Bible Study: Psalm 139

Verse 1: You have searched me, Lord, and you know me.

Verses 7-10:  
7 Where can I go from your Spirit?
    Where can I flee from your presence?
⁸ If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
    if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
⁹ If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
    if I settle on the far side of the sea,
¹⁰ even there your hand will guide me,
    your right hand will hold me fast.

God, I need you to search me and know me.  I know that there is nowhere that I can go to flee from your presence.  You are always near me, even when I feel so alone. 
Nothing and no one can escape your concern.

Verses 13-16:
13 For you created my inmost being;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well.
¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you
    when I was made in the secret place,
    when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
¹⁶ Your eyes saw my unformed body;
    all the days ordained for me were written in your book
    before one of them came to be.

God, I know you created all life and you love each and every child,
even the children that leave us way too soon.
You knit me together in our mother's womb.  
You made me special and you called me wonderful.
You have never forsaken me.
You saw everyday of my life and wrote my name in your book of life.

Verses 13-16:
23 Search me, God, and know my heart;
    test me and know my anxious thoughts.
²⁴ See if there is any offensive way in me,
    and lead me in the way everlasting.

"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10

Online Recipes Exchange: Pumpkin Spice Pancakes

My online group decided to do a recipe exchange.  I've had a lot of fun picking out my recipe for the person chosen for me.  I plan on putting mine together tonight and getting it sent out tomorrow.

I got recipes in the mail today after work.  The recipe was for Pumpkin Spice Pancakes and for Fall Veggie Casserole.  Steve and I love having breakfast for dinner and Steve loves anything with pumpkin.  Steve insisted that we have it for dinner tonight.  So after a quick trip to the store to get some things we didn't have, I made some Pumpkin Spice Pancakes and they were so good.

 Steve said they tasted like he was eating little pieces of pumpkin pie.  While Steve was making the scrambled eggs, he decided that he wanted to put some pumpkin puree in the eggs.  Pumpkin scrambled eggs are interesting, but good.

Thank you, Smash2009 for recipes and the nice card.  You are awesome.

Egg Breakfast Casserole in Muffin Tins

We got to bring snack to small group at church today.  These were so easy to make.

We made a dozen Veggie "muffins" with cheese, mushrooms, spinach, and bell peppers.

We made a dozen Meat "muffins" with cheese, spinach, ham, and chicken.

This recipes makes about 24.

1 lb of ham (or sausage or chicken)

6 eggs

1 cup of Bisquick

2 cups of milk

Salt and pepper

1 cup of cheese

1) Lightly grease muffin pan

2) Mix all ingredients together and spoon into pan.

3) Top with cheese

4) Bake for 25 minutes @ 350 degrees.

I made them the night before and put them in the oven this morning. Yum!

Curb Appeal

After work today, with the help of my mom, I finished working on the garden in the front yard. I think it makes the front yard look much better.  Hopefully, this will help the curb appeal on our house enough for when we are ready to put it on the market.  The plan is to have it on the market by the first of October.  Now if we can just get the grass where the tree was to grow.   

This first picture is our front yard before we cut down the tree.

This is the front yard with the garden done.

 

Here is a close up of the garden.  They are perennials, so that means that they will come back every year.  :o)  The purple flowers are Mums.  The two yellow flowers are daisies.  There are some Lilies too but they haven't bloomed yet.  The flower pot has yellow Begonias.  I got them on Mother's Day. I can't believe they are still alive. 

Bible Study: Psalm 37

"Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.  Trust in the Lord and do good dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart." (Psalm 37:1-4) 

 This verse says to me that if we love the Lord then He will give us the desires of our hearts.  It's his promise to us.  God promises that when we take pleasure in Him, then he will give Himself to us.  It's easy to get discouraged when you really want something and you really believe that the desire comes from God and it's taken from you.  It's easy to become broken and start doubting that God's promises are real.  

"I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging for bread." (Psalm 37:35) 

This Sunday in small group, our leader talked about Luke chapter 7.  John the Baptist is in jail and he sends back a messenger to Jesus asking, “Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?”  Jesus responded saying, “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.”

Our leader went on to say that even John doubted some while he was in jail. Sometimes, when all we can see are our “prison walls,” we need our brothers and sisters in Christ to share what God is doing.  John never lost faith. He just needed confirmation and his faith was rewarded, right?  God saw John’s faith and brokenness and sent his deliverance and rescued him from jail, right?  No, if you know the story John was beheaded.  What does this teach us: God’s love for you is not defined His response to your brokenness.  That was a powerful message for me because I know this year I have been broken.  It’s easy to lose sight of God’s goodness and love when you are broken.

"I have seen the wicked and ruthless man flourishing like a green tree in it's native soil, but he soon passed away and was no more; though I looked for him, he could not be found." (Psalsm 37: 35-36)

"The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord; he is their stronghold in times of trouble." (Psalm 37: 39)

Psalm 37 ponders the question, "Is life fair?" "Why does it seem like the wicked are always successful."  It's basic conclusion: The success of the wicked won't last, while in the long run the righteous will flourish.  Our reward is in Heaven.  Through a lifetime of troubles and anxieties the righteous are never abandoned by God.

I Will Carry You: Michael W Smith

I Will Carry You: Michael W Smith

---

Sometimes I wonder if my beating heart has a reason
The thought of breathing only takes my breath away
I've spent so many nights wrestling with this feeling
Do I have the strength to make it through the day
But I was never meant
To walk this road alone
I can always trust you
When you say

I will carry you
Be your strength
And pull you through
Reach for me
And take my hand
We will pray
And we will stand
In a world
Crying out for peace
Let your heart be strong
For when I am weak
You will carry me

Sometimes You wonder if the road you're on has a reason
It's hard to go on, when you just don't know
We can shoulder all the weight of life between us
Until the fear of what we cannot see is gone
Cause we were never meant
To walk this road alone
We are bound together
When we say...