Zombie Movies: What Do They Get Right? The Eighth Day. Evidence-Based Medicine or Evidence-Biased?

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Zombie Movies: What Do They Get Right?

“They may be mindless entertainment, but is there anything zombie movies and shows actually get right?

Zombies. They seem to be all around us—at least in the entertainment world. But we all know they aren’t real, right?

We are told that they are the walking dead, the living dead, the undead. They have their own nation Z, and they are about to unleash an apocalypse upon the rest of us. Have you ever tried to make sense of this zombie thing?

How is it that an undead person can crawl out of a grave (or be infected with a virus) and become a menace to the living? Why do they supposedly feast on the bodies of the living? How do they even know who is living and who is undead like themselves? And why do they walk like that—all stiff-kneed and halting? Are knees (and apparently elbows) the only things that stop working when you are undead?

And what happens when they finally take over and everyone is undead?

A bunch of nonsense?

If you are like me, you might think the whole zombie thing is just a bunch of nonsense. The idea of a dead person coming back to life? That’s simply ridiculous! When you’re dead, you’re dead, right?

Doesn’t the Bible confirm this when it says, “For dust you are, and to dust you shall return” (Genesis 3:19)? And, “For the living know that they will die; but the dead know nothing” (Ecclesiastes 9:5)? That sounds like the dead are dead—for good.

When is the impossible possible?

On the other hand, is there anything that the zombie genre gets right? Believe it or not, there is one slight shred of truth behind the idea of zombies—the dead actually are coming back to life!

Humans have long been fascinated by the concept of the dead coming back to life, but have found it to be impossible. The truth is, it’s not impossible at all when the Creator of life Himself is involved.

God is going to bring back the dead. He promises!

Can these bones live?

As he viewed in a vision the bones of thousands of dead people, the prophet Ezekiel was asked by this Creator of life, “Son of man, can these bones live?”

Ezekiel answered, “O Lord GOD, You know” (Ezekiel 37:3). Most would give the same answer today because they really have no idea if the dead can come back to life. Isn’t that the stuff of Frankenstein and zombie stories? The dead returning to the land of the living may be entertainment to some, but such make-believe has no real connection to most people and their everyday lives.

But what about you? You may be surprised to find that your Bible actually speaks quite often about the dead coming back to life. You, like most others, may be unaware that Jesus Christ stated nothing about an immortal soul going off to heaven when you die, but rather said, “Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation” (John 5:28-29).

Yes, Jesus taught that humans will be brought back to life after sleeping in death!

The apostles believed what Jesus said and therefore taught the same thing. “I have hope in God, which they themselves also accept, that there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust,” Paul declared to the Roman governor Felix (Acts 24:15).

Resurrection literally means “standing up again.” Since a dead person cannot stand (even with stiff knees and elbows), resurrect means to be raised from the dead to become living once again.

In spite of Dr. Frankenstein’s best efforts, bringing one back from the dead is impossible when humans are the highest power involved. But when the Creator is involved, the dead can be—and will be—brought back to life, no matter if they were buried, cremated or lost at sea.

A counterfeit

Sad to say, what zombie movies depict is a counterfeit resurrection to some sort of nearly dead condition where the undead attack, terrorize, kill and destroy. These erroneous ideas unfortunately can prejudice people’s minds against the good news that the dead will, in fact, come back to life. But not in a condition of half-alive and half-dead. The truth of your Bible is quite different.

Understanding the mystery

This astounding truth is hidden from so many people that your Bible calls it a mystery (1 Corinthians 15:51). Today this mystery is understood by very few, yet it sits in plain view for those given eyes to see.

We would like you to come to understand this mystery. Your Bible plainly teaches that one group of “the dead will be raised incorruptible” (1 Corinthians 15:52). There is a resurrection, either to physical life or immortal life, in your future!

More than one

Savvy readers will have noticed in both Jesus’ and Paul’s words quoted earlier, a teaching of at least two different times of resurrection from the dead. There is a coming first resurrection—of the just, those who had been justified—and a second resurrection—of the unjust, those who had not yet been forgiven. Note that since “all have sinned” (Romans 3:23), the just refers to those who have repented and been forgiven and lived faithfully.

If this biblical teaching about resurrections from the dead is new to you, please read our article “Resurrections: What Are They?”

Paul elaborated on this first resurrection to spirit life. “Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality” (1 Corinthians 15:51-53). We don’t have immortality now, but can have it at that time.

Ezekiel makes us aware of a second resurrection, one to physical life, for those who had been unjust. “Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: ‘Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the LORD’” (Ezekiel 37:5-6).

No half-dead zombies, but vibrant new lives in full health, ready for what God has in store for them.

One of the key phrases here is, “Then you shall know that I am the LORD.” From this we learn that these unjust brought to life in this second resurrection had not really known the true God during their first life. Now they’ll have the opportunity to do so.

Celebrations of new life

The first resurrection is such a vital part of God’s plan that He reminds us of it in an annual celebration. It’s called the Feast of Trumpets. On this day we celebrate and anticipate what Jesus Christ will do in the near future. The Feast of Trumpets anticipates His return and, with it, the first resurrection.

“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first” (1 Thessalonians 4:16).

The dead in Christ—dead Christians—are asleep in the grave awaiting the wake-up call of the last trumpet. They will not be zombies, but glorious, powerful spirit beings because “we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2). Paul adds, “We shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man” (1 Corinthians 15:49).

Revelation 20:4 speaks of those resurrected when He returns. “And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.” This thousand-year reign is pictured by another biblical festival, the Feast of Tabernacles.

But there is yet another biblical holy day—called the Eighth Day or Last Great Day—that foretells another resurrection, the resurrection of all those who were not “dead in Christ.” These are the “rest of the dead” who “did not live again until the thousand years were finished” (verse 5). What happens when they are resurrected?

“Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books” (Revelation 20:11-12).

The unjust who didn’t know God will now have the opportunity to come to know God and become just. The books of the Bible and the Book of Life, previously closed to them, will be opened for them.

God explained it this way to Ezekiel: “‘Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves. I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken it and performed it,’ says the LORD” (Ezekiel 37:13-14).

If you are not familiar with these annual celebrations that the Bible calls holy days, we invite you to read “Trumpets, Atonement, Tabernacles & the Eighth Day.” Check them out in your own Bible, and ask God to open your mind to understand what the Bible tells us to do.

A coming reality

No, zombies are not going to come crawling—or stiffly walking—out of the grave to begin an apocalypse. All of that is clearly fiction and a human distortion of God’s truth.

