COME AS A CHILD - LESSON 121 - A RED RIVER OF DEATH

(Written by Sheila Gail Landgraf)

After Moses and Aaron had done all that God commanded of them before Pharaoh, and their snake had eaten the snakes of all of Pharaoh’s magicians; Pharaoh still would not let the people go.  

So God told Moses to go out to Pharaoh in the morning as he stood by the Nile River with his staff in his hand.  Say to him again that The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to say to you:  "Let my people go, so that they may worship me in the wilderness.  But until now you have not listened.  This is what the LORD says:  By this you will know that I am the LORD:  With the staff that is in my hand I will strike the water of the Nile, and it will be changed into blood.  The fish in the Nile will die, and the river will stink, the Egyptians will not be able to drink its water.”

Then God told Moses to take his staff and stretch out his hand over the waters of Egypt – over the streams and canals, over the ponds and all the reservoirs – and they will turn to blood.  Blood will be everywhere in Egypt, even in vessels of wood and stone. 

Moses and Aaron did just as God commanded.  When Moses raised the staff in Pharaoh’s presence and struck the water of the Nile all of the water changed to blood.  The fish in the Nile died.  The river smelled.  The people could not drink the water.  Blood was everywhere in Egypt. 

Once again Pharaoh called his magicians and they did the same thing with their secret demonic arts.  Pharaoh still refused to listen to Moses and Aaron, just as God had predicted would happen.  Instead of taking all of this to heart, Pharaoh simply turned and went into his palace. 

All of the Egyptians dug wells along the banks of the Nile since they had no drinking water from the river. 

This changing of the water to blood was the first of ten plagues.  It was a horrible plague!  Imagine having no water to drink and being surrounded by stinking blood and the smell of dead fish.  The dead fish also affected the food supply.  

I think it is a bit comical that Pharaoh even asked the magicians to imitate this!  Why bring on more?  But we all know that the magic used by the magicians was just that; an imitation of the real thing.  So like the usual method of operation for Satan and his demons.  They can never do what God can do; they can only produce a counterfeit; something that appears to be the same that isn’t the same at all.  They were only capable of creating illusions.  

I doubt these tricks seemed too amusing to the people standing by with no water and no fish to eat, smelling the stinking river for seven days in a row.  I can just hear their comments now:  “If these guys are really magicians, then why are they not turning the water BACK to water?  Why are we having to endure this plague of the blood for so long that we are going to be forced to dig new wells in spite of the fact that we are located conveniently next to what used to be a very clean river and a good water supply!”

There are a lot of lessons to be learned from the blood of the Nile River, there was more to this story than being thirsty and hungry.  The main lesson being, the fear of God and the fact that God IS the ONE and only God.  The Egyptians had idolized the Nile. They worshiped it!   They used the river to enforce their pagan beliefs for their pagan gods. 

They had used this same river to drown the Hebrew babies.  Now the  same river that had been the scene of so many deaths looked the part it had played.  It was not a god at all; it was a stinking, bloody river in which innocent babies had been murdered.  

The truth eventually shows itself.  The counterfeit falsehoods of Satan can only stand for awhile.  Eventually God Almighty comes and sets the record straight.  Take note America.  Take note all you other countries in the earth that agree to murder unborn babies and sell their body parts for profit.  You twist the truth to fit your idols; yourselves.  Eventually God Almighty will set the record straight!  It is just a matter of time.  The truth of your idolatry (bowing to the almighty dollar) will show forth and the whole world will know who you really are.  

In Egypt, the land knew that the King who had murdered innocent little babies was now the King who had to dwell by a bloody stinking river with no water or no fish.  He was surrounded for seven days with the evidence of what he had done – death.  He could not escape.  Blood was on his hands and in his river.  The air he breathed smelled of death, the thirst in his throat felt of death, everything everywhere spoke of death.  How do you think it felt to him to be living in the same horrible circumstances that he had created for others in order to live in a luxurious palace and enjoy the life of a King?  

The people’s eyes must surely be opening to who their King really was, but he did not budge from his stubborn decision not to let God’s people go!  No, Pharaoh like so many others living today, never wanted to change his ways.  He wanted to remain the greedy murderer that ruled the land forever.  He was not even sorry for his sins.  This all sounds painfully familiar, as if it might not JUST apply to Pharaoh. 

The plague of the blood lasted for seven days and Pharaoh did not change his mind.

FOOD ART AND FAMILY TRADITIONS - MEMORIAL DAY PICNIC

(Written by Sheila Gail Landgraf)

Our season is about to change!  Summer is on the way! 

