[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent="no" hundred_percent_height="no" hundred_percent_height_scroll="no" hundred_percent_height_center_content="yes" equal_height_columns="no" menu_anchor="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" status="published" publish_date="" class="" id="" background_color="" background_image="" background_position="center center" background_repeat="no-repeat" fade="no" background_parallax="none" enable_mobile="no" parallax_speed="0.3" video_mp4="" video_webm="" video_ogv="" video_url="" video_aspect_ratio="16:9" video_loop="yes" video_mute="yes" video_preview_image="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" margin_top="" margin_bottom="" padding_top="" padding_right="" padding_bottom="" padding_left=""][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type="1_1" spacing="" center_content="no" link="" target="_self" min_height="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id="" background_color="" background_image="" background_image_id="" background_position="left top" background_repeat="no-repeat" hover_type="none" border_size="0" border_color="" border_style="solid" border_position="all" border_radius="" box_shadow="no" dimension_box_shadow="" box_shadow_blur="0" box_shadow_spread="0" box_shadow_color="" box_shadow_style="" padding_top="" padding_right="" padding_bottom="" padding_left="" margin_top="" margin_bottom="" animation_type="" animation_direction="left" animation_speed="0.3" animation_offset="" last="no"][fusion_text columns="" column_min_width="" column_spacing="" rule_style="default" rule_size="" rule_color="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id=""] by Earlyne Stephens Many of you ladies live alone. Your husband has already gone to Heaven, or perhaps he left home and left you alone. You can survive . My husband left home after 27 years of marriage. Our daughters were already grown and married. I didn’t think I would live. I thought life was completely over for me. But, I found it wasn’t. I have had a wonderful life, but it was not the number one life for a lady. I have lived the number one life for a survivor. My brother, Dr. Hyles, came to Texas where I lived at the time, and we stayed in our mother’s front lawn until 3:00 a.m. planning my life. He planned my tomorrows with me. At that time, I couldn’t look at tomorrow, so he gave me something to which I could look forward. We planned for me to take some courses at a Bible college in the evening. I took the classes; it was just what I needed. We planned a very busy schedule so that I would not have time to mope around saying, “Nobody loves me,” and I had been doing just that. [caption id="attachment_85379" align="aligncenter" width="191"] "The Man Who Made the Difference" Bible Study Book in Spanish! (Click the image for more information.)[/caption] My pastor gave me a ladies’ Sunday school class to teach. This was wonderful. Again, it was just what I needed. I found my burdens were not so bad when I started seeing my ladies with their burdens. It also gave me more social life when I would plan a social for them. What a joy those ladies were to me. We have all suffered some type of loss in our lives. To survive, we must fill that loss with something good. That was what my brother was telling me as he helped me arrange my life. He recently preached a sermon, “Do Not Let Tomorrow Die.” I thought that my tomorrows were all dead, but they weren’t. So I found my life became very busy, which was wonderful for me because I had less time for little pity parties. I found that I just couldn’t bear to be with our old friends and feel comfortable. The ladies had husbands, and I didn’t. I also found that I was never more lonesome than when I was in a crowd of people. So I found ladies who needed me, and I found I needed them more than they needed me. They probably helped me more than I helped them. I had a friend who helped me with my finances. We have enough problems without getting into debt. That is just adding fuel to the fire. I went to a friend who had about the same income as I had and who had about the same responsibilities as I had. I said, “Virginia, I want to know how you handle your finances. You seem to accomplish more with your salary than I do. How do you do it?” She gave me a simple bit of advice: “When I get my paycheck, I pay my bills. If I have anything left, it is mine. If I don’t, it is a wonderful feeling to know my bills are paid.” Don’t be afraid or timid to ask advice. That one little piece of advice has certainly helped me through the years. Before I talked with her, I would spend some money and not have enough left to pay my bills. That would put me behind with paying my bills, and the next payday I found myself paying last payday’s bills and leaving the present month’s bills unpaid. Virginia told me to make a budget, and let the budget be my boss. When I received my check, I took out my budget, and paid the bills I needed to pay with that check. What a lesson! I always had a clean feeling of keeping my finances in good order, whereas before I was always burdened with bills, bills, bills. One day I was reading Isaiah 54:5a which says, “For thy Maker is thine husband.” I almost shouted. I told the Lord then I would try to take care of His business, and He could take care of me. Do you miss going to your husband with your problems and heartaches? I did. But God says we can come to Him, and His grace is sufficient. Do you miss talking over the day with him? God listens! It hasn’t always been easy, but it has been sweet. If you still have your husband, praise the Lord. [caption id="attachment_84347" align="aligncenter" width="900"] New Devotional by Glorianne Gibbs (Click on the image for more information.)