But there is a coming reality—a real resurrection from the dead—that will give every human an opportunity to walk in eternal life!”                  From: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/life/life-after-death/resurrections/zombie-movies-what-do-they-get-right/

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The Eighth Day.   (Tuesday, Oct 18th, 2022 in most places.)

“God has a merciful and loving plan for ALL of mankind, The final commanded festival of God, the Eighth Day is a beautiful representation of this plan.

“Immediately following the seven-day Feast of Tabernacles is another Holy Day or Sabbath—referred to in Scripture simply as "the eighth day" (Leviticus 23:36, Leviticus 23:39). This day pictures the most joyful of all events yet to take place in God's great plan.

We should consider that the celebration of the ingathering of all humanity is not complete with the 1,000-year reign of Christ. For what about all those who died in this age who were not called as part of God's firstfruits? There will yet remain billions of people from this age who are not saved. So are they forever lost?

Many Bible students realize that one day we will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10). What most don't realize is that for those who died without the true knowledge of the plan of salvation, the time will come when they will be resurrected to physical life and given their first opportunity to really understand God's plan and make an informed choice about it.

Revelation 20:11-15 speaks of this time yet to come 1,000 years after the "first resurrection" (Revelation 20:6), when "the rest of the dead" will in a second resurrection be restored to life (Revelation 20:5). Ezekiel 37:1-14
describes the same period—a time when those who seemed doomed with all hope lost (Ezekiel 37:11) will be raised to life again. They will be astonished to find out that God will offer to them His Holy Spirit (Ezekiel 37:14) and give them the opportunity to really know for the first time just who the true God is (Ezekiel 37:13).

This vision, then, speaks of the time when all humanity who never sufficiently understood God's truth will at last come to know it. It will be at this time that they will have to decide whether or not they will serve God. In other words, their salvation is dependent on whether or not they will choose to accept Jesus' shed blood for their sins and serve God faithfully once they come to know Him.

This will be a time of judgment in the sense that the new lives of these multitudes will be under evaluation. Those who stay on the right path with God's help will be saved. Those who ultimately reject God are the only ones who will be condemned in the end. Undoubtedly, most of humanity will make the right decision to obey Him and continue in His ways.

God, in His great wisdom, has a plan to offer everyone who has ever lived an opportunity to inherit eternal life. He is calling some to repentance now, and the rest He will call during the millennial reign of Christ and the second resurrection period that follows.

If you have read this far and are coming to understand God's great plan, perhaps you are being called at this time. May God help you to respond to His call to receive Jesus Christ and follow His ways—including observance of these important festivals that show the way to eternal salvation in God's family!”   From: https://www.ucg.org/beyond-today/beyond-today-daily/the-eighth-day-gods-plan-for-mankind

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Evidence-Based Medicine or Evidence-Biased?

To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the video at:  https://nutritionfacts.org/video/evidence-based-medicine-or-evidence-biased/

Transcript: “Evidence-based medicine may ironically bias medical professionals against the power of dietary intervention.

Dr. Esselstyn’s landmark study showing even advanced triple vessel coronary artery disease could be reversed with a plant-based diet has been criticized for being such a small study. But the reason we’re used to seeing such large studies is they typically show such small effects.

Drug manufacturers may need to study 7,000 people in order to show a barely statistically significant 15% drop in ischemic events in a subsample of patients, whereas Esselstyn got a 100% drop in those who stuck to his diet—all the more compelling given that those 18 participants experienced “49 coronary events [such as heart attacks] in the 8 years before” they went on the diet. And these were the worst of the worst—most of whom having already failed surgical intervention. So, when the effects are that dramatic, how many people do you need?

Before 1885, symptomatic rabies was death sentence until July 6^th, when little Joseph Meister became the first to receive Pasteur’s experimental rabies vaccine. “The results of this [and one other] case were so dramatic compared with previous experience” that the new treatment was accepted with a sample size of two. So dramatic, compared with previous experience, no randomized controlled trial was necessary. “Would you—having been infected by a rabid dog—be willing to participate in a randomized controlled trial…when being in the control group had a certainty of a ‘most awful death’?” Sadly, such a question is not entirely rhetorical.

In the 1970s, a revolutionary treatment for babies with immature lungs called ECMO, extracorporeal membranous oxygenation, “transformed mortality in these [babies] from 80 per cent [down] to 20 percent, nearly overnight”—from 80% dead to 80% alive. Despite this dramatic success, they felt forced to perform a randomized controlled trial. They didn’t want to. They knew they’d be condemning babies to death. “They felt compelled to perform [such] a trial, because their claim that ECMO [worked] would, they judged, carry little weight amongst their medical colleagues unless supported by a [randomized controlled] trial.”

And so, at Harvard’s Children’s Hospital, 39 infants were randomized to either get ECMO or not—just get conventional medical therapy. They decided to stop the trial after the fourth death, so as not to kill too many babies. And, that’s what they did. The study “was halted after the fourth [conventional medical therapy] death,” at which point nine out of the nine ECMO babies had survived. Imagine being the parent of one of those four dead children—just as one can imagine being the child of a parent who died from conventional medical or surgical therapy for heart disease.

“Medical students in the United States are taught [very] little about nutrition. Worse yet, their training [actually] biases them against the studies that show the power of dietary approaches to managing disease,” by encouraging them “to ignore any information that does not come from…double-blind, randomized controlled trial[s]. Yet human beings cannot [easily] be blinded to a dietary intervention.” They tend to notice what they’re eating. As a result, physicians [may be] biased [in favor of] drug treatments and against dietary interventions for the management of chronic disease.”

“Evidence[-based medicine] is a good thing. However, the medical profession [may be] focusing too much on one kind of evidence, to the exclusion of [all] others”—degenerating into a “ignoring-most-of-the-truly-important-evidence[-based] medicine.”

And heart disease is the perfect example. On a healthy-enough plant-based diet, our #1 cause of death may “simply cease…to exist.” The Cornell-Oxford-China Study showed that even “small amounts of animal-based foods [was] associated with small, but measurable increases in [the] risk of [some of these chronic] disease[s].”

“In other words, the causal relationship between dietary patterns and coronary artery disease was already well established before…Ornish…and…Esselstyn…undertook their clinical studies. The value of their studies was not so much in providing evidence that such a dietary change would be effective, but in showing that physicians can persuade their patients to make such changes,” and also providing interesting “data on the speed and magnitude of the change in severe atherosclerotic lesions as a result of dietary therapy.”

So, “[a]ny complaints that these studies were small or unblinded are simply irrelevant. Because the evidence of the role of diet in causing atherosclerosis is already so overwhelming, assigning a patient to a control group [eating the Standard American Diet could be considered a] violation of research ethics.”

