Food for thought...

So I'm in the library about to take a Business Policy online test.  Autumn and I have been talking about love, what it looks like in our life, what we learned about what it was growing up and how we struggle with it.  The Holy Spirit brought to mind 1 Corinthians 13 which is typically heard all around the Christian world during wedding ceremonies...love is this and that....blah blah blah.

But I got to thinking about it and I hope you follow the train of thought I'm about to unleash....  1 Corinthians 13:4-7 says this, Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude.  It does not insistent on its on way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth.  Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.  The rest of the chapter goes on to say that love never ends even though things of this earthly world will pass away.

1 John4:8 says: Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

Ephesians 5:1-2 says:  Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.  And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

I heard once that we should replace the word Love in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 with God so it would say God is patient and kind;....so on and so on.  But I thought about it even further, that if God is love and is all these things; then why don't we go a step further and really examine our hearts and motives by putting our name in so that it says Ariann is patient and kind...

*DISCLAIMER* I AM NOT TRYING TO RE-WRITE THE BIBLE! I'm saying that if we are to be true imitators of God like it says in 1 John 4:8 then we should be all those things in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7.

Would you fit the description of 1 Corinthians 13:4-7?  I know that I don't and that is what the Holy Spirit convicted me of when I came to the library to study and take this dad gum Policy test.  Are you imitating God by the way you love?  Or are you irritable, resentful, envious, impatient, unkind, arrogant or rude?  

Maybe you should check yo'self before you wreck yo'self...p.s. I'm in the same boat!

Bipolar Texter

Oh the life of a college senior! I truly believe that they think I have no friends or any semblance of a life because of all the homework and what not I have.  I'm currently "working" on a study guide for my Business Policy class that covers only four chapters of the book.  I'm almost done with the Ch. 2 section and just started the 5th page of the crazy thing.  Tis ridiculous if I do say so myself!

Hectic has started to define my life and I kinda like it minus the lack of sleep.lol  My last semester of college is halfway over and I'm excited.  I'm not sure what lies ahead of me but I'm continuing to trust in God.  He at least knows what is in store for the next few decades or so of my life even if I don't know.haha

Welp, my senior project is less than a week away and I'm super excited about everything that I've planned!  It's going to be so awesome!  I'm learning to be even more confident in the abilities God has gifted me with to do this task!  Plus the people around me are super supportive and encouraging!

I wish someone would send me flowers on Monday! 

 Or maybe these.....

Or maybe just a variation of some type of flowers......wishful thinking I know.

...music...

So it's been a super long time since I've blogged. In my defense I have been super busy with school and my senior capstone project.  I'm starting to feel stressed out about it.  This is meeting is my baby...literally.  I'm in the process of giving birth to it and I hope it isn't still born. That's a terrible analogy I know but that's how I feel...I didn't intend to hurt anyone's feelings.

Lately, music has been the balm to my wounded soul, pride, life and relationships.  There's always a song that fits a person's mood and luckily for me there are a LOT of songs out there.  Currently I'm waiting for the new Adele album to download and I'm super excited about it.  She is a definite role model in my life.  Even though I'm not musically inclined I still appreciate all that's it has done over the years and I just love it!!!

This past weekend I helped out at a concert event called WinterJam.  It was FANTASTIC! I worked merch for flippin NEWSBOYS!! It was super cool, felt one of the best adrenaline rushes of my life, and was with awesome people the entire night.  It also reminded me how I miss being friends with some people and how life changes.

“Music speaks what cannot be expressed, soothes the mind and gives it rest, heals the heart and makes it whole, flows from heaven to the soul.”

Life...what a quote!

To succeed in life, you need three things: a wishbone, a backbone and a funnybone.
Reba McEntire

Life is nothing without friendship.
Marcus Tullius Cicero

In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life.  It goes on.
Robert Frost


A quick update on my mom!  She was released from the hospital on Thursday afternoon! Praise the Lord!  

 Life can be quite humorous sometimes.  Like when you're a kid you'd give almost anything to be a "grown-up" so you can do whatever you want and when you're finally older and more responsible you'd give almost anything to be a little kid again without any real worries or stress.  I think I'm in the latter stage right now.  I'm planning my capstone meeting and Blizzard 2011 has really messed stuff up.  I'm behind about a week with the things on my timeline, the meeting itself is about 3 weeks away, I still haven't gotten the speaker the topic, and I hate refining budgets.  I wish sometimes I could be humble, lay my pride aside and ask for help sometimes but that's like asking a tiger to change its stripes.  Everything is going to work out I'm sure but it's still gonna bug me until the day I turn in the stinkin manual.

Enough of that humbug crap.  Lately, God has been showing me just how blessed I am.  Making me realize I need to focus on the good things in my life and embrace them.  I'd like to think I'm doing fantastic at it! Yesterday was Valentine's Day and before I hated it with a passion.  Like everything else in life I had to make a choice, I could either feel the same way or choose to embrace the love of those around me and choose whether or not to have a positive attitude....I chose a positive attitude and I had a blasty BLAST!

