The topic I would like to request is a topic that I have heard good Christians support and other good Christians decry. The topic is the benefits or detriments of Yoga. I guess I would like to know if Yoga is something a Christian should participate in?
Thank you
Thanks for your question. The reason you may have heard a variety of viewpoints on yoga is that yoga has many forms and can mean different things. For example, consider the word exercise. Exercise can have many permutations. We can engage in physical exercise, mental exercise, religious or spiritual exercise. We can exercise demons, engage in military exercises and so forth. Likewise the term yoga can be applied to a range of experiences.
Traditionally, yoga refers to a variety of physical and spiritual exercises or disciplines that originated in India. In many Eastern religions, such as Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism, yoga is often associated with certain forms of meditation. These meditations generally do not include communion with a personal God as revealed in Jesus.
Within Hinduism yoga also refers to six different schools of philosophy. Within these philosophies a series of healthy principles are espoused, such as the five abstentions: non-violence, non-lying, non-covetousness, non-sensuality, non-possessiveness. Other healthy principles include purity, contentment, austerity, study, surrender to god (however there are many god concepts which are not healthy), mental discipline and the study of nature.
The mental disciplines of yoga trend toward an emptying of self, or self-denial, but without the focus on a real, loving, personal God as revealed in Jesus. This leaves practitioners operating under their own strength in their effort to overcome human weakness and propensity to selfishness. Without the supernatural indwelling of the Holy Spirit all such human effort will fail. In Eastern religions there is a very subtle danger. The practitioners’ agenda is to empty self, over come self, deny self, which is the very goal of Christianity. However, in Eastern religions the worshipper does this by their own effort, works and mental discipline so that while their focus is to “overcome self” they actually elevate self. Without the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit selfishness cannot be eradiated from the heart.
One should not conclude however, that the Holy Spirit will not reach out to practitioners of yoga. It is not our place to judge and the Bible gives every indication that the Holy Spirit is working to reach all people who sincerely are following the truth as they know it. But without the revelation of Jesus Christ, as revealed in Scripture, Eastern religions are not the best source of truth about God and their practices can obstruct or delay a person from coming to the true knowledge of God as revealed in Jesus. Therefore, I personally do not recommend the religious practices of Eastern religions.
However, in Western society yoga is most often associated with its physical exercises and postures and it is this aspect that most westerners practice. To the degree that the practice of yoga is restricted to the physical postures and exercises it can be quite beneficial and health promoting and I do recommend people engage in routine exercise to keep their bodies as youthful and fit as possible. The exercises and postures of yoga are one means to improve our physical health.
Therefore, the next time you hear a person espouse the benefits of yoga and another person its dangers, clarify exactly what the person means when they use the term yoga.
Timothy R. Jennings, M.D., is a board-certified psychiatrist, master psychopharmacologist, Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, Fellow of the Southern Psychiatric Association, and an international speaker. He served as president of the Southern and Tennessee Psychiatric Associations and is president and founder of Come and Reason Ministries. Dr. Jennings has authored many books, including The God-Shaped Brain, The God-Shaped Heart, and The Aging Brain.
There are five requirements for physical life, health, growth, and development, and God uses these five elements to teach us truths about spiritual life and health.
The five requirements for physical life are air, water, food, rest, and exercise. Let’s examine how each of these elements have a corresponding spiritual application.
Element One: Air
In order to live physically, we must breathe. Inhaling oxygen is a requirement for life, as well as exhaling carbon dioxide. This is breathing, the active exchange of gases that physical life functions upon.
When God created Adam, He breathed into Adam the “breath of life” and Adam became a living being (Genesis 2:7). The breath of life represents the life-giving spark, energy, the vitalizing or animating power that comes from God. We do not possess life apart from God. We do not have life original to ourselves; rather, our life comes from God.
Jesus told Nicodemus,
I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, “You must be born again.” The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit (John 3:5–8 NIV84).
Jesus first comments upon the physical birth of the flesh, with its amniotic fluid (when a woman’s water breaks), then describes the new birth brought about by the Holy Spirit. Notably, in the Greek, the word for spirit is pneuma, from which we get the words pneumonia and pneumatic; it is translated into English as either spirit, wind, breath, or ghost—as in the Holy Ghost or giving up the ghost.
When a person dies, they stop breathing and are described as having “expired,” which means an end, a termination, but also to exhale—or in this case, to breathe one’s last breath.
Let’s look at two versions of Luke 23:46, which says this about Jesus’ moment of death:
KJV: “And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.”
NIV84: “Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last.”
Just as we need air for our bodies to live, we need the presence of the Holy Spirit to live, grow, and thrive spiritually. The action of breathing is a well-known sign of life, and to live in God’s kingdom we must inhale the Spirit of God and breathe out in our words and actions the truth and love of God in how we live and treat others, which is the sign of a new life in Christ. Jesus said:
All men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another (John 13:35 NIV84).
The life-giving power of love comes from the Spirit of God, the animating power that recreates us in His image and through whom we partake of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4).
The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing (John 6:63 NIV84, emphasis mine).
