I got a job!!!

at 11/06/11 4:23PM

I'm working for Coldwell Banker, a real estate agency, doing their computer/website development and such. It's really fun!

And now I'm saving money for a car, college, and other related things.

Music is another biggie.. I just bought Scotty McCreery's album, "Clear as Day", and it's pretty good with the exception of a few words. But I can edit those out! :D

Not too much in this post... but pictures that I've taken will come later. :)

computer !!!!!!!!!!!! glad you got something you enjoy doing !!!!!!!!

by mommyssweetheart at 11/06/11 4:41PM
Your job sounds like something you will really enjoy. Congrats!

by aleta at 11/06/11 9:32PM
Good luck at your new job. I know you will enjoy helping Coldwell Banker in the web world.

by wise at 11/09/11 4:51PM

I LIVE!!!

at 09/24/11 12:27AM *

Maybe! I know it's been a while, guys, and I'm sorry. Sometimes it's difficult to get out of the habits of Facebook and short or nonexistent status updates. I've been a bit lacking in my writing, and I figure a blog entry is in order. SO. Onto the great chasm that is known as the pleonast of Andrew!

So this thing called "College" has taken over my life. It's somewhat scary in a way, but also peaceful, like the strings of sleep pulling across your eyelids. Haha. As you can tell, I have mixed emotions about this one. It's a lot of work: sometimes a little frustration when something doesn't go your way; sometimes waking up like an undead and not really understanding much of anything until you get to class (and then hopefully some knowledge is absorbed! . . . HOPEFULLY!); sometimes just having a peachy day, and other times having a "I wish I could do that over again" day; sometimes taking a test in 20 minutes, and other times taking a test in an hour; sometimes having fun in Chemistry la-wait, I ALWAYS have fun in Chemistry lab-; but it can also be a source of great contentment, knowing that you have conquered the trials and rigors of daily schoolwork out in public that you dreaded for your entire childhood. And as the Scriptures say, godliness with contentment is great gain (1 Tim. 6:6). :) Life's a wonderful thing.

On that note, I'm taking FIVE classes this semester. That sounds like a lot, but here's my schedule:

Monday/Wednesday/Friday- Chemistry for Engineers, 8:00-9:50 AM; Intro to Theatre, 10:00-10:50 AM
Monday/Wednesday- U.S. History II, 1:10-2:25 PM; Macroeconomics, 2:35-3:50 PM
Tuesday/Thursday- Federal Government, 2:35-3:50 PM

That's not too bad, honestly. Theatre is an easy class so far, and I can pretty well handle Chemistry. My favorite teacher is teaching both History and Government, and I love history/politics, so that's going to be a cinch, Lord willing. And Macroeconomics.. it's difficult, to be honest, but I think I can do it. I'm sure my friends (those who still get on pleo) would be willing to help, right? :D

So this semester is turning out to be a blessing. It's taught me discipline. I have to get up in the morning or I get an absence. Too many of those and I'm dropped from the class. And that means I lost money. That's not good economics, by the way. ;) It's also taught me self-control. I have to shut my yap and listen to the teacher, instead of allowing my mind to wander. I've also learned how to budget my time more effectively and to cultivate a greater understanding of the Word in the passages that talk about diligence. As Christians, we should do all we do as to the Lord (1 Cor. 10:31). So we strive to be victorious in every endeavour we face! Whether it is on the spiritual battleground, or the scholastic warfield, we press onward!

Some of the other random assorted things (mostly macadamia but some cashews) in my life are:
* I preached at Conroe, TX for the Woodland Heights Church of Christ for both the morning and evening sermons! That took a lot of work, but it was well worth it, and I got to visit at a member's house afterwards and meet lots of new friends! :)
* On the drive to Conroe, it rained! WHAT?! That's amazing! Then it rained here in Brenham!! Okay, I know it doesn't take a lot to stun this fellow, but WOW!
* I'm using 88.41% more exclamation points in this post than I did last year! And 70% of all statistics are made up on the spot!!!!!!
* I got to visit with some good friends at a gospel meeting in Baytown recently. Among those, Tori Proctor was there, but Daniel wasn't! D: Oh well.
* I got my driver's license! Driving teaches one how to remain calm in many situations. I have to get the restriction (of having a 21 year old licensed driver in the front seat) taken off, but it's a full license besides that. :)
* I paid for books and school tuition, or half of it, anyway. Ouch...
* We took a trip to Florida and visited my Grandma while also going to Orlando after that! We went to Epcot and had a great time. :)
* Dad and I went up to Waco for the preacher's study there and saw some good friends, and heard a good study presented on self-defense and another on technology in the church.
* The Rangers are going to the playoffs!!!! YEAH!
* Was given money for an iPad 2 and bought one! It's really a lifesaver for taking notes, Bible, and everything else. :) Plus it has Angry Birds!
* I'm looking to start up some fictional writing again sometime soon. I need to spend my free time doing some more interesting things. "A fellow who does not do interesting things is not interesting." I call it Andrew's Law. ;)
* I got some new speakers for my computer (Well, new to me, but old speakers) and a subwoofer. I have been listening to Legend of Zelda music ALLLLLL day. Wow. Just wow.

