Healthy Minute- Psychobiotics: Microbes, Mood and the Gut-Brain Connection

This is much longer than a minute, but it is well worth the time! Our bodies are not as simple as "this is my brain" and "this is my stomach". When God made us, he created a body that has so many parts that interact and depend on each other, and there are also other participants that effect how we act, who we are, and how we feel. Don't dismiss one part of your body because you think the problem lies in another; fix the whole body and all it's symbiotic partners and you will feel healthier and happier.

Believer's Heritage- Suicide

Suicide is the SECOND leading cause of death for ages 10-24. (2016 CDC WISQARS)
 
Suicide is the SECOND leading cause of death for college-age youth and ages 12-18. (2016 CDC WISQARS)

More teenagers and young adults die from suicide than from cancer, heart disease, AIDS, birth defects, stroke, pneumonia, influenza, and chronic lung disease, COMBINED’

Each day in our nation, there are an average of over 3,470 attempts by young people grades 9-12.  If these percentages are additionally applied to grades 7 & 8, the numbers would be higher.

Four out of Five teens who attempt suicide have given clear warning signs

You may find some reasons to just end your life, but, I want you to know that there is HOPE!  Let us explore some reasons NOT to commit suicide:

1 Kings 19:4, “But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.”

Can a person get so low in their thinking that they would not only despair of life, but would actually desire death?  In I Kings 18, this great Prophet of God defeated the prophets of Baal in a tremendous act of faith and prayer.  Lester Roloff said that the prophets of Baal were a “Non-Prophet Organization”!  After Elijah saw these prophets defeated, Jezebel heard of it from Ahab, she sent a very straight message.  1 Kings 19:2, “Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to morrow about this time.”

Basically, Jezebel is telling Elijah she is going to kill him, or she’ll die!  Dear reader, please consider how that great faith, great prayer, and a great worker of God can become disturbed and disillusioned in their mind.  Notice how he began to think in himself, 1 Kings 19:3,4,  “And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there.

 But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.”

The despondence began when he saw what Jezebel said.  He handled it by running away.  He ran away from everyone, including his servant.  When depression sets in, a person wants to seclude themselves.  Not want to be around anyone.  This only makes things worse, leading to suicide ideation.

“That would never happen to me”, some may say.  Others would say, “Suicide is for the weak.”  Elijah was a weak man?  Elijah was not close to God?  Here is a man so close to God that he prays fire down from heaven, turning people to God! 1 Kings 18:39, “And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The LORD, he is the God; the LORD, he is the God.”  How close was Elijah to God?  How close was God to Elijah?  1 Kings 18:46, “And the hand of the LORD was on Elijah;…”

Don’t ever think that you are immune to thoughts, desire and even completion of suicide.  There is a spiritual battle that is ever before us.  We live in constant conflict with the powers of darkness.  The eternal Kingdom of Darkness versus the eternal Kingdom of Light.  This is why we need to don the whole armour of God (Ephesians 6:11) One piece of this armour is the helmet of salvation.  This helmet is to protect the mind.  Suicide ideation begins in the mind.  Thoughts that are accusing, alarming, and aching.  In our scripture example of Elijah, he had thoughts of low self-worth, coupled with feeling overwhelmed.  A great victory wrought through him, yet now feeling like the victim at the words of a wicked woman.

Please consider what suicide is not.  Suicide is not a noble act of valor.  In the completion of suicide, the person’s survivors do not rally and exalt this act as some kind of nobility.  Quite the contrary, it leaves a feeling of numbness, and shame, and sorrow.

Suicide is not an act of courage.  Family and friends who are left in the bitter aftermath of completed suicide are never encouraged that their father, or mother, sibling or friend was acting in a courageous manner.  The emotional feelings are surmounted with much confusion and conflict in their own minds.  Thoughts they will have of “how could I have stopped this?”  and “what could I have done different to help?”  The survivors will be discouraged within their own selves, not looking at the deceased as a Hero.

Suicide can be looked at as an act of disbelief.  Not believing that God is all wise, all powerful, and all caring.  This is not an insult, or degradation, for as we have studied in the life of Elijah, a man who has the Lord’s touch, power, and unction, is susceptible to thoughts of suicide.

