Humility: Why It Matters. Do It With Your Might. Can We Eat To Starve Cancer?

Humility: Why It Matters

“Humility isn’t valued very highly today. But the Bible shows it’s not just a nice characteristic—it’s one that’s essential to please God.

Arrogance is certainly not among the most desirable characteristics in a person. People who are arrogant, full of themselves, and who deem themselves superior to others are so annoying. They’re condescending, selfish, egotistical and blind to the needs of others.

For many, the arrogance of others is an annoyance and source of frustration, but nothing more. Most would prefer that others not be arrogant, but society doesn’t really put a high value on its opposite—humility. The self-assured seem to succeed, while the humble get walked on.

A look at the Bible, however, shows that God places great emphasis on humility—and says some very condemning things about pride in all its forms.

God hates pride

“These six things the LORD hates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him,” begins the list of things that God absolutely hates. They are not things that annoy God, His pet peeves or a few minor frustrations. This is the list of things that God will not tolerate. The first thing on this list is “a proud look” (Proverbs 6:16-17).

God does more than hate pride. Pride is so offensive that He actually “resists the proud,” while, in contrast, He “gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6).

God also requires humility of those who choose to follow Him (Micah 6:8). It is on the humble one He will look, not the arrogant (Isaiah 66:2). The contrast is so strong that the Bible declares, “The LORD will destroy the house of the proud, but He will establish the boundary of the widow” (Proverbs 15:25). The possessions of the proud will be destroyed, while God will look after and protect the humble, such as widows.

Why are pride and humility such big deals to God?

Pride’s grand entrance

Humans generally see pride in others as an annoyance, but we have a hard time seeing it in ourselves. God sees pride for exactly what it is—a terrible instigator of evil.

The universe was originally ideal and full of peace. Everything was perfect. There was no strife, confusion, violence, evil or destruction.

Then things began to change. Gradually, one of God’s greatest angels started to think how great he was. The angel—the one often called Lucifer—began to think that he was even greater than God Himself. As his pride grew, he apparently corrupted a third of the other angels and staged a rebellion against the very God of heaven (Isaiah 14:12-15; Ezekiel 28:11-19; Revelation 12:7-9). For more on how Lucifer became Satan, read “Satan: A Profile.”

Pride and the plan of God

To fully understand why God hates pride and esteems humility so much, it’s necessary to understand what God has planned for the human race. This physical life is not all there is—it’s a time to prepare for a limitless life dwelling in eternity.

Mankind was made with a purpose—the purpose of becoming sons and daughters of God Himself (2 Corinthians 6:18; Hebrews 2:10). Those who become children of God will be given awesome power.

That power can’t go to just anybody. God will only give it to those He trusts to use it wisely. If He gave that power to someone as arrogant as Satan, the potential for evil and destruction would be unimaginable.

It’s vital that we learn the lesson of humility now—in this physical life. Pride destroys, devastates and corrupts. It’s vital that we learn the lesson of humility now—in this physical life. Pride destroys, devastates and corrupts. No member of God’s family can possess pride. God doesn’t, and neither will His children.

For more on man’s purpose for life, read our article “Purpose of Life.”

God’s example

God is superior to mankind in every way imaginable. In spite of this, God loves us enough to deal with us and, more amazing still, is willing to share all that He is and all that He has with us.

When Jesus Christ was on the earth, He revealed to us the very mind of the Father (John 5:19). The example that Christ set was one of humility (Luke 22:27; John 13:1-16). Christ’s willingness to become human and sacrifice Himself for His creation was the supreme act of love and humility (Philippians 2:5-7).

How pride destroys

Pride is an overinflated sense of self-worth, or thinking that we are greater than we actually are. Pride occurs when our perspective becomes so skewed that we think we are superior to those around us. It destroys relationships and is the opposite of godly love.

Pride causes us to forget that the nations are a drop in the bucket compared to God (Isaiah 40:15). Pride makes us think that we do not need God. As man elevates himself, God eventually gets shoved out of the picture entirely (Romans 1:18-25).

Thinking that we don’t need God is one of the biggest mistakes we can make. Satan—the arrogant being who started all of the evil we see in the world—is still “the ruler of this world” (John 14:30). His goal is the utter destruction of every single human being in existence. The only way that we can prevent him from achieving that goal is to “submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (James 4:7-8).

Pride’s ugly future

In the last days, before Christ’s return, pride will bring mankind to the brink of total destruction. The apostle Paul provided a list of the predominant characteristics that men and women will have in the end times, and it’s not a pretty list. The descriptions range from traitors to those without self-control to the haughty (2 Timothy 3:1-5).

These characteristics—including haughtiness or pride—will cause mankind to defy God. When He causes plagues to strike the earth for the purpose of bringing mankind to repentance, many will be too arrogant to turn to Him. They will grow angry and blaspheme God instead of humbly bending to His will (Revelation 16:9, 11, 21).

In the end, prideful men will be humbled, and Satan will be put away.

In the meantime, it is up to us to destroy the pride in our lives and develop the humility that was in the mind of Christ. If we are to be exalted as members of the family of God, then we must humble ourselves now (Luke 14:11). Humility matters that much.” From: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/life/christian-living/humility/

_______

Do It With Your Might

Ecclesiastes 9:10

Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.

Solomon’s writings repeatedly encourage diligence and hard work as necessary ingredients of success. (For more on this, see our article “How to Be Successful.”) Here the wise king adds the perspective that this life is short, and so we must apply our full efforts now. This passage may have been on the apostle Paul’s mind when he wrote, “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men” (Colossians 3:23).

Many churches dispute Solomon’s assertion that “the dead know nothing” (Ecclesiastes 9:5) and that there is no knowledge or wisdom in the grave. The common teaching is that man has an immortal soul. But is this what the Bible teaches? For more on this, see our article “Immortal Soul.”  From: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/bible/blog/do-it-with-your-might/

_______

Can We Eat To Starve Cancer?

^{Below is an approximation of this video’s audio content. To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Li may be referring, watch the above video. “So why should we care about blood vessels? Well, the human body is literally packed with them -- 60,000 miles worth in a typical adult. End to end, that would form a line that would circle the earth twice. The smallest blood vessels are called capillaries. We've got 19 billion of them in our bodies. And these are the vessels of life, and as I'll show you, they can also be the vessels of death. Now, the remarkable thing about blood vessels is that they have this ability to adapt to whatever environment they're growing in. For example, in the liver, they form channels to detoxify the blood; in the lungs, they line air sacs for gas exchange. In muscle, they corkscrew, so that muscles can contract without cutting off circulation. And in nerves, they course along like power lines, keeping those nerves alive.}

01:19

We get most of these blood vessels when we're actually still in the womb. And what that means is that as adults, blood vessels don't normally grow. Except in a few special circumstances. In women, blood vessels grow every month, to build the lining of the uterus. During pregnancy, they form the placenta, which connects mom and baby. And after injury, blood vessels actually have to grow under the scab in order to heal a wound. And this is actually what it looks like, hundreds of blood vessels, all growing toward the center of the wound.

