Pictures Galore!

Hey Blog readers,

Wow, these pictures took sooo long to upload! I had to have so much patience with them. It was quite annoying, but here they are...finally!

These first ones are of us goofing around and having some fun with the camera!! :)

~Me~



~Micah~


~Kristianna and Susanna~




~us 4 girls~

~Julianna~

~Kristianna~

~Kristianna~

~Kristianna and Micah~

~Micah~

~Kristianna and I~

~Me~

~Kristianna~

~Julianna and Micah~

~Julianna~

~Kristianna~

~Susanna and Julianna~

~Julianna and Micah~

~Julianna and Micah~

~Susanna~

~Julianna~

~Julianna~

~Susanna and Julianna~

~Susanna and Julianna~

~Julianna, Susanna and I~

~Julianna, Susanna and I~

~Julianna, Susanna and I~

~Julianna~

~Susanna and I~

~Susanna and I~

~These pictures are taken by: Julianna (first 12), Myself (next 17 except for two which specify), Kristianna, Mom, and Susanna~

~Daniel~

~Daniel~

~Daniel~

~Daniel~

~Daniel and Micah~

~Micah~

~Daniel~

~Daniel~

~Micah~

~Daniel~

~Daniel and Micah~

~Daniel~

~Daniel~

~Daniel~

~Daniel~

~Daniel~

~Daniel~

~Daniel~

~Daniel~

~Daniel~

~Daniel and I~

~Daniel took this picture *future photographer* jk! (aka Firefighter Daniel)~

~Daniel~

~Daniel~

~Daniel~

~Daniel~

~Daniel~

~Daniel~

~Daniel taking a picture of himself~ (he wanted to, and then after I showed him he was like "Oh, keep that.") :)

~Me~

~Me~

~Daniel and I~ (check out the face, haha)!

~Julianna, Daniel and I~ (love the faces) :)

~Julianna~

~Julianna~

~Kristianna~

~Micah~

~Julianna and Dube (neighbor's dog)~

~Julianna, Kristianna, and Dube (neighbor's dog)~

~Micah~

~Micah~ (love this one)!

~The four girls~

~The four girls~

I didn't know which one was the best of these. The sunlight wasn't the best the time we took them at, so the ones in front of the red bush weren't great, but oh well!

~All of us~

~All of us~

~All of us~

~All of us~

~All of us~

~Daniel and Caleb~

~Daniel and Micah~

~The boys~

~Daniel and Julianna~

~Daniel and Julianna~

~Julianna and I~

~Me~

~Julianna and Susanna~

~Me~

~Me~

~Susanna~

~Susanna~

~Me~

~Random photography pictures from the last couple days (the first one is from the RI trip, more below)~

~These are some pictures from over the summer (Mount Major are the first ones).~

~During the summer we went to a park, (coggshall park), and took some pictures of the swans, ducks, and loons. :)

~Isn't this duck so cute? (*below*) This was my favorite shot of the day!~

~A beautiful sunset we had a while back.~

Isn't this a shiny red apple? We went apple picking a while back with out cousins, and I was so proud of myself for finding it. Haha :)

~I forget what these are called. Burning sticks or something... They smell good!~ :)

~This picture is upside down. (*below*) Haha.~

~We went to RI a couple weeks back, and so these are some pictures I took while we were there.~ :)

~We found some Roses on the road one time, and took some pictures with them. (I also had one of me with the Roses, but forgot to put them on. Oh well, next time.)~

These are some pictures from that random snowstorm that we had when our power was our for four days. Yeah, so, I just like got this random idea to go out and take these. Random snowstorms, bring random ideas. Okay, that was really random. I'm feeling random. :)

Well, there ya go!! I hope you enjoyed them all, and thanks for sticking around. :)

I hope you all have a wonderful day!

~Karissa

Isaiah 40:31

But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Something to ponder

The girl you just called fat?... She is overdosing on diet pills.
The girl you just called ugly?... She spends hours putting makeup on hoping people will like her.
The boy you just tripped?... He is abused enough at home.
See that man with the ugly scars?... He fought for his country.
That guy you just made fun of for crying?... His mother is dying.

Thanksgiving is upon us

I got this in an email updater from Wanda Brunstetter, and thought it was good, and so I am sharing it with you! :)


With Thanksgiving only a few weeks away, our thoughts often turn toward being thankful and appreciating all the blessings God has given us. Of course, we should be thankful any time of the year, and in fact we are told in I Thessalonians 5:18: "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."


Sometimes, when things aren't going as well as we would like, it's hard to feel thankful. Yet, if we look around, there is always something to be thankful for. And if we fill our thoughts with thankfulness and gratitude for what we have, then our minds will not be dominated by discontentment and negativity.


Our pastor asked the following question during church a few weeks ago: "What if you woke up today and the only thing you had left were the things you had thanked God for yesterday?" That's something to really think about, isn't it?


