Salt

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Before living in south Texas, I had not encountered salt this way.  I wouldn't have even known to put it on my bucket list (if I had one).

Strong enough to hold up under my steps, white enough to sparkle in the sunlight, concentrated enough to stay in formation under the smooth water's surface.

Sprinkled over the dirt this way, you'd almost think it was a dusting of snow.   Except it's about 100 degrees out, which is the furthest thing from winter you can imagine.

Amazingly, some plants thrive in this salt land.

And amazingly, the salt land helps me thrive, too.

I will: be thou clean.

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I've always loved the story of the leper who comes to Jesus, bowing down and begging to be healed.  It's a simple, brief story, with a quick and clear answer to his need.  Very efficient.

Jesus simply says, "I will:  be thou clean."  (Luke 5:13)  And just like that, it's done.  Leprosy is gone, and he's probably in better health than he has ever enjoyed.

Many times when I've read this story, I've been in less-than-optimal states of health, and always, I make the man's prayer my own.  "If You can do it for him, You can do it for me."

And I've never experienced an instant healing in answer to prayer like the man from the story did.  

Now, I know people who have had instant healing in answer to prayer, and sometimes I've been downright jealous of them.  By personality I'm not one to be angry with God, and I don't revel in wasting time with all the why questions, but when you want to feel better and have normal thyroid and energy levels, well, you just want it to happen now.  

Fortunately for me, years ago I read a chapter called "Prayer for the Sick" in the book Ministry of Healing, and that answered many of my questions and mostly gave me the assurance that it's no lack of faith if you don't experience instant healing.  (At least, not necessarily.)  I've long since accepted that I may not ever get sick and then have a miraculous instant healing, but that either way, God will do what is absolutely best for me.

A couple of days ago, I read this story of the leper yet again.  I liked it just as much as I always do.  Out of habit, I was about to pray that same prayer for physical health, just like the leper did and just like I've always done, when I realized I didn't need to anymore.  I'm already in good health and feeling great.  Although it took time, God had answered all the prayers I prayed every time I read that same story.

I will.  Be thou educated.

I looked back and reflected on all I have learned about health--in general, and specifically applied to my very own blood work--during the last ten or so years.  I have a lot left to learn, but I know a lot more than I used to!

I will.  Be thou disciplined.

Am I applying what I know?  Am I faithful to the daily decisions I know I need to make to support my health?

I will.  Be thou invested.

Sometimes good health feels like it costs more time, energy, and money than I have to offer.  Yet I've found that every time I feel a lack, if I tell Jesus that it sure seems like I need something for my health I can't afford (in time, energy, or money), He provides it in a way I don't expect it.  Maybe I learn to plan differently, or maybe I receive an unexpected blessing that covers the thing I need.  But every time, He provides.

I will.  Be thou clean.

Piece by piece, moment by moment, my body has rejuvenated as I've put in the time, energy, and money to be educated and disciplined.  Piece by piece, step by step, God guided my path, and has indeed made me clean.

Summer Success Story: Exercise

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You guys, I am praising the Lord big time this morning.  Maybe it's not something that would seem like a big deal to other people, but it is huge to me.  But before I tell you why, I have to back up in the story a little bit.

For the last several years, I've been in a battle against some health problems.  Now, most people wouldn't know it to look at me, because we have this idea in our society that if you are thin, you are automatically healthy.  And unless you know the subtle physical signs of Graves' Disease, you wouldn't realize what a mess is going on inside the endocrine system.

Over the past two or so years, I've been blessed with a diagnosis--yes, KNOWING what is wrong is a blessing, because then you can figure out how to fix it!--as well as good medical care.  

The thing was, even though my thyroid levels finally returned to normal, and I felt mostly better, I developed some new symptoms that, while each successive doctor and specialist told me were benign, were in actuality disrupting my quality of life on a regular basis.

So last fall the decision came down to two options:  I could go to another specialist, who my cardiologist said might be able to help me (but in all honesty, he told me he wasn't sure if there was anything they could do).  

Or I could take a different direction and see a lifestyle medicine specialist/nutritionist who would take a broad look at a lot of blood work, and fix whatever was obvious.

I chose the broad look at a lot of blood work.

How much blood work that would mean didn't really sink in until I fainted in the lab when they were drawing about the twentieth vial of blood.  I had never fainted before, but it really wasn't that bad.  They took great care of me, and most importantly, got all that blood work done, which showed all kinds of interesting things about how I could improve my health, naturally.

So last winter the fainting thing was a first for me, but so also was being able to go for a run, and run for thirty minutes without stopping.  Oh, how I worked to reach that goal!  Already the lifestyle medicine approach was working.  My symptoms weren't completely gone, but they were improving.

Well, fast forward to the beginning of summer, and I faced two big hurdles.  They were named HEAT, and FISHING SEASON.

Heat is miserable on multiple levels, but specifically for me, it was a hurdle because I knew I needed to keep up on my exercise program in order to keep experiencing the health benefits I was beginning to enjoy more abundantly.  

I knew the night time temperatures would not drop much if at all below 80 for several months, and I knew it would be difficult to get exercise without putting myself in danger for heat exhaustion.  I figured I could walk outside for a few minutes after breakfasts and suppers, but I didn't know what I would do after lunch or for the vigorous exercise my lifestyle medicine specialist recommended.  

