Valentine's Day What's Wrong With Showing Love? How do I connect with God? Why did God change our diet?

.

Valentine's Day, What's Wrong With Showing Love?

“Valentine's Day has become a very romantic holiday despite its pagan origins. So what's wrong with celebrating this holiday?

Thinkstock

Valentine's Day is all about showing "love," giving a card or flowers or chocolates to a loved one. All of that's good, right? Wrong.

Valentine's Day is big business. According to the National Retail Foundation, Valentine's Day for 2012 added around $17.6 billion to the U.S. economy—making retail spending for this day the second-largest behind Christmas.

For a lot of people it's the holiday to express your love to someone special. According to Kemberly King, a business instructor at South University, young adults ages 25-34 spend the most on Valentine's Day gifts. Interestingly, men will outspend women—almost 2 to 1—with the biggest categories for all spending being restaurants, candy, romantic getaways and flowers.

A quick Web search for the origins of Valentine's Day will give you the basics of the accepted history of the day. A deeper search will acknowledge its pagan origins. The Good News magazine (sister publication of Vertical Thought) has published a variety of articles on both of these aspects of Valentine's Day. While Valentine's Day is the most promoted holiday after Christmas and Easter even among traditional Christian churches, it is definitely not a holiday with true Christian values.

How can "love" be wrong?

There's nothing wrong in showing love to others—after all, isn't that the most valued Christian characteristic? But what's been lost in how we go about it, and how we worship God for that matter, is whether we are actually following what God teaches in the Bible. It's like an automobile manufacturer tells you to put only gasoline in the fuel tank, but then you decide that diesel fuel is just as good! It just won't work.

Here's a quick review of the background of Valentine's Day—before exploring a deeper point about this holiday.

By most accepted historians, Valentine's Day was an adaptation by the Catholic Church of the ancient pagan Roman celebration of Lupercalia, a fertility festival. The Catholic Church updated and connected it to a "Saint" Valentine sometime late in the third century A.D. (though there is some confusion as to who this person actually was). It really took off commercially as a holiday in the late 1800s, promoted as a day to show your "love" to others—especially romantic love to your special someone.

So what's wrong with that? Here's the problem: Lupercalia was an immoral fertility festival also featuring gluttony and drunkenness. At the end of the festivities young men would draw the name of a young lady from a box and the two were considered a pair (sexually and otherwise) for the coming year.

As a festival Lupercalia was dedicated to the Roman god Pan, recognized as the god of fields, groves and wooded glens—and pictured as having the hindquarters, legs and horns of a goat. This pagan deity was connected to fertility and the season of spring. None of what is connected to the feast of Lupercalia is worthy of a Christian's observance.

But what's wrong with a little paganism?

What about showing love on Valentine's Day if I'm not doing it for pagan reasons? Isn't that okay? No, because the expression of that kind of "love" is still rooted in a former pagan holiday. True Christians must not adopt pagan festivals as holidays, for they are to strive to please God in everything they do.

Even when you think you're innocently observing a holiday like this, you're still advancing the origins and meanings of the day—especially from His perspective, as He certainly knows where it came from. God said not to do this. He told the Israelites entering the pagan land of Canaan:

"When the Lord your God cuts off from before you the nations which you go to dispossess, and you displace them and dwell in their land, take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.' You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way; for every abomination to the Lord which He hates they have done to their gods" (Deuteronomy 12:29-31, emphasis added).

When we merge pagan teachings with what God instructs through the Bible, we weaken the truth and violate God's clear command.

God's way is true love

Showing love as God instructs is not wrong—romantic love included. It's a good thing to express your love toward others through a card, flowers, dinner out or any number of other ways. But don't do it under the trappings of a pagan holiday like Valentine's Day! If someone is special to you, then do those things throughout the year rather than waiting until February 14th.

Our worship of God must first and foremost be according to His truth (John 4:24). Carryovers from pagan worship don't honor Him!

God is personified by the characteristic of love (1 John 4:8). Godly love is genuine outgoing concern for others as God would love them—not as a selfish love. Divine love is reflected in keeping God's commandments (1 John 5:3), including the Ten Commandments and instruction like that in Deuteronomy cited above. True Christians desire to faithfully observe God's own Holy Days (see Leviticus 23 for a list of them). Celebrating holidays like Valentine's Day in opposition to God's instruction does not honor or obey Him—no matter how well intentioned or innocent we believe it to be.

It does matter to God how we worship Him. He expects us to understand the difference between what He has declared holy and the profane teachings, customs and traditions masquerading as godly worship (Ezekiel 22:6).

For a more complete review of comparing traditional religious holidays to God's Holy Days, we recommend that you read our Bible study aid Holidays or Holy Days: Does It Matter Which Days We Observe?”  From: https://www.ucg.org/vertical-thought/valentines-day-whats-wrong-with-showing-love

________

How do I connect with God?

“I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently will find me.” ~ Proverbs 8:17 

“We must be proactive, we must diligently reach out and seek God in order to find Him.  We need to literally make time to get to know Him because without a deliberate, conscious effort it will probably never happen.

How did you get to know your spouse?  You dated, right?  Did you just wake up one day and find yourself in a relationship?  No!  One of you specifically asked the other to go on a date so you could spend time with each other.  It's the only way to have a relationship with anyone, you must spend time with that person.  We get to know God personally through developing a deep, meaningful relationship by spending time with Him...and the best place to find Him is in His holy word.

Q: Why does it seem so hard to find the time?

A: Work, kids, breakfast, school, dance class, Little League, homework, meals, baths, chores, shopping, our social life…on and on!  These things can all get in the way. So now you must ask yourself, what do I want?  A hectic, chaotic life...or the peace found only in Christ?  We must prioritize our lives to include Him, make our daily reading as habitual as breakfast, and create a new habit.  We have to create a habit of going to our Bible, first thing, as soon as we get up every, single morning.

By starting my day off with praise (thanking Him for everything), worship (praying and conversing), and study (reading His Word) my day will always go smoother.  This is the thing that motivates me the most, the knowledge that my entire day will go better if I do this one little thing.

I’m just too busy…

But, you might ask, how can I possibly fit one more thing into my already crazy schedule?  You need to start earlier.  Start out by getting up just ten minutes earlier and go directly to your Bible.  No-one is up, it's quiet, and it's just you and God…He will do the rest.  Talk to Him, ask Him to help you…He will.

After you do this for a while you can gradually increase your time.  How long is less important than being consistent every single day.  I try to spend an hour, I call it my power hour!  It’s the most important hour of my day.  This is when I get juiced up with the energy I need to get though the day.

Here's how I start every day.  I get up, go to the living room, sit down on my couch and I pray.  I tell Him I'm sorry for messing up and how grateful I am for another day.  I then tell Him everything that's troubling me.  So often we complain to everyone about all our problems but forget to talk to God about them.

"And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.” ~ Matthew 21:22 

I then ask Him to guide me through my Bible reading and impress me with the things I need to know today.  I then sing a praise song or two, either one of my favorites or I just Google "praise songs" on YouTube and then sing along while I get a cup of coffee and start my day.

Why you ask, is it so important for me to have this daily devotion time every morning?  Why can't I just pray when I need something or when I have the time?  Ask yourself this one little question to find that answer.  How long would I stay married if I approached my relationship with my spouse in the same manner...  just called him/her when I needed something, or had some time to kill?

