Health

Proverbs 18:9

He who is loose and slack in his work is brother to him who is a destroyer and [a]he who does not use his endeavors to heal himself is brother to him who commits suicide.

From BibleGateway.com:
[a] Proverbs 18:9 This verse so reads in The Septuagint (Greek translation of the Old Testament). Its statement squarely addresses the problem of whether one has a moral right to neglect his body by “letting nature take its unhindered course” in illness.

This week I have been feeling especially drained. My mind is a fog, my body aches, simple tasks overwhelm me, company takes everything out of me.
Then I realized, oh yeah, I have that pcos thing going on.
Sigh.
Must take better care of myself.
So, I did a little digging on herbs for pcos and this is what was suggested:
Chaste Tree Extract
1 oz
Herb Pharm
SKU DCHASTE01
Botanical Name: Vitex agnus-castus

Plant Part Extracted: Dried ripe berry

Contains: Certified Organic grain alcohol, distilled water & Chaste Tree extractives.

Description: Prepared Chaste Tree extract from the berries of Vitex agnus-castus trees which are Custom Wildcrafted™ especially for us in their wild native habitat in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco.

To assure optimal extraction of Chaste Tree’s bioactive compounds, the berries are hand-harvested only after they have fully ripened, carefully shade-dried, and are then shipped directly to the Herb Pharm laboratory and thoroughly extracted.

The Chaste Treeused for this extract is never fumigated or irradiated.

Actions: Enhances natural production of progesterone and luteinizing hormone, and diminishes release of follicle stimulating hormone.

Uses: Menstrual and ovulation disorders due to corpus luteum insufficiency: amenorrhea, hypermenorrhea and polymenorrhea; excess prolactin levels; to induce ovulation in infertility; premenstrual syndrome (PMS); breast pain; normalize ovulation and menstrual cycle after quitting oral contraceptives. Cysts and fibroids of the breasts, ovaries and uterus. Menopausal depression and hypochondria. Galactagogue (promotes breast milk). Decreases abnormally strong libido in men.

Dose: Take 30 to 40 drops, 2 or 3 times per day.

*From: www.texasnaturalsupply.com

I’m going to give it a try. Will keep you all informed.

Casting Stones

John 8:7

However, when they persisted with their question, He raised Himself up and said, Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.

Forgiveness. That is what the Sunday Sermon was about. Forgiveness.

After the sermon, the pastor announced that the man called to lead worship had met with him this week and confessed that his girlfriend was pregnant.
The Elders of the church met together and rescinded the call to the young man.
Sigh.
Did we learn nothing from the sermon?
What about Kind David? Was he asked to abdicate his throne for killing a man?

If we believe that all sin is equal in God’s eyes, then none of us are fit to serve him.

The young man and his girlfriend will marry in September, but the church we have been attending, or rather the elders of this church, have decided that this young man has to restore himself to the Lord.

Wait! I thought he did that?!! Surely bringing himself to the pastor, confessing his wrongdoing, making things right, isn’t that restoration?!!
What happened to forgiveness?

The pastor said that the young man has to deal with the consequences of his sin.
I think he is, isn’t he? Marrying before he is ready. Having a baby right away. I think that is the consequence of premarital sex, and I think this young man understands this.
But what this pastor has done is abandoned a young couple in their greatest need. He has made a way for this young couple to forgo marriage altogether if they choose they don’t want to marry.

What have we become? Pharisees? That we decide to remove a man from the position God has called him to, just to keep up appearances of perfection?
No, this church has sent a clear message to people that even in repentance, you are not worthy to serve God in the way He has gifted you.

Sigh. I will not be party to casting stones. Forgive me, Lord, if I have ever thought that sin could disqualify me or anyone else from loving you.

A Happy Heart

Proverbs 17:22

A happy heart is good medicine and a cheerful mind works healing, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.

Last night as we readied the children for bed, there was a laughter in the air.
Having just sung a few hymns, I began reading from Exodus all about how to build the tabernacle.
I got to the part where God says to follow the plans for the tabernacle as He had showed Moses up on the mountain.
I laughed and said, “Why couldn’t they have just put a blueprint in here instead of all these words?”

I mean, I know the significance of the way the tabernacle and temple where built is important, but not very interesting to read how deep, how long and how wide the building should be. Or that the curtains are to be made of blue, purple and gold “stuff” as the Amplified Bible reads.

We had a great laugh, I read our nightly prayer covering as fast as I could before I burst into laughter again. Everyone was laughing and a good nights sleep was had by all!

Laughter is a good medicine indeed!

The Perfect Scarf

Psalm 139:15

My frame was not hidden from you when I was being formed in secret and intricately and curiously wrought as if embroidered with various colors in the depths of the earth, a rregion of darkness and mystery.

One day, a seamstress made a beautiful scarf. It was hand woven of the finest purple silk and embroidered with pure silver thread.
Seamstress loved the Scarf and kept it close to her at all times.
Then, one day, a Friend of Seamstress was admiring the beautiful Scarf. Loving her friend and desiring to bring her joy, Seamstress gave Friend the beautiful Scarf.
Friend took great care of Scarf, but it was not always at her side. Seamstress noticed, but said nothing, trusting Friend to take good care of Scarf.
But Friend allowed strangers to love Scarf. Soon, Scarf became dingy and stained. Her edges began to unravel as Friend tried washing her in water using harsh soaps and perfumes, saying, “She smells beautiful.” But Scarf was beginning to feel neglected and abused.

