Not Sausage Patties

This morning my son asked me for this recipe- thankfully I had blogged it and so it was pretty easy to find. Today I wrote the recipe out on an index card for my recipe keeper. So I will have it when I want it. I'm thinking about making it soon- if not this week (since I have a busy week ahead) then maybe next week. I thought I would share this recipe again just in case some of you missed it the first time that I posted it.

Not Sausage..Patties
2 C. water
1/4 C. soy sauce or Braggs
2 T. Oil
1 1/2 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. honey
1 tsp. sage
2 T. yeast flakes
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. Italian seasoning

Preheat oven to 350*. Combine all of these ingredients in a good sized pan. And bring to a boil. In the meantime - measure out 2 C. Quick Oats.
Once the mixture in the pan comes to a boil - you will add the oats. Stirring. Turn the temp. down to about medium heat and set timer for 5 minutes. You will want to keep an eye on it and stir ever so often.

Spray a cookie sheet. I use a ice cream scoop to dip my mixture out and then I use waxed paper to flatten them out. Bake for about 20 minutes and then you will want to flip them over to the other side and then cook till they are getting golden brown. It usually takes another 15 - 20 minutes. The first time just check it out with our oven and see how much time it takes and then you can go by that the next time. I usually make up several batches at a time. I make a batch get it into the oven and get the next batch ready, once I pull the first batch out I can bake the next batch. Then I put about 6-8 patties into Ziploc bags. I put one into the refrigerator and the rest into the freezer till I am ready for them. I hope you enjoy these as much as we do. :O)

Happy Thanksgiving! :)

System Overload

Ok - So I went to the Urologist today- and guess what - blood was found in the urine yet again. So that means that next week I will have 3 procedures done - to try to get to the bottom of my urology problems. Praying that it is nothing serious. I googled "blood in urine" and there is a list about 8 things it could be and it just scares me when one of the things listed is advanced bladder/kidney cancers- present with blood in urine. We are praying that it is something that will be able to be easily fixed. But oh my goodness- I already have my Port Removal surgery on Wed of next week - now I have a procedure on Tuesday and 2 on Friday. I also have a dental appointment for Tuesday - but  I am seriously considering postponing it - because that is not as important to do as getting to the bottom of my problems- so that comes first. And if I get all that stuff out of the way - and if I end up with having to have some kind of surgery or something I will have time to do it before the end of the year.

I have decided my biggest wish for my holidays next year - is to be able to go through Thanksgiving and Christmas without having a lot of medical stuff going on. Last year - I had just had my hysterectomy the week before Thanksgiving - and although it was known by the Drs, I did not know about the cancer yet - but once Dec 3rd rolled around it was bam, bam appointments. Now this year - I feel like I have had ALL sorts of things going on- a Dr appointment or two each week - along with 2 PT's each week. Friday I will see what I am looking at for December. If I have to continue with PT - I am going to see if I can take next week off. We have to get what ever we are going to do finished up before the first of the year.

I would appreciate continued prayers - That God will give me the courage and strength to face all of these procedures. Each one has discomfort to them, and they progressively get worse - with the last one being a procedure where they will numb my urethra area and then put a tube into my bladder- that has a camera to check out my bladder. I have heard from at least one lady that the procedure was not too hard but that it was tough afterwards. So I am a bit concerned. I will be SO happy to have this stuff behind me.
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Ok - So when I worked at the Bakery - Apple Cakes is one of the main things we made! And about a week or two ago I ran into one of our customers and he asked me if I would/could make up some apple cakes for him for Thanksgiving. So guess what I did  - made apple cakes- these two small ones and a large one. I forgot to get a photo of the large one. I will take a photo next time.

He was so thankful and told me that they were really looking forward to enjoying them tomorrow!

Also he said that they would be ordering some more for Christmas!

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Even though I am facing quite of bit of things that I am dreading - I am trying to keep an attitude of gratitude. All I have to do is ask - He will work it in me.

I am trying to focus on that which I have to be thankful for - so many things, too many to even list. But I am especially thankful to have hair again.
I am thankful for all the many blessings I have. I have a special story to share with you all - I am hoping to be able to share it by Friday. It is a perfect story to go along with this Thanksgiving season.

Hope you all enjoy your Thanksgiving - Spend some time thinking about all the things you are thankful for it's a really good habit to get into -and not just on Thanksgiving but on a daily basis!

 

Praying for Miracles and Answers

So I have a bit of time to take a breather. Wow- the last few weeks have been so very busy. So many extra things added to my schedule. To be very honest- I am very happy about being able to do Physical Therapy. I feel like I am getting stronger. When I decided to go ahead and go to Physical Therapy - I had been worried about it -did not know if I would like it or not. But although parts of it have taken me out of my comfort zone, I really feel as though it has been very good for me on several different levels.

This Friday morning I will be going for Physical Therapy and I think that it till be my assessment visit. I can feel like there has been improvement - but I am still having a pretty difficult time getting comfortable to get to sleep. When I sleep on my tummy - even with my leg straight behind me- I deal with quite a bit of numbness. So I am at the point right now that I really would like to ask you all to pray for a miracle to happen. I do not want to have to have surgery and would really like for PT to solve the problem with my back/leg. And I really need to have what ever treatment finish up by the end of the year. So I would really appreciate you all praying for me and this situation. I know that God can heal this problem if He so chooses.

I would also like to ask for some prayers for tomorrow morning. I have had some problems and will have to go see a urologist tomorrow. I am really nervous about this appointment. I am so hoping that the Dr can get to the bottom of why I am having the problems that I am having and that I will have the courage for any procedure that they may want to do. And that if possible we can solve this problem before the end of the year.