[/caption] I write my brother a love note sometimes and thank him for the wonderful life he has given me. However, you might not have a brother, but I promise you, God has someone for you. Perhaps, it is your pastor; perhaps, it is a friend. Don’t be afraid to ask advice about your finances or whatever you need. Look for someone who has succeeded in what you need or in what you are lacking. You can take that advice, and it will be a help to you. Quite possibly, you can help someone else later. Stay in the Word of God. God has verses that seem to be just for you. One such verse for me was Philippians 4:6, 7 which says, “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” I found that getting busy with my Sunday school class, keeping my finances in good shape, going to God as my friend, and staying in the Bible were wonderful for me. If you are alone, I know the same will be true for you! [/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent="no" hundred_percent_height="no" hundred_percent_height_scroll="no" hundred_percent_height_center_content="yes" equal_height_columns="no" menu_anchor="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" status="published" publish_date="" class="" id="" background_color="" background_image="" background_position="center center" background_repeat="no-repeat" fade="no" background_parallax="none" enable_mobile="no" parallax_speed="0.3" video_mp4="" video_webm="" video_ogv="" video_url="" video_aspect_ratio="16:9" video_loop="yes" video_mute="yes" video_preview_image="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" margin_top="" margin_bottom="" padding_top="" padding_right="" padding_bottom="" padding_left=""][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type="1_1" spacing="" center_content="no" link="" target="_self" min_height="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id="" background_color="" background_image="" background_image_id="" background_position="left top" background_repeat="no-repeat" hover_type="none" border_size="0" border_color="" border_style="solid" border_position="all" border_radius="" box_shadow="no" dimension_box_shadow="" box_shadow_blur="0" box_shadow_spread="0" box_shadow_color="" box_shadow_style="" padding_top="" padding_right="" padding_bottom="" padding_left="" margin_top="" margin_bottom="" animation_type="" animation_direction="left" animation_speed="0.3" animation_offset="" last="no"][fusion_text columns="" column_min_width="" column_spacing="" rule_style="default" rule_size="" rule_color="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id=""] by Linda Vapreszan Pastor's Wife Belleville, MI My husband preached recently on choices and how many choices we make in a day. Think about it, you choose to get out of bed or be lazy. You choose to eat breakfast or not. You choose hundreds of little things a day. Therefore, you have the choice to be happy or grumpy!! Proverbs 17:22 says, “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.” Knowing that choosing Happiness was my topic this week, it seemed like God kept putting little phrases in front of me to remind me of happiness. The scripture that I chose above, my daughter-in-law Jennifer wrote a chorus to which I taught to our summer Kids Club. A little “Pollyanna” thinking does help with this matter of happiness. If you ever saw the movie she was always finding things to be GLAD about. There is always something to rejoice about during a hard time. It may not seem like it at the moment, but when you reflect on the situation you can see God’s hand in everything. [caption id="attachment_85405" align="aligncenter" width="500"] "Decorating Your Home Creatively and Inexpensively" by Frieda Cowling (Click on the image for more information.)[/caption] Philippians 4:8 says, “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” We just have to be “happy” talkers. A lady I once knew was a master at pulling a rejoicing matter out during a hard time and then talking about it for a week. She chose to be happy. True story: Yesterday a pastors wife friend of mine in Florida who has about five or six small children posted that they were in a wreck and her van was totaled so they were going to have to get a new one. Someone asked her what happened and she said this lady turned right into them on the passenger side and destroyed their van. She said after making sure everybody was OK her husband got out of the van and asked the lady who hit them were they in her blind spot and she said oh no my GPS just told me to turn left. She said after we got over the shock and knew everybody was OK then we started laughing. They chose to be happy and showed their children that they could laugh at a bad situation. Try to think and talk about anything good that