We say this because we have confidence in God through Christ. There is nothing in us that allows us to claim that we are capable of doing this work. The capacity we have comes from God; it is he who made us capable of serving the new covenant, which consists not of a written law but of the Spirit. The written law brings death, but the Spirit gives life (2 Corinthians 3:4–6 GNT, emphasis mine).
Air is the most critical element we need to physically live—deprivation of oxygen causes death more quickly than the loss of any of the other elements. Likewise, cut off from the Spirit of God, we do not have spiritual life. It is only through the life-giving connection with the Holy Spirit that we are reborn and experience a new life—an eternal life in Christ.
Element Two: Water
Our bodies are approximately 60 percent water, and water is essential for life, health, and functioning. Without water, physical life will cease.
Water refreshes, washes away dirt, cleans wounds, and is essential for physiological life. To the Israelites, the ancient nomadic people who lived in an arid land and through whom God provided the Scriptures, water was understood to be life—and water came to symbolize life.
Jesus told the woman at the well:
If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water … [and] whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life (John 4:10, 14 NIV84).
In the book of Revelation, Jesus tells His faithful:
I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life (21:6 NIV84).
And the apostle Paul wrote,
He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5 NIV84).
The Holy Spirit is described as the Spirit of both truth and love (John 14:17; Romans 5:5, 15:30). Our minds are cleansed of the lies of Satan through the truth brought by the Holy Spirit, and our hearts are cleansed from fear and selfishness by the love brought by the Holy Spirit.
And just as we are to drink physical water every day, so also we are to drink in the truth and love of God via the indwelling Spirit every day to maintain our health, vitality, and development.
And just as in this world we become dirty and clean our bodies with a bath, and quickly become dirty again and need to bathe again, so also after having our hearts and minds washed by the Holy Spirit, this evil world of sin assaults us with new falsehoods, mistreatment, accusations, exploitations, abuses, disappointments, loss and grief, temptations—all kinds of “dirt” that works its way into our thoughts and feelings, and needs to be removed. It is through the life-giving connection with the Holy Spirit that we daily wash our hearts and minds in the truth and love of God in order to prevent the dirt of this world from darkening our hearts.
In order to have spiritual life and health, after partaking of the Holy Spirit and being reborn, we must drink in the truth and love of God to be cleansed from past guilt, shame, fear, heartaches, discouragement and to be invigorated with new motives and empowered for victorious living. We must daily drink the water of life!
Element Three: Food
In order to be physically healthy, we must not only breathe air and drink and bathe in water, but we also must ingest food to provide proper nutrition and energy.
The Bible uses the metaphor of food for our bodies to teach the truth about food for our souls. Jesus said:
I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever” (John 6:53–58 NIV84, emphasis mine).
Jesus is the Word made flesh (John 1:1, 2, 14). When we eat physical food, meat or bread, the food is broken down into molecules that 1) give us energy and 2) also get reassembled to become the building blocks of the various tissues of our bodies. Likewise, as we ingest Jesus, the “Bread of life” who is the source of all truth, we are ingesting the truth of God as embodied, lived out, and revealed by and in Jesus.
These eternal truths, as they are taken into our hearts and minds, become building blocks of our ideas, beliefs, perspectives, schemas, values, and morals, and they form the way we see and understand reality. Just as our bodies are built out of the food we eat, so too our minds, hearts, and characters are transformed, rebuilt, and purified as we feed on the truth of God that is found in Jesus Christ.
And just as the quality of physical food has a direct impact on our physical health, so also the quality of our spiritual food directly impacts our spiritual health. Junk food might taste good and be filling, but it ultimately undermines health, causing physical disease and shortening life. Likewise, “junk” theology, ideas and so-called “truths” that people ingest because it might “taste good” and be “filling,” ultimately causes all kinds of spiritual and relational sickness.
For there will come a time when people will no longer listen to reason, truth, or evidence. Instead, in harmony with their selfishness, they will amass professors, teachers and theologians to delight them with what they want to hear. They will refuse to listen to reason and truth, and–instead embrace fantasies (2 Timothy 4:3, 4 REM).
The Spirit plainly says that in the last days, some will reject the Remedy and promote a deadly false concoction originating in the minds of demons. These toxic constructs are peddled by deceptive charlatans whose characters have been forged in the Satanic mold. They oppose God’s design for life — like marriage, and eating the foods God created to be eaten — which brings blessings to those who know and love God (1 Timothy 4:1–3 REM).
If we want to be spiritually healthy, we must not only be reborn by the Spirit, cleansed in heart and mind by the truth and love of God, but we must also reject the corrupting philosophies of this world and daily partake of heavenly food—the Word that was made flesh, the eternal truths that originate in and lead us back to God and from whom all life, health, and happiness are built.
Element Four: Rest/sleep
Just as our physical bodies need rest and sleep, so also we need spiritual rest.
