How Great Thou Art!

This is my all time favorite song in the world. By one of my favorite artists in the world. This is also one of my mother's favorite songs, I grew up listening to this song and have it memorized like the palm of my hand. Doesn't matter how many times I watch this in one day it makes me cry every time. If I watch it back to back.. I cry twice. Haha I do not know why! This song is so powerful, and Carrie singing it makes it that much more powerful. I'm not going to write much on this post. This song speaks for it self!

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend and great times with your family over easter break!

God Bless You!
-- Andrea Farell <3

The Future

Hello All! Sorry I haven't been posting much lately, and that my last post had to be negative and only about my life! Had a little bit of a rough but amazing weekend! My friend Andrew came home and what a blessing he has been in my life! He challenges me with being open about my relationship with God, and I sure need that! Anyhow, I was talking with my friend Brittany just a minute ago and we had an hour conversation about what the heck we are planning on doing with our lives and why everything hasn't fallen into place just yet for us.

Let me tell you, I have shed TONS of tears over this very subject. I mean probably enough to fill up a bathtub! hehe! I wasn't blessed with the best knowledge or studying abilities. Do not get me wrong, when I buckle down and WORK at school I am a awesome student. But I get so frustrated that others are just so gifted that it comes easier to them, its unfair! But thats just how the cookie crumbles! I was blessed with a singing voice, that I have to do anything productive with out of high school sadly. My mother always says that God takes away blessings that you do not take full advantage of, so I am trying to get back into that before he takes away my most prized possession! So my point is, no one will ever know what their future entails. You can have a basic outline of it that is for sure, but you have to have details to make it complete. The only way of filling out all the "in-between things" is just living life. Put your faith in God, and led him lead you down your path to your future. Easier said than done huh? Many people contemplate what their purpose in life is, and if you are a Christian the answer should be to live the life God has proposed me to live and spread his word. But again, we have to think about the in-between details. What should my profession be? Where city would make me the most happy to live in? Who is going to be my soul mate? Why are things just not working out with this situation? There are SO many things we have to consider in life, its overwhelming. Never knew how STRESSFUL adult life is until I moved away for college. Helloooooo, that was sure a wake up call! I was living in this bubble my parents put around me and as soon as I popped that I had no idea what to do! I hope to have my life figured out, at least my profession part, by the time I am 26! That is my goal! Obviously, my passion is teaching, working with kids, and making people smile. If I can at least accomplish one of those things my life will be set. My ultimate goal in life is to travel around the world and help those in need. Omgosh, I wish I could fall into something that my whole life would be devoted to that. Have you ever fixed a broken toy for a kid, or given a homeless person money and saw the smile that lit up their face? Maybe I am just overly emotional, but that just elates me! That is the best emotion that you could ever feel, in my opinion. Better than winning the lottery or winning a big game. Seeing that you helped someone smile, maybe in time of depression or frustration, for one moment you made their world a happy place. =) ahh I am so smiley right now just thinking of it!

I've talked about this in previous posts, but here it is again. My boyfriend discussion. Never had one. Surprised? Yeah ,you and three hundred other people. I get it, it's odd! I had a friend tell me once that she had a dream about me and that God had big plans for me and that may be the reason God hasn't put a certain guy in my life. Boy did that get me thinking.. what in the world does God have in store for me? Plain old Andrea, goofy as all get out, can't keep her mind focused on one thing, and doesn't have too much to offer. What can I possibly be able to do that is considered "Big Plans"? You know what I have done after being told this? Never letting an opportunity fall out of my hands. I used to be held back in trying new things, meeting new people, doing things by myself. But I have become so independent in the past 2 years I will do anything that will allow me to experience new things or people. Getting that job this summer was just the start, I have already met new friends there. I have become friends with girls in my Special Education class that have opened my eyes to new things. I have changed my entire outlook on college, and that I can't just sit back and let it happen. I have to MAKE it happen. So, I thank you my friend for telling me that one simple story. God obviously gave you a nudge to help me in the process of succeeding in his "big plans" for me. I know one day God will put this amazing man in my life, that will help me with my relationship with God, or maybe even help that person have a relationship with God. You never know! A lot of girls getting extremely depressed over not having a boyfriend. I admit, I do sometimes talk with the man up top and ask him why I can never find just ONE person, one person that loves to be around me and want to do nice things for me. I am such a hopeless romantic, and I have all of that hopelessness balled up inside of me! It needs to get out soon its gonna explode! But until then, I'll be patient. I don't even know how to act around guys really. It's embarrassing, my friends make fun of me for it. I just honestly don't know what to do, omgosh I can't believe I am typing this stuff. haha oh well there is my blunt truth I guess. I am living life, and if a guy happens to come around then so be it! I am not going to search for the right man. He will be right in front of my face and I won't even know what is goin on when it happens! =)

