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
October 21, 2011
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
 |
| "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
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