Our Prayer life needs to be something more than a defensive reaction to misfortune.  The problem is, when things are going okay we tend to pray vaguely, when things go bad we pray specifically.  Too often we’re moved to entreat earnestly only when all hell is breaking loose.  As long as our family is reasonably intact and our livelihood fairly secure, we send up only standby generic requests.

            A good question to ask yourself is this: Do my prayers, as a whole, tend to make me more active or more passive?  If we cry to God only when the deck is stacked against us, we will always plead while falling backward.  If we employ pointed petition only in emergencies, we greatly restrict its capacity to prevail in the world.

            It’s a good idea, of course, to pray when calamity strikes.  Yes, we should call on God when totally flattened by misfortune; yes, we may turn to prayer when all else has failed.  The problem comes when we allow disasters to dominate our petitions, when dropping on our knees becomes primarily a way to dodge some blow.  There are important reasons that this is a poor substitute for answerable prayer and that it tends to limit rather than expand God’s area of influence in our lives.

            Our heavenly Father greatly prefers the field of preventive medicine to traumatic surgery.  That is, He would like to become active in our lives long before all hell breaks loose; He would rather build us up than patch us up.”  If Only God Would Answer pp 31, 32 by Steven Mosley, Steven Mosley Wield the Word Presentations

Make Him your companion minute by minute.

Diabetes: Type 2, [diabetes] accounts for 90% to 95% of all cases.  It used to occur primarily in adults age forty and up.  Now 45% of new diabetes cases are in children.  The food we eat has enormous influence over this disease.

Consider a plant based diet for the whole family.  Lots of fiber.

Be healthy and be happy,

Lorraine

            Have you ever felt this kind of hunger for God?  Have you ever experienced a hunger so intense that you almost forgot how to pray?  Or have you ever had your words just gush from your mouth and felt that your emotions were chaotic?

            That’s what it is like when we experience a spiritual hunger for God.  When our souls are empty . . . and we’re spiritually weak . . . we become so desperate for fellowship with God that we forget about everything else.  As in moments of crisis, we don’t begin our prayer time with praise and worship or a time of confessing our sins to God—we simply pour out our souls to our Lord (see Ps. 62:8).

            It’s like setting a meal in front of a starving man.  A starving man will tear into the food without any thought for manner of protocol.  He’ll stuff his mouth with the first thing within reach.  He won’t think about using knives, forks or any utensils—he’ll use his fingers.  He’ll swallow without chewing.  A starving man doesn’t think of others and worry about appearances.  He just cares about satisfying his hunger.

            Jesus is the Bread of Life and can satisfy all of our hunger.  In John 6:35, Jesus says, “I am the bread of life.  He who comes to Me shall never hunger again.”  Jesus is the Water of Life and can quench even our most desperate thirst.  “If you are thirsty,” Jesus tells us, “come to me!  If you believe in me, come and drink!  For the Scriptures declare that rivers of living water will flow out from within” (John 737, 38, NLT).

            If we’re hungry and thirsty for God, all we have to do is pray.”  How to Pray pp 110, 111 by Elmer L. Towns, Regal from Gospel Light

Better Digestion: Artichokes help the digestive system.  They are a natural diuretic, they aid digestion, improve gallbladder function and, they are of great benefit to the liver.

Be healthy and be happy,

Lorraine

            It works the same way with other sorts of temptations.  We’re in an acquiring mood (which the Bible calls “coveting) and prohibits in the tenth commandment of God’s “Big Ten”).  At first we resist the urge to splurge, but it grows until we just have to go out and buy something.  Something we don’t need—but something that relieves the pressure.

            And then there’s lust (a temptation I know only from a guy’s perspective). . . .  Some seek release from it by turning to a pornographic Web site. . . .  There’s a weight of guilt that will eventually overwhelm the conscience.  But initially the yielding to temptation brings relief.

            Now recall the fact that Jesus never yielded to temptation.  Never.  The pressure to say “yes” to it just kept mounting.  But Jesus always said “no.”  Do you understand why Hebrews tells us that Jesus “suffered when he was tempted”?  That same verse (Heb. 2:18) goes on to explain that this is why “he is able to help those who are being tempted.”  Far from being unable to empathize with our struggle because he breezed through similar struggles himself, Jesus understands exactly what we’re facing—and far worse.

