Change...

Blah. Sometimes I dont like it one bit, ya know? Things seem to be shifting in my life a bit.

-My youth minister is leaving...good and bad change.

-My friends arent getting along...from what I see now- bad change.

-Im about to have a job...I hope good change.

-Im about to be 16....stinkin great change! haha

-Im having to try to step up and be a leader in my youth group...good change I hope.

Things in my life seem crazy. I often wonder, "Why does everything have to change?" So I thought about it today. Ive come to the conclusion that if there wasnt any change, life would be so boring, wouldnt it? Change can be good because sometimes it's for God to make even better things come along in your life. It gives Him His chance to work in our lives. Even though I have a couple of bad things going on I know that God has it in His hands.

My youth minister is following God's plan for his life and Im so incredibly happy for him. Im going to miss him and it's certainly going to be a change, but this is what God wants. My church and Mickey will reap the rewards after it's all said and done because this is in God's will.

Im so excited to see what God does in my life in the next few months. (last night I even jumped up and down) I feel like something huge is going to take place....something way beyond anything I could ever do.

I think change in my life right now is mostly for the better. My Lord and Savior has it in His hands and Im willing to just sit back and let Him handle it. Im ready to help Pave the Way.

Just wanted to share some thoughts...

In Him,

Schreiba

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him; who have been called according to his purpose."- Romans 8:28

Oh high school is going by so quickly..

you make friends...

you go through boys

 

and you get in sticky situations...

but your best friends help you through.

you learn to take pride in who you are...

&& you learn to experience things. even if its not what you wanted...

seasons change...

 

&& so do people.

you learn that friendship matters the most...

and without friends... you'd probly be normal.

you grow with a group of people...

 

and sometimes you get very close

but in the end its all worth it.

as we move on to our junior year...

we remember our Sophomore and freshman years with pride...

 

and know that even though we may drift from each other...

those memories are what matter most.

 

 

 

I love all of my friends at school oh so much. Sorry if I left you out...you are much loved! I cant wait till our Junior year!! We are gunna rock the school '08!! Woot woot!

In His name

Schreiba

So Im absoutely positive that I have the two prettiest best friends in the entire world! Oh my goodness! Lisa and Mary Lauren went with Alex and Matt to prom on Saturday and boy they had quite the night...

-Mary Lauren spilled sauce on her dress (tide pen to go, always nice)

-Emergency Rooms..

-Pictures, pictures, pictures

and many special moments

Im so glad they had a great time...they all looked so gorgeous.. Here are some wonderful pictures:

My two favorite girls!

Beautiful dresses!

Absolutely beautiful girls!

Matt and Mary Lauren!!

Lisa and Alex

The boys hahaha

Limo tiiime!

Sweet ride!

Beautiful!

I found this from a while ago:

"Mary Lauren has the happiness of Reese Witherspoon on Legally Blonde.
Andrea has the love of Mother Theresa
and Lisa has the wisdom of Oprah ( yes we like Oprah, and she has the same belt as she does!)

We make a pretty great person, huh?"

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails."- 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Duuuude....its been a good day :o)

They are my favorite!

So these past 40 days have been great for me. God has opened my eyes to so many things about myself, my relationships with other people, my relationship with Him, and things about the person Im wanting to be. I may not have always been obedient and filled my time that I wouldve gotten on the internet with prayer or reading His word, but whenever I did it was always wonderful. The things He's opened my eyes to have been amazing...it's just going to take a lot to become the person im wanting to be.

This was one of the devotionals from the 40 days that made me sit in awe...

"Then Simon Peter....went to the tomb, and he saw the linen cloths lying there, and the handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself."- John 20:6-7

"During Jesus' time there was one way a carpenter let the contractor know a job was finished. A signature, so to speak.

Imagine a hot afternoon in Galilee, Jesus has completed the final pieces of a job he has worked on for several days. The hair of his strong forearms is matted with sawdust and sweat. His face shiny with heat. He takes a final-and welcome- drink of cool water from a leather bag.

He pours water over his face and chest to clean himself before his journey home. With a nearby towel, he pats his face and arms dry.

Finally, Jesus folds the towel neatly. He set it on the finished work and walks away. Later, whoever arrives to inspect the work will see the towel and understand its simple message. The work is finished.

On a Sunday of sorrow, Peter will crouch to look into an empty tomb and see only linens that the risen Lord has left behind.

A smile will cross Peter's face as his sorrow is relaced by hope, for he will see the wrap that had covered Jesus' face. Peter understands. The carpenter has left behind a simple message. It is finished."

