Friday, January 20, 2012

You are Beautiful

I was talking to God one evening and he revealed to me something really amazing. I have just finished writing my second book, and I was drawing my character for the illustrations. I loved all of my characters and the way they looked. Now my sketches of my characters are not perfect, on purpose. I did not sketch a bunch of beautiful perfect people, but they each are very special in their own way.

Anyways, I was talking to God that night and He said something that really made me think. He said, "Anna, what would you do if Jen (one of my characters from my book), came up to you and asked why you didn't make her more beautiful like Brielle?" I was sorta stunned. "Well, I would tell her that I created her that way because it fit who she was. I mean, I made her with poofy brown hair, and clever green eyes, because that's who she is." Then He said, "Yes, but she isn't as pretty as Brielle or as sweet as Brie." I answered, "Well of course not! She wasn't meant to be sweet and pretty. In my book Jen is supposed to be outgoing and wild, so I wouldn't make her look any different than I already did." Still God persisted, "Okay, but what if Jen started crying and begged you, her creator, why you made her with only one arm and why you had made her with such plain hair?" I suddenly realized where God was getting at, "I made her with only one arm because I wanted my readers to always remember how unique Jen was and how she was different from all my other characters. Plus I knew Jen would come up with cool styles to put her hair in, so I wasn't afraid of making her hair brown and kinda frizzy." Then God responded, "I did the same for you, Anna. I had a special plan and purpose for your life and I made you exactly the way you are because if you looked like anybody else it wouldn't have fit the plan I have for your life. I think you are beautiful in your own special way."

That discussion with God totally changed the way I looked at myself and others. I finally was able to accept who I am and not try to turn myself into somebody else. I also hope this post will encourage you and help you to see yourself in a new way.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Pure Life Day

Hey everyone! Today is a very special holiday. It is Pure Life Day! Now you might be wondering what that is. It is a day of raising awareness to, and celebrating teen purity. This is a day that we focus on saving yourself for your husband. But purity is a lot more than just not having sex, it is a life style. A pure life style, living for God. The woman who started Pure Life Day, wrote a book called, “Pure Love, Pure Life”. I encourage all of you to buy a copy. Also if you are interested here is her website: http://purelovepurelife.com. Today you can go on the website and see the video she streamed about purity. Also on this website is a Pure Life pledge, I strongly suggest that you print off and sign the Pure Life pledge about staying pure. Happy Pure Life Day!

Thursday, January 12, 2012

I Believe in Scripture

This was an awesome video I found on a friend's blog. Now I don't want you to just hear what this guy is saying. I really want you to dig deep and listen to every word he says. When you do that you will be inspired and amazed. Enjoy!

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Kreativ Award

Kreativ Award 
Rules:
1) Link back to the person who gave you the award
2) Complete the form below
3) Award other blogs, and let them know that they have been awarded
4) Share seven random things about yourself
1) Name your favorite song:
Make a Move by Royal Tailor
2) Name your favorite dessert:
Chocolate Cake
3) What makes you angry:
Slavery (there are 27 million people in bondage right now)
4) When you're upset:
I am quiet and say nasty side remarks.
 5) What's your favorite pet?
Dog
 6) Black or white?
Black (black doesn't stain very easily:D)
 7) Biggest fear?
Being abandoned
8) Everyday attitude? 
Totally depends on how much I slept the night before.
9) What is perfection?
  Jesus
10) Guilty pleasure?
Thinking too much about whether a guy likes me

Seven random things:
I am very outgoing and say the first thing that comes to my mind in public. 
I hate ribbon
I love (and can't live without) my high tops.
I am gluten intolerant.
I have flunked Alegbra twice.
I don't have a friend that I can tell anything too.
I talk to guys easier than I talk to girls.

I WANT TO THANK Ashley at http://godzgirl1.wordpress.com/ FOR NOMINATING ME.  THANKS SO MUCH!

I award:

Amiee at http://allfilledup.wordpress.com/

Katie at http://katieoostman.blogspot.com/

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Guys and Shoes.

Here is an awesome little article I found while reading my Susie Magazine (a magazine created for teen Christian girls) about guys. It gave me a chance to really step back and look at the way things really are. I loved the article, so I wanted to make sure to share it with all of my lovely followers (didn't want you gals to miss out :).

Scene: You’re drooling over a really cute pair of shoes and decide they’re exactly what you want.

Problem: The store doesn’t have your size. So you squeeze into a half size smaller than your own shoe size. Uncomfortable, yes. But you really like the way they look.

Bigger problem: You purchase them and wear them to school, but by the end of the day your heels are sporting blisters, and your toes are threatening to fall off.

Solution: You finally take the shoes off and let your feet breathe again. Whew!

Lesson: There’s nothing you can do about your new shoes because they’ll never grow to be the size you need. Now you’re out a wad of cash, and you’re dealing with ugly blisters for the next week.
You’re Not AloneWe’ve all been there. We’ve either considered buying those cute shoes that the store doesn’t have in our size, or we’ve gone ahead and actually purchased them because they were just so cute. We know it’s just not worth it to get something that doesn’t fit. It brings discomfort and eventually pain.

