Happy 16th Jake!

Today Jake turns 16.
Jake is probably the hardest working 16 year old I know. Jake uses waaaay too many exclamation points!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (which is fine, I guess ;)  Jake likes swimming under water more than he likes to be above. When Jake and I were little we used to play with Hot Wheels cars together. Jake used to LOVE to build forts in the woods. Jake is an avid knife collector and has more than I can count! Jake's the best raccoon hunter around. Jake probably knows more about guns than any other male I know. Jake wants to be a Navy Seal one day. (he's still trying to convince mom about that one! ;) Jake is a true gentlemen. He always opens the door for us girls and our mom. He waits at every meal for all of us girls to make our plates and then he goes. Jake eats more than a cow and horse put together and you wouldn't know it to look at him! Jake is a a super funny guy and can make you laugh at any given time!! Jake is a super sweet uncle to his 14 nieces and nephews. Jake is going to make an excellent dad one day. =)  My prayer for you, Jake, is that you will continue to draw closer to the Lord, in everything, daily!

Happy Birthday to the Handsomest 16 year old I know!!! ;)

HAHAHA!! This picture makes me laugh! =D This is what Jake is like in a box truck at 10:00 at night after a farmer's market. I think he was pretty excited about selling out yesterday...... ;)

Summertime is....

My old school paper...

This is just to give you an idea of what I liked to write about when I was younger... it's an old writing assignment I found in one of my school folders. I can't remember, but I think I was 11 yrs old.... =)

"There he stood. The fastest drawing, sharpest shooting cowboy in the whole wide west. His big brown eyes staring down the fearless Indian. The fearless stood about 100 paces away. Sweat dripping from his brow. He too was sizing up the other. Neither he nor the Cowboy could use weapons in this fight. This fight called for much strength. This was a wrestling match! Both Cowboy and Indian charged at each other. Running as fast as they could! Right as they neared each about to ram one another into the ground, their charge was interrupted by the dinner bell ringing and their Mother calling the two brothers in. "Allan, Billy. Time for supper!" Tearing across the front yard they ran up the porch stairs, their chubby little feet pounding the deck, then right on into the doorway. BAM! They ran right into their mother! She stood there staring, smiling down at them. "Billy, every good cowboy washes his hands before eating supper. And Allan, even the Indians wash up before eating. Now run along and wash 'em." Both boys ran to the water pump, washed as quickly as they could then ran back to the house. Only this time, they looked to see of Mother was standing there. Smelling the delicious aroma they jumped in their chairs....."

...The story goes on, but I think that paper got lost somewhere... I know you may not have found that interesting, and you may not have even read it, which is fine... but it brought back memories for me, so I thought I'd post it anyway. ;)


                         ...Happy Monday Evening....

Praise Him! Praise Him! Jesus our Blessed Redeemer.....

"From the rising of the sun to the going down of the same, the name of the LORD shall be praised."

          Psalm 113:3

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"The more we live in God and unto God, the more do our eyes become enlightened to see the enormity and deformity of sin, so that we recognize the hatefulness of evil more distinctly: and the more clearly do we recognize the perfection of God's holiness and make it the pattern and model of our own holy living."~George Muller~

"Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved,  let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God."
2 Cor. 7:1

Happy Sunday Evening, Folks..... ~Gianna

...God is {un}predictable....

...yes, I am updating again. ;)
Whenever I think of how God can use someone to convict you of something, I don't know why, but I always think of someone who is very influential, older and wiser, maybe even a missionary or a pastor... but that's not always the case. God can use ANYone.... but a younger sibling? ..........Yup. Absolutely.
Every time I feel I am ahead of the game or my head's 'far above the water', the Lord shows me just how weak and vulnerable I really am. Even though I feel saddened and discouraged, I also feel a sense of joy, in a way... because I know there is hope in the Lord!! He is quick to forgive, full of mercy and compassion!
Even though it can be heart-wrenching sometimes, it can also be a time of joy... if we would only turn our focus UPWARD!!

I love you so much Jake! Thank you for obeying the Spirit and for allowing Christ to work through you. My prayer for you is that you will continue to grow in the Lord and become a mighty man of valor!!!

"...Thou hast chastised me, and i was chastised... ...turn thou me, and I shall be turned; for thou art the Lord my God."  Jer. 31:18

You. Are. {Blessed.}

If you attend a church

without fear of harassment,

arrest, torture, or death,

you are more blessed than almost

three billion people in the world.

If you have never experienced

the danger of battle,

the loneliness of imprisonment,

the agony of torture or

the pangs of starvation,

you are ahead of 20 million people

around the world.

If you have food in your refrigerator,

clothes on your back, a roof over

your head and a place to sleep,

you are richer than 75% of this world.

If your parents are still married and alive,

you are very rare,

especially in the United States.

You are so blessed in ways

you may never even know...