So yeah. That's about it for this edition. :) My first update in forever. I miss Indiana..

Until next time,
Andrew

I applied for a job at Subway!!! Lord willing, I'll be able to start driving more and pay for insurance, plus save up for college, a car, college, and a car!

by bucsfan at 09/30/11 12:07AM
Behold! The new post. Amazingness. :)

Fictional writing?? What kind? Where? Who? How? ...Does it have to do with politics?? Huh? Huh? Huh?

I'm glad I did a good job! I tried not to make him too mushy or with "girly" feelings. He had a good solid name, too!

by the_rainy_dog at 09/30/11 12:13AM
And yes, I said college and car twice. Hahahah. :P

Also, I need some advice for some good iTunes albums to buy. I'm looking for clean (or at least mostly so) country, soft rock, pop, bluegrass, techno/electronic, 80's rock kind of music. :D

by bucsfan at 09/30/11 12:16AM
I'm not sure what kind. I'm leaning toward maybe a one-shot about a high school baseball team- and depending on how much I enjoy that I might write longer on that. Or maybe about some fictional war, possibly.. maybe some politics in that one. Eh? :D

I'm also considering requests. I need to just get writing again.

Yeah! Tanner is a name I haven't heard lately, but it's a cool one. The interesting part is, it refers back to a profession.

by bucsfan at 09/30/11 12:28AM
So... you're going to college at two different places. Are you planning on getting two different cars in the next 2-4 years, too?? x) Maybe a little car and then a truck? How can you be a Texan and not have a truck?!

I hope the writing goes well. Writing is good. Theraputic in a way. Be sure to let me read it when it's done!

by the_rainy_dog at 09/30/11 7:32PM
Hahaha. Well, I probably won't get two different cars in THAT short of a time period.. :P It'd be cool if I could!

I'm thinking about getting a 4-door sedan, used car, probably a Toyota Corolla or Honda Accord. Those are some really dependable cars, from what I know of them.

Ah... If I lived on a ranch, I'd get a truck. But trucks get really poor gas mileage.. and I wouldn't be able to afford paying more for gas at this kind of time. :P

Thank-you! It truly is. I certainly will!

by bucsfan at 10/01/11 11:56AM
At the end of your post, you mention missing Indiana. I'm just a bit curious what sort of connection you have there, 'cause Indiana just so happens to be where I'm from.

By the way, I don't know all that much about cars, but I do know that Corolla's are really small. My eldest brother has one, and once I get in the back seat, I literally have to stay in that position the whole drive, that's how small it is. The front seat is a little better. His car is a bit older, and I believe the newer ones are a little bigger, but not by much, so I think I would go with a Camry instead. Again, I don't know that much about cars, but I just thought I'd express my opinion anyway.

by Megalexandros at 10/01/11 1:11PM
Well, I went to the preacher training program up at Ellettsville, Indiana, where John Isaac Edwards preaches. I miss being with everyone from up there and all the guys that were preachers-in-training. :) Cool! I didn't know you were from Indiana! That's a pretty neat place to be.

Yeah, the Corolla is pretty small. I've heard the Camry is bigger, and about the same as far as reliability goes. I'm trying to get something fairly inexpensive, for the moment. Of course, that will have to wait until I start saving $$$$. ;) Thanks for the tip!

by bucsfan at 10/01/11 1:35PM
Yep, Indiana's amazing. Since we still have friends from before we moved (a little over five years ago), we go up every summer, and we try to visit in the winter when we can, 'cause we like snow, but Florida doesn't have any.

