Let me share some thoughts with you. Let me be a source of encouragement and support. May you never forget your dreams and remember miracles happen every day. Let us laugh, have fun, and inspire one another.
A rich merchant in Baghdad sent his servant one day to the marketplace
to buy food. But after a few minutes the servant returned looking
panic-stricken.
“Master!” he cried. “You must lend me your best horse immediately, so that I may flee to Damascus and thereby escape my fate.”
“Whatever is the matter?” asked the merchant.
“I went to the marketplace and I saw Death standing there among the
stallholders!” exclaimed the servant. “He made a hostile gesture at me
and started walking towards me. I beg you, lend me your best horse so
that I may flee to Damascus and escape.”
The merchant was a kind man and he did as his servant asked. Then he
himself walked down to the marketplace to see if the story was true.
Sure enough, Death was standing in the crowd.
“Why did you make a hostile gesture at my servant?” asked the merchant.
“I made no gesture of hostility,” replied Death. “I was simply very
surprised to see him, for I have an appointment with him tonight… in
Damascus.”
You cannot escape. Wherever you go you will find your death waiting
for you. Yes, it can be prolonged, postponed, but what is the point?
Rather than postponing, why not use this opportunity of becoming aware
of death — that it is approaching, that it is on the way, that any
moment you will be in its grip. Don’t ask for the horse and don’t try to
go to Damascus. You cannot escape. The only way is to transcend, not to
escape.
(Family Features) It’s the time of year when school supply lists, new shoes and first-day photos are on every parent’s checklist. Back-to-school season is also the time when pre-teens should receive the tetanus-diphtheria-acelluar pertussis (Tdap) vaccine, the HPV vaccine and meningococcal vaccines to get the best protection from serious, sometimes deadly, diseases.
Protecting Your Child
In the United States, approximately 30,000 cancers caused by HPV are diagnosed each year. Nearly all cases of cervical cancer are caused by infection with high-risk types of HPV. The virus also has been linked to five other types of cancer.
It is estimated that 79 million Americans are currently infected and that there are 14 million new HPV infections each year. Many people who are infected will never know it. However, there is a safe and effective tool to prevent this cancer burden – the HPV vaccine.
Cancer Prevention
The HPV vaccine prevents the nine types of HPV that cause 90 percent of all cervical cancers and pre-cancers, as well as most cancers of the vulva, vagina, penis, anus and throat. It also helps prevent infection by the two types of HPV that cause most genital warts. However, the vaccine works only if given well before an infection occurs. That’s why, in part, the American Cancer Society recommends that boys and girls get the vaccine at ages 11-12 to achieve the best immune response and most complete coverage against cancer-causing strains of HPV.
Despite the power of the HPV vaccination to prevent cancers caused by HPV, in 2015, only 28 percent of boys and 42 percent of girls completed the series. Many boys and girls in the United States are not getting the HPV vaccine and are missing the protection it could provide.
More than 200 million doses of the HPV vaccine have been distributed worldwide, with more than 80 million doses in the U.S. Safety monitoring of the vaccine in 80 countries has revealed that most side effects were mild and similar to those seen with any other vaccine. HPV 101
HPV is short for human papilloma virus.
HPV’s are a large group of related viruses, each of which is given a number called an HPV type.
Most HPV types cause warts on skin of the arms, chests, hands and feet.
Genital HPV types are found on mucous membranes, such as the vagina, anus, mouth and throat, rather than on skin.
Cancers linked to HPV infection include: cervical, vulvar, vaginal, penile, anal, mouth and throat.
HPV is common. Most men and women who have ever had sex will get HPV at some point in their lives, but in most cases it goes away without treatment.
There is no treatment for HPV, but there are treatments for the cell changes that HPV can cause.
Most HPV infections that lead to cancer can be prevented with vaccines, and most cervical cancers can be prevented with regular screenings.
HPV Vaccine Facts and Fears
As a way to help protect children from getting cancer as they get older, the American Cancer Society recommends HPV vaccines as a safe and effective practice. However, there are myths and rumors surrounding the potentially life-saving vaccine. The vaccine is safe.