Think about the conversations you've had with others in the last week. Did they fall into the category of thankfulness? Personally, I'm always happier if I begin my week with words of thankfulness and prayers of appreciation. That's what Thanksgiving is really all about!


I am going to try and do a post on Thankgiving and write all the things I am thankful for (okay, maybe not all the things, cause that might take forever, but ya know what I mean, right?) ;P


I also just wanted to let you know about a giveaway on the Duggar's blog (www.duggarsblog.blogspot.com). They are giving away a dvd of the complete second season of 18 kids and counting! Oh, and did you hear that Michelle Duggar is pregnant with her 20th child??!! I am soooo excited and happy for them!!! I hope the Lord sees fit to bless me with that many kids someday. Although I can't imagine how I would do it, I know He would give me the grace and strength to do it, if He gave me that many kids! :)


Alright, it seems like I was going to write something else, but I am now forgetting. I hate when that happens. Oh well. If I think of it I will update this. :) And I will be posting some pictures reeeeaaally soon. You can count on it. ;)


Oh, and btw, I am head over heels in love with my Jesus right now!! <33 Just wanted to let you know that. :)) My Saviour never ceases to amaze me, with His amazing power and love! Oh Jesus! Teach me how to surrender. I need You now more than ever! :D


Resting In My Precious Saviour's Arms Tonight,
Karissa Noelle <3

More Than A Carpenter

Hey all!!! I know, I haven't posted in a while, but I guess I just am not as much of a blogger as some other people are. I try to blog when I can, and have the time, and hope you enjoy when I do blog. :)


Last Saturday night, we had a big snowstorm, got a lot of snow, and the power went out at about 11:30. We didn't get it back 'til yesterday at about 3:30. Yeah, it's a bummer not having heat, water, lights, etc. for 5 days. We take too many things for granted in this life, when they could be taken away from us, at any second (literally, it was just like that. Boom, and everything was gone). Thankfully, we did spend some time at my Nana's and Papa's house, and even though they didn't have heat or lights, they had water, and a stove to cook food on. (and a piano. We have a piano, but it is electric, so we couldn't even play it. :P)


One of the nights, that we spent at our house, I was wearing 2 shirts, 2 thick sweatshirts, gloves, 3 pairs of socks, and I was under 4 blankets. I was pretty warm, needless to say. Haha. But, God answered our prayers, and we now have everything back under our reach. It was so nice to be able to sleep in my own warm bed last night, and be able to take a shower today, in my own shower. :) DON'T TAKE THINGS FOR GRANTED!!! It is so not worth it. Don't put something off today, saying that you could just do it tomorrow. That person or thing may not be there tomorrow. Just saying. :)


Anyways, I have been reading More than a Carpenter for school.... Today I was finishing up the last chapter, and a story that Josh {McDowell} told in it, hit me in a hard way. I'm not sure why, but it did, and so I just wanted to share it with you all. :) Pages 126-128 (At this point, Josh is talking about when he got saved, and the impact it had on his life.)


There's another area of which I'm not proud. But I mention it because a lot of people need to have the same change in their lives, and I found the source of change: a relationship with the resurrected, living Christ. That area is hatred. I had a lot of hatred in my life. It wasn't something outwardly manifested, but then there was a kind of inward grinding. I was ticked off with people, with things, with issues. Like so many other people, I was insecure. Every time I met someone different from me, he became a threat to me.
But I hated one man more than anyone else in the world. My father. I hated his guts. To me he was the town alchoholic. If you're from a small town and one of your parents is an alchoholic, you know what I'm talking about. Everybody knows. My friends would come to highschool and make jokes about my father being downtown. They didn't think it bothered me. I was like other people, laughing on the outside, but let me tell you, I was crying on the inside. I'd go out in the barn and see my mother beaten so badly she couldn't get up, lying in the manure behind the cows. When we had friends over, I would take my father out, tie him up in the barn, and park the car up around the silo. We would tell our friends he'd had to go somewhere. I don't think anyone could have hated anyone more that I hated my father.
After I made the decision for Christ-maybe five months later-a love from God through Jesus Christ entered my life and was so strong it took that hatred and turned it upside down. I was able to look my father squarely in the eyes and say, "Dad, I love you." And I really meant it. After some of the things I'd done, that shook him up.
When I transferred to a private university I was in a serious car accident. My neck in traction, I was taken home. I'll never forget my father coming into my room. He asked me, "Son, how can you love a father like me?" I said, "Dad, six months ago I despised you." Then I shared with him my conclusions about Jesus Christ: "Dad, I let Christ come into my life. I can't explain it completely but as a result of that relationship I've found the capacity to love and accept not only you but other people just the way they are."
Forty-five minutes later one of the greatest thrills of my life occurred. Somebody in my own family, someone who knew me so well I couldn't pull the wool over his eyes, said to me, "Son, if God can do in my life what I've seen him do in yours, then I want to give him that oppurtunity." Right there my father prayed with me and trusted Christ.
Usually the changes take place over several days, weeks, or months, even a year. My life was changed in about six months to a year-and-a-half.
The life of my father was changed right before my eyes. It was as if somebody reached down and turned on a light bulb. I've never seen such a rapid change before or since. My father touched whiskey only once after that. He got it as far as his lips and that was it. I've come to one conclusion. A relationship with Jesus Christ changes lives.
You can laugh at Chrisitanity, you can mock and ridicule it. But it works. It changes lives. If you trust Christ, start watching your attitudes and actions, because Jesus Christ is in the business of changing lives.
But Christianity is not something you shove down somebody's throat or force on someone. You've got your life to live and I've got mine. All I can do is tell you what I've learned. After that, it's your decision.


