Here's what makes me angry more than anything: Christians often put so much effort into non-Christians that they often neglect their very own brothers and sisters in Christ. Now hear me out, it's so awesome to see people being the hands and feet of Jesus! That's exactly what we're called to do, and it encourages me SO much to see people accept Jesus into their lives!!! I love seeing God work! But here's the thing that we as Christians often do...we invite them into our family, they accept the invitation, and then that's it. Okay! Our job is done! Now go fend for yourselves! Umm...NO!!!!
I have been noticing this a lot in the Church. If a Christian asks a question, like, "How do you know God is real?" because they're beginning to have doubts, other Christians shake it off like it's nothing because this person has already accepted Jesus. Guys, if you do that, we're going to lose a lot of people. I've asked the question before, and I've gotten responses like "I've seen too many things to not believe" or "Jesus is proof"...those answers don't satisfy me. Sorry, but I want to hear the stories, hear the testimonies, hear the proof. Not just some one sentence answer because you don't feel like dealing with my crap. What if I went home and burned my bible, said, "Screw this" and killed myself? That opportunity would've been ruined. A lot of us ruin opportunities. I do too.
I am honestly so tired of feeling like my own family of believers doesn't care about me. And this isn't a me-me-me post, because if I'm feeling this way, then how many other people feel this way? I can deal with this, I'm used to being alone, but for the sake of the other believers that feel like this, we need to fix this huge problem. It is a huge problem when I feel like my work is more of a family than my church. It is a huge problem when I'm scared to ask questions with other Christians because I don't want them to think negative things about me. It's a huge problem when I cry because of the words of another believer. It's a huge problem when I doubt my faith because of another believer.
You know what guys? I'm tired of it. Your first priority is always God. God is our Father. We are his children. We are all brothers and sisters. We need to be there for eachother with love, support, trust, strength, encouragement, truth. We need to reach out for and be there for our brothers and sisters who are struggling. We need to take them seriously. If they say, "I don't know if God is real." We should in no way assume that they'll get over it. Never assume someone will "get over" anything. Soon, they will have a knife to their wrist. They will have a bottle of pills. They will have a gun. They will drink alcohol to drown the pain. They will. Why do you think God gave us eachother? So we could hold eachother up in times of weakness! So we could have little slivers of him here on this earth.
Don't ignore your family in Christ, guys. Don't take them for granted. They are a gift, and we should always treat them like that.
I love you, family.
Ariel
December 25, 2011
December 3, 2011
"Beautiful" Sin
I had a dream last night, and I woke up very confused as to what it meant. Obviously, I asked God. The dream was that I was marrying one of my friends, not anyone whom I'm close with or anything, just someone I talk to occasionally. But the twist was that it was a girl. I was marrying a girl, and I'm a girl. And so I was getting everything ready, we were so happy, and I was putting my dress on and veil and everything, and we were at the alter. There were just a bunch of faces I recognized from school but no one I really knew. I came in and stood in front of the pastor, but I stood too far away, so I had to go closer. I looked down and my beautiful white dress had turned into this grey, ugly dress that was coming apart. I realized while I was dreaming that I was marrying a girl, and that this completely went against everything I believed. I didn't know how I got to that point in my life, I felt like I had gotten in way too deep to get out now, and I felt like if I did not marry this person I would be letting everyone down and not be able to go on with my life, knowing what everyone thought of me.
Then I woke up, incredibly confused as to why I had just dreamt that, as it made no sense whatsoever. So I prayed, and everything kind of came together and made sense. A lot of sense. This is what I realized from this dream:
Me marrying one of my friends is like sin. It made me happy at first, and everything was so good with it in my life. I felt on top of the world, that it had made life better for me. A lot of the dream had to do with pressure. These people at my wedding were all staring at me as I came down the isle, and from that I got this: I care too much what people think. I feel like every one's watching my every move, and I feel like I have to be perfect. And so when I stood too far away from the preacher, I screwed up, while everyone was watching. Then when I saw my dress had changed, that part of the dream meant that I saw my life change. I saw this "beautiful" sin in my life start to show it's true colors. The dress tearing was like my life falling apart, and I kept having to try to pin it together so that no one would notice. Then this big realization at the end of the dream, the realization that I had gotten in so deep and felt like now I was in that "relationship" with sin for the rest of my life, that's exactly how I've been feeling lately. In the dream I started thinking about all of the stuff that would be better if I would just say "no" to marrying that person, but that little, weak voice inside of me kept saying "but I just can't do it". With all of those people there, watching me, I just couldn't bear to think about what they would think of me, even if I would be unhappy for the rest of my life, I couldn't just break out of it for fear of what would happen next.
I've been going through a lot of difficult stuff lately. I feel like this thing that I'm in is eating me alive. I want to say no, but there's that little voice telling me that I can't. This dream, in strange ways, is reflecting where I am in life right now.
This needs to end. I need God. I need him. I can't keep living like this, in this sin. Please pray for me, guys. I love you all.
God bless,
Ariel
Then I woke up, incredibly confused as to why I had just dreamt that, as it made no sense whatsoever. So I prayed, and everything kind of came together and made sense. A lot of sense. This is what I realized from this dream:
Me marrying one of my friends is like sin. It made me happy at first, and everything was so good with it in my life. I felt on top of the world, that it had made life better for me. A lot of the dream had to do with pressure. These people at my wedding were all staring at me as I came down the isle, and from that I got this: I care too much what people think. I feel like every one's watching my every move, and I feel like I have to be perfect. And so when I stood too far away from the preacher, I screwed up, while everyone was watching. Then when I saw my dress had changed, that part of the dream meant that I saw my life change. I saw this "beautiful" sin in my life start to show it's true colors. The dress tearing was like my life falling apart, and I kept having to try to pin it together so that no one would notice. Then this big realization at the end of the dream, the realization that I had gotten in so deep and felt like now I was in that "relationship" with sin for the rest of my life, that's exactly how I've been feeling lately. In the dream I started thinking about all of the stuff that would be better if I would just say "no" to marrying that person, but that little, weak voice inside of me kept saying "but I just can't do it". With all of those people there, watching me, I just couldn't bear to think about what they would think of me, even if I would be unhappy for the rest of my life, I couldn't just break out of it for fear of what would happen next.
I've been going through a lot of difficult stuff lately. I feel like this thing that I'm in is eating me alive. I want to say no, but there's that little voice telling me that I can't. This dream, in strange ways, is reflecting where I am in life right now.
This needs to end. I need God. I need him. I can't keep living like this, in this sin. Please pray for me, guys. I love you all.
God bless,
Ariel
November 19, 2011
Go.
My best friend is pregnant. My other best friend is dealing with CFS and her mother's pregnancy and her father's in jail. Another one of my friend's is dealing with an eating disorder. Another one of my friends is dealing with constantly being made fun of. Another is trying to get her life back together but life constantly is trying to beat her back down. Yet another is dealing with a broken home. Another is the only Christian in her home.
I am so blessed. I love my friends dearly. I love them so much! I don't know what I would do without them, to be honest. I love them in all their imperfection. They are so precious.
If you live in this clean, white little room where you unlock the door for your friends who have no obvious problems in their lives and you just stay closed off in this sheltered little place...shame on you. Shame on you, Christians who do not go out and be the hands and feet of God, like he called you to. Shame on you, Christians who do not go out and be the voice of God. Shame on you, Christians who think you are better than everyone else. Shame on you, Christians who can take part in making fun of someone else because that will boost your social status. Shame on you, Christians who do not talk to your Savior!
What are we coming to, guys? What is Christianity coming to? The word "Christian" has little to no meaning anymore. We throw it around like it's useless. When this word came to be, it was to identify people. Kind of like people from Canada are called Canadians, or people from America are called Americans, people from Australia are called Australians, people who followed Jesus Christ were named Christians. People who went out and preached about God, brought others to Christ, praised God, prayed, read the bible, healed the sick, prophesied, spoke in tongues, people who went out and were the hands and feet of Jesus Christ and followed where he led. And now, in 2011, what is considered a Christian? Someone who says, "I believe in God." Or maybe even someone who puts on the facebook profile page that they're a Christian. That's probably the most aggravating thing I see, is looking at someone's bio on facebook and seeing under Religious Views "Christian", meanwhile you see them at school and they're swearing or talking about how much fun they had drinking and partying on the weekend or they're using God's name in vain. Are you serious? I would love for these people to really come to Christ! But guys, seriously, it's time to rise up. This generation is the generation that will show people the power of our God like no one has seen before!! I believe that full well, there are people prophesying this like crazy. We are the generation that will rise up and proclaim the name of Christ.
I love you brothers and sisters, but now is the time to stop hiding away in your perfect little container that you've pushed yourselves into. It's time to step out, step up, get in there, and get your hands dirty. Go feed the homeless. Go give a prostitute a bible. Go tell your friend who cuts their wrists that you love them. Go take someone who doesn't ever get a break out for dinner. Go write an encouragement note to someone who is under appreciated. Go. Just go! Go out and show the crazy love of the Father to this world that is desperately in need of it!
I love you guys.
God bless,
Ariel
I am so blessed. I love my friends dearly. I love them so much! I don't know what I would do without them, to be honest. I love them in all their imperfection. They are so precious.
If you live in this clean, white little room where you unlock the door for your friends who have no obvious problems in their lives and you just stay closed off in this sheltered little place...shame on you. Shame on you, Christians who do not go out and be the hands and feet of God, like he called you to. Shame on you, Christians who do not go out and be the voice of God. Shame on you, Christians who think you are better than everyone else. Shame on you, Christians who can take part in making fun of someone else because that will boost your social status. Shame on you, Christians who do not talk to your Savior!
What are we coming to, guys? What is Christianity coming to? The word "Christian" has little to no meaning anymore. We throw it around like it's useless. When this word came to be, it was to identify people. Kind of like people from Canada are called Canadians, or people from America are called Americans, people from Australia are called Australians, people who followed Jesus Christ were named Christians. People who went out and preached about God, brought others to Christ, praised God, prayed, read the bible, healed the sick, prophesied, spoke in tongues, people who went out and were the hands and feet of Jesus Christ and followed where he led. And now, in 2011, what is considered a Christian? Someone who says, "I believe in God." Or maybe even someone who puts on the facebook profile page that they're a Christian. That's probably the most aggravating thing I see, is looking at someone's bio on facebook and seeing under Religious Views "Christian", meanwhile you see them at school and they're swearing or talking about how much fun they had drinking and partying on the weekend or they're using God's name in vain. Are you serious? I would love for these people to really come to Christ! But guys, seriously, it's time to rise up. This generation is the generation that will show people the power of our God like no one has seen before!! I believe that full well, there are people prophesying this like crazy. We are the generation that will rise up and proclaim the name of Christ.
I love you brothers and sisters, but now is the time to stop hiding away in your perfect little container that you've pushed yourselves into. It's time to step out, step up, get in there, and get your hands dirty. Go feed the homeless. Go give a prostitute a bible. Go tell your friend who cuts their wrists that you love them. Go take someone who doesn't ever get a break out for dinner. Go write an encouragement note to someone who is under appreciated. Go. Just go! Go out and show the crazy love of the Father to this world that is desperately in need of it!
I love you guys.
God bless,
Ariel
November 17, 2011
Funny
So, I figured I would share a few moments I had on a youth retreat this past weekend. It was so much fun. I was actually considering not going, but I am so glad that I went. I'll be sharing what I learned at the youth retreat soon, but for now, I just thought I'd share some of the "oiii" moments.
This was fantastic, just because it was so unexpected! Scott's sitting down eating lunch, and this other guy comes up and pours a pitcher of water on his lap. So good! So Scott went and changed and then...
I got him! Ha ha! I went and shoved ice cream in his face. He had been threatening me for weeks to throw me in the lake (in Canada...in November...), so I figured if he was gonna throw me in the lake, I might as well have some fun.