We must make our relationship with God our number one priority if we truly want to get closer to Him.  He surely made us His biggest priority.  Just think about what He gave up, how He suffered and died to have us with Him forever.

Make your life easier...

I'm gonna be honest here, some days I'm beat, I don't even feel like getting out of bed, let alone doing this devotional time.  And ya know what…these are the days that I need it the worst.  So I lay in bed and I pray.  I pray for the will to get up and do this.  I ask for the desire to just put one foot in front of the other to make it to the living room.  I then ask for Him to take the lead and help me through.  And He always does just that....and moreover, He's happy to do it.  What parent wouldn't be happy to help their child?

“And you will seek me and find me, when you search for me with all your heart.” ~ Jeremiah 29:13

Now that you know how to find God, how can you grow closer to Him?”

From: https://thetruthmission.org/how-do-i-connect-with-god-2/

__________

Why did God change our diet?

“And the woman said to the serpent, we may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, you shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.” ~Genesis 3:2-3

“When you read the above verse, not much has changed. We are still listening to lies, and we are still defying Creator God with our disobedience. How sad is that?

So, why did God change our diet? He didn’t change our diet, per se, but rather added to it as was necessary due to our sin condition. God originally made our bodies to eat specific fruits (in the Garden of Eden). Then, He added vegetables (at the fall of man when Adam & Eve were kicked out of Eden). And finally, He added “clean meats” only after the flood because there were no vegetables or fruits available to eat.

But irregardless of what God has specifically created for us to eat, people still want what they want, they still want what God has told them not to eat! Just like Adam and Eve, they want what God has forbidden!

People want their fat-filled hotdogs and sausages, ham and cheese, bacon and eggs! They don’t want to hear what the Bible says, nope! However, if we choose to eat these unclean foods; things God has not made for food, we will eventually get sick. We really need to see the big picture here. We need to understand that certain creatures were created solely as environmental filters. If we eat these creatures, we are ingesting the toxins that are in the animals that God created as toxin filters.

Why would God make certain animals, and then tell us not to eat them? Let’s start with the bottom dwellers of the oceans for example. God made these creatures, not for food, but to filter the toxins out of the water. Clams and oysters, for example, filter the micro- contaminants from the water. Shrimp and crabs, lobsters and snails, as well as all the other things that live on the ocean floor, are there for clean up duty. They exist to eat the dead and decaying materials that sink to the bottom of the sea and to filter out the micro-contaminants as well.

What exactly do you really know about these sea creatures? They are bottom dwellers, they troll the bottom of the seabed sustaining themselves on fish waste, as well as dead stuff that sinks to the seafloor. And if all that isn't enough to make you want to stop eating shrimp and crabs, how about the scientific fact that because they are water filters, they are literally chock-full of toxins! And, if that still isn't enough to make you want to give up consuming these nasty little things, how about the fact that God clearly tells us not to eat any environmental filters?

Think of it this way, would we deliberately suck on a pool or aquarium filter? Of course not! Wouldn’t we also have an objection to not wanting to eat a rat or a mouse? Absolutely! But for whatever reason, we’re fine with eating other animals that are equally unclean.

God gives us a very specific list of do’s and dont's when it comes to foods, but we've been conditioned through generations of compromise to be okay with eating these unclean and unhealthy foods. We think we've somehow found a way to overrule God’s perfect plan for us. Crazy, huh?  We need to heed God's dietary commandments for our own good health, and learn how to eat clean!

What are clean and unclean meats…?

These dietary rules can be found in Genesis, Leviticus & Deuteronomy, but are mentioned throughout the Bible. According to the Bible, clean meat is defined as the meat of every animal that has a split, or cloven hoof in two, and chews the cud. Examples of clean meat include the ox (cattle), buffalo, sheep, goat, deer, gazelle, antelope and mountain sheep, just to name a few.

God gave us a long list of what to eat and, and, more importantly, what not to eat! God clearly tells us not to eat swine, in fact, He compares eating pork to eating rats and mice! And yet we continue to eat bacon, ham, sausage and so on. Would we ever eat a rat or a mouse? Of course not! God clearly tells us not to eat these things because they are scavengers, as are pigs as well. Also, they do not have sweat glands which makes them even more toxic because they are incapable of expressing toxins from their bodies.

Seeing God’s word play-out in the Bible is a great way to understand why He did certain things. And even more amazing, is how somethings happened  before God ever mentioned them as laws.

For example, let’s take the story of Noah’s ark. How many of each animal did he take into the ark? Two? That's only partially correct. Genesis 7:2 tells us that God instructed him to take seven of each "clean" animal into the ark, revealing that the distinction between clean and unclean animals actually predates the dietary laws that God gave Moses on Mount Sinai, by centuries. These examples clearly show us that God knew all along what would and wouldn’t be acceptable for us to eat, as well as the fact that He would be adding to our diet. And more importantly, is the fact that the science surrounding these toxins never changes, nor does the law of God!

​“For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law for not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified.”   ~Romans 2:12-13

​Q: Are you ready to eat as God specifies?”  From: https://thetruthmission.org/why-did-god-change-our-diet/

_______

Should You Keep Valentine’s Day? 5 Reasons NOT to Celebrate Valentine's Day. How Much Added Sugar Is Too Much?

.

Should You Keep Valentine’s Day?

“On Feb. 14, couples around the world will express their love through Valentine’s Day gifts. But many deeply devoted Christian couples will not. Should you?

I recently returned from a pastoral trip visiting congregations of the Church of God in Ghana. Since I returned to the United States, it seems like every time I turn on a radio (mostly when I’m in the car) or see ads in the newspaper or on TV, I’m encouraged to buy flowers, candy, “unique gifts” or even a brand-new car for “someone special” for Valentine’s Day.

I have not observed Valentine’s Day for over 40 years. Why do my wife and I, as well as thousands of Christians around the world, choose not to observe this seemingly innocent, romantic holiday?

Pagan origins

The details surrounding the origins of Valentine’s Day can be a bit muddy, but without a doubt it originated in pagan festivals focused on fertility rites. Most authoritative historical sources will cite the pagan Roman festival of Lupercalia as the genesis of the modern celebration. That three-day celebration was focused on purification, fertility and “love” (read that as sexual lust) among the young, single Roman population.

Most authoritative historical sources will cite the pagan Roman festival of Lupercalia as the genesis of the modern celebration. After sacrifices had been made (apparently both goats and dogs figured prominently in these sacrifices), bachelors would draw the names of young single women from an urn, and then they would be paired together for a year. In some cases these pairings would result in marriage, but not always. As Clyde Kilough, editor of Discern magazine, states on a Life, Hope & Truth video commentary, “The pagans knew how to mix a lot of illicit sex into their religious celebrations.”

Sometime before A.D. 500, the Catholic Pope Gelasius I “Christianized” the celebration by transforming it from a celebration of pagan fertility into a focus on a “Christian” saint. Valentine was the one chosen to be so honored (apparently, there were multiple Catholic saints with that name).

However, the “Christianized” celebration retained its focus on “love” and sex, including images of Cupid, the Roman god of love. Cupid was originally depicted to have sharpened his arrows of love on a grindstone whetted with the blood of an infant. That repulsive imagery was gradually replaced with a more commercially suitable image of a cute, pudgy baby during the 1800s.

