Healthy Minute- Gelatin

When you say "gelatin", most people think of jello- a colorful, fruit flavored, sugary dessert. But gelatin is much more than the well known jiggly treat.
Gelatin, in it's purest form, is collagen, found in our connective tissues. It contains 18 amino acids.
Gelatin can help your hair and skin, your joints, arthritis pain, stomach problems, and also provide some much needed amino acid proteins. It can help increase your metabolism, help with digestive issues, and even improve your night's sleep. This isn't a comprehensive list at all; these are just a few of the benefits that including gelatin in your daily diet will allow you to experience.
How do you get gelatin in your diet? Well, you could always buy gelatin in a powdered form. One of the best available in the US is from Great Lakes. This brand is from grass fed cows, and comes in 2 types (red and green). The red can is the type that gels, and it can be used to make homemade jello or gummies. The green kind is processed at a higher temperature so it doesn't gel, and can be added to drinks (it's unflavored).
Another way to get gelatin in your diet is to add bone broth to your diet. Bone broth contains some gelatin, especially if the bones you use are joints or feet.
Gelatin doesn't have to be consumed to be beneficial. Some people make a hand soak to help strengthen their nails. Others add it to their shampoo to get the goodness into the hair. You can make hair gel or a face mask. Really, just use your imagination!
For more info, check out the video below:

His Workmanship (poem)

His workmanship are we,

   Our Head is Christ the Lord,

He gives instruction for our path,

   When following His Word.

Great Shepherd of the sheep!

   Our path to Him is known,

And He will take us by the hand,

   The way to us is shown.

He knows the way we take,

   Beginning unto end,

He worketh His own will in us,

   This wise and loving Friend.

Before the world was formed,

   The earth's foundation laid,

God had a purpose for each one,

   His plan cannot be stayed.

Man's goings are of God,

   He cannot understand,

The way the Lord is leading him,

   But he can hold His hand.

And step by step we see,

   The Lord is leading on,

And following His footsteps here,

   Guides us through ways unknown.

Lead on, O blessed Lord,

   Lead on from day to day,

Without Thee, and Thy guiding hand,

   We'd wander far astray.

Oh! what a portion ours!

   To walk the path with Thee,

Content to know, whate'er our lot,

   The Lord is leading me.

When with Thee, Lord, above,

   And we the path retrace,

We'll give Thee thanks for every step,

   Thy wisdom and Thy grace.

       —Lois Beckwith

Believer's Heritage- Solomon L. Ginsburg

Solomon Ginsburg was born in Poland on August 6, 1867 to a Jewish Rabbi and his wife. Education wasn't good in Poland, and so at the age of 6 he was sent to his mother's family in Germany.
He returned home at the age of 14. To his surprise, his father had already arranged his marriage with a local, wealthy Jew's daughter. The man had promised to help Solomon through Rabbincal school. Solomon's father had hoped that he would follow in his footsteps and become a Rabbi. The only problem was that Solomon disdained the Jewish self righteous living of his parents.
At the age of 15 he ran away. He spent the next few years wandering through Poland and Germany, finally taking a ship to England.
It was here that a man invited him to hear him preach about Isaiah 53. Solomon remembered asking his father a question about that chapter that his father wasn't able to answer. This message sparked something in Solomon that he needed to figure out. He got a copy of the New Testament and began to read it.  The history of people became clear. The suffering they endured because they had rejected their Messiah all started to make sense.
Solomon knew that to become a Christian not only meant to turn your back on the Jewish faith, but also meant the loss of his job, his family, and his life as he knew it. The Jewish people didn't want anything to do with Jewish Christians. It was the verse "He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me", that gave him the final nudge he needed to accept Christ as his Messiah and Savior. His uncle, with whom he had been staying, kicked him out of his house the next day. He only had a little money.
He started attending bible studies with Mr. Badenoch, where he learned much about his Savior. When he tried to tell other Jews about what he had learned he was beaten very badly. He awoke to find himself cast aside with broken bones, multiple bruises, and blood loss. This was not the last time the Jews of England would try to kill him.
Solomon became earnest in prayer for the people of the east. Brazil seemed to stick in his heart and mind. He went to visit Mrs. Kalley, a former missionary to Brazil, who paid his way to the mission field.
First he went to Portugal to learn the language. God used him in a mighty way there while preparing him for Brazil. Solomon wrote a tract "Saint Peter Was Never Pope" in Portugese. He sold around 3,000. Next he wrote "The Religion Of Rags, Bones, And Flour" which taught of the falseness of the Catholic priests' relics. When he learned the Jesuits were planning on killing him, he left the country for Brazil.
He went to a public square in Rio De Janeiro, stood on a borrowed stool and began to sing and preach. He drew a great crowd. He preached Christ, but these people only wanted to hear about the virgin Mary.
He took over for a Canadian missionary who had gone on furlough. He traveled all over and held open air meetings with another man, Reverend George Nind. Together, they were beaten, arrested, and saw many souls escape the damnation of hell.
One time, when Solomon was preaching Christ, a large Brazilian man named Herculano told him that he wanted to hear more. Solomon was warned that it would be a bad idea to visit Herculano. He was told that Herculano only wanted to rob and kill him. They told tales of people who visited that were never seen again.
Solomon bowed and prayed for the Lord to guide him, and then went to visit Herculano. Solomon said, "I am more concerned about your soul than I am my life." He told the gospel story to Herculano. Solomon then fell to knees and prayed aloud for Herculano's soul. The next scene was one of a savage killer on his face begging for God's mercy and forgiveness.
He taught a mail man to read, who later became a minister and started many local churches.
Another time, he went to a town that had thrown out their local priest because of immorality. He preached from 7 in the morning until 3 in the afternoon. Many people came to hear the Scriptures, have their questions answered, and listen to the songs. One man, in particular, received and Bible after his salvation. He went to brother, a baker, who also got saved. Together, these two men led hundreds to the Lord.
Throughout his life he was attacked by assassins, lied about by priests, robbed by bandits, and threatened by monks. God protected him from all of it. He was even suppose to take the new ship, the Titanic, but was spared from this fate by God's guidance as well. His autobiography, A Wandering Jew In Brazil tells of all his adventures during his 35 years on the mission field.
On April 1, 1927, God called this Jewish missionary home. He was buried in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Your Spiritual Posture (video sermon)