Life is too short to worry about tomorrow, regret the past and not embrace today and everything it has to offer.  It comes down to the choice you make when you wake up.  Either look for the positive and seek God and have a life full of wonderful memories or choose to focus on the negative, have regrets later in life, and play the what if game.  Don't get me wrong there are days where we feel bad, down, negative but that doesn't mean even through that we can't choose to look for the positives.  We truly are blessed to live in a wonderful country with the freedom Jesus Christ has given us whether we believe in him or not.

I'm not sure everything I've written has made total sense to anyone but then again when does it ever?lol  I encourage us to live life, become an active partner in it and not just watch it go by and throw pity parties. I've been learning that they never accomplish anything anyways.What's with all the "life" quotes you ask? I say why not?lol  This past week has been a rollercoaster of....well life.  Life happens and sometimes not fairly.  But life goes on whether we like it or not.  I guess that's my apology for not blogging in a week!haha

A reason to sing.....

So this weekend has definitely been tumultuous that's for sure.  Yesterday I found out that my mom was in the hospital yet again because she literally could not breathe.  Needless to say I freaked out. 

Let me explain why I freaked out (yet again)... Almost a year ago my dad committed suicide and then my mom started having pretty bad health issues causing her to have to go to the hospital several times.  I'm not ready for my mom to die and I know I have to prepare myself that is going to happen one day and that I can't control it.

Satan is still trying to take down my family.  My mom has a respitory infection, bronchitis, severly low blood oxygen levels.  The staff at the hospital are being inconsiderate and disrespectful to my mom and even forgetting that she's there.  The medicine the doctors are giving my mom aren't really working and are affecting her diabetes.  The doctors are worried that something may be wrong or affecting the stint she has in a artery in her heart.  She is going to be in the hospital until at least Tuesday evening. My mom's car has broken down several times within the past few days.  I'm not able to get in contact with my older sister. 

Pray that Satan would be binded away from my family.  That God would give wisdom to the doctors so that they will know what needs to be done.  That even though my mom isn't a Christian the doctors and nurses will know that God is in control of the situation.  That my family would be strong and that I would not worry about what is happening.

But I am truly blessed with amazing friends that really are family to me.  They help pick me up when I'm down and encourage me to keep going.  Knowing that they are taking the time to pray for me helps me to focus on trusting in Christ.  I am amazed by the loving Savior I serve.  While working on homework & listening to music He has given me peace, spoke to my spirit through several songs, and blessed me with caring people who ask me about my mom on Facebook.

These are some songs I've heard that have reminded me of the goodness of Christ.

The song above is called "Let the Waters Rise" by Mikeschair

The song below is called "Desert Song" by Hillsong



Cabin Fever!

I HAVE SURVIVED THE BLIZZARD OF 2011! PTL!!

The past few days my house has been buried in at least a foot of snow and I have caught up on sleep but have gotten behind in my homework for my policy class which is not exciting.  I've gotten to hang out with a bunch of friends.  Today is the first day I've actually had access to the Internet. 

It's official I'm out of school tomorrow as well.  Maybe I'll go sledding finally!!! Who knows!

This isn't my picture of snow but you pretty much get the idea!

This is gonna be one crazy weekend filled with a bunch of homework, friends and hopefully sledding......I REALLY want to go SLEDDING!!!!

...Vulpine...

This weekend has been extremely fantastic.  God has really impressed upon me just how lucky I am to have the life I live everyday, the freedom of choice, a quality education, and a decent job.

The other day I watched a documentary about N.K. and I got really upset.  I was mad that there are still dictators in the world and the torture they put their citizens through and how much evil there still is in the world today.  Later that day I was really convicted about my reaction to what I watched.  I realized that even though those types of people still exists does not mean that God doesn't love and care for them like He does for me.  That instead of casting judgment on them I should pray that God would change their hearts and minds.  That they are just as much of His creation as everything else is.  It was a really humbling moment.  I told a friend today that I just want to fill a plane with bibles in that country's language and then just do an air drop and be like "TAKE THAT SUCKAS!!!"

...switching gears...

This weekend I was able to hang out with a friend and do some retail therapy..not always the best idea but really helped!  I ALWAYS have fun when we hang out.  By the end of each time hanging out we end up having made a ton of new inside jokes and laughing at each other!  She asked what IHOP stood for....that was fun.hahaha

Also, a really good friend of mine finished his 3 weeks in hell (green beret selection) and MADE IT!!!! I knew that he would do it.  I'm sure it took a heavy toll on him but I've never been so proud of him before until this moment.  I was definitely inspired to keep working out and not quit.  I told myself if he can go through that then I can definitely finish this freakin workout.  P.S. How many of you can say you have a friend that is almost a freakin green beret?? That's what I thought!haha

To end this out.... I am starting to really realize just how many extraordinary people I have the privilege of knowing and calling them friends.  Whoever reads this I challenge you to look around at your life and to recognize the good things that God has provided you and I ask if you're really giving thanks to Him for the life He has given you and the good things.

Just some food for thought!