While it may make some people dizzy and nauseated following injection, the vaccine rarely causes bad side effects. Instead, there may be common side effects like pain, redness or swelling where the shot was given. The vaccine doesn’t cause fertility problems.
Research shows that HPV vaccines don’t cause fertility problems, and can actually help protect women from future fertility problems linked to cervical cancer. The vaccine doesn’t contain harmful ingredients.
Some parents may worry about the presence of aluminum in the vaccine, but it’s a safe amount. Vaccines containing aluminum have been in use for years and used on more than 1 billion people. The vaccine is for males and females.
While cervical cancer is one of the main cancers caused by HPV, the HPV vaccine is for both males and females. There are also cancers found in men that can be caused by HPV, including cancers of the anus, penis, throat and tongue. Ages for Vaccination
To increase the chances of successful vaccination, the American Cancer Society recommends the following:
Routine HPV vaccination for girls and boys should start at ages 11-12. The vaccination series can be started as early as age 9.
HPV vaccination is also recommended for females 13-26 years old and males 13-21 years old who have not started the vaccines, or who have started but not completed the series. Males 22-26 years old may also be vaccinated. However, it is important for people 22-26 years old who have not started the vaccines or completed the series to know that the vaccination at older ages can be less effective in lowering cancer risk.
HPV vaccination is also recommended through age 26 for men who have sex with men and for people with weakened immune systems (including people with HIV), if they have not previously been vaccinated.
Words. Sometimes it can seem that they're nothing more than
just that - just words. But words can have more weight depending on who's
speaking to us. The words a friend or family member says to us will bear more
gravity than that of an acquaintance.
In the same way because our relationship with God is of
highest importance to us as followers of Christ, we must take into greater
consideration His words spoken to us. The primary way that God speaks to us is
through the Bible. Bible reading is one of the most important spiritual
disciplines that we must grow in and to miss out on it could prove to be more
dangerous for us than convenient.
Here are five dangers we face when we do not make an effort
to know scriptures more and more.
Not knowing Jesus
The whole point of the Bible is Christ. It's been said that
every story, poem, prophecy and epistle points us to Jesus. John 1:1 says,
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word
was God." To know God's Word is to know Jesus more and more which is the
whole point of Christianity. We're not called to build a religion, but a
relationship with Jesus and God's Word is foundational to doing that.
Becoming
hard-hearted
The biggest problem we sinners have is not our mislead
actions, but our misleading hearts. Every heart has been hardened by sin and we
need it to be softened. That's what God's Word does. Ezekiel 36:26 says,
"And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you.
And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of
flesh."
Falling into sin
If we want to stay away from sin, we need to know God's
commands and God's commands are all written in His Word. Psalm 119:11 says,
"I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against
you." While being a list of dos and donts is not the main purpose of God's
Word, it still is God's directive to us.
Missing out on the
promise
God's covenant promises come to us based not on what we do
but on who God is. We know God best by reading about Him through His Word, and
while there is no understanding God in His entirety we can definitely get
closer to understanding Him more today by reading His word.
Lack of fruit
Reading God's Word promises success - or 'fruitfulness'. It's
full of principles and timeless truths that are a strong basis of our purpose
and how we can fulfill it. Joshua 1:8 "This Book of the Law shall not
depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you
may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will
make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success."
Hit a home run with essential nutrients for active kids
(Family Features) With summer in full force, kids are busy with physical activities and whether it’s little league baseball games, swim team or summer camp, they’re more active than ever. Moms, nutritionists and pediatricians alike know active kids and developing bones and muscles need essential nutrients to grow strong, but The Dietary Guidelines for Americans say most Americans, including children, actually aren’t getting enough fiber, calcium, vitamin D and potassium in their diets.
Moms can keep up by making sure kids fuel their bodies with proper nutrition and stay hydrated at the same time. As a drink kids already love the taste of, milk is a great choice when moms want to serve delicious and natural, high-quality protein for kids before sending them off on summer adventures. Many are also surprised to learn that milk can help hydrate after exercise due to its natural electrolytes and fluids.