And then fishing season.  My husband's family have been commercial fishermen in Bristol Bay (see me standing in Bristol Bay in the sidewalk map above?) for several generations, and this summer, that meant my husband would be away for about six weeks.  I had to find a way to combat the loneliness I would face spending that much time by myself.

As it turned out, finding a solution for exercise also turned out to be one of the key things that helped me get through fishing season on my own.

My mother-in-law, who is a great runner and who with my husband is just the greatest exercise cheerleader on the planet (actually, so is my father-in-law...I'm really blessed to have them in my life), kept encouraging me to explore a gym membership.  And being the cheapskate that I am, I didn't want a gym membership.

But after she mentioned it again and again, I decided to ask Google if there were any free exercise videos I could use at home from my computer.  Then I clicked the first link, and started looking through what the site had to offer.

More than 60 free exercise videos, at all fitness levels.
Some videos using equipment, but many without.
A Christian health and wellness perspective.
Appropriately dressed women.
Free access to the videos by just supplying your e-mail address.
Options to download the videos to your phone or computer, and use them offline if you wanted.

Because the woman in charge viewed this as her ministry.

Well.  Sign me up.

I started right away.  I put on a video whenever a thunderstorm or the intense heat and humidity kept me from walking outside after a meal, or going for a run.  Which, let's be honest, was at least once every day, and sometimes more!  I explored a few beginner body weight workout videos.  And, oh, yes, the beginner videos were enough for me!

But only at first.  After a while, I noticed I could try out harder ones.  I also noticed that if I was feeling lonely and just ready to cry knowing my husband wouldn't be home for several more weeks, and then decided to do even just a ten-minute workout video, I would immediately notice a peace and calm in my emotions that hadn't been there before the exercise.  

As they say, you're only one workout away from a good mood!

That was fourteen weeks ago.  I know that because Michelle, the founder of faithfulworkouts.com, sends me an e-mail each week, encouraging me to keep at it.  Yesterday's e-mail said it was week 14 for me.  And while I haven't been completely faithful, I've certainly been making improvements.

Of course I had other strategies too, but those workout videos were a HUGE part of getting myself through the six weeks of fishing season while my husband was working hard in Bristol Bay.  I can't explain to you all the physiology and science behind it, but I can tell you from my own experience that emotional well being and exercise walk hand in hand.

This morning, though, I didn't work out with Michelle.  The morning temperature was down to 69.  Below 70.  For the first time in MONTHS.  {Imagine it if you can.  I dare you.}  So I went for a run for the first time in at least two months, just to see how I would do, and to see if exercising with Michelle all summer long had preserved any of my ability to run.

I felt great at five minutes.  And just fine at ten minutes.  And breathed harder at fifteen minutes.  And stopped at twenty minutes.

Which is longer than I was able to run without stopping before the summer heat hit.  Which means exercising with Michelle all summer long was a great idea on so many levels.

Now, I wouldn't want anyone to think that they have to follow the same exercise plan that I do.  We each have to find out what works best for us.  But I would love to encourage each of you to make an exercise plan, and to stick with it, and find ways to get exercise even when life and summer heat and whatever else don't seem like they're cooperating with your goals.

The exercise is worth it, not just on a physical level, but on the emotional level, too.  

And if you're interested in more natural ways to improve emotional health, I highly recommend this lecture (click over to the blog for the link if you're reading this in e-mail).  I've listened to it three times in the last week or so, because it's just that inspiring and fascinating.

Can't Fall Asleep? 5 Things You Can Do

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Over the last few months, I've had trouble sleeping sometimes.  It's a long story, and I'm still working on finding a solution for the benign heart rhythm issue that keeps me awake from time to time, but I'm beginning to realize that sleepless nights don't have to be wasted.

Normally, I'd spend the time on worry and frustration, or generally trying to solve the world's problems without success.

But thank God for being in the business of helping us form new habits, right?  Because now, rather than facing my bedtime with uncertainty, I'm learning to leave even the amount of sleep I get to Jesus.  (You saw that, right?  The word learning?)

Here are the five most helpful things I've found over the last few months to reduce my worries and fears, and to help me rest in mind and body.  I hope they help you, too.

Read

In particular, I've begun reading the Psalms when I can't sleep.  I read them on my phone, so that I don't have to get up, go in the other room, turn on lights, and therefore wake myself up even more than I already am.  And you know what? 

I've been amazed at how many of the Psalms have to do with sleep, or with resting in God alone.  I've actually chosen to highlight all these kinds of verses in purple (you know, a purple heart message from God when my heart isn't quite beating in its normal rhythm), and now if you were to open the Psalms on my phone you would see purple scattered through almost every chapter.

What a huge encouragement when you can't predict when sleep will finally take over and you'll drift off into dreamland!

Pray

Sometimes when I'm lying awake at night, it's my prime time to worry.  Since I'm lying in bed trying to sleep, there's nothing I can do about any of the things I'm worrying about, either.  

Prayer is a great way to turn our worries, one by one, over to Someone who can act on them, night or day.  Whether I'm worried about situations, people, natural disasters...you name it...Jesus is always there to listen and strengthen.

I've had many friends say that when they're awake at night, God will bring a specific person to mind to pray for.  If that doesn't happen, it never hurts to lift up family and friends one by one, committing them to the Lord's care.

