Imagine That

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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

Alien

"Fashion Fairytale" or nightmare?
It is not even humanly possible to achieve this look.

What the heck is that?! I'm sorry, but to me, this looks like an alien, not a "Fashion Fairytale" as the people working and creating at the Barbie company would put it. I wish I could go work there just so I could give them a good, solid smack upside the head. This is the most unrealistic thing I have ever seen (well, maybe not ever, that's a slight exaggeration). Is this what we want to teach the little girls who are playing with this? I've already slammed Barbie in the past, and I sure am not afraid to do it again! Why are there grown adults sitting around a table thinking up new ideas, saying that it would be great to give little girls unrealistic expectations that they're going to look exactly like Barbie, and if you don't, then you're a piece of crap. Yet Barbie advertises that you need to be yourself, that you should love yourself. Yeah, Barbie? Well then create something normal, forget normal, just create something humanly possible! For crying out loud!
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

Craaazy

I don't understand anyone who can be a Christian and not be crazy. Seriously!!! I am absolutely insane. But I kind of think that you have to be crazy to follow God. I mean, how crazy is the Holy Spirit? "I want you to send a verse to this person you've talked to once because he needs it right now." Umm...that was random. Alright God! Ha, totally happened, and was such a God thing.
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

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

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=7y2KsU_dhwI&feature=BFa&list=SPF7A795CE0A9857FE&lf=list_related
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

Untouchable

I got my tragus pierced. Yupp.

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

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