Milk plays an important role for kids’ meals and snacks, providing three of the four nutrients most Americans, including kids, aren’t getting enough of (calcium, vitamin D and potassium), and it’s the top food source of these nutrients, to boot.¹ Plus, with 8 grams of protein per every 8-ounce glass, the farm-fresh beverage is a great way to help the whole family kick start the day.
One way to hit a home run for your kids is by stepping up to the breakfast plate with delicious baseball pancakes. Served with an 8-ounce glass of milk, this breakfast is the perfect combo to help kids fuel up with protein in the morning.
Find more nutritious recipes to pair with milk at milklife.com.
Home Run Pancakes
Servings: 4
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1 cup fat free milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
nonstick cooking spray
8 strips low-sodium turkey bacon (optional)
2-3 tablespoons raspberry or strawberry syrup (optional)
Whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Mix egg, milk and vanilla separately. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and whisk gently until just combined.
Heat griddle or skillet to medium heat and grease lightly with cooking spray.
Using 1/3-cup measuring cup for each pancake, pour batter onto pan. Cook until bubbles form and edges start to look dry then flip and cook another 30-45 seconds.
Cook bacon on griddle 3-4 minutes on each side, if desired, until desired crispiness is achieved.
Place cooked bacon next to pancakes for “baseball bats.” If desired, drizzle syrup onto pancakes to make baseball stitching.
Pair each serving with 8-ounce glass of milk.
Nutritional information per serving: 240 calories; 1.5 g fat; 55 mg cholesterol; 15 g protein; 40 g carbohydrates; 1 g fiber; 420 mg sodium; 454 mg calcium (45% of daily value). Nutrition figures based on using fat free milk, and include an 8-ounce glass of milk.
¹Fulgoni VL, Keast DR, Quann EE, Auestad N. Food sources of calcium, phosphorus, vitamin D, and potassium in the U.S. The FASEB Journal. 2010;24:325.1. SOURCE: MilkPEP
Worry seems to be the most common problem that people face, even
Christians. Worry seems like a small problem but when unchecked it can
cause great concerns for us, our health, our spiritual walk and our
faith.
Why do people worry? The Greek derivative for worry comes from the
root merimna (μέριμνα) which gives the picture of being pulled from
different sides. That's what happens when we worry- we're in one place
doing one thing, but our mind is fixated in another completely.
Worry
slows us down and tears down joy and peace. It causes us to magnify and
reflect on concerns in a way that belittles God's control and goodwill.
When we worry, what we're really saying is that the solution to our
problems are ourselves and not God.
Thankfully God gives us many scriptures in the Bible that bring us
assurance and break down our worry. Moreover, He proves is many times by
making them real in our life. If you are struggling with worry today,
here are six scriptures that will speak to your worries today.
Matthew 6:25-27 "Therefore I tell you, do not be
anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor
about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and
the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither
sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds
them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being
anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?
John 14:27 Peace I leave with you;my peace I give to
you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be
troubled, neither let them be afraid. Colossians 3:15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.
Psalm 55:22 Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.
Proverbs 12:25 Anxiety in a man's heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad.
Philippians 4:6-7 do not be anxious about anything,
but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your
requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all
understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
"You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you." – Isaiah 26:3
We all long and hope for peace.
Some of us are single and hope that when we finally marry, we will
feel whole. Some of us have wayward children and hope that when they
finally turn to the Lord, we will be at ease. Some of us are in
financial straits and hope that when our monetary lack is resolved, our
souls will find rest. Whatever the undesirable circumstances are that
disturb us, we tend to set our hope for peace fully on the day that
those troubles are finally eliminated.
However,
the Scriptures teach us that our difficulties do not need to dissolve
in order for us to experience the tranquility we desire. We can have
peace that surpasses understanding (Philippians 4:7) in the midst of
our discomforts and disappointments. How so? By having a mind that is
stayed on God (Isaiah 26:3)! Conscious fixation on our sovereign,
gracious, and loving Lord is the only effective remedy for a troubled
heart.