Think Thankful Thoughts

Forcing myself to remember all the things God has been doing in my life puts my mind and body at rest like nothing else can.  The more I think of that I'm thankful for, the more thoughts of gratitude come to my mind.  

It's like one thankful prayer, however simple, plants the seed for another one, until I have a whole garden full of beautiful, restful thoughts.  

Seize the Day

Many times there are things we're doing during the day to contribute to our wakefulness at night.  Consistent problems falling asleep may be coming from our daytime habits, and it's always a good idea to evaluate where we are with our health practices by asking some simple questions. Our answers can tell us a lot--if we're honest!

Here are some things I'm trying to ask myself consistently.

Am I getting good nutrition, in proper amounts?  Am I avoiding things that aren't good for me (whether junk food or other even worse substances)?  Am I eating at ideal times of the day, or do my meals leave my stomach working too hard at night when it's time to sleep?

Am I exercising consistently?  Am I drinking enough water to stay hydrated?  Am I getting sunlight (to help with melatonin and vitamin D production)?  Am I breathing fresh air?


And of course when I look at rest, sleep is not the only thing to consider.  If I'm filling the day to the max (way too easy for me to do), and not giving myself margins and breathing room, it's no wonder that my mind would keep me awake at night.

Sometimes, though, there are things happening in our bodies and minds that need more evaluation.  If that's the case, we can use the daylight hours to keep moving forward, a step at a time, toward finding a solution to whatever might be ailing us. 

Trust in Jesus

Perhaps the most important thing we can do when we can't sleep is simply to trust in Jesus.  

Indeed, all our Psalm reading, praying, and thinking thankful thoughts are designed to re-establish and strengthen our trust in Him, and everything we do to seize the day will fall flat unless it's directed by our trust in Him.

Something I've done a few times recently, when I'm not sure how bedtime will go for me, is to just tell God, ahead of time, that I trust Him with my life and health.

Even if I end up awake longer than I'd like.
Even if there's no instant cure.

I'm simply inviting Him to be in charge of my health, my sleep, and my life in every way.  If that means I read a lot of Psalms one night, I know I'll be blessed.  If that means I go to sleep right away and enjoy the rest I'm hoping for, I know I'll be blessed by that, too.

Because either way, Jesus is still the One holding my breath in His nail-pierced hands, and I can't think of a better place for my life to be.

What Physical Healing has to do with the Gospel

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My thoughts followed the disciples through their preaching journeys, when Jesus sent them out two by two with power.  Power to preach.  Power to heal.  Power to cast out devils.

I wondered why power to heal physical diseases needed to go along with the preaching.  

Casting out demons seemed an obvious necessity, to make room for Jesus and the Holy Spirit, of course.  But physical healing?

Healthy people think more clearly, so perhaps the gift of health would clear the way for people to understand the gospel.

The sick made well would perhaps feel so grateful that they would respond to the gospel call.

Sick people made instantly healthy people would recognize the hand of power, and exercise faith in God's power to restore them spiritually, too.

All those seemed like good reasons, but I couldn't shake the thought that there might be a reason even more foundational than those.  As I thought some more, and asked God to give me wisdom to understand His Word, something more did indeed return to my mind--something I remembered reading years ago.

"Satan has the power of disease and death, and in every age the curse has been more visible, and the power of Satan more plainly seen."  White, Ellen G.  Spiritual Gifts, vol. 1, p. 69.

Clearly Satan had power over demons, which needed to be cast out.  But if he also exercised power over disease?  Ah, here was a hint.

I thought about another story I'd been studying and typing earlier in the day.  People were accusing Jesus of being possessed with the devil, and exercising Satan's authority.  

I'd been struck by that story for several days, actually, thinking about the underlying assumptions of such an accusation.  If they really believed he was casting out devils by Beelzebub, I thought, they could truly only believe one of two things.  

On the one hand, they might have believed that the devil was indeed more powerful than anyone or anything else in the universe; without his permission no one could tell the demons what to do.  It's a sobering thought, yet sometimes I think we fall prey to it just like they may have.

On the other hand, even if they really did believe God had power over Satan, they certainly didn't believe Jesus came from God.

Either way, Jesus answered their murmurings in parables.  Can a kingdom or a house stand if it is divided against itself?  Of course not.  Furthermore,

"No man can enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his goods."  Mark 3:27

I can't help but think Jesus is talking about Himself here.  It's as if He's saying, Sure, Satan has some measure of strength.  But I am here to bind him up, and spoil his goods.  Trust in Me.  I Am not only strong.  I Am strongest.

Therefore, because of that power Satan had over disease and death, part of binding up Satan and spoiling his goods needed to be physical healing.  

Then the difficult question remains:  If Jesus bound up Satan, why do [I, my loved ones, my friends], as Christians, still suffer diseases?

I'm not talking about the common cold.  I'm talking about serious, life-altering (if not life-threatening) illnesses. Illnesses that bring untold daily suffering in the lives of dedicated Christian people.

Shouldn't they experience healing like whole towns did in Jesus' day?

I don't know the answer to the question.

I do know I can trust Jesus, who through His victory on the cross bought back power over death and disease.