I've heard that Toyota's all around are pretty reliable, but that's only what I've heard, I don't have experience in it all.

by Megalexandros at 10/01/11 11:47PM
Yep, it's all been pretty great!

by Megalexandros at 10/04/11 10:34AM
On one of the times he preached after I almost got invited to the teenager Bible study!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

by mommyssweetheart at 10/06/11 9:40PM

Indiana

at 08/12/10 2:09PM *

Hey, pleo! It's been a while. Unfortunately, I've been unable to use computers for extended periods of time to write profound and thoughtful blogs. Thus, I have been on FB until this day. Inasmuch as John Isaac Edwards hath influenced me with the Authorized Version, my speech shall sound strange. Bear with me in a little foolishness. ;)

Well! I think I'm going to limit this blog to the Preacher Training Program up in Indiana. Even then, it's probably going to be a bit long and wordy. We first started off going to the airport on Saturday, Houston Hobby, and my flight was to Indianapolis, with a plane change in Chicago. Keep in mind, this is the first plane flight since I was 18 months old, and I'm completely on my own. I took quite a few pictures of the clouds outside the windows- what an amazing way to start off the trip to Indiana! "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork (Ps. 19:1)." It's a very frightening experience just taking off, at first, but it's really cool. I just had to force myself not to read the manual on how to escape if the plane is in some dangerous situation. X-P

Once I got to the airport in Chicago, I thought about getting a bite to eat. I looked in the food court.. And there was a Ben and Jerry's right there. As tempting as THAT was, I decided to pass it by and have sustenance by my cheddar crackers. :P When we arrived in Indianapolis, it was drizzling a little- and I saw one of the longest rainbows ever when I was going down to baggage claim! God's providence surely works today. Even if it wasn't for me, I was definitely encouraged by it.

So, I went down to baggage claim and got my luggage, and then held up my sign to be picked up. And waited. . . . And waited! Finally, the Downs' granddaughter (I was staying with the Downs'), Allie, came down to claim and brought me to where they were. Apparently, I had completely skipped them going past the food court! I felt a little silly after that, but oh well.

That night on the drive back to Spencer, IN, it stormed SO much! And Allie was CALLING the thunderstorms. The thunder and lightning was probably the closest and loudest that I have ever heard! When we got to the house and I got all unpacked, I was informed that since I was the youngest of the 3 that would be staying there, I would receive the purple room. It was a little lighter-purple than my kind of purple, but I was grateful all the same. The other 2 trainees didn't get there until Sunday night.

The next day, Sunday, I woke up around 7 to 7:30 and showered, got ready, and listened to the Ellettsville 10-minute radio program before services. I studied a bit for the class that morning, titled "Who Am I"- and the verse for that week was "He became a husbandman and planted a vineyard". Of course, me being the NASB stalwart that I am, I thought he said "husband", but then I figured out that it was KJV and looked it up. It was Noah, and the adult class was the most participative that I have ever heard! It was very profitable. The Sunday morning worship service progressed well- I was blessed to sit by 3 or 4 of the trainees that had already arrived- and John Isaac brought the lesson on Scriptural Baptism. The entire Sunday was quite good! We would definitely need the encouragement to make it through the two weeks.

Okay, so, I don't really remember what we did each specific day. But some of the events, lectures, and exercises we did are listed below:
+ Connie Adams preached to the class about "Issues Old and New"- Instrumental music, sponsoring church arrangement, missionary societies, etc.
+ Johnie Edwards (eldest) preached an acrostic sermon on "Sixty Years of Preaching"- the SIXTY YEARS was the acrostic.
+ Learned how to conduct weddings and funerals
+ Sang all but one or two mornings right before class!
+ Studied the epistles to Timothy and Titus- heart of the PTP- outlined each chapter
+ Learned how to outline properly
+ Got TONS of material- three boxes full!
+ Putting together a sermon
+ Studied stage fright and how to overcome it
+ Got some file folders and worked on the Goodall Filing System
+ Learned how to be good houseguests and good listeners
+ Studied religious error and how to respond to it
+ Memorized passages of Scripture and the plan of salvation
+ Studied an overview of the entire Bible
+ Listened to a tape of Foy Wallace on "Keynotes of Scripture"
+ Did several different exercises about public speaking and being prepared- first of which being giving instructions to a place in your town, second being a "grab bag"- you take an object out of a bag and speak about it for 60 seconds in front of the group, making spiritual application if possible- third being taking a strip of paper with a verse from Timothy or Titus on it and speaking about it for 60 seconds
+ Were fed like REAL preachers! I probably gained 2 pounds, which I needed. :P
+ Studied on "The Two Covenants" and how the OT relates to the NT while not contradicting
+ Published a church bulletin
+ Wrote articles on various subjects
+ Studied on the value of Part-time preaching
+ Were given an "I CAN" packet and studied it
+ Stayed up nearly every night until 2 to 3 am, woke up at 6:30 and left by 7
+ Studied the work of a preacher
+ Studied "The Bible and Contemporary Churches"
+ Studied Divorce and Remarriage
+ Studied how to read the Bible effectively
+ Studied how to read Scripture out loud
+ Studied how the church grows
+ Wrote many sermon titles down
+ Was involved in many inside jokes. My nickname is now "The Preacher of Death".
+ While staying up late doing homework, many Turtsie Rolls were thrown across the room and eaten, and also ice cream and cookies and sweet tea (not me, the other two)
+ Had a great time discussing spiritual topics with the other 17 men and the instructors
+ Were taken in by the congregation and treated like family
+ Played 6 games of volleyball in a row at a "pitch-in"- potluck
+ Made many, many new friends and is very much encouraged to "Preach the Word"!

