think about this: You can't see your brain between your ears, but you have faith that you do, in fact, have a brain.
In the evening session, Chris called us all forward, we sang Fire Fall Down again. Then he asked whoever didn't feel filled with the Holy Spirit to step forward. I didn't at first, but I felt God pushing me, so after a little push from Him, I stepped forward along with about 10 other people. Chris, Kris and Dean started going from person to person and praying with them. On November 13, 2010, I was baptized in the Holy Spirit. We all learned how to speak in tongues. I really don't like saying "learned" but I don't know how else to phrase it. At first, I was just scared. About what was going to come out of my mouth, if I was going to sound stupid, what people would think, what if it didn't come naturally, what if I was just making it up. But again, we can't afford to think, "what if". After I just let go of whatever worries I had, and it took a little bit, the words just started flowing. Let me tell you, speaking in tongues was something I never thought I would experience or be able to do. I thought that you wouldn't know what was happening, that God would all of a sudden just make weird words come out of your mouth. But it doesn't work that way. Once I let the words come out, they flowed. I have no clue what I said, I didn't even listen to myself as I was speaking, I don't try, I don't think. It is the most amazing gift from God. That night I also talked to Kristy about my past, I had really been struggling with it for a long time. She prayed for me, and she said, "You know, in God's mind, none of that stuff ever happened. It doesn't exist. Never happened." So, so true. Ever since I started thinking about that, I've been at so much peace. It never happened. My past never happened. I love that.
Don't get me wrong, this weekend wasn't all such serious and heavy stuff. Although, the heavy stuff was probably my favorite part! We did this game, the Blanket Toss. So fun! Basically, a bunch of people are around a blanket, holding onto the handles. A person goes in the middle, and we all yell "One! Two! THREE!" And throw them up in the air! Sooo fun! I went, I was really scared to, but man, I flew!! I'm so light, so I went so high! (I just realized I used the word "so" three times in that sentence, is that grammatically correct? If Adam Wiebe is reading this right now, this is all I have to say to you: Smart AleK.) After the evening session some of us stayed back and were just hanging out. The guys started talking about poop (no surprise) and I was the only girl there, so I decided to go to be before the lights all got shut off on me. I was walking back to our chalet, and after about 5 seconds, I hear Hannah Montana blasting out of the Wigwam!! It wouldn't have been so funny, but there were like, 15 guys in there, rocking out to Hannah Montana!!! Soooo funny!
Blessings,
Ariel
P.S. I will try to finish Day 3 soon!!
November 14, 2010
Kingdom [Day 1]
This weekend I was at a youth retreat called Blast at Camp Arnes hosted by the Christian Life Center. My super awesome cousin Scott got me to go, and it was well worth it!
I had an amazing weekend, God was present for sure, I had barely been home 5 minutes and I already felt it slipping away. That's not good. I listened to Fire Fall Down by Hillsong to lift my spirits again. Just being with Jesus. Worshipping. I love it.
I don't know if any of you have ever heard Chris Karuhije speak before, but let me tell you, God is working in him. You can tell. You can see it. Amazing. He was our speaker for this weekend.
Now, while telling you about the sessions, I'm going to take everything straight from my notes. Notes are awesome, I knew that I was never going to remember everything that he said, that I would want to remember in the future. So here it goes. If I butcher any of this, so sorry!