I do know the devil knows he couldn't prevail against Jesus in the war in heaven, and he knows he only has a short time left before his final end.  (See Revelation 12.)

Thus while even I myself still suffer things I don't have answers for, I am the more resolved to turn my health, and the health of my friends and family, over to Jesus.  I invite Him to bind up Satan's power over my life, and spoil that old serpent's power over disease.

And after I've done that?

I can rest in the arms of my Savior, who I've chosen to be the chairman of the board of my health.  Whether I or friends or family experience immediate healing or not, I can trust Him to work out everything for His glory and my salvation. 

I know He's gaining the victory in this whole huge war against evil, and I can trust Him to prevail in the battlefield of my own life.  Spiritually, physically, mentally, in every way imaginable.

Why I Love Exercising in the Morning

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I've always been a morning person.  I love to go to bed early (even though I struggle to achieve it now more than ever!), and I love waking up to hear the birds singing their morning songs.  

I love getting out in the early light, and I love the way the air smells in the first part of the day.  I love the way early morning exercise pumps energy and life into my whole day, and I love the way the time in the open air gives me time to think and pray.

The thing about living in south Texas in the summer is that even if I didn't love all those things, I would need to exercise as early in the morning as possible because it's the coolest time of day...which is about 80 degrees, of course.

And so I see all the regulars out on the path in the mornings, they too avoiding the hot part of the day--the lady walking with weights, the man on his bike who stops to do stretches and exercises at different intervals, the two women walking and talking together shading themselves with flattened cardboard boxes, the gentleman wearing the fire department t-shirt who told me all about the community garden next to the fire station when I stopped my run to find out about the hedge of grapes growing there.

Mr. Turtle on the path was a surprise, though.  His kind usually dwell down in the canal, and scamper into the water as soon as so much as a shadow crosses over their sun-drenched shells.  

I came upon him when I was feeling discouraged one morning, praying for God to help me overcome it, and you know what?  Mr. Turtle was a great distraction from my dark thoughts.

While he tucked his head under his shell, I stopped to look at him more closely.  His shell had a dent from an injury, but he was otherwise in tact.  What he was doing so far from the water's edge I couldn't tell, but I waited breathlessly until he peeked out to see where I was. 

Too close.  That's where I was.  The head disappeared again. 

I stepped away a space, and watched again.  I wanted to be sure he could find his way home.  While I didn't want to pick him up myself, I didn't want him to spend the rest of his life wandering the dusty path, either.

Sure enough, next time he poked his head out, he decided I was a safe distance away and turned toward the bank and started down it.  I watched him until he made it home, and then headed home myself, more ready for the day after a cheerful distraction, convinced afresh that exercise and time with my Lord in the morning is the best way to start the day.

Twelve Weeks to Wellness and Optimal Health Seminar

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Over the last several days, I've been watching a health lecture--and taking copious notes--while I eat breakfast.  While I don't regularly share reading lists and videos here, and although I've only watched one full one and part of another so far in the series, I'm learning such amazing things that I have to let you know about them, too.

What?  A seminar called Twelve Weeks to Wellness and Optimal Health.  It runs for twelve weeks, and this is week five.

Who?  Presented by Dr. Youngberg, of the Youngberg Clinic, Lifestyle and Nutritional Medicine for the Whole Family.

Where?  Although the lectures are live in California, they are being streamed on the internet.  (Yay!  That means I can watch them from Texas.)

When?  The lectures take place on Monday evenings, and the videos are available free for one week each.

How?  Register to receive each week's video link by e-mail through Dr. Younberg's web site.  When the link comes, you can either watch live (and submit any questions you have to be answered at the end of the lecture, time permitting) or watch when you have time during the following week.

This week's lecture, called Optimizing Digestion for Health and Healing, covered everything from the health benefits of eating fruits and vegetables to several simple and natural ways to aid digestion when things aren't working quite right.  The question and answer section at the end briefly covered topics such as the use of apple cider vinegar, juicing, bloating, alkaline water, and the healing and reversal of neuropathy (nerve damage).

I would love to hear about it if you're able to watch some of the lectures, and what you think of them!

Time for Sunshine (A Habit for Day 21)

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 I went to college and then lived several more years in a town where the sun hardly came out for six weeks straight in the winter.  You could usually follow the sun if you had a few hours for a forty-five minute, one-way drive out of the fog, but if you were craving light in the middle of the work or school week, you were sunk.

It wasn't just hard on those with seasonal depression.  It was easy to get engrossed in the routines and forget all about sunlight, until the first clear day came along.  The change in mood on campus and all over town would be palpable.  People smiled more, laughed more, and felt a load lifted from their shoulders.  It only took one day of sunshine to remind us all how badly we needed it.

 If you've ever grown a garden, you've seen how fast a new seedling will turn green when exposed to sunlight.  While humans don't do photosynthesis, we benefit from the sun's rays just as much as plants do.  Think vitamin D, think your-ability-to-process-calcium, think mood.

Jesus once again (as always!) knew what He was doing when He called Himself the light of the world.  "He that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."  John 8:12

 He's a light we need even more of than sunlight, a light that will give us even more benefits than a good dose of vitamin D.

For more information on sunlight and cancer, mood, healthy bones, immunity, arthritis, PMS, and more, visit the NewStart Lifestyle Club's page on Sunlight.