01:53

So the body has the ability to regulate the amount of blood vessels that are present at any given time. It does this through an elaborate and elegant system of checks and balances, stimulators and inhibitors of angiogenesis, such that, when we need a brief burst of blood vessels, the body can do this by releasing stimulators, proteins called angiogenic factors, that act as natural fertilizer, and stimulate new blood vessels to sprout. When those excess vessels are no longer needed, the body prunes them back to baseline, using naturally-occurring inhibitors of angiogenesis. There are other situations where we start beneath the baseline, and we need to grow more blood vessels, just to get back to normal levels -- for example, after an injury -- and the body can do that too, but only to that normal level, that set point.

02:40

But what we now know, is that for a number of diseases, there are defects in the system, where the body can't prune back extra blood vessels, or can't grow enough new ones in the right place at the right time. And in these situations, angiogenesis is out of balance. And when angiogenesis is out of balance, a myriad of diseases result. For example, insufficient angiogenesis -- not enough blood vessels -- leads to wounds that don't heal, heart attacks, legs without circulation, death from stroke, nerve damage. And on the other end, excessive angiogenesis -- too many blood vessels -- drives disease, and we see this in cancer, blindness, arthritis, obesity, Alzheimer's disease. In total, there are more than 70 major diseases affecting more than a billion people worldwide, that all look on the surface to be different from one another, but all actually share abnormal angiogenesis as their common denominator. And this realization is allowing us to re-conceptualize the way that we actually approach these diseases, by controlling angiogenesis.

03:45

Now, I'm going to focus on cancer, because angiogenesis is a hallmark of cancer -- every type of cancer. So here we go. This is a tumor: dark, gray, ominous mass growing inside a brain. And under the microscope, you can see hundreds of these brown-stained blood vessels, capillaries that are feeding cancer cells, bringing oxygen and nutrients. But cancers don't start out like this, and in fact, cancers don't start out with a blood supply. They start out as small, microscopic nests of cells, that can only grow to one half a cubic millimeter in size. That's the tip of a ballpoint pen. Then they can't get any larger because they don't have a blood supply, so they don't have enough oxygen or nutrients.

04:28

In fact, we're probably forming these microscopic cancers all the time in our body. Autopsy studies from people who died in car accidents have shown that about 40 percent of women between the ages of 40 and 50 actually have microscopic cancers in their breasts. About 50 percent of men in their 50s and 60s have microscopic prostate cancers, and virtually 100 percent of us, by the time we reach our 70s, will have microscopic cancers growing in our thyroid. Yet, without a blood supply, most of these cancers will never become dangerous. Dr. Judah Folkman, who was my mentor and who was the pioneer of the angiogenesis field, once called this "cancer without disease."

05:14

So the body's ability to balance angiogenesis, when it's working properly, prevents blood vessels from feeding cancers. And this turns out to be one of our most important defense mechanisms against cancer. In fact, if you actually block angiogenesis and prevent blood vessels from ever reaching cancer cells, tumors simply can't grow up. But once angiogenesis occurs, cancers can grow exponentially. And this is actually how a cancer goes from being harmless, to being deadly. Cancer cells mutate, and they gain the ability to release lots of those angiogenic factors, natural fertilizer, that tip the balance in favor of blood vessels invading the cancer. And once those vessels invade the cancer, it can expand, it can invade local tissues, and the same vessels that are feeding tumors allow cancer cells to exit into the circulation as metastases. And unfortunately, this late stage of cancer is the one at which it's most likely to be diagnosed, when angiogenesis is already turned on, and cancer cells are growing like wild.

11:14

So to look for a way to prevent angiogenesis in cancer, I went back to look at cancer's causes. And what really intrigued me, was when I saw that diet accounts for 30 to 35 percent of environmentally-caused cancers. Now the obvious thing is to think about what we could remove from our diet, what to strip out, take away. But I actually took a completely opposite approach, and began asking: What could we be adding to our diet that's naturally antiangiogenic, and that could boost the body's defense system, and beat back those blood vessels that are feeding cancers? In other words, can we eat to starve cancer?”  

Excerpts from: https://www.ted.com/talks/william_li_can_we_eat_to_starve_cancer?

_______

Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. Was Jesus Really Resurrected? Update.

 

For “Scripture Sunday”; 

A bit late as I didn’t realize that Easter is already upon us, as Passover isn’t for another couple of weeks. 

Upcoming Holy Days

Passover
April 22, 2016 - Observed evening before
Feast of Unleavened Bread
April 23-29, 2016

 

3 Things You May Not Know About Maundy Thursday and Good Friday

“Reflecting on the death of Jesus Christ is a sobering occasion for Christians. Unfortunately the timing of Christ’s death is rarely understood.

Devout Catholics participate in a Good Friday procession.

Churches will soon be packed with some of their largest attendances of the year. The “CEOs” (Christmas and Easter Only attendees) will make one of their semiannual appearances for Easter, the most holy observance of the year for mainstream Christianity. Good Friday, which occurs two days before Easter Sunday, is also significant as the most solemn occasion because it recalls the crucifixion of Christ.

1.  Of all the man-made holidays, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday are the only ones that claim to commemorate something Jesus said to commemorate.

On the evening before His crucifixion, Jesus told His disciples to keep the Passover as an annual festival “in remembrance of Me” (Luke 22:19; 1 Corinthians 11:24-25).

In teaching the Corinthians to observe this solemn service, Paul told them that through this memorial they would “proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes” (verse 26, emphasis added throughout).

Jesus never commanded Christians to celebrate His birth or resurrection. Rather, His instruction was for us to memorialize His death—something that Maundy Thursday and Good Friday actually do attempt to do.

But does that mean you should observe Maundy Thursday and Good Friday?

2. Maundy Thursday and Good Friday aren’t the biblical names of the observance that commemorates Christ’s death.

The terms Maundy Thursday and Good Friday appear nowhere in the Bible. But the Bible does talk about another festival to honor Christ’s death: Passover.

The New Testament Passover established by Christ Himself includes taking bread and wine. The bread represents His broken body and the wine represents His shed blood (Matthew 26:26-28).

Churches vary in how often they partake of the symbols of bread and wine. Some take these symbols daily, some monthly and some on Maundy Thursday. But the Bible instructs us to observe it only once a year on a specific day (Leviticus 23:5). When we take the Passover symbols of unleavened bread and wine, we annually “proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes” (1 Corinthians 11:26).

Observing the Passover is a memorial of Christ’s death. Jesus did not die on many different days throughout the year. He died on only one day, and He observed the Passover on the prescribed evening before the day of His death.

Passover is the annual festival that reminds us of Christ’s death. To learn more about this observance, see “Passover: What Did Jesus Do for You?” and “Questions and Answers About the Passover.”