He told us not to put a "box" around God. Not to put limits on Him. He can do everything and anything, guys. No questions. All things are possible through Jesus Christ who strengthens us! [Philippians 4:13] He told us that prophesying isn't like seeing the future, it's like encouragement, knowing what's going to happen and encouraging the person or people it's going to happen to. You know how when someone thinks about angels they think of those little naked babies with wings and an arrow? Yeah, angels are far from it! They're huge! Chris was telling us about one of his girlfriend's (Kristy) dreams, she dreamt that an angel was protecting her house, and she has a tall house, I think all she could see was the angel's leg. Another time someone saw a foot in the middle of a room. A giant foot. And they walked around the foot, it was the foot of an angel. How big does a foot have to be that you would have to walk around it?! Oh man guys, angels are always protecting us! How comforting is that? I love it. They're like the army of Heaven. Protecting us from Satan. From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” [Matthew 4:17]. 9 “This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. [Matthew 6:9-10]. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. [Matthew 24:14]. What do these verses all have in common? KINGDOM. The KINGDOM of God! Guys, when we die, God wants us to be with him in his Kingdom. Matthew 4:17, Jesus is coming back, the Kingdom is almost here! He wants us to be ready! Matthew 6:10, I just love this verse. I think it's so important to not think about what we want, and what pleases us, but to think about what God, your Father, wants and what pleases Him. That's key. Matthew 24:14, people won't always believe in something until they see it. Until there's proof. That, unfortunately, or maybe fortunately at times, includes God. A testimony, your testimony, could be the thing that saves a person. When they see what God has done in your life, they'll believe. They'll want what you have. So amazing. Chris shared his testimony, and it's a good example of what God does for the people who love him. I'm not going to share it, because I would butcher it terribly, and because you're probably getting tired of reading this by now anyways, but I thank you for taking the time to experience what God has done for me this weekend. He talked about foundation. I had just the word foundation written down, so I don't know exactly what he was talking about. When I think of foundation, I think of the story in the bible with the man who built his house on sand and the man who built his house on rock. Foundation is key. If you don't have a good foundation with God, you'll crumble, just like the house that was built on the sand. You can find that story in Matthew 7 I think.
(As you read this, keep in mind that I just had 3 DAYS of mind blowing, God filled experiences, so I encourage you to keep reading, not because I want people to read this blog, but because I'm hoping that maybe, just maybe, I'll be able to touch some one's heart.)
Ok, so as I was looking over my notes, I decided to put this into three parts (Day one, two and three) because there's a bunch of stuff here, and that way if you want to take a breather and keep reading later, you can.
Blessings,
Ariel
November 11, 2010
Lost
So, as you know, I've been struggling quite a bit lately. I wanted to share this story:
At LDP, we were at Mission Point. We heard the crucifixion story from a different point of view. Then we were told to write on a piece of paper something that we wanted to give to God. I'm not going to share what I wrote, because it's very personal. After, we nailed that thing to the cross. We went outside and took turns carrying the cross, over this island. It was beautiful. It started to rain and thunder. I was crying by this time, I looked around me, and saw the water crashing against the shore, and the green trees and grass, and this wide open space, and heard the thunder and felt the rain. It was all so overwhelming. There's only one man that I know who could put together something SO amazing. So perfect. We stopped at one point, and we were told that Jesus is still alive! I had never thought about that before. We were told that he died on the cross so that we didn't have to, he wants to take our burdens, he wants to carry them for us. On our way back down I had my turn to carry the cross. It was handed off to me right before this very steep, rocky part of the island. My thoughts: This is not going to end well. I took the cross, and I started down the rocks. They were slippery from the rain, making it even harder, especially while carrying a very heavy cross. Jesus was so strong guys, I would never be able to endure what he went through. Not in a million years. Of course, I slipped. But here's the thing: A least five different hands reached out to help me when they saw me fall. They helped me back up. They didn't want to see me fail.
That's so big, you guys. When I think of what we should be doing as followers of Christ, I think of that moment. Be there for someone when they fall, and help them back up. That day, there was nothing but support. Nothing but love.
I thought of that moment a lot these past few days. I fell. But, when people had seen that I had fallen, they reached out, and helped me up. They didn't want to see me fall. Luke 15:11-32 says:
11 Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.
13 “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
17 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ 20 So he got up and went to his father.
“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
21 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.
25 “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 27 ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’
28 “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29 But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’
31 “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”
I love that passage. That's what made me willing to fight again. Someone had mentioned Luke 15 to me, so I decided to read it. Man, God is good. So good. I feel like the son in this story. I've come home to my daddy, and he's so happy to be with me again. Amazing. I don't deserve it at all, but I'm so glad that I have it.