~Andrew

Are "turtsie rolls" like "tootsie rolls?" So how are you the "Preacher of Death?" :-)

by engelishgentleman at 08/12/10 5:25PM
It's a joke played on my brother in Christ, Brandon Hathaway. :) He came in the house we were staying at Sunday after evening services and mentioned how he had "turtsie rolls" in the truck. They are tootsie rolls, just mispronounced. X-D

Monday at the lunch meal, we were all at Johnie Paul Edwards' house, while Brandon Willis and I were talking, and apparently I had been making some funnies or something, I dunno. I said something like "What have I done wrong?" He replies, "What HAVEN'T you done wrong?" "Well. . . er, I guess I haven't killed anyone yet. . . wait, this is preacher training, how could you kill someone at preacher training?" I thought about this and answered my own question, "well, I guess you could preach 'em to death." Eventually, we concluded (jokingly) that Paul was the approved apostolic example because he preached until midnight, and Eutychus died. He commented, "that's wrong on multiple levels". (He was on the third story when he fell) So basically, just a very long drawn-out inside joke.

And I didn't preach at the funeral home or the nursing home. :P

by bucsfan at 08/12/10 6:27PM
Dude! You did more than I've done this year! x-D Nah, I hope that's not the case or I'll start feeling pret-ty lazy. But I'm glad you got to go through with that experience. It's good to prove to yourself the things you're capable of doing through the strength and motivation and drive that comes from working for our Lord and Savior and righteousness. :)

by the_rainy_dog at 08/14/10 1:32PM
Haha, I highly doubt that. Feeling lethargic at times doesn't make you a lazy person. :) And so am I!

by bucsfan at 08/14/10 6:14PM
Haha! Nice. Well, now you have a Pleo nickname.

by engelishgentleman at 08/14/10 10:12PM
Thanks, Andrew! I'm glad you enjoyed what I wrote. I hope that it could benefit you in some way!

by the_rainy_dog at 08/24/10 11:50PM
Hey, it's nice to say "please", right? Especially if you're asking for something from God. Since school connects with a number of other important things in life, I don't think it's a bad idea to pray about it. :)

by the_rainy_dog at 09/21/10 10:48AM
Hey, Andrew, I enjoyed reading your activities in Indiana! You are growing into such an awesome, spiritual young man! Keep up the great work! You know you've got two great parents, right? :)

by bunchesinla at 09/22/10 1:35PM
Howdy-do, stranger (at least in pleo-world). Thanks for dropping by. When are you going to post again? Facebook statuses don't always sum up everything that's going on. `_`

by the_rainy_dog at 01/22/11 10:24AM

Would you like to Super Size that blog?

at 06/16/10 4:23PM *

Hey-a, everybody! What's up or down in your town? :)

So, alright, it's been quite some time since my last blog. For my birthday on the 21st, my dad and I traveled up to Arlington to go to a Texas Rangers ballgame! (Let me explain that I was quite vocal during this game.) The crowd was extremely loud on both sides- there were a lot of Chicago Cubs fans there as well. We also got better seats than we usually do- up in the second deck in left-center field- so we got a nice view of the action. No one hit any home runs, but it was still a very exciting game, both on the field and off the field. The Cubs fans and Rangers fans were having a vocal battle, and I was in the thick of it. After I had yelled and cheered my heart out, I saw a little girl sitting right in front of me, who turned around and said "HIGH-FIVE!" This made my day- I was expecting to be told to be quiet or something. :) In the end, we won 2-1, and we didn't stick around for the fireworks.

