The Importance of Being Alone

Today I wanted to share the devotion that was in my "Streams in the Desert"book this morning. Liked it enough that I wanted to share it! 

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And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him

 until the breaking of the day(Gen. 32:24).

Left alone! What different sensations those words conjure up to each of us. To some they spell loneliness and desolation, to others rest and quiet. To be left alone without God, would be too awful for words, but to be left alone with Him is a foretaste of Heaven! If His followers spent more time alone with Him, we should have spiritual giants again.

The Master set us an example. Note how often He went to be alone with God; and He had a mighty purpose behind the command, "When thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray."

The greatest miracles of Elijah and Elisha took place when they were alone with God. It was alone with God that Jacob became a prince; and just there that we, too, may become princes--"men (aye, and women too!) wondered at" (Zech. 3:8). Joshua was alone when the Lord came to him. (Josh. 1:1) Gideon and Jephthah were by themselves when commissioned to save Israel. (Judges 6:11 and 11:29) Moses was by himself at the wilderness bush. (Exodus 3:1-5) Cornelius was praying by himself when the angel came to him. (Acts 10:2) No one was with Peter on the house top, when he was instructed to go to the Gentiles. (Acts 10:9) John the Baptist was alone in the wilderness (Luke 1:90), and John the Beloved alone in Patmos, when nearest God. (Rev. 1:9)

Covet to get alone with God. If we neglect it, we not only rob ourselves, but others too, of blessing, since when we are blessed we are able to pass on blessing to others. It may mean less outside work; it must mean more depth and power, and the consequence, too, will be "they saw no man save Jesus only."

To be alone with God in prayer cannot be over-emphasized.

If chosen men had never been alone,
In deepest silence open-doored to God,
No greatness ever had been dreamed or done.

Vegan 101~ Scrambled "Eggs"

It has been several weeks since I went to my last Vegan 101 class - but I have been so busy I just have not had a chance to get on here and put together a post. Well I decided today was the day to finally get this typed up for you all. I hope you enjoy! 

We had breakfast. 

Simple and Easy Eggless Scrambled "Eggs" 

1 16 ounce block firm tofu 

1 med. onion, finely diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 med. tomato, diced

1 T. olive oil 

2 T. Nutritional yeast flakes 

1 T. Chicken-style seasoning 

1/2 tsp. tumeric 

Dash of lemon juice crystals 

salt to taste 

1. Rinse tofu and pat dry with paper towel. Put in a bowl and crumble it using a fork or potato masher or your hands. 

2. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and saute until soft. Add tomatoes and mix well. 

3. Add crumbled tofu, seasonings and tumeric. Stir and cook until tofu is well mixed with the other ingredients and flavors are well blended. Add the lemon crystals and salt to taste.

You can serve on toast or over cooked brown rice or eat it as is. 

Now if you don't have tofu you can make the same recipe using garbanzo beans instead- just smash up about half of the beans and proceed with the above recipe. 

 I really enjoyed both ways this was made.

If you are like me - this is the first time you have heard about Lemon Crystals - this is what the container looks like - it is sold at Walmart. I have not looked for it yet so I can not give any information about where you would find it in the store. If I find it I will try to do a post about it later to share more. 

Here was the whole spread. She made Waffles using pinto beans - what a great way to add fiber to your waffles- and they were very good!! And she made a delicious fruit topping to pot over the top of the waffles. Everything was very good! I had a friend go that is not even a vegetarian and she really enjoyed all the food as well - and that says alot! :O) 

Will run after us

“There aren’t many sure things in this world. But God’s love and goodness are something we can absolutely count on to be there with us... to follow us.”

(reference to Ps.23) The original Hebrew word actually means “to pursue” or “chase. “God‘s goodness and love 

will run after us all the days of our lives.”

~ Lysa TerKeurst in her “Uninvited” book

Making, Not Breaking You

“Hold fast to Jesus and remember: this breaking of you will be the making of you. A new you. A stronger you. Strengthened not with the pride of perfection but with the sweet grace of one who knows an intimate closeness with her Lord.”

The Lord is close to the broken hearted 

and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

 Psalm 34:18.

Just a little something from my book Uninvited by Lysa TerKeurst 

What a blessing this book has been to my soul! :O) 

He Can and Will Do It Again

Sorry I have not posted much lately - I have been dealing with some personal issues. It seems that I keep coming to some tests and I keep failing, but God wants me to pass and in His grace He keep allowing the tests to come. He hasn't give up on me yet...thankfully. Anyway I wanted to share just a couple of things that have really touched my heart lately. And I love how these two things go together so nicely. I hope that if you, too, are struggling that these little gems can help encourage your heart as well. 

You have circled this mountain long enough. Now turn north....7. For the LORD your God has blessed you in all that you have done. He has known your wandering through this great wilderness. These forty years the LORD your God has been with you; you have lacked nothing.” 

~ Deuteronomy 2:2,7

Yes- these verses are speaking of the children of Israel, but they can also apply to you and I. I am so thankful for that! God knows what you are going through. He knows your pain and your sufferings. He has helped you in that past and He will do it again!! 

And the perfect song to go along with our theme today. Trust me - it is well worth your time and effort to really listen to this song and read the lyrics as it plays. I pray it will encourage your heart as well. :O)

Not "Have To", But "Get To"

So recently I have been trying to mix up my fitness routine a bit. It's good to mix things up every now and then so you don't get into a rut.

I have shared how I like to work out with Jennifer from Rise Up Ministries  I have the channel with Directv channel 378 I believe. But if you can always go to her website - she offers some workout videos there. Also I believe there are some on youtube as well. Lots of great options.

Well right after the Rise Up program comes Faithful Workouts. I have begun recording a few of her workouts. She has a whole lot of energy and moves quickly - it can be challenging to keep up with her sometimes. But I decided to start working out with her at least 10 minutes if possible and then go do my other workouts.

Anyway so on one of the programs Michelle shared about how several years ago she had a bad ski accident and was not able to exercise for a while. So she said it's not a matter of having to exercise now it is that she gets to exercise now. I think perspective is great to have. To look at exercise as something we get to do. If we have been blessed with the ability to exercise then we truly are blessed. If you have a good attitude about exercising, then you get so many more benefits! It is well worth developing a good attitude about working towards fitness.

So maybe you might want to mix it up a bit and try a work out from each of these sites! :O)

Not the Answer We Wanted

The mile look around the hospital gave plenty of time to pray for my sister and her team, all the patients and Dr there as well. I also had plenty of time to include everyone I know that needed prayers for healing. The brisk wind was blocked by my warm coat and the sunshine felt oh so good!

The walk also helped with my stress level which would come in handy later in the day. Sadly we did not get the news that we were hoping for. We wanted this procedure to take care of the issue and for her to get to feeling better soon. But that is not what happened. We were told she will need a major surgery and very soon. And when I say soon, I mean she was left handing the possibility of surgery any time. As of my typing this out at 11:50 am - we still don't know the plan is....

When it seems as if God answers our prayers with a NO, it can come across to our understanding as rejection. I have experienced enough of this personally on several issues for myself. It doesn't feel good to get a no on prayers- especially the ones when we have really poured out our hearts to the Lord. But instead of taking it as a rejection, we need to trust God. We need to trust that He knows the end from the beginning. We also have to remember that He knows how to work all things together for good. This situation from our vantage point doesn't look good, but God is not confined to a box, He has so many more resources and ideas and He will bless this situation above and beyond anything we can ask or think!!

~Romans 8:28
~Ephesians 3:20-21

Please continue to uplift my sister and her family in prayer. I really appreciate it! :O)