To learn more about the origins of Valentine’s Day, read “Valentine’s Day Is Pagan? So What?”

Should Christians keep Valentine’s Day today?

Fast-forward to today. While many people generally understand the pagan origins of this celebration, they really don’t see a problem with keeping it as a day to send romantic gifts to their significant other. After all, it is a “harmless” holiday all about love, romance and sweetness toward that someone special in your life; how could that possibly be wrong?

The answer comes from some rather straightforward warnings in the Scriptures:

“Then it shall be, if you by any means forget the LORD your God, and follow other gods, and serve them and worship them, I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish” (Deuteronomy 8:19). To be clear, participating in Valentine’s Day is involving ourselves in the ancient worship practices of “other gods”—not the true God.

God doesn’t want His people adding pagan practices from other religions:

“Take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.’ You shall not worship the LORD your God in that way. … Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it” (Deuteronomy 12:30-32).

Some may want to argue that Valentine’s Day isn’t really that religious anymore, so these scriptures don’t apply. But that argument ignores the clear origins and the ancient focus on illicit sexual activity that was part of this practice. The fact that some may not consider it to be the same today does not remove the pagan origins that bring the practice down to us today. Nor does it change how the true God views these things.

Happy couples do not need to give gifts on Valentine’s Day to show their love for each other. Read our blog “3 Romantic Alternatives to Valentine’s Day” to learn more.”  From: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/life/blog/should-you-keep-valentines-day/

_________

5 Reasons NOT to Celebrate Valentine's Day

Transcript of video at: https://www.ucg.org/beyond-today/beyond-today-daily/5-reasons-not-to-celebrate-valentines-day

“Here's five tongue-in-cheek reasons not to celebrate Valentine's Day. But can you find another?

[Steve Myers] “Here's a little tongue-in-cheek discussion on 5 reasons not to celebrate Valentine's Day.

Number one: Flowers make you sneeze and they don't last very long.

Number two: Pink does not make you look thinner.

In fact, number three: Pink's a girly color that makes men feel wimpy.

Number four: Chocolate makes you fat.

Number five: Valentine's Day is just commercialism by the greeting card companies to make millions of dollars.

Are those any reasons that you shouldn't celebrate Valentine's Day? There is a more important reason, but it comes back to realizing what is life all about. What is romance after all because Valentine's Day is supposed to focus on romance? And we often think of the flowers and the candy and the meals out and all those kinds of things.

But you know what? Romance is sometimes vacuuming the house.  Romance is sometimes, yeah, cleaning the toilet or maybe changing a diaper or two or maybe making his favorite dessert. That's what real romance comes down to so much of the time, real life. And sometimes we get fooled by taking one day and trying to make something huge out of it when in reality love is a daily thing. It's something that we show every single day of our life.

Christ Himself said that whatever we want men to do to us, we should do to them. And it should be something that's on going, not just a onetime thing.

It reminded me of a passage that's over in Ecclesiastes in Ecclesiastes 9:9. Ecclesiastes 9:9 says, "Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your vain life, which He's given you under the sun." So it's all our days not just one day.

And so you could probably come up with a longer list of reasons not to celebrate Valentine's Day, but you know they're not all humorous. There is another reason.

You know that many of the world's holidays are focused and come from roots of paganism. That's where they're rooted. Valentine's Day is no different, named after a Catholic saint. It's rooted in paganism. Maybe that's a question you could ask yourself. What does God think about Valentine's Day?

Check it out a little bit. Look at what Deuteronomy 12 has to say about it. Check it out. Do a little bit of research. You may be very surprised what you find. In fact, you'll probably add one more big reason not to celebrate Valentine's Day.”  From: https://www.ucg.org/beyond-today/beyond-today-daily/5-reasons-not-to-celebrate-valentines-day

_______

How Much Added Sugar Is Too Much?

Transcript of video at: https://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-added-sugar-is-too-much/

To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by Katie Schloer.

“Are table sugar and high fructose corn syrup just empty calories or can they be actively harmful?

In 1776—at the time of the American Revolution—Americans consumed about 4 lbs of sugar per person each year. By 1850, this had risen to 20 lbs, and by 1994, to 120 lbs, and now we’re closer to 160. Half of that is fructose, taking up about 10% of our diet. This is not from eating apples, but rather the fact that we’re each guzzling the equivalent of 16-oz soft drink every day; that’s about 50 gallons a year.

Even researchers paid by the likes of the Dr. Pepper Snapple Group and The Coca- Cola Company, acknowledge that sugar is empty calories, containing no essential micronutrients, and therefore if we’re trying to reduce calorie intake, reducing sugar consumption is obviously the place to start.

Concern has been raised, though, that sugar calories may be worst than just empty. A growing body of scientific evidence suggests that the fructose added to foods and beverages in the form of table sugar and high fructose corn syrup in large enough amounts can trigger processes that lead to liver toxicity and other chronic diseases.

Fructose hones in like a laser beam on the liver, and like alcohol, fructose can increase the fat in the liver, increasing the risk for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, which is one of the most remarkable medical developments over the past 3 decades—the emergence of fatty liver inflammation as a public health problem here and around the globe.

These may not be messages that the sugar industry or beverage makers want to hear. In response, the director-general of the industry front group World Sugar Research Organization, replied “Overconsumption of anything is harmful, including of water and air.” Yes, the overconsumption of sugar compared to breathing too much.

As one author expressed, I suppose it is natural for the vast and powerful sugar interests to seek to protect themselves, since sugar takes up the single greater percentage of our daily caloric intake.

The American Heart Association is trying to change that. Under their new sugar guidelines, most American women should consume no more than 100 calories per day from added sugars, and most American men should eat or drink no more than 150. That means one can of soda could take us over the top for the day. The new draft guidelines from the World Health Organization suggests we could benefit from restricting added sugars to under 5% of calories. That’s about 6 spoonfuls of added sugar. I don’t know why they don’t just recommend zero as optimal, but you can get a sense of how radical their proposal is given that this is how many we consume right now.”  From: https://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-added-sugar-is-too-much/

_________

What Does the Bible Say About Gender Identity? 7 Characteristics of Healthy Families. A Treatment for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

.

What Does the Bible Say About Gender Identity?

“There was a time when sex and gender were synonymous. Things have changed—but have they changed for the better? What does the Designer say about gender?

In today’s society there is certainly no shortage of discussion about gender and what it means to be a man or a woman.

The two words sex and gender used to be synonymous. But many today no longer think that’s the case.

Activists and other cultural voices have succeeded in decoupling these two terms. This change in definition is due in part to the feminist theories of Simone de Beauvoir, Judith Butler and others and their impact on current progressivist thinking.

Thus, sex is now the term that refers to the biological classification of a person as male or female, and gender is now defined as an identity—a personal, internal perception of oneself that is based on socially constructed roles, behaviors and customs. In other words, gender is now based on how someone feels.

This feeling definition of gender has opened the door to increasing numbers of people (particularly young people) who are identifying as something other than their biological sex.

But what does God’s Word have to say about gender?

What does the Bible say about gender?

As the Creator, God is quite clear in the book of Genesis about His intent for His created order—particularly human beings.

God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth” (Genesis 1:26).

The account continues, “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” (verse 27).

It is significant that God created humanity in His image. He further states that He chose to express this most important part of His creation as male and female. It is clear from the Word of God that His purpose was to fashion mankind biologically and physiologically as male and female.  