And then...just after lunch, I heard we were taking the group picture by the lake. "Oh, crap!" was my exact thoughts. I was still confident though, that he would not throw me in the lake. So we took the picture.
And then he threw me in the lake.
Ha. What a weekend! Funny thing is, I didn't even get sick. I went into the dining hall after, and our hosts were my "body guards" because my auntie works there and knows them. The guys found it funny, and the girl gave me a hug, she felt so bad! Ha, it was a great weekend.
God bless,
Ariel
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| My cousin, Scott, decided he wanted to wear a onesie. I decided to document this. |
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| Prank #1 |
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| Prank #2 |
And then...just after lunch, I heard we were taking the group picture by the lake. "Oh, crap!" was my exact thoughts. I was still confident though, that he would not throw me in the lake. So we took the picture.
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| Just brutal! He put me down gently, and then he pushed me. |
Ha. What a weekend! Funny thing is, I didn't even get sick. I went into the dining hall after, and our hosts were my "body guards" because my auntie works there and knows them. The guys found it funny, and the girl gave me a hug, she felt so bad! Ha, it was a great weekend.
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| hahaha after the lake! We love eachother. |
Ariel
October 21, 2011
How Great?
I find Jesus himself just so amazing. I love reading the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) because you see how Jesus acted, who he is, how he treats people, his morals. Jesus says that you can't see God, but he is exactly like him. How privileged, how blessed are we that we get to see right into the Father's heart? That we, as humans, got to experience his tangible love? And compassion? And grace? And forgiveness? We got to see our Lord with our own eyes! I often imagine seeing Jesus in the distance, and running at full speed towards him, and hugging him. That is truly the greatest thing that I want, is to hug him. I can't wait until the day that I do.
I love reading in John 8...these religious nuts want to stone a woman to death for committing adultery. You know what Jesus says? "Anyone here who has never sinned can throw the first stone at her." [John 8:8] Wow. Like a punch in the gut, eh? It just shows you how compassionate he is. Jesus is the only person in that group of people who had never sinned, and even he did not throw a stone at her. We serve such a compassionate, loving God. He protects us.
How many of us have wondered why God's put us in the circumstances he puts us in? I've wondered that countless times. Or rather, not why he puts me in it, but why he allows it to happen. This verse shook my world: "Jesus answered, 'It is not this man's sin or his parents' sin that made him blind. This man was born blind so that God's power could be shown in him.'" [John 9:3] God's power can and will be shown in my circumstances. I believe that full well! I'm comforted by the fact that all things work out for the good of those who love Him [Romans 8:8]. God can take your crappiest situation and turn it completely around, using it for the greatness of his kingdom! I love that! Jesus does not take joy in our trouble, though. I want to get that across very clearly. "When Jesus saw Mary crying and the Jews who came with her also crying, he was upset and was deeply troubled.....Jesus cried." [John 11:33&35] This was after Lazarus died. Jesus knew that he was going to use this for his good. He knew that he would raise Lazarus from the dead and many people would be saved through this miracle. But did that take away the pain and sadness? No. The emotions that we feel, God feels them ten times more strongly. When you cry, God cries. When you're laughing, he's laughing. When you're filled with joy, so is he. When you're angry, God is too. He's our father. What father wants their child to hurt? So even though he knows his plan, he knows how he's going to use these horrible things that happen to us, he still feels pain, he's sad for us, he's angry for us, he feels our hurt. I love him.
I read this verse last night: "I tell you the truth, whoever believes in me will do the same things that I do. Those who believe will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And if you ask for anything in my name, I will do it for you so that the Father's glory will be shown through the Son. If you ask me for anything in my name, I will do it." [John 14:12-14] We have the power to do miracles. By Jesus saying that we will do the same, and even greater than he did, he's saying that we have the power to make the blind see, make the deaf hear, raise the dead, speak with authority! He has given us power!! This is just incredible to me. To think that I, this 16 year old in a small town, have been given the authority to perform miracles? Wow. Wow! I am just blown away by God's goodness. I love him so much!!!
I found this video today, and I could not stop smiling!!! How great is our God?! Oh! He is so, so, so good. Words can't even describe. I feel like I've fallen in love all over again. Listen to those people sing. Look at their faces. See them raising their hands in ultimate surrender to God! I just love this. This was the absolute best way to start my day. Her prayer is my prayer.
Have a blessed day!
Ariel
I love reading in John 8...these religious nuts want to stone a woman to death for committing adultery. You know what Jesus says? "Anyone here who has never sinned can throw the first stone at her." [John 8:8] Wow. Like a punch in the gut, eh? It just shows you how compassionate he is. Jesus is the only person in that group of people who had never sinned, and even he did not throw a stone at her. We serve such a compassionate, loving God. He protects us.
How many of us have wondered why God's put us in the circumstances he puts us in? I've wondered that countless times. Or rather, not why he puts me in it, but why he allows it to happen. This verse shook my world: "Jesus answered, 'It is not this man's sin or his parents' sin that made him blind. This man was born blind so that God's power could be shown in him.'" [John 9:3] God's power can and will be shown in my circumstances. I believe that full well! I'm comforted by the fact that all things work out for the good of those who love Him [Romans 8:8]. God can take your crappiest situation and turn it completely around, using it for the greatness of his kingdom! I love that! Jesus does not take joy in our trouble, though. I want to get that across very clearly. "When Jesus saw Mary crying and the Jews who came with her also crying, he was upset and was deeply troubled.....Jesus cried." [John 11:33&35] This was after Lazarus died. Jesus knew that he was going to use this for his good. He knew that he would raise Lazarus from the dead and many people would be saved through this miracle. But did that take away the pain and sadness? No. The emotions that we feel, God feels them ten times more strongly. When you cry, God cries. When you're laughing, he's laughing. When you're filled with joy, so is he. When you're angry, God is too. He's our father. What father wants their child to hurt? So even though he knows his plan, he knows how he's going to use these horrible things that happen to us, he still feels pain, he's sad for us, he's angry for us, he feels our hurt. I love him.
I read this verse last night: "I tell you the truth, whoever believes in me will do the same things that I do. Those who believe will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And if you ask for anything in my name, I will do it for you so that the Father's glory will be shown through the Son. If you ask me for anything in my name, I will do it." [John 14:12-14] We have the power to do miracles. By Jesus saying that we will do the same, and even greater than he did, he's saying that we have the power to make the blind see, make the deaf hear, raise the dead, speak with authority! He has given us power!! This is just incredible to me. To think that I, this 16 year old in a small town, have been given the authority to perform miracles? Wow. Wow! I am just blown away by God's goodness. I love him so much!!!
I found this video today, and I could not stop smiling!!! How great is our God?! Oh! He is so, so, so good. Words can't even describe. I feel like I've fallen in love all over again. Listen to those people sing. Look at their faces. See them raising their hands in ultimate surrender to God! I just love this. This was the absolute best way to start my day. Her prayer is my prayer.
Have a blessed day!
Ariel
October 20, 2011
Imagine That
This song just gets me so pumped up. Every word of it is true for me. I know that God has so much more planned for me than what I'm seeing right now! I will say this, though: God, you are absolutely crazy, but I love you for it. Ha, I have no clue what he's got up his sleeve for me. I think he's going in one direction and then he 180's it and veers the other way. It's interesting, I must say. Even now, at 16, I'm starting to get a little taste of his plans, and the fact that what he has planned for me is so much greater than anything I could ever plan or imagine for myself.
I never would have guessed that I would organize bake sales. I never would have guessed that I would begin to organize a concert and have phone calls from booking agents in Tennessee! I never would have guessed that I would help teach a kindergarten class. I never would have guessed that a bunch of youth leaders in town would know my name and say that I'm going to go so far in life. I never guessed that I would be apart of a fashion group. I never ever ever would have guessed that I would have the life I have. How many 16 year olds can say that they've done all these things?? Not many. God is doing big things. I know it, because Satan has tried with the hardest stones he can throw to knock me down because he knows that God is going to use me for huge things! How dare he try to stop God's plan for my life?! You know what? Game on, buddy. God has fought for me time and time again, and I love him to death. He literally fought for me, he told me. And I can feel him protecting me when Satan wants to attack. Psalm 91:4. I love him, so much.
I cannot wait to see how my life plays out and how God will use me. Am I excited? Yes! Am I scared? Oooh, yes! But I trust. He's protecting me. He's guiding me. He loves me, and that's all I need in my life.
God bless,
Ariel
This song just gets me so pumped up. Every word of it is true for me. I know that God has so much more planned for me than what I'm seeing right now! I will say this, though: God, you are absolutely crazy, but I love you for it. Ha, I have no clue what he's got up his sleeve for me. I think he's going in one direction and then he 180's it and veers the other way. It's interesting, I must say. Even now, at 16, I'm starting to get a little taste of his plans, and the fact that what he has planned for me is so much greater than anything I could ever plan or imagine for myself.
I never would have guessed that I would organize bake sales. I never would have guessed that I would begin to organize a concert and have phone calls from booking agents in Tennessee! I never would have guessed that I would help teach a kindergarten class. I never would have guessed that a bunch of youth leaders in town would know my name and say that I'm going to go so far in life. I never guessed that I would be apart of a fashion group. I never ever ever would have guessed that I would have the life I have. How many 16 year olds can say that they've done all these things?? Not many. God is doing big things. I know it, because Satan has tried with the hardest stones he can throw to knock me down because he knows that God is going to use me for huge things! How dare he try to stop God's plan for my life?! You know what? Game on, buddy. God has fought for me time and time again, and I love him to death. He literally fought for me, he told me. And I can feel him protecting me when Satan wants to attack. Psalm 91:4. I love him, so much.
I cannot wait to see how my life plays out and how God will use me. Am I excited? Yes! Am I scared? Oooh, yes! But I trust. He's protecting me. He's guiding me. He loves me, and that's all I need in my life.
God bless,
Ariel
October 6, 2011
Alien
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| "Fashion Fairytale" or nightmare? It is not even humanly possible to achieve this look. |
I definitely grew up thinking that Barbie was perfect and that I would look like her when I grew up. With the perfect makeup, wearing heels all the time, charismatic, the perfect body. Did any of that happen? Ha! Nope.
Let's dissect this "Barbie's Fashion Fairytale" for a second. First off, do you really think that sparkly pink skin is attractive? 'Cause it's not, not even maybe. Well, I guess if you want to be an alien when you grow up you would have a different mindset. I was looking at this Barbie during work today, and thinking, where do her freakin' legs end?! No one person on this planet has that long of legs. It's just not natural, by far. Oh, and no one's that skinny. You wanna teach your children to be anorexic, then buying them that Barbie is step one. Why do you think so many girls today have so many issues? They have to be skinny because that's what all of society says. And the sick thing is, no one's denying it! Why do we give girls these false beliefs? I don't understand. And now, my favorite part, (I really hope you heard me roll my eyes at this point...) her clothing. *Cough* Slut! *Cough* ...Yeah, 'nough said. Ew. Ew, ew, ew! Any guy, and I mean any guy, Christian or not, seeing this girl walking around would automatically have his eyes boggling and mind racing. Her butt is hardly being covered by that short skirt! And really? I don't think I've ever seen any girl wearing that short of a shirt in public. It's pretty much a sports bra.
This disgusts me. I honestly hope that Barbie somehow gets destroyed, because it is doing no child any favors. Please hear me, girls, when I say this. Modesty is beautiful. You will attract the kind of guy you dress for. And if your boobs are hanging out of your shirt and you have to keep having to pull your shorts down to cover your butt, then you are going to attract a guy who only wants you for your body, and I guarantee it, he will shatter your heart. Any boy who is worth your time will tell you that you look absolutely beautiful when you've just rolled out of bed because he woke you up to surprise you. He'll love you for you, and not for your body. And he'll be looking for a relationship that will last the rest of your lives, instead of a one night stand. These boys are rare, yes, but they are worth it, and you will never regret it. They are out there. God has the perfect one picked out for you, you just have to let him take the drivers seat and lead you to him.
