Day 20...Friend Day!

Today I am thankful for the way the Lord blessed our Friend Day! We had 85 in service...35 first time visitors :)

Day 19...Prayer!

Day 18...My friend Debbie

This is me and Debbie (back when we both drank regular pop! LOL)

When my husband was the youth pastor in Osawatomie, Ks I met Debbie=) Her son was in our youth group. She was always such a blessing and encouragement to me while I was there...She was a big help with the teen girls during activities and our weekly volleyball night! We went on visitation together every week and walking EARLY every morning...I was very sad to leave her, but I am so thankful we have been able to grow closer even though we are no longer near eachother! So thankful for her...

Day 17...sleep!

Day 16...Cooking Shows!

yay for cooking shows!! good thing i don't have cable or i'd be tempted to watch the food network all day!!

Day 15...My Bible

"Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path". Psalm 119:105

In this Book I can find wisdom for any situation I face in my life. How awesome is it that we can hold God's actual Word in our hands! The God who created us, who spoke this world into existence left His Word for ME! Wow. And I am just so thankful. I love that even after reading it for 22 years, I still find new things every day.

It saddens me that there are times I neglect God's Word, but I am thankful that the Holy Spirit convicts my heart and doesn't give me the fullness of joy when I do.

I have a bajillion favorite verses! So I will share a few with you =)

Isaiah 43:2

"When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee."

Lamentations 3:22-23

"It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness."

II Samuel 22:31 & Psalm 18:30

"As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried:

he is a buckler to all those that trust in him."

I have a bunch more, but these are a few that encourage me=))

Day 14...My teeny kitchen & dining room =)

this is it! haha...i have always wanted a big huge kitchen, but i totally love my little kitchen and thankful for a place to prepare meals for my family!

and my dining room where we eat our meals together=))

Day 13..My (not so) little brother G

This is my awesome little brother Jared. AKA----> G! (this is because when Ruthie was little she could not say Jared and could just say "GG"...so he is now G.

He is awesome and I would say he is the most like me...although it would pain him to admit it! haha

He is definitely the "clown" of the family and the total mama's boy..which he would tell you! We have lots of fun memories (big bear...and NO RUTH! I will NOT tell you what it means!) We had a blast last summer when we went to Hershey Park together=) Can you say LOG RIDE!?

He is so much fun and I am so lucky to have a great little brother like him. He is at college in South Carolina and I hate that he is so far away! We skype every now and then, but he always ditches me when his girlfriend calls...can I blame him? ;)

I am totally looking forward to Thanksgiving this year when we can all be together! I can't wait for him to get married and have kids...I know he'll be a great dad, cause he sure is a great brother!=) Love you, G!

Day 12...My Big Brother Rob

Another blessing of mine is my favorite big brother, Rob! He was always the coolest...we are complete opposites! He is a perfectionist. I am not. He is genius. I am average. He actually thinks before he speaks. I speak before I think. He is studious. I am spacey. He is serious. I am, well...not! His room was always super duper clean. Mine...super dooper messy. The chores all went to him because "Robby does a complete job" while "Barbie only does half jobs". Poor Guy. It's hard doing everything right. ;)
We (or should I say I) have so many great memories. I was always the annoying little sister who tagged along to be annoying or to meet his friends ;) He always had to stick up for me, his abnoxious little sister, and I remember this one time him getting in a fight with someone about me and then yelling at me later to "stop doing stupid things". I'll always remember that. Even though I was wrong and an idiot, he still stuck up for me just cause he loved me.
We had lots of late movie nights and he used to make me ziti and bring me home leftovers from his pizza place job=) When we were little we tried to dig a hole to hell so we could send a little water down! haha....We also attempted time machines, underground hotels, and fun science projects. He is awesome and I will always look up to him. He is graduating with his law degree this spring, so I better stay on his good side...just in case I need a good lawyer some day! He has a good wife who is loves and supports him (and all of his years of school!) and is always willing to help me with my crazy kids. And an absolutely beautiful daughter Brooke (who is just a few months younger than Selah) who is as smart as her Daddy. I am blessed with a sweet little niece like her.
Famous Quote from Rob? "Why do you always look at me? Look at Barbie sometimes"...See? He was always wanting me to get attention, too=) Best Big Brother around. <3 love you, Rob!!

Day 11...My Dad

Thankful for my Dad!!!

Day 10....My mom

(photo disclaimer: my face was only this fat cause I was REALLY pregnant!!! lol)

Well, another of my favorite blessings is my mom! I probably would not be where I am today without her faithfulness to instill in me the things of the Lord. My whole life she always encouraged me to be all I could be for the Lord and that no other occupation would compare to serving Him in the ministry. I know that played a major role in my life.
We have had our ups and downs through the years, just like every other mother and daughter, but I always know that she loves me and truly wants the best for me=) She was always involved very much in our lives and made sure she asked lots of questions (and I mean LOTS) so she knew what was going on in our lives. Nothing made it past Mom..lol
I remember when I was 15 and just starting to "talk" to my now husband, she would sit in the car after church for over an hour so that I could talk to him after church as long as I wanted. She must have known somewhere in her heart that I would marry him one day, cause she didn't do that with just any boy! =)
She is a great friend and I praise the Lord for giving me to her 27 years ago. He couldn't have picked a better mom for me=) And I absolutely love that my kids totally LOVE "Dunkin Donut Gramma" (she always brings them yummy treats from there!) And they know she is always up to reading them a good book....or 10!
I love you, Mom!