Blessings,
Ariel
At LDP, we were at Mission Point. We heard the crucifixion story from a different point of view. Then we were told to write on a piece of paper something that we wanted to give to God. I'm not going to share what I wrote, because it's very personal. After, we nailed that thing to the cross. We went outside and took turns carrying the cross, over this island. It was beautiful. It started to rain and thunder. I was crying by this time, I looked around me, and saw the water crashing against the shore, and the green trees and grass, and this wide open space, and heard the thunder and felt the rain. It was all so overwhelming. There's only one man that I know who could put together something SO amazing. So perfect. We stopped at one point, and we were told that Jesus is still alive! I had never thought about that before. We were told that he died on the cross so that we didn't have to, he wants to take our burdens, he wants to carry them for us. On our way back down I had my turn to carry the cross. It was handed off to me right before this very steep, rocky part of the island. My thoughts: This is not going to end well. I took the cross, and I started down the rocks. They were slippery from the rain, making it even harder, especially while carrying a very heavy cross. Jesus was so strong guys, I would never be able to endure what he went through. Not in a million years. Of course, I slipped. But here's the thing: A least five different hands reached out to help me when they saw me fall. They helped me back up. They didn't want to see me fail.
That's so big, you guys. When I think of what we should be doing as followers of Christ, I think of that moment. Be there for someone when they fall, and help them back up. That day, there was nothing but support. Nothing but love.
I thought of that moment a lot these past few days. I fell. But, when people had seen that I had fallen, they reached out, and helped me up. They didn't want to see me fall. Luke 15:11-32 says:
11 Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.
13 “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
17 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ 20 So he got up and went to his father.
“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
21 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.
25 “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 27 ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’
28 “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29 But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’
31 “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”
I love that passage. That's what made me willing to fight again. Someone had mentioned Luke 15 to me, so I decided to read it. Man, God is good. So good. I feel like the son in this story. I've come home to my daddy, and he's so happy to be with me again. Amazing. I don't deserve it at all, but I'm so glad that I have it.
Blessings,
Ariel
November 9, 2010
Restless (Mattie Montgomery)
What is my destiny? What is God's plan for me? Who was I made to be?
Now, these are questions that are in every one's heart. As Christians, we throw around this concept of warfare or contention without ever establishing a goal or an ultimate purpose. We must have vision of a higher calling than simply resisting sin. If what it means to be devoted to the gospel of Jesus Christ is to get up on Sunday mornings, and to do your best not to say a couple of cuss words, then you've missed it. We must catch God's vision of what it truly means to struggle for the sake of Christ and for the establishment of the kingdom of Heaven. Isaiah 62 says, "You who call on the name of the Lord give yourselves no rest, and give him no rest until he establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth." And so what are we fighting for? To see the body of Christ, the church, establish to the outside world as a shelter from this hell on earth. What does it mean if you pastor a church of a hundred thousand people, but there is still no hope for a pregnant teenage girl in your city. And what does it mean, if people are coming from all over to your meetings if suicide is still devastating our generation and over 33 million people are dying from aids right now. Listen to what I'm about to say to you: The only reason we live in a fallen world is because we live in a fallen culture, but take heart, because cultures can be changed. All creation groans in anticipation for the sons of God to be revealed. Creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glory's freedom of the children of God. Romans 8 says that creation itself will be brought unto the glory's freedom of the children of God. On the cross, when the wrath of God was satisfied, Jesus Christ established for us sons-ship in heaven. We are now divine beings, heirs to the thrown of God and all creation has been groaning in anticipation of that moment. In the name of Jesus Christ, under the authority of Father God and the leading of his Holy Spirit, I declare that my generation will exercise authority over creation. Over cancer, over aids, over natural disasters, and over death itself. We will stand firm in who we are as children of the most high God. And we operate under an ancient authority to the end of injustice. All creation has come together for this single moment! For this time, to watch, and to wait, to hold it's breath in anticipation, to see what will come of your time here on earth. To see if in your days you will align yourself with destiny and God and with your inheritance of holiness, because if you do, if you can, you will unleash a tide of hope that will sweep across our generation and that will change everything forever. All creation will be restored to glory, and the twinkling of an eye, like a thief in the night, black will become white, and up will become down. The servant of all will be made the greatest, and the ? of a slave will receive the reward of his suffering. And as he reigns, in justice and righteousness forever, that you will be at his side. Restless ones, arise! Take your place in a new paradigm of restlessness. Will God not bring justice for those of his elect for those who cry out to him, day and night? And so we cry out, saying, God, send your spirit, God, send it out for us, God send us as the end of injustice.
