My Bride and I
Just Keepin' It So RealLife up to this point
When I look back on my life and consider where it has come from, I am just bewildered at how Faithful God is and how it is literally true that He makes all things new. I never thought that at the age of 24 I would be married to the love of my life who was created to be my help mate. I never thought that I would be living in an apartment in Bountiful, Utah. I never thought that I would be involved in seeing a church planted in Centerville, Utah. I never thought that I would be so busy that life can get so overwhelming at times. God has definitely shown me that we must be prepared for anything that He is ready to throw our way. I also never thought that ministry here in Utah would be so difficult. I’ll tell you what I do know though. Everyday is a fight for joy. A fight to delight and love God’s Word more than anything in this world that attempts to deceive us into thinking that it is the highest good. It is a fight to ponder, meditate, rejoice, and delight in God’s Word above all other things. It is a fight to spend time in prayer asking Him to mold our hearts and unite them with one purpose to be most pleased with Him and fully delighted to serve His kingdom. It is a fight to turn from the sin that can so easily ensnare us and to the living God who is enough and is sufficient and is the highest good from whom all things exist and have their being. It is a fight in which we must rely on His grace to bring us through. It is a fight to derive our very breath from Him so that we don’t become suffocated by the stench of our own self-will or self-effort. It must be Him in us that fights. It must be Him in us that breathes. It must be Him in us that lives. There shouldn’t even be an us because we are dead, and He has given life to our mortal bodies. This fight is worth it though. We will all have to give an account for what we’ve done in this life in regard to what we have known about the true and living God and what He demands from us. We serve Him because we love Him. We delight in Him because He is satisfied with us. God can never look at us and say that we lack His righteousness because it is forever before Him interceding on our behalf. He is worth every trial. He is worth the fight. Oh to know the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that we may be filled with all the fullness of God (Eph. 3: 18-19). Every trial is worth it that they might result in the praise of His glory. Thank you Lord for the trials you send our way. May we be purged of sin and filled with the Holy Spirit that the fruit therein would abide more and more. God is good and I will serve Him into eternity. I am ecstatic that my wife is the one in which gets to go along with me. She complements me so well. She encourages me when I need encouragement. She exhorts me when I need exhortation. She convicts me of idolatry when I need to be convicted of it, which is often. She causes me to examine the motives of my heart that they might be pure before Him who sees the secrets of the heart. Thank you Lord for her help and her aid as I value life so much more with her than without her. Life is so good only because He has made it so. Let us continue to rely on His energy that He so powerfully works within us, so that we might be able to bear the crosses of everyday life and that He would be alive in us. To Him be the glory now and forever more, and that His bride might delight in Him and find full satisfaction in His glorious grace and mercy. Praise Him all you nations, and extol His name Oh kingdoms of the earth. Lay your crowns at His feet and gaze into the eyes of Him who causes hearts to melt before His Holy Majesty. Fear Him.
God’s Love
I was driving around at work this morning and something really cool happened. I saw a hummingbird flying around in the air. It started to fly crooked like it was disoriented or something. Then I saw it inch closer and closer to the ground like a leaf falling slowly. It was badly hurt and it just couldn’t fly any more. As soon as I saw the bird hit the ground it was like God spoke to me. He said, “Gianni, Do you think one hummingbird falls to the ground that I don’t know about?” It was such an awesome moment that God’s love pierced the depths of my eternal soul. I started crying for joy in knowing that my God is always with me wherever I go. He is so faithful and good in all that He does. Just when it feels like He is not there, He always sends little reminders of How great His love is for us. He is worthy of praise. Who wouldn’t want to serve the true and living God who even has great love for the birds of the air? How much greater is His love for us whom He sent His son for, even while we were sinners? PRAISE HIM. HE IS WORTHY.
Back at Home
Cydney and I are back home in Fresno, California for a few days. I got off work yesterday at 3:00 pm and me and Cydney ended up leaving for Cali at 4:00 pm. We drove all the way through the night and got into town at 5:00 am California time. The drive was extremely long and exhausting. We were so excited to see family and spend some quality time with them. It is so worth the drive and the time. The main reason why we came was to celebrate Cydney’s grandmother’s 80th birthday. We are driving home on Sunday morning to Utah. It’s weird to think that even though we now live in Utah and call it our home, our real home is in Fresno with our families. We were so excited that we got to take some time away and spend it with family and also with each other. Cydney and I had an awesome time on the road trip. We were so lathargic at times that we ended up talking about some pretty weird things. We had an awesome time.
Brotherly Love
So I was driving around in the security vehicle today at work and a thought hit me like a ton of bricks. I love my brother ridiculous amounts. Tons of memories rushed into my head about our childhood together. He was an awesome bigger brother to me. He would let me sleep in his bed with him when I had nightmares. He would snuggle with me in bed and tell me stories. I absolutely adored him and looked up to him with so much love and respect. He would take me along with him to hang out with his friends. He cared about me and it has definitely left a lasting impression on my life. I love you Tino and will always have a special place for you in my heart. You are a man after God’s own heart and I still look up to you. Thank the Lord for older brothers. They are never forgotten.
My Love
I love my wife so much. She brings so much joy to my life. She is so adventurous and spontaneous, that most times I don’t know what to expect from her. She is such a good help mate and I am thankful that the Lord has given her to me. He has joined us and we definitely can’t take credit for that. She is so gentle and kind and servant hearted and submissive. I will always love and cherish her until the day I die. I get excited to see her everyday and never want to spend a moment away from her. I took a picture of her the other day when she got off of work and had to post it because it made me laugh. She’s the only woman I know that can drink two beverages at one time. I love you sweet heart and will only grow to love you more.
On Top of the World
Yesterday was an awesome day. My bride was hard at work making quality beverages at Starbucks, and I went hiking with the boys. I went hiking with Loren, Nick, Joel, and Craig. We hiked up to the summit of Mount Olympus. The peak is at about 9000 feet and we started hiking at about 5000. It was a very difficult hike, as we climbed over 4000 feet in 3 hours. It was well worth it once we got to the top. The view spoke volumes of God’s creative power. It was an extremely tiring hike. My bride was so gracious in allowing me to take a nap when I got home. I highly suggest this hike for anyone willing to accept the challenge.Bring your game face though, cause it’s hard.
giannidanisi