And then go outside to catch some rays, from the sun in the sky and the Sun of Righteousness.

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(Photo by Barbara Frohne) 

Eating Healthy Meals (A Habit for Day 19)

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I completely believe physical health, as far as it's in your power to be healthy, effects your mental and spiritual life in a powerful way.  The Bible makes it even more clear than that:

"Know ye not that your bodies are the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?  For ye are bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's."  1 Corinthians 6:19, 20

In other words, take good care of the person Jesus bought with His life.  Part of being His means you keep yourself in as good of working order as you can--and you'll reap the benefits of having energy and feeling good, too.

Good nutrition starts before you drive to the store.

You know what happens if you get to the grocery store and you're hungry, right?

You'll buy anything you see, and everything will look good to you.  You're more likely to go way over budget as well as buy more food you can just open and eat in a hurry...which is often not very healthy food.

To avoid buying things you know won't be good for you, make a menu--or at least a grocery list--before you go to the store.  Then try to buy only the items written on your list.  Even if ice cream sandwiches are buy one get one free that week.

Then make your menu one that's easily doable for you, so you don't let the healthy food you've bought go to waste because you don't have time to make the fancy meals you planned.

Load up on fresh produce before you buy anything else.

Several years ago, I discovered that if I started my shopping in the produce section, with fresh fruits and vegetables, these would become the foundation for my meals.  

I'm also weird enough to keep track of my spending as I go, and if I start out in the produce section, the non-fresh items on my list are the ones that get left in the store if it looks like I'm going to go over budget.  Produce is harder to put back on the shelf if I decide I need to adjust the list before I go stand in line.

Do your research

I'm not here to tell you precisely what you should or shouldn't eat.  You have unique tastes and needs, and I can't possibly design a one-size-fits-all type of diet with any specificity.

If you do physical labor for a living, you'll need more and different kinds of food than people who are primarily sedentary in their work.  If you live in Siberia but I live in Papua New Guinea, we can both eat a healthy diet, but it's going to look about as different as night and day.

So research what works for your needs, your budget, your geographic area.  Avoid food and diet fads, and stick with the basics.

A resource my husband and I love to use is a web site called the World's Healthiest Foods.  The site gives common foods, their nutritional properties and benefits, and recipes featuring that food, as well as an in-depth "nutritional profile" which gives lists of studies and source materials.

One disclaimer about the site:  while most of the foods listed are quite healthy, a few of the foods, in my opinion, would better be called "nutrient dense" because while they do contain high levels of some types of nutrients, there are also drawbacks to eating them.

Man shall not live by bread alone...

Once again, a little familiarity with the Bible will show how Jesus linked Himself with the imagery of our every-day needs, reminding us He is even more necessary to us than the food we eat.

"And He humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that He might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live."  Dueteronomy 8:3

"And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to Me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on Me shall never thirst."  John 6:35

Maybe our trials--the times we hunger in life--are the times Jesus draws nearest, hoping we'll remember the lesson He tried to teach the Israelites in the wilderness.  Maybe He's stretching us thin to drive us back to the only Word that gives life, Jesus Himself.

Perhaps before we sit down to make our next menu or grocery list, we should sit down and think about the words that make up our mental menus.  Does the bread of life make up enough of our diet, or are we still hungering and thirsting after things that can never fill?

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(Photo by Barbara Frohne) 

What is Temperance? (Habits for Day 17)

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Many of us think of the word "balance" when we hear the word "temperance".  While balance is important, it's only a partial concept of what temperance is really all about.

Think of it this way.  There are many healthy things for me to enjoy, but if the only vegetable I eat is carrots, will that really be the most balanced or temperate thing for my body?

Of course not!  I need other kinds of nutrients that carrots, amazing as they are, cannot provide by themselves.  Carrots are good for me, but they can't be my all in all.  I should eat them, but I need to balance them with other things.  Applying that balance to my diet would be one form of temperance.

There are other things I could put in my body--some people call them food and drink, when I'm not really sure they are at all--that are actually harmful to me.  Would it be good for me to use them in moderation, or at all, if I know they're dangerously harming my body with every use?

Of course not!  In that case, the path of temperance would lead me to avoid harmful substances completely, not touching them at all.

Before I get to a list of what those harmful substances are, let's take a look at Daniel's life as a new captive in Babylon.  At first, it looks like he'll be treated well.  He'll get a free education, he'll be housed, and he'll be fed.  In a world of high college costs, it sounds like a dream, right?

Well, the difficulty is that the king doesn't eat or drink things God recommends we eat or drink.  Nebuchadnezzar's diet may still be the fair of choice for most college students today, but Daniel takes one look at the menu and realizes if he partakes, he's sunk.  Both by the standard of God's law and the standard of healthful living--which are really the same thing anyway.

Nebuchadnezzar provides his captive students with two main categories of nourishment:  food including all manner of meats, and wine.  We can tell by Daniel's determination not to partake of these things that the meats are unclean by the Scriptural standard, and that the wine is alcoholic (the kind the Scriptures call "a mocker" in Proverbs 20:1).

There are two things at stake here:  obedience to the law and word of God, and health.

Daniel and his friends choose to be faithful to both, in direct opposition to the king and the college crowd of their peers.  Their story has a lot to teach us today about temperance.