is going on amidst a trial. Possibly an embarrassing moment will bring you laughter. Laughing at myself helps me alleviate the bad, “woe-is-me” thoughts. The older I get the more “dumb” things I do!!! Preacher and I find ourselves laughing at the most unusual things that would probably upset many others. This past Spring I was preparing for a Mother/Daughter banquet I was speaking at and due to the topic it was making me sad and I was having a hard time. My granddaughter, Micaela Reddick, took me to an eye doctor appointment since I could not drive due to drops in my eyes. Afterwards she went with me to pick out new glasses. In the process I misplaced my old glasses. So we went through each rack seeing if we could find my glasses. Of course we were looking for the pair without a price tag. In my hand, hanging on my fingers were three pair we had chosen that I was deciding between. When I looked at my hand I realized one of the pairs of glasses we were dating over was my own pair!!! We chose to stand there and laugh and it made me realize I can be happy no matter what the situation. [caption id="attachment_85406" align="aligncenter" width="900"] "Pause" Devotional by Sharon Rabon (Click on the image for more information.)[/caption] ***It is not happy people who are thankful; it is thankful people who are happy. Have you ever noticed when you are thankful for something whether good or bad, you are happier? We need to teach our children to be happy when things don’t go their way. My mother always taught me that when I was feeling sorry for myself or unhappy then to get busy and do something for others. She encouraged my brother, sister and I to always look on the positive side and try to be encouraging to others. When our daughter-in-law Jennifer died, right before Christmas a year ago, that was a difficult time for our family. But we decided to go ahead and enjoy our Christmas celebration with our grandchildren that lived in the area. We spent much of the evening reminiscing about Aunt Jennifer and the many funny things she did or would say when we were all together. We made it a happy time for the family in spite of our sorrow. ***Happiness keeps you sweet. Trials keep you strong. Sorrow keeps you human. Failures keep you humble. Success keeps you glowing. But only God keeps you going. Everyone loves a happy person. Many like to commiserate with those in sorrow. But the person who can put each of those in its own place is a happy person The following was given to me by our missionary Heather Kokubun whose husband died a tragic death nearly two years ago. She is a person whom I admire for keeping her joy and happiness through her sorrow and rising above it and being grateful for the joy she enjoys today. ***Happiness can help in the work place. I have been blessed to be my husband’s secretary and office manager for 40 out of the 45 years in the ministry. Our office is a happy place. Our staff meetings contain lots of laughter. Yes, there are difficult days and yes there are tough times, but we choose to try to make it a happy place. Our goal as women, mothers, grandmothers, teachers, etc., is to choose to be Happy. Anyone can be sorrowful or always discouraged. It takes work to choose to be happy but it can be done with God’s help you can be a happy person. [/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent="no" hundred_percent_height="no" hundred_percent_height_scroll="no" hundred_percent_height_center_content="yes" equal_height_columns="no" menu_anchor="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" status="published" publish_date="" class="" id="" background_color="" background_image="" background_position="center center" background_repeat="no-repeat" fade="no" background_parallax="none" enable_mobile="no" parallax_speed="0.3" video_mp4="" video_webm="" video_ogv="" video_url="" video_aspect_ratio="16:9" video_loop="yes" video_mute="yes" video_preview_image="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" margin_top="" margin_bottom="" padding_top="" padding_right="" padding_bottom="" padding_left=""][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type="1_1" layout="1_1" spacing="" center_content="no" link="" target="_self" min_height="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id="" background_color="" background_image="" background_image_id="" background_position="left top" background_repeat="no-repeat" hover_type="none" border_size="0" border_color="" border_style="solid" border_position="all" padding_top="" padding_right="" padding_bottom="" padding_left="" margin_top="" margin_bottom="" animation_type="" animation_direction="left" animation_speed="0.3" animation_offset="" last="no"][fusion_text columns="" column_min_width="" column_spacing="" rule_style="default" rule_size="" rule_color="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id=""] by Charissa Andrews St. Charles, MO “ And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him ...” This morning in my Bible time I read of this true account. Here is what we know of this man: He was born blind. He had been blind from the very beginning. We don't know exactly how many years that was, the Bible doesn't say. However we know he was considered “of age”. The Bible says that he was