“Evidence of the value of…plant-based diet[s] for managing [chronic disease] has been available in the medical literature for decades.” Kempner at Duke; John McDougall; The Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine. “Denis Burkitt warned us” that the Standard American Diet “is the standard cause of death and disability in the Western world,” for decades. “Yet physicians,…in the [U.S.], are still busily manning the ambulances at the bottom of the cliff instead of building fences at the top.”

More on this subject at: https://nutritionfacts.org/video/fully-consensual-heart-disease-treatment/    Fully Consensual Heart Disease Treatment

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

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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/?

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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

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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/?

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What Is the Real Meaning of the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus? Test All Things. Why You Should Care About Nutrition.

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What Is the Real Meaning of the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus?

“The parable of Lazarus and the rich man can seem to tell of men going to heaven and hell after death. But is that the real meaning and lesson of this parable?

The parable of Lazarus and the rich man is one of Jesus’ most misunderstood parables. You can read it in Luke 16:19-31. This parable is often interpreted as being about the immediate fate of the dead. After all, a surface-level reading seems to show the beggar Lazarus dying and going to heaven while the selfish rich man dies and descends to hell.

But a problem with this explanation of the parable is that there are several scriptures—many of them from the mouth of Jesus Himself—that contradict the idea that people go to heaven or hell immediately after death.

How should we understand this parable? Is it really about what happens to people right at the time they die? Or did Jesus intend for us to learn a completely different lesson?

What did Jesus say about death?

Jesus made clear statements throughout His ministry about what does and doesn’t happen after a person dies.

In John 11, Jesus resurrected His friend Lazarus (the brother of Mary and Martha, not the character in the parable). Before doing so, He told His disciples: “Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up” (verse 11). When the disciples were confused about what He meant, Jesus clarified that He meant Lazarus was dead (verses 13-14).

Jesus likened death to sleep—a state of unconsciousness. Jesus’ words harmonize with other scriptures that show the dead have no conscious thoughts (Ecclesiastes 9:5). So it would be contradictory for Jesus to teach that the rich man and the beggar Lazarus were very much awake after they died.

What did Jesus teach about going to heaven?

Jesus made a clear statement about going to heaven: “No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven” (John 3:13). The New English Translation is even clearer: “No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven—the Son of Man.”

So it would be strange and inconsistent for Jesus to say in one situation that no one has gone to heaven and then later say that Lazarus the beggar went to heaven.

What did Jesus say about hell?

In Matthew 10:28, Jesus said: “But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Jesus associated hell with destruction. When something is destroyed, it ceases to exist. Jesus described hell as a place of complete destruction rather than a place with conscious and tormented dead individuals. This is consistent with how other biblical writers described the fate of the wicked (Malachi 4:3; Romans 6:23). You can learn more about this topic in our online article “Eternal Torment?”

So these statements give us a clear understanding of Jesus’ teaching. After death people don’t immediately go to heaven or hell. Instead, they await a future time when they will be resurrected from the dead (Luke 14:14).

What moral lesson was Jesus teaching?

When examining a parable, we have to recognize what a parable is—and is not. A parable is a short, fictitious story designed to teach a moral or spiritual lesson.

Many are surprised by Jesus’ comment that He did not use parables to make it easy for the crowds to understand, but so they wouldn’t understand (Matthew 13:11-15). He often had to explain the meaning of parables to His disciples.

When Jesus wanted to teach something clearly, He didn’t use parables (as we see in His above clear statements about death, heaven and hell).

Jesus designed His parables to be somewhat ambiguous on the surface (Luke 8:10). This, by itself, should show us that we have to be careful about interpreting a parable through a mere superficial reading. Instead, we must dig deeper to identify the core moral lesson Jesus was talking about—and not get lost in the details of the fictional story He used to deliver that lesson.

As an analogy, we can think of a parable as the wrapping paper concealing a gift. Instead of getting caught up in the details of the wrapping paper (what it looks like, how it’s wrapped, etc.), we should really be concerned with the gift inside.

So what was the core lesson Jesus taught with this parable?

We have to begin by looking at the context in which He gave it. Right before He told this parable, Jesus had been in a conflict with the Pharisees.

“Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard all these things, and they derided Him. And He said to them, ‘You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God’” (Luke 16:14-15).

Jesus was dealing with people who were fixated on the accumulation of wealth and who hypocritically put on a false front of being righteous before people. However, internally their hearts were unrighteous. Simply put, these people pretended to be righteous, but in reality were full of greed and lack of concern for others. Their “righteousness” was just a show. Jesus used the parable of Lazarus and the rich man to warn of the pitfalls and dangers of living a life driven by greed and a lack of love for others.

The context of the parable was not about death or what happens after death. The context was the danger of greed and hypocrisy.

The real meaning of the parable

There are two main characters in this story—the rich man (who lived a posh life and ate well every day) and a poor man named Lazarus (who was covered with sores and it seems was unable to work to feed himself).

Instead of helping Lazarus, the rich man coldheartedly ignored his suffering.

They both eventually died. Jesus then transitioned the story to the afterlife. Here, the roles are completely reversed. Lazarus is healed and in a state of comfort, while the rich man is in a state of mental distress. (Considering the biblical timeline of the resurrections, this seems to refer to the short time discussed in Revelation 20:14-15 when the wicked who have already had their opportunity for salvation are raised and condemned to the second death in the lake of fire.)

The rich man begs Lazarus to comfort him, but it’s too late, and there’s nothing he can do to help. The rich man even begs that someone warn his brothers to repent and change their lives so they can avoid the same fate.

The spiritual lesson is profound: Get your priorities correct now. Instead of being greedy and hypocritical, prioritize loving God and serving other people above all other things—now. Don’t put it off, because you never know when your life will end.

An additional lesson this parable teaches is a principle Paul wrote about later in 1 Corinthians 1:27: “But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty.”

At the beginning of the parable, Lazarus was as weak and powerless as any human being could be, while the rich man was wealthy and mighty. But in the end, those roles were reversed. Lazarus’ humility and righteousness resulted in his standing beside Abraham, and the rich man’s greed and lack of compassion led to his being brought very low.

The meaning and lesson of Jesus’ parable of the rich man and Lazarus is relevant to all of us today!

For more insight on this parable, read our article “Lazarus and the Rich Man: Proof of the Existence of Hell?”   From: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/life/life-after-death/what-is-hell/meaning-of-parable-of-rich-man-and-lazarus/

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Test All Things

1 Thessalonians 5:21

Test all things; hold fast what is good.

