The final day!

Well, it's been a loooooooong month; school, youth group, homework :P, family, ..... am I forgetting something??? Ah yes, Drivers Ed! Today was one of the most scary days ever; the test .... ;) One of my friends and I were clinging each other as we waited for one of our instructors to call us up one by one and grade it. The palms of my hands were sweaty and shaking as I sat in a chair, trying not to fidget.

When I finally looked at our teacher I felt wave of relief come over me as I heard him say 'Well, you passed' Right away I wanted to shout for joy but I restrained myself. Instead, I celebrated by dumping my wonderful homework in the trash bin :)

So Praise God!! I can't tell you how long I prayed last night for the test.
Also, I should warn you to look out when you go out on the roads now. lol

One more thing, I noticed that my post about the characteristics of God didn't post. I have NO idea why. When I tried to find it it was gone. Sorry about that! Anyway, I will do it on Monday. I can't Sunday b/c I will be gone all day.

In Christ,

Bri

God's Creativity

Our God is SOOOOOO creative!! His imagination is huge; and to prove it just look at the world that's around us.

One of my favorite things that God created is: sunsets

I think they show His love for us and how amazing He is! Sunsets remind me that God made the universe and they didn't just appear by accident. I think He made them so that we could enjoy them and praise Him.

Revelation 4:11 "Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things and because of Your will they existed, and were created."

Bri

What do I know about my God?

In Sunday School this past Summer my teacher was talking all about the different characteristics of God. There are so many of them!!! You could go on and on just by looking at verses in the Bible.

In Psalm 18:1-2 it says "I love You, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my deliverer, My God, my rock in whom I take refuge; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold" In that passage God was telling David HE is our strength, rock, deliverer, shield, horn, and stronghold. But what does that mean? It means God is our protection and is all we need in life's tough battles.

So, for the next couple of months every Sunday I will being doing a characteristic of God along with a verse. I don't know how long this will take but I think it will be really cool to see some (ok, probably A LOT lol) of our All-powerful God's characteristics!!

In Christ Alone,

Bri

playlist ....

ok, so a couple minutes ago my dad and I thought we'd try one more time to put my playlist on ... it worked!!! :D So ... hope you enjoy it!

Creed

Ok, so I finally downloaded a play list for my blog. Small problem .... I don't know how to post it on my blog :/ so .... I will hopefully soon talk to some of my friends and they will show me how :)
My favorite one is the first one on the list; Creed. This is such an inspiring song! It shows what we Christians believe in:




I believe in God the father
Almighty maker of heaven and maker of earth
And in Jesus his only begotten son, our Lord
He conceived by the Holy Spirit
Born of the virgin Mary
Suffered under Pontius Pilate
He was crucified and dead and buried

And I believe what I believe is what makes me what I am
I did not make it, no it is making me
It is the very truth of God and not the invention of any man

I believe that He who suffered was crucified, buried and dead
He descended into hell, on the third day, rose again
He ascended into heaven where He sits at God's mighty right hand
I believe that He's returning
To judge the quick and the dead and the sons of men

And I believe what I believe is what makes me what I am
I did not make it, no it is making me
It is the very truth of God and not the invention of any man


I believe it, I believe it
I believe it
I believe it, I believe it

I believe in God the father
Almighty maker of heaven and maker of earth
And in Jesus Christ His only begotten son, our Lord
I believe in the Holy Spirit
One holy church
The communion of Saints
The forgiveness of sins
I believe in the resurrection
I believe in a life that never ends

And I believe what I believe is what makes me what I am
I did not make it, no it is making me
I did not make it, no it is making me
I said I did not make it, no it is making me
It is the very truth of God and not the invention of any man

I believe it, I believe
I believe it, I believe
I believe it, I believe it
I believe it, I believe it
I believe it, I believe it
I believe it








So ..... do you believe? Do you believe in God the Father? The ALMIGHTY maker of heaven and earth! We have such an awesome God!!



The line 'I did not make it, no it is making me' really got me thinking; It's not the works we do that will get us into heaven. It's the work and sacrifice God's only begotten Son did for us. He died and rose again!!!


Anyway, sorry my play list isn't up yet; I will put it on as soon as I can.



In Christ Alone,

Bri

You might want to pray for my neighborhood ....

Wow .... The month has finally come; I'm taking drivers ed!

I just finished my 3rd day in class. Tomorrow I will learn from behind the wheel. I'm so excited and a little nervous at the same time. Thankfully, I've driven before (gasp! lol) to and from our church.

I'm so blessed to have parents that are willing to let me learn how to drive. Thank-you Mom and Dad!!

Well, sorry I have been neglecting to post. I will strive to do better in the future.


In Christ Alone,

Bri

Happy Birthday Benjamin!

October 2008

Summer 2009

14 years ago today, Benjamin John Van Dyke saw the world for the very first time with his little brown eyes; 8lbs. and 1 oz. and 21 in.

As I look back, I have so many unforgettable, hilarious and wonderful memories of him. Jokes, playing beanies babies together, late night talks, getting distracted during school ;) etc.

I have enjoyed watching him grow through the years. He's getting so much taller! I still have him by a couple in. but, I know that's not gonna last long ... lol

But most importantly, I've enjoyed watching him increase his faith in God. I'm so thankful to have such a godly brother that watches out me, loves me (which may seem a bit impossible at times ....) and encourages me. I pray that he will keep on being a young man after God's own heart.

I have 2 favorite talents of his: One is his voice when he praises God; he has an amazing voice (which he has trouble admitting sometimes :) ) I love listening to him when he's having his voice lessons, practicing, in the shower ;) He'll sing pretty much all the time at home.

The 2nd, is his hilarious sense of humor. That's what our family loves about him. What would the world be like without brothers with a good sense of humor? Pretty boring ....

I'll be having a bad day and suddenly Benjamin will tell me something that makes me giggle. I can always count on him to make me laugh. Always. Like I said a couple posts ago, he's the family clown :-)

Other then singing and joking around, Benjamin has many other hobbies. Like boyscouts; He's in First Class, almost in Star. I'm so proud of what he has accomplished.

Benji has loved animals his entire life so he's really into biology or anything that has something to do with God's amazing creatures.

Benjamin is and always has been, my best friend for life. I'm so grateful God specifically chose him to be my brother.

I can't wait to see what God has for his future. All I know is that we will never end this awesome journey with him.

I love you so much Benjamin! Hope you had a fantastic 14th birthday!!!

Bri