You don’t want to settle for a shoe just because it’s cute. Get the shoe that’s perfect in size. Once you find the right style and size of shoe, you’ll probably even like it better than the other pair—because it feels good. It’s a perfect fit!

Guys are kind of like shoes. Don’t settle for a guy just because he’s cute, or you’ll eventually be disappointed. The relationship might look good at first, but after a while one of you will end up getting hurt. God created you as a unique individual. And guess what! He also created someone who fits you perfectly.

If you wait for the guy God has set aside for you, you’ll find that not only is he the perfect fit, but he’ll probably be much more attractive to you than others you could have dated that weren’t His choice.
How to Know if You’re SettlingHave you ever thought about making a list to describe the guy that you’re trusting God for? A list is a great tool and can save you from a ton of heartache if you let God help you create the list.

Unfortunately, I’ve seen girls who make a list with every intention of sticking with it and then change a few points here and there in order to have it describe a certain cute guy. If you find yourself doing this, you’re settling!

Once you begin cutting and pasting to make your list to fit the guy, you’ll find your list looking almost foreign to you. It’s no longer a list describing the guy whom God has set aside for you, and you end up selling yourself short. See, when you create a list with God’s help, you don’t fit the list to the guy—the guy fits the list or he doesn’t!

This is where Satan loves to toss a couple of lies at you:

You’re unworthy. He’ll try to make you think that you don’t deserve a guy like the one on your list.

You’re imagining things. He’ll also try to make you think that the guy described in your list doesn’t even exist.

Don’t believe the lies! You are worthy of nothing less than the best, and God is preparing someone to be the perfect guy for you. He does exist.
There IS Life Outside of DatingDon’t let your world revolve around dating. Guys really don’t make the world go round, God does. So while you’re waiting for Him to send the right guy into your life, focus on these five things:

Who am I? Great question! Use this time to discover who you really are. What are you passionate about? Start growing in those things you enjoy, because they’ll be useful to you in the future.

Beef up your spiritual muscles. Read the Bible seriously. Begin memorizing Scriptures and relating them to your life. Talk to God on a regular basis. Growing spiritually stronger now will help you become the godly lady your future guy will need.

Become a good student. Spend time studying and keeping your grades on target, and you’ll be better prepared for what God has in store for your future.

Strengthen your friendships. Have you ever noticed that when you begin dating someone, you lose a lot of the closeness you had with some of your friends? Take this time to make fun memories with them!

Participate on a missions trip. If you’ve never been on an international missions trip, I highly recommend you go on at least one. You may find a new passion that you didn’t realize you had. It’s so much easier to spend time away when you aren’t constantly thinking about a particular guy all the time. I can assure you that your life will change from this one trip. If fact, consider going on the SUSIE missions trip to Panama this summer! Get all the information at www.neverthesamemissions.com. Something incredible happens when you invest your life in those less fortunate.

Really important: While you’re waiting for the guy on your list to make an entrance into your life, don’t compromise by dating other guys who don’t even come close. If you can learn to trust God to write your love story, you’ll never be sorry.

Some girls think they’re abnormal or not good enough because they don’t have a boyfriend. They’re buying into more of Satan’s lies. It’s totally OK for you not be dating. God’s timing is perfect. He’s never early … but He’s also never late! So go ahead, girlfriend, and make that list.


-Misty Gatlin

Monday, January 2, 2012

New Year's Resolutions

Here is a list of questions to ask yourself about 2011. My whole family participated in these questions and it was interesting learning about what my family thought of the past year. If you want to you can just ask yourself these questions, or you might enjoy sharing it with your family and friends. What would be even more fun is if you asked yourself these questions every year and keep a binder filled with your answers. I think you would realize how much your have grown over the past years. Enjoy!!

20 Questions for a New Year’s Eve Reflection

1. What was the single best thing that happened this past year?
2. What was the single most challenging thing that happened?
3. What was an unexpected joy this past year?
4. What was an unexpected obstacle?
5. Pick three words to describe 2011.
6. Pick three words your spouse would use to describe your 2011 (don’t ask them; guess based on how you think your spouse sees you).
7. Pick three words your spouse would use to describe their 2011 (again, without asking).
8. What were the best books you read this year?
9. With whom were your most valuable relationships?
10. What was your biggest personal change from January to December of this past year?
11. In what way(s) did you grow emotionally?
12. In what way(s) did you grow spiritually?
13. In what way(s) did you grow physically?
14. In what way(s) did you grow in your relationships with others?
15. What was the most enjoyable part of your work (both professionally and at home)?
16. What was the most challenging part of your work (both professionally and at home)?
17. What was your single biggest time waster in your life this past year?
18. What was the best way you used your time this past year?
19. What was biggest thing you learned this past year?
20. Create a phrase or statement that describes 2011 for you.