In the post about John 14:1, we covered how the essential starting point of true Christianity is a genuine belief in God. In 1 Thessalonians 5:21 the apostle Paul shows us the great extent to which that belief in God extends into every aspect of our lives. God’s way of life revealed through the Bible is to be the filter through which we “test,” or examine, all ideas, beliefs and activities.

Here are three keys to fulfilling this scripture:

• Any individual who claims to represent and teach about God is to be tested against the Bible—the Word of God. The starting point for this testing is whether or not the teacher teaches and observes the law of God (Isaiah 8:20). Jesus Christ also admonished us to watch for false religious teachers (Matthew 7:15-16, see also 1 John 4:1).
• To “test all things” we must have the approach of the Bereans, testing all things by studying the Word of God (Acts 17:11).
• Every idea or activity that comes before us in life should be scrutinized through the filter of God’s truth. To mature as a Christian is to become skilled at discerning between “good and evil” (Hebrews 5:14) and between what is and is not acceptable to God (Ephesians 5:10).

Once we determine the truth, we must hold fast to it, meaning we must be “steadfast” and “immovable” (1 Corinthians 15:58) in our belief in God and His truth!

To learn more about what you need to find and hold fast to, read “What Is Truth?”

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Why You Should Care About Nutrition | NutritionFacts.org

Transcript of video: https://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-you-should-care-about-nutrition/

"Does it really matter what we eat? Well, the good news is, we have tremendous power over our health destiny and longevity. The majority of premature death and disability is preventable, with a healthy enough diet. It’s…the…food.

Most deaths in the United States are preventable, and related to nutrition. According to the most rigorous analysis of risk factors ever published — the Global Burden of Disease Study, the number one cause of death in the United States, and the number one cause of disability, is our diet, which has bumped tobacco smoking to number two. Smoking now only kills a half million Americans every year, whereas our diet kills hundreds of thousands more.

What we eat is the number one determinant of how long we live. What we eat is what determines most whether we’ll die prematurely. What we eat is what determines most whether we become disabled or not.

So, if our diet is the number one cause of death and disability, if most deaths in the United States are preventable, and related to nutrition, then, obviously, nutrition is the number one thing taught in medical school. Right? Obviously, it’s the number one thing your doctor talks to you about at every visit. Right?

Unfortunately, doctors suffer from a severe nutrition deficiency—in education. Most doctors are just never taught about the impact healthy nutrition can have on the course of illness, and so, they graduate without this powerful tool in their medical toolbox.

Now, there are also institutional barriers—such as time constraints, and lack of reimbursement. In general, doctors aren’t paid for counseling people on how to take better care of themselves. Of course, the drug companies also play a role in influencing medical education and practice. Ask your doctor when’s the last time they were taken out to dinner by Big Broccoli—it’s probably been a while.

That’s why I started NutritionFacts.org. It’s the tool I wish I had in medical training. NutritionFacts.org is a free, nonprofit, science-based public service, providing daily updates on the latest in nutrition research via bite-sized videos. There are videos on more than 2,000 health and nutrition topics—all free—with new videos and articles uploaded every day on the latest in evidence-based nutrition.  What a concept."

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I Don’t Want to Be a Burden. Praying People. Top 10 Most HARMFUL Foods People Keep EATING.

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I Don’t Want to Be a Burden

“Many desire to help friends and relatives who are growing older. But sometimes those who have helped so many others are not so welcoming of help themselves.

Growing old is nothing new—it happens to everyone. Accepting help as a person ages is not new either, but neither is it always simple or easy. And yet life often comes full circle with age. After a lifetime of serving, giving to and helping others, it can be a bitter pill to need help ourselves.

The circle of help

The cycle generally goes like this:

Requiring and receiving help: From the moment of birth, a child requires help with virtually everything. Whether it is eating, dressing or being comforted, children are powerless to do much of anything for themselves. Babies happily (for the most part) receive and enjoy all the help, love and attention that comes their way.

Helping others who require help: During the preteen to young adult years, children are taught to help with household chores. They also generally have their introduction to helping other people, often older people like Grandma and Granddad. Whether help is required or not, grandparents enjoy watching these young ones bring them books or drinks, or push their shopping cart.

As children enter adulthood, they’re given many additional opportunities to help people. These include helping friends, neighbors and coworkers, but especially family. Children, parents, grandparents and extended family members may all need help at times. Many adults spend decades helping and giving care as they can.

Requiring and accepting help: However, time marches relentlessly onward, and with age often comes the need to receive help. The need for help may come on gradually or it may come suddenly due to illness or accident. Chores once done with ease may now be too much to handle.

It is not always easy for one who is used to independence to ask for or accept help. Why? And what can be done to foster an environment where genuine help is gracefully accepted and appreciated?

The challenge to put things aside

After many years of a vibrant and active life full of mobility and lending assistance to others, an aging person can find it difficult to suddenly be on the receiving end of help. It was so natural to give help, so why is it hard to accept it?

Aging and needing help may mean a loss of privacy and adjusting to new routines. As a result, a person may feel frightened, frustrated, vulnerable or angry that he or she needs help. After being a help giver for so many years, one who now needs help may feel guilty and worried about becoming a burden to family and friends.

The loss of independence often plays a major role in the reluctance to accept help. People who spend the majority of their lives coming and going as they please never consider that one day they may be unable to do many formerly simple chores without assistance.

One author explains the situation this way: “Our parents spent their entire lives being independent and making their own decisions, as well as a number of decisions for us throughout our lives. It has got to be hard to accept help and even hard to ask for it. I know it is for me, why wouldn’t it be for them?” (“Why Elderly Parents May Not Accept Their Children’s Help”).

The potential loss of independence is real, but it should not prevent a person from accepting help. Most people do not want to be pitied, but we must be careful not to confuse a sincere offer to help with pity.

Another reason older people may refuse to accept help is simple human pride. And with pride comes the potential for hurt feelings. One of the proverbs reads, “When pride comes, then comes shame; but with the humble is wisdom” (Proverbs 11:2).

So how do we get over feelings of being a burden to others? And how do we deal with the natural feelings of hurt pride?

Becoming a cheerful receiver

There are amazing benefits that come to those who serve others. Helping people is voluntarily giving part of your life to others in order to make their lives a little easier or more productive. But most people who have been cheerful helpers will see the day when they must become cheerful receivers of assistance from others who care deeply for them.

The apostle Paul describes the blessings that come to those who reach beyond themselves in an effort to help others. The love and service given are noticed and repaid. He told the brethren in Corinth, “But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully” (2 Corinthians 9:6).

When the time comes, help will most often come from those who were helped in their younger years—children and grandchildren. It should be easier to accept help from relatives you know, love and trust.

