Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Are You a Jelly Bean Girl or an M&M Girl?

Crazy blog title today? You’re right. :) It just popped into my head, so let’s go with it.

 How many of you prefer jelly beans over M&Ms?  How many of you like M&Ms more than jelly beans? How many of you like both just as well?


I’m an M&M girl hands down. Never have liked jelly beans. But give me a handful--or a bowlful--of M&Ms, and I’m in heaven.

 So what does this have to do with following Jesus?  A lot.

 God made each of you unique and different from everyone else. As unique and different as jellybeans are from M&Ms.  It’s important to celebrate those differences. But too often what happens is that we want to be just like everyone else. Why? Because we want to fit in. To assure ourselves that we are normal.

 Well, what’s “normal” anyway? I’ll tell you what normal is. Normal is what God says you are. And God says that you are an original masterpiece, different from everyone else. There never has been, nor is, nor ever will be another YOU!  How cool is that!

 The world has its own definition of normal. The world says this:

 ---It’s “normal” to have sex before marriage.
---It’s “normal” to follow the crowd.
---It’s “normal” to be skinny as a stick.
---It’s “normal” to cheat on a test.
---It’s “normal” to gossip.
---It’s “normal” to try drugs or alcohol.

 And on and on and on.

 But God’s Word says this about “normal”:

 ---It’s normal to be pure.
---It’s normal to follow God instead of the world.
---It’s normal to be the right weight for you based on the body build God gave you.
---It’s normal to be honest when taking a test.
---It’s normal to say only nice things about other people.
---It’s normal to stay away from drugs and alcohol, or anything else that could harm you.

 Whose definition of “normal” do you want to rule your life? If you want to follow Jesus, you already know the answer.
___________________________________________

If you enjoyed this post, please tell your teenage girlfriends about the Gabriel Girls. Thanks!
_______________________________________________
Copyright 2015 by Dr. MaryAnn Diorio. All Rights Reserved.

To Become a Gabriel Girl, you need to qualify as follows:
  • You need to be born again. This means that you have accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and the Lord of your life.If you don't know how to do this, click here.
  • You need to have a desire to tell others about Jesus wherever you go and whenever you can.
  • You need to commit to following Jesus by reading the Bible and praying every day and by obeying Jesus' command to love Him and to love your neighbor.
    ____________________________________________________
You can find me on the following Social Media Venues:
Amazon Author Central: www.amazon.com/author/maryanndiorio






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Friday, September 25, 2015

Are You Allowing Yourself to Be Pressured by Your Peers?

Peer pressure. It’s everywhere.  And it’s contagious.

What about you? Have you caught the peer pressure bug? Are you allowing yourself to be pressured by your peers?

 If so, read on.

 Peer pressure is a disease common to man--and to teen girls. :) In the Bible, it’s called the fear of man. Here is what God says about peer pressure, or the fear of man:

 “Fearing people is a dangerous trap, but trusting the LORD means safety” (Proverbs 29:25 NLT).  

 Why is peer pressure so dangerous? Here are a few reasons:

 1--Peer pressure will cause you to act in a way that is contrary to the way God wants you to act. 

 2--Peer pressure will cause you to stray from God’s purpose for your life. You could miss your destiny because of giving in to peer pressure.

 3--Peer pressure makes you a slave of the peer or peers to whom you give in.

 So, what is the antidote to the fear of man? Simple. The fear of God.

 Look at the second part of Proverbs 29:25: “...trusting the LORD means safety.”  Do you want to be safe in your decisions? Do you want to walk a path that will bring you joy and peace? Do you want to fulfill God’s plan for your life and not someone else’s plan for your life?

 Then don’t allow yourself to be pressured by your peers.
___________________________________________

If you enjoyed this post, please tell your teenage girlfriends about the Gabriel Girls. Thanks!
_______________________________________________
Copyright 2015 by Dr. MaryAnn Diorio. All Rights Reserved.

To Become a Gabriel Girl, you need to qualify as follows:
  • You need to be born again. This means that you have accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and the Lord of your life.If you don't know how to do this, click here.
  • You need to have a desire to tell others about Jesus wherever you go and whenever you can.
  • You need to commit to following Jesus by reading the Bible and praying every day and by obeying Jesus' command to love Him and to love your neighbor.
    ____________________________________________________
You can find me on the following Social Media Venues:
Amazon Author Central: www.amazon.com/author/maryanndiorio
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Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Modesty: A Forgotten Virtue?

What’s so important about the way we dress?  After all, shouldn’t we keep up with fashion? Shouldn’t we look cool and not old-fashioned and weird?