            The writer of Hebrews now draws an application from this truth: “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Heb. 4:16).  Temptation should prompt us to pray!  Why?  Because Jesus understands our predicament, because he has successfully fought—and won—similar battles, and because he has explicitly invited us to approach him in prayer when cornered by temptation.

            In Summary, James would tell us to remind ourselves, when tempted, that the very desires which are pulling us toward sin can be met in a much better way—by presenting them to the Giver of all good gifts, by asking the Giver to satisfy us.”  Prayer Coach p, 71, 72 by James L. Nicodem, Crossway Books

Vitamin C: One cup of peppers, strawberries, broccoli or peas or one papaya has more vitamin C than one orange.  Eat a good variety of fruits and veggies to get your antioxidants and fight disease. 

Be healthy and be happy,

Lorraine

            Most important is to look to Jesus for our example.  There we learn:

            Jesus untiringly studied the Scriptures to learn the truth about God’s character and requirements.  As His store of spiritual knowledge grew, a grasp of the Father’s laws and thoughts proved a bulwark to Him.  He could tell instantly what was compatible with God and what was not.  And His knowledge of the Bible was so extensive that people were astounded.  More than any other person that has ever lived, Jesus could truly say, ‘Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.’

            Jesus revered and obeyed God’s moral law.  His words were, ‘ “To do your will, O my God, is my desire; your law is within my heart.”’  He also said, ‘ “It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the least stroke of a pen to drop out of the law.”’  The breaking of one of the Ten Commandments is sin; and Jesus challenged anyone to point out one instance of sin in His life.  It was He who had inspired the Psalmist to write: ‘My soul is consumed with longing for your laws at all times. . . .  I have chosen the way of truth; I have set my heart on your laws.’

            Jesus started every day with God.  Early each morning He was in the place of prayer, giving His all into the hands of His Father.

            He made no plans for His own life, and daily received from the Holy Spirit God’s plans for Him, for that day in particular yet also views of future developments.  He did not leave His place of prayer until He had every ray of light His Father intended for Him.

            This was the unvarying pattern of His life.  He did not wait for an emergency to intensify His prayer life.  Every day and every hour He was reaching out for God’s will and strength.

            ‘ “Go and do likewise’” as Jesus said.  To have a ready perception of God’s will we must be like Jesus. . . .  By prayer earnest and sincere, we will be seeking for sanctification by the Holy Spirit. . . .  ‘I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.’

            Will you hear a voice behind you?”  Prayer Made Practical pp 104, 105 by Fredrick Pelser, Autumn House

Drink water first thing in the morning this encourages elimination of toxins because water raises the level of watery plasma and quickens activity of circulation. Water is a solvent and contains hydrogen, which has a soothing, softening effect upon the body, mind and soul.

Cells must be immersed in water. Water is the avenue of dispersion for toxin elimination. Blood flow and transport of nourishment also depend upon water. When water is deficient in the body, heat and congestion are possible, making you more susceptible to illness and disease.

Be healthy and be happy,

Lorraine

            Lewis had no idea why.  The book Through the Shadowlands and Lewis’ own book, A Grief Observed, describe his emotional agony, his confusion.  He writes how he cried out to God and heard nothing!  No answer, no response, no anything!  Nothing but that terrifying stillness that dead silence.

            A watching friend wrote this: “The loss of Joy . . . plunged Lewis into the very depths of despair.  His religion which had seemed so sturdily based, began to crumble.”

            And yet, somehow, Lewis still managed to trust.  Though he didn’t understand, he trusted.  He continued to have faith in the God he had served all his adult life.

           Later he wrote about how he grew to see that silence: “When I lay these question before God I get no answer.  But a rather special sort of ‘No answer.’  It is not the locked door.  It is more like a silent, certainly not uncompassionate, door.  As though He shook His head not in refusal but waiving the question.  Like, ‘Peace, child; you don’t understand.’”

            In the end, his faith survived.  His trust relationship, which had never before been so tested, survived this most horrible of challenges.  Later he wrote this: “You never know how much you really believe anything until its truth or falsehood becomes a matter of life and death to you.  It is easy to say you believe a rope to be strong and sound as long as you are merely using it to cord a box.  But suppose you had to hang by that rope over a precipice.  Wouldn’t you then first discover how much you really trusted it?”