God bless,
Ariel
October 3, 2011
Craaazy
I'm 16. I love being 16. I love the fact that I have so much fire, so much energy, so many ideas, so many opportunities, so much time! When those little God moments happen, no matter how small, that's fuel to my fire. Oh man, I'm so pumped right now! When people tell me that they see God in me and they can see he has a calling for my life, dude!!! How can that not fuel my fire?!?! One of my friends told me to "start a forest fire". Ha, I love that! And that's exactly what I'm going to do.
If I'm not encouraging people, if I'm not showing people the love of Jesus, if I'm not living for him, then what am I doing here? I was made for him. I was made to worship him and glorify him and be a "Lion of God"! I love my name, because it totally fits. I believe 100% that God himself chose that name for me.
I've noticed a lot of stuff these past couple of weeks, the big one being that I am not perfect. I get angry. I get really, really angry...and that's been shining through this past week. I've had to make my apologies, I've had to reevaluate my life and my actions. But this is the thing that I want to stress so much: Just because I'm a Christian does not mean I'm perfect. I'm a work in progress!
Quite honestly, I don't know if I would ever want to be perfect, because that would mean that I would stop learning, I would already know everything I need to know, I would never make mistakes, and I really wouldn't have a testimony.
God has some big things going on in me. I have no idea what he's doing, but I like it!!
Humm...I'm just in such a it-has-to-be-a-God-thing joyful mood right now...:)
Blessings,
Ariel
September 28, 2011
Change
There has been such a huge change in me in the past year, it's unbelievable! I've even had people I barely ever talk to say that they notice something different about me. And I love it!
I used to be the most self conscious person ever. Sometimes, I hardly even recognize myself. I used to not even be able to tell the teacher that he missed giving me the worksheet because I was too scared. That was last year! I used to never take pictures because I just hate how I looked. I used to never just walk up to someone and say, "Hey, I like your shirt!" And I never ever would share Jesus in the way I do now. I've got a long way to go, but even just having the sticker "I will go, send me!" on my binder draws attention. It's awesome!! Or wearing shirts that say "Captured By Christ" or "I want to hold the hand that holds the world", it gets people thinking. Ha, even reading my bible in the hallway, oh my word, that is a huge leap for me. God's given me such confidence, it's amazing. My face still turns red as a tomato at the slightest bit of attention, but I honestly can't help it. I'm not embarrassed, not even close. My face just has a mind of it's own, unfortunately. (My face turns so red sometimes that people think I'm gonna pass out...and I can't even feel it!)
One big thing that God's been doing in my heart is changing the way I view myself on the outside. I used to hate being tall, now I wear 3 inch heels because it's fun. I love my height! I used to spend such a long time in front of the mirror. I now spend 10 minutes; put my hair in a ponytail, put on mascara, clean my piercing and go. Ha, I got out of the shower yesterday and I looked in the mirror after towel drying my hair. My hair was all over the place, and I had no makeup on, and I was like, woah! That's me? I am beautiful. But I am 100% certain that that beauty, that confidence, comes from Christ and Christ alone. Before I was living for him, I thought I was so ugly. So what changed? My entire life. Girls always seem to think that they need to wear tight short shorts and a tight low cut shirt. You know what half of my wardrobe consists of? Big, baggy, band t-shirts. Yupp. And I'm proud of it! People notice that I'm different. When I wear shorts that go to the middle of my thigh instead of shorts that hardly cover anything, people notice. When I wear my one piece bathing suit instead of a bikini, people notice. When I wear shirts that boldly proclaim that I love God, people notice!
God is transforming my life, hardcore. I love it. He's coming back, and I'm suiting up. I know that I haven't been doing all that I can for him, but when's a better time to start than now, right?
God bless,
Ariel
I used to be the most self conscious person ever. Sometimes, I hardly even recognize myself. I used to not even be able to tell the teacher that he missed giving me the worksheet because I was too scared. That was last year! I used to never take pictures because I just hate how I looked. I used to never just walk up to someone and say, "Hey, I like your shirt!" And I never ever would share Jesus in the way I do now. I've got a long way to go, but even just having the sticker "I will go, send me!" on my binder draws attention. It's awesome!! Or wearing shirts that say "Captured By Christ" or "I want to hold the hand that holds the world", it gets people thinking. Ha, even reading my bible in the hallway, oh my word, that is a huge leap for me. God's given me such confidence, it's amazing. My face still turns red as a tomato at the slightest bit of attention, but I honestly can't help it. I'm not embarrassed, not even close. My face just has a mind of it's own, unfortunately. (My face turns so red sometimes that people think I'm gonna pass out...and I can't even feel it!)
One big thing that God's been doing in my heart is changing the way I view myself on the outside. I used to hate being tall, now I wear 3 inch heels because it's fun. I love my height! I used to spend such a long time in front of the mirror. I now spend 10 minutes; put my hair in a ponytail, put on mascara, clean my piercing and go. Ha, I got out of the shower yesterday and I looked in the mirror after towel drying my hair. My hair was all over the place, and I had no makeup on, and I was like, woah! That's me? I am beautiful. But I am 100% certain that that beauty, that confidence, comes from Christ and Christ alone. Before I was living for him, I thought I was so ugly. So what changed? My entire life. Girls always seem to think that they need to wear tight short shorts and a tight low cut shirt. You know what half of my wardrobe consists of? Big, baggy, band t-shirts. Yupp. And I'm proud of it! People notice that I'm different. When I wear shorts that go to the middle of my thigh instead of shorts that hardly cover anything, people notice. When I wear my one piece bathing suit instead of a bikini, people notice. When I wear shirts that boldly proclaim that I love God, people notice!
God is transforming my life, hardcore. I love it. He's coming back, and I'm suiting up. I know that I haven't been doing all that I can for him, but when's a better time to start than now, right?
God bless,
Ariel
September 25, 2011
180 Turn
Have you ever compared Adolf Hitler and abortion doctors? Have you ever compared the Holocaust and abortion? Before seeing the 180 Movie, I hadn't either. But wow, you guys, are they ever alike.
Abortion is murder. A baby in the womb has a heart beat. It has eyes. It has a body. Your mother could have aborted you, but she didn't. Would you have said that it was okay if you were the one who was murdered before you even got the chance to live? You might be thinking, well, I can't do anything to stop abortion. You're right, you, alone, probably can't. Just like a toothpick, with one tiny bend will break. But if we stand together and fight abortion, we'll be unstoppable. If you've ever taken a hand full of toothpicks and tried to snap them, it doesn't work all that great. We can come together as one and stop this horrible crime. Why is murder illegal but the killing of an unborn baby is somehow okay? Wake up, people!
Go to 180movie.com or http://www.youtube.com/watchv
to watch. Let's start a chain reaction!
My mom could have easily gotten an abortion. She was 17. She was still in school. Not married. Her parents would've been disappointed. She could have killed me and gone on living her life like it was normal. She could've gotten married and then decided to have kids. I wouldn't have disrupted her life. But she chose to have me. Nothing in my life, none of my circumstances should have ever ended up in me following God. It makes no sense. But God wanted me. He fought for me. That's why I'm alive today, because he loves me, he has a plan for me, and he's not giving up on me. If I would've been aborted, I would've never had the chance to be on fire for God in this little ol' town of mine and make a difference. There are not many teenagers here with anywhere near the passion and drive I have for God, and I want to change that.
Guys, we have to put an end to this horror. Step up! If you, as one person, is added to the number of people fighting abortion, we will have a chain reaction and abortion will be put to a stop.
Now, if you've had an abortion, you know what? Your Daddy still loves you. He's waiting there with open arms for you to come to him with your burdens, your fears, your tears, your heart ache. There's hope. You are a living testimony!! Don't let your life be wasted. Live. Live while you're alive. You were given the chance to.
http://soundcloud.com/dko528/momma-do-you-hear-me-1
God bless you guys,
Ariel
Abortion is murder. A baby in the womb has a heart beat. It has eyes. It has a body. Your mother could have aborted you, but she didn't. Would you have said that it was okay if you were the one who was murdered before you even got the chance to live? You might be thinking, well, I can't do anything to stop abortion. You're right, you, alone, probably can't. Just like a toothpick, with one tiny bend will break. But if we stand together and fight abortion, we'll be unstoppable. If you've ever taken a hand full of toothpicks and tried to snap them, it doesn't work all that great. We can come together as one and stop this horrible crime. Why is murder illegal but the killing of an unborn baby is somehow okay? Wake up, people!
Go to 180movie.com or http://www.youtube.com/watchv
to watch. Let's start a chain reaction!
My mom could have easily gotten an abortion. She was 17. She was still in school. Not married. Her parents would've been disappointed. She could have killed me and gone on living her life like it was normal. She could've gotten married and then decided to have kids. I wouldn't have disrupted her life. But she chose to have me. Nothing in my life, none of my circumstances should have ever ended up in me following God. It makes no sense. But God wanted me. He fought for me. That's why I'm alive today, because he loves me, he has a plan for me, and he's not giving up on me. If I would've been aborted, I would've never had the chance to be on fire for God in this little ol' town of mine and make a difference. There are not many teenagers here with anywhere near the passion and drive I have for God, and I want to change that.
Guys, we have to put an end to this horror. Step up! If you, as one person, is added to the number of people fighting abortion, we will have a chain reaction and abortion will be put to a stop.
Now, if you've had an abortion, you know what? Your Daddy still loves you. He's waiting there with open arms for you to come to him with your burdens, your fears, your tears, your heart ache. There's hope. You are a living testimony!! Don't let your life be wasted. Live. Live while you're alive. You were given the chance to.
http://soundcloud.com/dko528/momma-do-you-hear-me-1
God bless you guys,
Ariel
September 12, 2011
Untouchable
I got my tragus pierced. Yupp.
Ha, I am just in an "untouchable" mood. I knew that people were going to be...unimpressed with me for getting another piercing, and I knew that it would probably hurt like no tomorrow (although it didn't), but you know what? I took a jump. I have to learn to do that more often. Now, this was a very small, unimportant jump, (it's jewelry, c'mon!) but nonetheless, I took a jump. I decided that I couldn't care less what anyone thinks of me!
Since school started, I have learned to love my spare. It's right in between 2 classes, so I can't stay home and sleep, and I can't go home early. Well, I have a tiny little bible in a metal case (that I love!) that I carry in my purse. So, what did I decide to do on my first spare? TAWG! (Time Alone With God). It was fantastic. I just feel so much more awake and joyful and ready to tackle the day when I spend time with God at times other than before bed. And the great thing is that I have students and teachers walking by me every now and again, and that's a door opened to me, a seed planted. I have teachers that I know for a fact aren't Christian. One of them walked by me, and I totally wasn't expecting him to because he's on a completely different floor, but he said that he liked my book cover, and that he was assuming it was a bible. Little things like that just make my day! Bam! Open door. Now, my history teachers going to be a harder door to open. I have a binder with pictures and verses on it, so he comes and sees pictures, picks up the binder, I'm assuming the first thing he read was the verse, he put the binder down and walked away without saying a word. My first thought: Oooh, this is gonna be a fun year! Ha, oh man, he walks by me reading my bible, not a comment. And friends have told me stories from the past that just show that he gets so ticked off at any belief in Christianity. Like I said, this is gonna be a good year. Prayer is a powerful thing! Something will happen, I'm sure of it. God wants as many people to come to him as possible, so why wouldn't he open a door for that to happen? I have full faith that God can completely change someone's heart and views. God willing.
I was called a "Bible Thumper" the other day by a friend, but she said that it "suited" me. This was like a punch to the gut. I hate labels. I love this friend dearly, don't get me wrong, it wouldn't have mattered who would've said this. My confidence just shattered. I went into school just on fire with confidence, and that confidence definitely shattered from that. But then I was reading my bible, and verse after verse says you will be called names, you will be persecuted for following Me.