But how does one become a cheerful receiver?

Accepting help with a healthy attitude

It begins with humility. The apostle Peter is a great example of a person who learned to grow in humility. On the night of Jesus’ final Passover with the disciples, He washed the feet of each of His disciples to set an example of humble service. Peter, thinking this was not right, initially refused to allow the Messiah to wash his feet. Only after a gentle rebuke from Jesus did he humbly submit to the will of Christ (John 13:5-9). He learned a powerful lesson about serving others as Christ was doing and also about accepting help!

As Peter grew older, he took this valuable lesson and passed it on to others. He knew from hard experience what happens when we allow our pride or our own human reasoning to get in the way. Apparently having learned to both give and receive help, Peter was inspired to write, “Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for ‘God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble’” (1 Peter 5:5-7).

Those who humbly and joyfully accept help as needed have an opportunity to share with the next generation the help they have received all their lives from a loving God. The concept of being “submissive to one another” leaves a bad taste in the mouths of some. But one aspect of submitting to one another is accepting help as we age—learning to humbly receive help from those who are also submitting in meeting the needs of aging friends and family.

What those who are older can share

God has promised to never leave or forsake those who obey His commands—no matter how old they are. The psalmist was inspired to write, “Now also when I am old and gray-headed, O God, do not forsake me, until I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to everyone who is to come” (Psalm 71:18).

Those who humbly and joyfully accept help as needed have an opportunity to share with the next generation the help they have received all their lives from a loving God.

Helpers of their joy

Submission, humility and wisdom are key factors in growing old gracefully.

Addressing the congregation in Corinth, the apostle Paul said, “Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:16). That inner self is the heart and character of the man.

Simply growing older should not have a negative effect on our core values and character. There are tremendous benefits to cheerfully accepting help when we are “feeling our age.”

1. It provides opportunities for young to learn from old. Yes, there are grumpy and grouchy old people, but there are also happy and considerate elderly people as well.

Paul told his young friend Titus that the older members of the Church still had a responsibility when it came to helping the younger people in the congregation mature. “But as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine: that the older men be sober, reverent, temperate, sound in faith, in love, in patience; the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things—that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed” (Titus 2:1-5).

By remaining active in the congregation, the older members have the opportunity to mentor the young adults by modeling for them examples that reflect the sound doctrine established by Jesus Christ and the Church. It takes work to reflect God’s nature, but Paul wanted the older members to help teach these things to the young.

2. It allows others the opportunity to learn how to provide help. Though age will eventually cause one to retire from a job or lose the ability to perform certain types of physical labor, accepting help provides opportunities for others to become effective helpers. If the elderly have been setting a godly example, in time there should be a response from those who’ve watched.

James was inspired to write, “Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world” (James 1:27). The next generation will see the needs of those who are aging and will work to make life a little easier by offering to help physically, financially and even emotionally. Knowing when to accept help allows the next generation to practice pure religion.

3. It helps build relationships between people of all generations. There is a tendency for people to associate primarily with their own age group. Accepting help as you age opens up avenues for people of all ages to help, and it can provide opportunities to create new and lasting relationships, bridging the “generation gap.”

Asking God for help as we age

Vast multitudes followed Jesus Christ when He walked upon the earth, and many sought and gladly accepted His help. The psalmist, realizing that he would require help from God in his later years, made a request: “Do not cast me off in the time of old age; do not forsake me when my strength fails” (Psalm 71:9). Asking for (and accepting) help from God is always the right thing to do, and we should do it daily.

We should also realize that God often uses people to answer those prayers—people who desire to lend a helping hand to serve those who are aging.

God describes those who live their lives in a close relationship with Him this way: “Those who are planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bear fruit in old age; they shall be fresh and flourishing, to declare that the LORD is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him” (Psalm 92:13-15). While God expects those who are older to continue to bear spiritual fruit, this fruit is now more likely to be teaching and encouragement than hard, physical labor.

Growing old is part of God’s design for human beings. But as the years go by and life comes full circle for you, consider your need and responsibility to accept help. There are probably many people who are willing and able to assist when and where they are needed. Having the humility to accept help at the right time is part of how we learn to grow old gracefully.

Find more biblical help in the article “Growing Old Gracefully.”  From:  https://lifehopeandtruth.com/relationships/aging/i-dont-want-to-be-a-burden/

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Praying People

“We have a duty to preach the gospel; we need to pray for our leaders so that we have the ability to carry out this commission.

Transcript of YouTube: https://youtu.be/4sQEj3S0obQ

[Steve Myers] “As God's people, we are to be a praying people. There's a section in 1 Timothy 2 that zeroes in on that very thing. 1 Timothy 2 begins with prayer and the importance for all of us to be praying. It says that we should give prayers, supplications, intercessions, and giving of thanks for all men. In fact, it focuses in on something interesting. It then says, in verse 2, that we should pray for kings and all who are in authority. Now, that might take you back just a little bit, but why should I be praying for a king or a president or somebody that's in charge? What would be the point of doing that? Well, the Apostle Paul explains that and he says, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all goodness and reverence.

So part of it is praying for ourselves, that we can have peace, we can meet, and we can worship God. But then he also says something I think that expands that idea, that it's not just for that. But then he says, in verse 4, that God desires all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.

So, why pray for leaders? Why pray for kings or presidents? Why pray for those that are in authority? Well, its impact on us so that we can have Godly lives, we can have peace, but also so that the Gospel can go out. We can preach the Good News so that God may call people and that Word will go out, not only as a message that people can come to but also as a warning, that we warn this world that ultimately God is in charge.

And so, let's pray. Let's pray for those who are in authority, that we may lead Godly lives, that it may be peaceable as we worship God, but also that His word, that the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and of Jesus Christ will go out in His power, His authority.”  From: https://www.ucg.org/beyond-today/beyond-today-daily/praying-people

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Top 10 Most HARMFUL Foods People Keep EATING

“Have you noticed when you are trying to eat healthy that everything has extra ingredients in it?  Make sure you don't eat one of these Top 10 Most Harmful Foods People Keep Eating. There are so many food products that, while they may taste delicious, are harmful to your health.”

See YouTube:  https://youtu.be/Hr1lW83qHCs   By  Dr. Sten Ekberg

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What I Learned From Andy Dalton, Quarterback. The Bee’s Knees. Think Before You Act. Update.

What I Learned From Andy Dalton, Quarterback for Cincinnati Bengals

“Andy Dalton’s character and the way he handled adversity deserves to be mentioned. His actions are rare today, especially in sports.

Ben Hershey/Unsplash

We all go through setbacks or even feel like we have been benched. Sometimes we are not treated fairly, but how do we respond?