They count the cost, realizing they may lose their lives over the simple choice to eat vegetables and drink water.  They make their deitary request to the master of the eunuchs, which sheds some light on their situation as prisoners.  

They have in all probability lost their chance at ever getting married and having families, yet the book of Daniel says nothing about this loss.  In our culture of sexual excess, it should mean something to us to have this detail almost entirely passed over by the Bible, except to identify the person in command over them as the master of the eunuchs.

The writer (Daniel himself) focuses rather on the decision these four young men made to be faithful in the small things in spite of the great wrongs already committed against them.

I still believe, like Daniel and his friends did, that the Bible's standard of clean foods found in Leviticus 11 is a binding standard for all Christians.  There are many solid biblical reasons for this (and I'd be happy to answer any questions you have about them).  For now, though, I want to direct your attention to the physical results of the diet, because these alone give ample common-sense reasons to follow the diet God gave His people then and now.

Their master hesitates to grant their request to eat the diet they want because he's convinced King Nebuchadnezzar already knows what will be the best benefit to his servants.  He doesn't want to lose his life by neglecting to take care of the king's valuable assets (in the person of his prisoner-students).

The boys challenge the master to a test:  ten days of eating their way, then a comparison.

 And wonder of wonders, ten days of refraining from Biblically unclean foods and alcohol puts them--even visibly--in way better health than all the other students of any nationality.  Not bad for some humble pulse, with water to drink.

Remember, Daniel and his friends had eaten this way their entire lives.  So had all the other Israeli captives.  Ten days of breaking God's law put the Hebrews in visibly worse condition, just as ten days of keeping God's law put the four friends in visibly better condition.  At the end of their course of study in Babylon, God had blessed them with so much wisdom and knowledge that they came out of exams ten times better than all the other students and all the other wise men.

Faithfulness in diet was the spring board from which these four men went on to be faithful to God in the face of the fiery furnace and the den of lions.  They feared nothing, because they could put total trust in the God they served throughout their lives at all costs.

I don't know about you, but facing trials fearlessly with total trust in the Lord sounds pretty appealing.  Don't you think it's worth finding out more about what God says is safe to eat and drink?  

I'm not going to say that diet is the entire equation, but faithfulness here will likewise prepare us for greater faithfulness in other areas of our lives, in addition to keeping our minds and bodies healthy, clear, and alert to God's leading.

To be temperate in our diets, we should start by completely avoiding alcohol, cigarettes and cigars, caffeine (coffee and tea), drugs, and foods the Bible calls unclean.  

We should also use the good things in moderation, learning to eat and drink a proper balance of nutrients to give our bodies what they need to be healthy.

I believe we'll be excited about the results.

For more about temperance, visit this great introduction to the subject.

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(Photo by Barbara Frohne) 

Exercise in the Open Air (A Habit for Day 13)

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Yep, there I am.  Attempting to hop over each of those wooden planks without stopping--all the way one direction, all the way back again.

It's a harder game to play than you might expect.

 I'm not going to attempt to try to give you a scientific or medical breakdown of what exercise does for you, or why you should still try to exercise when you're stressed.  You can find way more sophisticated scientific and medical sources out there than piano-teacher-me.

I will tell you what I think exercise does for me, and why I would include it in a series about finding Jesus in the roughest times of our lives.  I believe, and have found it to be true in my own life, that my physical health has a profound influence on my mental, emotional, and spiritual health.  And I can't imagine pursuing health without pursuing exercise in some form, in whatever way(s) are open to us.

So here goes.  A few reasons I try to prioritize exercise, in the open air as much as possible, which I find to be even more invigorating.

• Exercise clears my mind.  I think that's because it gets my blood working better, which helps even my brain work more efficiently.
• Exercise makes me feel good about myself.  When I've exercised, I experience what it's like to conquer something, and it gives me courage to keep trying in other areas of my life.
• Exercise, especially in the open air, gets me out of the rut of trying to solve everything all at once.  The things I see out walking in nature, for example, force my mind away from the other things that might be causing me stress that day and remind me there's more to life than my problems.  Nature calls my mind to the Creator, who is also my helper in time of need.
• Exercise keeps my digestion working efficiently.  If my system is overloaded with food, I'm sluggish, and not good for much!
• Exercise increases my energy.  Sure, I get tired from exercising sometimes, but my mental energy increases, and over the long term, so does my physical energy.  Energy is something I need more of when I'm stressed, so exercise during stressful seasons becomes especially important.
• I sleep better when I've been getting exercise.
• Exercise is a great physical outlet for mental or emotional weariness.  My life is quite sedentary if I'm not careful, and it includes a lot of brain work.  If I can spend time exercising, it gives my mind a break and brings my mind and body to a place where both are more ready to rest (see the point about sleeping better above).
• All of these things--clear mind, more energy, better, rest, etc.--bring me to a place where I have more mental room and focus when I come to my prayer and Bible study time.  I'm more alert to the things God has for me to learn.

I don't know what kind of exercise works best for you.  I know a little of what it's like to go through a season in life where I couldn't exercise, so if you're there, you have my fullest sympathy!  But most of us can get creative and find some ways to increase our activity levels, and I believe we'll experience blessings in return.