3. Jesus didn’t die on a Friday.

Today documentation is commonly recorded for births and deaths. While we don’t have these same types of records from the first century giving us the exact day of Christ’s death, the Bible does give us enough details to show that Jesus definitely didn’t die on a Friday.

The fact that there were two Sabbaths during the timeline of Jesus’ burial and resurrection is confirmed by several Bible translations, including the International Standard Version, which translates Matthew 28:1: “After the Sabbaths, around dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to take a look at the burial site.”

The annual Sabbath occurred on Thursday that year; the weekly Sabbath, on Saturday.

Download "The Chronology of Christ’s Crucifixion and Resurrection" infographic.

This chart includes the key events during this momentous week, demonstrating how Jesus’ promise to rise after three days and three nights was fulfilled, proving He is the Messiah.”

More at: http://lifehopeandtruth.com/life/blog/3-things-you-may-not-know-about-maundy-thursday-and-good-friday/

________

Was Jesus Really Resurrected?

“Without the resurrection of Jesus Christ, our faith is futile. Do we have historical evidence that it actually happened?

A living Savior is vital to Christianity. Yet there is a very strong movement in our society today to mitigate and destroy our Christian heritage—especially belief in the resurrection. Many contend that Jesus was just a man, just a human teacher, and that He never was actually resurrected after His crucifixion.

So how can we know that it really happened? There’s a lot of evidence that verifies the accuracy of the New Testament and the validity of Jesus’ resurrection—enough to convince anyone willing to believe…….

5. Historically confirmed people

Not only does the New Testament contain historically accurate information and geographical markers, it also refers to some famous people.

Geisler and Turek put it well: “There is no way the New Testament writers could have gotten away with writing outright lies about Pilate, Caiaphas, Festus, Felix, and the entire Herodian bloodline. Somebody would have exposed them for falsely implicating these people in events that never occurred. The New Testament writers knew this, and would not have included so many prominent real people in a fictional story that was intended to deceive. Again, the best explanation is that the New Testament writers accurately recorded what they saw” (p. 225).

Here are some of the historical figures that are mentioned in the New Testamentthat are also found in non-Christian writings that verify the accuracy: Jesus, Agrippa I, Agrippa II, Ananias, Annas, Aretas, Bernice (wife of Agrippa II), Caesar Augustus, Caiaphas, Claudius, Drusilla, Erastus, Felix, Gallio, Gamaliel, Herod Antipas, Herod Archelaus, Herod the Great, Herod Philip I, Herod Philip II, Herodias, James the brother of Jesus, John the Baptist, Judas the Galilean, Lysanias, Pilate, Quirinius, Porcius Festus, Salome (daughter of Herodias), Sergius Paulus, and Tiberius Caesar.

These names of dozens of key biblical characters are found in other, non-Christian writings of the day—one more way of verifying the accuracy of what we have in our Bible today.

6. Ten non-Christian corroborating sources

There are 10 known non-Christian writers who mention Jesus within 150 years of His life, helping corroborate the biblical record.

These are: Josephus, the Jewish historian for the Roman government; Tacitus, the Roman historian; Pliny the Younger, a Roman politician; Phlegon, a freed slave who wrote histories; Thallus, a first-century historian; Seutonius, a Roman historian; Lucian of Samosata, a Greek satirist; Celsus, a Roman philosopher; Mara Bar-Serapion, a private citizen who wrote to his son; and the Jewish Talmud.

By contrast, over the same 150 years, there are nine non-Christian sources who mention Tiberius Caesar, the Roman emperor at the time of Jesus’ ministry. So discounting all the Christian sources, Jesus is mentioned by one more source than the Roman emperor. If you include Christian sources, authors mentioning Jesus outnumber those mentioning Tiberius by more than four times.

Geisler and Turek’s book outlines what can be pieced together from the 10 writers, some of whom are decidedly anti- Christian. They attest that Jesus lived during the time of Tiberius Caesar, lived a virtuous life, was a wonder-worker, had a brother named James, was acclaimed to be the Messiah, and was crucified under Pontius Pilate on the eve of the Jewish Passover, accompanied by darkness and earthquake.

They further affirm that His disciples believed He rose from the dead, were willing to die for their belief, spread Christianity rapidly as far as Rome, and denied the Roman gods, instead worshipping Jesus as God (p. 223).

More on this can be found in The Case for the Real Jesus by Lee Strobel (2007, p. 113). Strobel further relates this:

“‘We have better historical documentation for Jesus than for the founder of any other ancient religion,’ said Edwin Yamauchi of Miami University, a leading expert on ancient history. Sources from outside the Bible corroborate that many people believed Jesus performed healings and was the Messiah, that he was crucified, and that despite this shameful death, his followers, who believed he was still alive, worshiped him as God. One expert documented thirty-nine ancient sources that corroborate more than one hundred facts concerning Jesus’ life, teachings, crucifixion, and resurrection” (p. 272).”

Complete article at: http://www.ucg.org/beyond-today/beyond-today-magazine/was-jesus-really-resurrected

________

Update:

One morning, I woke up to sharp pain in both hips, probably from doing a lot of standing the day before.  We have also had a cold spell, maybe that had something to do with it. That’s a new thing for me, I don’t have aches and pains, but I suppose it is due to my age, going on 81.   I took an extra Flaxseed Oil capsule and an Aleve and I was good to go.

In the couple of mornings that we worked, Jay and I installed some of the wiring in the new wall between the new kitchen and bathroom.  While it is just bare studs, now is the time to do it.  This circuit is going straight to the breaker box on it’s own breaker.  On the kitchen side there will be a counter top with upper and lower cabinets with several outlets for coffee maker, toaster, toaster oven, microwave, and anything else.  We also ran the wire, also on it’s own circuit, to the new location of the water heater.  It will be in a “blind” corner of the same kitchen cabinets right next to the new bathroom.   On the other side, the front side of the kitchen, in the sink/stove area we have installed a counter height outlet next to the stove area for an electric pressure cooker or frypan or crockpot.  It is over 3’ to the sink, so it didn’t have to be a GFCI (ground fault circuit interrupter).   There are already GFCI outlets for the disposal and dishwasher under the counter.

Jay went to church with me, and he took some roast beef with veggies that he had made.  He had hoped to warm it up in the church oven, but the oven was full and so it was warmed up in a crockpot.  He said that made it even better.  I took Cauliflower Au Gratin with buttered crumbs on top and Yucca Root fries.  The fries tasted good, but holding them in the oven while the service was on, dried some of them out. 

The Bible readings were Lev. 6:8-8:36, Jere. 7:21-8:3, 9:22,23, and Mark 12.28. and the Teaching was again about Prophecy and Jerusalem.