Thank you so much for the prayers. They mean a lot!
Ok - I have some Apple Cakes that are ordered for tomorrow(for Thanksgiving) so I need to get off of here and get busy.
Hope you all are doing well. IF you need prayers for anything be sure and leave a comment for me.
Thanks :O)

Small Stones

So very sorry I have not been posting much- It was a very busy week end and when I wasn't busy I was very tired since I had stayed up way too late Saturday night and did not get much sleep.

Today is my birthday! And it has turned out to be a quite busy one - but a good one.

This morning my sister was telling me about a friend of hers that had a stomach surgery and had lost 22 pounds in less than a month. How depressing is that to me - someone who has been working towards getting healthier and losing weight for 3 months and can only claim to have lost 11 pounds. But after I heard more of the story I realized that even though my weight loss is slow it is being done in a healthy way and will hopefully stay off.

This lady was given a list of vitamins that she had to take - since she would not be able to get nutrition from food- the way God intended things to work - she HAS to take vitamins. Her surgery was November 5th and has already lost 22 pounds. Sounds great - right? Well she has only been able to drink water and Gatorade and take her vitamins. I'm sorry but that is not healthy at all...in fact it has to be very hard on one's body. This lady tried to drink a protein shake - only to throw it up. So as much as losing 22 pounds in less than three weeks sounds great - I think I will pass. I saw this great quote on Facebook:

“The wo/man who moves a mountain

begins by carrying away small stones.”

- Confucius, The Analects

 

 

It had a great photo with the quote but I could not get the photo. Anyway this quote really sums up tacking large job- like losing weight. We can do it when we do it step by step..small stones at a time. It's not by boulders that we are able to easily move a mountain - it is small stones here and there.

 

Anyway I am so thankful to be celebrating another year of life and am looking forward to where this year will lead. God has been faithful along the journey so far and I am even more convinced now that He is not only in control but that He will never leave me nor forsake me. He'll do the same for you. :) 

So Very Busy......

Just dropping in for a few minutes. This has been a busy week. Actually November has been a busy month for me. I have ended up having Physical Therapy 2 times a week. And then having at least one Dr appointment -sometimes 2 - each week as well. It just seems it has been hard to keep up with things, especially on here. 

This week my extra appointment was with the Dermatologist. I found out that the moles I wanted checked out are fine and I have the choice as to have them removed or not. I chose on that day to wait. I just have a lot on my plate already so I decided to wait. May not do it at all but if I do it will be in December sometime.

This week I also got a phone call to set up my Port Removal surgery. It ends up being on December 3rd. Which will also mark my 1 year anniversary from my diagnosis of cancer. When I told the nice lady that was setting up the appointment for me, that it made me a bit concerned. She said to just look at it as coming full circle. I am happy to be able to have this done, especially before the end of the year. Just a bit nervous. Will be happy when it is behind me.

I am doing well at Physical Therapy. I am noticing some improvement, but I am still having the numbness and tingling in my right leg - sometimes when I am standing and when I am laying down. Hopefully the physical therapy will solve the problem. I may have a problem if I end up needing more therapy after the end of this month- especially since I am having the port removed. I am hoping that I will be able to continue to do a lot of the stuff that I am doing at my therapy. Today I actually went and bought myself a ball so I can do some of the exercised here at home. So after my therapy I will be able to do stuff here too. I have really enjoyed the hour of working on a stronger me. I was happy to find my resistant bands - will just have to figure out what exercises that I will do with them.

Well we have a busy week end ahead- with a Pathfinder Spaghetti Dinner with Auction( a fundraiser for Pathfinders) Me making 5 sheet cakes for the dinner. Helping with the dinner. Our Pathfinders will be passing out 17 food baskets to needy people in our area. Plus a few more things. I will try to check in sometime this week end - if not hopefully by Monday I will have a chance to check in.

I hope you all are doing well. :O)

To Know God....series... It's Not Overnight- It's a Process

"John the Beloved walked with Jesus for three years. He knew what it was like to eat with Him, to travel with Him, to touch Him, to help Him with His daily needs. And for three years John bickered and argued with the other disciples about who was to be the greatest. For three yeas he was still the son of thunder. Those who think that conversion and walking with Jesus is suppose to change one completely overnight (and if it doesn't happen, then he doesn't have the genuine experience) had better take a second look at John and Peter and the other disciples. Even in the upper room that night before the crucifixion, they were still scrapping about who was to be the greatest. They knew it was wrong, but they kept doing it, even though they were embarrassed by it. But Jesus treated them kindly, patiently, and even after He had gone back to heaven John and the others continues to walk with Him." page 53-54

This quote reminds me of the verse:

   " being confident of this very thing,

that He who has begun a good work in you

will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;"

Philippians 1:6  

 

I love how we are able to study the Bible in order to get to know God better. To see how kind and patient He has been and to know that He is just as patient with us! Praise the Lord! :o)

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Today marks the one year anniversary since my hysterectomy. This year has been packed full and continues to be. I am so thankful to have the chemo behind me and to be moving forward. Looking forward with Hope for the future. :O)

A Hair Update

Just a post to up date how my hair is growing.

 

Because I see it every day it does not seem like it is growing very fast but because I have tried to take a photo of it every other week or so - I am able to go compare my photos with previous photos and I can tell that it is slowly growing.

I am thankful to be able to say that it is not long enough that it does not dry sticking straight up - if I don't style it right away and if I comb it - it will dry laying to the sides. I am happy about that.

I wanted to share something else that I found funny! Do you remember when I tried on wigs- prior to losing my hair? Did I ever share this one?