I know personally people who have completed suicide.  One in particular did so when he was about 21 years of age.  He had gotten involved with a female at work to some extent, and could not overcome feelings of degradation.  He had been a preacher who preached with power and unction.  He had been a faithful son to his parents, as well as his church.  He was always active in the community with witnessing and soul winning.  Whatever degree his communication and relationship with this female achieved, he knew it was sinful and wrong, but could not ever believe that God would forgive him and use him in the ministry again.  His thoughts of suicide did not stop at just thoughts.  His friend found him after finding the note he left behind.  But, dear reader, he left much more behind.  He left a broken hearted family behind.  To the date of the writing of this Thesis, when I have preached in churches where his Mother and Father were in the congregation, I witness their tears and sorrowful faces.  In my spirit, I weep with them, for I share their painful memories of how their son used to preach with such compassion and power.

Suicide does not believe that God cares.  Suicide does not believe that God is able to forgive.  Suicide does not believe that others care or will forgive, or even forgiving self.
1 Peter 5:7 “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”  Know, dear reader, that God does care.  Not only can He do something about your needs or problems, He cares.  Knowing that someone cares for you goes a long way.  By faith, we trust Christ Jesus as our personal Saviour.  By faith, we trust God to care and forgive us.

If you have never trusted Christ as your personal Saviour, my plea is that you will believe on His death, burial and resurrection.  If you were the only person on Earth, He would have went through the cruel scourging, mockings, and crucifixion for you.
2 Corinthians 7:10, “For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.   Romans 10:13, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

FOR FREE HELPFUL RESOURCES click here
FOR FREE COUNSEL CONTACT ME, STEVEN BLANKENSHIP, LPPC  @ contact@mgga.us

Before The Tribulation (video sermon)

Cinnamon Rolls recipe

4 cups flour
1 pkg yeast
1 cup warm milk
1/2 cup sugar
13/ cup butter
1 tsp salt
2 eggs

Mix  flour and yeast together. 
Heat up the mil, sugar, butter, and salt until the butter is melted. The warm should be just hot enough to make you pull your hand back when touching it, but not hot enough to burn you.
Add to the flour mixture with the eggs (if the milk is too hot it will cook the eggs, if it's not hot enough the yeast won't rise).
Mix well and let rise for one hour.

1 cup brown sugar
2 1/2 TBS cinnamon
1/3 cup butter

Mix the butter, cinnamon, and sugar together.
Roll your dough out to around 1/4 inch thickness.
Spread your cinnamon butter onto the dough and roll it up like a jelly roll.
Cut into 1" sections.
Place sections on a greased pan and let rise for 30 minutes.
Bake at 400* for 15 minutes.

7 TBS softened butter
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup cream cheese
1/2 tsp vanilla

Cream together the butter, powdered sugar, cream cheese, and vanilla.
Spread over the cinnamon rolls while they are still hot.
Enjoy!

I Remember (poem)

I remember the corned beef of my childhood,
And the bread that we cut with a knife,
When the children helped with the housework,
And the men went to work, not the wife.

The cheese never needed a fridge,
And the bread so was crusty and hot,
The children were seldom unhappy,
And the wife was content with her lot.

I remember the milk from the bottle,
With the yummy cream on the top,
Our dinner came hot from the oven,
And not from a freezer or shop.

The kids were a lot more contented.
They didn't need money for kicks,
Just a game with their friends in the road,
And sometimes the Saturday flicks.

I remember the slap on my backside,
And the taste of soap if I swore.
Anorexia and diets weren't heard of,
And, we hadn't much choice what we wore.

Do you think that bruised our ego?
Or, our initiative was destroyed?
We ate what was put on the table
And, I think life was better enjoyed.

-Author Unknown

My Anchor Holds (song)

Mark Of The Beast: It's Closer Than You Think!

