Heavenly Father,

If I should suffer need, and go unclothed, and be in poverty,
make my heart prize your love,
know it, be constrained by it,
though I be denied all blessings.
It is your mercy to afflict and try me with wants,
for by these trials I see my sins,
and desire to be rid of them.
Please help me willingly accept misery, sorrows, temptations,
if those things will help me feel sin as the greatest evil,
and be delivered from it with gratitude to you,
acknowledging this as the highest testimony of your love.
When your son, Jesus, came into my soul
he became more dear to me
than sin used to be;
his kindly rule replaced sin’s tyranny.
Teach me to believe that if I ever want to conquer any sin
I must not only labor to overcome it,
but must invite Christ to take its place,
and he must become more valued to me
than the vile lust had been;
that his sweetness, power, life may be there.
So I need to seek a grace from God that will oppose sin,
but I should not seek it as a thing on it’s own, apart from himself.
When I am afraid of evils to come,
please comfort me by showing me
that in myself I am a dying, condemned wretch,
but in Christ I am reconciled and live;
that in myself I find insufficiency and restlessness,
but in Christ there is satisfaction and peace;
that in myself I am feeble and unable to do good,
but in Christ I can do all things.
Though now I have his graces in part,
I shall shortly have them perfectly
in that state where you will show yourself fully reconciled,
and alone sufficient, efficient,
loving me completely,
with sin abolished.
O Lord, may that day come quickly!

–from The Valley of Vision

 Here are recipes from our wonderful  Fellowship Sunday breakfast, from our own Sarah West:

cream scones (i added 1/2 c. of apricots and pine nuts) from baking illustrated
Ingredients:
2 cups (10 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour, preferably a
lower-protein brand, such as Gold Medal or Pillsbury
1 Tbsp baking powder
3 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
5 Tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1/2 cup dried fruit or nuts
1 cup heavy cream

Instructions:
1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to
425°F (220°C).
2. Place the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a large bowl or
the workbowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Whisk
together or process with six 1-second pulses.
3. If making by hand, use two knives, a pastry blender, or your
fingertips and quickly cut in the butter until the mixture resembles
coarse meal with a few slightly larger butter lumps. If using a food
processor, remove the cover and distribute the butter evenly over the
dry ingredients. Cover and process with twelve 1-second pulses. Add
the currants and quickly mix in or pulse one more time. Transfer the
dough to a large bowl.
4. Stir in the heavy cream with a rubber spatula or fork until the
dough begins to form, about 30 seconds.
5. Transfer the dough and all dry flour bits to a countertop and knead
the dough by hand just until it comes together into a rough, slightly
sticky ball, 5 to 10 seconds. Press the dough into an 8-inch cake pan,
then turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work-surface. With a
sharp knife or bench scraper, cut the dough into 8 wedges. Place the
wedges on an ungreased baking sheet. (The baking sheet can be wrapped
in plastic and refrigerated for up to 2 hours before baking.)
6. Bake until the scone tops are light brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool
on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room
temperature.

adaptation of ina garten’s homemade granola
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/homemade-granola-recipe/index.html
Ingredients
4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
2 cups sweetened shredded coconut
2 cups sliced almonds
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup maple syrup

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Toss the oats, coconut, and almonds together in a large bowl. Whisk
together the oil and honey in a small bowl. Pour the liquids over the
oat mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until all the oats and nuts
are coated. Pour onto a 13 by 18 by 1-inch sheet pan. Bake, stirring
occasionally with a spatula, until the mixture turns a nice, even,
golden brown, about 45 minutes. Remove the granola from the oven and
allow to cool, stirring occasionally.

mini egg tarts adapted from allrecipes.com
Ingredients
1/2 pound pork sausage
1 1/4 cups biscuit baking mix
1/4 cup butter, softened
3 tablespoons boiling water
3 tablespoons chopped green onions
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup half-and-half cream
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease 12 muffin
cups or line with paper muffin liners.
Place sausage in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium-high heat
until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside.
Combine baking mix, butter and boiling water. Divide biscuit
mixture between muffin cups. Spread covering bottom and up the sides a
little. Sprinkle sausage and onions.
Stir together eggs and cream. Pour equal amounts of egg mixture
into muffin cups. Cover with Swiss cheese.
Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes, until eggs are set.