 

This morning before I styled my hair I noticed a similarity and I found it funny! It's like this wig was a bit of a prediction of what my hair would do after chemo.

I don't know if it shows up that good but each side over the ears flares up. I just thought it was funny because it really did remind me of the previous photo!

 

This will be another busy week. I have PT on Tuesday and Thursday. I have an appointment with the Dermatologist on Thursday as well. And on Monday I should hear from my regular Dr on results of urine culture and also if she was able to set me up an appointment with the urologist. I am hoping to get in with a female urologist as soon as possible. And there is a good chance that I will hear from my oncologist's nurse about my port removal- when it is scheduled for. I also have a few none medical appointments as well.

Next Saturday night our youth club will be having a spaghetti meal with an auction- so I will be helping with getting ready for that. Some of the helping will be this morning. And then closer to that day I will need to make up some deserts for it. The closer we get the more things I am figuring I will be asked to help with.

 

I also have 2 family members having surgeries this week- Miss M and Miss A-I am praying for positive results. If you would keep them in your prayers I would appreciate it.

 

Hope you all have a good week! :O)

A Kitty Update

So I had shared with you all about letting my kitties go outside and that LuLu was intimidated by our boy cats so she was staying outside. I had actually tried to bring her in a week or two ago and it just did not work out. Anyway I just wanted to share a praise report with you all.

It had really upset me that because I had let the cats go outside that it had upset the dynamics here in the house between our cats. I had prayed about it because I really hate LuLu having to stay outside- especially since we are getting some colder weather and did not want her to freeze.

Well Friday night - when I was giving the cats treats- and took LuLu's out to her - she was meowing by the back door. Well my husband said to see if she wanted to come in. Well I brought her into the sunroom- had shut the doors to the rest of the house so the other cats could not bully her. Well she stood there and meowed loudly. He decided to bring her on into the house. And so he did. I had the other two cats distracted. Well I fully anticipated it to be short lived. But a miracle happened. There has not been any major problems. She kind of hides a lot of the time - but I think slowly things will get back to normal. I am just happy that she is inside and that she is out of the weather. I am so glad that God answered this prayer for us. It has been something that has really bothered me for a while.

I do not think that I will be able to let the cats out any more- still praying about that. With the weather being colder- it has not worked out to let them out the last 4-5 days anyway.

I hope you all are having a good week end. :O)

Love With All Your Heart...series chapter 12

Love With All Your Heart

by:

Linda Driver

 

 

Love is trusting:

Love bases its self-worth in God's love and acceptance.

Amanda was a timid soul with a very low self-esteem. She found it very difficult to trust others and found it much easier to withdraw. Amanda was incredibly sensitive and spent a great deal of time nursing wounded feelings. She became hurt over things that were not even directed at her at all. Amanda was so busy trying to protect her feelings that she had no time to care if others were hurting. When she walked into a room, she hung her head low and just waited to see who would ignore her. Then she would feel rejected and unloved. She assumed that people were always talking behind her back. When she aw others involved in meaningful conversation, she reminded herself how boring and unlikable she was. She was suspicious and distrustful of everyone, even God. Because of the way she continually demeaned herself, she found it very hard to believe that God would love and accept her.

 

Then one day Amanda came face to face with the claims of God's love as found in the Bible:

 

"Love...believes all things."

 1 Corinthians 13:7

 

    Surely he will never be shaken; The righteous will be in everlasting remembrance. 7 He will not be afraid of evil tidings; His heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord.

Psalm 112:6,7

 

    For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

2 Timothy 1:7

 

    So we may boldly say: "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?"

Hebrews 13:6

 

    For thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: "In returning and rest you shall be saved; In quietness and confidence shall be your strength." But you would not,   

Isaiah 30:15

 

    Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning, For in You do I trust; Cause me to know the way in which I should walk, For I lift up my soul to You.

Psalm 143:8

 

 

Love has a trusting, confiding nature; love always believes the best about others.

 

Love allows God to be in complete control of the emotions.

 

Love is composed and confident, with a healthy self-image; love gains the respect of others. 





Love places its confidence and assurance in God, knowing its value and worth in Him.

 

Love does not depreciate itself or let others repress its spirit.

 

Love is not easily hurt or offended; love is not touchy or sensitive.

 

Love is not crushed by censure, criticism, or rejection; love is not brow beaten or dejected.

 

Love does not let the opinions of others cause it to lose self-respect.

 

Love is not compromising or wishy-washy, but firm and true to principle.

 

Love enables one to remain stable when people prove untrustworthy.

 

Love puts its supreme trust and confidence in God, depending totally upon His Word with unwavering confidence.  

Learned Something New... And an Update

I wanted to share something that I learned this week - kind of the hard way.

"According to a study carried out at the University of Sheffield(UK), red urine or feces after eating beets occurs in 10%-14% of the population, and it is more frequent in individuals with iron deficiency or difficulty with intestinal absorption of iron. So if one is surprised by red elimination, he or she should be grateful that this plant has warned of a possible lack of iron or digestion problems. However, one should not worry excessively; Beets not only warn of the problem, but aid in its solution, thanks to their anti-anemic and regulating effects on the digestive system." From my "Foods That Heal" book by George D. Pamplona-Roger, MD.

The reason I learned this- well because I am one of those 10-14% - I juiced some beetroot, carrots, apple, and lemon this week - and was startled by pink urine- which scared me... thankfully it was not cancer related. :) Think I will be eating more beets. Maybe check my iron levels as well(I've had problems with that in the past).