In the next chapter of Genesis God comments on the relationship between male and female—between husband and wife:

“And the LORD God said, ‘It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him’” (Genesis 2:18).

The word comparable in verse 18 is translated from a Hebrew term that also means suitable, complementary and counterpart. This distinction is important, as it shows God’s intent to provide a partner, a mate of the opposite gender to help. Marriage was designed to be a complementary, supportive and interdependent relationship between two different genders of people to fulfill God’s purpose for humans.

“And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man.

“And Adam said: ‘This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.’ Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh” (Genesis 2:21-24).

As the designer of human life, God intended for a man and woman to commit to each other, come together in that commitment, have a complementary relationship (recognizing the unique strengths and abilities of each other), become one flesh and produce a family.

God’s design was straightforward and clear.

Contrary to God’s created order

Confusing genders is something God says is wrong and is contrary to His created order. Deuteronomy 22:5 says, “A woman shall not wear anything that pertains to a man, nor shall a man put on a woman’s garment, for all who do so are an abomination to the LORD your God.”

God knows the negative results of this path, and while He loves those caught up in this tangled web, He hates the results. This law was designed to maintain a clear distinction between the two genders God created.

Cross-dressing and other examples of gender fluidity and transgender transitioning today are evidence of growing confusion, but ultimately, they reflect society’s rejection of God and His instructions and plan.

God knows the negative results of this path, and while He loves those caught up in this tangled web, He hates the results. Twisting His pure creation and polluting His purpose (as humanity has done in so many ways) is simply wrong in the eyes of God. The Hebrew term translated as “abomination” is toebah—something that is disgusting or wrong. It is not what our loving Designer intended.

From God’s perspective, when men and women embrace other-gendered expressions of identity, it is a shame or dishonor (1 Corinthians 11:14-15). While God clearly has allowed humanity to choose its own morality since the Garden of Eden, His intention is that we should glorify Him with our bodies (1 Corinthians 6:19-20), which includes the manner in which He created human beings in His image—as male and female.

The increasing confusion about human identity (and thus the identity of the only beings made in the Creator’s image) has led to God’s purpose for humanity being fundamentally deconstructed. The long-term consequences for society and the human family are far-reaching.

However, the real tragedy is the impact this chaos in defining sex, gender and the human family has on those individuals whose personal lives have been devastated in the process.

Human beings are complex. And without having the direction and guidance of the One who created them, they will remain in a state of turmoil and confusion, having departed from the traditional purpose and role that men and women were created to enjoy.

Transcending gender confusion

Andrew T. Walker’s book God and the Transgender Debate provides some helpful thoughts:

In this confused world, which has departed from God and His instructions, every human being experiences the results of sin. Because of this, sometimes Christians have “to say ‘no’ to what they think they want or how they feel” (2017, p. 136). Instead, they choose to believe God knows what He is talking about.

Mr. Walker’s comments hit at the core of the issue. Those who believe the Bible come to the realization that not everything we want or feel is necessarily right or good. And given the track record of humanity—it generally isn’t.

Though we should show compassion to those who are confused and have a distorted perspective on gender, discerning Christians should lean on the unchanging design of our Creator when it comes to these basic issues of life instead of relying on the ever-changing views and definitions of the world around us.”

For related reading, see “Questions About Sex Answered by the Bible” and “The Divine Design of Family.”

From: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/relationships/family/bible-about-gender-identity/?

________

7 Characteristics of Healthy Families

“The Bible has much to say about how to have a healthy family. Studying the common traits shared by successful families can help you strengthen your family.

Browse the self-help section of any bookstore or library, and you will likely find a sea of books about creating and maintaining a harmonious and healthy family life. Belonging to a loving, secure family unit is a basic human desire. Most of us can readily see the value of close family connections and healthy family dynamics.

Characteristics of a healthy family include: 

1. Having a deep commitment to one another.
2. Making family time a top priority.
3. Communicating in a way that’s constructive.
4. Showing sincere appreciation for one another.
5. Looking out for one another.
6. Resolving conflicts quickly and promptly.
7. Sharing a spiritual commitment.

A strong family can be a source of emotional support, love, security and protection, which makes the challenges and trials of day-to-day living easier to face. Children flourish when they feel loved, nurtured and supported by their parents and siblings. A good family life can even have positive effects on your physical and mental health, including improving blood pressure and increasing life expectancy. 

Healthy families are the building blocks of society

Certainly, God wants our families to succeed and prosper. He designed the family to be the basic building block of society; thus in order for our communities to be stable, the families that comprise them must be as well. And ultimately, God wants us to have spiritually healthy families so we can produce godly offspring (Malachi 2:15) and expand His family.

But while family relationships are important, we all know strong families don’t “just happen.” Sustaining a marriage and raising children are challenging things to do. If we want to have happy homes, we have to work hard to create them.

How to build a healthy family

Continued at: Characteristics of a Healthy Family (lifehopeandtruth.com)

_________

A Treatment for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Transcript of YouTube: 

https://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-treatment-for-chronic-fatigue-

https://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-treatment-for-chronic-fatigue-

“An industry-funded, randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial study suggests chocolate may improve symptoms for those suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome—a debilitating condition currently affecting as many as seven million Americans. But how do you get the cacao phytonutrients without the saturated fat and added sugar?

Chronic fatigue syndrome is a debilitating condition characterized by a minimum of six months of crushing mental and physical exhaustion, and we have no idea what causes it. We don’t even have a good idea of how many people even have it. The Centers for Disease Control estimates that as many as seven and a half million Americans currently suffer from it. And we as physicians have very little to offer patients in terms of relieving those symptoms. So, this is one of the conditions that I’m always keeping an eye out for in terms of new treatments.

And one of the latest they just discovered? Chocolate.

Evidently, Montezuma the Second, who reigned the Aztec empire 500 years ago, noted: “This divine drink, which builds up resistance, and fights fatigue. A cup of [cocoa] permits people to walk for a whole day without food.’’ Not willing to take the emperor’s word for it, it was put to the test.

I’m always skeptical of industry-supported research, but it was actually a pretty good study. At first glance, it looked like they were basically saying eat three chocolate bars a day for eight weeks, and call me in the morning. But it was actually a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial, which is about as good as you can get.

The mad scientists over at Nestle took white chocolate, dyed it brown, and then added some sort of fake chocolate flavor, such that people couldn’t tell if they were eating the real chocolate or the fake. Comparable amounts of sugar and fat, but one had cocoa solids—phytonutrients—and the other basically didn’t.

So, they were able to put people on one, and then switch them over, without anyone knowing, to see if their chronic fatigue symptoms got better or worse. And there was a significant improvement in the real chocolate group, meaning it apparently wasn’t just the yummy taste of chocolate, but the action of the cacao phytonutrients.

Of course, no one should be eating three chocolate bars a day, but you can get the equivalent dose of cocoa solids, the equivalent dose of those wonderful cocoa phytonutrients, by consuming two and a half tablespoons of cocoa powder a day.

You can put it in coffee, you can make a chocolaty smoothie, or, my personal favorite, you can blend it in a high-speed blender with frozen cherries or strawberries, a touch of non-dairy milk, vanilla extract, and some dates, and you have instant, decadent chocolate ice cream; low-fat, low-calorie, no cholesterol, no added sugar chocolate ice cream. The more you eat, the healthier you are—whether or not you’re suffering from chronic fatigue.” From: https://nutritionfacts.org/video/a-treatment-for-chronic-fatigue-

To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by veganmontreal.              syndrome/

________

4 Romantic Alternatives to Valentine’s Day. Lower Cholesterol Without Medication.

.