            You know, I’ve never had my faith tested to that extent.  I’ve seen it; in my journeys to the former Soviet Union, I’ve met men and women whose faith was a life-and-death decision.  They had to trust God when they had no idea what tomorrow might bring.  And I’ve learned so much by watching the Jobs of this world hang on through the darkness of midnight.

How about you friend?  Is your faith placed IN GOD . . . and does it continue with Him through sunshine and the shadows?  Through the  storms and the darkness where you wonder if your fragile craft is going to sink beneath the waves?  Let me offer you this spiritual challenge:

Have faith in God; when you don’t understand.

Have faith in God; when you can’t see His hand.

Have faith in God; your ship He’ll bring to land.

Have faith, dear friend, in God.”  A Suitcase Full of Faith pp 27, 28 by E. Lonnie Melashenko and David B. Smith, Pacific Press Publishing Association

Apples: high fructose content requires less insulin to digest, forestalling diabetic reactions.

Be healthy and be happy,

Lorraine

            “Why our obsession over work?  According to the report, it is fueled by our worry over our basic needs—what we eat, drink, and wear.  Case in point: Mary Fowler, who is 53, lives with her two grandchildren in Baltimore, and works as a school custodian.  A year ago, an ambulance took her to the hospital after she passed out while cleaning up in a portable school annex.  “It was hot,” she recalls.  Although she left the next morning with a clean bill of health, the tab came to $3000.  Fowler had no medical insurance.  To pay for her hospitalization, she took a weekend job as a caterer. 

            “With the erosion of big-company pension plans and doubts about the long-term viability of Social Security, many Americans feel pressed to work harder in order to pump up their savings—even as they steel themselves to work until they are 70 or older.”

            Consequently, our workaholic ways poison the quality of our lives.  For example, consider the impact on the family.  According to Ellen Galinsky’s book Ask the Children, the biggest complaint of kids is that frazzled parents can’t slow down.  Unfortunately, many children of hardworking parents have never experienced anything else.  That’s because we act as if we have no other choice but to be obsessed by work.  Our assumptions go unchallenged.  Amy Saltzman observes:

            In many ways it has always been easier to act as if there were no options; as if we didn’t have a choice.  Accepting the standard definition of work success frees us from experiencing any existential angst about what to do with our lives.  “The idea of decreasing work is hair-raising for many people,” says Benjamin Kline Hunnicutt, a professor of leisure studies at the University of Iowa and author of Work Without End, a study of American’s growing work culture in the years following the Depression.  “If we worked less we would suddenly be confronted with the problem of freedom and what to do with it.  Work is an escape from freedom.”  But in allowing us to avoid the possibilities offered by freedom, the fast track shackles us to a set of standards and rules that prohibit us from leading truly successful, happy lives.

            Jesus offers us the freedom to live “truly successful, happy lives.”  The key to this life of joy is to trust Him fully.”  The Cure for Soul Fatigue pp 38, 39 by Karl Haffner, Pacific Press Publishing Association

Calories:  If we retain only an extra fifty calories per day, this can lead to an extra ten pounds a year.  Over a period of five years, that’s and extra fifty pounds.

Be healthy and be happy,

Lorraine

A free vegetarian cooking class will be offered in the Woodside Center on Saturday, the 18th of February at 6:00pm.  Featuring a “Mexican Breakfast” theme and a special guest lecturer Susan Singer (MPH, RD), this will be one opportunity not to miss.  Calavasitas (little zucchinis), Mexican Rice and Frijoles (Pinto Beans) will be there, how about you?

            This was true in the revival of the United Prayer meetings which spread across America in the mid-1800s and brought perhaps a million people to Christ.  It was true in the revival in Wales in 1904-1906 when over a million were swept into Christ’s kingdom.  It is true even today in many localities and cities across the world.  Mission history proves that seldom is there a mighty work of God apart from the preparation of prayer.

            When God desires to do a mighty work of salvation and spiritual harvest, He calls His people to their knees.  The Holy Spirit places a deep hunger in the heart of those of God’s children who are close enough to Him to hear His voice.  As their hearts cry out to Him, He leads them to spend more and more time in prayer.