I am going to be going to the urologist as soon as my Dr can get me in because she found trace amounts of blood in my urine several weeks ago - and then I went back to see her again this week and it was found again. It was sent out to be cultured - have not heard back yet about that. But my Dr thinks it is a good idea to go on to the urologist and have things checked out.

I will also be going to the Dermatologist this next week - on Thursday. I have a could of moles on my face that I think need to be checked out, to make sure they are not something bad. My husband thought it would be a good idea to have them checked out -before the end of this year - since we have met our deductibles for the year. Anyway I hope if there is a problem I can get it tested and all before the end of the year.

I also wanted to let you all know that I went to my Oncology appointment today and the Dr said everything looked good and so I asked about having the port removed before the end of the year. She said she would have her nurse set something up. So I am looking at that as well. I am putting my trust in God- that he will provide the strength and courage that I will need to get through all of these appointment.

The urology appointment sounds a bit scary - as my oncologist said they would probably want to put a camera up in my bladder to check things out. Ugh....does not sound like something I want to do - but I need some answers so - there again - trusting God to give me the ability to handle what ever that will in tale. I will let you guys know what my appointments will be - because I will be needing as many prayers as I can get.

I hope you all have a great week end! :O)

The Desires of Your Heart and more

Several years ago, I had thought how nice it would be to have a nice elliptical machine at our home so that on days that it was too hot or too cold to go out side to exercise I could exercise at home. Well I began to look around at the machines that I was interested in and the ones that I really liked ended up costing quite a bit of money and I had thought there is no way I can spend that kind of money on something and then maybe not even use it very much(just in case I did not use it much). So I decided not to get one. But have been wanting some way to exercise here at home.

 

Well Sunday I went to my favorite little thrift store in a town nearby and there was this awesome machine out front.

 

My husband had been called into work so I did not have a way to get it home. And then I thought oh where would I put it anyway. Since the weather was so pretty and I had been able to walk outside - the need did not seem so big.

 

Then the cold front blew through with high winds and very chilly temperatures. Then I realized the need for the awesome machine I had seen. So I decided after Physical Therapy on Tuesday I would go by and see if by some chance it was there again. Many times if I don't get cool things when I see them - they are long gone by the time I go again. But I got lucky this time. Well by lucky I mean - God knew that this was something that I was wanting and held it there to bless me with it.

 

The little shop closes at 2pm and I did not have a way to get it till after 4pm. The nice lady who runs the shop said she would stay around and get some things done so till we could come get it. And sure enough it was still there when we got there!

I went to a little "make over my medicine cabinet" class that talks about what essential oils that night - and when I got home - I was happily surprised to find that my husband had brought into the house. Now it isn't where we want to put it yet(we have a few things to move around still) but it was in the living room so I could check it out.

 

I have to be honest and say that -oh my goodness this thing is going to kick my butt. I have used it for like a minute or two and that is taxing on me. So I will have to work up to using it long stretches of time. But I am still SO happy to have been blessed to be able to get it for a fraction of how much it cost new. It is a Pro Form machine and those things are expensive.

 

Another reason I know that it was a blessing for us is that on the way to the little store - I was talking to my husband on the phone and I told him that about $25.00 is all I could really afford to pay for it. And told him that I would have to pray about it. Well I got to the store - the machine was still there and guess what? She was asking $25.00!! Praise the Lord for this wonderful blessing. He really does give us the desires of our hearts. Sometimes/A lot of times there is a whole lot of waiting involved.

 

Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.   

Psalm 37:4

 

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Ok so I told you all that I would be testing the magic potion again and tell you what I thought of it with less lemon. Well I tried it again this week - with only 1 lemon and the results well it wasn't that much better. Now the fact that I used a pretty large beet might be the reason for that - and maybe if I make this I need to adjust the amount of beet that I put into it. So basically if any of you decide to try this know that you will have to play around with the amounts till you get it to a taste that you like. It wasn't horrible by any means - it just could have been more enjoyable.

 

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One more prayer request- I have my next 3 month check up with my oncologist tomorrow morning - so if you could keep me in your prayers I would appreciate it.

On the other issue that I asked you all to pray about - We are waiting on a test result to decide what to do next. I will probably share after we know more, if we find out anything.

Thanks so much for your prayers - they mean a lot to me! :O)

To Know God...series... The Vacuum

 

Just a couple of great quotes from Morris Venden's "To Know God" book

 

"Everyone in this world is looking for something better. Boys and girls are looking for a better bicycle or a better ball. Young people look for more acceptance, better friends, more fun. Older people look for success, for pleasure, or for material possessions. But even things that look like legitimate desires can represent the heart cry of a person who has a God-shaped vacuum in his life that can be filled only by God Himself."

"All of our efforts towards finding something better apart from God will end in nothing, because whether we recognize it or not, our desire is for Him."

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I really don't want to go into a lot of details at this point - but I am having some medical issues that are bothering me. Hoping it does not mean something bad. Anyway I would like to ask for some prayers. I will probably update you all when I find out more.

Don't Fall For Deceiving Diets

You have to have patience to lose weight the healthy way, because often times it is slow weight lose. Especially when compared to some other diet options. But in the long run those other weight lose avenues are not all they are cracked up to be.

Today I want to share a little information that may help some of you that are trying to lose weight. Last week I was watching  health show and there was a Dr being interviewed on healthy weight loss. He told about two men how were trying to lose weight.

We are going to look at two men that were wanting to lose weight. Their names are Phil and Bob. Phil went on a high protein diet. Bob decide to lose weight the healthy way- basically eating more of a plant based diet along with exercise.

