That's Who I AM

Who I am
If I live to be a hundred
And never see the seven wonders
Thatll be alright
If I dont make it to the big leagues
If I never win a grammy
Im gonna be just finecause
I know exactly who I am

I am rosemarys granddaughter
The spitting image of my father
And when the day is done
My mommas still my biggest fan
Sometimes Im clueless and Im clumsy
But Ive got friends that love me
And they know just where I stand
Its all a part of meAnd thats who I am

So when I make a big mistake
When I fall flat on my face
I know Ill be alright
Should my tender heart be broken
I will cry those teardrops knowin
I will be just finecause nothin changes who I am

I am rosemarys granddaughter
The spitting image of my father
And when the day is done
My mommas still my biggest fan
Sometimes Im clueless and Im clumsy
But Ive got friends that love me
And they know just where I stand
Its all a part of me
And thats who I am

Im a saint and Im a sinner
Im a loser, Im a winner
Im steady and unstable
Im young but I am able

I am rosemarys granddaughter
The spitting image of my father
And when the day is done
My mommas still my biggest fan
Sometimes Im clueless and Im clumsy
But Ive got friends that love me
And they know where I stand
Its all a part of meAnd thats who I am

-Jessica Andrews-

remind me

"Father help me wait for my full reward, remind that its not here....my sould cannot rest here.."
-Shelly Moore Band-

This world is good because God created in and said it was good. We are his people. We are sinners but he loves us anyway..not because of anything we do, but because HE is God and his love is unconditional. We can never earn salvation. We have to know him, strive to know him, and Love Him with all our heart, mind, and soul. But even in this we do not belong here. We will be complete in Heaven..with our Savior

This is so amazing and such an incredible gift!! we in no way, shape, or form deserve this. and all we have to do is accept it. This world is full of the results of our sin. We are sinful. We disobey God. We hurt others with our words, and others are hurt also with violence. We cheat on our spouses, we hurt our children, we have unrealistic selfish expectations of others, we are quick to anger and slow to forgive. ("A hot tempered man stirs up dissension, but a patient man calms a quarrel." Proverbs 15:18) We are stubborn, greedy, never satisified with what we have. we get jealous, we are not pure, we dont love the way God loves. All these things and more are what fill our lives..our minds..our hearts.. but Jesus blood can cover this, He can begin to erase these things and replace them with his truths, his words, his hope, his love, his forgiveness, his humility. Only by asking him and seeking him for help will this be possible. The scripture is full of examples our sin and impurites..but it is also full of how merciful and gracious our Father and Savior in Heaven is. God never leaves us without hope..He is our hope.

Hope..it is important that we have the hope God gives us. Hope for the salvation of others. Hope in our friends and companions. Hope that God can heal brokeness, hope that God can change our wicked heart, hope that God can reveal the depths of our heart that we dont even know about or see. Hope that God will help us understand..understand Him, his Truth, others, feelings, thoughts, undertsand his love, his hope, understand that sometimes we wont understand but in those cases we are called to have faith in HIM..not in what he has done, or what he will do for us .but soley in HIM and who HE is...He is I AM. That is such a powerful statement i pray God lets me grasp the depths of that statement and never take for granted the fact that He allows me to have a relationship with the I AM.

I read this last night from Psalms.it gives me hope..and a right perspective on life and the problems that i think are so hard or impossible to change or fix..

PSALM 25:1-7
"To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul; in you i trust, O my God. Do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me. No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame, but they will be put to shame who are treacherous without excuse.

Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. Remember, O Lord, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old. Remember not the sins of my outh and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you are good, O Lord."

Today my hope is in Jesus all day long. And when i wake up tomorrow i will say the same thing, and on and on...

haha.. HAHA..

PS i noticed i use the term 'haha' or 'HAHA' toooooooooo much
i mean i put it after things that arent even funny
this is a habit i will try to break..haha ;-)

catching up....

Its been forever since ive blogged..i guess ive enjoyed reading some adventures and thoughts on my friends blogs that i thought..hey i want to start again! haha

sooooooooooooo a lot has happened since the last time..
basically..i have bought my 3rd townhome..the others are sold..haha..this one is my fav!! its a brand new 3 bed 2 bath off glenwood..close to raleigh grande and brier creek.and FRANKIE's..haha..love to go and play ski balll there..

also..this is the place patrick and i will be living when we get married..YES you heard right..i am engaged..he proposed at my favorite place..topsail island..on the pier at sunset..such a romantic night full of great converstation..delicious scallops..God's perfect timing..and an amazing sunset, amazing ring.and the perfect man for me! i love patrick and cant wait to be his wife!!! as he puts it..God has such an amazing journey for us together..:-)

so about the wedding!! Ginny is helping me plan..yes she loves planning and is great at it! what would i do without her..haha..she need to come back and visit soon. but she is busy traveling with work!! haha.