-Sugmund Brouwer

It is finished...with Easter quickly approaching, I have taken so much time to think upon our Savior's death. But more importantly, His ressurection. I dont think the real meaning of Easter has ever been as real to me as it is this year...I mean wow...I cant even believe Jesus died for my sins when I dont deserve it the least bit....how great and awesome is His love.

After all that pain he still said, "I will forgive them their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more."- Jeremiah 31:34

Man am I in love with my Lord

Have a wonderful Easter you guys! He has risen!

Andrea

I read something in my book, Seeing Yourself as God Sees You, that made me really think...It's talking about a girl that Josh McDowell heard about at one of his conferences..

"She is one of the prettiest girls in the world, but she thinks she is incredibly ugly, she considers herself grotesque. That's why she can't trust anyone who says they love her. It's as if she is saying to God, 'God, if you love me, you must be a real jerk.'"

I was completely taken back by that...I'm not saying I'm one of the prettiest girls in the world because I know I'm not it's just like I've been saying that to God for the past 15 years. It just kind of hit me that it seriously does not even matter what I look like...my heart...the way God made me on the inside is the beauty in me. Some of the people I have the most respect for are those who don't have the prettiest figure or face and who get made fun of, but they still keep there heads up and don't let that stuff get them down. I look at those kind of people and I'm like, "Man, if only I could just brush it off like they do...I would live my life with so much more joy and happiness" People can be so mean but honestly it really doesn't matter...and I should never let it bug me. If my confidence truly lied in Jesus then it wouldn't bother me..

Then this was in the book..

"A loving God holds the key to her identity. Only he knows her true worth, which is infinately more precious than her appearance, performance, or status. Only he can fill her longing for acceptance, love, and meaning."

God continues to slowly but surely open my eyes to all of this stuff. Thank you for the prayers. I just can't imagine where I'd be without my Lord Jesus...He's the love of my life.

Have a wonderful weekend! God bless.

Andrea

"But the Lord said to Samuel, 'Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.'"- 1 Samuel 16:7

So I've been thinking a lot lately about friends...one in particular..Lisa..Im tellin ya..this girl is the greatest in the whole world. Ya know, Im so appreciative of all she does for me and I don't tell her that enough...I will talk her ear off and she doesn't even mind. She's trustworthy, kind to everybody, and just has a heart of gold..I dunno I'm just realizing more and more just how blessed I am to have her in my life.We have a different kind of relationship than most friends..I can't really explain it..I dunno...I just wanted to bragg on her a little bit...you are so lucky if you have the privaledge of knowing this amazing girl..she is a gift from God that I would never ever want taken away...shes my David. I just want to tell her thank you..I love her oh so much! :o)

Have a wonderful day! God bless.

Andrea

I dont know what to do with myself...I cant sleep..

"Satan has set against every woman from the day of her birth. It's the emotional and spiritual equivalent of leaving a little girl by the side of the road to die. And to every woman he has whispered, You are alone, or, When they see who you really are, you will be alone, or, No one will ever truly come for you...He plays upon a woman's worst fear: abandonmet. He arranges for her to be adandoned, and he puts his spin on every even he can to make it seem like abandonment...
Much of what he allows in your life is not for you to simply accept, but to get you to rise up! God wants you to know how to wield the weapons of warfare, how to take a stand, and how to fight...
And so, dear heart, it is time for your restoration. For there is One greater than your Enemy. One who has sought you out from the beginning of time. He has come to heal your broken heart and restore your feminine soul. Let us now turn to him." -Captivating

"A personal relationship with Jesus Christ sets a person free to be all that he or she was created to be."- Josh McDowell

Bad day...but I just read something on Lisa's site that helped me with what Ive been sturggling with today and I wanted to share that with you..

Beauty says, "All shall be well."

And this is what it's like to be with a women at rest, a woman comfortable in her feminine beauty. She is enjoyable to be with. She is lovely. In her presence your heart stops holding its breath. You relax and believe once again that all will be well.
Beauty invites
Beauty nourishes
Beauty comforts
Beauty inspires
Beauty is transcendent. it is our most immediate experience of the eternal. Think of what its like to behold a glorious sunset, or the ocean at dawn. Remember the ending of a great story. We yearn to linger, to experience it all our days. Sometimes the beauty is so deep it pierces us with longing. For what? For life as it was meant to be. Beauty reminds us of an Eden we have never known, but somehow know our hearts were created for. Beauty speaks of heaven to come, when all shall be beautiful. It haunts us with eternity. Beauty says, "There is a glory calling to you."
Beauty is without a question, the most essential and the most misunderstood of all of God's qualities--all of feminine qualities too. A woman knows, down in her soul, that she longs to bring a beauty to the world.