After a month Phil had lost 20 pounds and Bob had lost 7 pounds. At first it may appear that Phil was more successful. However, because of the way that Phil lost the weight with a high protein(low carbs) He had kind of put his body in starvation mode and 1/2 of what he had lost was actually muscle.

The losing muscle is significant for several reasons but the one that stood out to me the most was that muscle burns more fat and so the more muscle you have- the more fact will be burned - even at rest. So once Phil stops his diet,  because high protein, low carb diets are not something that you'd do forever( it really sounds like it would be detrimental to your health to do so) he will end up not only gaining what he has lost back but he will probably gain more weight- even doing the same exact things he had done before the diet. Why? because he has less muscle burning - less fat.

So we look at Bob after 1 month, he had only lost 7 pounds, but he had not lost the significant amount of muscle like Phil had.  In fact, by exercising he has probably built more muscle, but even if he did not he would still be in better shape- than losing half of the weight loss being muscles. Another positive thing is that he is also on a healthy diet that he can continue on the rest of his live. So he may not have lost the weight as quickly but it will be a long term weight loss. And even if for some reason he falls off the healthy eating wagon - he might gain some weight back but he is not likely to gain so much weight that he ends up larger than when he started off... Ask me ... I know from my own experience- when I fell off the wagon I ended up gaining some weight back but luckily I have never gone over where I had started from.

So I wanted to share this with you all because when I heard this it made a lot of sense to me. I have known people who went on the high protein, low carb diets and they did lose weight quickly- and it was tempting to try it; however, when you are empowered with the knowledge that half of the weight lost is from muscle loss- you will realize that it might look like a good idea but long term it's not. Chose the healthy way to lose weight and in the end you won't regret you did!

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Be sure to check in on Friday - I have a wonderful blessing to share with you all. Plus I am planning on trying the Magic Potion again with less lemon and I will share with you all how I liked it. If any of you have juicing recipes that you use - please share I would be interested in getting some tried and true recipes. Also if the juices are especially good for certain things- I would like to know that as well. See you soon. :O)

To Know God....series.... Relationship..Top Priority

 

 

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.

Ephesians 2:8-9

 

"If you are hoping for salvation but see no need for knowing God and do not consider time with God important, then you still believe that your salvation is based upon your behavior. regardless of what a person says about his beliefs, if he is convinced that salvation and Christianity are based upon a relationship with Christ, then that relationship has to become top priority. Anyone who does not seek for salvation through fellowship with God and through knowing Him on a one-to-one basis is a legalist, trying to gain heaven by his own works."

 

"Old Joe was a slave down near the mouth of the Mississippi. One day he was on the block at the slave market, the same place where Abraham Lincoln later stood and watched the tears flow and the hearts break and said, "If I ever get a chance to hit that thing, I'll hit is hard!" Joe stood there, sick and tired of separation and tears and partings. He had determined that he would never work again. But he was on he auction block. The bidders began to bid, and Joe began to mutter, under his breath at first and then louder and louder, "I won't work. I won't work." He was heard, and one by one the bidding dropped off, except for one man who traded good money for this slave who wouldn't work.

 

The new master took Joe to his carriage and drove out into the country to the plantation. Finally he went down a little road that passed a lake. Beside the lake was a beautiful cabin with curtains at the windows and flowers by the cobblestone steps. Joe had never seen anything like it.

"This is where I'm going to live?" Joe asked.

"Yes."

"But I won't work."

Joe, you don't have to work. I bought you to set you free."

(The best part of the story is still to come.)

Joe fell at the feet of his benefactor and said, "Master, I'll serve you forever."

 

You see a group of sinners. They have been slaves to sin and pain and death. They say, "We won't work- we can't!" Have you ever tried it Have you ever tried to produce the works of righteousness? It's impossible. You can't do it.

 

But Jesus says, "You don't have to work. I've bought you, with my own blood. to set you free, and I want to live My life in your."

 

I understand He has some mansions by a lake that looks like a sea made out of glass. There are cobblestones and curtains, and flowers that will never fade. He offers us all this because He loves us. That's the way He is. And when we understand this trade and it really gets through to our heat, we will gladly serve Him forever." excerpts from pgs. 26,27,28 

 

"Personal fellowship with God is God's goal for each one of us."

Accountability

We are approaching the 1 year mark since my hysterectomy, the 18th of November. Since a family friend shared with us that his wife had gained a whole lot of weight after her hysterectomy, I have really been aware of my weight and watching to make sure the same thing did not happen to me. (The lady spoken of was a lot thinner than me - so her gaining weight was nothing like if I were to gain that much weight.) Now I am really glad that he shared that information with us because I think I would have gotten so caught up with all that has transpired over the last year that I would have put my weight on the back burner and not paid any attention to it.

Because of the knowledge that there was a chance I would gain a lot of weight- I have really been watching my weight. In fact, I did watch as it increased. Each month I would get steroids pumped into my body prior to chemo(6 times). And then at about the half way mark through chemo- I got a red rash on my arms, neck, and chest. When I told my Dr about it she had me take some powerful steroids morning and night - the day before, the day of and the day after chemo. I noticed after that - that even though I was eating the same a little more weight packed on. Ugh. Over all I ended up gaining about 18 pounds over the year.

I am very happy that I have been able to lose 10 pounds so far- but there is no way that I can lose the other 8 pounds by the 18th of this month. But I am not going to let that stop me. I have decided that the way I will keep myself accountable is to log in my journal my weight each birthday and my goal will be- to either maintain or lose from that point. And although I know when my birthday rolls around - 2 weeks from today- that I will still be up about 8 pounds since last year, I am happy that I have figured out a way in which to keep my self accountable.