One day, and Enemy to Friend came over and tore Scarf and cut her into small pieces. Broken and abused, Scarf was thrown out with the trash.
Seamstress watched in pain as Scarf lie in the street being trampled on; her pieces scattering. Scarf grew cold, lonely and afraid.

But, Seamstress had a young daughter who still loved Scarf. Daughter began picking up pieces and bringing them to Seamstress.
Seamstress took out her silver thread and began piecing Scarf back together. As she touched each piece, it became clean and like new again.

When all of Scarf’s pieces were sewn back together, she felt stronger and better than before. Seamstress had even sewn gold to seal her frayed edges.
Scarf was more beautiful than before and though many desired her, she chose to stay in the security of the Seamstress.

Our hearts and lives can sometimes be like the purple scarf. We are beaten and bruised, torn and trampled, but Jesus will pick up our pieces and bring them to Father to sew back together.
Our hearts become laced with God’s gold and we are now more beautiful than the original product.

I thank you Lord, for the pain that brought Your gold thread of perfection into my life. Thank you, Father, for caring for me so much that You sent Your Son to seek for me. You saw me a perfect. You felt the pain of each word, each stain, each rip. You still saw me as perfect as I lie in the gutter moaning and lonely. Jesus found me and I am now a new creation, better than before. I am beautiful.

Copyright Leah M. Jones (c) 2001

Temporarily Unavailable

Hello to the few people that read my blog.

I probably wont be writing much for a while. Oh, I may write once a week, but I’m not even sure of that. Just taking some much needed time with the Lord.

Heart Pangs

I do not know how women read romance novels.
Honestly. I don’t. And I am a woman.

I had never even desired to read one. Then Misty handed me Kelly’s copy of Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers.

*sigh*

I read it in 2 days. 2 days. Two heart wrenching, heart pounding days.

My heart still aches from it. Not because of the ending, no the ending was just fine.
It was all the stuff in the middle. It was the similarities between me and her. It was the pain in Michael as he went back three times to retrieve his wayward wife. It was the agony he felt when she left the last time.
How could she? How could I?

How can I run from the one who was with me through it all. Held me in the pain. Felt every blow I’d ever received? How could I run from God? How do I keep running from him, and why?

My heart aches for Him. I am grieved at my wayward heart. Will I ever learn? Will I ever know the freedom He offers?

I came to Christ when I was 11 years old. Full of love and innocence. So naive. So full of life and love.

Like Michael, I had to go through a test, a trial. Unlike him, I failed. I failed miserably. How could God take me back? But he did. He took me back a few times.

Like Angel, I run every time my Savior gets too close. Every time He gets close enough to peer into my soul and feel my pain. Every time I start to fall in love with Him. I run. I feel trapped and insecure.

Like Mara, I have been bitter. Overwhelmingly so. So bitter that I’ve lost all feeling.

Like Amanda, I look to my husband for comfort. Protection. Security. I’ve looked to him for everything. To fill me up. To make me happy.

Like Michael, my husband cannot fill the void in my soul. He cannot sustain me and protect me everywhere I go. He cannot go into the secret places of my mind and heal those wounds.

Like Michael, God lets me go. He waits.

Like Duke, the ugliness of the past hovers over me, whispering in my ear. Taunting me. Questioning why God would allow me to go through such pain if He loved me so much.

And I cower. I shield my face as I expect to feel the blow of God’s wrath. But He never strikes. He sees the pain in my eyes. He holds me. He is not like those who have hurt me.

Have I relinquished control? Have I found freedom in His arms. Have I found the top of the hillside… all He has promised? Do I trust Him? Really trust Him?

For that matter, can He really trust me? Am I really worth all the trouble? Why would He come back for me time and time again? Has He grown tired of retrieving his wayward wife?

How could I ever look Him in the face again?

I must be the plague!

Am I so difficult a person to be around that people who have called me ‘friend’ for a decade stop inviting me to parties?

Not the first time. I’m sure not the last.

Every time it happens, I want to spend less and less time with them.

*sigh*

You know it has been hot when…

You son says, “Dad, I don’t need to wear shorts. It’s only 91 degrees outside.”

*Sigh*

This has been a long week of understanding for me.

After a death of someone that I had broken ties with and the death of someone my sister knows, God has really spoken to my heart.

It is easier for me to see God’s heart from this point of view. How sad He is.

Then, today… Rain. Tears from heaven, maybe?

This can’t be good

Robot Soldiers

The robot soldier has been a dream at the Pentagon for 30 years. And some involved in the work say it may take at least 30 more years to realize it in full. Well before then, they say, the military will have to answer tough questions if it intends to trust robots with the responsibility of distinguishing friend from foe, combatant from innocent bystander.

Even the strongest advocates of automatons say that war will always remain a human endeavor, marked by death and disaster. And supporters like Robert Finkelstein, president of Robotic Technology in Potomac, Md., are telling the Pentagon that it could take until 2035 to develop a robot that looks, thinks and fights like a soldier. The Pentagon’s “goal is there,” he said, “but the path is not totally clear.”

Robots in battle, as envisioned by their builders, may look and move like humans or hummingbirds, tractors or tanks, cockroaches or crickets. With the development of nanotechnology – the science of very small structures – they may become swarms of “smart dust.” The Pentagon intends for robots to haul munitions, gather intelligence, search buildings or blow them up.

This news report is true. It was reported on Fox News on Hannity tonight.

I don’t even know what to think about this. The time is soon coming when robots will only distinguish between the friend or foe if the friend has some kind of identification.

This can’t be good.