There is a radience hidden in your heart that the world desperately needs.

I cant wait until the day comes when I realize the beauty God has placed in me....

Hey guys! Wow...what a week..I got through it and boy am I glad!

So I was thinking a lot today about choices we make...we have some small choices and some big...some could ruin everything you've worked for and some could be as small as whether or not to tie your shoes. I dont know but I was thinking and it occured to me that while a decision you have to make may seem small to you, in the long run it may not really be that small. As a Christian it is so important to keep your testimony and to make the right choices so that nobody will look at you and say..."hmm she must just be like all the rest of the people." I mean, as Christians we should please God and praise Him in all we do. The choice you make to go to that party or just say "yes" to that one guy could not only make you feel guilty but could ruin your testimony. That is so huge...I dont know..Ive just thought about my friends today and some of them have just gone down the wrong path...gotten into things that they dont need to be in...and that brings tears to my eyes. Some of the people I thought would never start drinking or partying started to and I just cant figure out what happened. Sorry...soap box...Ive just been disappointed today which led me to a lot of thinking...just be wise in each choice you make...it could effect everything in your life...especially your testimony.

I hope all of you have had a great week. God bless.

Andrea

"Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you. For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body." -Philippians 3:17-21

I love these guys!

Hey guys! Well, I have had an absolutely amazing weekend and I had a great night! This weekend I went with Believer's Chapel to Gatlinburg...we stayed in this beautiful cabin in the mountains...oh man...everything around me reminded me of just how big God is. He is beautiful in every single way and He has created is a reminder of it all. We talked about being an authentic Christian this week and Im really hoping that I can do exactly that...I dont want to ever be fake or do anything to hurt growth of God's Kingdom...all I want to do is glorify my Lord...let people see that Im a Christain and that God is most important to me. I'm starting to learn how to love the person God has made me...this weekend really helped me with that. I had a great time getting to know everyone better and just hanging out..it was one of the best weekends ever!

Some really fun memories:

Singing in the van with the girls, the heart shaped bath tub, the freaky freaky person in the window, FOOSEBALL TOURNAMENT, the indian tribal chant with the girls, being woken up by Kris at 8 because of snow, sleep talking, sleeping with my eyes open, spending time with this really cool guy, spending time with my best friends, ahhhh sooo much gum!!, Lisa and Tyler fighting and it ending with broken headphones, the cup game, millions of Apples to Apples games, Swann and me talking Chinese to eachother, oh and so many more...hahaha man great times **sorry I forgot this one Megan..."knock, knock..who's there? frying pan..."

So tonight church was amazing...I was so focused during worship and God really had a hold of my heart...I just cant describe that feeling. He is amazing.

The passage tonight at church...

"Blessed is he
       whose transgressions are forgiven,
       whose sins are covered.

Blessed is the man
       whose sin the Lord does not count against him
       and in whose spirit is no deceit.

When I kept silent,
       my bones wasted away
       through my groaning all day long.

For day and night
       your hand was heavy upon me;
       my strength was sapped
       as in the heat of summer. 

Then I acknowledged my sin to you
       and did not cover up my iniquity.
       I said, "I will confess
       my transgressions to the Lord "—
       and you forgave
       the guilt of my sin." -Psalm 32: 1-5

Guys, one of the worst feelings is when you have done something and you are feeling burdened by it. Isn't awesome to know that we have a God who cares and a God who will take all of that away and forgive you even when we are not worthy? Man, we are so blessed...

Have a great week you guys! Just be real. God bless.

Andrea

There are pics on here from the trip..

Hey guys! Well, man...God is amazing...so Ive been dealing with some stuff with friends and its just been really hard for me. I guess Im in a situation that I always try to avoid...but this morning this was my devotional entry for the day:

Real Friendship

"A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity."- Proverbs 17:17

"Friendship is a wonderful thing. I cannot imagine a day going by without talking with my friends....Ralph Waldo Emerson asserted that there are two cornerstones to friendship. One is truth, the other tenderness. I agree. To love someone, we must know they are truthful with us. Love is built on respect and respect on trust. Truth and tenderness must go hand in hand because if they try to stand alone, one will be too hard and the other too soft.