So if you, like me, have struggled with your weight what seems like your whole life, you may want to adopt this same habit.

But remember you want to chose the healthy way to lose weight or maintaining your weight. On Wednesday I'll be sharing a great post about how some diet plans can be deceiving- and by following them- in the long run you end up in worse shape than when you began.

Magic Potion

On Facebook I saw a post that shared about a Magic potion that is suppose to get rid of cancer.

Well truthfully I see all sorts of things that claim to get rid of cancer- I am sure some of the things might actually really help but other things...who really knows.

 

Well when I saw this recipe, I knew it was something that would be good for me no matter what - so I decided to try it out today.

 

So this recipe said to use:

 

1 beet root

1 carrot

1 apple

1 lemon

 

Wash everything really good and then cut stuff up. And put into your juicer.

 

 Well I did and this is what I ended up with:

And to be very honest with you all- it was VERY lemony! I will probably use only 1/2 lemon on any other batches that I make. I might even try some spinach in with it also. That might help balance our that lemon.

 

Anyway I just wanted to share just in case someone else would be interested in trying this "magic potion." I for one will probably do it ever so often - but I don't like to juice a lot because by juicing you take away the fiber and the fiber is important for us as well.

 

Hope you all have a great day! :O)

Love With All Your Heart...series chapter 11

Love With All Your Heart

by:

Linda Driver

 

11

Love is forbearing:

Love bears up under anything and everything that comes.

 

Mike demanded perfection. Things had to be done just so, and everybody had better cooperate, right now! Mike had no tolerance for weakness. He was tough, and he expected everyone else to fall I line. When someone didn't meet his expectations, he would judge and condemn them on the spot. People tended to be quite intimidated by Mike's forceful methods in getting his way. He would railroad his plans and make sure they were carried out to the letter. Mike had no time for imperfect sinners in the church. "Shape up or ship out" was his motto. Mike had no idea how many people had left the church because of his harsh manner, and he really didn't care. He just thought he was purging out the worthless trash. Mike just insisted that everyone live up to his standards.

Then one day Mike came face to face with the claims of God's love as found in the Bible: 

 

"Love...bears all things."

1 Corinthians 13:7

 

"Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things."   

Romans 14:1

 

"Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them,

for this is the Law and the Prophets."   

 Matthew 7:12

 

"With all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love,"   

Ephesians 4:2

 

"Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly,

comfort the fainthearted,

 uphold the weak, be patient with all."   

 1 Thessalonians 5:14

 

    "Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. 

            2 Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ."  

 Galatians 6:1,2

 

Love accepts others just as they are without qualifications or conditions.

 

Love does not ever judge others and condemn them for their errors, faults, or weaknesses.

 

Love never uses force or tries to control, but allows others freedom to make their own decisions.

 

Love will not be forcefully opinionated and aggressive or pushy with one's ideas and plans.

 

Love is willing to give others the credit and stand in the background.

 

Love does not resent the wrong acts of others or hold grudges or bitterness against them.

 

Love does not set itself up as 'holier," but sympathizes with the weaknesses of others.

 

Love is forgiving, even to the unrepentant and to its worst enemies.

 

Love inspires, encourages, and never condemns.

 

Love promotes an atmosphere of acceptance and approval; love attracts , never repels.

 

Love seeks to lift up the weak and erring and give them hope.

 

Love never preaches down to others or makes them feel helpless or discouraged.

 

Love bears other's burdens, relating with them, crying, and praying with them.

 

Love not only bears with other's faults, but will cheerfully submit to any suffering or inconvenience that such forbearance makes necessary. 



Wow - What a Week

Ok - So I had planned on getting a blog post together about the health principals - and I have worked on it but just not done yet because...well... life got in the way.

I had my first physical therapy appointment on Tuesday - that is when they evaluated me to see what was going on with me and what I needed help with. Then yesterday I had my first real appointment doing the activities that the PT came up with to help my back. My appointment was at 11:15am. And they were very prompt at getting me back there. I began by walking on the treadmill for 10 minutes to get me warmed up. And then I spent the next hour and twenty minutes doing exercises. So yes -I was there for 1 1/2 hours. I had been under the impression that it would only be about an hour. And maybe once they don't have to explain thing to me so much it won't take so long.

I had a very nice lady do the evaluation and had noticed a lot of men working with people and had thought, "I am so happy to have gotten a lady." Well guess what - when I went for PT yesterday it was mostly a man that was working with me. It was alright. I would have preferred a woman but I will do what ever I have to do in order to improve how I have been doing.

Oh and by the way - guess what? For the first time ever I got a "free" tee shirt. The Physical Therapy place has tee shirts and gave me one! I know it is for advertising for them but hey - I like getting free stuff and it was great. I was telling my husband about it and he said, "Don't forget - you will also be getting 3 free Pathfinder tee shirts!" Yay - so I went 44 years without getting any tee shirts and then this year I get 4- that I awesome! Truthfully I am not really a tee shirt type of girl - I would rather have more girly clothes, but going to PT I think it will be the best thing I can wear - very modest and plain(grey). So I am happy! I know I could have gotten a free Carter Blood Bank tee shirt like my husband has for the last few years, since we have a blood drive at our church once a year- but I am really a pansy when it comes to having a needle in my arm - I do not like one in there- When I am having my blood drawn I am always ready to have the needle out of there asap. So I am to much of a pansy to get one of their tee shirts. Thankful for the ones I have gotten.