            God leads people, one by one. . . .  As they have humbled themselves before God, asking for God’s mercy, claiming God’s promises, they have been used by the Spirit to prepare for a mighty work of God.  This is the role for which God needs you and your prayer.”  Touch the World through Prayer pp162, 163 by Wesley L. Duewel, Zondervan Publishing House

Foods to Avoid for a Healthy Heart

Trans-fat–Trans-fats are found in most margarines, snack foods, heavily processed foods and some cooking oils.  Read the label of your food carefully.  Trans-fats are listed on food labels as “hydrogenated” or “partially hydrogenated” (oil).  Trans-fats can reduce HDL (“good”) cholesterol levels and raise LDL (“bad”) cholesterol levels.

Be healthy and be happy,

Lorraine

            It is a wonderful experience to start the day with God in prayer.  But something is off center if we walk out of our prayer closet and shut the door on Him, if we leave Him there until tomorrow.  Bringing God with us during the day requires practice and patience—the development of the art of praying continually.

            Sue Monk Kidd describes one day when her young daughter ran into the room and looked her over intently.  “What do you want?” she asked.

            “Nothing,” replied the daughter.  “I just wanted to see you.”

            Prayer helps us to stop and look intently at God, to recognize that He is there, and to reinvite Him into our lives.  Throughout the day we need to stop, take a deep breath, refocus, and put God back in the center where He belongs.  It is a sad commentary on our lives that most of us are too busy to take time to think about God, much less to make Him a daily companion.  If you can’t find time for God in your day, think carefully and prayerfully about what you might eliminate to give God room.

            During the day, whenever you realize that your thoughts are far from God, don’t castigate yourself for your inattention; just stop and take a loving glance at God, inviting Him back to the center.

            When I was little, I often made up stories to amuse myself.

            Now that I’m an adult, I don’t make up stories.   But I do have an activity that engages my mind when I have a few minutes of quiet.  It’s called worry.  No matter how busy I am, if there is something really bothering me, I always manage to find the time to think about it.

            If we can allow worry to form the backdrop of our thoughts, why not God?  Isn’t He a much more worthy topic of thought than how to pay the bills? . . .  The key is to learn how to make thoughts of God thread continuously through our minds.

            Make Him a part of everything you do.”  Delighting In God pp 93, 94 by Kris Coffin Stevenson, Pacific Press Publishing Association

Health Benefits of Almonds:  “Good source of vitamin B2 (riboflavin), niacin, folate, potassium, and other minerals.  Calcium content good for bones, muscles, nerve function, blood pressure, immune defenses.  Fun Fact: Almonds are mentioned 10 times in the Bible. . . .  California is the only state that produces almonds.”  The Full Plate Diet p 64.

Be healthy and be happy,

Lorraine

            The Christian who is willing to risk body and soul in the struggle against evil is of a different mind.  He knows there will be difficult moments and all kinds of pressure.  He knows he will need to summon all his strength as well as God’s in order to prevail.  He is a champion for God, and he dares to plunge into the contest.

            We read about two such valiant warriors in Acts 13 and how they started a historic ministry for Christ.  It all began with the leaders of the Antioch church—a clearly multiracial group, by the way—doing something very strange, at least to our modern ears.  “While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them’  So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off” (vv. 2-3).  And so Paul’s First Missionary Journey, as it is called, was launched, affecting the whole future of the Christian religion.

            These men were not sitting in a boardroom making strategic charts on a whiteboard.  They were not huddled around their computers working on spreadsheets.  Instead, they were having a time of worship, praise, and prayer.

            These men in Antioch quieted down enough to hear something from heaven.

Samuel Chadwick said in the early 1900s, “ ‘The church that multiplies committees and neglects prayer may be fussy, noisy, enterprising, but it labors in vain and spends its strength for naught. . . .  There is an abundance of machinery; what is wanting is power.’”  Fresh Power pp 141, 142 by Jim Cymbala, Zondervan

Exercise: Regular exercise may be the most powerful natural antidepressant available.  It also increases energy, improves digestion and absorption of nutrients, and releases tension . . . studies have shown that increased participation in exercise, sports, and other vigorous physical activities is strongly associated with decreased symptoms of restlessness, tension, depression, fatigue, and insomnia.

Be healthy and be happy,

Lorraine