a “man” and verse 23 says, “Therefore said his parents, 'he is of age; ask him'”. At the very LEAST we are reading of a person that could not see for 12 years. More likely, we are reading of a person who had spent anywhere from 20-40 years in darkness. Never seeing a sunrise, never seeing a rose in full bloom. Never seeing his mother smile. Never seeing a rainbow. Never seeing a hummingbird or spring robin. Never watching a summer evening sky turn into a delightful canvas of pink. Never. Not one. Single. Time. Because of his blindness, he suffered greatly. In all probability, he was lonely. He could not provide, protect, or care for a wife or family. Men are created with an inner desire to be, to do, to create, to build. I live with 5 amazing guys. From the time my boys could crawl to the blocks and trucks they started building. Their play was often that of imitation and preparation of one day being a man. Building things, making things, creating things. Just like the little 1 year old girls I care for, who love their baby dolls and love rocking and “feeding” them. Boys are created with a natural desire to provide, create, build, make a difference, leave their mark. This young blind man was no exception. Those desires would be naturally born inside of his chest as much as is in my own 4 sons. He never felt the pride of a job well done. My boys enjoy working hard and then being able to stand back and admire their work. The pride of a job well done. It brings them fulfillment. This man never experienced that. The Bible says of this man in verse 8, “The neighbours therefore, and they which before had seen him that he was blind, said, 'Is not this he that sat and begged ?'” This man was reduced to sitting along side the road and begging. You know, the man you see at the stop light with the sign that reads, “I'm hungry, will you help me?”. That was THIS man. This is the part that the Holy Spirit really yanked on my heart this morning. “...Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.” There are times that we suffer because of our own poor choices. There are times that our finances, health, even children suffer because of sinful or selfish choices. But this wasn't the case here. Not at all. Jesus made it as clear as crystal. This man was born blind for one purpose: to magnify God. He hadn't caused his blindness. It wasn't a punishment. It wasn't a consequence. It wasn't even “just one of those things”. It was on purpose. It was planned. The purpose that this man would spend years of his life never seeing, not having a family of his own, not feeling fulfilled as a man, being a beggar – so that God would be glorified. [caption id="attachment_84893" align="aligncenter" width="500"] "Invisible Hurts" by Loretta Walker $12.00 (Click on the image for more information.)[/caption] At first this sounds, or feels harsh. When we really take the time to experience God's Word instead of just reading it...when we try to “live” this story in our minds, the magnitude of it becomes so real. One more thing I want to point out about what the Bible teaches us of this blind man. Once the blind man was healed, notice his response. He was questioned greatly by the Pharisees. They asked him how his eyes were opened. He explained that a man named Jesus made clay and anointed his eyes. The Pharisees asked him several more times how he received his sight, where was the Man that had healed him. They even went to his parents and neighbors. The blind man just kept pointing them back to Jesus. When the Pharisees scolded the blind man and told him to give God the praise instead of Jesus (silly Pharisees) and even went so far as to call Jesus a sinner, this young blind man schooled them a bit. I LOVE this part of the story, “...one thing I know, that whereas I was blind, now I see”. The Pharisees were relentless and asked one more time, WHAT DID HE DO TO THEE? HOW OPENED HE THINE EYES?? Can you just see them getting angry. Jealous. Seething. And the blind man tells them basically, “I've already answered your questions. I've told you numerous times and you haven't listened. Do you really want me to tell you again? Are you interested in becoming one of His followers? (Boy oh boy did that set them off!!) The Pharisees try to belittle our Jesus, calling Him, “some fellow”, as if He were just any other man on the street. Yet this man who was a blind beggar says to the very scholarly, self-righteous and lofty Pharisees, “...why herein is a marvelous thing, that ye know not from whence he is, and yet he hath opened mine eyes”. He goes on to teach them a thing or two about exactly whose prayers God will answer. Standing up for Jesus. He even challenges them by asking them who else they know of personally or ever heard of since the beginning of time that was born blind and then was healed?? Anyone?? In my mind's eye I can just see the looks on those pompous faces and can hear the crickets chirping. It's at this point I want to run up to that now seeing man and give him a fist bump!! He finishes by saying, “If this man were not of God, he could do nothing”. The Pharisees are not great students. They love to teach and have authority. However, learning is not something they enjoy so much. Notice their response, “They answered