this year a lot has happend but all have shown me and taught me more about the truth of who Jesus is..
i have been sick a lot..once it was actually scary..i have gotten engaged..i coach a U13 girls soccer team which i loveeeeeee..if it paid morei would do that full time..hah..and i have gotten knee surgery..oh and i will be an aunt soon as well..my brother's son..the babies name will be trey. he will be adorable:-) i cant wait to meet him! i will also have 3 other nephews and another niece..all from patricks brothers :-)

well i just got back from nyc with my mom. we went there as a birthday trip!! SO FUN..we walked everywhere..shopped..saw WICKED..ate..haha..but i wont fly american airlines again!

sorry this is sooooooo random.i am trying to hit all the important parts..haha

oh i went on a mission trip in july 07..AMAZING!! the kids there were so sweet!

but mostly..i miss my closest girl friends!!! ginny is in charlotte, thank goodness she love coming to raleigh. taylor is in kansas city! i have gone to visit twice. both times were so fun!! kristen lives in seattle and the other kristin lives in Kentucky! then there is lauren (klein) who lives in atl..but she got to come stay with me a couple weeks ago..woowoo

soon, at the end of may..me and all the girls i lived with at elon are having a reunion in atl at klein's house!! woowoo..we are going to chatuea elan..check out the website..amazing..then that night we will go to her fav mexican place..the rest of the weekend will be catching up, shopping and who knows..

alright..more later
happy hump day

Timing..

His perfect timing!! It blows my mind. All i can say is that right now, this time in my life is great. Blessed. that is a good word to describe it. I don't deserve any of what I have been given, but I know that God blesses us because He loves us. And He wants us to embrace the time we have hear and enjoy life in abundance, expecting great things..things that we can't even imagine..because that is who He is ( well only part of who He is) He is a God who I cannot begin to fathom or understand because the human mind is finite and out Creator is infinite!!

I have the greatest friends..girls and guys!! I can count on them for anything: a laugh, a hug, a shoulder to cry on and an ear to listen, advice when i need it, encouragement, love.. i could go on and on...some awesome people who love the Lord and know how to have a good time bringing glory to his Name.

Do you ever wonder why God brings certain people into your life?? I do..I have some friends who were a huge part of my life.. i may not talk to them anymore but they were a huge part of my life at one point..God had a plan there i know it. And i have friends today that have been so dear to me for years and we are still as close as ever even though we live miles and states apart. If there is one thing i've learned, it is that the Holy Spirit creates a fellowship and an intimacy between friends that is so necessary to this life we live hear on earth..I am thankful for the intimacy i share with my friends. God keeps bringing new people into my life and I do wonder..i wonder what He has in store for these friendships..how we will be there for each other and who we will become to one another..Have you ever met someone and they just shine with his love..there is a peace a calmness a joy a serenity..a smile that wont go away..i know His hand is in control here and I dont want my hands in any of it.. i have learned that when i try to control things, all it does is taint a situation that I need to allow God to make perfect in his perfect timing and his perfect will for my life. For all my friends new and old.. I love you all!! and you are in my prayers...

Back to timing..I am enjoying this time in my life..24..a good number..and no i dont think 25 is old so i am not scared to go there..haha..some of my best friends are 25..does that make you more wise..haha..whatever..well I am just living in the here and now, knowing that i am not promised another day. I am soaking up the joys that God is continually filling me with..his promises are real and true..he is merciful..his grace is so undeserved..I am just waiting for him to move me along during this life He has blessed me with..allowing me new breath each morning to sing praises to his Holy Name..

PS if you havent heard Shelly Moore Band..then you must!!

sweetly broken..

To the cross I look, to the cross I cling
Of its suffering I do drink
Of its work I do sing
For on it my Savior both bruised and crushed
Showed that God is love
And God is just

At the cross You beckon me
You draw me gently to my knees,
and I am
Lost for words, so lost in love,
I’m sweetly broken, wholly surrendered

What a priceless gift, undeserved life
Have I been given
Through Christ crucified

You’ve called me out of death
You’ve called me into life
And I was under Your wrath
Now through the cross I’m reconciled

In awe of the cross I must confess
How wondrous Your redeeming love and
How great is Your faithfulness

SWEETLY BROKEN ~ Jeremy Riddle
i couldnt say it better..

you're up...