Is it possible that God is examining the "posture" of the modern day churches? What does God see when He looks down? A bunch of Christians sitting back and relaxing? Or that of a standing army of the Lord?

The church is suppose to be functioning as a unit to help the saints and save sinners. But, our modern churches have gotten the characteristics of lazy disposition and worldly imaginations. Some have forgotten to take a stand for anything; they just bow down to everything the world says.

A sitting church is not going to get the job done. God wants a seeking church! An attentive church! A ready church! A church with the attitude of a servant and the posture of a soldier- one who is proud to be a witness working with the power of the Holy Spirit.

What is your spiritual posture?

Funny Happenings- Accents

Every person in my family seems to have a different accent. My sister has a slight southern accent, while her husband from Michigan has a distinct Northern Michigander accent.
The same with my family. My husband has the New Orleans metro accent. There are certain words that he says that you can hear it. My son has the New Orleans 9th Ward accent, which is reminiscent of Phillie or Boston.
Then there's my middle daughter, who every now and again whips out Southern Drawl like it was natural.
The other day she was trying to write something and it was stumping her. She looked at me and said, "Mama, how do you spell ford?"
I told her, "F-O-R-D"
She wrote it down, looked at it and said, "No, like lean ford."
Laughing, I replied, "We pronounce that word forward!"

Vanilla Poppy Seed Cake recipe

Cake:
1/2 cup butter
3 eggs
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 TBS baking powder
1 1/3 cup milk
1/2 tsp salt
1 TBS vanilla
1/2 cup poppy seeds
2 cups flour
1 cup graham cracker crumbs

Mix all ingredients together and bake in a 9 X 13 pan at 350* for 25 to 30 minutes.

Icing:
6 oz cream cheese
1 stick butter
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar

Soften the cream cheese and butter on the counter while the cake is baking and cooling. Mix cream cheese, butter, and vanilla together. Slowly add the powdered sugar, mixing well. Add more powdered sugar to reach desired spreading consistency.
Frost the top of the cake.

In The Presence Of My Enemies book review

What do missionaries go through? We can listen to their stories and look at their presentations, but they only give us a small glimpse into the trials they face. We often see only the good things that they feel we would like to hear. The rest of their lives are tucked into their hears, or a journal somewhere.
The book In The Presence Of My Enemies tells about a missionary couple's journey to the mission field. You'll hear, firsthand, from Gracia Burnham, missionary wife to the Philippines about their calling, preparation, and time on the field. You'll see into the trials and heartaches they endure. The joys they feel, and the blessings they receive. You'll get to hear about the day to day details of "third world" counrty living.
If you are like me, these things will be new to you. You would never have imagined some of the cultural differences that these missionaries face.
But, the most amazing part of this book is the time that God allowed them to be captives to the Abu Sayyaf, a terrorist group in the Philippines. For around a year of their life, you get to read a nightmare most people would never imagine- sleeping in the jungle, barely eating enough to survive, running from soldiers and enduring gun battles, waiting to be rescued and watching all hope disappear.
God's grace will become real to you as you see Him protect this family while they try to live for Him in the presence of their enemies. It should make you pray harder for those out there serving the Lord in dangerous, lonely places around the world!