"Yeah, yeah — I know. I see this truth in the Bible, too. But I just
can't seem to focus on him! I really do try. But I can't stop thinking
about my problems!"
I can't tell you how many times I have heard this or how many times I myself have thought it! It can
often feel impossible to pull the
attention of our weak minds away from our issues and set our gaze "on
things that are above" (Colossians 3:2). However, verses like Isaiah
26:3 and Colossians 3:2 would not be in the Bible if such a feat were
impossible.
We can fix our eyes on God. We can direct our thoughts to his reality, his sovereignty, his promises, and his great love for us in Christ.
Notice the last clause in Isaiah 26:3: "because he trusts in you." These five little words are of massive importance.
What is it that enables us to turn our focus away from the things
that trouble us and set it on the One who can keep us in perfect peace? Trust!
Trust in God, or faith in God, empowers our feeble minds to forsake
their fixation on our circumstantial ills and focus instead on the God
who loves us and is in absolute control of the things that burden us.
There is a reason we are so easily and continuously anxious about our
undesirable circumstances. Clearly, our hearts struggle to believe that
we have a sovereign and attentive God who truly cares for us (1 Peter
5:7)! We forget that he is a constant shield around us (Psalm 3:3), that
he orders our steps (Proverbs 20:24), and that all of our days were
written in his book before we were even born (Psalm 139:16). We are so
prone to feel like we are at the mercy of our circumstances rather than
under the never-ending mercy of a God who is eagerly working all things
for our greatest good (Romans 8:28).
If your belief in these biblical truths is weak, and you therefore
find yourself unable to fix your mind on the God who is aware and in
control of the things that concern you, don't lose hope. You're in good
company — I've been struggling for the last six months to believe these
things and rest peacefully in the love and sovereignty of God.
However, when you and I find ourselves barely believing God's word,
we need to consume it all the more! If "faith comes by hearing, and
hearing by the word of God" (Hebrews 10:17), then we must set his
inspired words in front of us so that the Spirit can strengthen our
ability to believe them.
So if you're in a season in which you're struggling to trust God
(like I am), there is a solution: open your Bible. Read it and meditate
on the absolute truths within it every chance you get. The Spirit will
gradually soften your heart as you do. And as he works his
faith-enabling power within you day-by-day, you will find yourself
increasingly able to set your thoughts on the sovereign, loving, and
trustworthy God who desires and is able to keep you in perfect peace.
"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as
the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled,
neither let them be afraid" (John 14:27). Source
(Family Features) Italian cuisine has influenced food culture around the world, and is often viewed as an art form that includes the freshest, most authentic ingredients, prepared with passion and served with love to family and friends. Mealtime is a celebration, captured by the classic Italian proverb, “You never grow old at the table.”
Americans have celebrated Italian food for decades. Classic Italian dishes have been joined by refreshing, modern twists on tradition that help keep the love affair alive and well with this simple, colorful, flavorful, healthy cuisine.
Born in Lucca, Italy, in 1867, Filippo Berio Olive Oil celebrates 150 years of culinary passion and artistry by combining traditional ingredients in contemporary, unexpected recipes that can help you savor the moment.
For more recipe creations, visit FilippoBerio.com/recipes.
A Culinary Journey
As part of its 150th anniversary celebration this summer, a Filippo Berio Food Truck will make a culinary journey from coast to coast. Guests at the truck can sample delicious olive oils, and consumers nationwide are invited to enter a sweepstakes to win a week-long culinary experience at Toscana Saporita, a premier Italian cooking school in Tuscany, Italy.
For every sweepstakes entry, Filippo Berio will donate $1 to the Careers Through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP), an organization supported by Filippo Berio since its foundation in 1990 that helps prepare disadvantaged youth for jobs in the restaurant and hospitality industry.
For additional details, including tour cities and dates, and how to enter the sweepstakes, visitFollowingFilippo.com.