4 Romantic Alternatives to Valentine’s Day

“As Valentine’s Day is here, many will celebrate romantic love. But what about true love? Here are four ways to escape the superficiality of Valentine’s Day.

 Valentine’s Day!  Millions of people have already made plans for romantic getaways, ordered flowers or chocolates, and started writing valentines. For the holiday that is supposed to epitomize romantic love, it is very materially based and commercialized. Nothing says I love you like stuff, apparently.

Can a couple express true love in better ways than heart-shaped chocolates and bland, poorly worded cards?   We all better hope so.

Origin of Valentine’s Day

Before we discuss the meaningful alternatives to Valentine’s Day, consider why we should seek alternatives in the first place. What is the origin of Valentine’s Day?

Valentine’s Day is based on a very bizarre, ancient fertility festival called the Lupercalia. This festival was celebrated in mid-February in ancient Rome. The ancient Romans would sacrifice an animal on the Lupercalia and then use the hides to whip females in order to supposedly increase their fertility.

Valentine’s Day is based on a very bizarre, ancient fertility festival called the Lupercalia. Take a moment to soak in the irony of our modern society—with its concerns for women’s rights and empowerment—still celebrating a holiday rooted in a tradition of humiliating women by physically striking them with animal hides.

Another component of the festival was matchmaking. Males and females would be paired up at Lupercalia by a lottery and then would remain partners for either the duration of the festival or for a year.

Again, consider the irony of people using Valentine’s Day to express true love, when the origin of the day was based on random strangers hooking up. The original holiday was all about sex without love. So how did this perverse festival become associated with romantic love?

The Roman church later replaced the Lupercalia with St. Valentine’s Day in honor of a martyr named Valentine. But the popular celebration maintained the romantic and sensual elements of the pagan festival. (This is also the case with another popular holiday you might be familiar with: Easter. Ever wonder what rabbits and eggs have to do with Jesus Christ’s resurrection? You guessed it, nothing. Rabbits and eggs are all about pagan fertility worship.)

The fact that Cupid, a Roman god of love, is associated with this day is even more proof of its deep roots in ancient Roman paganism.

To learn more about why we should be careful about integrating paganism into our lives, read “How Much Pagan Is Too Pagan?”

Alternatives to Valentine’s Day

But true romantic love is the foundation of a happy marriage and was created by God (Genesis 2:24). It is a beautiful thing that shouldn’t be corrupted with a holiday so rooted in sexual promiscuity and paganism. There are much better ways to build and celebrate true romantic love than a celebration like Valentine’s Day!

Here are a few ideas for how to celebrate your love for your spouse—without doing it on Valentine’s Day!

1. Supercharge your anniversary.

The day that should be a huge celebration of love with our mate is our wedding anniversary.

With all the hectic busyness of life, and all the splitting of our focus (including a pagan holiday with naked babies shooting arrows), it might be tempting to let anniversaries go by without much fanfare. This is a mistake. We should make sure we do something special with our spouse on this day that actually does have deep romantic meaning.

Doesn’t it make more sense to celebrate romantic love on a day that has actual significance to you both instead of a day in February that had a very corrupt and strange meaning to the ancient Romans?

Ideas: Plan a dinner at a special restaurant, a getaway weekend or an exciting vacation. Relive your first date—or do something entirely new together. Be sure to tell your spouse how much you love and appreciate him or her.

2. Get romantic at unexpected times throughout the year.

Though anniversaries are great times to celebrate your love for each other, romance does not have to be tied to a calendar date. Giving gifts, writing meaningful notes and going on romantic getaways are all great for a relationship—and they can be done at any time of the year! In fact, these things are even more meaningful when they are spontaneous and done out of sincere appreciation and love.

Gifts and romantic gestures done at unexpected times and for no other calendar reason will always be greatly remembered and treasured. It is somewhat shocking that so many people wait until a holiday inspired by fertility rites and a Roman god to actually show how much they love their mates. We are told not to worship God through pagan practices (Deuteronomy 12:31), and we also should be careful to not degrade love by mixing it with perverse paganism.

Gifts and romantic gestures done at unexpected times and for no other calendar reason will always be greatly remembered and treasured by those receiving them.

Ideas: Be consistent with little gifts, candies or gestures throughout the entire year. Plan something with lots of “us” time involved that is not tied to any specific date. Do it just because it’s good for the relationship!

3. Talk to each other every day.

Yes, it may sound simplistic—but it is actually a huge thing! It’s important to speak to one another.

Where does real romance that is related to true love come from? A solid, healthy relationship. The old adage of “we could talk for hours” should still be one of the most romantic things to us. The wonderful thing about the giving of gifts and the dinners, trips and adventures together is the closeness that should result from them. This closeness is mainly shared through conversation.

No, not from a three-line French poem that someone memorized to impress a date. No, not the seemingly wonderful wisdom of “be my valentine” (meaningless, if you think about it!) scratched on cheap candy. Closeness comes from real words and the development of a connection between two people who truly love each other.

Ideas: Have a set time every single night where the television, computer, phones and everything else are turned off—so you can talk with the person you love. Walk and talk. Eat and talk (not at the same time!). Sit and talk. Exercise and talk. Whatever you are doing, make sure talking is involved.

4. Put 1 Corinthians 13 into practice every day.

It’s nicknamed the Love Chapter for good reason. This chapter comprehensively lists what love is and what it isn’t. We can use this chapter as a daily, monthly or yearly project to improve our relationships. God wrote the book on love, so His Bible should be the primary place we go for guidance in expressing proper love within marriage.

The Love Chapter is filled with guidance on how to treat the love of your life. Here are some ways 1 Corinthians 13 can be put into practice to improve our relationships:

• Love suffers long: When our mates do something that really bothers us, we should let it go or work on improving the problem together.
• Love is kind: We should do something kind for our mates without being asked—often.
• Love does not parade itself: We should be sure to tell our mates how much we love them privately—we don’t need to use Facebook to demonstrate our love for our mate!
• Love is not puffed up: We should always be ready to admit when we’ve done something wrong.
• Love does not behave rudely: We should make sure our marriage is characterized by considerate behavior toward each other.
• Love does not seek its own: We should willingly and joyfully do something we have no interest in, but our mate enjoys.

The Love Chapter, though about a much deeper love than just romantic love, is filled with guidance on how to treat the love of your life. Read it often. For more insight on 1 Corinthians 13, read our article about “The Love Chapter.”

One 24-hour period involving candies and ancient fertility symbolism does not come close to the fulfilling and meaningful love God wants us to enjoy.

Isn’t it time for you to ditch Valentine’s Day and demonstrate true love God’s way?

Topics Covered: Relationships, Holidays, Marriage  From: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/relationships/blog/3-romantic-alternatives-to-valentines-day/?

________

Lower Cholesterol Without Medication

“Cholesterol numbers are one of the most powerful indicators of your risk for developing and dying from heart disease. Statins are commonly prescribed for lowering cholesterol, but they don’t offer significant improvements to the health of arteries or reductions in heart disease. Artery-clogging cholesterol is only found in substantial amounts in animal foods such as meat, poultry, fish, eggs and dairy. When you eliminate these foods from your diet and replace them with starches and whole foods, your cholesterol levels will go down and your arteries will begin to heal.