As we all know we are at the end of the football season, with the Super Bowl just ahead of us. While I do not care for sports at all, this has been an interesting year for the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals.

The Bengals had a very bad year. With a new coach, Zac Taylor, and with no wins to their credit, it looked like they were headed to their 12th loss, which would had been referred to as the “dirty dozen.”

However, they managed to pull off a win by beating the New York Jets on Sunday, Dec. 1 with an amazing score of 22 to 6. To get to their first win, there were some bumps for the nine-year quarterback Andy Dalton.

Normally I would not be writing about football but Andy Dalton’s character and the way he handled adversity deserves to be mentioned. His actions are rare today and especially in sports.

After a record of 0-8 at the beginning of the season, Dalton was told he would be benched on his birthday. “Happy Birthday Andy, but you have been benched, go eat your cake on your bench,” as I have been kidding with people around me. Of course, it was not a laughing matter for Dalton and I am sure it was humiliating. What was inspiring for me was to watch his amazing example throughout this ordeal.

Dalton did not get mad and quit, instead he got out there, encouraged and worked with the quarterback and his teammates for the next three games. As reported by WCPO Cincinnati, Dalton said he “wanted to be bitter when Cincinnati Bengals coach Zac Taylor benched me during week 9 so the coach could see if rookie Ryan Finley could reinvigorate the offense. It took me a day or two before I realized that was not going to get me anywhere.”

Of course, Dalton had no idea whether he would return to play the lead quarterback for the Bengals. However, he still pushed on and set an outstanding example not only for his team but also for all us to watch. In the face of all the adversity, Dalton kept his faith, his trust in God, and maintained a positive attitude! Even Dalton’s coach, Zac Taylor, who benched the quarterback, noticed Dalton’s attitude.

“Just his veteran leadership, his presence, his character, he stands for all the things you want in a player. And, so for him, when he’s the backup quarterback, he’s thinking ‘I didn’t get to finish with a win.’ You felt terrible for that part of it. So, for him to come back and lead us the way he led us and get this win is just… you know, it says a lot about his character and the adversity he’s overcome,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said. “He just kept being the leader through it all.”

“I didn’t know why it was happening, but I knew God has a plan for me,” Dalton said. “He has a plan for my family and my life, and I had to trust and believe in that. This is just part of my story and part of something I’m going to be able to relate to people on a different level now than I probably could not have before. Initially it was tough, but I wasn’t going to let the circumstance really get to me.

“At the end of the day, that’s not who I want people to see me to be, and that’s not my character,” he added. “That’s not what God has called me to be.” Dalton relied on his faith to get him through those rough few weeks before he was brought back as quarterback.

We all go through setbacks or even feel like we have been benched like Dalton. Sometimes we are not treated fairly, but how do we respond? Do we continue to trust God knowing that He is in charge of our life no matter what direction or situation we may find ourselves? Dalton had no idea he would ever be playing again for the Bengals. However, when he did come back, he came back with a major win for his team.

Dalton’s faith in God even through adversity reminded me of my favorite scripture found in Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (New International Version).

While Andy Dalton did not know what his future was when he was benched, he knew that God was in charge of his life. In addition, while going through his trial, he went on to help and encourage his teammates.

Let us all learn from Andy Dalton’s amazing example. To persevere when we have setbacks that we do not understand. To set a positive example for those around us to learn from. To know that God is indeed in charge of our life for our good and for the good of others around us.

Of course, our future is far greater than being a starting quarterback on a football team; as our goal is to be in God’s great Kingdom.

In the meantime, we will have to go through highs and lows before we get there. How will we respond when we are hit with the lows? Always know that God will see you through it. And people are watching to see how we respond.”  From: https://www.ucg.org/beyond-today/blogs/what-i-learned-from-andy-dalton-quarterback-for-cincinnati-bengals

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The Bee’s Knees and Cat’s Pajamas

“The cat’s pajamas, the bullfrog’s beard, the elephant’s adenoids, they all pale in comparison to the bee’s knees.

As bees are responsible for at least 70% of the world’s agriculture by way of pollination, a world without bees would largely mean a world where many humans go hungry. It would mean a world where plants are not able to reproduce, and where the animals that eat them would die out in just a few years.

Domestic and imported fruits and vegetables dependent on pollination include

• avocados
• soybeans
• asparagus
• broccoli
• celery
• squash
• sunflowers for oil

• cucumbers
• citrus fruit
• peaches
• kiwis
• cherries
• cranberries
• melons

According to Sustain, the Alliance for Better Food and Farming, “for crops such as blueberries and almonds, the honey bee plays an essential role in pollination of commercial crops, with around 80% of the US crop said to be dependent on honey bees. Honey bees can also pollinate clover and alfalfa, which are fed to cattle, so there are implications for the meat and dairy industry too. And that is not to mention the huge range of manufactured food products made from all these ingredients.”

Even as a hypothetical, a planet without bees is a frightening concept, but the fact is, we may be approaching that stage faster than many realize. While dangerous neocontid-based pesticides have increased in use over the last few decades, and agricultural claims around the world expand into lands ripped from nature by clear-cutting and deforestation, the world has meanwhile lost almost 90% of its bees.

As Albert Einstein once said, “If the bees disappear, humans would have 4 years to live.” To that extent, humans better get their five years plans in order, or find a way to save the bees.

As Greenpeace maintains, the latter shouldn’t be considered out of reach. There is still time to save the bees from extinction, despite their dwindling trajectory. The conservation group suggests banning the seven most dangerous pesticides (including nicotine-based substances), preserving wild habitats where bees live, and advocating for ecologically-minded agricultural practices.

Source: Pixabay

The most prolific methods of farming today are also the most detrimental to our environment, Greenpeace reports. Mono-crop planting reduces ecosystem diversity, and in turn, decreases insect populations. Ecological farming involves planting a variety of crops that are complementary to the environment, fertilizing with natural composting systems, rather than harsh chemicals, and leaving out the dangerous pesticides altogether. The yields from such methods may be less than current industrial-scale operations provide, but the long term risks are greatly reduced.

As pollution and the potential for soil loss from wind and water erosion decrease, and pollinating insects find work to be done on farms once more, the bees will have a good reason to return.

Learn more about the implications of a planet without bees in the video below.”

YouTube: https://youtu.be/JilYBVrFiLA

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Think Before You Act

A run-in with a rattlesnake brought an important lesson about how our brains work.