Chicken Cutlet Broccoli Rabe Sandwich
Recipe courtesy of Chef Mary Ann Esposito
Prep time: 17 minutes
Cook time: 13 minutes
Servings: 4
4 tablespoons Filippo Berio Olive Oil, divided
1 small onion, diced
1 pound broccoli rabe, stems removed and leaves cut into 2-inch pieces
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, divided
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
6 oil-cured black olives, pitted and diced (optional)
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
4 chicken cutlets (about 1 pound total)
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup bread crumbs, toasted
8 slices bread, toasted
4 slices provolone cheese (optional)
In 10-inch saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat; saute onion 3 minutes, or until translucent. Stir in broccoli rabe and red pepper flakes; cover and cook over medium heat 2-3 minutes, or until broccoli rabe is wilted. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper, to taste; stir in olives, if desired. Transfer mixture to bowl; cover and keep warm.
In small paper or plastic bag, combine flour and remaining salt. One at a time, add chicken cutlets; shake to coat each cutlet in flour then transfer to plate. Dip cutlets in egg then bread crumbs and return to plate. Set aside.
In skillet over medium-high heat, heat remaining olive oil. Working in batches, brown chicken, cooking 2-3 minutes, or until golden on each side and no longer pink inside.
To serve: Top each bread slice with one chicken cutlet; spread with broccoli rabe mixture. Top with slices of provolone, if desired. Top with remaining bread.
Cast-Iron Skillet Pizza
Recipe courtesy of Chef Mary Ann Esposito
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Makes: Two 9-to-10-inch pizzas
1 pound store-bought pizza dough, at room temperature
1 ripe tomato, thinly sliced
1/4 pound fresh mozzarella cheese, diced
coarse sea salt
2 tablespoons Filippo Berio Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 cup shredded fresh basil
Heat well-oiled cast-iron or nonstick 10- or 12-inch frying pan over medium heat 5 minutes.
Divide dough in half; roll one half into round 1 inch smaller than diameter of pan. Cook dough in hot pan until dough begins to rise and bottom starts to brown. Using metal spatula, turn carefully. Layer half the tomato slices over dough; scatter half the mozzarella over top. Lower heat to medium-low; cook until mozzarella melts.
Using metal spatula, transfer pizza to cutting board. Sprinkle with salt; drizzle with half the olive oil. Cut into wedges; sprinkle half the basil over top.
Repeat with remaining ingredients.
Caprese Zucchini Noodle Bowl
Prep time: 15 minutes
Total time: 25 minutes
Servings: 4
4 medium zucchini, spiralized (instructions at right)
1/4 cup Filippo Berio Delicato Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 cups heirloom cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup packed chopped fresh basil
1 ball (8 ounces) burrata cheese, torn
Toss together zucchini, oil, vinegar, salt and pepper; let stand 10 minutes, or until zucchini starts to soften.
Gently stir in tomatoes and basil. Divide salad among four bowls. Top with cheese.
How to Spiralize Zucchini
Use zucchini at least 2 inches in diameter for best results. Trim ends of zucchini.
Place spiralizer on smooth surface, such as a countertop, pushing down to adhere suction cups onto surface and secure machine for spiralizing.
Place desired blade into spiralizer. Turn zucchini into long strands, trimming with clean kitchen shears as needed.
Every Christian knows that our salvation is only by grace through
faith and not by works. Despite that, we should understand that although
we will not be saved through our works, doing good is still important
in the sight of God, in spreading the gospel, and also for our own good.
God is the one who first worked in the entire universe. The Bible
tells us that He worked for six days to create everything that was
created, and only rested on the seventh day. And contrary to how people
might think that He's just sitting down and waiting for us, God
continues to work and has never stopped working until now.
Work
is very important. Because we work, we are able to finish tasks, earn
money to support our needs, and even work on things that make us happy.
Lazy people will not understand it, but work is very crucial for our
lives.
Looking for proof? Here are some Bible verses that would explain to us how important work is.
Genesis 1:31-2:3 – "God saw all that he had made,
and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the
sixth day. Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their
vast array. By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been
doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God
blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from
all the work of creating that he had done."