Doctors and drug companies aim to reduce blood fat levels through medications like Lipitor, but the benefits in lives saved by these drugs fall short of expectations. Well-informed patients will resolve elevated cholesterol and triglyceride values by dealing with the cause: a diet high in animal products and low in plant foods.

Beginning with an average cholesterol level of 220 mg/dl (5.79 IU), you can expect a 30 mg (1.1 IU) reduction in your cholesterol level in 2 weeks. If your cholesterol level is higher than that, then you can probably expect an even bigger improvement. Triglyceride reductions can also be dramatic but simple sugars, including fruit and juice, must be limited or eliminated for the best results.”     More at: https://www.drmcdougall.com/articles/common-health-problems/cholesterol-triglycerides/?

________

Sticks and Stones. Three Tips for Parents. Why It’s So Hard to Give Up Cheese.

.

Sticks and Stones: 6 Ways to Improve Your Words

“The old saying that “words can never hurt me” is far from reality. How can we make sure our words aren’t destructive but are a force for good?

It happened in the cereal aisle. I was so stunned that I stood there, frozen in place, shocked by the cruelty of a mother’s words.

The store was crowded, and we were taking turns working our way down the aisle. A mother and a couple of children took their turn. The mom told a girl about 12 years old to reach an item on a lower shelf. The girl reached down to get the item.

As her hand touched the item she thought her mother wanted, the mother screamed at her using a string of profanity and asked if she was stupid. She then proclaimed she had to do everything herself, pushed past the girl and got the item she wanted.

The girl did not react except to back out of the way. She wrapped her arms around her body and, with an emotionless mask on her face, walked down the aisle behind her grumbling mother.  She was apparently used to the cruelty of the woman’s words.

We’re probably very familiar with the adage, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me.” In reality, words can hurt worse and leave more debilitating wounds than a stick or stone.

Whether the words target a child or a spouse or a friend, the effects of cruel words can be devastating.

God’s view on words

How important is it to God that we use our words positively? Matthew 12:36 and 37 tell us that we will be justified or condemned by every idle word we speak.

The context of these verses is being known by our fruits. What are the fruits of our words? Do our words soothe and heal? Are they gentle, even when offering correction? Or do our words, in tone or in meaning, sometimes act like a weapon—a stick or a stone?”      More at: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/relationships/communication/sticks-and-stones/?

______

Three Tips for Parents

How can we work with children to help them learn and grow?

Transcript of YouTube: https://youtu.be/m79tI9p_uY4

[Gary Petty] How many times have you heard an exasperated parent say, "I just don't know what's going through that child's head?" Well, we shouldn't be surprised. Children can be very foolish. In fact, we have Solomon in the Bible say, "Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child. The rod of correction will drive it far from him."

Now, there's two important things about this verse we need to look at. First of all, children are chained. They're bound by foolishness. It's just part of their nature, and not all foolishness is bad, but let's face it. I mean, what can seem cute at 2 would be disastrous at age 16. So we have to deal with childish foolishness. And then the second thing he talks about here is the rod of correction. In other words, there has to be discipline involved in teaching children about foolish behavior, and how to avoid foolish behavior.

Now, let's look at three points then that have to do with foolishness in a child. The first thing is just what we read here. Some childish behaviors are serious enough to involve discipline. But understand, discipline has to be age-appropriate in what you do and also, it has to fit the crime, so to speak. Sometimes we can overreact so much. How does a child know when something is really important and not important? Because we're just overreacting to everything because of our frustration. It is important that children don't see discipline only as an expression of parental frustration or anger because then they're gonna think, "Well, being good means not making mommy or daddy angry or frustrated." But we need to help them understand that there are principles of good and principles of bad, and we're there to teach them that.

So it's very important that we don't express too much anger, too much frustration, that we are calm in explaining why we want them to do something or not to do something or why something is foolish or why something is wise. Another thing is to realize that some childish behaviors are due to lack of experience or ability. You know, a smaller child isn't gonna understand what an older child does.

I'll give you an example. A number of years ago, they were doing some construction in my neighborhood. And I took three of my grandchildren out just to look at the construction. We were walking around. There was nobody out there that day. And the two older ones began to pick flowers and find very interesting rocks to take back to their mother, and so they had...in fact, there was three of them. There were four kids with me. The three older ones, they find all these great things.

And so we're headed back home. And they all have flowers, they all have pretty rocks, and they're excited, "You know, Mom is gonna be so excited about this." I looked down at the two-year-old. He's got this big grin on his face, and his fist is clenched, and he's got his stuff for mom. And I said, "Oh, you found some stuff for mom," and shook his head yes. I said, "What do you have?" And he opened his hand up, and there was a cigarette butt and some dog poop.

Okay. Now, I could get upset. That's a foolish thing. But he's two years old. He doesn't understand. He thought he was doing something exciting. He had found something that none of the other kids had found. So I told him, "These are very dirty and wipe these hands off," and said, "Don't touch your face till we get home." He did what I said. And we got home, and I went in and scrubbed his hands, washed his hands, and washed my hands, and then explained to him, "There are certain things you shouldn't pick up because they're dirty. They can make you sick." I never saw him do anything like that again. See, sometimes we think of discipline as some kind of punishment. Discipline involves simple teaching. It also involves rewards. In his case, even at two, he figured out, "Those things I shouldn't pick up because they can make me sick." And so he learned from the lesson. So we have to realize that when we deal with children, we have to deal with their age and what they actually have the ability to understand.

And then a third point that I wanna bring out here is that teaching children principals of right and wrong, of foolishness and wisdom, is a parental responsibility. We can't give this as parents or grandparents to the school system or even to the church. Those can be helped sometime. Your church could be a real help in teaching your children. It is not the primary way that they learn. Here's what we have in the book of Deuteronomy. One of the most important instructions about child-rearing. "And these words which I command you today," God said, "shall be in your heart." What God teaches should be in our hearts as parents. We have to know Him first.

We have to know what God wants first. "And you shall teach them to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk, by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up." In other words, teaching children is not just a formal activity. It's a lifestyle. Teaching children right from wrong is a lifestyle. We not only teach it, we have to model that behavior. And believe me, children figure out right away if there's a huge difference between what we say, and what we do, and they resent hypocrisy.

Foolishness is chained up. It's bound in the heart of a child. And it is responsibility of all parents to help them to learn the difference because as they grow older, those decisions they make that are foolish ones can have terrible, terrible results and consequences but making wise decisions can give them a good life."  From: https://www.ucg.org/beyond-today/beyond-today-daily/three-tips-for-parents

_______

Why It’s So Hard to Give Up Cheese

“The following is an excerpt from “The Cheese Trap: How Breaking a Surprising Addiction Will Help You Lose Weight, Gain Energy, and Get Healthy”, which was released by Hachette Book Group. Which foods do you find most addictive? That’s the question University of Michigan researchers asked. The idea was, which foods lead you to lose control over how much you eat? Which ones are hard to limit? Which ones do you eat despite negative consequences? The researchers surveyed 384 people and here is what they found:

Problem food #5 is ice cream.

Problem food #4 is cookies.

Chips and chocolate were tied for #3 and #2.

But the most problematic food of all was—drum roll, please—pizza.