The Mark of the Beast

"And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred three score and six." (Rev. 13:16-18) Many Bible readers over the centuries have been puzzled, wondering just how such a system could ever be established, but it's no longer a puzzle. Advanced technology has brought the world closer to the Mark of the Beast than anything else in history. We know that the coming Mark of the Beast will somehow be connected with the economy, for the Bible says that no one may buy or sell without it. It may very well be that cash, checks, and credit cards are soon to become a thing of the past, because electronic money is becoming more popular all the time. One form of electronic money is the use of smart cards. A smart card looks like a credit or debit card, except it contains a small computer chip with all sorts of information about the card holder, including bank account numbers and balances. When a smart card is used, the card holder's bank account is immediately debited at the point of sale by computer transaction. This means more profits to retailers and banks alike, for bad checks and credit card abuse would be eliminated. Many banks and credit card companies believe that electronic money will eventually usher in a cashless society where everyone will buy and sell electronically. Terry Galanoy, former director of communications for what is now Visa International has made this bold remark: "Protesting too loudly about it isn't going to help either, because the disturbance you kick up is going to end up in one of your files. And on that come-and-get-it day when we're all totally and completely dependent upon our card--or whatever security device might replace it--you might be left all alone without one!" In promotional literature from the Danyl Corporation of Moorestown, New Jersey, Robert J. Merkert, Sr., senior vice president, says: "One day in the near future, we'll be able to pay for almost everything with just one 'prepaid stored value' or 'smart card.'" Though many industry leaders are very much in favor of a cashless society where buying and selling is done electronically, there is a problem. How can it be guaranteed that the individual using a Smart Card is the authorized card holder? Some believe that this problem can be solved by combining Smart Card technology with Biometric Technology. After all, a Smart "Card" is only a piece of plastic. It's the computer chip inside the card that stores the needed information. As unbelievable as it may sound, biometric technology has now made it possible to implant small computer chips under the skin of animals and people. The European Community's Executive Commission has already passed legislation which REQUIRES farmers in the EC to have their livestock implanted with microchips! In many cities across the U.S., the Humane Society is selling such implants for pets, as a replacement for dog tags. You say, "Well, that's just for animals. No one would ever try this technology on people." I wouldn't be too sure about that. According to the book, The Mark of the Beast, by Paul and Peter Lalond, a plastic surgeon in Florida has hit upon the idea of implanting microchips in people. This would be helpful in locating missing people, such as run away children, kidnapped children, wandering victims of Alzheimer's disease, and parolees. Just for a moment, use your imagination and think about the convenience of implanted microchips. You wouldn't need any cash or checks for making purchases, for your bank account would be automatically debited every time you went through a check-out stand. You wouldn't need to keep up with a social security card, a driver's license, a Medicare card, a credit card, or even a smart card, because all of this information could be stored in the implanted chip. You wouldn't have to worry about getting mugged on the street, because there would be no demand for cash in a cashless society. We are not saying that the government is going to make you receive a microchip implant, and we aren't sure how the number "666" can be integrated into all this. We are simply pointing out the fact that THE TECHNOLOGY IS HERE. We do not know exactly what the Mark of the Beast will be in it's final form, but it is obvious that the possibilities are greater today than ever before. Your Only Escape Only by receiving Jesus Christ as your Savior can you be saved from the wrath to come (1 Ths. 1:10; 5:9). The Lord Jesus Christ will soon return to call His church out of this world (1 Ths. 4:16-18), and only those who are saved will leave. Everyone else will enter into the Great Tribulation (Mat. 24:21), and they will be required to take the Mark of the Beast. Those who do will burn in Hell forever (Rev. 14:11). When you are ready to accept the fact that you are a lost and dying sinner and that your "good works" are unacceptable to God (Rom. 3:10, 23; 4:5; 10:3), then you can begin to see your need for Jesus Christ. He came into this world to lay down His sinless life for YOU--to pay for your sins, because you couldn't. Jesus is your only hope for salvation. Only by receiving Him as your Savior can you enter the gates of Heaven. There is no other way. "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me." (John 14:6) "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." (Acts 4:12) The Lord Jesus Christ has come and PAID for your sins by shedding His own Blood on Calvary. By receiving Him as your Savior, you can be WASHED from all your sins in His precious Blood (Rev. 1:5; Col. 1:14; Acts 20:28; I Pet. 1:18-19). Notice these important words from Romans 5:8-9: "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him." Jesus PAID your way to Heaven for you! By receiving Him as your Savior, you will be receiving God's ONLY means of Salvation for you. Are you willing to forsake YOUR righteousness and receive Jesus Christ as your Savior, your ONLY HOPE for Salvation? Romans 10:13 says, "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." Romans 10:9 says, "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." Are you willing to forsake your own righteousness, and trust Jesus Christ alone? He will save you just as He promised. Why not receive Him today? Tomorrow could be too late.

Copyright © 1996 James L. Melton