Anyway so I spent longer there than I had anticipated. When I got done I noticed there was a missed call from my oncology dr. So I checked my messages and sure enough it was her nurse letting me know that my Dr had to do a surgery on Friday morning, when my 2nd 3 month checkup was suppose to be so they needed to reschedule me. So I went back home and I called and set up the new appointment for next Friday. I was disappointed because I was really wanting to get that out of the way and I am really wanting to try to get the port removed before this year ends. Maybe it is a good thing to be put off a week because since I am having physical therapy during the month of November - maybe I need to wait until Dec to have the port taken out. That way I can be of good use to my MIL for Thanksgiving Dinner- one of my sister in laws will be having a hysterectomy the week before.

Well I had known about this appointment with my oncologist for 3 months and so when I realized that my appointment would be the same time as my Block of the Month meeting would be - I put off making my block and instead I worked on some little costumes for our granddaughters Sabbath School class- so the children can act out the Bible Stories. Anyway once I found out that I would not have my Dr appointment- I realized I needed to get my block done. But yesterday was a busy day with my longer than anticipated appointment and some important errands to run. Anyway I was able to force myself, and yes it took me forcing myself to get me to get to the Sewing Room and get my block done. I don't like to work on my blocks under forced conditions, it just does not seem as fun then. Anyway here is the new block:

So today will be a busy day as well- with my normal Friday cleaning and getting ready for Sabbath. My Block of the Month meeting, my husband needs to get his blood taken, and we have groceries to get. Then we are hoping for a restful Sabbath Day. Well mostly restful since we have a bon fire
that we are going to - for hot dogs and marshmellows for our Pathfinder group. Which reminds me- I need to make up some deserts to take to it. I know what I want to make - I just have to make sure I have all the ingredients.

Anyway so you can see why I did not get the post done that I wanted to get to get done. I did find a great book and I think I might have to just do a series on the health principals. So I will have to think on it and decide if I want to do one total post about what each one is doing for me and then a series of more information on each principal or just divide it up into a series. I will pray about it and see where God leads.

Ok - I hope you all have a great day! :O)

To Know God...series...The Greatest Trade

This "To Know God' book is chalked full of wonderful information. In fact, it's been kind of difficult for me to decide on the most important things to touch on. And I hope I am able to do it in a way that the proper message is conveyed, which is basically the Good News for each and everyone of us.
We "Mankind=sin and righteousness= Jesus. Jesus is the only one born into this world who was not born sinful, not born separated from God. Jesus is the only one who was ever born righteous. It is clear from this analogy that the only possibility for righteousness as far as man is concerned, would be Mankind+Jesus= Righteousness. Mankind without Jesus is still sinful. The real issue in sin and righteousness is whether or not Jesus is in the life."

      But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; we all fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.   

Isaiah 64:6

"If everyone in the world, except Jesus, is born sinful(Rom. 1:16). Jesus, our Saviour, provided salvation at the cross, through which the power of sin is broken. When a sinner accepts this great salvation, he is born again, and the greatest trade ever made takes place."

The Bible talks about the greatest trade ever, in 2 Corinthians 5:21: "For he (that is, God) hath made him(that is, Jesus) to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." We could change the wording just a bit: For God hath made Jesus, who knew no sin, to be sin for us that we, who knew no righteousness, might be made the righteousness of God in Him."
Excerpts from pgs 23, 25

And thanks so some very helpful friends - We have a great song to go along with this portion as well. :O)

What You Sow...You Will Reap

This morning I found something amazing and I wanted to share it with you. I sure hope I am able to translate what is in going on in my mind into words and have it understandable.

I had been looking in my Bible Commentary to better understand a verse that I had read and came across this:

"True Religion is often represented in the Bible as an experience of peace."

 

Peace is highly sought after.

 

And when I saw this I could not help but divert my studies to looking up verses that went down the line of this thinking. It took me to Romans 8:

 

    For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.  

7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God;

for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.     

Romans 8:6-7

 

(It was very interesting to me when I got my "They Layman's Parallel New Testament" out and read these verses in all 4 of the translations. But since I have a lot more to share with you - I will not add all the versions of this text here- if any of you are interested in seeing the others just let me know and I will post them as well.)

 

The next verse I was led to was in Galatians:

 

"For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption,

 but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life."

Galatians 6:8   

 

    I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

             17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. 

            18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.   

Galatians 5:16-18

 

 To see what it looks like to sow to ones flesh all we have to do is continue reading in Galatians 5

starting at verse 19:

 

19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness,  20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.   

Galatians 5:19-21

 

And when we continue to read in Galatians 5 we will see what it looks like to sow to the Spirit:

 

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

             24 And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 

            25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 

Galatians 5:22-25  

 

What a contrast this is!

 

Did you notice the contrast?

"carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace."  

 

We have a choice.

 What do we want to reap?

 

if we sow to the flesh we will reap corruption,

if we sow to the Spirit we will reap everlasting life

 

By allowing God through the Holy Spirit to guide and direct us, by surrendering our sinful desires and allowing Christ to live His live through us are we are able to overcome our sinful desires.

 

This is exciting to me! I have a choice

day by day

decision by decision

and through the help of the Holy Spirit I can live my life for Jesus Christ

and by doing so I can reap peace and so much more..!