I would add a third element that is essential to friendship- freedom. We can love others tenderly, be completely truthful with them, but unwittingly want them as our own. We find ourselves hurt if they do things with other people and we're not included. If we don't encourage them to be free (even of us), there is no real friendship. When we hold on to anything too tightly, it dies." - Luci Swindoll, I Married Adventure

It was amazing what God did this monrning...I find that He works that way often. In my devotional book it has a devotion for each day and I couldnt believe that that was the one for today. He's always leaving me scripture or pointing me to a place in the Bible to read that is exactly what I need. Man, He never lets me down. I'm in love...I'm in love with Jesus.

Have a great week! God bless!

Andrea

"He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. ”- Micah 6:8

Yay!! Phusebox is back!! Thats awesome guys!

So Lisa sent this to me and I thought it was amazing...(thank you!)

My Princess....
           GUARD YOUR HEART,If I were to hand you a fragile, newborn baby girl, I know that you would protect her with your life. Your arms would be strong, your feet sure, and your eyes ever watchful. Be careful, my trusted one! For I have placed something just as precious and delicate within you. It is your heart...your very life. Treasure it! Protect it! Watch over it with all your strength. For the world and all its pleasures are like kidnappers who will stop at nothing to steal your heart away from Me and destory it. I want what is best for you, my treasured one, and although you sometimes feel that the sinful pleasures of this world dont seem harmful, they will seperate you from Me. Just as a newborn is helples without loving care, you also will suffer if your heart is taken from Me. So im asking you to guard your heart and cling to Me, the source of life.
Love,
Your King and the Life Giver

*sigh*...guarding my heart...Im trying...somtimes it gets rough but I know that I can do it with God...

"The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song."- Psalm 28:7

I hope you guys have a great weekend! Stay safe tomorrow on New Years Eve...and HAPPY NEW YEAR! God bless!

Andrea

I learned how to knit from my best friend! I love knitting and I love her!

Hey guys! Well, I have had a good week! I hope you have had the same. God kind of made me realize something last night in our Narnia Bible study. Mickey asked us if we could tell him what Brother Ken's sermon was about on Sunday...while I could do that, the next question stumped me. He asked us, "Well, what were your devotionals about this morning?" Man, I thought and thought and I had no idea. Ya know, I am faithful in doing my devotionas every morning but sometimes I just read them and I wouldnt even be able to tell you what they said at the end of the day. Sometimes as Christians its so easy to just get into the routine. That's not a good place to be...no growth ocurs when you are in a rountine. So this morning I prayed and asked God to help me think about my devotion all day long and boy He did that. Im going to share it with you because it was awesome reminder this morning.

It was about God's unfailing love. This was the verse:

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to seperate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."- Romans 8:38-39

You know what really comforts me about that verse? Jesus is enough. He loves every single one of us and NOTHING can take His love away....does that not comfort you more than anything else? I just cant wait to be in heaven for eternity with my Lord Jesus. What a great place it will be.

I hope you guys have a great rest of the week! Good luck on exams!! God bless!

Andrea

Me and my two best friends! :o)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BRITT!!!

I hope you have a very very sweet 16!! You are an amazing girl!! This past year has been wonderful! May God bless you!

I hope you have a great birthday!! YOU ARE AWESOME!

"Greater love has no one than this, that he lay his life down for his friends." ~John 15:13

Well, we had a choir concert tonight and it wasnt too shabby. haha Here are some WONDERFUL (haha ML and Lisa) pics from it...I have the greatest friends!!

Have a great weekend!! God bless!

Andrea

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."- 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

tee hee! :o)

Why hello! I dont have much time to write because I have to read a book for english but I just wanted to share a little something...

I was reading my Bible earlier and stumbled across this verse and it was so encouraging to me...

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."- Romans 8:38-39

What an amazing verse....isnt it so encouraging to think about how much God loves each and every one of us? A lot of people never her about or just reject that amazing love God has given us but Christians, isnt it a blessing to have found it? We should be out in this world showing people the love of Jesus that should shine through our lives. If your life were on a stage for everyone to see, what would they say about it? Are you great at loving others as Christ has loved you or are you great at just existing? Search your heart and life...God's been showing me amazing stuff lately..

Make Jesus your ultimate passion!

Andrea

Ashley's home! Ashley's home!! yay!! This is her second time home since she started college haha...we've missed her. We took her to Wal-Mart tonight as part of our traditional meetings with her. Those poor college students...sheesh...haha :o) We are all excited! I hope you guys have a great Thanksgiving!! Make Jesus your Passion!

Andrea

"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever."- 1 Chronicles 16:34

The three A's! (My sisters and I)