This sermon is by Mattie Montgomery of the band For Today. I've been really struggling, ready to give up. There are only two people in my life who know how much I am actually struggling, and if it wasn't for them, I would have given up a long, long time ago. He says that we need to see what it truly is to struggle for Christ's sake. I always thought, that if I was persecuted in a different country, or questioned about God, that I would stand firm in my faith. But this past week, I've realized that I've still got a lot of work to do. If I was like the people in the Bible who went through so much hardship, I would have given up. I don't know how they did it. I really don't. So that's what I need prayer for this week. To not give up. Because right now, right at this moment, I'm hanging on by a thread, and I don't know how much longer it's gonna be before I fall.
November 6, 2010
Epic
Oh boy, guys! If any of you read my status's, blog posts, my mind or have seen me during the past two days, you know what tonight was. THE YC RALLY!!!! Yeahhhh man! So good. I'm giddy. Wow, I have not been this happy in so long. And life just keeps getting better, next weekend I get to go on a youth retreat!!
This concert, was absolutely amazing. The Letter Black started, epic. Epic. That girl can sing! And scream! I loved every bit of it! They are so so so good live! Plus she had a lot of sparkles :) And then Seventh Day Slumber came on. Oh man. So good. They had light up drums, smoke machines, and an awesome lights show! Craaaaazy! (If you haven't already noticed, not all my blog posts come out as meaningful as others, the meaningful ones come when I'm super mad. These type, come when I'm just enjoying life!) I swear there's still gonna be smoke in the church tomorrow. Then the lead singer (Joseph) started talking about all of these letters he had received. About a kids parents splitting up, about cutting, about suicide, just about everything. It was heartbreaking to hear all of this. Everyone always knows that it happens, but when you hear it, it becomes real. Then he told us his testimony. Amazing. His life started out so rough. He almost killed himself, and on that night, he gave himself to Jesus. Amazing what God can do. God is using him. A guy that didn't used to believe in Him. Makes me wonder how God's going to use me. After the concert, we went out to the front of the church. I had bought one of The Letter Black's t-shirts before the concert. I got them to sign my journal (because it's one of my favorite things) and I got a picture with them :) Then I got SDS to sign my journal. My auntie got their poster, so she asked me to get it signed for her. Then my brother and cousin got The Letter Black's CD so I had to go get that signed for them too. Haha, lame sauce! It was cool though :) The second time I went up to The Letter Black, I asked Sarah (the lead singer) what her tattoos meant to her. She told me one was her anniversary, one said Respect because it says in the Bible to respect your spouse, and she doesn't think people take that seriously enough, and on her left wrist going over to her right wrist was her favorite verse "Be still and know that I am God". Such a cool girl. I told her about my tattoo idea. Legit conversation. Loved it!
It was just an awesome night all around. I rededicated myself to Jesus! I wasn't even going to go to the rally at the start of this week, so I could babysit. God obviously wanted me to go. I have no doubt in my mind about that. I love how letting him steer your life takes you to crazy, awesome, amazing places.