Right before summer arrives on Monday, May 30th we stop to observe Memorial Day.  

On this day we are remembering all the American soldiers that gave us the freedom to enjoy life in our country.   All the wars that our country commemorates on this day have brought change and transition to our nation, so it is fitting that this day also brings change and transition to the time and seasons of our lives here on earth.  We remember this as we move from Spring toward Summer. 

Spring has been so lovely this year that I hate to tell it goodbye, but I'm sure summer is going to be just as wonderful. There are so many things I love about Summer! I don't know where to start.....maybe a Memorial Day picnic is a good place to begin? 

I hope you and your family have covered the bases this year and taken some time to remember the soldiers in a specific way.  A Memorial Day trip I will always remember is one that my family and I took to the Berman Museum in Anniston, Alabama.  That is a great place to go if you want to bone up on your American and World History.  They have an amazing collection of the items from every war ever fought on American soil and foreign soil.  The trip is a great history lesson.

 After that trip,we were educated and totally prepared to have a little gathering to celebrate the fact that we do still live in a free country.  In all of these thoughts about the cost of freedom the emphasis hangs on the fact that we must be the heroes now.  All of us in our daily lives must do our part to carry on the victory that those who have gone before us have given.  It is a group effort that requires the motivations of every citizen of the country.  We all have to do our part to keep this country free.  We are living in a crucial time for America as well as the whole earth.  Recovery starts by remembering what has happened in the past and keeping a deep respect and appreciation for our history.  Perhaps a little patriotic celebration in the homes across the land will light that one little candle needed to instill a ripple effect of pride in our nation.

Of course we cannot gather without food!  
So here is our menu:

MEMORIAL DAY PICNIC MENU

Cool Red White and Blue Cocktails

Red White and Blue Flag Fruit Kabob Platter

The Ultimate Memorial Day Open Faced Short Rib Sandwich

Memorial Day Potato Salad

White Chocolate Mini Cheesecakes with Blueberry Topping

The recipes are below, but first let's decorate our table!  I'm using the table on my back deck this year, so we can enjoy the beautiful summer day, but I'm also setting the dinning room table and the kitchen table for those who cannot tolerate the heat.  This gathering is a lot about the older generation communicating the past to the younger generations.  I want them all to be as comfortable as possible, so that they linger over the stories and soak them in to repeat to their own children in the future.

 I want to be very patriotic this year, so every thing is red, white and blue, not very original, but quite a cheerful setting.  

This will really throw our guest off, because I'm usually a modern-contemporary type decorator, but this occasion calls for some old fashion celebrating and I want the house to match the mood, nostalgic, old fashioned, traditional and colorful.    

I'm putting two deep red candle sticks at the center ends of the table.  I'm placing a patriotic basket container between them, and sticking  lots of little flags inside the basket.  The room is full of vivid colors!   

I'm mixing my flag patterned dishes with my solid blue plates and my solid red bowls, creating another mixture of cheerful red, white and blue.  This creates a casual, laid back summer kind of style that will suit the mood for the day.  

It is all about lingering and resting and listening to others talk.    I'm going to pick up some ferns for the deck and the hearth, because I think the greenery in the background adds a lot to all the red, white and blue.   Of course I want to incorporate my blue and white starred napkins into this whole tablescape.  I found an old red white and blue picnic basket.  Lovely! 

I hope you enjoy these recipes.  They were a lot of fun to find and try at our table, and they just seem to fit the whole occassion nicely. 

RED, WHITE AND BLUE COCKTAIL

1/2 cup crushed ice

1/2 oz Wild Hibiscus Flowers and Syrup (can be ordered on line from Amazon)

1/4 oz Fresh Lemon Juice

2 oz Hpnotiq Liqueur (A Refreshing Blend of Natural Exotic Fruit Juices, Premium Vodka and a Touch of Cognac)

2 oz Dry Sparkling Wine or Champagne

Mixing Instructions:

Separate the Flowers from the Wild Hibiscus Syrup. Place 1 Wild Hibiscus Flower standing upright at the bottom of the champagne flute.

Mix Lemon Juice and Hibiscus Syrup together. Pour the Hibiscus Syrup and Lemon juice mixture over the flower. Add crushed ice on top of the Wild Hibiscus Flower and Syrup. Slowly pour in Hpnotiq Liqueur over the ice. Slowly top with Dry Sparkling Wine or Champagne.

How it looks is Red on the bottom, layer of Blue in the middle and the crushed ice floats to the top with the champagne giving the illusion of white.