All week I have been getting things ready to go on consignment at the resale store, or donated to Outreach Ministries.  I cleaned out a lot of places, washed the clothes, cleaned the shoes and purses, tried out the computer monitors and TVs, so today Jay and I loaded it all in the van ready to go to Conroe in the morning for my doctor appointment.  It is another 6 month check-up from my heart surgery.

Nala, my foster cat, got out, and that is a no no.  She could catch one of the deadly diseases that outside cats get.  She wouldn’t come when called, so I left the back door of the attached garage closed but with tape over the latch so it wouldn’t catch.  Then I got a heavy tow chain out of the shed, screwed a really big hook in the hinge-side door jam, hooked the chain to it and looped it through the top of a propane bottle and over  the door handle and over a metal table next to the door.  The door would open enough to let her in, but not a person without causing a lot of commotion.  There is a motion security light over that back door, and I would be able to see it come on from my bedroom, so I went to bed and prayed.   Something woke me up in the night, and there she was in the garage waiting to be let in the house.  So I took the tape off the latch and closed the door and went back to bed.  I was so grateful that she came back after less than half a day.

How Christian Is Easter? LEAVE LIVE ANIMALS OUT OF EASTER. When Life Doesn’t Make Sense. The Windsor Castle. Update.

 

For "Scripture Sunday":

How Christian Is Easter?

"Soon up to 2 billion people will celebrate one of the world’s most popular religious holidays—Easter. But curiously, the Bible nowhere promotes such an observance. Where did this day come from? How did it become so popular? And is it even Christian?

Source: 123RF

Where do you get your religious beliefs? Easter is the most important holiday for hundreds of millions of people. Anyone who claims to be Christian should want God to guide and lead them. But could you be misled?

I’m reminded of counterfeit money. Did you know that you could be carrying a worthless bill and not even know it? Counterfeiters are often successful because they make their fakes look like the real thing. Forgery is one of the oldest crimes in history, but it doesn’t just affect money.

Today a much greater counterfeit is so successful that most people don’t even realize they’re deceived. What counterfeit? The religion known as Christianity, as surprising as that may be! Jesus Himself warned about religious counterfeits, saying, “For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect” (Matthew:24:24).

More at:  http://www.ucg.org/holidays-and-holy-days/how-christian-easter/ article by Steve Myers

________

LEAVE LIVE ANIMALS OUT OF EASTER

By Cheryl Conley, TWRC Wildlife Center

"Easter will be here soon. For those of us who work with animals, it’s also a time of dread. Thousands of baby chicks, ducks and bunnies are purchased every year as Easter gifts only to be abandoned or taken to shelters once the novelty has worn off. Sadly many are euthanized because homes cannot be found for them.

Some think it’s okay to release these animals into the wild. This means certain death. They cannot fend for themselves and will die of starvation, exposure to the elements or will be preyed upon by other animals. Don’t think that you can simply take the animal to a shelter either. Most animal welfare organizations are not equipped to handle animals given as Easter gifts. The only option for these groups is to try to rehome the animal and more often than not this is not possible and the animal must be euthanized."  More at: http://www.twrcwildlifecenter.org/leave-live-animals-out-of-easter/

________

When Life Doesn’t Make Sense

"Sometimes we struggle to understand the events of our lives. When life is difficult, how can we make sense of what doesn’t seem to make sense?

There are things in life that we have just accepted—difficult things, unfair things, tragic things for which we have no explanation. But the time may come when we’re forced to confront these questions. When troubles strike close to home, we may either accept the fact that we have no answers or perhaps come up with answers that may later be proved wrong. That takes us back to square one. Is it possible to find the answers we need?

What is the purpose of life anyway?

An elaborate experiment.  Solomon, one of the wisest men who ever lived (1 Kings 4:29-30), sought to understand many of these questions. He tried to find answers to life’s enigmas by experimenting with every form of pleasure (Ecclesiastes 2:1). He tried alcohol (verse 3). He tried beautiful gardens with plenty of fruit (verse 5). He acquired vast wealth (verse 7). No CDs or DVDs were available then, but he had the real thing—live music whenever he wanted (verse 8)!

In the end, this wise man came to a conclusion well worth our consideration: “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter [all the things he tried]: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14).

Solomon’s conclusion? Even though there will inevitably be difficulties, life can make sense when we live according to God’s instruction—when we live by every word that comes from the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4). More at: http://lifehopeandtruth.com/life/christian-living/when-life-doesnt-make-sense/  by Harris Hlazo

______

The Windsor Castle

An Amazing Fact: "The Windsor Castle is the longest-occupied palace in all of Europe.

Windsor Castle is also the largest inhabited castle in England. It’s one of the residences of Queen Elizabeth II. She spends many weekends of the year there, using it for entertaining private and state groups. Located in the English county of Berkshire, it has a long history with the British royal family.

The castle was originally built in the 11th century after the Norman invasion of William the Conqueror. It was designed after the motte and-bailey structure, with a raised mound surrounded by a ditch. A strong wall of timber and rock was created around a keep, often with a drawbridge, which led to a courtyard inside.

Towers were erected along the wall for defense purposes. In smaller castles, there might only be one tower that could house a few soldiers. Windsor began with a very simple plan, but over the last 950 years, new monarchs remodeled and created new additions. It now has three wards with the massive Round Tower occupying a central position. Many new towers were added over the years, including the Curfew, Edward III, Salisbury, Henry III, and the Garter Tower.

Windsor has survived many sieges since it was first built. In 1649 the English parliament almost voted to demolish the castle. A bill to destroy it lost by only one vote. It has been neglected and declared uninhabitable, but it now has been transformed into a luxurious palace. It has survived two World Wars. In fact, the royal family used the palace as a place of refuge during the bombings of World War II. In 1992 a large fire nearly destroyed a major portion of the castle.

In biblical times towers were built as places of refuge and safety, not just to make a fortress look nice. These strongholds could be more easily protected from approaching enemies since it placed defenders above attackers in a fortified structure. If a city wall was breached, people could run into a tower for safety. That’s apparently the picture presented to us in this proverb. God’s name is an impenetrable tower!

When Moses requested to see God, it was the Lord’s name that was presented to him. God’s name presents His character—gracious, loving, and compassionate (Exodus 34:6, 7). In other words, when we yield ourselves into God’s hands, the Lord, who is merciful, will be our refuge and strength (Psalm 46:1).
Additional reading: Proverbs 18:1–12
KEY BIBLE TEXTS
The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe. - Proverbs 18:10

______

Update:

It has been another week of rainy days, smattered with a good day here and there.  Sweaters, coats and jeans one day, then tank top and shorts the next.  Heat one day, and AC the next.

Ray and I managed to sort out one of the lumber racks. Hopefully, if the rain stays away, we can sort out another one.  I like to keep the lumber, and short pieces, 'filed' in size order.