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(Photo by Barbara Frohne) 

Drinking Pure Water (A Habit for Day 11)

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Of the redeemed of the earth, brought finally to heaven, the Bible has this to say:

"They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.  For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters:  and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes."  Revelation 7:16, 17

Jesus promised the woman at the well that He could give her water to drink that would quench her thirst forever.  What was that water?

Jesus Himself.

There's a reason He could compare Himself to physical water.  We can't live without it.

Likewise, we can't live spiritually without Jesus.

Even a picture of heaven isn't complete without pure water (so don't go thinking we can get away without drinking physical water here!).

"And he shewed me a pure river or water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.  In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month:  and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations."  Revelation 22:1,2

The tree of life growing in the paradise of God can't do without water.  We shouldn't try to, either.

Have you had enough water today?  Maybe you and I should both go pour a glass.  And while we're at it, it won't hurt to connect with the spiritual water of life--Jesus--the only one who can quench the thirsting of our souls.  You'll handle stress a lot better and have loads more energy if you've had both these kinds of water in abundance.  I promise.

 

(Photo by Barbara Frohne) 

Getting Enough Sleep (A Habit for Day 7)

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Anyone who spends time around children quickly begins to recognize the signs.  Hyper?  Cranky?  A bit more stubborn than usual?  More tears than usual?

Yep, it's time for bed, or at the very least, a nap!

Yet we easily lose sight of our own need for rest as adults, even though we often show the same signs of sleepiness seen in children.  We're just a little more sophisticated in the ways we show them!

It can be even more difficult to come by a good night's rest in our busy lives when we're facing extra stress.  The stress in turn feels worse because we're tired, and we go around and around in a vicious circle.  How do we stop the craziness?

I believe the Word of God is the first place to go for help when we're having trouble sleeping.

 Jesus says, "Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.  For My burden is easy, and My yoke is light."  Matthew 11:28-30

I realize that in the middle of our greatest trials, we don't always want to come to Jesus.  We're angry, we're hurt, we wonder why He lets things happen the way they do, we wonder why He doesn't set us beside still waters a little more often.

I can't solve your anger or answer your questions.  All I can do is by faith point to the One who cannot lie, and His promise to give rest to those who are heavy laden.  The only conditions in the promise are that we first come, and second that we take His burdens, which He promises are easy.  Doesn't that sound better than our heavy trials? 

When you come to Him, just be honest.  Tell Him about all your unanswered questions and all your anger.  These are the things that show your deep need for His promise of rest.  By faith, however small, ask Him to bring you that rest.  Not because you deserve it (none of us do), but because you need it.  Commit to carrying whatever Jesus gives you to carry.

Then make a resolution with the Psalmist:  "I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep:  for Thou, Lord, only [as in only God does this] makest me dwell in safety."  Psalm 4:8

Again, that's where it starts.  It's easy to forget this familiar promise when we're struggling through a desert experience, but we can take God at His Word.  Jesus is there, through your most weary days and nights, holding out rest of soul and body, hoping you'll accept it.  Don't let your weariness blind you to His promise to take care of your need for rest.  Ask Him for protection from nightmares, or for wisdom in your lifestyle or bedtime routines, or for help with whatever it is that keeps you tossing and turning.

Then, don't be afraid to look at your life and ask what you might be able to do to help yourself settle down for a solid night's rest.  There's nothing faithless about living your life so you're not in direct opposition to your prayers (by doing things you know will make it hard for God to answer them).  Just as we would take care of a child's need for rest, we need to learn that it's acceptable,  appropriate, and important to take care of ours as well. 

For example, if you know you need to set a better evening routine for yourself, go again to the God who promised wisdom to all who ask in faith, and ask for help to make the changes you need to make for your nights go better.

If you're looking for ideas about simple things to do to get a better night's rest, I'd like to recommend a resource.  Easy Steps for Better Health by Shawn Boonstra and Fred Hardinge is one of the best little books on health I've read, and has an excellent chapter on sleep and ways to get better sleep.  You can order one here (new) for $3.97, or here for $.10 (used).  [I don't get anything from sales of the book--it's simply wonderful and an easy read so I thought I'd share.]

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(Photo by Barbara Frohne) 

Breathing Clean Air, Deeply (A Habit for Day 5)

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Think back with me to the very beginning of time--the Bible beginning of time.

"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth."  Genesis 1:1

He kept creating and creating and creating all week, when finally, near the end, He was ready to make the last creatures and set them up in their new garden home.  

Whereas He had spent much of the week speaking, commanding with the breath of His voice, for all the different things of the earth to appear, this time He stooped to the dust--the dust of a desert, perhpas, for He had already planted the home-garden of Eden and it was the furthest thing from a desert--to make Adam with His own hands.

When he finished Adam, the new man still lay lifeless on the ground of which he was made.  It took air, the very breath of God breathed, as  the Bible says, into his nostrils, to bring Adam to life.  God's breath gave him blood circulation, made all his organs function perfectly, and "made him a living soul" (Genesis 2:7) with power to think, pray, and to decide for good or for evil.

Without God's air coursing through his lungs, he was only a sand sculpture.

***

We still need air to preserve our being, at least as much as Adam did.  Take a second, between stories, to think about how and what you're breathing.