To make this cocktail in batches make sure to separate the flowers from the syrup.   Each one liter Jar of Wild Hibiscus Flowers contains approximately 25 oz. of syrup, which will make 50 cocktails. To pre-mix the Hibiscus Syrup/Lemon Juice add 12.5 oz Lemon Juice to every 25 oz. of Syrup.

RED WHITE AND BLUE FRUIT KABOB PLATTER

Grab a bowl of freshly washed blueberries, thinly sliced strawberries, and button sliced bananas.  Dip the sliced fruit in lemon juice to maintain freshness and pure colors.  Lay kabob skewers horizontally on to a square platter.  Make a flag pattern with the fruit, using the blueberreis for the blue starry part of the flag, the strawberries for the red stripes and the bananas for the white stripes.  Clever and eye catching, but so easy and tasty. 

For the main course I selected The Ultimate Memorial Day Short Rib Open Faced Sandwich.  This is not just a sandwich – it is “quite a sandwich indeed.”  Your going to love it.  It takes a little planning ahead and a little time to prepare, but the results are SO worth the trouble.  Your guest will remember it forever.  

I originally began making this sandwich from a recipe in The Southern Living 2008 Annual Recipes Cookbook.  I’ve changed the recipe over time to suit my own needs by adding a few twists, and have accommodated it to my own style of cooking for Memorial Day.  My recipe should make it easy for you to prepare for 8 people.  If you want more, just add more ingredients. 

THE ULTIMATE MEMORIAL DAY SHORT RIB OPEN FACED SANDWICH

Ingredients for Cooking Ribs:

12 lbs. short ribs

1 tsp. Kosher salt

1 tsp. Ground Pepper

12 tsp. crushed garlic cloves

4 Carrots, chopped very small

4 Celery ribs, chopped very small

2 Onions, chopped very small

2 14.5-oz cans Italian Style Chopped Tomatoes

4 cups dry red wine

2 cups chicken broth

1 tsp. Rosemary

1 tsp. Thyme

1 tsp. Oregano

Make the ribs first.  Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  While you are waiting, gather the ingredients needed and use a food chopper to finely chop all the vegetables.  Rub the salt and pepper into the ribs, place ribs in a large Dutch Oven and cook in the oven for about 7 minutes on each side.  Remove the ribs to another dish.  Add garlic, carrots, celery and onions to the Dutch Oven.  Cook the vegetables on top of the stove on medium heat until they are tender and brown, this will take about 8 - 10 minutes.  Set the vegetables aside in another dish and stir the tomatoes, wine, chicken broth, rosemary, thyme and oregano into the dutch oven, bring this to a boil.  Once boiling, pour into a temporary container, wash and line the Dutch Oven with heavy duty aluminum foil, then return the ribs to the Dutch Oven.  Covering with a tightly sealed lid, to the stove, baking at 350 degrees for 4 hours until the ribs are tender.  At some point, while the ribs are cooking, drain the vegetables through a wire-mesh strainer and reserve the juices for gravy.  Let the juices stand while the ribs are cooking and skim any fat that forms from the gravy.  When ribs are cooked, add the gravy and vegetables back to the Dutch Oven and cook for about 20 more minutes over medium high heat uncovered until thickened.  Set this aside to cool.  After the ribs are cooled, remove the meat from the bones and shred.  Reserve the gravy in another bowl.  Gather the following ingredients for making the sandwiches:.   

2 large red onions sliced thin

8 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

2 12-oz. Sour Dough French Bread Loaves

6 Tbsp. Dijon Mustard

6 cups of shredded short ribs prepared as noted above

 1 cup gravy from short ribs recipe above

4 ounces crumbled blue cheese

6 cups arugula lettuce

Saute the onions over medium high heat for six minutes.  Remove from heat.  Add balsamic vinegar and let stand for five minutes.  Cut the sour dough bread into sandwich sized pieces.  Place on a wire rack in the oven and broil 6 inches from heat for about 3 – 4 minutes.  Bread should have a lightly toasted look.  Spread mustard on one side of the bread.  Mix the shredded meat and gravy.  Place bread slices on a baking tray.  Spoon the meat and gravy mixture over the bread.  Sprinkle this with crumbled blue cheese.    Broil in oven about 4 to 5 minutes until cheese is melted.  Toss arugula into onion mixture, which is now cooled.  Place sandwiches onto pretty patriotic plates (I mixed solid red and blue plates with flag patterned plates at my own table).  Top each sandwich with the onion and arugula mixture.  Serve warm open-faced sandwiches as your  main course.  Delicious!