Yes, gooey cheese melting over a hot crust and dribbling down your fingers—it beat everything else. And here is what matters: The question was not, which foods do you especially like, or which foods leave you feeling good and satisfied.

Rather, the question was, which foods do you have a problem with? Which ones lead you into overeating, gaining weight, and feeling lousy? Which foods seduce you, then leave you with regrets? So, why did pizza top the list? Why are we so often tempted to dig in and overdo it? Three reasons: salt, grease, and opiates.

As you have no doubt experienced, salty foods can be habit-forming. French fries, salted peanuts, pretzels, and other salty foods are hard to resist, and food manufacturers know that adding salt to a recipe adds cash to the register.”    More at: https://www.forksoverknives.com/wellness/addictive-food-cheese-pizza/?

________

The Truth about Valentine's Day. Every Life, a Gift to the World. 2021 March For Life

.

The Truth about Valentine's Day

Transcript of YouTube: https://youtu.be/dbM5JzpASD4

[Steve Myers] ‘Valentine's Day is sometimes known as a Hallmark holiday. You heard of that term? I think it has to do with originally cards that are sold during these kind of holidays. But, it points out the fact that it's a holiday that's based more on commercialism and that aspect rather than the holiday itself.

And hasn't that really happened with Valentine's Day? You'd be amazed at what they say shoppers will spend this year on Valentine's Day. You know how much they say? Over $27 billion just in the United States. Think it's commercialized? I mean, no doubt about it. And where did it come from anyway? If you look into Valentine's Day, it's not something that we as Christians should be observing. Oh, it's nice. Isn't love good and shouldn't we celebrate love and we consider all that aspect of it. But, where did it come from? It came from Lupercalia which is a pagan holiday. It wasn't to honor the true God, but it honored other pagan gods, Lubricus, which is the god of fertility. So that was one of the main gods they honored way back in the day. There was also Juno that was honored. That's the god of marriage and women. And then throw a little Pan in there. That's another pagan god. And mix it all together and you end up with celebrating Valentine's Day.

Okay, should we do that? I mean, do you really need a day to show your love to your mate or your dear one in that regard? I mean, shouldn't that be something that we should be doing all throughout the year? That we should be honoring the ones we love on a continual basis. I mean, do I need some incentive from some smart marketer that commercializes the whole thing of love in order to honor my mate? I shouldn't need that. Why would that be something that would be important?

And, in fact, is romantic love the only love that's important? I think that's a critical factor when you really get down to it. I should love my mate throughout the whole year. I should help and honor and love my family through the whole year. But, I can't leave God out of the picture if I really claim to be a Christian.

And we're told a little bit about another important love. 1 John 5:3. It says this. "This is the love of God." I mean as Christians, that's got to come first doesn't it? And, it says, "We keep his commandments. His commandments are not burdensome."

So, don't leave God out of the picture. But we hear all the hoopla about Valentine's Day every February 14th. Remember where it came from. Remember how much I need to love my mate and show that love throughout the entire year. And, direct to another vastly important aspect of love and that's loving God and demonstrate that throughout the year.”  From: https://www.ucg.org/beyond-today/beyond-today-daily/the-truth-about-valentines-day?

_______

Every Life, a Gift to the World

“Abortion has, effectively, silenced an entire generation, but God's word tells us that every life is precious. As Christians we must support efforts that allow children to be born and to live in loving homes.

Transcript of YouTube: https://youtu.be/z8AAiCSZ3Bk

[Darris McNeely] One of the enduring songs from the very early '70s or perhaps it was the late '60s was the song, "The Sound of Silence." "The Sound of Silence." Most people know that. And it was a great song. And as I said it has endured.

"The Sound of Silence" is something that we should note. And not only is it silent because it's winter, but also there's a silence whenever we think about something that takes place in Washington, every January, with the right to life March that usually takes place for those who are pro life and anti-abortion. We in past "Beyond Today" episodes and BT Daily's have talked a great deal about abortion. And it is still a front burner issue in the United States and the world for that matter because an entire generation of people in America, at least more than 50 million babies have been aborted as a generation of silence.

That's the sound of silence that we should note.

Now, I don't know if they will march this year in Washington, D.C. for life. A lot has been sullied with the events of early January and the mood of the country right now in Washington, D.C.. It's almost been locked down. But I hope they do. And I hope people go there and at least demonstrate peacefully for the unborn. On January 22nd, the outgoing administration of President Donald Trump declared January 22nd to be a day as the National sanctity of human life date. And again, in the shuffle of all the events of this time, this has gotten lost perhaps but believe me, it still happens and it still goes on. And frankly, it is only going to get worse.

The holocaust of abortions is only going to get worse. And we need to remember that. Abortion is a sin. Abortion is murder. It's taking of a human life from the womb of a mother, the most protected place in all creation.

John the Baptist slept in the womb of his mother, when Mary came to visit her cousin Elizabeth, to talk about the impending birth that she was about to have. John the Baptist leapt in the womb of his mother. Jeremiah said that he was known in the womb before his birth by God.

And so, there is life there. We should never forget that. And we should never forget those that have not had that opportunity at this point in time to experience life.

So, remember that, every child needs a loving home. Adoption services and efforts to stop the tide of abortion should be supported, should be prayed for, by any well meaning God-fearing Christian, an individual who understands what the Bible says, the Biblical worldview in that regard.”  From: https://www.ucg.org/beyond-today/beyond-today-daily/every-life-a-gift-to-the-world

_______

March for Life Will Take Place in 2021: “We Marched for 47 Years” and Won’t Stop Now

“Although the coronavirus pandemic has ebbed from its peak earlier this Spring and Americans are celebrating lower numbers of cases and deaths, some pro-life Americans have been wondering whether the March for Life would even take place. Although participants will likely be wearing masks and keeping a greater distance from one another, March for Life officials tell LifeNews.com today that the march will continue as planned.

“Listen, we marched during the blizzard of 2016, we’ve marched during government shutdowns, we marched after 9/11, we will march again this year,” Mancini said. “We’ve marched for 47 years, and no sacrifice is too great to fight this human rights abuse of abortion.”  From: https://www.lifenews.com/2020/09/11/march-for-life-will-take-place-in-2021-we-marched-for-47-years-and-wont-stop-now/

_______

2021 March For Life

“The 2021 March for Life took place today with a new administration that supports abortion rights in the White House possibly shifting the legal landscape on the issue.”   YouTube:  https://youtu.be/WrkS2qzsGyc

________

Before You Ask Someone to Be Your Valentine...Would Jesus Do Valentine’s? Update.

Before You Ask Someone to Be Your Valentine...

“Millions send Valentine’s Day cards to express their affection for someone special. But how did this holiday originate? And does Valentine’s Day represent what true love is all about?

kaboompics.com

Does Valentine's Day really celebrate true, caring love?

Every year, more than a billion Valentine cards are bought and sent throughout the world. The act of sending a nice card seems to fill a natural yearning to express how much we care for someone.

But does Valentine’s Day really celebrate true, caring love? Or does this popular holiday actually promote something else?

Origins of Valentine’s Day

When we think of Valentine’s Day, we call to mind hearts, chocolates, flowers and expressions of love. Yet before joining in the fun, wouldn’t it be wise to know where this tradition came from?

Valentine’s Day may be acceptable to millions of people, but not to God.