The Famotidine that the dermatologist prescribed has been making my life a bit better, as I haven't had such horrible flare-ups of the hives.  But, I have also been avoiding all nightshade veggies. http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/link-between-nightshades-chronic-pain-and-inflammation  and:  https://artistamyshealthjourney.wordpress.com/2013/02/09/list-of-nightshade-veggies-and-fruits/

I do not have any chronic pain or inflammation, but the nightshade veggies just seem to make me break out in hives. I really found that out after I had some eggplant, and also some bell peppers.  I have been avoiding anything with tomatoes or white potatoes in it, too, and that helps.  I have been eating sweet potatoes, quinoa, bulgur, http://www.bobsredmill.com/golden-bulgur.html and other kinds of veggies.

The red Dodge minivan is at the mechanics having a new blower motor, new door lock actuators and a few other things done to it.  So I am still driving old faithful, the blue Ford minivan.  After getting in and out of the Dodge, I realize how much easier it is than the Ford, as it is closer to the ground.  I have shrunk 2" in my old age.

Passover will be here soon, so Jay helped me move the fridge and vacuum every little place where leaven might be hiding.  "You shall remove leaven from your houses"
Exodus 12:15.  "Purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us." —1 Corinthians 5:7    This must be where the idea of spring cleaning came from.

Yesterday, while I was at church, Nala, my foster cat, and BabyGirl, my foster dog, both were taken to our SPCA's Adoption Day, for the afternoon.  They seemed to enjoy themselves.  BabyGirl loves any sort of outing, and just adores it when the kids come in and play with her.  Shy Nala even came out of her bed in the display cage to let a little boy pet her.

Some people found a baby possum when it's mother got killed by a car.  They are bottle feeding it.  I found out that it is illegal to possess an opossum in TX, but they don't want to turn it over to the Wildlife rehabilitators. I hope the poor little thing will be alright, I know I wouldn't want it!  I have bottle-fed many kittens and puppies, (and people babies), but a possum…..!

The Bible readings were Psa. 91,92,93, Exo. 38:21-40:38, 1 Kings 7:51-8:10 and Rev. 15:5-8. The teaching was about Jesus being our Passover. Jesus was the wave sheath offering. The Passover is for all of us, not just the Jews.

For the church potluck I took Wheat Berry and Bulgur Turkey-Apple Stuffing, a Weight Watchers Recipe, but minus the Wheat berries. http://www.thedailymeal.com/pointsplus-wheat-berry-and-bulgur-turkey-apple-stuffing-recipe  I also took a blackberry/yogurt pie made with rice milk, which I had made in a graham cracker shell.  No left-overs to bring home.

The potluck was great, as usual, and we had a lot of good food, talk and fellowship in the dining hall, while it teemed down rain.  After a while, I looked outside at the grass parking area and my van was sitting in 2" of water.  I knew that I had better get out of there before it got any higher.   Fortunately, I was able to back out around some other cars and head towards home.

No more rain in the 10-day forecast except for Thursday.

Egypt Erupting. Terror Alerts. Test Your Bible Knowledge. Legacy. Real Wealth. Times of Refreshing. Genghis Khan. Yangtze River.

 

For “Scripture Sunday”:

Egypt Erupting Reveals Growing Unrest in the Muslim World

Protesters in Cairo, Egypt, collect rocks to throw at the advancing police (iStockphoto). Despite peace talks, the recent violence in Egypt makes peace seem like an impossible dream. What can bring peace to the volatile Middle East?

“Just this week over 600 people were killed in protests in Egypt. Since President Mohammed Morsi’s removal from power July 3, about 900 people have died in Egypt’s violence. More deaths are sure to follow.

And this is just Egypt.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has claimed nearly 8,000 lives since the year 2000. In Syria, the death toll has topped 100,000 in their bloody civil war. No peaceful solution is in the foreseeable future. Al-Qaeda has developed a strong base in the Arabian Peninsula (a geographic area with many ungoverned areas) and is believed to be planning attacks on embassies or other Western interests in the Middle East and North Africa in the month of August.

Why so much violence in this area? Why the Middle East?

Two half-brothers

Some 4,000 years ago God promised a son to the patriarch Abraham and his wife Sarah (Genesis 15:1-4). But as time went on, Sarah became impatient and persuaded Abraham to have a child by her maid Hagar (Genesis 16:1-3).

But soon after Hagar was pregnant with the child, who would be named Ishmael, stress began to build between Sarah, Abraham and Hagar (verses 4-6).

More than 13 years later, Abraham and Sarah had a child together, just as God promised. They named him Isaac. But now the tension grew worse, and Sarah had Abraham tell Hagar and Ishmael to leave (Genesis 21:1-2, 8-11).

God foretold the future of Abraham and Hagar’s son Ishmael. God said that Ishmael would “be a wild man; his hand shall be against every man. And every man’s hand against him. And he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren” (Genesis 16:12).

Many of the Arab peoples are descendants of Ishmael. God said that Ishmael and his descendants would become great in their own right (Genesis 21:17-18); and indeed the Arab countries are rich in oil reserves, the source of their wealth today.

The descendants of Isaac include the Jews and many living in America, Britain and other European nations.

So the tension that began between these two half-brothers centuries ago continues to this day. And, as God foretold, violence would follow the descendants of Ishmael.

This is partly why the Middle East has a long history of conflicts and violence.”    More at: http://lifehopeandtruth.com/prophecy/blog/egypt-erupting-reveals-growing-unrest-in-the-muslim-world/ By Tim Groves - August 16, 2013

_______

Recent Terror Alerts

“Terrorism is still a major threat to the world. Witness closure of US embassies and consulates around the world. Is there a spiritual reminder as well?”

Video at: http://youtu.be/vfZn7s-4Zn8

Transcript at: http://www.ucg.org/beyond-today-daily/christian-living/recent-terror-alerts

_______

Bible Misconceptions: Test Your Knowledge

“Ironic, isn’t it? In our modern world, in which so much information is so easily available, along with the information come many common misconceptions.

Here are a couple of examples: “Christopher Columbus discovered America.” Truth or misconception? In fact, it’s far more misconception than truth. When Columbus landed in the New World in 1492, it had already been “discovered” by at least one other explorer prior to him; the Norse explorer Leif Eriksson had arrived on the shores of the Americas at least 500 years earlier.

Here’s another one: Mexican Independence Day is on May 5, or Cinco de Mayo, right? Wrong! No, Mexican Independence Day is on Sept. 16, the day Mexico gained its independence from Spain in 1810. Cinco de Mayo commemorates Mexico’s victory over France at the Battle of Puebla on that date in 1862.

There are so many other misconceptions in so many areas of life. Those are just a couple of examples from history.

But here at Life, Hope & Truth, one of our goals is to publish the truth about the Bible, a book that has been subject to many common misconceptions. So, let’s try something here. Let’s do a “pop quiz” on some Bible basics to see just a few of the misconceptions. This quiz won’t be complicated—but it may be surprising.

Okay, so here goes: question No. 1. True or false? Jesus was born in late December.