The next day, we woke up in the morning and got all packed up to go to the Bible study in Waco. Brother Dennis Scroggins spoke on the subject of evangelism- he made several good points, the first of which being "evangelism", as a word, is never found in the Bible, and that unless we define evangelism as the work of an evangelist, it is generally denominational evangelism. The study was very beneficial, and we ate at a Mexican restaurant following the study.
Before we left, Dad realized he had left the cell phone at the Coxes' house! So.. I asked if I could ride back with brother Stan and stay with him for a while and bring the cellphone back. Somehow, the plan worked, and I got to worship at West Side and see Rebekah and her family again! Thanks to her mother and father, I was blessed to spend the afternoon with them, and also after the study at the Coxes' that evening! :) All in all, it was a very good day, although I think we're going to try and go adventuring or something next time we meet up. Bwahaha. . .

On Monday, sister Debbie graciously drove me to meet my grandma so she could take me back to the farm for a bit. During my visit to the grandparents', I got to do some mowing, some running around, taking pictures, walking Oscar, and in all having a pretty good time. :)
Skip ahead to June 4th, a Friday! I went down to the Kibodeauxs' house to be near Beaumont so I could take my SAT and then go to Daniel's graduation party. I stayed up that night until around... 1:30 a.m.. Don't ask me why, I may have been just a touch nervous about the SAT. We had to leave the house around 7:00 that Saturday, but I wasn't exactly sleepy. Eheheh. Anyway, I haven't gotten my scores in yet, but I think I did fairly well on it. Hopefully!
And Daniel's graduation party was pretty cool. They played a DVD with pictures of him, his dad got up and talked, while the rest of us just snacked and listened. :P

Then, Daniel got to come with us back to the farm again! We had quite the enjoyable time, doing a large variety of things, including but not limited to: Singing songs, skipping rocks across the tank, shooting a .410 shotgun (my first time!), throwing the frisbee, playing the old piano at the Community Center, and playing pitch-and-catch and hitting the baseball around. We spent Sunday through Wednesday up there, then we left for Brenham in the afternoon on Wednesday.. But not before we got COMPLETELY drenched! We were out walking Oscar, and suddenly the bottom just fell out, and it was POURING! But it felt quite refreshing. :)

On Thursday, we went to the Brenham Cubs 4A State Championship game in Round Rock. Daniel wasn't sure he wanted to go, but by the end of the game, he was glad that we had gone. I was probably the loudest fan there (not bragging), and we had about 3,000 Brenham fans there, compared to about 500 for the other team. We won it, 2-1! It was an intense game, and tiring, too!

We also went bike-riding several times during the week-- sometimes for more than an hour! We rode in a few large drainage ditches, and around the bike route that goes by the high school and tennis courts. Exhausting, yet exhilarating! The next day, we went to Horseshoe Junction, where we had 2 hours to play all the attractions we wanted- go-karts, bumper boats, hydraulic jumping, laser tag, and rock-climbing! The only thing I didn't do was bumper boats. But the rock-climbing- now THAT was fun!

And.. In other news, I'm almost finished with my schoolwork! Finally! :D

Well, that's pretty much it for this blog. (:
~Andrew

I am DONE with Pre-Cal and Spanish! Woohoo!

by bucsfan at 06/17/10 1:47PM
Harhar, ^ is that your solution of substituting status updates on facebook? :P
On a nicer note, that's great! I'm sure that's helped make your day swell! I finished a history book from a series yesterday! I have three more to go and then I can read whichever ones I want. :)
I'm glad you've had a lot going on! That's always a good idea to have something to keep you busy. And kudos for trying the rock climbing-- and then discovering you liked it!
--Also, please pray for the Staley family. Brother Joe passed away lastnight. I'm not sure if you knew him, but he's been mentioned before and was a faithful member and it seems like he was quite good at making sure he found something to do in taking care of the building.

by the_rainy_dog at 06/17/10 3:35PM
Hehe, yeah, kinda! I almost got on FB but then thought.. "Nah. Pleo's good enough."
Hey, good for you! History's a pretty tough subject, at times. For me, the toughest stuff is world geography.. Heh.
I certainly will. We're all family through Christ, even if I mightn't have met him.