Proverbs 10:4-5 – "Lazy hands make for poverty, but
diligent hands bring wealth. He who gathers crops in summer is a prudent
son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son." John 5:16-17 – "So, because Jesus was doing these
things on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders began to persecute him. In his
defense Jesus said to them, "My Father is always at his work to this
very day, and I too am working.""
2 Thessalonians 3:7-14 - "For you yourselves know
how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with
you, nor did we eat anyone's food without paying for it. On the
contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would
not be a burden to any of you. We did this, not because we do not have
the right to such help, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for
you to imitate. For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule:
"The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat."
Matthew 25:24-27 (Parable of the talents) - ""Then
he who had received the one talent came and said, 'Lord, I knew you to
be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you
have not scattered seed. And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent
in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.'"But his lord
answered and said to him, 'You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I
reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed.
So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my
coming I would have received back my own with interest." Source
“You can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you might find you get what you need.” ~The Rolling Stones
Right now, millions of people suffer on our planet because what we want distracts us from what we actuallyneed. The Rolling Stones made this observation decades ago, yet still we struggle.
For example, you may want to be
admired by others, to gain a high status job, make a lot of money, have a
successful career and buy a big house.
Unfortunately, such dreams could make you miserable. What we need for
happiness is work that feeds our souls, that helps us to improve skills
and grow, that provides us with a living but also makes us happier and
wiser human beings.
Here’s another example. Because
of the competitive “rat race” mentality of modern life, many people
look forward to their “free time” as a chance to escape. They
get caught up in political dramas, watch too much television or
pornography, surf the internet, get drunk, play video games, get high
with drugs or gamble.
Sadly, these “escape” experiences are addictive traps. These methods never work because to be truly happy humans need to connect with the world in meaningful (rather than meaningless) ways.
We need to do enjoyable and playful things with others, to express our
talents, practice arts or sports, collaborate on creative projects,
develop our skills and human potential.
To be happy and free we need to be aware of bad influences. Your dog or cat knows more about happiness then the talking heads of large corporations, Madison avenue and Wall Street. The mainstream media is a propaganda machine spinning fake stories and false dreams created by skillful marketing wizards who try to convince us to live in fear of certain “others,” crave what we don’t need and consume worthless things.
They feed our desires, fears and anxiety, trying to convince
us to ingest unhealthy thoughts and materials that do us more harm then
good. They try to tempt us to eat chocolate, donuts, french
fries, steak and ice cream. To put food in our bodies that provide a
brief moment of pleasure, yet lead to obesity, diabetes, heart attacks,
cancer, sickness and early death.
What human beings need is to care for our minds and
bodies, to eat healthy, to treat our psychological and physical
well-being with love, wisdom and care. To teach our children to
avoid foods (and ideas) that were manufactured to taste or feel “good”
for a moment but in truth do harm to our bodies and spirits.
Much of what the modern world tries to sell us is fake. Not just fake news, but also fake goals, fake dreams, fake foods, fake enemies and fake views.
Because of televised and internet media, millions (perhaps billions)
of humans are drowning in dissatisfaction, wanting the perfect body,
perfect home, perfect partner, perfect job, perfect sex life. This is
what corporations and mass marketers (as well as some friends and
family) tell us will bring happiness. But it won’t, because materialism
is a big lie.
We don’t need more things to be happy. As the Roman philosopher Seneca put it, “the greatest wealth is a poverty of desires.”
What your soul needs is deeper connectedness and peace,
freedom from fear and anxiety, loving relationships, creative
activities, meaningful projects, time alone with Nature, a sense of
spiritual or emotional connection to life, humanity and the Universe.
This wisdom is shared by many spiritual traditions. It’s taught by Taoism & Zen, and lived moment to moment by many animals. To be truly happy on this planet humans need
to understand the difference between the fake narratives our consumer
society feeds us, (about who we are and what to desire), and what we need as creative, social and spiritual beings.