Now, question No. 2: when Jesus was born, He was visited by some men from the east. The Bible tells us it was three wise men. True or false?

Here’s another one: the apostle Peter was unmarried and celibate. True or false? That’s No. 3.

And here’s No. 4: the Bible speaks of purgatory as a destination when sinners die. That’s No. 4.

No. 5. Ready? Adam and Eve ate an apple in the Garden of Eden.

Okay, so let’s move on to No. 6, and see how much you know about the prophets. Ready? Jonah was swallowed by a whale.

Got that one? Now No. 7. A little more challenging. True or false: the book of Jeremiah contains more prophecies of the Messiah than any other book of the prophets. What do you think?

Now let’s move on to No. 8. True or false? The New Covenant was instituted by the apostle Paul.

Almost done. Here’s No. 9. Moses was a Jew. True or false?

And finally, here’s question No. 10. “It is more blessed to give than to receive” was first uttered by the apostle Paul.

So, how did you do? The answers are easy—all 10 are false.

Now let’s run through them, and give the right answers.

Question No. 1. No, Jesus was not born in December. In fact He wasn’t born in the winter at all. For an explanation of this, please see our article titled “The Birth of Jesus” on the Life, Hope & Truth website.

Question No. 2. While it’s true that the baby Jesus was visited by wise men from the east, the Scriptures don’t say how many. The number “three” is no more than a guess, a tradition, and likely wrong.

Now question No. 3. The apostle Peter was married. 1 Corinthians 9:5—where he is called “Cephas”—tells us so.

Now, No. 4. Purgatory is nowhere even mentioned in the Scriptures, Old or New. No, not once.

No. 5. Adam and Eve ate a fruit, to be sure, but the Bible only refers to it as a fruit from the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil” (Genesis 2:16-17; 3:6).

Now No. 6. Jonah may have given a dose of indigestion to a great fish, but it is nowhere identified as a whale.

No. 7 now. No, it’s not Jeremiah whose book features all those prophecies of the Messiah. The book of Isaiah has as many as 20 messianic prophecies. Jeremiah doesn’t even come close.

Still with us? No. 8. The New Covenant—a much debated subject. But no, it wasn’t introduced by the apostle Paul. Jesus Christ, when He passed the wine to His disciples on the Passover evening, invited them to partake of His “blood of the new covenant,” symbolically represented by the wine.

Okay, so now here’s No. 9. Moses was an Israelite, but he was born of the tribe of Levi, not of Judah. All Jews are Israelites, but not all Israelites are Jews (Exodus 2:1-10).

Finally, No. 10. “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” It is found in a speech given by the apostle Paul, but in fact he’s quoting from the words of Jesus Christ, recorded in the book of Acts, chapter 20 and verse 35.

So how did you do? There may be some Bible experts out there, and maybe also some who were surprised by the answers. Whatever the case, we can see that misconceptions aren’t limited to world history. In fact, the most important misconceptions are the false ideas about the Bible.

We invite you to visit this site often, but be prepared to be surprised about what the Bible really says!

For Life, Hope & Truth, I’m Ralph Levy.” 

More at: http://lifehopeandtruth.com/speaking-of/bible-misconceptions-test-your-knowledge/

_______

Legacy

“We leave a legacy every day with each life we touch. What legacy are you leaving behind?”

Video at: http://youtu.be/yELr7FRJcx4

Transcript at: http://www.ucg.org/beyond-today-daily/christian-living/legacy

_______

Real Wealth

An Amazing Fact: “In the year 1800, about 90 percent of Americans were farmers. By 1900, that number dropped to a little over 40 percent. Currently, only about two percent of Americans are farmers.

The rich farmer in Jesus’ parable was apparently neither satisfied with nor thankful for the riches he had. (Luke 12:13-21) He wanted more. He displayed no concern for others. He was self-absorbed and coveted a life of luxury and ease. Most tragic of all, he showed no interest in God who had blessed him with so much.
Jesus said, “One’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”   There is no future in a covetous life. Any treasures that a covetous person manages to accumulate might give him a false sense of security, an illusion of invincibility. But riches can’t protect him from disaster, they can’t save his life, and they can’t give him lasting joy or an eternal future.
Real wealth isn’t found apart from God. The spiritual life is what matters most. Only God can give us the eternal treasure of life with Him in His kingdom of love.”    

KEY BIBLE TEXTS
And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. - Luke 12:15-21

_______

The program on WGN TV this morning:

Times of Refreshing

“Although we live in an agitated, fearful time, God's annual Feast of Tabernacles proclaims a soon-coming, peaceful new age.”

Transcript at: http://www.ucg.org/beyond-today-program/christian-living/times-refreshing

_______

On This Day:

Genghis Khan dies, Aug 18, 1227:

“Genghis Khan, the Mongol leader who forged an empire stretching from the east coast of China west to the Aral Sea, dies in camp during a campaign against the Chinese kingdom of Xi Xia. The great Khan, who was over 60 and in failing health, may have succumbed to injuries incurred during a fall from a horse in the previous year.  His final resting place remains a mystery.

Genghis Khan was born as Temujin around 1162.  By 1206, Temujin was the leader of a great Mongol confederation and was granted the title Genghis Khan, translated as "Oceanic Ruler" or "Universal Ruler."

Khan promulgated a code of conduct and organized his armies on a system of 10: 10 men to a squad, 10 squads to a company, 10 companies to a regiment, and 10 regiments to a "Tumen," a fearful military unit made up of 10,000 cavalrymen. Because of their nomadic nature, the Mongols were able to breed far more horses than sedentary civilizations, which could not afford to sacrifice farmland for large breeding pastures. All of Khan's warriors were mounted, and half of any given army was made up of armored soldiers wielding swords and lances.

The Mongol empire continued to grow after Genghis Khan's death, eventually encompassing most of inhabitable Eurasia. The empire disintegrated in the 14th century, but the rulers of many Asian states claimed descendant from Genghis Khan and his captains.”

_______

Yangtze River peaks in China, Aug 18, 1931:

“On this day in 1931, the Yangtze River in China peaks during a horrible flood that kills 3.7 million people directly and indirectly over the next several months. This was perhaps the worst natural disaster of the 20th century.

The Yangtze River runs through southern China, one of the most populated areas on Earth. The region's people, most of whom lived at subsistence level, depended on the river for water for their personal and farming needs. In April, the river-basin area received far-above-average rainfall. When torrential rains came again in July, the stage was set for disaster. The Yangtze flooded over a 500-square-mile area. The rising waters drove 500,000 people from their homes by the beginning of August.

As the waters continued to rise in the first half of August and even more rain fell, the rice fields that dominated the landscape were swamped, destroying the crop. Major cities such as Wuhan and Nanjing depended on this rice and, without it, people in the cities starved to death. In addition, typhoid and dysentery were rampant due to the polluted river. The millions who died from this flood perished from starvation and disease, many after the flood waters had receded.

