Concerning Self Denial

Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?

Matthew 16:24-26 NIV

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For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;

Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.

Titus 2:11-13 KJV

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Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.

Galatians 5:24,25 NASB

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Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.

Romans 6:16-18 ESV

I have attended meetings of the CHIP (Coronary Health Improvement Project) for the last two summers.  Last summer, however, I wasn't able to attend all of the meetings, but I did really enjoy the meetings I did get to attend. 

Dr. Hans Diehl is a fascinating person.  Quite warm and patient in person, yet he is quite to the point when it comes to health and can bring a person to recognize when they are giving excuses for their health.  I so loved that about him!  I suppose one could get upset that he was so to the point, but I loved it.  He does it with a smile and he still loves the person whom he is talking to.   I think I also liked him because he reminded me of my grandfather... his face was shaped much like my grand-dads and that is likely because they have similar ethnic backgrounds, plus I love his German/Swedish accent.  LOL!

Anyways, the first year I attended the meetings, my heart wasn't with the meetings.  I found them full of truth, but it was truth I wasn't searching for so it seemed so irrelevant.  This year, however, I just ate up every morsel of health information.  What was the difference?  I noticed that I was tired in the afternoons, more than normal... more like when I was pregnant... and I'm not pregnant!  I realized I had put on weight and if I let things continue, I likely would become one of the statistics on the power point presentation.  Also, my husband had a couple episodes of not being able to catch his breath very well after moving some heavy farm equipment.  He just chalked it up to getting older, but he is only 39 yo and his symptoms were early symptoms of some clogging arteries.  That got my attention!  We have a 3yo and we both want to be around to watch her grow up!  So these meetings met a need for our family.  A need to be healthy and to live a strong vibrant life, not one of tiredness and complaints. 

The CHIP program is outstanding.  I see at the website you can listen to short health presentations online.  Do so... they are very good.  I was encouraged that taking steps towards better health is possible.  I was encouraged that simple changes at home can deter one from having to partake of costly medical treatments.  I was encouraged that the simple changes produce results! 

The CHIP program focuses on a low-fat, high fiber diet.  Because of these talks we are giving up many of our white flour favorites and opting for more whole grain alternatives.  Also trying to keep some raw foods in our diet to increase our fiber intake is another way we have made changes.  Thirdly, getting that daily exercise.  There are other aspects, but the main focus is living a life that is optimal in health.  Encouragment is given for baby steps as well as the giant steps that one can make towards improving their health. 

This program can reverse heart disease, without pills, without stress (unless you really stress over the diet!  LOL), and the results can be seen quickly.  To find out more about the program, click on the link at the beginning of the post. 

Warmly, ~Melissa

We have a new kitten on the farm.  It wasn't by choice.  Dh brought home some rams from another pasture and later that morning we found a tiny kitten in the chicken barn, about 50 feet from where the trailer was parked. 

I estimate the kitten to be between 3-5 weeks.  The kitten is so small.  He also has such gooped up eyes.  We called the guy who has the pasture and he says it is likely their kitten, and said we could bring him back or keep him.  We were all very willing to take him back to the farm, but my daughter with such a heart for sick animals wanted to keep him... at least until he gets well. 

After cleaning his eyes, it is apparent there is an infection of some sort.  His inner eyelids are red and swollen.  His left eye may be blind...it is really hard to tell at this point, because the inner eyelid on this eye is SOOOO swollen.  But Today it appears rather gray and cloudy compared to the other eye. 

We are giving him a round of pennicilin.  The shots are soo small, it seems rather a waste of the effort, but he is so tiny.  We also got a bottle and some milk yesterday as he wasn't eating regular cat food very well.  I also picked up a bag of kitten food that was much smaller in size so he could try to eat.  Well, last night we gave him his first bottle and the kitten was sooo happy.  He purred for the first time (we had had him a day by then).  Since then, he continues to eat from the bottle at 3-4 hour intervals.   He eats a whopping 2 teaspoons of milk.  Once he had about three feedings in his tummy, he finally felt ready to discover the kitten food and ate about a teaspoon of that as well. 

We are washing his face about every 2 hours.  I know I should have some eye drops of a sort, but have no idea what to put into his eyes.  I also will be looking at buying another nipple to get us through another week.  He's about chewed this first one to pieces.  But he isn't very good at lapping milk just yet... he loses his balance and falls in... which then gave him a runny nose as well.   One thing I am happy about is that he is using the litter box.  His little wets make up a nickel sized spot.  If he stayed this small forever and made these small messes , I might consider an indoor cat!  LOL 

My daughter with the loving heart went a traveling for a couple days with her older sister to see some friends and to bring a friend home to visit during her home leave from academy.   I will be glad when she returns home to do the nursing of this poor little kitten. 

Any ideas for the kittens eyes?

Warmly, ~Melissa

My daughter is a homestead blogger!

Make her day by checking out her site.

Don't forget to leave her a nice comment.

http://www.homesteadblogger.com/JaimieBesaw/

Thanks,

Candy

Boy, do I ever need some help.

We are moving to Alaska.  That's the good news.

My New York home is overrun with books.  That's the problem.

I have decided to list them on my website http://candyfoote.com/ 

That could take me a while!!!

Well, I have managed to put a few of them on it.