by bucsfan at 06/17/10 4:31PM
I think I might enjoy getting to know some more basic world geography stuff! It'll help me feel less ignorant about this temporary place I live in! :P
Ah, good to see you were able to use that handy self-control. I've been trying to not even read the emails that notify me what people write on facebook. xD Unless I'll get one that I think I should read like a message or a post someone posted on my wall.
Thanks! That's quite true, we are family. D'you remember meeting Hannah at the young people's bible study? Brother Joe was her grandfather. Maybe you could send her a facebook message sometime next week. :) ((edit: you could do it sometime this week, that would be okay))

by the_rainy_dog at 06/17/10 9:10PM
Yeah!! But, HEY! At least I thought it sounded like Dan!

by the_rainy_dog at 06/17/10 9:13PM
Hrmm! Lesee. I do think I remember her, vaguely though. I was a little distracted. X-D

But, yeah, I'll try and get around to sending her a message. I could do it this week, but.. I don't know if I could refrain from staying on FB. Does she have a pleo. . .?

by bucsfan at 06/17/10 11:45PM
Yeah, I struggle with that too while I sing. Another thing I struggle with is when I'm exposed to so much impurity, I find that it seems my mind starts getting cluttered with filth and violence and things that really shouldn't be freely floating around in a Christian's mind. Have to put a harness on those thoughts, and a sufficient way to do that might be to put a harness on some of the entertainment we engage in.

by the_rainy_dog at 07/06/10 10:36PM

So apparently. . .

at 05/21/10 3:01AM *

I'm turning seventeen today. But the weird thing is, I don't FEEL seventeen. I feel like I just turned sixteen, just got my pitch pipe, just got my song-leading books and all the birthday cards, just went to the gospel meeting at Westside, just had my birthday party...

But I am seventeen. :) So here's some things I've been pondering.

Prayer is a powerful force. Just because we may not see an immediate effect doesn't mean that God does not hear our pleas and petitions. I remember the phrase, "God answers prayer-- just sometimes, He doesn't give us the answer we want!" God will work all things together for good- He will satisfy our needs and desires (Psalm 145:19). Sometimes, the answer is "Wait"! We must be patient- let go, and let God. :)

As Christians, we ought to know how to keep our priorities straight. God should come first. PERIOD. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. This mindset does not fit with the current generation, which is heavily driven by instant gratification. I'll give you a few examples: Netflix, so you don't have to go to the store to get your DVD- instantly delivered to your PC! Smartphones, so you don't ever have to be disconnected from your peers and work! (Wow, that's scary.) Credit cards and minimum payments- so you don't have to really work at paying back your debt. See what I mean? It's this kind of mentality that brings about a desire for everything NOW. The thing is, we have a lifetime to work at attaining things- example, you DON'T have to be in a relationship before you turn 18! If you like/love the other person that much, you can wait. Marriage (or a relationship) is not inherently wrong- in fact, it is a thing to be honored- but when it takes precedence over God, spiritual things, or even life in general, your life needs to be prioritized. "Fear God and keep His commandments: For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil." (Eccl. 12:13b-14)

Also, Christians should enjoy associating with other Christians. Sometimes this is not the case, as evidenced by some that would rather spend time with their worldly friends. "Do not be deceived, bad company corrupts good morals" (1 Corinthians 15:33). If you are going to spend time with them, not attempting to lead them to truth, what is the point of the friendship? You can only be dragged down by a bad association if you don't attempt to show him the gospel. If you don't surround yourself with Christians whose main goal and desire is to please God and go to heaven, you will slowly become more and more like your worldly companions.

What are the things that will build us up for edification? One is assembling with the saints every time there is an opportunity to worship- in fact, we are told not to forsake the assembly as is the habit of some (Hebrews 10:25). Another is discussing spiritual things- setting our minds on things above. Also, read your Bible! Every day! God's Word is everlasting truth! We should follow His teachings and not risk being led astray because of our lack of knowledge. Again- PRAYER! I cannot say it enough. We have an Advocate through Christ Jesus our Savior- and yet, some Christians choose not to go to God through Christ and instead ask their worldly contemporaries for advice, as Rehoboam foolishly did. (1 Kings 12:10-11)

I am reminded of the song of encouragement we sang last Wednesday: All along on the road to the soul's true abode; there's an Eye watching you! Ev'ry step that you take this great Eye is awake! there's an Eye watching you.
God knows the thoughts and intents of our hearts- His sword is piercing and true! (Hebrews 4:12) We must take care to let every action that we take and every thought that we have be pure, holy, and righteous. We must not let the tempter in!