MEMORIAL DAY POTATO SALAD
4 potatoes
1/3 cup French Dressing
1/4 cup chopped vidalia onion
1/4 cup green onion
1/4 cup sweet pickle relish
1/4 cup sliced radishes
salt to taste
pepper to taste
3/4 cup thin sliced celery
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
Peel and cube potatoes.  Cook in boiling water until tender.  Drain.  While still warm, combine potatoes, French dressing, onion, pickles, radishes, salt and pepper in a bowl and toss to coat potatoes.  Cover, refrigerate overnight.  Just before serving stir in celery, mayonnaise and eggs.   

(I serve the potato salad in a large deep navy blue bowl.  It adds another splash of color to the table.)


WHITE CHOCOLATE BLUEBERRY MINI CHEESECAKES

 

For The Crust:  2 cups crushed graham crackers, 1 cup slivered almonds, 1/2 cup white sugar, 1/4 cup butter, melted, 2 tablespoons caramel topping.

For The Filling:  1 pound white chocolate (chopped), 4 8-ounce pkgs. cream cheese (softened), 3/4 cup white sugar, 4 eggs (beaten), 2 egg yokes, 1 tablespoon all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For The Topping:  1/2 cup white sugar, 3 teaspoons cornstarch, 1/4 cup water, 1 pint fresh blueberries, 2 teaspoons lemon juice.

Directions:  Preheat oven to 275 degrees.  Make the crust by blending together the graham cracker crumbs, almonds and sugar until the almonds are fine.  Use a chopper, blender or food processor for this.  Melt the butter and caramel and pour into mix.  Press this mixture into individual wrappers inside a cupcake tin  (if you can find patriotic colors, all the better).  Be generous with the crust.    Make the filling by melting the white chocolate in a metal bowl over a pan of barely simmering water and stirring until smooth.  Set aside.  In a large bowl beat cream cheese and 3/4 cup of sugar until smooth.  Beat in the eggs and the egg yolks, one at a time.  Beat in the flour and the vanilla and blend in the melted white chocolate slowly, beating until the filling is well combined.  Pour filling into the individual crust holders.  Bake the cupcake tin in the middle of a preheated oven for 45 minutes.  Turn off the heat, crack the oven door an inch, and let the cheesecake cook in the oven to room temperature.  Cover loosely in cooled cupcake tin and refrigerate overnight before removing from the pan.  Make the topping in a saucepan by combining 1/2 cup sugar and cornstarch.  Stir in water 1/4 cup of water and 1 pint of blueberries.  Bring to a boil.  Simmer for 10 minutes stirring occasionally.  Press through a fine sieve.  Stir in 2 teaspoons of lemon juice and allow to cool, then store in a glass jar until time to serve.  At serving time, pour over top of mini cheesecakes.   (I stacked these on top of two tiered navy blue glass servers, they add wonderful color to the presentation, and are so tasty!)

When you thank God for this bountiful feast He has granted, thank Him too for the soldiers who presently defend our country as well as those who have gone before them.  Pray that our country will be renewed to the glory of God and flourish and remain to be a place worth living and dying for. 

GOD BLESS AMERICA

  

PEN ART - MEMORIAL DAY POETRY

SOLDIERS AND PILGRIMS, PENTECOSTS AND MEMORIAL DAY

(Written By Sheila Gail Landgraf)

They came a marching through the land,

Many mocked, scourged, thrown in prison, stoned, slain by the sword,

Still they came marching on,

Ragged,

Destitute,

Afflicted,

Tormented,

Braver than the world was worthy,

They came a marching,

With a loud swooping sound, like that of a mighty wind,

With raging flames of fire burning in their hearts, 

driving them onward,

They came a marching through the land.

Onward,

Through deserts and mountains,

Through dens and caves of the earth,

Never seeing the final victory,

Yet knowing others would come after them and enter the promised land.

Medals were given and honors were spoken over their graves

Tears were shed in the memory of their valor

But there is a joyful celebration going on in an unseen place,

And the rewards being given are everlasting.

The Commander Of All will open His book,

And they will once again stand at attention.

He will note his observations of battles well fought,

He will remember those who kept His commandments.

And their crowns will all be solid gold,

The stars will light the sky in an amazing display of glory,

As they lay them at the feet of God,

And the stories of each soldier will be told.

Then the cherished words will fall softly on eager waiting ears,

“Well done, good and faithful servant.  You were faithful with a few things,

I will put you in charge of many things;

Enter into the joy of The Kingdom.”