and said unto him, Thou was altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they cast him out”. Now to be cast out of the temple was a huge thing. It was not just being removed from a building. He was an outcast now. This had a whole huge set of consequences that we won't look into right now. Remember, he had suffered many things already. Now being cast out. What does he do? How does he respond? How would he deal with another huge blow? Would he get bitter? Would he quit? Would he shake an angry fist at God or accuse Him of not really caring? Verse 35-38 tells us the answer. Jesus finds him and asks if he believes on the Son of God. The blind man asks Who is He? Jesus tells him, “...it is He that talketh with thee”. And now is when I'm jumping up and down and shouting at the awesomeness of this true account. The once blind-now seeing man says, “Lord, I believe. And he worshiped Him.” Do you get what happened here? It was so much more than just a man that was born blind and then healed. So much more than a man that stood up to scoffers and was then persecuted and kicked out of town. This is a man that suffered for years. He gets healed & the joy he must have felt to see. But wait...he finds out he was blind for one purpose. He had suffered so that God could get glory on this very day that Jesus touched him! He could have gotten angry. “Wait a minute Jesus, this isn't fair. I didn't do anything to deserve my blindness. You said so Yourself. Do you know how I have longed to see? Do you know how many tears I cried as a boy because I was so different? Do you understand the deep, deep wounds because I never felt that I mattered. I never felt that I had a purpose. My parents grieved and worried what would happen to me when they were no longer around. My mother wept wondering who would care for me. And this was all for You? So that You could get glory?” Ah...he could have. But he didn't!! He fell down and worshiped Jesus!! All of a sudden he realized he WAS fulfilling the very purpose for which he was created – to bring glory to God. And what an amazing purpose to have, to bring joy and glory to the God of the Universe. [caption id="attachment_84347" align="aligncenter" width="900"] New Devotional by Glorianne Gibbs (Click on the image for more information.)[/caption] Have you ever held up a string in the air and blown on it? Even just lightly. What does the string do? It moves easily, willingly. Try that with a thick stick, or piece of metal. Non moving. This man was a string. He let the winds of God blow, and whatever that meant for his life, for his string, he would worship, love and serve God. How about you? Maybe you recognize some of your own hurts and sufferings in this account. Have you suffered physically? Do you suffer from an illness that doesn't make sense to you? Do you sometimes question why God would allow __________ to happen to you? Perhaps you've been “kicked out of town” so to speak when you were doing nothing other than trying to live for Christ. It could be that you were given a diagnoses, or a “pink slip”, or have suffered the severance of a friendship. Would you, like this once blind-now seeing man, be willing to just be a string? You see, God does love us. Even when we suffer. Especially when we suffer. Sometimes we can live as though it were, “God's glory for my life” instead of “my life for God's glory”. Let's be a string. Let the winds of God blow. Let's allow God to use our lives totally and completely. For our good. For His glory. [/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent="no" hundred_percent_height="no" hundred_percent_height_scroll="no" hundred_percent_height_center_content="yes" equal_height_columns="no" menu_anchor="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" status="published" publish_date="" class="" id="" background_color="" background_image="" background_position="center center" background_repeat="no-repeat" fade="no" background_parallax="none" enable_mobile="no" parallax_speed="0.3" video_mp4="" video_webm="" video_ogv="" video_url="" video_aspect_ratio="16:9" video_loop="yes" video_mute="yes" video_preview_image="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" margin_top="" margin_bottom="" padding_top="" padding_right="" padding_bottom="" padding_left=""][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type="1_1" spacing="" center_content="no" link="" target="_self" min_height="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id="" background_color="" background_image="" background_image_id="" background_position="left top" background_repeat="no-repeat" hover_type="none" border_size="0" border_color="" border_style="solid" border_position="all" padding_top="" padding_right="" padding_bottom="" padding_left="" margin_top="" margin_bottom="" animation_type="" animation_direction="left" animation_speed="0.3" animation_offset="" last="no"][fusion_text columns="" column_min_width="" column_spacing="" rule_style="default" rule_size="" rule_color="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id=""] by Linda Stubblefield Managing Editor I HATE TO PUT IT THIS WAY, but losing weight is the brutal antithesis of gaining weight. The weight that accrued so easily does not come off quite so easily! I can