"Give us this day......"

    

      I have been doing more reading lately on the benefits of homemade, real bread.  I found an interesting article that was rather lengthy, but gave a lot of sound advice.  So, the next few blogs will be based on this.

     When contemplating any issue, we should always start at the Source of all Life.  I was amazed to look in my Strong's concordance and see the word "bread" mentioned hundreds of times in Scripture.  We often picture God as a big vending machine, handing things out when we pray for them.  When we pray "Give us this day our daily bread,..", without even realizing it, we are asking for so much more than just a loaf of bread to be handed to us.  The Lord made that very clear in His Word, and we need to understand His meaning of this passage.

     Those who are scholars in the area of the study of Scripture and the proper interpretation of it have a special way of finding the importance and meaning of a certain topic.  It is referred to as the law of first mention.  The first time that a word/topic is mentioned in Scripture often gives valuable insight into how God wants us to understand and apply that topic. Even in the simple area of our daily sustenance.  The first time that the word bread is mentioned in Scripture is found in the book of all firsts, Genesis.  As Adam and Eve are expelled from the garden of Eden, God is telling them the consequences of their sin.  "And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return to the ground; for out of it wast thou taken; for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return." Genesis 3:17-19    
     The last time that bread is mentioned in scripture is also significant.  In II Thessalonians 3:11-13 Paul is exhorting the believers and tells them "For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all but are busybodies.  Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread."   Isn't it interesting that the word "work" is in the same phrase as "bread" in both passages?  It is obvious from these passages that bread is not to be received without labor.  When we pray for our daily bread, we are really praying for the work that should accompany that!
     Think about Jesus, after He fasted for 40 days and was tempted of the Devil.  Remember how Satan told Him to turn the stones into bread?  Jesus knew that the act of making bread in that way would go against the basic laws that God had laid down at the beginning for bread!  Think of the children of Israel in the wilderness.  Even the manna from heaven required work before it could be eaten.  God equates daily bread with work so that we will appreciate and thank Him for the abilities that He has given us to acquire it.
      When you give thanks for your food, think of all the work that went into it.  Not just the "hands that prepared" the meal, but what about the one who brought in the paycheck so you could buy it?  What about the laborers who picked the grain, or the trucker who drove it to the store?  Did you put a lot of work into your bread today?  True daily bread should be made and eaten on the same day. How long has that loaf from the store been on the shelf?  True satisfaction of any food comes with the amount of work put into it.  Which would taste better to you, a frozen factory-made lasagna or a homemade one made with home grown tomatoes, hand rolled noodles, fresh from the farm mozzarella and farm raised beef?  My mouth is watering just thinking of that second one!  Our society is suffering from the lack of satisfaction that comes from working for what we consume. 
     So, how hard did you work for that loaf of bread today?  Try putting some elbow grease into a ball of dough and then bake it and enjoy the satisfaction of a hard earned loaf of bread!

*Just had a thought, it seems unusual to me that the word we use to describe sitting around doing nothing is "loaf".  Hmm, wonder where that came from?  I'll have to research that one!

    

Foods that Heal: Garlic

 

  I am starting a few articles on specific foods that are great for healing all kinds of ailments.  When approaching health care from a natural viewpoint, we need to have our "medicine cabinet" stocked with things that will prepare us for any illness that may come along.  Garlic, in my opinion is the best healer by far.
     I could write pages and pages of the benefits of garlic and the ailments that it can heal.  Any sickness or infection can be thwarted with the super power of garlic.  It has often been called Nature's Antibiotic.  If I were leaving today for a foreign country, I would take garlic with me to plant.  It has super potent power and is readily available when there is no doctor.  I once told some missionaries who were fearful about going to a country that was infested with malaria, that they should take garlic with them.  They were rather taken back and said that they were worried about the social implications.  I laughed about it later, they were headed to a country where the people hadn't even heard of the concept of brushing their teeth or thought about personal hygiene.  Yes, garlic is a potent breath influence, but there are things you can do to cover it up, as we will discuss later.  Here are a few (of the thousands) ailments that can be healed with garlic:

1. Blood Pressure:  Garlic contains high amounts of natural sulphur which is great for regulating blood pressure.  It also stimulates the nerves and strengthens the heart. People who suffer from high blood pressure would benefit from including garlic in their daily intake of nutrition. If you are on blood pressure medication, do not go off of it without your doctor's permission, but begin taking the garlic and watch it's effects over a few weeks.  You and your doctor will be amazed.