Fotolia File: #75282539 | Author: Africa Studio

Let’s explore this question from God’s standpoint. 

 First of all, God is not opposed to our looking nice. It is perfectly okay to dress in a way that makes us attractive to others. But we must honestly ask ourselves why we want to be attractive to others. Is it to draw attention to ourselves, or is it to draw attention to Jesus?

 Many young women today--and older women, too--are wearing clothing that they would not wear in front of Jesus.  Necklines are plunging ever more deeply, and midriffs are showing ever more widely. 

 Let’s be honest. The main reason girls and young women are dressing indecently is to attract the opposite sex. What these girls fail to realize is that to dress in such a manner poses a great temptation to young men.  Is it loving to be a deliberate temptation to another person? I don’t think so.

 Listen to what the Bible says about the way we dress:

 I Peter 3:3-4:  “What matters is not your outer appearance . . . but your inner disposition. Cultivate inner beauty, the gentle, gracious kind that God delights in.” (The Message)

 I Corinthians 6:19-20: “Or didn’t you realize that your body is a sacred place, the place of the Holy Spirit? Don’t you see that you can’t live however you please, squandering what God paid such a high price for? The physical part of you is not some piece of property belonging to the spiritual part of you. God owns the whole works. So let people see God in and through your body.” (The Message)

 I Timothy 2:9:  “And I want women to be modest in their appearance. They should wear decent and appropriate clothing . . . . “ (NLT)

Proverbs 11:22: "A beautiful woman lacking discretion and modesty is like a fine gold ring in a pig’s snout.” (TLB)

 I Corinthians 10:31: “ . . . whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” (NLT)

 Even the way you dress! :)
_______________________________

If you enjoyed this post, please tell your teenage girlfriends about the Gabriel Girls. Thanks!
_______________________________________________
Copyright 2015 by Dr. MaryAnn Diorio. All Rights Reserved.

To Become a Gabriel Girl, you need to qualify as follows:
  • You need to be born again. This means that you have accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and the Lord of your life.If you don't know how to do this, click here.
  • You need to have a desire to tell others about Jesus wherever you go and whenever you can.
  • You need to commit to following Jesus by reading the Bible and praying every day and by obeying Jesus' command to love Him and to love your neighbor.
    ____________________________________________________
You can find me on the following Social Media Venues:
Amazon Author Central: www.amazon.com/author/maryanndiorio

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Friday, September 18, 2015

Getting a Grip on Your Emotions

Are you an emotional person? Do your feelings act like a roller-coaster, one minute up, the next minute down? Do you have trouble staying calm in the middle of the storm?

 If so, this blog post is for you. 

 

File: #90285279 | Author: olly

 Emotions are a gift from God. God made us with emotions because He made us in His image. Do you know that God has emotions?

 Let’s take a look at some places in the Bible that prove that God has emotions:

  • First John 4:8 says God is Love.  Love usually, though not always, comes with feelings. 
  • Ephesians 4:30 reveals that we can hurt Holy Spirit’s feelings.
  • Exodus 34:14 tells us that God is a jealous God, meaning He wants us to worship only Him and no other god.
  • John 11:35 tells us that Jesus wept.
  • John 2:15 tells us that Jesus got angry and overturned the tables of the money-changers in the Temple.
Throughout the Scriptures, we find emotions ascribed to God. So, in and of themselves, emotions are good.  The problem with emotions, however, is that, unless they are under Holy Spirit’s control, they can really mess us up.

You see, most of us allow our emotions to get out of hand and to control us. When this happens, we become slaves to whatever mood we’re in. 

But God offers us a better way to deal with our emotions. That way is by putting our emotions under His control. When we do, we find that our emotions no longer control us; we control them by the power of Christ in us.

So often, people with emotional problems do not go to God. The world tells us to go first to a counselor when we have emotional problems. But God wants us to go to Him first. In John 14:26, the Bible calls Holy Spirit our “Counselor.”  What better counselor to go to than Holy Spirit?

Now, I’m not saying we should not go to a human counselor.  What I’m saying is to be sure the counselor is a person who is born again and who understands that you have a spirit as well as a mind.  Most counselors do not consider the spiritual dimension of a person when counseling. That is the reason results are limited and often not permanent.

To get a grip on your emotions, you need to give them to Jesus. In exchange, He will give you His peace and His joy, even in the midst of the most emotional times.
  
_______________________________

If you enjoyed this post, please tell your teenage girlfriends about the Gabriel Girls. Thanks!
_______________________________________________
Copyright 2015 by Dr. MaryAnn Diorio. All Rights Reserved.