(Thank you Lauren for sharing this)
He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?   
Micah 6:8

To Know God...series...It's Our Choice

"One day my dad came to me and said, "Son,  have a proposition to make to you. I want to give you a million dollars."
And I laughed! I knew a little bit more about my dad's bank account than that!
But he persisted.  "Pretend that I'm a multimillionaire and that I'm going to give you a million dollars. Are you interested?"
"Of course."
He continued. "There are two conditions. First of all, you have to agree to spend the whole million in one year."
Well, I would have preferred to spread the fun out over a longer period of time, but better a million for one year than no million at all.
"The second condition is that at the end of the year, you die in the gas chamber."
And I said, " I beg your pardon?"
He said, "At the end of the year, you die. There's no way out You can't use the money to get lost on some tropical island. It s a sure thing that you'll die at the end of the year. Are you still interested?"
I said, "No way!"
"Why not?"
"Because I'd be spending the whole year thinking about the gas chamber. And that would spoil eve the fun of one year."
I've tried that out on many people since that time, and the answer is usually the same. It is not that good a deal to trade one year, even if it is a fantastic year, for a whole lifetime.

The Moral of the Story!



Then my father came in with the punch line that you could expect a preacher to give his preacher's kid! "Now pretend that I am the devil, and I make you a similar offer. I say, 'You can have seventy years to do exactly as you please. No rules, no regulations. You can do anything, go anywhere. No inhibitions, no morality, no restrictions. Have fun. Live it up. But at the end of the seventy years you will end up in the lake of fire with me.' "

And my dad said, "Are you interested?"
There are thousands of people who have accepted this offer and thought that they were making a wise choice.
Most of us are willing to accept the premise that it would be foolish to settle for one year when seventy years are available. But what about settling for seventy years when you could have eternity? It's foolish, even on the basis of logic and reason, to turn down God's offer of eternal life. But thousands have turned it down and will turn it down. Thousands will settle for the temporary pleasures and lose eternity."

Today I wanted to leave a song that I thought fit in perfectly at this point in this series. Enjoy! :O)

Happy to Report

Hello~ How have you all been? I am doing pretty good. I am so thankful for this cooler weather that we have had. And the gas prices being down- the lowest they have been in quite some time is great too. Even though there is a BIG chance that after tomorrows elections the prices will go up. I will let you know if that happens. Yesterday we actually only paid $2.48 a gallon. It is sad to say only with that gas price since when Jason and I first got married we only paid about $.97 cents a gallon. And any gas over $1.00 was quite high... those were the good ol' days.

Last week I did not get a lot of exercise in as in walking specifically for exercise; however, I did end up mowing on three of the days last week which helped me get good exercise, especially since I mow our yard with a push mower now. My husband will be working on trying to get our riding mower going - but I will still be using this one on at least half of the yard since I really need the extra exercise. The front yard is a bit harder for me to do because I don't feel the freedom to stop when I get really tired - so I plow through to get it all done and by the time I am done I am tired. It is a pretty big yard. And it is kind of lumpy and bumpy as well which causes it to take more energy to get it done. So when we get the riding mower fixed I will probably use it for the front yard for sure. We will see though. Anyway I did go for a walk today and feel good.

Speaking of the good changes I have been making - I am officially at 10 pounds lost now since the last of August. It is slow go - but I am at least going in the right direction. And I am happy because I am not doing it in a diet kind of way - I am doing it in a eat healthier kind of way. More fruits and veggies and healthy fats like avocados, olives, and nuts. And by doing it this way I am able to make it a way of living that will last the rest of my life.

While I was on my walk today I was thinking about the Health Laws and I thought that I would work on a post where I share how each of them has benefited me. I know I have posted this stuff several different times but I feel the information is very important for us. So you can be looking forward to seeing that on Wednesday or Friday.

I better get off of here for now - I am making bread today and it is getting close to me needing to pull it out of the oven. I hope you all are doing well. :O)

Love With All Your Heart....series chapter 10

Love With All Your Heart

by:

Linda Driver

 

10

Love is righteousness;

Love does not rejoice in unrighteousness and injustice, but rejoices when right and truth prevail.

 

Ms. Gabby had a loose tongue that always seemed to be flapping. The trouble was, the only things about which she seemed to talk were the unfortunate situations in other people's lives and the flaws in their characters.

 

She would hunt diligently for a juicy tidbit of gossip and then run with delight to spread it around. If someone was having family troubles, Gabby would be the first to find out, and within hours the whole church knew about it. Gabby had a very pious way of gossiping, however. She considered herself to be deeply concerned and interested in people, and she would often begin her little gossip sessions with, "We really need to pray about so and so, because...." But deep in her heart, Gabby enjoyed discovering sins in others. It made her feel better about herself and her own sins, which were many.

 

She was in her prime when someone really made a bad slip-up. She would relate all the gory details, even making up a few of her own. When nobody was having any problems, Gabby found life rather boring.

 

Then one day Gabby came face to face with the claims of God's love as found in the Bible:

 

"Love...does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth."

1 Corinthians 13:6

 

Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.   

Romans 12:9

   

 A talebearer reveals secrets, But he who is of a faithful spirit conceals a matter.

Proverbs 11:13

 

 He who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets; Therefore do not associate with one who flatters with his lips.    Proverbs 20:19

 

    But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people's matters.    1 Peter 4:15

 

In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, But he who restrains his lips is wise.  

  Proverbs 10:19

 

Love always looks for the good in others and believes in them.

 

Love does not repeat or listen eagerly to unfavorable reports or gossip, but rather seeks to bring to mind the good qualities in others; love doe not needlessly expose their faults.

 

Love rejoices when right and truth prevail; love is for justice, honesty, and integrity.

 

Love does not ever encourage or entice others to sin; love never participates in any evil.

 

Love hates sin, which is based on selfishness and finds no pleasure in unrighteousness.

 

Love never does or thinks anything contrary to God's will, for God is love.

 

Love cannot coexist with worldliness, sensuality and evil desires; love never justifies evil.

 

Love keeps the holy law of God for love is the fulfilling of the law.

 

Love never excuses sin itself; love never does anything that would cause a brother to stumble.