Note: This book does not always use the King James Version.

The Jericho Road (song)

How The Devil Works

The devil works in many different ways. There are so many fallacies that people think about the devil. The real way to know the devil is to search what the Bible has to say.

II Corinthians 2:11- Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.

Some people think the devil tempts with evil. That's only a half truth. The devil also tempts us with good, distracts us with duty, blinds us with obligation, and side-lines us with opportunities.

I John 2:16- For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 

There are 3 things in the world that are the basis for every sin committed. John lists them as the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. The devil uses these, but also some other things.

If we look at the 2 places in the Bible where the devil personally tempts someone, we will learn a lot about him and his ways.

First, let's look at the temptation of Eve.

Genesis 3:1- Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

The first device Satan uses is to question God's word. Why are there so many different Bible versions out there? It's to get us to question God's word. They don't all say the same thing! So, what is God's word? Who would want you to question that?

Genesis 3:4-5- And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

Next, the devil contradicts God's word. Not only does he contradict God's word, he also contradicts God's consequences. He makes you think that sin will cost you less than God said. 

Genesis 3:6- And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

Here are the 3 basic sins with Eve.

1) The lust of the flesh- the tree was good for food

2) The lust of the eyes- it was pleasant to the eyes

3) The pride of life- a tree to be desired to make one wise

Let us see how Eve's response to this temptation ensured that she would sin.

Genesis 3:2-3- And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.

First off, she misquotes God. She left out the word "freely" and added the words "neither shall ye touch it". Once she did that, the devil knew he could manipulate her. All he had to do was get her to try to justify it, which she does in verse 6.

And notice that it wasn't the devil who tempted Adam. It was Eve! When a person sins they want someone else to sin with them. Usually they'll try to get an accomplice, or at least a fall guy!

Next, we'll look at the temptation of Christ.

Matthew 4:1-2- Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.  And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.

The devil comes to you when you're weak. He doesn't attack you when you're serving the Lord and everything is going great! He attacks you when you've had a bad day, or you had a fight with someone, or when you're not feeling all that well.

Matthew 4:3- And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.

He uses your weakness against you. He tries to make sense of sinning.

Matthew 4:5-6- Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.

This one is where a lot of people mess up! The devil can quote scripture. He can be as eloquent as any preacher. He can be as religious as any prophet. He uses the scripture out of context to get people to believe that the sin he wants them to commit is okay by God's standards.

Matthew 4:8-9- Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.

He'll offer you something that the Lord has promised you, but at the wrong time or the wrong place. God told Christ that he would rule the kingdoms of the world. It's prophesied in the old testament! But, it wasn't time for Christ to rule.

1) The lust of the flesh- command these stones to be made bread

2) The lust of the eyes- sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world

3) The pride of life- He shall give his angels charge over thee, and in their hands shall they bear thee up

How was it that Christ could resist, but Eve couldn't?

Matthew 4:4- But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

Matthew 4:7- Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

Matthew 4:10- Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. 

Christ could over come Satan's attacks because he had the Word of God memorized. He knew the context of each verse. He studied the Word to know God's will!

II Timothy 2:15- Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Christ answered with Scripture. He added nothing, and He left out nothing. There was no room for Him to try to justify the sin.

The devil will offer you many things that are good- a spouse, a position, an opportunity- but they could keep you from fulfilling God's will for your life if it isn't God's time, place, or choice!

The devil tells you that you can't serve God because you'll be neglecting your family- but God wants you to put him first and tell lost souls about him!

Paul knew that the devil could not only use seemingly good things, but also seemingly good people. The devil didn't tempt Adam; Eve did. Was Eve purposefully trying to condemn Adam? I don't think so. I think she was just so blinded by the things of the world (fruit from the tree) that the devil was able to use her. The devil can use anyone, even a Christian, if that person only wants what the world has to offer. See the post on Job's wife.

II Corinthians 11:3-4-But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.

Be very careful of those who profess to be Christian. There are plenty of people out there that are nothing but distractions from the devil.

Galatians 3:1- O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?

What devices is the devil using against you? Are you ignorant of his devices? Or are serving Christ the way He wants you to? Are you putting the armour of God so you can stand? Or have you given up and given in by sacrificing peace with God for peace with something or someone else?

"Whatever weakens your reason, whatever impairs the tenderness of your conscience, whatever obscures your sense of God, whatever increases the authority of your body over your mind, whatever takes away from your relish for spiritual things, that to you is sin, no matter how innocent it is in itself." -Susanna Wesley to her son, John.