Psalm 119

One morning while in my quiet time with God, He impressed deeply on my heart that He wanted me to memorize Psalm 119. My first thought response was "Lord, did You mean Psalm 19?" :) I knew in my heart that He meant 119, because of verses that I had been coming across, ones that stuck out in my mind.

I realize that I already know many of the verses by heart already, either from elementary school or from my personal studies. Of course that still leaves many verses to commit to memory, but I am actually looking forward to the challenge.

As I looked over the verses in my Bible, I notice that they are sectioned off 8 verses at a time. So I am using a 3x5 index card with the first letter of each word on the front and the verse itself on the back. I plan to do a card for each section of 8 verses, 22 cards total for 176 verses, and have them laminated.

I believe that there will be a time in earth's history when believers of the faith will not have access to God's word. It is my desire to have God's word hidden in my heart that I might not sin against Him.

The Path of Life

This morning in my devotional time, I read about the Israelites crossing the Red Sea. The children of Israel were surrounded on every side by mountains, water and the Egyptians behind them. It seemed that there was no path for them to take, but that of defeat. But God, through the faith of Moses, carved out a path for them that was only made possible through them exhibiting faith as well.

As I meditated on this passage, I thought about ants. Proverbs 6:6 says "Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise". I thought about how ants travel along a path. You can't see it, but it is definitely there. Have you ever tried to wipe away their path? The result is confusion and disorientation. That is exactly what happens to us when we stray from the path that God has laid out for us. We become confused and distraught.

May we take time to listen to the voice that says "this is the way walk, walk ye in it" (Isaiah 30:21), that we may find fullness of joy in the presence of God (Psalm 16:11).

Be blessed my friends.

Vegan Sausage Recipe

As a vegan, one of the things I miss most is breakfast sausage. As a child growing up one of my favorite things to eat was a sausage, egg and cheese biscuit. My mom would get up at 4 in the morning and make breakfast. Now that's enough to make any kid smile.

At any rate, one of my friends developed a sausage recipe that tastes absolutely wonderful and gets 5 stars from my resident food critic (my son). I am posting it here for your viewing pleasure. Please let me know if you try it out.

Seven Seasonings Sausage Burger

4 3/4 c. water
1/3 c. yeast flakes
3/4 c. pecans or walnuts
2 tsp. onion powder
2 tsp. coriander
1 1/2 Tbsp. basil
1/2 c. Bragg’s liquid aminos or unfermented soy sauce
3 3/4 c. 1-minute oats
3/4 c. cracked wheat
1/4 c. raw sunflower seeds
2 tsp. sage
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. savory (optional)

1. In a large pot, bring 2 3/4 c. water and cracked wheat to a boil and cook for 15 to 30 minutes.
2. In a blender, blend the remaining 2 cups water, yeast flakes, liquid aminos, sunflower seeds, nuts and the seven seasonings. Blend well.
3. While constantly stirring, add the blender mixture to the boiling bulgur wheat and water. Return to a boil. Slowly add the oats to the mixture while stirring. Continue to cook and stir for 2 - 3 minutes.
4. Remove from heat, cover and let stand until cooled. Form mixture into patties and bake at 350 degrees for 30 - 35 minutes, then flip patties and bake an additional 5 minutes.

You can also pan-fry the patties in light olive oil instead of baking, if desired

Recipe by Robin Swain

Prayer 90 Challenge

Most people have probably heard of the P90X program that promises physical fitness in 90 days. While I haven't tried it, I have heard that it definitely delivers, cutting away fat and leaving your body trim.

Pastor Ivor Myers has come up with the Prayer 90X, 90 days of extreme spiritual training and it is fabulous. This book takes you through the Bible in 90 days, 1 hour a day, from the origin of sin in heaven to the earth made new.

I have been blessed beyond measure. You can sample the first 14 days on the Facebook page. Be sure to come back and let me know what you think.

Our Newest Family Member

We have a new family member, Alex. My daughter turns 13 next month and when I asked her what she wanted for her birthday she said "Nothing really, just a puppy". For the longest time I avoided getting a puppy because I know they are a lot of work and I just wasn't in a place in my life to add on extra responsibility, but we are in a new season and the new puppy is a refreshing reminder of that.

The story of how we obtained him is an interesting one. We first checked our local shelter. On the day we went in, we saw a cute poodle mix, but he was not available for adoption because he had just been picked up the day before. We went back on his emancipation date, only to find that he wouldn't be emancipated the next day at noon because he had come in during the night.

So we went back once again. By this time the kids were set on getting this dog. I wasn't feeling him though. I couldn't put my finger on it, but something was just not right. I filled out the application and was ready to pay for him when one of the workers at the shelter suggested that we play with him a bit longer before we make our final decision. We discussed the process of getting him ready to go one, one of which was having him tested for heartworms. It was then I heard God clearly speaking to me. My prayer was that if he had heartworms, I knew he wasn't the dog for us.

We played with him during the 8 minutes it takes to get his results and sure enough he was positive for heartworms. The kids were devastated. It was a hard choice, but I knew I had to leave him. In my spiritual journey I have learned a very important lesson. It is often hard to follow God, but it's always harder when you don't!

We left and came home and searched the internet and that's where we found Alex. He was only 8 weeks old and the owner was only asking $25 for him. We scheduled a visit and brought him home on Sunday.

We are now in the potty training stages and I am happy to report that he is doing well! Stay tuned for more on our adorable addition.