Seeing this, we must be humble. Realizing our helplessness without a Savior, we should submit ourselves willingly to everything the Lord says to do.

On a more secular note: Yesterday, I got quite a bit of work done! I also mowed a bit at the church building and received some cards from precious friends who are like grandparents to me. :) Last night I celebrated my birthday with my family at Casa Olé. I had a gigantic salad, and had some fajitas from Dad's plate too, and ice cream at the end. Wonder if I'll actually get to six feet? ;P

This past week, we also had a funeral for a dear sister of ours, Cynthia Johnson. She lived to be 100 years old, and she was always very encouraging to us, even when she went into the nursing home. May we become strong by the example of the "weak".

And I finally figured out how to do a 3-way call! I'm so 90's. Bwaha. A guy couldn't ask for any better best friends. Thanks, Rebekah and Daniel! :)
Again, this concludes our slightly longer than normal blog. :) May God bless!
Andrew

The price to pay for a medium-length blog? Staying up until outrageous hours. Neck ache. And as an unintended side effect, extra pre-calculus. Yep, I'm going to be WASTED for the ballgame tomorrow.

OH YEAH, that's right! I'm going to the Cubs vs. Rangers game- wait, it's tonight, rather. :)

by bucsfan at 05/21/10 3:07AM
COL. I'm so tired, I looked excitedly at the comment above this one and thought it was someone else's. Then I realized it was my own. OKAY. It's time to SLEEP now.

by bucsfan at 05/21/10 3:13AM
I agree with much of what you said. Most of us don't pray as much as we should today. We have the mentality that if we pray for a few seconds over each meal that will suffice. It really doesn't probably. When people value friendships of the world more than Christian friendships it's not a good thing. We most certainly can have friends outside the church, but we should also value our Christian friends and spend time with them. Happy Birthday by the way. :-)

P.S. glad you finally learned a little HTML :-D

by kernel at 05/21/10 9:18AM
Oh, yes, I wasn't trying to say that you can't have worldly friends at all- just that you are influenced by them, the more and more you spend time with them, so to be careful. Learned here from experience. And thanks! :)

P.S. Haha! I just remembered the stuff I'd forgot, that's all. ;P

by bucsfan at 05/21/10 9:33AM
Happy Birthday, Andrew! From your posts, you seem older than 17! I know your parents are so proud of you. They've done a wonderful job raising you! I really enjoyed reading your post!!!

by rhonda_pickard at 05/21/10 9:58AM
Good points, brother. In regards to today's society of "I want it now, I want it all", sometimes it might be helpful for us to remember that sometimes things are more precious when they've been patiently waited for and when it takes work to enjoy it. For example, saving up for something you would enjoy, as opposed to borrowing money. Or doing all your schoolwork before sitting down for an hour straight doing something you enjoy. ((Now, to clarify, I have to put this idea into application MYSELF!))
--Perhaps another good way of looking at our relationship with God above all others, is to ask ourselves-- when something tricky comes up in life, who do we go to first? It should be God, but sometimes we slack on that when we haven't been putting enough effort in our relationship with Him anyway!
I also thought I'd give you a heads up on your reference to 1 Kings 12:10-11. I think you may have been referring to King Rehoboam (as opposed to Jeroboam, they're close, I know!) after he had consulted the elders but instead took the advice of his young friends.

Keep up your studying of the bible! Firstly, it will be good for your own salvation. Secondly, it will help you quite the degree if ever you were to decide/or had to take up a preaching job. It's good for young men to be prepared for the unique responsibilities they have as being brothers in Christ.

by the_rainy_dog at 05/26/10 12:21PM
Bwaha. Oohh, I did do that, didn't I? Thank-you for the heads-up. :)

Although, I have a little excuse here. It was really late. ;P

by bucsfan at 05/26/10 4:52PM
Yanno, that's kinda sad, because I know a way to keep them apart. "Don't let the J's get together"-- Jeroboam goes with Israel, and Rehoboam with Judah. X-D Ahhhh, well!

by bucsfan at 05/26/10 11:16PM
Happy birthday. Good thoughts, thanks.

by wise at 06/08/10 12:35AM
Thank-you! I'm glad you think so! :)

by the_rainy_dog at 06/12/10 5:09PM

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