Luke 6:22-23 "People will hate you, shut you out, insult you and say you are evil because you follow the Son of Man. But when they do, you will be blessed. Be full of joy at that time, because you have a great reward in heaven."
John 15:18-19 "If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of this world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you."
And then there's my friends who just continue to uplift me in everything. One of them told me this: "I just wanted to tell you that you DO have a label. You are a daughter of the most High one and only God!" And another one said this: " I was called a Bible thumper when I was in high school, now those same people say they really looked up to me because I stood for my faith." And Jesus was just giving me thing after thing to rebuild my confidence. Praise God! He is forever good. You know what? In this world we will be persecuted, we will have trouble, but take heart, because God has overcome the world!!!
So, again, as I have said before, I really don't care what anyone thinks of me! I have an audience of one, and that is God. He knows my heart, he can judge me, so I really don't care what you think. As long as I'm pleasing him, I'm good. Galatians 1:10 "Do you think I am trying to make people accept me? No, God is the one I am trying to please. Am I trying to please people? If I still wanted to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ." Amen.
Love y'all dearly, but I don't care what you think of me. :) "I won't bow down even if the whole world thinks I'm crazy!"-Hey Hey by Superchick
God bless!!
Ariel
 |
| Actually hurts less than a cartilige piercing. But you can definitely hear the cartilige breaking. :) |
Ha, I am just in an "untouchable" mood. I knew that people were going to be...unimpressed with me for getting another piercing, and I knew that it would probably hurt like no tomorrow (although it didn't), but you know what? I took a jump. I have to learn to do that more often. Now, this was a very small, unimportant jump, (it's jewelry, c'mon!) but nonetheless, I took a jump. I decided that I couldn't care less what anyone thinks of me!
Since school started, I have learned to love my spare. It's right in between 2 classes, so I can't stay home and sleep, and I can't go home early. Well, I have a tiny little bible in a metal case (that I love!) that I carry in my purse. So, what did I decide to do on my first spare? TAWG! (Time Alone With God). It was fantastic. I just feel so much more awake and joyful and ready to tackle the day when I spend time with God at times other than before bed. And the great thing is that I have students and teachers walking by me every now and again, and that's a door opened to me, a seed planted. I have teachers that I know for a fact aren't Christian. One of them walked by me, and I totally wasn't expecting him to because he's on a completely different floor, but he said that he liked my book cover, and that he was assuming it was a bible. Little things like that just make my day! Bam! Open door. Now, my history teachers going to be a harder door to open. I have a binder with pictures and verses on it, so he comes and sees pictures, picks up the binder, I'm assuming the first thing he read was the verse, he put the binder down and walked away without saying a word. My first thought: Oooh, this is gonna be a fun year! Ha, oh man, he walks by me reading my bible, not a comment. And friends have told me stories from the past that just show that he gets so ticked off at any belief in Christianity. Like I said, this is gonna be a good year. Prayer is a powerful thing! Something will happen, I'm sure of it. God wants as many people to come to him as possible, so why wouldn't he open a door for that to happen? I have full faith that God can completely change someone's heart and views. God willing.
I was called a "Bible Thumper" the other day by a friend, but she said that it "suited" me. This was like a punch to the gut. I hate labels. I love this friend dearly, don't get me wrong, it wouldn't have mattered who would've said this. My confidence just shattered. I went into school just on fire with confidence, and that confidence definitely shattered from that. But then I was reading my bible, and verse after verse says you will be called names, you will be persecuted for following Me.
Luke 6:22-23 "People will hate you, shut you out, insult you and say you are evil because you follow the Son of Man. But when they do, you will be blessed. Be full of joy at that time, because you have a great reward in heaven."
John 15:18-19 "If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of this world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you."
And then there's my friends who just continue to uplift me in everything. One of them told me this: "I just wanted to tell you that you DO have a label. You are a daughter of the most High one and only God!" And another one said this: " I was called a Bible thumper when I was in high school, now those same people say they really looked up to me because I stood for my faith." And Jesus was just giving me thing after thing to rebuild my confidence. Praise God! He is forever good. You know what? In this world we will be persecuted, we will have trouble, but take heart, because God has overcome the world!!!
So, again, as I have said before, I really don't care what anyone thinks of me! I have an audience of one, and that is God. He knows my heart, he can judge me, so I really don't care what you think. As long as I'm pleasing him, I'm good. Galatians 1:10 "Do you think I am trying to make people accept me? No, God is the one I am trying to please. Am I trying to please people? If I still wanted to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ." Amen.
Love y'all dearly, but I don't care what you think of me. :) "I won't bow down even if the whole world thinks I'm crazy!"-Hey Hey by Superchick
God bless!!
Ariel
September 5, 2011
Look Deeper
I've said it before and I'll say it again: die religion die. It needs to be gone. Religion is nothing but a bunch of man-made rules, not God made, man-made. I'm so tired of people telling me what I can and cannot do because "God wouldn't like that" when really, that's just their opinions on what God would or wouldn't like. Stop putting words in God's mouth. We can't do that. I don't do that, and if I do, then call me on it! I go back to the bible, every time. I had an argument about music with one of my friends on facebook a while ago, and I proved everything I said with Biblical evidence, this other guy comes in, he said what God "would say" but never gave biblical back up. And quite honestly, what he said was delusional and he was justifying his actions. He was putting words in God's mouth to suit him and the way he wanted to live his life. Not okay. I'm not saying this to beat up on this guy, that's none of my business. I told this story because I want so badly for you guys to get that we can't make up our own truths. Bible Gateway is an awesome resource to find verses quickly for whatever situation, or Google! Whatever! Just back yourself up, and keep your opinions out of it. In fact, as a person who is following God and has given their life over to him, your opinions should line up with the truth that is God breathed in the bible because that's what God says and that is what you believe.
If you're just going to church on Sundays, reading your bible and praying once a week, that doesn't make you a Christian. "Going to church on Sundays doesn't make you a Christian any more than sitting in a garage makes you a car." Being a Christian is a relationship. If you went to school and your best friend didn't talk to you for a week, would you think that they still wanted to be your best friend? No. Why? Because they weren't saying hi in the halls, they weren't telling you stories about their day, they weren't even asking for help with their homework. Why do we think that God's any different? If you don't talk to him, there's no relationship growing. How do you think we get closer to people? We talk. How do we get closer to God? We talk. Simple as that. Last night I was talking to God as if he was right there on the couch beside me. It was awesome!
Just look inside yourself, do you have a relationship, or do you have religion?
God bless,
Ariel
September 2, 2011
Blow Your Mind
How impossible is this earth? It's absolutely impossible! There is nothing naturally possible about it. I hear people talking about evolution and how they believe that everything evolved into what it is now. Or another one of my favorites, the Big Bang Theory (good show, by the way, besides their purely idiotic so called "truths").
Look at one of the key points of evolution: monkeys evolved into humans. Not possible. Why? Because there's still monkeys on this earth, so why aren't they evolving still? And better yet, why are there still monkeys on this earth? Shouldn't they all have evolved into humans by now? Missing links. If there's a missing link, there's no way I would count it as truth, because it's not.
I just find this world so amazing. And so impossible. It's incredible because everything you look at points to God. Nothing on this earth is even possible without him. Like a tree. So, you take this tiny little seed, as small as a pea, and out of this tiny little seed grows this gigantic tree? It just shouldn't work! There is no possible way! All the bark and leaves and roots and everything that this tree has built into it so that it can survive...wow. That is just incredible to me, I don't know about you, but that just blows my mind.
Another thing I find just so mind blowing is how far in advance God plans things. Bare with me and actually read all this, because it will blow your mind, I promise. (I got all the years from my bible and did all the approximate math.) In Psalm 34:20 it says, "He will protect their very bones; not one of them will be broken." This was probably written around 1400 B.C. Jesus was born around 50 A.D. That's over a thousand years difference, from when this was prophesied to when Jesus was born. It probably would have been about 1500 years after that Jesus was crucified. So, well over 1000 years before Jesus was born, they said that not a bone in his body would be broken, then Jesus gets crucified, and guess what?! Not a bone in his body was broken. Fifteen thousand years, baby. When they crucified people, they nailed them to the cross in their wrists. At the beginning of all creation, when God created man, he gave us two bones in our forearm, with a gap in the middle. He did this at the beginning of creation so that at least 2000 years later (I couldn't figure out the actual timeline because a) I'm exhausted and b) I didn't trust any of the internet sources, so if you can give me the actual timeline and reliable proof, it would be appreciated :) ) when Jesus was crucified not one of his bones would be broken because the nail would go in between the 2 bones put in our arm at the beginning of time so that the Bible would be 100% the truth. How freakin' awesome is that?!?! He plans things so far in advance that from the beginning of time he had Jesus' life planned out. So what does that mean for us? God planned out our life from the beginning of creation. He knew which family we'd be in, he knew who are friends would be, he knew who we'd marry, who our kids would be, what troubles we'd go through, and how many people we would reach through Him. What an amazing God we serve. I can't even understand his ways, not even maybe.
Or look at the human brain, or the human eye. Charles Darwin, an agnostic man who did believe in evolution to an extent said, "The suppose that the eye could have been formed by natural selection, seems, I freely confess, absurd in the highest possible degree." Here's a man who believes evolution saying that evolution is absurd. Bam. I've heard of so many evolutionists taking back their theories, and saying that it's impossible, but for some reason, people just keep milking it. Now, the brain. This blob of goop that controls our bodies, remembers everything, allows us to think and do everything. What??? How is that even anywhere close to possible?! It's not. Ha, the way that God has created everything is just so crazy, and only possible with him. I love it. The care and time that he took in making every single one of our bodies is just amazing.
Open your eyes, open your hearts. God's just waiting there, if you search for him, you will find him, guaranteed. Just try it, just this once. You won't be disappointed.
Blessings,
Ariel
Look at one of the key points of evolution: monkeys evolved into humans. Not possible. Why? Because there's still monkeys on this earth, so why aren't they evolving still? And better yet, why are there still monkeys on this earth? Shouldn't they all have evolved into humans by now? Missing links. If there's a missing link, there's no way I would count it as truth, because it's not.
I just find this world so amazing. And so impossible. It's incredible because everything you look at points to God. Nothing on this earth is even possible without him. Like a tree. So, you take this tiny little seed, as small as a pea, and out of this tiny little seed grows this gigantic tree? It just shouldn't work! There is no possible way! All the bark and leaves and roots and everything that this tree has built into it so that it can survive...wow. That is just incredible to me, I don't know about you, but that just blows my mind.
 |
| Do you see the tiny little seed? |
 |
| That tiny little seed turned into this beast! How in the world...? :) |
Or look at the human brain, or the human eye. Charles Darwin, an agnostic man who did believe in evolution to an extent said, "The suppose that the eye could have been formed by natural selection, seems, I freely confess, absurd in the highest possible degree." Here's a man who believes evolution saying that evolution is absurd. Bam. I've heard of so many evolutionists taking back their theories, and saying that it's impossible, but for some reason, people just keep milking it. Now, the brain. This blob of goop that controls our bodies, remembers everything, allows us to think and do everything. What??? How is that even anywhere close to possible?! It's not. Ha, the way that God has created everything is just so crazy, and only possible with him. I love it. The care and time that he took in making every single one of our bodies is just amazing.
Open your eyes, open your hearts. God's just waiting there, if you search for him, you will find him, guaranteed. Just try it, just this once. You won't be disappointed.
Blessings,
Ariel
August 29, 2011
Fire
Wow, it's over. Summer camp 2011 is over. I can't believe it. This summer has been a ride, that's for sure. I can't shake the feeling that last night I should've been at staff meeting, and this morning I should've been bringing kids to their cabins. But I'm not, and I didn't, because it's over. Wow.
