We went vegan!

Well its almost been a week now and our family has been eating vegan and mostly raw fruits vegetables nuts and seeds. Its been amazing. I am so thankful I have some good cook books ( or rather "uncook books") or I think I would just end up eating salad every meal!

We are taking a season to try to be as healthy as we can be as a family, a season of alignment, getting priorities back on track and and fasting and prayer. I feel more hungry for him than I have felt in a long time. My heart needs JESUS! Please keep me in prayer that I will encounter him in a new way this season. I really want to grow and know him more.

This is what I am meditating on today:: Psalm 42 (The Message)

" A white-tailed deer drinks from the creek; I want to drink God, deep draughts of God.
I'm thirsty for God-alive. I wonder, "Will I ever make it-arrive and drink in God's presence?" I'm on a diet of tears-tears for breakfast, tears for supper.
All day long people knock at my door, Pestering, "Where is this God of yours?"
These are the things I go over and over, emptying out the pockets of my life.

I was always at the head of the worshiping crowd, right out in front,
Leading them all, eager to arrive and worship,
Shouting praises, singing thanksgiving-celebrating, all of us, God's feast!
Why are you down in the dumps, dear soul?
Why are you crying the blues?
Fix my eyes on God— soon I'll be praising again.
He puts a smile on my face. He's my God.
When my soul is in the dumps, I rehearse everything I know of you,
From Jordan depths to Hermon heights, including Mount Mizar.

Chaos calls to chaos, to the tune of whitewater rapids.
Your breaking surf, your thundering breakers crash and crush me.
Then God promises to love me all day, sing songs all through the night!
My life is God's prayer.
Sometimes I ask God, my rock-solid God, "Why did you let me down?
Why am I walking around in tears, harassed by enemies?"
They're out for the kill, these tormentors with their obscenities,
Taunting day after day, "Where is this God of yours?"
Why are you down in the dumps, dear soul?
Why are you crying the blues?
Fix my eyes on God— soon I'll be praising again.
He puts a smile on my face. He's my God. "

My verses for the day ::

"Whatever may be your task, work at it heartily (from the soul), as [something done] for the Lord and not for men ..." Colossians 3:23

"Never lag in zeal and in earnest endeavor; be aglow and burning with the Spirit, serving the Lord." Romans 12:11

"That is why I would remind you to stir up (rekindle the embers of, fan the flame of, and keep burning) the [gracious] gift of God, [the inner fire] that is in you ..." 2 Timothy 1:6

Lemon Bars

This is a really easy Lemon Bar recipe. It can be made in 45 min. or less and makes 24 bars. I made these for the Dr. and hospital staff when I had my firstborn son Elisha. It was a BIG hit :)


Ingredients::

4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar ( you could sub with Xylitol)
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
hot shortbread base
3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a bowl whisk together eggs and granulated sugar until combined well and stir in lemon juice and flour. Pour lemon mixture over hot shortbread. Reduce oven temperature to 300°F. and bake confection in middle of oven until set, about 30 minutes. Cool completely in pan and cut into 24 bars. Bar cookies keep, covered and chilled, 3 days. Sift confectioners' sugar over bars before serving.

Shortbread base::

1 1/2 sticks
(3/4 cup) unsalted butter
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Cut butter into 1/2-inch pieces. In a food processor process all ingredients until mixture begins to form small lumps. Sprinkle mixture into a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan and with a metal spatula press evenly onto bottom. Bake shortbread in middle of oven until golden, about 20 minutes. While shortbread is baking, prepare topping.

* Recipe from Epicurious.com

Caleb Daniel Granick::

Caleb was born on March 16th (Palm Sunday) as the sun was comming up. It was beautiful. It was the most challenging thing I have ever done in my life. I had him at home in a birthing pool- in our living room. I had a really long labor with Caleb. In fact in my medical chart in the spot where it asks for length of labor- my midwife wrote forever and a day. It sure felt like it! Caleb was 9 lb's 12 oz and 23 inches long! Isnt he darling!