Happiness arises naturally when we feed our souls rather than our egos. To become wiser and happier we need to understand the difference between what Buddhists refer to as samsara (false views) and nirvana (reality).
Only then can we gain freedom from society’s endless marketing of fake
goals, meaningless things and harmful products that keep billions of
humans trapped in suffering, wanting and confusion.
To be happy as a species, I think we need to master for ourselves (and model for our children) how to not let fake wants get in the way of real needs. Source
There's one question that always finds its way into our train of thought. That's the question, "What if?"
We wonder about things that could be. This question is wonderful and
helpful when we focus on what great things could be. But when we start
focusing on the terrible things that could be, we start to feel a dose
of worry creeping into our hearts.
Worry
seems harmless at first. But when out of control, it can be detrimental
to our physical and spiritual health. A man who has no control over
worry is a man who has no control over his future. That's why
Philippians 4:6 reminds us, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in
everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your
requests be made known to God."
Worry is half right when it reminds us of the things we have no power
to control. But even in our lack of control, we are assured that God is
in control. He's in control of our life and, most of the time, even the
circumstances that we face.
Being anxious about tomorrow can be overcome through these five simple practices.
1. Lay your concerns at Jesus' feet
Moving a little past Philippians 4:6, the next verse tells us, "And
the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your
hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
Through and in Jesus our worries can lose its power. And that comes
by laying it at His cross and saying that because He has paid for our
sin in full, we now have access to a good God who loves and cares for
us.
2. Allow the Holy Spirit to give you peace
One facet of the whole fruit of the Spirit is peace (Galatians 5:22).
When the Holy Spirit comes upon us we have the power as Acts 1:8 tells
us. One of those powers that overtake us is the ability to live in the
peace that comes through Christ.
3. Look back to other times God was faithful
Looking back at your own life you will realise that God has come
through numerous times. The Bible tells us in Hebrews 13:8 that "Jesus
Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."
In that we have the assurance that the same God who came through before will come through again.
4. Trust that God makes all things work
But here's the thing: We've all had instances that things do not go
the way we want it to. Does that mean that God is not trustworthy? No.
Why? It's because even during the times when things don't work out,
God uses these times for our own good (Romans 8:28)—so much so that even
what the enemy means to harm us, God uses moments like this for our own
good (Genesis 50:20).
5. Rely on God's power, not yours
If we rely on our ability and power, we will fall short at various
times. But if we just put our faith and trust in Him, God can and will
do great things for and through us. Jesus' power is made perfect in our
weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). That's how immensely powerful our God is.
He made all things and is above all things—even the situations that
might cause us to worry. Source
We live in a dirty world. Wherever we go, we are among microbes. Bacteria, fungi and viruses live on our phones, bus seats, door handles and park benches. We pass these tiny organisms to each other when we share a handshake or a seat on the plane.
Now, researchers are finding we also share our microbes through our money. From tip jars to vending machines to the meter maid – each dollar, passed person to person, samples a bit of the environment it comes from, and passes those bits to the next person, the next place it goes.
The list of things found on our dollars includes DNA from our pets, traces of drugs, and bacteria and viruses that cause disease.
The findings demonstrate how money can silently record human activities, leaving behind so-called “molecular echoes.”
What’s on a dollar bill?
In April, a new study identified over a hundred different strains of bacteria on dollar bills circulating in New York City. Some of the most common bugs on our bills included Propionibacterium acnes, a bacteria known to cause acne, and Streptococcus oralis, a common bacteria found in our mouths.
The research team, led by biologist Jane Carlton at New York University, also discovered traces of DNA from domestic animals and from specific bacteria that are associated only with certain foods.
A similar study recovered traces of DNA on ATM keypads, reflecting the foods people ate in different neighborhoods. People in central Harlem ate more domestic chicken than those in Flushing and Chinatown, who ate more species of bony fish and mollusks. The foods people ate transferred from fingers to touchscreens, where scientists could recover a bit of their most recent meals.
We don’t leave only food behind. Traces of cocaine can be found on almost 80 percent of dollar bills. Other drugs, including morphine, heroin, methamphetamine and amphetamine, can also be found on bills, though less commonly than cocaine.