First, we should understand that Valentine’s Day began when the early Roman Catholic Church tried to Christianize an ancient pagan Roman holiday called Lupercalia. That celebration was a licentious festival that honored Lupercus, the hero-hunter of wolves. This festival was so immensely popular among the Roman people that church leaders included it in their calendar, hoping to retain their new parishioners and turn them from sexual licentiousness to morality by linking it to a saint.

The saint they chose for this mid-February Roman festival was St. Valentine. One source explains:

“St. Valentine is believed to have been a Roman priest who was martyred on this day [February 14] around [A.D.] 270. How he became the patron saint of lovers remains a mystery, but one theory is that the Church used the day of St. Valentine’s martyrdom in an attempt to Christianize the old Roman Lupercalia, a pagan festival held around the middle of February.

“Part of the ancient ceremony entailed putting girls’ names in a box and letting the boys draw them out. Couples would thus be paired off until the following year. The Church substituted saints’ names for girls’ names, in the hope that the participant would model his life after the saint whose name he drew.

“But by the 16th century, it was once again girls’ names that ended up in the box. Eventually the custom of sending anonymous cards or messages to those one admired became the accepted way of celebrating St. Valentine’s Day” (Helene Henderson and Sue Ellen Thompson, editors, Holidays, Festivals, and Celebrations of the World Dictionary, “Valentine’s Day,” 2005, p. 576).

Although all historical sources contain some of the same notions about how Valentine’s Day developed, each one highlights another facet of the story. Another states:

“Some people have tried to connect the historical Saint Valentine with the later practices of Valentine’s Day by saying that the saint married couples despite the emperor’s prohibition, or that he sent a note signed ‘from your Valentine’ to the daughter of his jailer.

“However, the early Christian saint Valentine probably had nothing to do with the traditions later celebrated on his feast day; it is simply by his placement in the Christian calendar that his name became associated with it. Later, the word valentine may have been confused with the Norman French word galantine , meaning lover of women, as the G and V were often interchangeable in common pronunciation.

“In any case, February 14 gradually became a traditional date for exchanging love messages, and Saint Valentine became the patron saint of lovers” (Macmillan Profiles: Festivals and Holidays, 1999, p. 363).     Continued at: https://www.ucg.org/good-news/before-you-ask-someone-to-be-your-valentine

________

Would Jesus Do Valentine’s?

“A few years ago the acronym WWJD became really popular—it stands for “What Would Jesus Do?”

So here’s a question for this time of the year: Would Jesus do Valentine’s?

Well, why not? one could argue. It’s all about love, romance and showing sweetness to someone special. Sounds like the kind of thing Jesus is all about!

But think about this for a minute: The only reason we have Valentine’s Day today is because someone started it somewhere. We can’t simply put Jesus in our context today and ask if He would be celebrating Valentine’s, without first asking would He have celebrated it when it first became popularized.

So let’s rewind history just a bit. Going way back, centuries before Jesus, the Romans had a big, three-day long religious celebration—a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus. Faunus was the Roman equivalent to the Greek god Pan. He was also associated with the god Lupercus, from which this festival got the name Lupercalia, which was celebrated between the 13th and 15th of February.

All the lore surrounding the goings-on of this festival is a little murky. Some say that after the sacrifices and rituals to pray for the gods’ blessings for fertility, the bachelors would draw from an urn the names of young women, and they would be paired with them for a year, maybe longer if the relationship worked out. Others debate that, but we do know enough to conclude that, well, let’s just say that the pagans knew how to mix a lot of illicit sex into their religious celebrations.

So skip ahead a few hundred years and—I’ll just quote from a National Public Radio report—“Pope Gelasius I muddled things in the 5th century by combining St. Valentine’s Day with Lupercalia to expel the pagan rituals.” Knowing how popular it was with the masses, though, he said, we’ll still have something on Feb. 14, but we’ll honor Saint Valentine, a fellow Catholic legend says was martyred. As NPR says, “The festival was more of a theatrical interpretation of what it had once been. Lenski adds, ‘It was a little more of a drunken revel, but the Christians put clothes back on it. That didn’t stop it from being a day of fertility and love.’”

The AmericanCatholic.org website says Gelasius “changed the lottery to have both young men and women draw the names of saints whom they would then emulate for the year (a change that no doubt disappointed a few young men). Instead of Lupercus, the patron of the feast became Valentine.

“For Roman men, the day continued to be an occasion to seek the affections of women, and it became a tradition to give out handwritten messages of admiration that included Valentine’s name.”

And let’s not forget about Cupid—where did he come from? Well, in Roman mythology Cupid is the son of Venus, the goddess of love and beauty. He himself is the god of raw desire, erotic love and attraction; and he was worshipped because he could cause people to fall in love by shooting them with his love-potion arrows. So, that cute little cherub on your greeting card?—a Roman god.

So would Jesus have done Valentine’s Day when it first appeared on the scene in modern Christianity? Would He have said, “Hey, I don’t have any problem with you borrowing a little religion here and there from the pagans. Want to weave their idols and gods into My religion? Go for it. Don’t worry about that silly commandment about idolatry and no other gods before Me. My God, Roman gods—no big deal.”

“Valentine’s and WWJD”—what would Jesus do? That’s pretty clear.

The real question is “Valentine’s and WWYD”—what will you do?” 

From: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/speaking-of/would-jesus-do-valentines/

________

Another article: What's Wrong With Showing Love?

https://www.ucg.org/the-good-news/valentines-day-whats-wrong-with-showing-love

________

Update.

The Bible study at the apartment club house on Sunday afternoons is from the book of Philippians for the next few weeks.  Not very many show up, but those who do, are very attentive to the programs that the pastor shows from his laptop onto the big TV.  Then he asks questions and there are discussions. On Monday we had another “Strengthening The Relationships that Matter” meeting put on by Texas A & M AgriLife Extension. 

Wednesday, I had the van inspected and then drove to Anderson, TX, the county seat of Grimes County, to get the new tags.  This is the first year since I have had it, that I haven’t had to spend money on the van to get it past inspection.

Blow me down, I had to go back to Anderson the next day, a neighbor needed a ride to get their box at the food pantry.  Then I dropped off another neighbor at their doctor’s office and came back to play Bingo at the club house. By the time that was over, the neighbor was ready to be picked up.

For someone who doesn’t like to go gallivanting around, my van sure was kept busy this week, because another neighbor and I went to HEB grocery store in College Station on Friday.  But they got a phone call and I didn’t get to do all the things that I needed to do there because we had to rush back. Then it was time for my other Bible study which is studying Daniel, ready for the next day’s Bible School before the church service. 

I bought some chocolate cookies with white chocolate chunks for the church potluck, but they turned into little brown rocks, so I made them into a trifle by pouring vanilla pudding over them. That softened them up and made a nice dessert.

The Teaching at the church today, “One People In Christ”, was given by a black lady because it is Black History Month.  It was about a lady who was very instrumental in getting Christianity and the truth about the Sabbath widely published, but was very poorly treated when she was sick with cancer and needed care, because she was black.

My little “Foxie”, the American Eskimo dog who looks like a little white fox, is gradually realizing that no one, or thing, is going to hurt her here.  She finally walks with her tail over her back instead of tucked between her legs.  Because she has mostly been a good girl about peeing outside, I am rewarding her by letting her loose in the apartment instead of in her big crate, when I am home during the day.