Open up the heavens

"The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot.
The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance. "
((Psalm 16:5-6 ))

Lord thank you the inheiritance that you have for our family.
Lord open up the heavens over our home
bring a new freshness and a deep pouring our of your spirit...


They waited for me as for showers and drank in my words as the spring rain.
(( Job 29:23))

When a king's face brightens, it means life;
his favor is like a rain cloud in spring.
((Proverbs 16:15))

"You heavens above, rain down righteousness;
let the clouds shower it down.

Let the earth open wide, let salvation spring up,
let righteousness grow with it; I, the LORD, have created it.
((Isaiah 45:7-9))

"Let us acknowledge the LORD;
let us press on to acknowledge him.
As surely as the sun rises, he will appear;
he will come to us like the winter rains,
like the spring rains that water the earth."
((Hosea 6:3))

"Ask rain from the LORD in the season of the spring rain,
from the LORD who makes the storm clouds,
and he will give them showers of rain,
to everyone the vegetation in the field."
((Zechariah 10:1 ))

"Be not afraid, O wild animals,
for the open pastures are becoming green.
The trees are bearing their fruit;
the fig tree and the vine yield their riches.

Be glad, O people of Zion,
rejoice in the LORD your God,
for he has given you the autumn rains in righteousness.

He sends you abundant showers,
both autumn and spring rains, as before.

The threshing floors will be filled with grain;
the vats will overflow with new wine and oil."

((Joel 2:22-24 ))

Your words are written on my heart...

"Come, let us return to the LORD;
for he has torn us, that he may heal us;
he has struck us down, and he will bind us up...
...that we may live before him.

Let us know; let us press on to know the LORD;
his going out is sure as the dawn;
he will come to us as the showers,
as the spring rains that water the earth."

Hosea 6: 1-3

--

"So that they should seek God,
in the hope that they might feel after Him and find Him,
although He is not far from each one of us."

For in Him we live and move and have our being;
as even some of your [own] poets have said,
For we are also His offspring."

Acts 17: 27, 28

--

"Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you.
You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.
I will be found by you, declares the LORD,
and I will restore your fortunes and gather you
from all the nations and all the places,
where I have driven you, declares the LORD,
and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile."

Jeremiah 29:12, 13

Choosing to enjoy life

"I call heaven and earth to wittness this day against you that I have set before you life and death, the blessings and the curses; therefore coose life, that you and your descendants may live." Deut. 30:19

The Hebrew word for "life" in that verse is "chay"
and means ( among other things)
:: Fresh, strong, lively, merry

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance ( to the full, till it overflows)." John 10:10

"I have told you these things, that my joy and delight may be in you and that your joy and gladness may be of full measure and complete and overflowing. " John 15:11

"Up to this time you have not asked a single thing in my name [as presenting all that I AM]; but now ask and keep on asking and you will recieve, so that your joy (gladness, delight) may be full and complete." John 16:24

"And now I am comming to you [Father]; I say these things while I am still in the world, so that My joy may be made full and complete and perfect in them [the diciples] [that they may expirence My delight fulfilled in them, that My enjoyment may be perfected in thier own souls, that they may have My gladness within them, filling thier hearts.] John 17:13

Proverbs 17:22 says that "A happy heart is good medicine and a cheerful mind works healing, but a broken spirit dries up bones"

--

" Now faith is the assurance ( the confirmation, the title deed) of things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of thier reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses]." Hebrews 11:1

"But without faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to Him..." Hebrews 11:6

--

"God has not given us a spirit of fear.." 2 Tim. 1:7

In Deuteronomy 1:29 & 30 it says:: "Then I say to you, Dread not, neither be afraid of them. The lord your God who goes before you, he will fight for you just as he did for you in Egypt before your eyes."

1 Chronicles 22:13 says:: "... Be strong and of good courage. Dread not and fear not; be not dismayed."

--

"May the God of your hope so fill you with all joy and peace in believing [through the expirence of your faith] that the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound and be overflowing ( bubbling over) with hope." Romans 15:13