WBC staff, I love you, with all my heart. I don't even have the words to describe what you mean to me. I look back at encouragement note after encouragement note, and I just think to myself, wow, how did I get blessed with this group of people? This group of people in Southern Manitoba, this group of people who are so out of the ordinary, that all some how ended up at Winkler Bible Camp. How does that even work?!?! There's so much junk out there in the world. As teenagers, we're expected to sleep all summer, to just lounge out, party, drink, swear, date person after person, and just not really care. And here I am, in the middle of over a hundred teenagers who've given up their summers to come to this camp and spread the word of Jesus to these kids; these teenagers who are willing to wake up early in the morning, work all day, and go to bed late; these teenagers who never turn down a request for help; these teenagers who are just on freakin' fire for God!!! I still how no idea how in the world I got put in this crazy place, but I love it. I love YOU! Man, you guys are just awesome. I love watching you serve, I love working with you, I love being around you! Don't let that fire die, throughout this school year, or whatever you're doing this year, please just rely on God in everything. Keep building that fire, it can never be too big!
In the song Hosanna, it says "I see a generation rising up to take their place, with selfless faith, with selfless faith." I proclaim that! And I know it's possible. Why? Because I saw it this summer in each and every one of the wonderful staff that I worked with. We are that generation.
I love you all! Please, please keep that fire burning!
Blessings,
Ariel
August 21, 2011
Alarm The Alarm
Wow, Satan is attacking hard this weekend. I get home, and my mom tells me that I have to clean my room before I can go see my auntie or anyone for that matter. I tend to snap at the littlest things lately. I just got so mad. I went up to my room, and man were the tears trying to make their way out. It wasn't just that though, it was also my week. Satan has been pushing hard on me for the past week.
My girls, intermediates age 12-13 just didn't seem to want to get into God. They were great girls otherwise, at activities and stuff, but when it came to Bible Break and Cabin Sharing, they just didn't care...at all. I was so discouraged on Thursday, I went and talked to my sister and the tears were just poking at my eyes...it was horrible! She prayed for me and I went back to my girls. For devo's we were gonna do a Beauty/Boy talk, we got finished the beauty talk, and the girls had questions about some of the verse I had read, but not about the beauty part of it, about the God part of it. We veered completely off the topic of beauty and they just had so many awesome questions about God and who he is. I was so happy!!! We went to bed around 11:30, and I remember looking at the time after I did this, 11:47, I'm pretty sure I accidentally giggled out loud because I was thinking about the events of that evening. So funny. I woke up at 6:30 just giddy. Man, God was so present! Then on Friday, Bible Break is usually around half an hour; our Bible Break lasted an hour and a half! Woo! It was fantastic!!! Ha :) I love the way God works. I'm just so happy that these girls got to experience God and that this week wasn't just a wasted effort.
So yeah, with the frustrations of the week, I got home and just got even more frustrated. My feelings throughout the summer have just built up higher and higher until the point when, yesterday, I just broke down. I cried like never before, and cried out to God like never before. I remember one thing that triggered it was facebook. I go on facebook and see all these people's status...wow. I just wish they would experience God and that it would change their lives forever. The holy spirit works in mysterious ways...who knows what will happen :)
This week/weekend has just been a crazy mix of every emotion, I look forward to my final week at camp. Please keep me in your prayers.
Blessings,
Ariel
My girls, intermediates age 12-13 just didn't seem to want to get into God. They were great girls otherwise, at activities and stuff, but when it came to Bible Break and Cabin Sharing, they just didn't care...at all. I was so discouraged on Thursday, I went and talked to my sister and the tears were just poking at my eyes...it was horrible! She prayed for me and I went back to my girls. For devo's we were gonna do a Beauty/Boy talk, we got finished the beauty talk, and the girls had questions about some of the verse I had read, but not about the beauty part of it, about the God part of it. We veered completely off the topic of beauty and they just had so many awesome questions about God and who he is. I was so happy!!! We went to bed around 11:30, and I remember looking at the time after I did this, 11:47, I'm pretty sure I accidentally giggled out loud because I was thinking about the events of that evening. So funny. I woke up at 6:30 just giddy. Man, God was so present! Then on Friday, Bible Break is usually around half an hour; our Bible Break lasted an hour and a half! Woo! It was fantastic!!! Ha :) I love the way God works. I'm just so happy that these girls got to experience God and that this week wasn't just a wasted effort.
So yeah, with the frustrations of the week, I got home and just got even more frustrated. My feelings throughout the summer have just built up higher and higher until the point when, yesterday, I just broke down. I cried like never before, and cried out to God like never before. I remember one thing that triggered it was facebook. I go on facebook and see all these people's status...wow. I just wish they would experience God and that it would change their lives forever. The holy spirit works in mysterious ways...who knows what will happen :)
This week/weekend has just been a crazy mix of every emotion, I look forward to my final week at camp. Please keep me in your prayers.
Blessings,
Ariel
August 14, 2011
Break Free
The one thing I always wish is that the whole world could have a camp atmosphere. To just be able to praise, to be able to break off the chains, to just worship Jesus! This weekend is probably the most I've hung out with any of my friends. I went to the These Kids Wear Crowns concert on Friday for my friend's birthday party. I'm happy that she had such a good time, but it was really heart breaking for me, to be honest. First off, what is the point to concerts with no meaning? I'm going to see Starfield tonight. There's a point to that: to worship God. But TKWC are purely entertainment. And for them being purely entertainment, I was bored. Not to mention I was half asleep for the whole thing (remind me not to go out on Friday nights anymore). I saw another one of my friends at the concert, and we freaked out and hugged. She was with one of her guy friends who you could tell by the way he acted towards me that he flirts with every single girl he meets. So, I was hanging out with these friends and it was so sickeningly worldly. The were smoking, swearing, threatening to kill people (dramatic much?). It made me so sad. So sad. For me, I know why if someone spread a rumor about me I would treat them with love. Sandals of peace. That's what we're called to wear. But for these people who don't have God in their life, and see no reason to have him in their lives, what are we supposed to do? What reason do they have to treat anyone with love? What reason do they have to do anything good? Nothing at all. And if they don't believe in God and don't want a relationship with him, then what can I do? I don't know. I'm so lost, I'm so broken.
I started thinking this week about different religions. Like Buddhism or Hindu or whatever else there is out there. It just breaks my heart because I don't know what I can do!!! I just want to do something! Do they really think that Buddha is real? Do they really think that he could ever love you or do anything for you? If this is their truth, and if they believe it with their whole heart, then how can we show them the real truth? Say someone believed in Buddha like I believe in God. My faith in God is unshaking, and you can't do anything to move me. I know that God is real. I've had my fair share of proof. But what if someone is set on Buddha? Then what? What am I supposed to do????? I just want so badly for these people to be shown the truth. God is good, he'll show himself to anyone who wants him, I believe that full well.
I'm realizing very quickly how I do not want to keep my faith a secret because if I keep it a secret, then I'm basically allowing the people around me to go to Hell. If they don't follow God, and I even try to do anything, then what good am I on this earth? I'm not going to go and scream in people's faces, "YOU HAVE TO FOLLOW GOD OR YOU'LL GO TO HELL!!!!!" No, but I will live my life how God wants me to, and I will be evident and bold about my faith. I want so badly to see the people in my town, in my school, break free from their chains. If God will use me and let me be even a little part in this, I am truly blessed.
God is good.
Blessings,
Ariel
I started thinking this week about different religions. Like Buddhism or Hindu or whatever else there is out there. It just breaks my heart because I don't know what I can do!!! I just want to do something! Do they really think that Buddha is real? Do they really think that he could ever love you or do anything for you? If this is their truth, and if they believe it with their whole heart, then how can we show them the real truth? Say someone believed in Buddha like I believe in God. My faith in God is unshaking, and you can't do anything to move me. I know that God is real. I've had my fair share of proof. But what if someone is set on Buddha? Then what? What am I supposed to do????? I just want so badly for these people to be shown the truth. God is good, he'll show himself to anyone who wants him, I believe that full well.
I'm realizing very quickly how I do not want to keep my faith a secret because if I keep it a secret, then I'm basically allowing the people around me to go to Hell. If they don't follow God, and I even try to do anything, then what good am I on this earth? I'm not going to go and scream in people's faces, "YOU HAVE TO FOLLOW GOD OR YOU'LL GO TO HELL!!!!!" No, but I will live my life how God wants me to, and I will be evident and bold about my faith. I want so badly to see the people in my town, in my school, break free from their chains. If God will use me and let me be even a little part in this, I am truly blessed.
God is good.
Blessings,
Ariel
July 29, 2011
Crazy
I figured out this week...that I am not normal. Not even a little bit! You know why? I'm a 16 year old girl who works at a Christian camp, teaching kids about Jesus all week and giving my all, getting up at 7am every day during my summer, working anywhere from 16-18 and even 24 hour days depending on the job, working over 100 hour 5 day weeks, while getting less than minimum wage. Now, if I did not have God in my life, then yes, I would be absolutely insane for agreeing to anything close to this! But guys, I have such a cool opportunity here. 2 of my girls this week became Christians, and one of them rededicated her life to God! I heard of SO MANY kids becoming Christians this week, AHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GOD IS SO GOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!! I, for the first time, got to lead a little girl in a prayer to ask Jesus into her heart. God is so so so good. So good.
This week has stretched me so much. Sunday just seems like it was so far away. At the meeting, we were just feeling such pain for these kids. There are kids at this camp who go through so much, and being at camp for one week is the only good thing in their life. We have to go so hard for these kids, no matter how tired we are, we have to be so intentional and make their week great. I had so many kids shouting "Ariel! Ariel!" all week, and I have no idea how they know my name! It's just fantastic that I have the chance to make even just one kid's day.
I prayed for this week that God would teach me to rely on him. Oh man, did he ever! We had one girl whose dad died a year ago today; we have another girl who just has so much spiritual battle, what she described sounded like she was seeing demons. Both of these things became bigger on Tuesday night at the same time, there was so much prayer and comfort, man, God was just moving in me and my co-counsellor. This stuff is something that I never would have imagined dealing with at 16 years old. Dealing with demons?! Telling Satan to get the heck out of our cabin??
The feeling that I'm not good enough for this job never seems to go away. There's other people at camp who are cut out for it, but not me. But I think that this is a good place to be, because that's when God can really work through me. When I know that I can't do it, but God can, great things happen you guys. God has just been working so much through me.
I've seen God so much this week, I am just in awe of his awesome power. I can't understand how anyone would ever just want to live for themselves instead of living for God. He is just so awesome.
Please guys, keep all Christians camps in your prayers this summer! There is such a battle going on; Satan is fighting hard for the souls of all of these kids, but you guys, God is so much stronger! He's proven it time and time again. He never fails. Please also keep me in your prayers, I need energy and wisdom, and I need my time with God.
We're now half way done the summer, it's crazy to think about it. But God is moving here. He is just so awesome! Ahhh!!!
God bless!!
Ariel
2 Thessalonians 3:3
This week has stretched me so much. Sunday just seems like it was so far away. At the meeting, we were just feeling such pain for these kids. There are kids at this camp who go through so much, and being at camp for one week is the only good thing in their life. We have to go so hard for these kids, no matter how tired we are, we have to be so intentional and make their week great. I had so many kids shouting "Ariel! Ariel!" all week, and I have no idea how they know my name! It's just fantastic that I have the chance to make even just one kid's day.
I prayed for this week that God would teach me to rely on him. Oh man, did he ever! We had one girl whose dad died a year ago today; we have another girl who just has so much spiritual battle, what she described sounded like she was seeing demons. Both of these things became bigger on Tuesday night at the same time, there was so much prayer and comfort, man, God was just moving in me and my co-counsellor. This stuff is something that I never would have imagined dealing with at 16 years old. Dealing with demons?! Telling Satan to get the heck out of our cabin??