Blessings,
Ariel
This concert, was absolutely amazing. The Letter Black started, epic. Epic. That girl can sing! And scream! I loved every bit of it! They are so so so good live! Plus she had a lot of sparkles :) And then Seventh Day Slumber came on. Oh man. So good. They had light up drums, smoke machines, and an awesome lights show! Craaaaazy! (If you haven't already noticed, not all my blog posts come out as meaningful as others, the meaningful ones come when I'm super mad. These type, come when I'm just enjoying life!) I swear there's still gonna be smoke in the church tomorrow. Then the lead singer (Joseph) started talking about all of these letters he had received. About a kids parents splitting up, about cutting, about suicide, just about everything. It was heartbreaking to hear all of this. Everyone always knows that it happens, but when you hear it, it becomes real. Then he told us his testimony. Amazing. His life started out so rough. He almost killed himself, and on that night, he gave himself to Jesus. Amazing what God can do. God is using him. A guy that didn't used to believe in Him. Makes me wonder how God's going to use me. After the concert, we went out to the front of the church. I had bought one of The Letter Black's t-shirts before the concert. I got them to sign my journal (because it's one of my favorite things) and I got a picture with them :) Then I got SDS to sign my journal. My auntie got their poster, so she asked me to get it signed for her. Then my brother and cousin got The Letter Black's CD so I had to go get that signed for them too. Haha, lame sauce! It was cool though :) The second time I went up to The Letter Black, I asked Sarah (the lead singer) what her tattoos meant to her. She told me one was her anniversary, one said Respect because it says in the Bible to respect your spouse, and she doesn't think people take that seriously enough, and on her left wrist going over to her right wrist was her favorite verse "Be still and know that I am God". Such a cool girl. I told her about my tattoo idea. Legit conversation. Loved it!
It was just an awesome night all around. I rededicated myself to Jesus! I wasn't even going to go to the rally at the start of this week, so I could babysit. God obviously wanted me to go. I have no doubt in my mind about that. I love how letting him steer your life takes you to crazy, awesome, amazing places.
Blessings,
Ariel
November 5, 2010
Life is Good
Okay guys, if I don't share this, I'm going to burst with excitement! And no matter how much some of you might like to see that, I'd rather not explode. (If you would like some excitement though, put some mentos and diet coke in your mouth and see what happens, and then tell me! :) )
First of all, tomorrow is the YC Rally!!!! The Letter Black and Seventh Day Slumber are coming to MORDEN of all places!!!! Eeeeep!! So, so, so excited! I think I have a new found addiction to The Letter Black. It's kind of like the band Skillet (whom I am also addicted to) but the girl is the lead singer instead of the boy. So good. I'm so excited to be able to have a half-way-to-YC-experience! Haha, after YC, your radio tends to suck. It just doesn't give the same effect of a live concert: speakers 2 inches away from your ears, jumping, screaming, singing along, seeing them in person. It's great!
Secondly, travel club!!! Dude, I went out of the province for the first time this summer, and now, in 2012, I'll get to go to a whole new country, not to mention continent!!! Epic! The one I'm hoping for is Paris and Rome. We'll get to see the Trevi Fountain, the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Eiffle Tower. The Eiffle Tower!! Oh, I'm so excited right now. But, the price is through the roof. Guess who's getting a job! The total price will probably come close to $3000 plus spending money. Oh boy. Wish me luck!
Blessings,
Ariel
November 2, 2010
Puppet Strings
I feel very trapped. Not sure what to do anymore. I'm tired of the mascara running down my face and the hurt. So I'm coming to you guys, for prayers. I feel like I don't have control over my life anymore. I'm not a teenager. I don't get to have fun. I wanted to go to probably the best concert that Morden will ever have, that I've been looking forward to for over a month, and now I can't. Because I'm a "good person". I'm babysitting that evening because I felt bad that the person I babysit for would have to find someone else. I guess that's my choice. But I feel like I can't do anything but babysit anymore. Don't get me wrong, I love hanging out with this kid. But it's nice to be able to have fun with my friends once in a while, you know? I can't hang out with one of my best friends on Wednesday like we have every Wednesday for the past month because my parents don't want to feed one extra person and because apparently I don't do what I'm supposed to when she's over. Yeah right. I did so. I feel like I'm not supposed to be happy. And I'm sick of it. I'm tired of being inbetween adult and child. Being a teenager is so stupid. No freedom, but we're supposed to be responsible. I feel very very lost right now, and I don't know what to do anymore. If you have any bible verses that you think I should read, please let me know. Please pray, I need strength and guidance right now. I'm not going to give up. Love you guys.