Day 9..My sister Ruthie =)

One of my other favorite blesings is my beautiful little sister...and today is her birthday!! When I was little I prayed faithfully every day for a little sister...And on November 9, 1990, she was here! I was so excited!

We have always been very close and we share so many wonderful memories. We laugh. We cry. We fight.  But she is my best friend. I dont know hoe people get through life without a sister. And she is the best!

Day 8...Music!!

One of my most favorite things in the world is MUSIC! I love LOVE to sing and I sing all day long. I sing while doing, dishes, laundry, playing with the kids, cleaning, taking showers, and as I type I am humming a tune...yes. I am that talented. haha! The worst is when I am listening to music at the gym and it takes everything in me NOT to sing along! I know people would think I was crazy if I busted out "Were it Not for Grace" while doing the eliptical!! Anyways, I am so thankful for music. I cannot even stand being in my car and having no music on. It just drives me crazy! And by music, I mean God-honoring music. I just love it all.

I love to memorize Scripture, and while many, many times the Lord brings Scripture to my heart when I am down and discouraged, He also does the same with music. I have been encouraged by music hundreds of times. Many days I wake up with a certain song on my heart and I'll just sing it all day long.

I also have certain songs I sing for certain times. Like, for example, when I am cleaning the church toilets or something gross like that, when I see myself having a bad attitude I always FORCE myself to sing "A Servants Heart"...and as corny as it may sound, it has completely changed my attitude. How can we have a bad attitude while praising God!!! (Which is also why I sing while doing laundry & dishes) Or when I find myself getting a little envious of something someone may have or even about someone else's ministry, I always sing "I have been blessed". When I feel like my life isn't what I *think* it should be, I sing "God's Been Good"...When we are struggling in our church ministry, I like to sing "Through the Fire"...I could go on and on with songs that are my "special songs" for a bunch of different situations, but I won't bore you any longer! lol

I just love music, singing, playing the piano and listening to good God-honoring music. I am also attempting to learn guitar, which I haven't done much of because these 4 crazy kids take up all of my time=)



Day 7...Joyanna Banana...

I am totally in love with this little girl! We are still developing our relationship, but I can tell we are gonna be buddies=) She is a super duper happy baby and loves to laugh. She has such a little sense of humor and turns 5 months old today!! I get emotional thinking about my pregnancy with her. As I was in labor I thought for sure she was going to pass away either during or right after I had her, but praise the Lord, she is laying right next to me as I type this. She is such a sweetheart and lives up to her name!! JOY <3

Day 6...Elliiana Rose

This is Ellie...there is something totally special about this girl. We have had such a bond since the day she was born. She literally follows me around the house all day long and is definitely a little mama's girl. She has the sweetest personality of any little 20 month I know. She loves taking care of her baby sister and snuggling with her big brother. She loves when her big sister reads her books, too! She is hilarious and has a little bully streak. If anyone tries to mess with Selah, Sam, or Joy Ellie marches over to whoever and shows them what's up...we're not proud of the methods, lol, but totally love the way she takes it upon herself=)) She is a little leader and I am excited to see what she becomes... I used to say I only wanted 2 children, and I am so glad I didn't stop there and miss out on this little blessing!

Day 5...Cool Dude Sam

I love this silly little 3 yr old! There is something special about a son=) He has such a sweet heart. He love his sisters more than anything. He is all boy and loves building towers, playing with trucks, being a fireman, and playing sports. He has a tender heart and a very teachable spirit. He is gonna be a great husband one day!

Day 4...My Princess Selah

This is my beautiful 6 year old princess, Selah. She is the special little girl who made me a mommy on August 7, 2005 (a week late just so she could be born on her Daddy's birthday)!  I love her so much! She and I are very alike which makes us "clash" at times. She totally reminds me of me when I was little.
She loves art, and singing, and dancing, and has the biggest immagination I've ever seen! She is a fantastic big sister and "little mommy" to baby Joy. She says the most hilarious things and makes up the cutest songs I've ever heard. We recently sang our first "special" in church and I know that was the first of many!
She is a total Daddy's girl and would pick hanging out with him over me any day of the week! Except when she knows I am tired and she tells me she'll stay home to help with the "kids" lol....Many times she has said, "Mom, you go relax and take a bath and I'll watch the kids for you." And sometimes I let her and thank the Lord that I had a daughter first=)) I love her with all of my heart and cannot wait to see the great things the Lord will do in her life! She has such a sweet compassionate heart and I just could snuggle and talk with her all day.

Day 3...My husband!

My husband. By far one of the greatest blessings in my life! We have been married since June 14, 2003.... We began "talking" when I was 15 and he was 18.

How cute were we, lol....
Anyways, we went to college and just a month after I turned 19, I was a very happy newlywed!!

Over 8 years and 4 kids later, and I can honestly say I love him more now than ever! He is amazing.

Day 2...Our Church Building

I am so thankful for this building!! We started this Church 5 years ago in an old high school...See full story Here!!!

Praise the Lord for His faithfulness in Church Planting!

Day 1...Thankful for HIM!

    I have to start my 30 days of thankfulness with the thing I am the most thankful for, and that is my Savior, Jesus Christ. I cannot even imagine where I would be today without Him. The day I repented of my sin and asked Him to save me was the greatest day of my life. I still sin, but now I know that I am safe in Him, and no matter what I will be in Heaven with Him someday. 
    You can know Him too! If you have a Bible, start reading in the book of John. All of the answers are in His Word. He wants to save you. He wants to save everyone! He died for you. He rose for you. Believe Him. Accept Him. You will never be the same.
John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in Him, should not perish but have everlasting life"