think of several words in regard to losing weight, and “easy” is NOT one of them! I do think of “focus,” “hard,” “determination,” “hard,” “schedule,” “hard,” “exercise,” and maybe a few more choice words that I will not mention! After all, I want to encourage you—not discourage you! Since 2005 I have been on a weight-loss journey that has been one of hard work and success. When I started, I weighed 192 pounds. That is quite a bit of weight for a gal who stands five foot tall in her stocking feet. I felt terrible, and my joints were groaning from carrying that weight, not to mention the wear and tear on my heart. My life was not nearly as pleasant as I would have liked, and I still wanted to think I was young! God led me to a wonderful nurse practitioner in functional medicine, who is a fellowship-trained caregiver. She said, “I will help you, Linda, but you must do what I say.” Hers was a tall order to follow, but I felt bad enough physically that I was willing to do just about anything. She never used the word “diet.” She reminded me of what my teacher, Beverly Hyles, said about weight loss.“It’s a lifetime of proper eating and exercise.” We started with exercise, a detox, and five pounds. As I walked out of the examining room, my nurse practitioner said, “I would be happy if you lost five pounds.” I can still remember thinking, “I believe I can lose five pounds.” For me, the rest is history. I did lose the five pounds, then ten, then fifteen, and then up to forty. I lost the pounds over a period of six years. I focused on a regimen of biking and walking, striving for one hour of exercise six days a week. [caption id="attachment_84372" align="aligncenter" width="600"] "The Monarch of Bibles" $6.99 Bible Study by Richard Tudor (Click the image for more information.)[/caption] Thanksgiving 2011, I really lost my focus for the first time since 2005 and started eating everything I thought I wanted to eat. You guessed it! I began putting on weight again. I won’t share any numbers, but you know that 40 pounds I shed? The number changed to 30 pounds. Then I got scared and finally told my nurse practitioner what I had done. I received no condemnation. Instead, she suggested that I work on changing my thinking once again. Through the years I have watched people seesaw on diets. I have watched them lose the weight, and I have seen the new stance of confidence, the sparkle in the eye, and the lilt in the voice come and then go as all the weight is regained. Weight loss comes when the way you think about food changes. I think we Christians sometimes feel so abused because we cannot enjoy all that we think life has to offer. We trade off that feeling of being abused with eating…and eating…and eating. Then we start a vicious circle of not liking what we see in the mirror and then eating more to feel better. Hippocrates, who was considered the father of Western medicine, said, “Let food be thy medicine, and let thy medicine be food.” God has given us a plethora of wonderful foods to eat that promote good health. Instead of correcting health issues through proper nutrition, many people would prefer to take a pill that won’t rob them of their wants. I have been taking my NP’s advice to heart (Hippocrates’ also), and I have been enjoying meats, vegetables, and fruits for most of my daily eating. I have nearly eliminated the refined sugar, white flour, pasta, white rice, and processed foods. I have enjoyed eggs (instead of boxed cereal) for breakfast, a salad for lunch, and meat with steamed vegetables for supper. [caption id="attachment_84414" align="aligncenter" width="200"] "Principles of Proper Weight Control (From a Glutton's Point of View)" $6.00 (Click the image for more information.)[/caption] Changing my view of food has not been so difficult as I have been enjoying pain-free days, more energy, the feeling of being self-disciplined again, a stable mood, and a decent figure—finally. The Old Testament priests took meticulous care of the holy of holies in the temple. The Christian’s body now houses the Holy Spirit. Why would a Christian take less care of his body than the priests would care for a building that housed the glory of God? Why would a Christian put something in his mouth that would not feed his temple toward health and beauty? Why would a Christian allow a food in his mouth that would eventually damage the dwelling of the Holy Spirit of God and make that body far less usable for the cause of Christ? The Devil loves it when uncontrollable food appetites sideline a Christian. Too many Christians are in bondage to food. Because food is often the Christian’s means to socialize, he has become desensitized to what he will allow in his body. Far too many Christians have stopped realizing it is wrong to overeat. The Christian’s temple is soon no longer a fit place for the Holy Spirit to reside. It is a puzzle to many when a committed Christian, who dresses up on the outside, does not take care of that marvelous creation God made from the inside! “I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works….” (Psalm 139:14) The fact is, too many of us (including me) are in bondage to food. Our comfort is food instead of the Holy Spirit. 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