2. Congestion: We often think of congestion in our head and nasal cavities, but many illnesses are caused by congestion in other parts of the body as well. For instance, your liver can be congested causing stomach and intestinal problems. You can have internal organs congested with all kinds of toxic build-up that can cause many different types of symptoms.  Garlic is a blood purifier, it helps restore equilibrium in your body and helps to empty your body of the waste that is plugging you up.

3. Cold and Flu: We already mentioned the power of garlic to rid your body of congestion, so the next time you feel a cold coming on, try taking some garlic and see if you can perhaps stop the illness in its tracks or at least minimize the effects and duration of the illness.  We will discuss how to use/take garlic later on.

4. Diarrhea: This is a nasty subject, but something that many people suffer from and often don't know the cause.  Those in foreign countries are more susceptible to this illness and often are endangered by it's results.  Many people die of amoebic dysentery, which can be healed with garlic.  The bacteria cannot withstand the power of the sulphur in the garlic, so your body has extra healing power to rid the infection.  Coupled with charcoal (yes, black stuff from a fire!), you can heal serious diarrheal problems very quickly.

5. Arthritis, Blood poisoning, Insect bites, Mono, Parasites, Pimples, Pneumonia, Skin infections, Throat infections, Thrush, Vaginal Infections,  Wounds, Yeast infections.........Yes, the list is unending. Garlic is a super powerful food that can heal many problems.  The question is, "How do you use it?"

Ways to take/use Garlic: The best way to use garlic is to use it in its raw form. That is when it is the most powerful.  Cooking garlic can reduce the effects and often make it powerless to heal a strong infection. Garlic is very strong tasting.  You can chop it up and put it in a teaspoon of honey.  You can also mince it and put it in salsa and eat it with corn chips.  It adds a little zing to your salsa but is a very easy way to eat it.  If you are able to, you can even just swallow a chunk whole.  Usually if I have a particularly bad infection, I will try to take 2 or 3 cloves a day.
     Garlic can also be used externally.  For a skin infection, simply crush 4 or 5 cloves, place them between paper towels and pour very hot water over it.  Let it cool slightly and apply to the infected area.  This is very effective even for congestion of the lungs, bladder infection, infected wounds or skin ailments.  Use caution, however, on children's tender skin. Garlic is very strong and can cause irritation or blistering. Keep the poultice on for a few minutes at a time, checking for irritation.   Those of you that suffer with pimples might try taping a slice of garlic to one overnight and seeing the results in the morning.
     There are  more socially acceptable forms of garlic available.   Kyolic Garlic is a pill form of dried "odorless" garlic.  Though not as potent as raw garlic, it is easier to take and is effective in some ways.  Those that suffer from high blood pressure would benefit from taking one pill three times a day.
    The problem of "garlic breath":  To transform garlic breath, simply eat a generous amount of raw parsley, or chew on a clove bud or a cinnamon stick.  You could also rinse out your mouth with equal parts  of lemon  juice and water, or chew on an orange peel.  A drop of peppermint oil on the tongue is also very effective. I have found that when one takes large amounts of garlic internally, the aroma can also be detected in the sweat.  So, if you are really sick, keep secluded!
     So, stock your medicine cabinet with garlic.  It will save you a lot of money when you don't have to buy antibiotics and will help you maintain your health.  Remember that garlic is very effective, but it is like all other good foods and vitamins, it does not work well by itself. If you eat garlic to heal something, but still eat sugar and junk food, the garlic will be useless.  It needs good, unprocessed, natural foods and plenty of water to help it work. Tap into the power of garlic and try it for yourself!

Vax-a-nation

     I have been dealing with a common childhood illness the past few weeks. (well, what used to be a common illness).  My kids have had the chicken pox.  We purposefully exposed them when some friends of ours had them about a month ago.  The kids were pretty miserable for a few days, though I kept my promise to let them watch movies all day. That really helped keep their minds off of the itching and discomfort. I'm not sure they would have chosen a shot over the illness!  Their cheerful spirits have returned and they are starting to scab over, so we are on the mend!     This whole process has made me review my beliefs about vaccines and the reasons I choose not to participate.  So, as a result, I did  a little research on not only the varicella vaccine, but on some of the others as well.