I could not be more thankful for God's plan to move me here to Columbus. I have never felt more in tune with him, every negative and positive aspect that has come into my life I find myself relating it back to my learning experience with him. I moved here to get away, to become my own person and not have people judge me and make fun of me. I despised Lima with all my heart, and now have a new found appreciation for that little town. Most people come here and do the typical college life. Drink, party, have sex, do drugs, and go to college. Don't get me wrong, I drank here at the beginning of the year, but it just opened up my eyes to the reason why I don't even really like drinking. It's human nature to sin, we were doomed with the ability to sin. But God had his own son die on a cross for us, to prove that he forgives our sins. We must live and learn, and accept that we made a sin and ask god for our forgiveness. I'm not saying that I had to drink in order to learn that god forgives my sin. But I did it, and I learned something new about myself. 

My favorite verse, that I am again.. repeating in a post. I have used it probably 3 times before in previous posts, but its so blatantly true. Jeremiah 29:11 -- "For I know the plans I have for you", declares the Lord. "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

My answer to everyones life questions.. Have FAITH, put your uttermost trust in the Lord. He will never hurt you, even if he is putting you through hell. You have to build that ladder up to heaven, and hell is where it starts. Fight through sin, Faith will get you there!

I hope this gives at least one person reading this hope that their day will get better. Life is a roller coaster, one day it will be going up, then it will plummet back to the ground, take you through twists and turns. But in the end you can always make it better. Be the bible, don't just read it. 

Have an amazing week, and may God put his hand on you and guide you through your decisions in life!

God Bless!!

-- Andrea Farell <3

Life's a roller coaster, put your FAITH in God!

Family..

I should be studying, but felt the need to write on here to express what I feel the meaning of family is. Hoping that my family will take a look at this as well. This may possibly be an extremely personal post, so which I may not post this link onto my Facebook for the entire world to see. But I am just writing as to what I feel at the moment.

Sadly, my siblings and I have never gotten along.. ever. I think maybe once every year all three of us can sit down for only about an hour an laugh our heads off without insulting each other, very rare case. Otherwise, we all are judging each others lives, making fun of their weight, their job, their looks. Yes, typical siblings but it is that times 100. Maybe it is because of the age difference, as I am 13 1/2 years younger than my brother, or maybe its because each and everyone one of us has a different mind set. I'm the open hearted sensitive one, my sister being the extremely sensitive yet hard headed one, and my brother.. the overly hard headed one. We all have different values and goals in our life. We have totally different perspectives and outlooks on what life should be about. Some have made mistakes that cannot be taken back, but yet those mistakes have brought happiness into our family. My mom is the one who is over the top sensitive, and thinks every negative thing said is attack on her, yet despite that she would stop everything going on in her life just to help you get back on your feet. As for my Grandmother, I grew very attached to her from the start because I was brought up by her when I was very young because my mom and dad had full time jobs when I wasn't in school, and instead of going to day care I stayed with her. But as years went by, I grew distant from her because of the family feuds that started unrolling. I won't get into details and I would never ever disown my Grandmother, because she is inevitably the reason why I am in Columbus and financially stable. But all I ask for from my family, is to allow God to handle our situation. No one is ever perfect, and disowning your family is NEVER okay. The bible says in  1 Timothy 5:8 -- Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

Despite all the troubles we have had over the years, I continue to have faith that one day we will be able to be a happy, loving family. Notice I do not say perfect, we all have our flaws. Remember that disowning your family members, makes you an unbeliever. God sent his only son to forgive all of our sins, and he died on the cross, and excruciating pain for OUR sins, and if you cannot look over the flaws of your family members and remember all the times they have sacrificed things to help you, then God help you. Take a step back, look at your relationship with the Lord, and ask him what should you do. Don't let the work of your hands be the work of the devil. 

-- Andrea Farell <3

Just one simple act..

Happy April Everyone! Lots of things to write about today! Tons of great things have been happening!