Isn't that such a powerful story? I thought it was. :) If you have been changed forever by Jesus Christ, have asked Him to come into your life, and are a new creature in Christ, the old things are passed away. Hate is not apart of you anymore. None of your old self should be there. Everything has become new! (2 Corinthians 5:17). It doesn't matter what others have done to you (as you can see by the story of Elisabeth Elliot. If you haven't read her story yet, you definitely should! Through Gates of Splendor). You should still love them, pray for them, do good to them (Matthew 5:44, Luke 6:28). After all, aren't we trying to imitate our Saviour in everything we do? Look at Christ's perfect example. He died on the cross for the very people that put Him there!!! It's just amazing to think about, isn't it?? :)


Think about this as well. What kind of example are you being to those around you? Are you claiming to be a Christian, but not really showing it by your actions and deeds? What we do, how we act, and what we say to other people can have a profound impact on them and their life, as you can see by what happened in the story. Josh was such a great example of Christ, that his dad saw that change in him, and wanted what his son had!! Make sure you are doing all that Christ wants you to do today. Be a doer of the Word, and not a hearer only! (James 1:22-23)


Well, I have to go for now! Hope you all have a wonderful, cozy day, resting in the arms of our precious, and wonderful, amazing Saviour!!


In His Arms,
Karissa Noelle :)))))


Jeremiah 29:11-13


P.S. I have some pictures to upload soon, so be watching for them!!! :)

Please Sign The Petition

Asia Bibi
You are fighting a good fight. May you keep the faith and finish the race.
Keep looking to Jesus, our only hope of heaven.
Your present trials proclaim your faith.
May your light reveal the truth to those around you.
May those who persecute you see Jesus in your life.
I pray your witness will lead many to Jesus.
We love you and your family. We are praying for you, your family, and your guards.
I pray you will feel the presence of Christ with you today.
Job 13:15 Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him. Even so, I will defend my own ways before Him.
Philippians 1:21 For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding;
Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
~~
This is a letter I wrote to Asia Bibi (Voice Of The Martyrs). Please visit http://www.callformercy.com/ to sign the petition to help free her, and learn more about how you can pray for her and her family! :) Thanks!
~~
This is a video (and article) that tells a little bit about her as well! :)
~~
http://www.persecution.com/public/newsroom.aspx?story_ID=NDMx&featuredstory_ID=Mjg2&clickfrom=ZmVhdHVyZWRzdG9yaWVz
~~
I hope to write more soon! :)
Have a wonderful day, my friends!
~~
In Christ's Wonderful Love,
Karissa Noelle
Jeremiah 29:11-13
p.s. If you get the time to, please check out my youtube channel, and the videos that I have posted on there! Thanks! www.youtube.com/user/SetApartGirl4Christ2

In Search Of Silence

In Search Of Silence


From: Our Daily Bread


Written by: Julie Ackerman Link


Scripture Reading: Mark 1:35-45


"My next record should be 45 minutes of silence," said singer, Meg Hutchinson, "beacause that's what we're missing most in society." Silence is indeed hard to find. Cities are notoriously noisy due to the high concentration of traffic and people. There seems to be no escape from loud music, loud machines, and loud voices. But the kind of noise that endangers our spiritual well-being is not the noise we can't escape but the noise we invite into our lives. Some of us use noise as a way of shutting out loneliness: voices of TV and radio personalities give us the illusion of companionship. Some of us use it as a way of shutting out our own thoughts: other voices and opinions keep us from having to think for ourselves. Some of us use noise as a way of shutting out the voice if God: constant chatter, even when we're talking about God, keeps us from hearing what God has to say. But Jesus, even during His busiest times, made a point of seeking out places of solitude where He could carry on a conversation with God (Mark 1:35). Even when we can't find a place that is perfectly quiet, we need to find a place to quiet our souls (Ps. 131:2), a place where God has our full attention.

For Further Study:

For more on this topic, read the online booklet

Mary and Martha: Balancing Life's Priorities

at www.discoveryseries.org/hp021

Don't let the noise of the world keep you from

hearing the voice of the Lord.