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

[Gary Petty] “A number of years ago, when my son was a teenager, we were hiking in the Chisos Mountains in Texas, and we had hiked up about 7,000 feet. We’re coming down, we’re both tired, and we’re walking along, both of us have our heads down as we’re walking down this very steep trail, and I suddenly heard a noise. And I stopped. And he ran right into the back of me, because he was looking down also, and he said, “What’s wrong?” And there was a split second, I’m trying to think what’s wrong, and then I realized what it was. And I looked down, and there was about a four-foot rattlesnake rattling and coiled, and I was about to step on it.

Now, what’s interesting there is how the brain works. I actually went afterwards and read a book on how does the brain work, because I didn’t think, “Oh, a rattlesnake.” All I did was feel fear. I heard the rattle, I knew that’s not right, and I felt fear. I then thought, “A rattlesnake.” Now, think about what would have happened if my brain worked the other way. What if the cognitive part stepped in first? And I woulda heard a rattle and said, “Ha, that sounds like a rattlesnake. I wonder if it’s a western rattlesnake or an eastern rattlesnake.” I would have stepped on the rattlesnake. But the fear stopped me. And then the reasoning part of my brain kicked in. It’s amazing because that means we’re designed to survive. You know, when you’re in a car and you’re driving and a guy starts to swerve over, you don’t say, “Hey, look, that guy is swerving into me.” You react, usually out of fear, and then you say, “Wow, he almost swerved into me.” Now, between those two things that happen in your brain, it’s just a millisecond, but it’s very important which happens first. The emotion causes you to react, and then the reasoning tells you what to do.

Here’s the problem. Every time you’re in a confrontation with someone or in conflict or in argument, what’s the first thing that happens? Anger. Feeling the need to defend yourself. Maybe just being resentful. Think of all the things that happen the moment we’re in conflict. What do we do? We have the feeling first, and then what happens is reason kicks in. How many times have you’ve been screaming in your head, “Don’t say that,” but you say it anyway? Because you know, the reasoning part of your brain is saying, “This is wrong. Don’t do this.”

This is one of the most difficult things we all have as human beings, is that little, little split amount of time between emotion and reason. So what we have to learn to do when we’re interacting with each other is, when we have an emotion, a strong negative emotion with somebody, before we say anything, make yourself stop. Now, I’ve met people who do this, and it’s sort of interesting. Because someone will say something, you know it was hurtful, you know it made them angry or it just made them feel bad, and yet, there’s a few seconds where they sort of look down, and you could see they’re thinking. And then they’ll look up and they’ll answer. Now, their answers still may be, “You know, that was wrong. That hurt my feelings,” but there’s a certain edge off of it. And the reason why is they let that little bit of time stretch out. And in stretching it out, they let the reason catch up, and now, they have more control of what they’re actually saying and doing.

This is one of the most important things we need to learn to do. And in that little time, in between the emotion and what happens, the reason kicks in, the biggest thing that could help us is to know the Scripture. Daily reading that Bible so that what happens in between the emotion and the reason and the response is a scriptural answer, a prompt from God that comes into your mind and says, “This is what you should do,” or “Don’t do this,” or “Here’s how you handle this. This is what Jesus would have done.” It’s there. If we’re not in that Bible every day, well, we’re just being driven by that emotion or what’ll happen is we’ll let a little time happen, but we’ll start to use our own reasoning to defend ourselves. We’ll self-deceive ourselves. What we have to do is have the Bible there, have that knowledge, that wisdom from God there, there in our minds so that it pops in and becomes the prompt.

So next time you’re about to get into an argument or someone has really hurt you, and you know, you’re gonna respond with crying or whatever, before you respond, take a few seconds. It’s like they tell children all the time, you know. Put your hands together, take a couple of big breaths. Well, do that mentally. Calm yourself down. And in that time period, let the Bible, let God tell you what to reason and reason out your response. You’re gonna find you’ll have a whole lot less negative conflict. And even if the other person doesn’t do that, you’re gonna have better control of yourself and be happier yourself.”  From: https://www.ucg.org/beyond-today/beyond-today-daily/think-before-you-act

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Update

Because I have moved, I had to get a new health insurance that is good in Grimes County.  A while ago they sent a nurse to check my blood pressure etc, but they really wanted my doctor to see me.  So on Wednesday I was examined and blood tests were ordered.  So in between walking the dog for sometimes up to 45 minutes before she will pee, and all the other things that one has to do,  I went to the “vampire” and let her (pun intended) take some of my blood.

As I had been so busy with the dog, and other things, I didn’t have time to cook anything for the church potluck, so I bought some different flavored Mexican concha at our local Brookshire Bros. grocery store. Conchas Mexicanas!  https://www.mexicoinmykitchen.com/concha-recipe .  As I have mentioned before, our congregation has two simultaneous services, one in English and one in Spanish, but we all eat together in the dining hall.  I cut them up into thin slices and arranged them in a round container, and they were quickly eaten up.

The sermon was about “Resolutions”, and given by an elder, as the pastor wasn’t there for the Sabbath on Saturday.

Another Chick-fil-A Controversy? Maintaining My Own Spiritual and Emotional Health? "Live Long and Prosper". Update.

For “Scripture Sunday”:

Another Chick-fil-A Controversy?

“The last Chick-fil-A store is closing in the United Kingdom. What’s behind this controversy?

Transcript of YouTube: https://youtu.be/m-Ireix0WRk

[Darris McNeely] “Who would ever think that a chicken sandwich could be controversial? Well, it has been. In the United Kingdom, they’re shutting down the last and the only Chick-fil-A franchise. Let me read to you a headline that came out of the New York Times, it says that, “Just days after Chick-fil-A’s first restaurant in the United Kingdom opened amid protests by activists from the company’s opposition to same-sex marriage, the chain, the Chick-fil-A chain, said it will close the site in six months.”

So if you go to the United Kingdom, you’re not gonna be able to get a Chick-fil-A sandwich. It’s a sad situation because it’s a sad commentary on the culture wars that we are involved with and what has happened here by shutting down the last one in the United Kingdom is not unlike what has happened in the United States.  Even though we haven’t shut down the Chick-fil-A franchise in the United States, they have been prevented from opening up additional outlets in places, certain cities like New York City, as well as certain airports, all because this particular franchise has supported, openly, faith-based organizations and traditional values, and frankly, their view of the Bible.  This runs counter to the culture of many who are promoting same-sex marriage, LGBTQ issues and gender issues and identity matters in our culture today. And Chick-fil-A has become the kind of the poster boy to attack on this situation.

It is a difficult matter to deal with. We’ve seen this happen in the United States, and it makes you wonder where it will go from this point.