..and then you're down...
Man if there is one thing i am learning, it is that this life is going to be an ongoing process of learning more and more of how unperfect (if that is a word) I am, how underserved is His grace and mercy..and sanctification is such an awesome work that God does in us..but MAN it is hard and it makes me realize that until i die i will be learning more and more about my sinful heart and keep seeing more and more places in my life where God is redeeming me ..He says that even our rightousness is as filthy rags...but that is what is so wonderful about God's agape (unconditional love) a love that surpasses all understanding..i mean how many times do we look at God straight in the face and tell him that we choose something else for that moment ..we choose a temporary fulfillment, we choose ourselves, we choose pride, we choose laziness..and we do this knowing that God's precious one and only Son Jesus Christ suffered the most painful death..and He did this knowing we would curse his Name and sin against him..Shane and Shane put's it perfectly
"should You give me one more breath to curse Your name oh God? why allow me one more
thought to delight in me? do i have the right to walk a step upon Your grace? while i call
upon myself, should You give me life?"
this sounds like something horrible has happened..but as God has shown me that I can walk in victory, and not live a life of those outward sins (drinking, gossiping, etc, etc) He is now showing me that it is in actuallity the intangible sins that are even more important because these are the ones that determine who we are..they are our character..the outward, the picture of our life is formed and created by the inward,, who we are on the inside..that is where it all begins..in the places no one can see..the places in our heart that only God knows about..He shows us our pride, our selfishness, our laziness, our insecurities, our fears, our bitterness, our anger..all of these may be hidden in the secret places of our hearts..we may have burried them so deep and only God can surface these and allow us to give them up to him..allowing him to continually refine and redeem us from our sinful nature..molding us to a more beautiful picture of who He would have us be..I want so badly to be teachable, moldable, so i can become that woman of God he has planned for me to be..and He tells us that we are created for his workmanship and that He will finish the work He has started in us..all of this I know..but faith is tricky..we can have faith, our finite human minds may believe, but when it comes down to it, do we really act on that faith, do we live out that faith??
"tell me reveal to me, how can i be a young (wo)man keeping my way pure by living by your Word..for i seek you Lord with all my heart. i'm amazed, i will praise, i will pray, i'm amazed, i will praise, i will praise...for tonight I'll delight. i will not neglect your Word. i'm amazed. hold me, don't let me stray, hear my cry.. the Word is hidden in my heart, within my heart. cover me that i might live and i won't sin against you my Lord. hear i am. i believe in life abundantly. i hope in You"
that is my prayer..it's a daily battle between the spirit and the flesh..how weak is the flesh?!?! there is so much more i have to learn! but it's exciting to see this journey God has taken me on..and it is exciting to think about where this road will lead and all the things He will teach me on the way..this life is a pattern..it's a constant cleansing of the heart that takes place through trials in our lives, our minds..and then our leaning on God who gives us the strength to conquer these obstacles and milestones in our lives..as we then come out victorious..we live in that victory!! the same power that raised Jesus on the 3rd day and defeated death is the same power alive in us!! don't forget this ..be encouraged cuz we have already won!!
love yall
feel free to leave me your thoughts..i would love some insight

east asia on my mind..

well i must say that yesterday's events were kinda strange...
i will be brief cuz i can tend to get wordy when telling stories or describing how things turn out..such as all that when on yesterday..well to start, i was supposed to go to nashville to run the country music marathon with my favoritest mint hillian (but she really is a raleigh-ite at heart)..turns out neither of us are going now (keep her friend laura in your prayers) and i am kinda relieved to be staying home this weekend..nashville is an awesome city but the drive is LONG, i would be spending more money, and i would start off next week being exhuasted and once again feeling like i had no relaxation! I am finding that lil R&R is necessary in my old age of 24..haahaa

so now i will be goin to the southern women's show with lauren sanders...yes i love this girl..we are writing a book by the way (i will discuss them some other time, dont let me forget)
and sunday is kyle's bday!! i think i will make him that banana bread he is drooling for..haha..that is if he washes my car ;-) and of course i will go to Church sunday morning and to my leadership class that night..will prob end up at the hood's house once again..i mean seriously..

WELL last but not least, let's go back about two months ago when chad mentioned a mission trip to east asia that he thought i should go on..supposedly it was gonna be in SEPTEMBER '06..well my roommie is out of town so last night i sent out a txt msg looking for something to do..yes i am a loser..haha...well lauren told me that she was goin to the orientation meeting for the east asia trip, did i want to go? well i figured, i had thought about this trip before (and was praying about it, but havent been so much recently..) so why not go check it out, i had nothing else to do..(ps usually my nights are busy without a free second) so i went and turns out the trip is july 16-27, whoa a lot sooner that i expected. so i am not prepared for this..i dont want to jump into a trip that God hasnt planned for me..not to mention the trip costs $$$$..but anyway, i had no idea about the meeting and then it just fell into my lap..kinda cool..

AHHHHH so much for being brief..sorry blog world...ginny you are used to my ramblings via our daily emails..haha

mucho amor

testing testing

HELLO!
Yes i have given into this world of the bloggers. I figure that i read some of my friends blogs and I enjoy journaling, so hey, why not create my own blog. Plus I type faster than I write and i is a widely known fact that i have the handwriting like that of a kindergarten boy. If there were a font of my handwriting then that would be the name "Kindergarten Boy" It is sad..I know! Some people say it has to do with the fact that i am left handed and a math person...hmmm..
well there is no point to this blog except i had to make an entry to preview my page..i hope it works...?!?!!?
lataaaaaa