First things 1st! So happy that Little Miss Paislyn is doing absolutely amazing, she has stolen tons of people's hearts! I know she has mine and I've only seen her in person twice! She's so darn cute! If you haven't read her story go to this! http://paislyn-littlemissmiracle.blogspot.com/ Amazing Miracle! =)

Also, I start training next weekend for the camps I'll be gone away doing this summer! I have to stay there all weekend in a cabin! Not too sure of what I am going to be doing, they haven't really told me much! But I am overly excited for that! I have ALWAYS wanted to be a camp counselor and what better way to start that off with better than being with mentally handicap kids. It is definitely going to be a tough experience, things I know I am not going to be ready for. But hopefully this training toughens me up for that! Ready to learn a lot of new things! =)=)=)

Now onto my real reason for this blog! Aubrey has been telling me for months now to read this book, and I have put it off for forever. Weird thing is, I feel like god wanted me to not read it until now. I have totally rearranged everything I do for this quarter. I only work on the weekends for the most part. I wake up in the mornings early enough to eat breakfast and get ready for the day, not just throw on sweatpants and throw my glasses on. I actually get ready! You are probably asking what is the relevance of that with the book. Well, I am just trying to be a better version of me. It's called "One Simple Act: Discovering the Power of Generosity" I just got it yesterday and am already 8 chapters deep! I cannot believe how she relates everything back to faith and it makes me smile SO BIG! I wasn't expecting the book to be religious at all, thought it was just going to share little snippets of good deeds people have done. But she throws in tons of scientific studies that prove generosity makes your life better, and she has lists and lists of verses from the bible that show what God's plan for us is. I am so obsessed with it and can't wait to hand it off to the next person to read it! I have a few pages bookmarked so far and wanted to share a few things of what she had to say that hit home hard!

In one of her chapters she talks about Forgiveness as a discipline and even in the most hateful situation how you should always forgive. Now, as I was reading this I was kind of resentful.. Thinking to myself I have forgiven one specific individual many... many.. in fact maybe countless times. Yet, I still got dirt thrown back in my face each time I did. I was fed up the last time and said I would never forgive that person again.. I even just brought it up just a few days ago to my best friend. But after reading that Chapter it makes you step back and say.. thats not what a Christian does. A Christian forgives.. doesn't mean you have to be their best friend or give them a time of day. I knew when I befriended that person how much better I felt because I had no enemies at the time. But, for now I won't go out of my way to forgive the person. But if the time comes I would. Here's the verse she threw into the chapter that made me realize all this : Matthew 6:14-15 -- Jesus says, "For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." She ends it with "Those are some chilling words since we need the Lord's forgiveness to live." I never thought about it in that way.. God forgives us in every way he can. He forgives some of the worst sins, yet we can't get past our bitterness to forgive even one person. Even though I am never that bitter towards anyone, I am going to try to change that department in my life.

Okay, let's see here.. another page I have bookmarked.. Omgosh my favorite so far! Made me tear up.. "Tell those rich in this world's wealth to quit being so full of themselves and so obsessed with money which is here today and gone tomorrow. Tell them to go after God, who piles on all the riches we could ever imagine -- to do good, to be rich in helping others, to be extravagantly generous. If they do that, they'll build a treasury that will last, gaining life that is truly.. life." 1 Timothy 6:18-19 She obviously sums up that saying and makes it more contemporary. But thats what the message says. Again, opening my eyes to see that we aren't put on this earth to make billions of dollars and live a happy life with just ourself. She goes on by saying.. at the end of time, we will all stand before God, and we can't offer him a big luxury car, or the perfect vacation home. But what we can offer is how we portrayed his messaged to other people. Don't just be the word, SHOW the word. I loved that sentence she wrote. Just believing in the word doesn't really prove much, you must act on it.

This book has had a huge impact on me already, and I already have 10 chapters to go. I will most likely keep writing about it on here. It has gotten me even more excited about my new job! I cannot wait to make all these kids have an amazing summer! It is going to be life changing that is for sure, my boss warned me of that! I said I accept the challenge! =) yeee, summer needs to come soon!

Well I need to get homework done! So I hope you all enjoyed reading this and go get that book, and after you read it give it to someone else!!

I apologize for my writing.. I am not the most eloquent writer. I am just trying to get the point across.

Have a great week!

God Bless!

<3 Andrea Farell

Picture of the book so you know you are getting the right one!

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4