Identifying foods people eat or the drugs people use based on interactions with money might not seem all that useful, but scientists are also using these types of data to understand patterns of disease. Most of the microbes the researchers in New York identified do not cause disease. But other studies have suggested that disease-causing strains of bacteria or virus could be passed along with our currency.
Not shown: DNA, drugs, bacteria.401kcalculator.org, CC BY-SA
Bacteria that cause food-borne illness – including Salmonella and a pathogenic strain of E.coli – have been shown to survive on pennies, nickels and dimes and can hide out on ATM machines. Other bacteria, such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) which causes skin infections, are found on bank notes in the U.S. and Canada, but the extent to which they could spread infections is unknown.
Try as we may to avoid exposure to germs, they travel with us and on us. Even if disease-causing microbes can survive in places like ATMs, the good news is that most exposures don’t make us sick.
Money laundering
Disease transmission linked to money is rare, and no major disease outbreaks have started from our ATMs. Although it doesn’t seem common for diseases to transmit through money, there are ways we could make our money cleaner.
Researchers are working on ways to clean money between transactions. Putting older bills through a machine that exposes them to carbon dioxide at a specific temperature and pressure can strip dollar bills of oils and dirt left behind by human fingers, while the heat kills microbes that would otherwise linger.
U.S. money is still made from a blend of cotton and linen, which has been shown to have higher bacterial growth than plastic polymers. Several countries are transitioning from money made of natural fibers to plastic, which may be less friendly to bacteria. Canada has had plastic money since 2013, and the U.K. transitioned to a plastic-based bank note last year.
Even if our money is not directly responsible for spreading disease, we can still use the dollar’s travel history to track how we spread disease in other ways. The website WheresGeorge.com, created in 1998, lets users track dollar bills by recording their serial numbers. In the almost 20 years since the site’s creation, WheresGeorge has tracked the geographic locations of bills totaling over a billion dollars.
Now, physicists at the Max Planck Institute and University of California, Santa Barbara are using data from the WheresGeorge site to track epidemics. Information on human movement and contact rates from WheresGeorge was even used to predict the spread of the 2009 swine flu.
Although we don’t know the extent to which money allows diseases to spread, mom’s advice is probably best when handling cash: Wash your hands and don’t stick it in your mouth.
Prayer is very powerful and important, and we are encouraged to pray
without ceasing. Yet, if you're like the many Christians who don't know
how you can do that, a life of sustained prayer can be a struggle.
But did you know that we can actually pray without ceasing? The
apostle Paul is probably one of the busiest people in his time – evident
in the many accomplishments that he had – yet he was the one who
encouraged believers to pray nonstop. By this, we know that we can do
it.
The
world presents many things that we could pray to God about: our
families, surroundings, neighborhoods, and communities. Our nation,
leaders, public servants and agencies. Our economy, sources of income,
and commodities. Friends, we need to pray.
Here are some Bible verses that will encourage you to keep praying.
Matthew 6:9-13 (the Lord's model prayer) – "In this
manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give
us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our
debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the
evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.
Amen."
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 – "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."
Matthew 26:40-41 – "Then [Jesus] came to the
disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, "What! Could you
not watch with Me one hour? Watch and pray, lest you enter into
temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."
1 Samuel 12:23 (Samuel speaking to Israel) –
"Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the
Lord in ceasing to pray for you; but I will teach you the good and the
right way."
Mark 13:32-37 (Jesus talking about His second coming) – "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven,
nor the Son, but only the Father. Take heed, watch and pray; for you do
not know when the time is. It is like a man going to a far country, who
left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his
work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch. Watch therefore, for you do
not know when the master of the house is coming—in the evening, at
midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning—lest, coming
suddenly, he find you sleeping. And what I say to you, I say to all:
Watch!"
Although we don’t know the extent to which money allows diseases to spread, mom’s advice is probably best when handling cash: Wash your hands and don’t stick it in your mouth.