Much of the disaster may have been averted if flood-control measures had been followed closely. The Yangtze carries large amounts of sediment, which accumulates in certain areas of the river and must be cleared regularly. However, with much of the area's resources devoted to civil war at the time, the river was neglected.”

_______

Yesterday:

First, I would like to thank all of you for your birthday wishes on FaceBook.  I can’t believe that I have managed to live 78 years, especially without any medical issues.  My blood pressure is normal, my cholesterol is OK, my bones don’t ache, and I don’t have to take any kind of meds.  Big Pharma would go broke if everyone was like me!  So many, younger than I, suffer from all kinds of ailments or have already passed.  I don’t think that I feel any older than I did in my 40’s and 50’s, and still do the same things, like climbing ladders, etc!  Once again, thank you for thinking of me.

After my daughter’s Saturday phone call, and tending to my critters, I leisurely got ready for church.  Then I took Misty for a walk around here.  As soon as the foster mom who lives near me picked up Nala for Adoption day, I left and arrived at church just in time for Bible Study.

The Bible Study was about The Day of Pentecost mentioned in Acts 2:1-13 which occurred on the Feast of Weeks, the fiftieth day after Passover on which Jesus was crucified. 

The Feast of Weeks was one of the three Jewish festivals that every male Jew living within a certain distance from Jerusalem was legally obligated to attend.  According to rabbinical tradition the Feast of Weeks celebrated the anniversary of the giving of the law at Sinai, following Israel’s deliverance from Egyptian slavery.

The sermon was given by our pastor, Anthony, was about “Understanding the Signs of The Times”.  In Matt 16:1-12, Jesus said to the Pharisees and Sadducees - “Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.  A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign.”   Then to His disciples He said, “Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.”  Verse 12: Jesus did not mean bread, he meant the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees. 

Our pastor said that we can hardly escape the leaven of the corrupt media of our day. Everything has to be sensational, and we have a worldwide epidemic of personal drama, which feeds on two things: Distribution and Division.  These are most important for Satan to spread his leaven. The parable about the rich farmer (above) was also mentioned, to show that we should not put emphasis on worldly goods, as our first thoughts should be for the Lord.  There was a lot more to the sermon, about Circumstances and Timing, which was also interesting.

The grass and plants have all greened up nicely since all the rain the day before.  That cooled things down so I had the windows and doors open for a lot of the day.

Whopper Quasar Group. Lyme Disease, “Under Our Skin” Full Movie. How To Remove A Tick. Hannah’s Law. CCleaner. Australia Day. Auschwitz. Condoleezza Rice.

 

For “Summary Saturday”, News, Some New, Some Old:

Biggest Thing in Universe Found—Defies Scientific Theory

A quasar jets energy in an illustration. A newfound quasar cluster is the universe's biggest known object.   Illustration courtesy M. Kornmesser, ESO

“Talk about a whopper—astronomers have discovered a structure in the universe so large that modern cosmological theory says it should not exist, a new study says. (Also see "Giant 'Blob' Is Largest Thing in Universe [2006].")

Using data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, an international team of researchers has discovered a record-breaking cluster of quasars—young active galaxies—stretching four billion light-years across.

"This discovery was very much a surprise, since it does break the cosmological record as the largest structure in the known universe," said study leader Roger Clowes, an astronomer at University of Central Lancashire in England.

For comparison, our own galaxy, the Milky Way, is just a hundred thousand light-years across, while the local supercluster of galaxies in which it's located, the Virgo Cluster, is only a hundred million light-years wide.

Giant Quasar a Head-Scratcher

Astronomers have known for years that quasars can form immense clusters that stretch to more than 700 million light-years across, said Clowes. But the epic size of this group of 73 quasars, sitting about 9 billion light-years away, has left them scratching their heads.

That's because current astrophysical models appear to show that the upper size limit for cosmic structures should be no more than 1.2 billion light-years.

"So this represents a challenge to our current understanding and now creates a mystery—rather than solves one," Clowes said. (Also see "Dark Galaxies Discovered—May Be Cosmic 'Missing Links.'")

The titanic structure, known simply as the Large Quasar Group (LQG), also appears to break the rules of a widely accepted cosmological principle, which  says that the universe would look pretty much uniform when observed at the largest scales.

"It could mean that our mathematical description of the universe has been oversimplified—and that would represent a serious difficulty and a serious increase in complexity," Clowes said.”  More at: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/01/130111-quasar-biggest-thing-universe-science-space-evolution/

______

Under Our Skin: The Untold Story of Lyme Disease

“Chronic Lyme disease is called the "great imitator" because it is often misdiagnosed as another condition such as Multiple Sclerosis, Fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, ALS, Alzheimer’s disease, or anxiety. Misdiagnosis is a common experience for patients with chronic Lyme disease and treatments that work for these other illnesses are not appropriate for treating Lyme disease

Unrelenting pain. Headaches, muscle aches, swollen joints, rashes. Loss of coordination and muscle spasms. Intermittent paralysis. Cycles of disabling symptoms that persist for years, causing ceaseless suffering and frustration for patients and their families.

This is the picture of chronic Lyme disease. And yet, many physicians tell their patients there is "no such thing," referring them to psychiatrists, misdiagnosing them, or even accusing them of fabricating an illness or simply seeking attention.

The award-winning documentary “Under Our Skin” exposes the hidden story of Lyme disease, one of the most serious and controversial epidemics of our time; the film exposes a troubling picture of a health care system that is far too willing to put profits ahead of patients

Lyme disease rates are climbing across the U.S. and internationally, and have reached epidemic levels in many areas; the disease is caused by the spirochete bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, which is transmitted to humans and animals by ticks and possibly mosquitoes, spiders and mites

Borrelia burgdorferi, a cousin to the bacteria causing syphilis, has become very adept at hiding and surviving in human tissues, in part due to its corkscrew shape allowing it to burrow into tissues, and it’s ability to take on different forms, such as cysts, in order to escape the immune system, evade antibiotics, and hide from detection by blood tests

People suffering from chronic Lyme disease struggle to get help because some government agencies, insurance companies and powerful medical associations organizations have united to destroy physicians’ credibility and practice when they try to help sick patients and expose the truth.”  More at: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/10/13/under-our-skin-documentary.aspx

“In the early 1970's, a mysterious new ailment was discovered among a group of children living around the town of Lyme, CT. What was first diagnosed as isolated cases of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, eventually became known as Lyme disease, a potentially serious illness triggered by spiral-shaped bacteria, similar to the organisms that cause syphilis. Today, cases of Lyme disease have been reported in all states. According to CDC estimates, over 200,000 people may acquire the disease per year--more than cases of AIDS, West Nile Virus, and Avian Flu combined. Many of those untreated will suffer chronic debilitating illness. Some unknowingly will pass the disease on to their unborn children. Many will lose their livelihoods, and still others will lose their lives.”