I look at a scripture, it reminded me when I read about this in the United Kingdom, because of a lot of other issues that that nation and America deals with as well. It reminded me of a scripture in the book of Hosea 7 beginning in verse 8 where it talks about the attitude of the people of God and the particular tribe of Ephraim and their inability to really discern their state, their moral condition. And God says about Ephraim in Hosea 7, “He has mixed himself among the people.” Ephraim, it says, “Is a cake not turned.” And what he’s showing is that they’re in decline, they have some very serious problems.

Talking about the ancient nation of Ephraim. It says, “Strangers have devoured his strength and he knows it not. Yes, gray hairs are here and there upon him, yet he knows not.” In other words, their time has passed. They are in a state of transition and change from which it’s going to be hard to come back. And it concludes by saying, “And the pride of Israel testifies to his face and they do not return to the Lord their God, nor seek him for all of this.”

Interesting words to the ancient nation of Israel, and particularly the tribe of Ephraim within the nation of Israel. Those words could apply to Great Britain today. A cake not turned, gray hairs there, their strength devoured. The situation with such cultural clashes that is closing down a franchise like Chick-fil-A because of these cultural differences and issues is a sign of the times to understand and to realize, if it’s chicken sandwiches today, what will it be tomorrow? That’s something for us all to think about.” From: https://www.ucg.org/beyond-today/beyond-today-daily/another-chick-fil-a-controversy

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Just a reminder about their beliefs  : https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Bible-Verses-About-Man-Shall-Not-Lay-With-Man/

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How Do I Balance Serving Those at Church With Maintaining My Own Spiritual and Emotional Health?

“When you take care of your relationship with God first, you are in good shape to help others.

Gift Habeshaw/Unsplash

The first and most important responsibility of a Christian is to keep a close relationship with God. That is done through prayer, Bible study, meditation and fasting and by applying God’s commandments to all aspects of your life.

You’ve probably heard the standard pre-flight safety session when the airline flight attendant gets to the part about oxygen masks. The instruction is to give oxygen to a child or another person after you put on your own mask. Why is this important? Because if you are without oxygen at a very high altitude, you will quickly become unable to help another person. So, you first take care of your own oxygen mask before helping another person with theirs.

This serves as a metaphor when it comes to balancing service to others at church with your own spiritual and emotional health. In order to be a good servant to others, you must first take care of your personal relationship with God.

A perfect affirmation of this is the answer Jesus Christ gave when He was asked, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” (Matthew 22:36). He replied, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37). Then He said, “the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’” (Matthew 22:39).

Thus, the first and most important responsibility of a Christian is to keep a close relationship with God. That is done through prayer, Bible study, meditation and fasting and by applying God’s commandments to all aspects of your life. Like the oxygen mask metaphor, after you first make sure you are in good shape spiritually, then you can begin to take care of others.

Your physical and emotional needs are important, and you must take care of them if you are to be a help to others. Notice the apostle Paul’s instruction: “Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others” (Philippians 2:4). He does not in any way diminish our personal needs, but makes them as important as the needs of others. This follows the second great commandment to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39).

The greatest responsibility of a Christian is to love God first. Jesus Christ set the example by keeping His relationship with His Father His chief priority. He said, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me” (John 4:34). Likewise, it is a Christian’s first responsibility to love God above all else. After this, we can line up the rest of our personal needs and our priorities for love and service to others.”   From: https://www.ucg.org/bible-study-tools/bible-questions-and-answers/how-do-i-balance-serving-those-at-church-with-maintaining-my-own-spiritual-and-emotional-health

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"Live Long and Prosper"

The Bible shows us one of the main ways we can lead peaceful and productive lives.    

Transcript of YouTube: https://youtu.be/sQ-sjQypZtQ

[Darris McNeely] If you’re a “Star Trek” fan you know the phrase “live long and prosper.” But you know where that came from? Here’s where I think that it came from. Ephesians 6, where God is talking about honoring our parents. And He says, “Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise. And He’s talking about the fifth commandment there, to honor your father and mother. What is the promise? In verse 3 it says, “that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.” Honor your parents that it might be well with you and you will live long on the earth.

Now, that is a part of God’s Word, and that is a promise that we can claim.

I recently had a friend of mine whose father died. His father was almost 98 years old. He was a World War II vet, he was a Marine. He went through the…stormed through the South Pacific in World War II, and the man lived a long life. And he lived a good life. And in his last years his son, my good friend took really good care of him. And his death was a peaceful death with his family around and his son there, and it was as everyone might wish.

And reflecting about that, I was thinking, you know, this verse here is extremely important for all of us. If you still have your parents with you, no matter how old you might be, appreciate them. Look at this commandment, “Honor your father and mother that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.”

Respect your parents, honor your parents, take care of your parents to their last breath. Do what you can. If there’s a problem, get it resolved. If there’s an issue that needs to be taken care of, make sure you get that taken care of. And then do what you can to talk with, to honor, to take care of your parents, so that in your life there’ll be no regrets. And you can claim that promise that God says, that it may be well with you and you will live long upon the earth.”  From: https://www.ucg.org/beyond-today/beyond-today-daily/live-long-and-prosper

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Update.

We had the Bible study at the Community Room here at the apartments, as usual, at 4.00 pm on Sunday.  The Pastor has some videos, with questions after, that he plays on the big screen TV in there.  The same old folks come each time, and we have a good time and fellowship.

Wednesday morning, Health Quest brought us Chick-Fil-A for breakfast, and Thursday an HMO group brought us Thanksgiving lunch.  The very large gal (really obese) arrived with a lot of containers that had to be heated/cooked in the microwave, and it took her an hour and a half to do that.  It took so long that it burned up the microwave.  Next time our management is going to have Thanksgiving meals cooked on the stove or in the oven.  If all she knows is how to prepare processed food, usually full of chemicals, in a microwave, no wonder she is so large.

On Friday a nurse came from my new health insurance company to take my blood pressure, which was 116/60, check the circulation on all my extremities, which was normal.  She put packs which became warm on my big toes to do that.  After asking a lot of questions, surprised that I take no meds, she seemed happy with my state of health, so that is good.  As soon as she left I went to my usual Friday morning Bible study at my church friend’s apartment here.  We get ready for the Bible study that we have at church the next day, which is till on the doings of Nehemiah.

I had been given a really big block of cheese that I really didn’t know what to do with, so I made Nacho Cheese Dip with salsa, seasonings and coconut milk because I didn’t have the evaporated milk which was in the recipe.   It was very popular at the church potluck so I will make it again. 

The theme this week was “God is My Refuge and Strength” and the Sermon was very interesting about “Christ’s Object Lesson” and there were a lot of slides about how the temple and ark were built.

Another place where there is camaraderie and fellowship every Sabbath day.