The feeling that I'm not good enough for this job never seems to go away. There's other people at camp who are cut out for it, but not me. But I think that this is a good place to be, because that's when God can really work through me. When I know that I can't do it, but God can, great things happen you guys. God has just been working so much through me.
I've seen God so much this week, I am just in awe of his awesome power. I can't understand how anyone would ever just want to live for themselves instead of living for God. He is just so awesome.
Please guys, keep all Christians camps in your prayers this summer! There is such a battle going on; Satan is fighting hard for the souls of all of these kids, but you guys, God is so much stronger! He's proven it time and time again. He never fails. Please also keep me in your prayers, I need energy and wisdom, and I need my time with God.
We're now half way done the summer, it's crazy to think about it. But God is moving here. He is just so awesome! Ahhh!!!
God bless!!
Ariel
2 Thessalonians 3:3
July 28, 2011
The Saga of Gerald and Cledis
So, this is what we do at camp. This is the EXACT note I received from Cailey today. Something tells me she needs a life.
Enjoy!
[Note 1]
:(|) This is Gerald. He's a happy monkey friend. Gerald likes to ride bikes and swing from trees. He also LOVES to eat turtle and banana sandwiches. but only on rye bread. Gerald's favourite colour is purple. His favourite thing to wear is a purple loincloth (because monkeys aren't a huge fan of clothes)
(turtle) This is Cledis. He's a happy little turtle friend. He likes to have his claws painted and he can ride unicycles. Cledis' favourite food is monkey sandwiches. with peanut butter. His favourite colour is teal. and he likes to wear teal shawls. This (next note) is their story.
[Note 2]
One day Gerald was sitting alone in his tree and he was HUNGRY. So he decided that he wanted a turtle and banana sandwich. At that very moment, Cledis waddled slowly by Gerald's tree! Gerald jumped down and landed on Cledis' back and attempted to stab him with his loincloth, however it didn't work since it was a loincloth. But Cledis was a ninja so he jumped around and stabbed Gerald with his nail/claw polish brush. Cledis has monkey and peanut butter sandwiches for the rest of the week.
THE END
Love, Cailey :)
What a dork!
Strange but awesome things I have done with Cailey:
spatula fight (a silent spatula fight, mind you)
putting ranch on her pizza
getting water poured on my head in the middle of the dining hall
Enjoy!
[Note 1]
:(|) This is Gerald. He's a happy monkey friend. Gerald likes to ride bikes and swing from trees. He also LOVES to eat turtle and banana sandwiches. but only on rye bread. Gerald's favourite colour is purple. His favourite thing to wear is a purple loincloth (because monkeys aren't a huge fan of clothes)
(turtle) This is Cledis. He's a happy little turtle friend. He likes to have his claws painted and he can ride unicycles. Cledis' favourite food is monkey sandwiches. with peanut butter. His favourite colour is teal. and he likes to wear teal shawls. This (next note) is their story.
[Note 2]
One day Gerald was sitting alone in his tree and he was HUNGRY. So he decided that he wanted a turtle and banana sandwich. At that very moment, Cledis waddled slowly by Gerald's tree! Gerald jumped down and landed on Cledis' back and attempted to stab him with his loincloth, however it didn't work since it was a loincloth. But Cledis was a ninja so he jumped around and stabbed Gerald with his nail/claw polish brush. Cledis has monkey and peanut butter sandwiches for the rest of the week.
THE END
Love, Cailey :)
What a dork!
Strange but awesome things I have done with Cailey:
spatula fight (a silent spatula fight, mind you)
putting ranch on her pizza
getting water poured on my head in the middle of the dining hall
July 22, 2011
Suit Up
I have been crazy busy this month with summer camp. I just finished my 3rd week! It's crazy to think that there's only 5 more left.
For week 1, I was working at petting zoo. I love being on support staff! We have the most amazing group of staff here at camp, and I love them all so dearly. It was a fantastic week, obviously, seeing as most of our conversations during staff meetings revolved around poop. It was ridiculous, actually. The places kids put their poop at camp...ugh! It's just nasty! But makes for such funny stories! I always laugh so hard at evening staff meetings. Imagine this: a bunch of over-tired teenagers just having finished a 16 hour work day, all coming into one humid room to share about their day. Chaos!!! So. Funny. To be a fly on the wall.....
During week 2 I was counselling. I honestly had the perfect cabin. They were very quiet at first, but warmed up pretty soon. They were calm when they needed to be, and got hyper when we weren't really doing anything. They were all such sweet girls and awesome to hang out with. They shared during Bible Break and prayed out loud. I just love them! It was a very hard week for me because my grandma's boyfriend of 24 years and fiance passed away on the Tuesday. Tuesday and Wednesday were very difficult for me because I saw what it was doing to my family and the people who were close to him. My thoughts that week were that if grieving were a person, I would punch it in the face. During chapel on the Wednesday, I said to God, I want YOUR peace, YOUR strength and YOUR joy. It was like a light switch, I was just so happy, and it lasted all week. That unexplainable joy. God is just so good. I learnt that I was not using my shield of faith. I didn't do devo's on Wednesday either, and I was depressed all day, but when I prayed, God was instantly there.
I will definitely be sharing about week 3 when I'm not ready to crash out! Blessings all.
Ariel
For week 1, I was working at petting zoo. I love being on support staff! We have the most amazing group of staff here at camp, and I love them all so dearly. It was a fantastic week, obviously, seeing as most of our conversations during staff meetings revolved around poop. It was ridiculous, actually. The places kids put their poop at camp...ugh! It's just nasty! But makes for such funny stories! I always laugh so hard at evening staff meetings. Imagine this: a bunch of over-tired teenagers just having finished a 16 hour work day, all coming into one humid room to share about their day. Chaos!!! So. Funny. To be a fly on the wall.....
During week 2 I was counselling. I honestly had the perfect cabin. They were very quiet at first, but warmed up pretty soon. They were calm when they needed to be, and got hyper when we weren't really doing anything. They were all such sweet girls and awesome to hang out with. They shared during Bible Break and prayed out loud. I just love them! It was a very hard week for me because my grandma's boyfriend of 24 years and fiance passed away on the Tuesday. Tuesday and Wednesday were very difficult for me because I saw what it was doing to my family and the people who were close to him. My thoughts that week were that if grieving were a person, I would punch it in the face. During chapel on the Wednesday, I said to God, I want YOUR peace, YOUR strength and YOUR joy. It was like a light switch, I was just so happy, and it lasted all week. That unexplainable joy. God is just so good. I learnt that I was not using my shield of faith. I didn't do devo's on Wednesday either, and I was depressed all day, but when I prayed, God was instantly there.
I will definitely be sharing about week 3 when I'm not ready to crash out! Blessings all.
Ariel
June 29, 2011
Au Revoir, Mon Amis
Today was my last day with my kindergarten classes. When I first started this, it was just something that was mandatory. I thought that maybe I'd have a bit of fun, but I really didn't think it'd be for me. They have proved me wrong...and I'm glad. These kids are the most amazing kids, and I've been so blessed and privileged to work with them. (I'm tearing up as I write this, we'll see if I can get through...)
My morning class is so independent and creative. There's so many kids who are so very talented. Some have stories all the time, others always hug you, others have their nose in a book 24/7, others are great at reading/writing/counting. They're all so different, it so great to see them grow and get to know them. They were quite the dramatic group, but I love them to bits. On my first day, I still remember this little girl coming up to me, quite boldly, and saying, "What's your name!" I had so much fun teaching them how to play Ninja Tag. I love that almost all of them showed me so much love, with many hugs and "HI MADAME ARIEL!!!!" 's whenever they saw me outside of school. I love their drawings and presents they gave me. Je t'aime, classe du matin. Vous êtes un grand groupe d'enfants, vous ne jamais l'oublier. J'espère venir vous rendre visite dès que je peux! Beaucoup, beaucoup de câlins! L'amour, madame Ariel.
Oh, how I love my afternoon class. Both of the classes were so different. Afternoon was more challenging, but in a good way. They have a different energy about them. They showed so much love to me, gave me so many drawings and many many many hugs. I love how they were always positive, and how we got to comfort them when they were sad. They would always make my day better by a great big "Hi Madame Ariel!!!!" when they saw me walk up to the school. One of the girls hugged me today and said, "Madame Ariel, I don't want to leave." The first thing I wanted to do was hug her back, and whisper, "I don't want to leave either..." But I couldn't. I had to pick up my broken heart off the floor and tell her that she would love grade one, and that she would make so many new friends and do so many cool things. Classe après-midi, Je t'aime plus que tu sais. J'ai eu tellement de plaisir avec vous! Vous êtes tous tellement impressionnant, je ne peux pas attendre pour entendre le cri première personne, "Salut, Mme Ariel!" Tu vas me manquer! L'amour, madame Ariel.
(And no, I did not, by far, get through this without crying...I love you guys so much.)
God bless!!!
Madame Ariel
My morning class is so independent and creative. There's so many kids who are so very talented. Some have stories all the time, others always hug you, others have their nose in a book 24/7, others are great at reading/writing/counting. They're all so different, it so great to see them grow and get to know them. They were quite the dramatic group, but I love them to bits. On my first day, I still remember this little girl coming up to me, quite boldly, and saying, "What's your name!" I had so much fun teaching them how to play Ninja Tag. I love that almost all of them showed me so much love, with many hugs and "HI MADAME ARIEL!!!!" 's whenever they saw me outside of school. I love their drawings and presents they gave me. Je t'aime, classe du matin. Vous êtes un grand groupe d'enfants, vous ne jamais l'oublier. J'espère venir vous rendre visite dès que je peux! Beaucoup, beaucoup de câlins! L'amour, madame Ariel.
Oh, how I love my afternoon class. Both of the classes were so different. Afternoon was more challenging, but in a good way. They have a different energy about them. They showed so much love to me, gave me so many drawings and many many many hugs. I love how they were always positive, and how we got to comfort them when they were sad. They would always make my day better by a great big "Hi Madame Ariel!!!!" when they saw me walk up to the school. One of the girls hugged me today and said, "Madame Ariel, I don't want to leave." The first thing I wanted to do was hug her back, and whisper, "I don't want to leave either..." But I couldn't. I had to pick up my broken heart off the floor and tell her that she would love grade one, and that she would make so many new friends and do so many cool things. Classe après-midi, Je t'aime plus que tu sais. J'ai eu tellement de plaisir avec vous! Vous êtes tous tellement impressionnant, je ne peux pas attendre pour entendre le cri première personne, "Salut, Mme Ariel!" Tu vas me manquer! L'amour, madame Ariel.
Je t'aime classe de maternelle!!!!!
(And no, I did not, by far, get through this without crying...I love you guys so much.)
God bless!!!
Madame Ariel
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| Merci beacoup, K! Ils sont si jolis. |
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| J'ai eu une explosion durant la Semaine Spirit avec vous les gars. Vous étiez tous tellement mignons! |
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| Merci beaucoup, S! J'aime, l'amour, l'amour les dons que tu m'as donné. |
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| Merci beaucoup, F! Je vais faire des câlins à mon chiot à chaque fois que je pense à vous les gars. |
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| Vous avez fait un bon travail à votre concert de printemps! Je suis donc très fier de vous. J'ai eu beaucoup de plaisir! |
June 27, 2011
Joke's On You
I've been getting a little hit of reality the past couple of days. And quite honestly, it sucks. I'd really just like to ask for prayers...I'll explain.