Under Our Skin Full Movie

“A dramatic tale of microbes, medicine and money, this eye-opening new film investigates the untold story of Lyme disease, an emerging epidemic larger than AIDS. Each year thousands go undiagnosed or misdiagnosed, told that their symptoms are "all in their head." Following the stories of patients and physicians as they battle for their lives and livelihoods, the film brings into focus a haunting picture of our health care system and its ability to cope with a silent terror under our skin.”

How to remove a tick

1. Use fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin's surface as possible.
2. Pull upward with steady, even pressure. Don't twist or jerk the tick; this can cause the mouth-parts to break off and remain in the skin. If this happens, remove the mouth-parts with tweezers. If you are unable to remove the mouth easily with clean tweezers, leave it alone and let the skin heal.
3. After removing the tick, thoroughly clean the bite area and your hands with rubbing alcohol, an iodine scrub, or soap and water.

“Avoid folklore remedies such as "painting" the tick with nail polish or petroleum jelly, or using heat to make the tick detach from the skin. Your goal is to remove the tick as quickly as possible--not waiting for it to detach.”

_______

Hannah’s Law.

“An Iowa family is working to change the law to help protect other children from accidental falls.”

DES MOINES, Iowa —”An Iowa family that lost its 4-year-old daughter when she fell from a third-story window is working to pass a new law in her name.  The Geneser family is hoping that Hannah's Law will prevent other Iowa families from going through the pain they had to endure.

"She had a huge smile. She did, and her smile just lit up a room," said Shanda Boone, Hannah's mother.  Almost two years, Hannah Geneser died after falling out of the window. Her parents said the tears are still hard to hold back.  "I think a lot of people involved just think back and say, 'What could I have done? What could I have seen? What if? If only…" said Shanda Boone.

Shanda and her husband Jamie have made it their mission in life to educate and promote window safety through their foundation in their daughter's name.”  More at: http://www.kcci.com/news/central-iowa/Family-hopes-Iowans-will-listen-to-Hannah-s-story/-/9357080/18175896/-/kooafdz/-/index.html

_______

1 Billion Downloads

“We've done it!

At the start of December, CCleaner was downloaded for the 1 billionth time! That's an amazing 1,000,000,000 installations of CCleaner. A milestone that only a few other software titles have hit. (Firefox to name one)

It's been 8 years since we released version 1.0 and with the help of our dedicated users, we've managed: constant improvements, 47 language translations and a massively expanding user base in over 200 countries with over 10 million new installations a month! We can't even calculate the amount of disk space saved.”

_______

On This Day:

Australia Day, Jan 26, 1788:

“On January 26, 1788, Captain Arthur Phillip guides a fleet of 11 British ships carrying convicts to the colony of New South Wales, effectively founding Australia. After overcoming a period of hardship, the fledgling colony began to celebrate the anniversary of this date with great fanfare.

The colony became prosperous by the turn of the 19th century. Feeling a new sense of patriotism, the men began to rally around January 26 as their founding day. Historian Manning Clarke noted that in 1808 the men observed the "anniversary of the foundation of the colony" with "drinking and merriment."

Finally, in 1818, January 26 became an official holiday, marking the 30th anniversary of British settlement in Australia. And, as Australia became a sovereign nation, it became the national holiday known as Australia Day. Today, Australia Day serves both as a day of celebration for the founding of the white British settlement, and as a day of mourning for the Aborigines who were slowly dispossessed of their land as white colonization spread across the continent.”

_______

Soviets liberate Auschwitz, Jan 26, 1945:

“On this day, Soviet troops enter Auschwitz, Poland, freeing the survivors of the network of concentration camps—and finally revealing to the world the depth of the horrors perpetrated there.

Auschwitz was really a group of camps, designated I, II, and III. There were also 40 smaller "satellite" camps. It was at Auschwitz II, at Birkenau, established in October 1941, that the SS created a complex, monstrously orchestrated killing ground: 300 prison barracks; four "bathhouses" in which prisoners were gassed; corpse cellars; and cremating ovens. Thousands of prisoners were also used for medical experiments overseen and performed by the camp doctor, Josef Mengele, the "Angel of Death."

The Red Army had been advancing deeper into Poland since mid-January. Having liberated Warsaw and Krakow, Soviet troops headed for Auschwitz. In anticipation of the Soviet arrival, the German Gestapo began a murder spree in the camps, shooting sick prisoners and blowing up crematoria in a desperate attempt to destroy the evidence of their crimes. When the Red Army finally broke through, Soviet soldiers encountered 648 corpses and more than 7,000 starving camp survivors. There were also six storehouses filled with literally hundreds of thousands of women's dresses, men's suits, and shoes that the Germans did not have time to burn.”

_______

Bush appoints Rice as secretary of state, Jan 26, 2005:

“On this day in 2005, President George W. Bush appoints Condoleezza Rice to the post of secretary of state, making her the highest ranking African-American woman ever to serve in a presidential cabinet.

A native of Birmingham, Alabama, Dr. Rice's credentials included advanced degrees in political science and international relations from prestigious schools, followed by a post as Stanford University provost. At Stanford, she honed her reputation as an expert in Soviet affairs, catching the attention of the Reagan administration. In 1986, at Reagan's behest, Dr. Rice served on the Council on Foreign Relations, and then secured an appointment as special assistant to the director of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1989 to 1991. The first President Bush elevated Dr. Rice to director of Soviet and East European affairs in the National Security Council. She also served as the senior President Bush's special assistant for national security affairs. President George W. Bush renewed her advisory role in the White House when he appointed her national security advisor in his first term.

At Rice's swearing-in ceremony as secretary of state in 2005, an effusive Bush said, over the past four years, America has benefited from the wise counsel of Dr. Condoleezza Rice and our family has been enriched by our friendship with this remarkable person. We love her--I don't know if you're supposed to say that about the secretary of state. At the ceremony, both President Bush and Dr. Rice praised the efforts of her predecessor Colin Powell, who had been the first African-American to serve as secretary of state.”

_______

Yesterday:

Misty and I went to get Jay, and while we were walking the dogs, Jay got called away and handed me Maddie’s leash.  Misty knows that dogs walk on the left, but Maddie went in every direction and got us all tangled up.  It didn’t help that I had a cup of coffee in one hand! 

After extricating myself without spilling one drop of coffee, we came back here, and Jay and I sorted out a lot of the items in the storeroom. 

The weather was great, I wish it would stay this way.  First, we fixed one of the drawers in an antique chest of drawers, and stacked it on top of one of those wide filing cabinets.  We filled them up with some things that had been been stored in a hutch.   That hutch can now be advertized.  We moved a shelf unit out, got rid of it’s contents, and cleaned out that corner which hasn’t been touched for years. The shelf unit was more useful in the covered area in front of the storeroom.  All this is in preparation of adding onto the storeroom when we have more time another day.