Reasons Why I Avoid Vaccinations



     1. Side Effects:  Have you ever read the lists of side effects that are given in the information that is included when you have your child vaccinated?  Of course, they are to assure you that these only happen in a very few children and they leave out the really dangerous ones.  Well, the US government has paid out more than $1.5 billion in its Vaccine Injury Compensation.  I'm pretty sure all that isn't for fevers and convulsions. The Vaccine Injury Compensation Program is to help families of children who have been permanently injured or killed by a vaccine. Health officials consider a vaccine to be "safe" if there are no immediate reactions.  There are NO long term tests done on vaccine side effects. So, basically, your child is the guinea pig.  We have all heard about the supposed link between autism and vaccines.  Isn't it interesting that before vaccines were nationwide, the rate of autism in children was 1 in 10,000 and now it is 1 in every 50!!!  Pharmacists have spoken out that since the introduction of the varicella vaccine, the cases of shingles in young children have shot up.  Shingles used to be an adult problem but has now become quite common in children.  I'd rather have chicken pox than shingles any day!  I could go on and on about food allergies, ADHD, neurological problems, social problems, and even crib death that often can be linked to vaccines.

     2. Vaccine Ingredients:  I think you would be shocked to know what is contained in the vaccines that are being injected into children as young as 3 days old.  Here are some of the ones that many people already know about:   formaldehyde, fluid from calf skins, chick embryonic fluid (which must be egg white??), monkey kidney cells, aluminum, and mercury.  The one that really disgusts me is this: human cells, human albumen and human diploid cells.  These human elements are not taken from dead people.  These are specifically listed as taken from aborted fetal tissue.  Yes, your children are being injected with aborted babies. Many people think that the abortion issue is just a moral issue. Why do you think that abortion is such a big deal?  It is because it is a huge money making industry.  The babies that are aborted are sold to vaccine companies and used to make vaccines. The very thought of that just makes me cringe. "The love of money is the root of all evil." --even abortion.

     3. My health is my responsibility, not the governments. We live in an age where everyone wants to blame their problems on someone else.  Many turn to others to take care of their basic needs and think that it is the governments responsibility to take care of them. including their health.  When one gets a sniffle, stomach ache or headache, we run to the emergency room to get immediate relief, in whatever form that may be. So, when the doctor tells us to do something, we do it without question.  If one is told that they need to have a vaccine, they get it. 
  

      4. Just plain common sense... Did you know that the hepatitis vaccine is given to newborns before they leave the hospital?  Did you know that this particular strain of hepatitis is a sexually transmitted disease?? Did you know that it is so concentrated it is like giving 30 shots to an adult??? So, why are we almost forced to inject a baby with huge amounts of aluminum???  I am just as baffled as you are, yet if you refuse the vaccine, they send a counsellor to your bedside to almost twist your arm into getting your child vaccinated.  I am teaching my children to live a morally pure life.  If they get this disease, it is their own fault! I can remember when the vaccine called "gardasil" first came out.  (This is the one for girls ages 9-26 to guard against HPV--also a sexually transmitted disease.)  The first ads in magazine gave pages and pages of information about this disease, including some interesting facts that were obscured in all the lingo. "Eating fruits and vegetables can lower your risk of hpv." What? You mean I could eat better and avoid this problem (besides practicing abstinence, also never mentioned!)?  I found a quote that so appropriately sums this all up: "The best vaccine against common infectious disease is an adequate diet." so perfectly stated by the World Health Organization. 

    
     I know that this is a very hotly debated topic with many other issues not mentioned above.  Please, if you do vaccinate, don't take this as an accusation or ridicule.  Just, please, be informed.  Don't stop reading.  Make informed decisions. Be aware of the dangers that are out there.  Be prepared for pressure from doctors and nurses and health departments.  Be willing to sign a "religious waiver", even if your reasons for refusing aren't entirely religious.  For more information, I recommend that you "like" Dr. Tenpenny on facebook.  She posts many interesting articles on this very subject.  Do some research of your own. There are many in the health care profession who also refuse to vaccine.  There are also companies that are offering non-abortive vaccines if you feel you must vaccine.  Again, be informed,  be prepared, and keep healthy!