AN APPLE A DAY KEEPS THE DOCTOR AWAY (DAY 100)

AN APPLE A DAY - 365 DAYS TO A HEALTHIER LIFESTYLE.

(Written by Sheila Gail Landgraf)

Today gives birth to a new section of my blog.  In case you haven’t noticed there are many varied sections that I blog about according to the day's subject content.  The most popular section has been COME AS A CHILD ( An every Thursday  blog of walking through the bible – we are now in Exodus), but I also have sections called SEASONS (about Holidays and Holy Days), THE HOUSE DOCTOR (about making a house a home), OH THE PLACES WE WILL GO (Travel Articles), FOOD FUN (Recipes and cooking tips), PEN ART (Poetry and Short Stories, both by me and other guests to the blog, also articles of literary interest), AND PIECES OF THE PUZZLE (Theology).  Now I’m adding AN APPLE A DAY!  This section will be about maintaining a healthy lifestyle.  I hope you find it helpful, interesting and inspiring.  I’ve enjoyed doing the research for it.  Of course there is a story to tell about how the idea all started: 

Every year I try to make an offering to God for the year I’m living through.  I guess it is very similar to the way some people observe Lent; only I make mine in relation to the day of the Offering of First Fruits which was originally given by the ancient people of God before they partook of their harvest each year.  It is a sincere self-imposed offering to God that I try to consciously keep throughout the year.  I have been surprised to find that this, like most offerings, has taught me the truth of the fact that it is more blessed to give than to receive. 

I really do think God requested that we bring offerings to Him in order to teach us about life.  He really needs nothing; except our hearts.  It is through the desire of our heart to please Him that we bring of our best.   Through the things that I pray about and agree to do with God, I am able to learn and grow, so much more than in the years that this thought of the first fruits offering never even crossed my mind as something I wanted to do.  

In pondering the story of Cain and Abel, I’ve set standards for myself for doing this.  The offering needs to be something that changes my lifestyle, something which would show my sincerity to draw closer to God by reaching for more of Him and His ways and less of me, something that would cause me to become a better person.  I might pick something that I have neglected and try to improve it; or I might pick an area that I’m talented in and offer to share it; or I might find something that I can do without and try to give it away.  No year is the same; each year is different, and I pray for God to show me what He most desires from me for the current year that I am living through. 

I can’t tell you how this simple process has totally changed my life.  Things that I could never achieve on my own have become possible, even simple and easy after I consciously made them an offering to God and just followed through with prayer and offered my best.  

One year this offering was about making my home a place of peace and love; a daily sanctuary.  One year was about renewing relationships with old friends and many people I had lost touch with or  long forgotten.  One year was about using the talent God has given me to write for His glory.  You get the picture.

Usually the inspiration for my offering comes from random scriptures that God places on my heart as I study and contemplate His word.  This year was no exception.  One day I was reading a scripture that I had heard a million times before; but it suddenly felt all new to me for some reason.  I began to ponder the words deeper and to study the different meanings of that scripture. 

The scripture I’m speaking about is found in 1 Corinthians 6:19; “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?”  

Suddenly it really hit home with me that I was walking around and breathing in a body from which God’s Holy Spirit resided.  My body no longer belonged to me; but it belonged to God!  I felt sure I  had to take better care of it!  

I thought of all the things that I did in a typical day, and pondered just where my physical body was carrying this Holy Spirit of God as I went about my daily business.  Suddenly I was questioning just how much respect, reverence and attention I was giving to the fact that I was never alone!  God’s Spirit was living inside my body!  It was like getting hit by lightening, and maybe even similar to what it must feel like when you first find out you are pregnant.  Nothing is ever the same again!  All things are different from that moment of realization.  

I was awakened to a whole  new sense of awareness.  I was suddenly so much more conscious, and so much more aware of what I did and said.  I was embarrassed and ashamed of many of the scenes that my mind remembered from the past, where I did not regard the fact that God’s Presence had been right there among everything that I was doing every day of my life.  I had to have a whole huge prayer session full of  confession.

Then my eyes were opened even a little wider.  

It was as if God was saying to me “Begin to pay attention to what you do and what you eat.  Everything you put into your body and everything you do with your body affects something about your life.” 

Now that is just common every day knowledge and it makes basic good sense, I know; but I had never felt the weight of the importance of that knowledge before.  I knew I had a lot to learn, because frankly; I had not been paying attention to such things.  My Father, like every good father, was reminding me of what was important.  