To Become a Gabriel Girl, you need to qualify as follows:
  • You need to be born again. This means that you have accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and the Lord of your life.If you don't know how to do this, click here.
  • You need to have a desire to tell others about Jesus wherever you go and whenever you can.
  • You need to commit to following Jesus by reading the Bible and praying every day and by obeying Jesus' command to love Him and to love your neighbor.
    ____________________________________________________
You can find me on the following Social Media Venues:
Amazon Author Central: www.amazon.com/author/maryanndiorio

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Tuesday, September 15, 2015

What’s This Life All About?

Do you ever wonder what this life is all about?  
File: #75787303 | Author: kikkerdirk

I can give you the answer in one word: JESUS!

 Yes, this life is all about Jesus.

 “But wait, Dr. MaryAnn!  You mean this life is not about me?”

 Right. This life is not about you. 

 It took me a long time to learn that truth.  When I was a teenager, I had not yet been born again. I had my life all planned out.  But when I met Jesus, my plans for me were no longer as important as His plans for me. 

 Now, 45 years later, I look back and can see that God’s plans for me turned out far, far better than what I had planned for me.

 God has a plan for your life, too. It may not be what you’ve planned for your life, but I promise you God’s plan is far, far better.

 But in order to experience God’s plan for your life, you have to give up your plan for your life. Are you willing to do that?

 Jesus said, "If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it” (Matthew 16:25 NLT).  When you give up your plans for God’s plans, you will experience what life is all about.
_______________________________

If you enjoyed this post, please tell your teenage girlfriends about the Gabriel Girls. Thanks!
_______________________________________________
Copyright 2015 by Dr. MaryAnn Diorio. All Rights Reserved.

To Become a Gabriel Girl, you need to qualify as follows:
  • You need to be born again. This means that you have accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and the Lord of your life.If you don't know how to do this, click here.
  • You need to have a desire to tell others about Jesus wherever you go and whenever you can.
  • You need to commit to following Jesus by reading the Bible and praying every day and by obeying Jesus' command to love Him and to love your neighbor.
    ____________________________________________________
You can find me on the following Social Media Venues:
Amazon Author Central: www.amazon.com/author/maryanndiorio
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Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Are You Level-Headed?


In the 45 years that my husband and I have been married, he has hung pictures for me hundreds of times.  Whenever he hangs a picture, we both look at it to determine if it is straight.  My husband may think it’s leaning to the left, while I may think it’s leaning to the right.  In order for us to determine the truth, my husband gets out his trusty level.


Fotolia:  File #12211283

For those of you who may not know what a level is, it is a rectangular device with a little tube in it that contains a liquid with a bubble in it (See the photo above).  When you’re trying to figure out if a picture is straight or not, you place the level right under the picture frame or right over it and hold it there.  When the bubble lands smack in the center of the level, it means that the picture is straight.

 Do you know that God has given us a level to measure whether or not our lives are straight? In other words, whether or not we are living our lives according to truth?  The level God has given us is the Bible.

 Whenever you are not sure whether something is right or wrong to do, go to the Bible to find out. 

 The Bible is your manual for living. Just as your parents got a manual when they bought their car or their washing machine, so did you get a manual when you were born into this world. That manual is the Bible. It tells you how to keep from breaking and, if you do break, how to get fixed.

 The problem is that most people don’t read the Bible until they break. 

 Don’t be one of those people. Read your Bible every single day.  You wouldn’t think of missing a day feeding your body, so why would you miss a single day feeding your spirit?

 Bottom line, if you want to become level-headed, read and study the Bible. If you do, you will keep your life on the straight and narrow path, the path of truth, joy, and peace.
________________________

 If you enjoyed this post, please tell your teenage girlfriends about the Gabriel Girls. Thanks!
_______________________________________________
Copyright 2015 by Dr. MaryAnn Diorio. All Rights Reserved.

To Become a Gabriel Girl, you need to qualify as follows:
  • You need to be born again. This means that you have accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and the Lord of your life.If you don't know how to do this, click here.
  • You need to have a desire to tell others about Jesus wherever you go and whenever you can.
  • You need to commit to following Jesus by reading the Bible and praying every day and by obeying Jesus' command to love Him and to love your neighbor.
    ____________________________________________________
You can find me on the following Social Media Venues:
Amazon Author Central: www.amazon.com/author/maryanndiorio
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Friday, September 4, 2015

Suicide: Life’s Biggest Cop-Out

Hey, Gabriel Girls! You’ve probably already figured out that on this blog, we talk about all kinds of things. And we aren’t afraid to talk about serious topics that teen girls face.