Are you breathing from your diaphragm, and taking deep, full breaths to fill your entire lungs each time?  Is your posture supporting good breathing?  If you're inside, have you aired out your home or office recently?  Have you changed the filters in your heating/cooling system?  When was the last time you got outside--really got outside, where the air is fresh with only nature's scents?  (Please tell me you get outside for at least a little bit every day!!)

Think about what deep breathing does for you.  It reduces stress, and improves circulation, digestion, and sleep.  Don't all those things sound like worthwhile results in any time of life, but especially when you're in a stressful desert experience?  Keep breathing, and do it deeply!

***

Perhaps one of the saddest stories in all the Bible is the story of Belshazzar, king of Babylon.  He came into power when Daniel (of the lions' den faith victory) was quite old.  The Bible minces no words when it introduces this brash, foolish king, saying only this:

"Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand."  Daniel 5:1

Now maybe you see no big deal about drinking alcohol, but I'm going to go out on a {very sturdy} limb and say that it's one of the fastest ways this world affords to get yourself into the worst of desert experiences, and that's exactly what happened to Belshazzar.

The wine began to have its delirious effect, and the king started thinking of himself as the best of the best, higher than any god or man, indeed, higher than the one true God.  In what was probably the final expression of a long string of habit of selfish pride, Belshazzar demands that the holy vessels from God's temple, brought to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar, be brought out of storage and put to use in pagan worship and drunken revelry.

It wasn't a good move, clearly, but neither was the first sip of that toxic death drink that removed his final inhibitions and gave him the unwise courage to defy the God of heaven.

You remember, right, that here is where the fingers of God write on the wall, making the king and all his assembled guests tremble?

"Then the king's countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another."  Daniel 5:6

None of the kings pagan magicians could read the words on the wall, let alone interpret them.  One woman, however, remembered the elderly Daniel, who has before interpreted dreams for another king, one who eventually humbled himself and gave glory to the God who made him and gave him his kingdom.

Daniel arrives in the banquet hall, unflinching in his rebuke to the king, untouched by the promise of expensive gifts and rewards for yet again solving the mystery of a nation.

Daniel rehearses Nebuchadnezzar's story, the power that he had, the way God humbled him from his pride, and the way he finally turned his eyes toward heaven in grateful praise.  The final course of Nebuchadnezzar was a good one.  Then Daniel brings it home to the king standing before him.

"And thou his son, O Belteshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this;   (emphasis mine) but has lifted up thyself against the God of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath is, (emphasis mine), and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified."  Daniel 5:22, 23

The tears come as I type those words.  Through all the rebellion and unwise decisions of Belshazzar's life, his very breath was still held mercifully in the hands of the God who created him, who loved him, who wanted nothing more than to save him and the nation he ruled.

That night, it was too late for Belshazzar.  He lost his life, and while he came through on his word to reward Daniel for reading and interpreting the words, there is no evidence that even this miraculous display by the hand of God called forth any repentance from him.

But that doesn't have to mean it has to be too late for you, or for me.

God still holds your breath--the very physical body and the lungs that even now take one breath after another--in the hand that was nailed to the cross for you.

Through Paul, Jesus still calls to your heart.

"Today, if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts."  Hebrews 3:15

Say yes to the One who loved you enough to give His own life in place of yours, and take courage that your breath is in His nail pierced hand.  There is no better place for your life to be, and no matter how deep or dry the desert you're in feels right now, and even if it's your own fault, you can still turn to Him for all the help you need, for the breath of your body as well as your soul.

***

Take another few moments between stories, and think about what keeps your spiritual life filled with the life-giving air you need.  Prayer?  Bible study?

Are you breathing deeply enough in your walk with Jesus?

***

Adam began as clean dirt and became a person.  But Ezekiel stands before a scene of utter desolation, in a desert where dust-bodies are almost entirely returned to desert dust.  Only the bones--completely dried out--remain.  They're not still warm from death, like the little boy.  They are past all visible sign of hope.

And that's frightening, because these bones represent what God's people had become spiritually.

If that's how you're feeling, take courage, and read along in the story with me.

"And He said unto me, 'Son of man, can these bones live?'  And I answered, 'O Lord God, Thou knowest.'  Again He said unto me, 'Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, "O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.  Thus saith the Lord God unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live.  And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the LORD."  (Ezekiel 37:3-6)

Ezekiel, in the vision, obeyed the Lord.  When he spoke the breath of God came upon the bones like a wind, and all were restored to life, becoming "an exceeding great army" (Ezekiel 37:10).

The people of the Lord, whose faith had died and become dry as bones in the desert, could and would be entirely restored to life by the breath of God.

***

God gave human beings their first breath.  He designed us to need fresh air, and He has proven by the resurrection of Jesus Himself (as well as others), that He can restore that physical breath with simply a word.  He was and still is the source of all the air we breathe, and He has plans to raise up the dead in Christ when He blows the trumpet (see 1 Thessalonians 4:17.)

He's also the source of all your spiritual life and breath.  Stay connected to Him, and you will not lack for air.

Is the prayer of your heart for God to revive your spiritual life?  Make the prayer of this choir, this song, your own with me today.

(For further information on the health benefits of fresh air, see White, Ellen G.  The Ministry of Healing, chapter 20, called General Hygiene, available online for free; or these resources from Dr. Neil Nedley.)

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(Photo by Barbara Frohne)