Food and nutrition had always seemed rather boring to me.  Talk of natural cures and exercise programs could put me to sleep in a hurry. The most exercise I had ever wanted was to walk up to the teller and use my debit card.   Now though, I had this jarring awakening from God that kept pointing me in the right directions and telling me to pay attention; where before, none of it seemed relevant to my life at all.   

Wow!  Had I been wrong!  As I began to accept these holy nudges and study and pray more about them, I also began to realize that finding natural remedies and understanding how different foods affect your body could be exciting and even fun.  I especially began to realize this when all the chronic little things that had troubled me for years began to disappear and go away once I began to implement the things that I was learning.  Daily I offered my body up to God.  Daily I felt more and more healing.  I asked Him to pour any knowledge into my brain that I needed to know so that I could keep the temple I was walking around in healthy and functional in order to do His work for His Kingdom. 

That was the beginning of this unlikely journey that I started 100 healthy days ago.  I chose to make the journey 365 days long altogether, because I try to make a new offering for each each year.  The length of a year seemed to fit what I needed to do, though I knew the facts I was gathering would stay with me from here on out.  I began to count every day that God showed me something new as one of the days for the year's offerings.  I wanted the whole offering to add up to 365 healthy living days.  If I didn't live healthy in a day, I didn't count it. I listed each new thing that I learned as I went along.   I knew making this list was going to be tough.  I considered the fact that you needed to do something for 15 - 30 days in order to make that thing become a permanent habit in your life.  I wondered how many things I could do that consistently.  None, without God’s help, but for each day that I got out there and tried; God came through for me.  I began to see that it was possible to make drastic changes in my lifestyle and my health awareness.  I thought it would be impossible to come up with more than twenty things for this list, much less 365 health changing new habits.  I never dreamed I would make it to 50! 

When I hit 100 it occurred to me that the things we can implement into our lives for daily health are probably endless.  There is always some new discovery out there on the horizon.  No one could be more surprised than me!  

By the time I had reached naming 100 new health changing habits I could implement into my daily life; I realized I had only covered a few of the basics, and that would be a good basic foundation that I could build on for the next 265 days.  I definitely wanted to go deeper into this experience.  I was feeling the benefits and wanted to know more.

I decided that I should keep a journal of the rest of this life-changing experience; least I forget something.  I would have my journal to refer to and look back on whenever I needed to refresh my mind.  I also wanted to record the biblical and scientific proof for a lot of what I was seeing.  So many scripture passages were occurring to me each time I discovered a health topic I had not delved into before.  I wanted to tie these things together and examine them closer.  I also wanted to share what I was discovering with others, hoping that they too would find it helpful in their own lives. 

So; let’s let the stories began – the stories of the rest of the 365 Days to a healthier lifestyle.  I think we will start on Day 100 with the awesomeness of the health benefits of Apples and call the blog section AN APPLE A DAY.  With 265 more days to go we have a lot of exciting discoveries ahead!

AN APPLE A DAY – DAY 100 OF 365 DAYS TO A HEALTHIER LIFESTYLE:  

"AN APPLE A DAY CAN KEEP THE DOCTOR AWAY"

If you are like me, you have heard that expression all of your life.  I'm not sure where the quote originated from; but I am sure it has been repeated for generations.  Is it true?

Yes!  EAT MORE APPLES!!!

People who are over fifty (like me) tend to have digestion issues.  They go to eat and feel like they are choking, or they can't swallow as well sometimes.  When they lay down to rest they sometimes have horrible acid reflux and this interferes with their sleep patterns and makes them feel awful the next day.  There are a lot of factors that contribute to this, such as the fact that as we age we must learn how to chew our food slower and more, and not to eat our meals in a hurry.  Some of this though, is totally out of our control.  It is simply a fact of growing older.  

There is hope though; with many new health techniques for fighting this annoying stage of life.   We can counteract  a lot of this simply by learning to eat the right nutrients.  It is so easy to grab an over-the-counter drug to treat these symptoms.  That is what most people do; but that would only treat the symptoms.  Why not get to the cause of the problem and cure it?  The proper nutrients seem to be the answer to the cure.  

A good place to start with getting the proper nutrients is by adding apples into your daily diet. Apples are a great aid to digestion.  They come in their own handy container (the peeling) and they are easy and portable to take with you on the run for a quick filling snack when ever you get hungry.  If you eat an apple before a big meal, it helps to get the digestion process jump started and any other food that you take in during the rest of the day goes down smoother.  