I really did think that I was at peace with the concert that I was planning being canceled. Manafest is coming to Winkler 2 days before my concert was supposed to happen, and I think that's what got me through the first couple weeks. Now it's been quite a while, at least it feels like a while, since it's been canceled, and I realized that I've had this false idea of what was going on. I thought that I would be much more involved with the Manafest concert, and I'm not. I thought it would be cheaper, but it's not. I thought it would be in Morden, but it's not. It's not my dream. And don't get me wrong, these things are not bad things, but this is other people's dreams. I love them dearly, but it's become clear that it's not what I had expected. I guess I half expected them to let me take the reigns and carry out my dream...which is completely delusional! I know, I know. My dream was to have these freakin' awesome bands come to Morden, because Morden doesn't get stuff like this often, to have a cheap, affordable concert that everyone could enjoy and have fun at. It's hard for me to not be in charge...more than I realized. I love being in charge! It's fun to plan, to see everything coming together, to be under the stress of it all, to be busy, to see the finished product.
It really hurts me that the Fire With Fire tour isn't coming to Morden...more than I knew. I feel a pang of sadness everytime I even think about July 18. I often feel like I've had my baby taken away from me. That concert was my baby, in a sense. I cared so much for it, I wanted to see it come together, I put so much work into it, I loved everything about it. I feel like the doctors told me that I was going to have a baby, and then a couple months later, they tell me the baby died. Gone. No more. Joke's on you. It breaks my heart.
Please, keep me in your thoughts and prayers, especially on July 18. I can just see how hard that day is going to be for me. God is good though, all the time. I believe that with my whole heart.
I'm not mad at anyone. I'm just sad, and I guess maybe a little resentful, but I will get over it. I know that when God closes one door, he opens another. These bands (The Letter Black, Write This Down, Icon For Hire, I Am Empire, and Nine Lashes) are just fantastic, and I've been praying for them and I will keep praying for them. I've had the opportunity to talk to some of the people in the bands too, and they are just the most awesome people you'll ever meet. I just really want to stress that I'm not mad...I'm sad. I'm broken hearted, and it's going to take a while for my heart to heal, because I did put my whole heart into this. But God is good. He is good...
God bless,
Ariel
I really did think that I was at peace with the concert that I was planning being canceled. Manafest is coming to Winkler 2 days before my concert was supposed to happen, and I think that's what got me through the first couple weeks. Now it's been quite a while, at least it feels like a while, since it's been canceled, and I realized that I've had this false idea of what was going on. I thought that I would be much more involved with the Manafest concert, and I'm not. I thought it would be cheaper, but it's not. I thought it would be in Morden, but it's not. It's not my dream. And don't get me wrong, these things are not bad things, but this is other people's dreams. I love them dearly, but it's become clear that it's not what I had expected. I guess I half expected them to let me take the reigns and carry out my dream...which is completely delusional! I know, I know. My dream was to have these freakin' awesome bands come to Morden, because Morden doesn't get stuff like this often, to have a cheap, affordable concert that everyone could enjoy and have fun at. It's hard for me to not be in charge...more than I realized. I love being in charge! It's fun to plan, to see everything coming together, to be under the stress of it all, to be busy, to see the finished product.
It really hurts me that the Fire With Fire tour isn't coming to Morden...more than I knew. I feel a pang of sadness everytime I even think about July 18. I often feel like I've had my baby taken away from me. That concert was my baby, in a sense. I cared so much for it, I wanted to see it come together, I put so much work into it, I loved everything about it. I feel like the doctors told me that I was going to have a baby, and then a couple months later, they tell me the baby died. Gone. No more. Joke's on you. It breaks my heart.
Please, keep me in your thoughts and prayers, especially on July 18. I can just see how hard that day is going to be for me. God is good though, all the time. I believe that with my whole heart.
I'm not mad at anyone. I'm just sad, and I guess maybe a little resentful, but I will get over it. I know that when God closes one door, he opens another. These bands (The Letter Black, Write This Down, Icon For Hire, I Am Empire, and Nine Lashes) are just fantastic, and I've been praying for them and I will keep praying for them. I've had the opportunity to talk to some of the people in the bands too, and they are just the most awesome people you'll ever meet. I just really want to stress that I'm not mad...I'm sad. I'm broken hearted, and it's going to take a while for my heart to heal, because I did put my whole heart into this. But God is good. He is good...
God bless,
Ariel
June 21, 2011
Get Messy
I hate labels. I hate labels with a passion. Especially "goody" labels. Like the "good little church girl" or "goody two shoes" or "nerd" or whatever else you wanna call me. Hey, guess what? I could easily turn into a "bully" and punch you the next time you call me one of those!!!! Gah!
Why do I hate these labels? Because if you do one good thing, or do the right thing, you're automatically labeled a goody-two-shoes. You can't do something good just for the sake of doing it. If you go to church and actually do what the bible says, you're automatically labeled a good little church girl. People tend to take advantage of you when you have this label because they think you're too naive and sweet and a push-over to actually do anything about it. This is why I've started to say no when I want to say no lately. Oh, and my favorite as of late, being called a nerd. I am being labeled as a nerd because I'm actually doing my school work to the best of my ability. Isn't that what you're supposed to do in school?! For crying out loud!
I hate being labeled as "good" things. I don't like it when people think I'm innocent, or naive, or anything else like that, because I'm not. I'm really not! I've experienced first hand so many things in my life that have left me incredibly scarred, but I love that about myself. I wouldn't want to have been that naive little 13 year old and I'm glad that I wasn't, because now I know what life is. I know that the way I was living then was not the right way. God brought me back to him, he was waiting while I ignored him, and now he has me back. I'm so happy to be back in my Daddy's arms.
I want to be known for being on fire, absolutely crazy, confident, God's warrior. That's the name I want to have for myself, that's what I truly desire. I believe that you can't be innocent to do God's work, because you need to go out into the world. You need to get in there and get messy. That's what I'm doing. I'm getting messy, and I love it. Thank you God!
Blessings,
Ariel
Why do I hate these labels? Because if you do one good thing, or do the right thing, you're automatically labeled a goody-two-shoes. You can't do something good just for the sake of doing it. If you go to church and actually do what the bible says, you're automatically labeled a good little church girl. People tend to take advantage of you when you have this label because they think you're too naive and sweet and a push-over to actually do anything about it. This is why I've started to say no when I want to say no lately. Oh, and my favorite as of late, being called a nerd. I am being labeled as a nerd because I'm actually doing my school work to the best of my ability. Isn't that what you're supposed to do in school?! For crying out loud!
I hate being labeled as "good" things. I don't like it when people think I'm innocent, or naive, or anything else like that, because I'm not. I'm really not! I've experienced first hand so many things in my life that have left me incredibly scarred, but I love that about myself. I wouldn't want to have been that naive little 13 year old and I'm glad that I wasn't, because now I know what life is. I know that the way I was living then was not the right way. God brought me back to him, he was waiting while I ignored him, and now he has me back. I'm so happy to be back in my Daddy's arms.
I want to be known for being on fire, absolutely crazy, confident, God's warrior. That's the name I want to have for myself, that's what I truly desire. I believe that you can't be innocent to do God's work, because you need to go out into the world. You need to get in there and get messy. That's what I'm doing. I'm getting messy, and I love it. Thank you God!
Blessings,
Ariel
June 20, 2011
Door: Open
So, as many of you know, the concert that I was planning for this summer has been canceled. I was very sad when this first happened...and of course, I cried. A lot. I know this sounds dumb and waaay exaggerated, but I felt as if I had my baby taken away from me. This concert was my baby. (Keep in mind, I have never been pregnant or had a child, so this is the closest I can relate). The thing that I was most sad about was that Morden wouldn't get to experience this concert. I was so excited that I could finally bring these huge bands to Morden, just like I've dreamed about for almost 2 years now. But God gave me peace about it. I don't know how or why, but I knew that I had to trust in him. He comforted me and gave me this unexplainable peace. Man, I love him. At first, as expected, I was thinking, why would God open this amazing door just to slam it in my face? But then......He opened another door. Manafest is coming to Winkler!!!!!!! And I am privileged and blessed enough to be apart of this event. It's funny, because I found out once my concert had been canceled that some of my friends had been planning a concert for the day before mine, but they had canceled theirs because they didn't want to interfere with mine. God bless them. So, they picked up with their concert again and it is official!! http://www.facebook.com/media/albums/?id=100000903247456#!/event.php?eid=138382669571734 It's gonna be an awesome time. God is good, all the time. This is something that I constantly tell myself.
God bless, and hope to see you at the concert!
Ariel
God bless, and hope to see you at the concert!
Ariel
May 29, 2011
Greater Things
God Of This City is a song that I haven't quite understood until this morning. I understand it now because I have such a passion for change in this town! Man, God is using me for big things. I'm so incredibly blessed by Him, I can't imagine more, but God says that he will give us life beyond our wildest imaginations! What a crazy God we serve. :)
Any of you that live in the same town as me, or even in the area, have heard rumors, and know that this town has a reputation, not a good one either. But that's okay. You know why? Because it gives God so much to work with! He is working here, you guys!! I believe that this concert that I'm helping put together is going to be huge, it's going to change hearts, it's going to plant a seed in a lot of people who aren't expecting it. There's a verse that says that Jesus will come like a thief in the night. Well, I believe that God will come like a thief in the night and steal their hearts! He's going to poke at their hearts, they're going to need him because once you have one experience with God, it's so hard to be okay with things going back to how they were. God is so awesome!
On another note, I just want to say to every one of you who reads my blog that I love you so much! Even if you've only read one post, or maybe you've just skimmed over the site, whatever! I LOVE YOU!!! I've been having a battle in my heart all weekend. It's been very tough and very annoying. But God is good, time and time again. A couple days ago I was questioning whether to keep writing. I felt like my words were not helping anyone, not reaching anyone, and that no one was reading anymore. But then I go back and read your comments, your emails, your facebook messages, and I'm so humbled! When I started writing this blog, I never imagined that I would get readers from almost every single continent in this world!! I never imagined that I'd get people emailing me that I helped them, that I opened their eyes. I never imagined that my words could make people cry. I never imagined that this could be a God given talent, but it is. I believe that with my whole heart. I just want to pour into you guys. I have incredible passion in my heart, any of you who have read the blog or know me in person know that, and I believe that God will use this passion! So thank you, all of you who are reading this, and I really hope that this blog is not useless on you.
If you guys ever want to talk to me, I love talking to people! (My supervisor wrote me a reference letter for my portfolio and said that I'm very talkative and get along with everyone--so there's your proof!) I love meeting new people, making new friends. So, here's your open door! Email : xo_arial_xo@hotmail.com Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/arielgiesbrecht
I really would love to talk to you guys!
God bless!!
Ariel
May 27, 2011
Lifted Up
One more reason school is stupid.So, everyone is always asking the question, "Why is it so hard to talk about God openly?" "Why is it awkward?" "Why is it not socially accepted?" Here's your answer: Public schools. Public schools teach you from kindergarten that it is not politically correct to talk about God in school because everyone has different beliefs. Yes, everyone has different beliefs, and I respect that, but at the same time, why would you let anyone, let alone a little child, believe lies? You have religious exercises (which, I'm sorry, but it's a stupid name) but parents have to sign a form allowing their child to learn about GOD, the One who created everyone and everything on this earth?! Okay, so you have just enough of God in the schools to still be politically correct and please *most* parents? Good enough, right? I mean, all we can ask for is a little bit of God.
If you are accepting this, you're crazy. I hate that a child can be talking about God in the classroom and a teacher will tell them that they're not allowed to talk about that. It's so stupid! This is why kids are afraid to tell others about God and to live out their faith, because they are taught right from the start that they're not supposed to.
Can it change? I sure hope so. But will it change? Probably not. Don't get me wrong, I don't want to have full out Christian schools, that's not good for kids either. They have to learn to live for God in a worldly setting. But the thing that makes me angry is that they can't even talk about God with their friends, even with other believers. Teachers have now become persecutors. Not all, but some. And it's stupid. It makes me so mad.