Ariel
Ariel
November 1, 2010
Plastic Makes Perfect?
So, I was playing barbies with this little girl that I was babysitting. I started thinking (way too much, as per usual), why do we live in a world where plastic makes perfect? Of course they can't make what we see as "ugly" barbies. They can't make plus sized barbies, they can make them with no makeup, they can't make ones with frizzy hair, they can't make short ones, they can't have even the littlest imperfection or we won't buy them. Because they're not pretty enough. A barbie always has long, blonde hair, a heart shaped face, skinny arms, a long neck, a thin, toned stomach, perfectly sized hips and boobs, thin-but-not-too-thin thighs, toned calves, perfectly sized feet, pink lips, white teeth, perfect smile, clear skin, long eyelashes, eye shadow, intense eyes and perfectly shaped eyebrows. Honestly?! Who looks like that?? We're taught from such a young age that Barbie looks perfect, and that's what every one's supposed to look like. I don't look anywhere close to that! My hair never behaves, my stomach isn't that toned, my curves aren't what we see as "average", my legs look funny, my feet are too big, my lips are chapped, my teeth aren't sparkling, my smile looks goofy, my eyelashes take work in the morning, as does my eye shadow, my eyebrows are just there. I'm nothing special. BUT, that's how God made me! I'm nothing special, but I AM beautiful. And if you want to tell me any different, then don't let the door hit ya on the way out.
I hate how fake this world is. I'm incredibly fake too. "How are you?" someone asks me, "Fine." is my reply. I'm always "fine" even when I'm not. That's fake. I've dyed my hair, that's fake. I wear makeup. That's fake too. I have my ears pierced in 2 different places. That's fake. I wear high heels. That's fake. I wear a smile when all I want to do is cry. That's fake too.
Now, some of these things I do to make myself feel good about me. If I didn't wear makeup I would feel SO ugly every day. I hate how I look without it. Even when people tell me that I don't look any different, I look in the mirror and start to cry because of how ugly I look. Getting my ears pierced the first time was because I loved earrings. The second time was because I liked the way it looked, everyone had their ears pierced, but not everyone had their cartilage done. I felt unique. Like a bit of a rebel I guess. I wore heels for fun. It's fun to feel dressed up and different once in a while. Oh, and tattoos are fake too. I'm gonna get all tattooed up!
I'm going to get one on my whole back, I'm so excited! It's going to represent God. How I know him. I get new ideas for it every day. It's going to be a beach scene, with sand and water and grass, half of the sky clear and half of it a storm. I love nature, it's so beautiful. God made it so perfect! The storm scene isn't all that you think, yes it represents the bad times, and the clear sky represents the good, but the storm also represents God listening and talking to me. When I was at Mission Point with WBC I was praying and every time I finished a thought, it thundered. So I said, OK God, if you're hearing me, if you're really listening, please make it thunder. And right then it thundered. I love sharing that moment with people. I want to have a butterfly flying up to the sky, because I was having a really bad day, I was at horses that week and I rode my horse and prayed and it was amazing. I saw a butterfly. Butterflies are signs of hope. I want to have a cross, because if I asked Jesus how much he loved me, he would stretch out his arms and say "this much" and die on the cross. He loved me enough to die for me. I also want to have 2 sets of footprints and the start of the beach, and then one set continuing. The reason for that is this poem:
One night a man had a dream. He dreamed
he was walking along the beach with the LORD.
Across the sky flashed scenes from his life.
For each scene he noticed two sets of
footprints in the sand: one belonging
to him, and the other to the LORD.
When the last scene of his life flashed before him,
he looked back at the footprints in the sand.
He noticed that many times along the path of
his life there was only one set of footprints.
He also noticed that it happened at the very
lowest and saddest times in his life.
This really bothered him and he
questioned the LORD about it:
"LORD, you said that once I decided to follow
you, you'd walk with me all the way.