It seems to take quite a bit of time.

I have included shipping and handling in the listed prices.  Not one item is more than $5.00.

Please, please, please check it out!

If you don't see something you are interested in, then check back another day.

It will take me quite awhile to list all of these books.

I really can't take all of these books to Alaska with me.

Thanks,

Candy

I assigned categories for the pieces of health information that I plan to write about.  These categories focus mainly on the acronym NEWSTART.  I have added a couple other categories which really do not relate to the NEWSTART acronym, and may continue to add a category or two as necessary. 

The NEWSTART acronym is described below:

N- Nutrition

E - Exercise

W - Water

S - Sunshine

T - Temperance

A - Air

R - Rest

T - Trust in God

Remembering the different parts of NEWSTART can help one to remind themselves of the areas that can improve one's health.  We hardly ever fall apart because of ONE problem, but rather it is usually a combination of health struggles.  Making changes in one area may show improvement, but it likely is not going to be a lifelong answer to our struggles.  NEWSTART can help us towards a healthier lifestyle.  It isn't about diet to lose weight, or sleeping pills to get our rest, but simply getting back to what we were designed to live by. 

DISCLAIMER:

A disclaimer that I want to add is that some of us have bodies that are far along in disease processes.  Changing late in the game is likely not going to cure us, however, we may see decreased symptoms by making healthy lifestyle changes.  A diabetic may still be a diabetic, but their blood sugar levels  are easier to control.  Also because of sin,  our bodies have become run down after generations of misuse.  That means our children can have problems like allergies or other horrible diseases that are not caused by how they are living, but rather a compilation of problems in our own genetics that we have passed down to them, or problems caused while growing in the womb...not to mention the exposure of so many things that are just considered normal these days... (chemicals, pesticides, immunizations, pollution, etc.) that can adversely affect one even though many others can take those exposures without much of a symptom at all.  So, do be realistic in making changes, they won't cure us overnight and they may not cure us at all.  Some changes may relieve us of some symptoms, but some changes could be detrimental to our specific medical condition.     

What does that mean?  If you have a medical condition or your children are sick, please read for guidance of where to go for information, not to substitute for medical treatment.  Making changes without your medical doctor's knowledge can cause big problems.  Medications you may be on may become too strong when making changes to a healthier lifestyle and without some guidance from your doctor on how to wean from your medications, you may end up sicker trying to live healthier than when you just lived "as is" with your medications.  Also, if you are ever feeling concerned or overwhelmed with a situation, do not try to do it on your own, just because it is healthier.  Our gut feelings are there for us to seek help.  And sometimes we do not notice something going terribly wrong because we are untrained in knowing what to look for. 

Now, I do not want this to deter you from trying natural remedies or lifestyle changes.  Just when you do it, make wise choices and if under medical care, take it to your doctor to explain what you are wanting to try.  Some doctors are not supportive of healthy lifestyle/home remedies... in that case, find one who is and one who knows what you are talking about because not all doctors know what home remedies even are as many are not trained in that area or they have seen disasterous cases from one trying to cure themselves on their own.  Often a person will misdiagnose a problem and the "cure" they are using will never work, but only cause the problem to continue without restraint. 

 Many medical missionaries treat others with home remedies and teach unschooled mothers and fathers in treatments where medical facilities are too far away or too expensive.  These treatments are taught and used all over the world and have improved lives.  Why we don't use them here in America boggles my mind.  With medical care so expensive and drug treatments sometimes noneffective or the side effects so damaging, we need to go back to some simple ways of healing. 

In summary, I do not feel anyone should be afraid of remedies or lifestyle changes.  Many changes are as simple as not eating cheetos and eating a whole grain cracker instead.  Some home remedies you can practice even while on medications and see increased results above what just the medication alone will do.  As your skill improves, you will feel more confident.  As time goes by, you will understand how our bodies work and see why something will or will not work in a situation.   Be wise in your decisions; pray and ask for guidance. 

Warmly, ~Melissa

 I say Fab because the weather is just that, fabulous! It is cool but not cold, the kind where you open up your windows and the breeze blows the curtains around, LOVE IT!

  Grinding was suppose to start today but they have pushed it back until Monday, which is OK with me. Hubby can take an extra weekend to relax before he starts working nonstop for the next three months. The money is great, but he gets tired of it after a month or so. I don't blame him either, I worked grinding several years in the scale house, and it does take a toll on you. Seven days a weeks for weeks and weeks.

   So for lunch hubby wants to go to his favorite eat out, Pizza Hut. I personally don't care for them but he loves it, so Pizza Hut it is. Then it's off to see mom for a bit at the home, a quick stop at the grocery store for a few items, and then home to wait for my dear friend Debbie who is coming for a weekend visit. With the holidays kicking up soon, we are getting a visit in before things get too hectic for visiting.

   So thats pretty much me weekend, chatting, swinging, porching, garage saleing, malling, eating out, and did I mention chatting. The guys will be doing some hunting.  So I hope everyone else is going to have a great weekend ahead. Call you BFFs and chat some.

God delights to increase the faith of his children. We ought,
instead of wanting no trials before victory, no exercise for
patience, to be willing to take them from God's hands as a
means. Trials, obstacles, difficulties, and sometimes defeats,
are the very food of faith.

      -- George Müller