I hate how in middle school/high school teachers don't care if kids are talking about sex/drugs/parties/drinking/swearing, but when it comes to God, nope! Not acceptable. People need a reality check. I can't WAIT until God is lifted up to the highest place, when Jesus comes again, when we can all go be with God and praise him ALL THE TIME! It will be perfect.
My kids are going to be raised to know that God is the most awesome thing ever! That no one and nothing compares to him! That with him, their lives will be incredible. They need to be raised to know God. Yeah, maybe they'll fall away from God, they'll have their struggles, but when they overcome those struggles, man, it's going to be so good.
I challenge you to say even the tiny things, like if it's a nice day and you're talking to someone about the weather, you could say "Praise God for this weather!" Or if it's rainy and gross outside, say, "Oh, I'll have to pray about that." Just little things like that will get people's attention. We don't have to be quiet. This generation can rise up and proclaim the name of Christ! Even here, in our own towns, we can be the start to a huge chain reaction. Please believe that if you believe in God and open up your heart to him, he will use you for huge things. I am a perfect example of that, and I can't wait to see what God's going to do in my life, even just in the next year. He is incredible. Is it going to be scary to open up that door, letting God rule your life? Yes. Oh man, yes it is! But it's going to be so worth it. He's going to overflow your life with Himself, his plan, his peace, joy, blessings. Hard times will come, I can guarantee it, but you can God to carry you through those times. Please, please just let him open up these doors for you. You will never regret it, I can promise you that!
God bless you all,
Ariel
If you are accepting this, you're crazy. I hate that a child can be talking about God in the classroom and a teacher will tell them that they're not allowed to talk about that. It's so stupid! This is why kids are afraid to tell others about God and to live out their faith, because they are taught right from the start that they're not supposed to.
Can it change? I sure hope so. But will it change? Probably not. Don't get me wrong, I don't want to have full out Christian schools, that's not good for kids either. They have to learn to live for God in a worldly setting. But the thing that makes me angry is that they can't even talk about God with their friends, even with other believers. Teachers have now become persecutors. Not all, but some. And it's stupid. It makes me so mad.
I hate how in middle school/high school teachers don't care if kids are talking about sex/drugs/parties/drinking/swearing, but when it comes to God, nope! Not acceptable. People need a reality check. I can't WAIT until God is lifted up to the highest place, when Jesus comes again, when we can all go be with God and praise him ALL THE TIME! It will be perfect.
My kids are going to be raised to know that God is the most awesome thing ever! That no one and nothing compares to him! That with him, their lives will be incredible. They need to be raised to know God. Yeah, maybe they'll fall away from God, they'll have their struggles, but when they overcome those struggles, man, it's going to be so good.
I challenge you to say even the tiny things, like if it's a nice day and you're talking to someone about the weather, you could say "Praise God for this weather!" Or if it's rainy and gross outside, say, "Oh, I'll have to pray about that." Just little things like that will get people's attention. We don't have to be quiet. This generation can rise up and proclaim the name of Christ! Even here, in our own towns, we can be the start to a huge chain reaction. Please believe that if you believe in God and open up your heart to him, he will use you for huge things. I am a perfect example of that, and I can't wait to see what God's going to do in my life, even just in the next year. He is incredible. Is it going to be scary to open up that door, letting God rule your life? Yes. Oh man, yes it is! But it's going to be so worth it. He's going to overflow your life with Himself, his plan, his peace, joy, blessings. Hard times will come, I can guarantee it, but you can God to carry you through those times. Please, please just let him open up these doors for you. You will never regret it, I can promise you that!
God bless you all,
Ariel
May 19, 2011
Father Will You Come
Um...God is just so cool. That's all I can think to start this with! Ha, I'm just so awe struck with His greatness. I find it incredible how God, who has always been here, which is such a hard concept to grasp, I cannot wrap my mind around it...God doesn't need us, but He wants us. He did not have to make human beings, He does not need us for anything at all. But to think that he wanted us, to pour his love out onto us, to bless us, to have us love him, to show himself in each and every one of our lives...Ahhh!!! God is just so amazing. You know that warm feeling right in your core that you feel when you're around someone you really love? I feel that right now, so much, and I love it.
It's crazy to think where I would be right now if I did not have God in my life. I would either be dead or 7 months pregnant. For some reason, last year I had this thing with wanting a kid so badly. I'm so happy that God took over my thoughts, and my actions, because yeah, I want kids, but I want them when I'm married and can support them and love them with all I have! I'm not ready to be a mother yet, I don't know anything about anything yet, I'm still only learning, and I thank God that he protected me from myself.
It's so awesome how God can show himself to you. A couple weeks ago I was at YC and it was an amazing time, God was so present and the praise and worship times were so powerful. On Friday night, while waiting for what seemed like forever at the hotel for YC to start, I had a Sharpie. Anyone who knows me well knows what happens when there's a Sharpie. So of course, I drew on myself. I drew a cross on my wrist with "WWJD?" on top of it. I glanced at my wrist on Sunday and noticed that it had rubbed off a little bit, no big deal. On Monday at work, I looked at my wrist again and I swear my heart stopped for a second. In the middle of the cross, where the Sharpie had rubbed off, was a completely perfect heart. You want a miracle to prove God's existence to you? There's your miracle! Man, God is just so awesome. So, What Would Jesus Do? He would love. Why did he suffer on that cross for us? People who wouldn't even accept him? People who beat him and mocked him and persecuted him? Because he loved us. Why or how, I have no idea, but I am so happy that he never gives up on us.
Last night and today at work I was just not feeling anything for God. I was thinking, I should be on fire for him right now, but I wasn't. I just did not feel a thing. And so, sharpening pencils, I started praying. I asked God to fill me with himself, with his love, I just wanted so badly to feel passion for him. And as soon as I started praying and asking him to work in me, it was instant, he was there. I just felt him working in me, I felt his presence right there beside me, I felt his love. God is so so good, I love him so much.
I think a lot of the time we forget to tell God we love him. To say the simple words "I love you" because we assume that he already knows it. Does that mean that he doesn't want to hear it? No! He tells you that he loves you every single day. Please, just tell him how much you love him and how amazing he is, because he really really is.
God bless you guys,
Ariel
May 6, 2011
Dreamin'
Today started simple. It started out to be an awesome day.
As many of you know, last weekend I was at YC Manitoba. It was an amazing time! You would think that you would look most forward to the big band on Saturday night, but this year, I found myself being so excited for the praise and worship bands. It was amazing to be in the midst of hundreds of teenagers, giving themselves to God, praising him, singing to him, giving everything to him without caring who was beside them! Nothing could ever erase this image from my mind. Disciple was great (Kevin Young took a video of the crowd, check it out! http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2029498659156.122988.1294778022#!/video/video.php?v=10150170629888527 I was IN this!!), Remedy Drive was absolutely insane! Bluetree was awesome, as per usual. Unhindered helped us be united and really worship. Awesome people. The Panic Squad was so funny. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time. You had to be there. Matt Tapley, incredible speaker. My cousin, Faith, was saved this weekend during an alter call!!! Praise God! She came to YC for a reason, God knew what was going to happen!! Oh man, her being saved made the whole weekend. Not the bands, not the speakers, not the lights, but the fact that one more person in this world is praising the King, as it should be.
Anyways, I knew that I would come off of my spiritual high hard and be into battle this week. That happened on Monday. I'm not going to give specifics, but I was so broken. I got into it with my parents about something that I wanted to do. Being a teenager, of course I wanted to do what I wanted to do! Duh! Well, of course, I was reading my bible that night, and I come across the verse "Children, honor your parents, because this is what is good." Ahhh, oh God, the ways you work. So, I calmed myself down. I had a conversation with my parents, and we worked it out that we would revisit the issue in a few months. I have to remember that this is God's rule, that I respect my parent's wishes. Although I may not, and do not, agree with it, I have to honor it, and I'm at peace with that.
This whole week has been a lot easier than I would have guessed. After the initial testing of faith, I feel so much stronger in God! God is just so good. I learned at YC, that I'm going to be tested over and over, it's never going to stop. A quote I love: "I want to be the kind of person that when my feet hit the floor in the morning, satan says, 'Oh crap, she's up!' " Haha :) I love that! And it's so true! I want satan to be threatened by my personal relationship with my Father, Savior and Lord.
So the main point of this post is that...drum roll please!! MY DREAM IS FINALLY BECOMING REALITY!!!!! I got an email today from a booking agent I had contacted a while back. He told me that we could get a deal for the Letter Black, Write This Down, I Am Empire, Icon For Hire and Nine Lashes to come to town on their tour! How awesome is our God?!!! I never could have done this without him putting everything together. It's going to be a lot of work to put together, but I am so ready.
So, my request to you: PRAY! Pray, pray, pray! The power of prayer will work. Pray for the people organizing it, pray for the bands, pray for the people who will attend the concert, pray for everyone. Also, we will gladly accept donations. We need to raise approximately $1500-2000, which is very cheap, trust me! So please contact me if you are looking to get involved in any way. (xo_arial_xo@hotmail.com) Thanks much guys! Love you all.
God bless,
Ariel
As many of you know, last weekend I was at YC Manitoba. It was an amazing time! You would think that you would look most forward to the big band on Saturday night, but this year, I found myself being so excited for the praise and worship bands. It was amazing to be in the midst of hundreds of teenagers, giving themselves to God, praising him, singing to him, giving everything to him without caring who was beside them! Nothing could ever erase this image from my mind. Disciple was great (Kevin Young took a video of the crowd, check it out! http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2029498659156.122988.1294778022#!/video/video.php?v=10150170629888527 I was IN this!!), Remedy Drive was absolutely insane! Bluetree was awesome, as per usual. Unhindered helped us be united and really worship. Awesome people. The Panic Squad was so funny. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time. You had to be there. Matt Tapley, incredible speaker. My cousin, Faith, was saved this weekend during an alter call!!! Praise God! She came to YC for a reason, God knew what was going to happen!! Oh man, her being saved made the whole weekend. Not the bands, not the speakers, not the lights, but the fact that one more person in this world is praising the King, as it should be.
Anyways, I knew that I would come off of my spiritual high hard and be into battle this week. That happened on Monday. I'm not going to give specifics, but I was so broken. I got into it with my parents about something that I wanted to do. Being a teenager, of course I wanted to do what I wanted to do! Duh! Well, of course, I was reading my bible that night, and I come across the verse "Children, honor your parents, because this is what is good." Ahhh, oh God, the ways you work. So, I calmed myself down. I had a conversation with my parents, and we worked it out that we would revisit the issue in a few months. I have to remember that this is God's rule, that I respect my parent's wishes. Although I may not, and do not, agree with it, I have to honor it, and I'm at peace with that.
This whole week has been a lot easier than I would have guessed. After the initial testing of faith, I feel so much stronger in God! God is just so good. I learned at YC, that I'm going to be tested over and over, it's never going to stop. A quote I love: "I want to be the kind of person that when my feet hit the floor in the morning, satan says, 'Oh crap, she's up!' " Haha :) I love that! And it's so true! I want satan to be threatened by my personal relationship with my Father, Savior and Lord.
So the main point of this post is that...drum roll please!! MY DREAM IS FINALLY BECOMING REALITY!!!!! I got an email today from a booking agent I had contacted a while back. He told me that we could get a deal for the Letter Black, Write This Down, I Am Empire, Icon For Hire and Nine Lashes to come to town on their tour! How awesome is our God?!!! I never could have done this without him putting everything together. It's going to be a lot of work to put together, but I am so ready.
So, my request to you: PRAY! Pray, pray, pray! The power of prayer will work. Pray for the people organizing it, pray for the bands, pray for the people who will attend the concert, pray for everyone. Also, we will gladly accept donations. We need to raise approximately $1500-2000, which is very cheap, trust me! So please contact me if you are looking to get involved in any way. (xo_arial_xo@hotmail.com) Thanks much guys! Love you all.
God bless,
Ariel
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