 So, today, we’re going to talk about suicide.  Why? Because suicide is a serious problem among teenagers. Most likely, you have heard of someone who has committed suicide. Maybe you even knew someone who committed suicide.  Or, worse yet, you yourself may have thought of committing suicide. 

Fotolia File: #70205439 | Author: enterlinedesign
According to a report issued by the World Health Organization in 2014, suicide is the number one cause of death worldwide among older teenage girls. That means suicide is a pretty big problem, and we need to talk about it.

 Why do teens commit suicide? The main reason is that they have lost all hope. Why have they lost all hope? Because they don’t think their lives have meaning.  

 Why don’t they think their lives have meaning? Well, one big reason is that they’ve been taught the theory of evolution that says we come from monkeys. And, if a teen believes she comes from a monkey, she’ll never feel important and special.

 The truth is that you are made in the image of God. That means you have great, great worth. It means you have a special purpose, a purpose no one else can fulfill but you.

 You did not come from a monkey, no matter what your biology teacher taught you in school. You were created directly by God. You are not an animal. You are a human being.

 God put you on this earth for a reason. You have great value in His eyes, and He has special plans for your life.  He says so in Jeremiah 29:11:  “My plans for you are for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

 God wants you to have hope, and He wants you to have a good future. That hope and that good future come only from knowing Jesus Christ and developing a deep relationship with Him. No matter what is going on in your life, Jesus is there for you.

 So, if thoughts of suicide come your way, realize that they are coming from Satan. Realize that suicide is the biggest cop-out in the world. 

 If you’re feeling depressed, talk to someone about how you’re feeling. If you don’t have anyone to talk to, write to me at drmaryann@maryanndiorio.com. I’ll be happy to listen. 
_________________________________
Source cited: http://www.prb.org/Publications/Articles/2014/adolescent-suicide.aspx

 If you enjoyed this post, please tell your teenage girlfriends about the Gabriel Girls. Thanks!
_______________________________________________
Copyright 2015 by Dr. MaryAnn Diorio. All Rights Reserved.

To Become a Gabriel Girl, you need to qualify as follows:
  • You need to be born again. This means that you have accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and the Lord of your life.If you don't know how to do this, click here.
  • You need to have a desire to tell others about Jesus wherever you go and whenever you can.
  • You need to commit to following Jesus by reading the Bible and praying every day and by obeying Jesus' command to love Him and to love your neighbor.
    ____________________________________________________
You can find me on the following Social Media Venues:
Amazon Author Central: www.amazon.com/author/maryanndiorio
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Tuesday, September 1, 2015

How to Get Free of Worry

Are you a worrier? If so, you are very skillful at using your imagination.

Fotolia: File #86668967 Copyright yanlev

 What? I can hear you shouting now. What are you talking about, Dr. MaryAnn?

 I’m saying that a girl who worries is very adept at using her imagination. The only problem is she’s using it in the wrong way.

 You see, God gave each of us an imagination. What do we do with it? Well, with our imagination we imagine.  Simple, huh? :)  

The imagination is that part of us that pictures all sorts of things.  It can picture good things, or it can picture bad things. What we picture with our imagination is up to us.

 When we worry, we are using our imagination to picture negative things. 

 You may feel that you have no control over what you see in your imagination. The truth is, you do have total control over what you picture in your imagination.  But you have to train your imagination to obey you.

 How? By doing what Jesus says to do in Philippians 4:4-8:

 "Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.”

 Did you get that? Jesus said to think about “the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.” 

 I’m throwing out a Gabriel Girls challenge: For the next hour, make yourself think about the best things in your life, not the worst; the beautiful things in your life, not the ugly.  Think about things you can praise and not things you may want to curse.  

 After your experiment, post a comment to tell us what you learned. If you mess up, no worries (pun intended :).  Start over again for a shorter amount of time.  Eventually, thinking good thought will become a habit you will never want to give up.

 Love in the Lion of Judah!

 Dr. MaryAnn

 If you enjoyed this post, please tell your teenage girlfriends about the Gabriel Girls. Thanks!
_______________________________________________
Copyright 2015 by Dr. MaryAnn Diorio. All Rights Reserved.

To Become a Gabriel Girl, you need to qualify as follows:
  • You need to be born again. This means that you have accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and the Lord of your life.If you don't know how to do this, click here.
  • You need to have a desire to tell others about Jesus wherever you go and whenever you can.
  • You need to commit to following Jesus by reading the Bible and praying every day and by obeying Jesus' command to love Him and to love your neighbor.
    ____________________________________________________
You can find me on the following Social Media Venues:
Amazon Author Central: www.amazon.com/author/maryanndiorio
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