I love to cut an apple up into thin slices (leave the peeling because it has the most vitamins) and carry with me to nibble on as I sit at my desk at work.  They fill you up and keep you from over-eating later when you sit down for a regular meal.  They are so much better for you than the unhealthy packaged sugary treats that people tend to carry with them and nibble on the go.  

So what else do we know about apples?  Well, apples might have received a bad rap right from the beginning because of the story of Adam and Eve.  The fruit of  The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil is often pictured as an apple on an apple tree, and the apple is said to be the legendary forbidden fruit.  Maybe that is how the science of apples got its name; "pornology."  I kid you not, that is really the name of the science of the study of apples!  

Guess what?  The bible never really says the forbidden fruit was an apple!  The word apple is not used in the scriptures even one time.  The word that the scriptures actually use is "fruit."  So we don't really know that it was an apple that was used to tempt Adam and Eve to sin.  

I was so happy to find this out, because I love apples!  Many people see this story as symbolic and metaphorical and think that the forbidden fruit was something that represented sin and The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was a tree full of the things that contradict the Tree Of Life.  Hence, God did not want our eyes to be opened to it.  It was the knowledge that brought the realization of sin and shame into the world and eventually led to the fall of mankind.  I'm sure glad to hear that this probably was NOT by way of the apple!  

Then there are the fairy tales.  Fairy tales often borrow their messages from real biblical truths.  Fairy tales have done nothing for the reputation of the apple either!  Remember Snow White?  She was tricked by the witch who tempted her with a luscious red apple.  I'm glad that this story is only a fairy tale because the more I studied apples, the more I realized how healthy and good for you they are!  Too bad things went south for Snow White, but in the real world, the apple is your best bet!  

It may surprise you to learn that apples are a member of the rose family of plants.  Apples are fat-free, sodium free and cholesterol free.  They taste delicious!  Apples are a great source of fiber.  Apples help to improve your memory.  They quicken your mental alertness and the electrical activity going to your brain.   Apples have been known to boost estrogen levels in menopausal women.  Apples have antioxidants, including quercetin, which is found to help our skin.  

Eating apples has been linked with reducing diseases such as heart disease, cancer, asthma and diabetes.  Eating the peelings of apples inhibits the growth of colon cancer and liver cancer.

Apples are full of vitamins.  The Vitamin A is full of antioxidants that increase vision, heal skin problems and promote good bones.  A whole host of B vitamins are found in apples.  These vitamins provide us with extra energy, provide niacin that aids the gastrointestinal tract and nervous system, increases red blood cells that transport oxygen through our bodies and improves circulation,  strengthens the immune system, breaks down carbohydrates and fats, reduces mood swings, increases sex drive, reduces depression, muscle cramps and headaches.  

Some of these B vitamins produce folic acid which promotes cell growth and cell reproduction.   (Just the B vitamins alone would work wonders for us, much less adding in the other vitamins found in apples!)  

The Vitamin C of apples is good for stopping skin from wrinkling, healing of the eyes and promoting good health in pregnancies.  It boosts immunity too, fighting heart disease and cancer.  

The Vitamin E found in apples is good for your skin and hair and protects them against the effect of aging.  

The Vitamin K found in apples promotes healing, fights osteoporosis, cancer and heart disease.

If you take this good advice and make apples a part of you daily diet; be careful to be sure to buy organic apples that do not contain pesticides.  Even if you wash your apples well these chemicals often linger in the skin of the apples. It is always best to buy organic fruits.  Apples store well in the crisper section of your refrigerator and will last longer than most other fruits.  

            

COME AS A CHILD - LESSON 120 - GOD CONTROLS IT ALL

(Written by Sheila Gail Landgraf)

If you ever think you are too old to do something big for God, you better change your thinking!

Moses was eighty years old and Aaron was eighty three years old when God commanded them to go before Pharaoh for the second time and tell him to let the people go.  This was only the beginning of many other things that God had for them to do.  They would be used in a mighty way until they reached the end of their lives.  God's servants are never through, as long as they have breath; they have a mission.  Moses and Aaron are prime examples of this. 

 God prepared them for this second quest.  He told Moses when Pharaoh requested that they perform a miracle to tell Aaron to throw down the staff and it will become a snake. 

So Moses and Aaron went before Pharaoh and did just as the LORD had commanded.  Pharaoh asked them to show him a miracle and Aaron threw down the staff and it became a snake in front of Pharaoh.  Pharaoh called together his magicians and sorcerers and “wise men” and requested that they use their magic arts to perform the same act.  They did! 

Moses and Aaron watched as each one threw down their staff and it turned into a snake; but then the snake of Moses and Aaron ate up the other snakes.