But I have noticed that during the most
troublesome times in my life,
there is only one set of footprints.
I don't understand why when
I needed you most you would leave me."
The LORD replied:
"My son, my precious child,
I love you and I would never leave you.
During your times of trial and suffering,
when you see only one set of footprints,
it was then that I carried you."
Guys, he loves us SO much! At the bottom of the scene, I want the words : "Jeremiah 29:11" (For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.) written. This tattoo is going to be everything God has shown me. Everything he's given me. Every little piece of hope.
I've been kind of sad the past few days. More than anything in this world, I want a hug from the one man who can't give it to me right now. It breaks my heart. I just want him to come and be with me and hug me and love me. And I know he does, but I want to be able to see him, touch him. I can't wait for that day.
I hate how fake this world is. I'm incredibly fake too. "How are you?" someone asks me, "Fine." is my reply. I'm always "fine" even when I'm not. That's fake. I've dyed my hair, that's fake. I wear makeup. That's fake too. I have my ears pierced in 2 different places. That's fake. I wear high heels. That's fake. I wear a smile when all I want to do is cry. That's fake too.
Now, some of these things I do to make myself feel good about me. If I didn't wear makeup I would feel SO ugly every day. I hate how I look without it. Even when people tell me that I don't look any different, I look in the mirror and start to cry because of how ugly I look. Getting my ears pierced the first time was because I loved earrings. The second time was because I liked the way it looked, everyone had their ears pierced, but not everyone had their cartilage done. I felt unique. Like a bit of a rebel I guess. I wore heels for fun. It's fun to feel dressed up and different once in a while. Oh, and tattoos are fake too. I'm gonna get all tattooed up!
I'm going to get one on my whole back, I'm so excited! It's going to represent God. How I know him. I get new ideas for it every day. It's going to be a beach scene, with sand and water and grass, half of the sky clear and half of it a storm. I love nature, it's so beautiful. God made it so perfect! The storm scene isn't all that you think, yes it represents the bad times, and the clear sky represents the good, but the storm also represents God listening and talking to me. When I was at Mission Point with WBC I was praying and every time I finished a thought, it thundered. So I said, OK God, if you're hearing me, if you're really listening, please make it thunder. And right then it thundered. I love sharing that moment with people. I want to have a butterfly flying up to the sky, because I was having a really bad day, I was at horses that week and I rode my horse and prayed and it was amazing. I saw a butterfly. Butterflies are signs of hope. I want to have a cross, because if I asked Jesus how much he loved me, he would stretch out his arms and say "this much" and die on the cross. He loved me enough to die for me. I also want to have 2 sets of footprints and the start of the beach, and then one set continuing. The reason for that is this poem:
One night a man had a dream. He dreamed
he was walking along the beach with the LORD.
Across the sky flashed scenes from his life.
For each scene he noticed two sets of
footprints in the sand: one belonging
to him, and the other to the LORD.
When the last scene of his life flashed before him,
he looked back at the footprints in the sand.
He noticed that many times along the path of
his life there was only one set of footprints.
He also noticed that it happened at the very
lowest and saddest times in his life.
This really bothered him and he
questioned the LORD about it:
"LORD, you said that once I decided to follow
you, you'd walk with me all the way.
But I have noticed that during the most
troublesome times in my life,
there is only one set of footprints.
I don't understand why when
I needed you most you would leave me."
The LORD replied:
"My son, my precious child,
I love you and I would never leave you.
During your times of trial and suffering,
when you see only one set of footprints,
it was then that I carried you."
Guys, he loves us SO much! At the bottom of the scene, I want the words : "Jeremiah 29:11" (For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.) written. This tattoo is going to be everything God has shown me. Everything he's given me. Every little piece of hope.
I've been kind of sad the past few days. More than anything in this world, I want a hug from the one man who can't give it to me right now. It breaks my heart. I just want him to come and be with me and hug me and love me. And I know he does, but I want to be able to see him, touch him. I can't wait for that day.
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