Surely such a sign must have convinced Pharaoh, but no!  His heart only became harder, just as the LORD had told Moses would happen.  Pharaoh would not let the Israelites go. 

One has to wonder; why did God chose to use a walking stick, or a staff to demonstrate his power to Pharaoh?  Also, one really has to wonder, of all the creatures God could have picked to illustrate and make His point, why did He chose to use a snake?  

Remember when God first told Moses to go to Pharaoh and Moses asked God what if Pharaoh and the people didn’t believe his message?  That was the first time God told Moses to throw down his staff and Moses watched God turn it into a snake.  Moses was afraid, remember?  He ran and hid.

 Finally, when he got brave enough to come back out before God to the place where the snake was God asked Moses to do something really frightening!  He told Moses to pick up the snake by the tail. 

I’m sure Moses was trembling, but maybe He thought of the fact that God WAS God and God knew exactly what He was doing!  Moses finally reached down and grabbed that snake by the tail.  Instantly it turned back into a staff!

Can't you just imagine Moses' relief?

This little illustration has more meaning than one might notice at first glance.  

Remember Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden being tempted by the snake?  They gave their will over to the suggestions of the devil who had disguised himself as a snake. 

With this one act these two humans brought sin into the world. 

By the time of Moses sin was everywhere.  The people had forgotten the ways of God.  After so many years of slavery and bondage, they no longer knew about the fact that in order to come closer to God, humans have to master control over sin; for God is Holy and He cannot dwell in the midst of sin.  

Adam and Eve fell into sin because they desired to please themselves more than they desired to please God.  Without God's intervention and help, it seems that men are destined to do this.  Most desire to please God but fall into temptation and sin.

Now here on The Mountain of God;  we see Moses representing most of mankind who DO desire to please God.  With the power that God gave to the staff (could it possibly have come from The Tree of Life?)  Moses re-gained some mastery over sin, and because of his obedience and faith; God decides to continue to draw closer to the people.  The staff turning into a snake was symbolic of the fall of man; the snake turning back into the staff was symbolic of the fact that most of mankind wants to change, have mastery over sin and come back to God.  With the staff, God had provided a way through Moses. Moses stood in the place of all the hope of mankind.  It was a sign that man's heart could be changed with assistance from God, even after dwelling for years in evil.  Mankind had the ability to master sin if they would just chose to use it with God's help.  

Usually when you pick up a snake by his tail the snake will uncoil and strike you with poison and kill you.  It was Moses having enough faith in God to act on that faith that changed God’s heart toward the people and made Him want a relationship with them again.  When Moses followed God, even in fear of death, God knew that mankind could change.  Moses must have given God hope.  The desire for relationship had always been there; but Moses being faithful and obedient to the point of risking his life by trusting God, really sealed the deal.  God was pleased in that first rod into a snake experience on the mountain with Moses.

Moses had seen a preview up on the mountain of God of what he and Aaron would do before Pharaoh.  That first time Moses was handling the rod, or the staff.  Aaron was handling the staff during the second time when the two brothers actually stood before Pharaoh in his court. 

When Moses gave the word Aaron threw the staff down and watched it turn into a snake right before the eyes of Pharaoh.  Pharaoh’s magicians were not impressed with the staff turning into a snake.  They were all accomplished snake charmers.  They knew they could handle that trick; they had used it before in their magic events.   They possessed the knowledge of the old serpent; Satan.  They used his black magic, his sorcery and evil ways to do their jobs all the time.  The “wise men” of Pharaoh were wise about all the wrong things; mostly they were wise about black magic and the occult.  Their wisdom was the very wisdom that God had not wanted Adam and Eve to have when they took of the forbidden fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  It was only the fruit from The Tree of Life that would bring healing to mankind.  Pharaoh's men were not using that fruit.

The Egyptians admired the power of the creature called the serpent.  The carving of a cobra was the design on the headdress of Pharaoh.  It stood for Egyptian rule and authority.  It represented a pagan Egyptian goddess who supposedly protected the land with her power and dark magic. 

Many think Pharaoh’s magicians used supernatural demonic powers to summon up their snakes, but when they “charmed” their snakes into appearing, the snake of Aaron ate up all of the other snakes of Egypt!

When Aaron’s snake ate the other snakes God was showing his sovereignty over Egypt.  The world and all that is in it belongs to God; not Pharaoh, or his magicians, or any demonic powers from their pagan gods.  

God was showing everyone who was in charge; and it wasn’t Pharaoh or his pagan goddess!