After God created Adam and Eve, while they were still in a sinless, Edenic paradise, their first full day was spent in Sabbath rest with God. That rest was not a physiological rest; it was spiritual rest, the rest and peace of loving unity with God; the rest and peace of experiencing oneself being loved, cherished, and valued for who one is and not for some work or performance; the rest and peace of not having to prove oneself, of not having to earn one’s way, of not having to work for approval, of not having to fight for affection; the rest and peace of intimacy and loving connection with God, with a corresponding love, admiration, and appreciation for God as their Designer, Creator, and Friend. This rest is the spiritual rest of being fully known by God and in turn knowing God (John 17:3).
God has prescribed for our spiritual health one day in seven to come apart from the cares of this world and rest in Him. Just as Adam and Eve rested before they went to work in the garden, so also we must first be reborn, be cleansed by the washing of the Spirit, ingest the Word of truth, and rest in loving relationship with Jesus before we are prepared and enabled to work in the Lord’s cause.
Jesus said,
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light (Matthew 11:28–30 NIV84).
Spiritual health starts by being reborn, then cleansed, then nurtured, and then resting our cause, our life, our health, our future, our everything into the hands of Jesus. We must rest in Him, rest in intimate connection, and in doing so, we are transformed by both experiencing His love for us and responding with loving admiration and appreciation for Him. We must stop the work of trying to save ourselves, the desperate and frantic effort to prove ourselves, to earn our way, to be “good enough.” For “we are God’s special creation brought to existence by Christ Jesus to showcase his character—his living law of love—which was always God’s design for us” (Ephesians 2:10 REM). Come to Jesus and rest in His loving arms!
Element Five: Exercise
All physical and mental development, growth, and advancement occur only through physical and mental exercise, through application, through purposeful action. This is the law of exertion. After Adam and Eve rested that first Sabbath in their relationship with the Lord, God gave them useful labor to engage and apply their abilities for their growth and development (Genesis 2:15).
If you want to become strong in any way, you must exercise that ability. If you want strong muscles, you must exercise; strong math ability, you must work problems; strong musical skills, you must practice your instrument. And if you want to be strong in the things of God, then you must choose to live out and apply in life the principles and methods of God.
If we don’t use it, we lose it. Jesus taught this reality in the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14–30). Those servants who invested and used their talents gained more. Likewise, when we apply ourselves and use the abilities God has given us, we gain more skill, insight, wisdom, and we grow in godliness. But if we bury our talents, then we lose what we had. If we don’t actively choose to live out the principles of God, then while we may claim legal salvation, our spirits atrophy and we become spiritually weaker and less capable of fulfilling God’s purpose for our lives.
I encourage you to be spiritually healthy—to be reborn, washed and cleansed by the Spirit, nurtured by ingesting the truth of God into our hearts and minds, rest in the goodness and grace of God, and actively choose to apply God’s principles to your life in all that you do.”
On July 15-16th, 2022 some of America’s top doctors and scientists in the areas of pharmaceutical and environmental toxins, including Timothy R. Jennings, M.D., DLFAPA, presented a two-day summit in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
The Summit was an opportunity for providers and patients alike to hear the evidence-based science on some of the most controversial topics we face today in Federal and professional organization regulatory oversight and healthcare.
Timothy R. Jennings, M.D., DLFAPA, gives a 54 minute lecture to attendees of The United For Healthcare Summit on July 15, 2022 in Grand Rapids, MI and details 19 lies told to the world population by world and national governmental health agencies and the 9 step process used to manipulate your mind to believe those lies.
Why does a God of Love allow the innocent ones to be abused and hurt? Why doesn’t the Father step in to stop the abuse of those so unable to defend themselves? For years I tried but could not resolve this question, so I accepted with Paul the Apostle that, “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.” 1Co:13:12.
As I have matured in my walk with the Father I have discovered answers that have satisfied my soul. I believe the Father has given each of us free will. We can choose to be evil if we like. We can choose to hurt others. We live in a world of sin, by allowing free choice the Father has permitted that evil, pain and suffering will exist in this world. Knowing this would have to be our Father of love also designed that our trials would be our teachers. Our biggest hurts our biggest gifts.
Trials Are Gods Tools for Refining Us. Trials are the gifts the Father allows into our lives to enable us to become more than we ever dreamed we could be. A Trial can either refine and ennoble or ruin a soul. How we accept or reject life’s trials determine the work these events will exert in our lives. I have learned that when I thank the Father for every event that touches my life I realize the gifts these events leave in their wake. I begin to understand the wisdom that allows evil to sometimes appear to be in control. I believe every act has a purpose, every intention is loving. I know that my vision is very small. I do not see the whole picture as God does.
My Gift. The Men, who came so selfishly into my young life stealing my childhood while they ripped my young soul to shreds, will have to stand before the Judgment Bar of the Almighty One and face the wrongs they have done. But for me, their acts, when filtered through the love of my Father, have become a wonderful gift.
It has taken years to grow into and open this gift. Years of confusion, and pain. Years of being misunderstood by everyone including myself. The Father alone understood the path I was walking. He continued to enable me to go the way I had to go. Throughout the years of confusion and pain he was filling me with this wonderful gift. It was being delivered to my soul piece by piece, being delivered and set up. Waiting for the time I would be able to open it up and become the woman God intended me to be.
I am still a work in progress, no one ever arrives, in this life, at a place where it can be said, “This is it, I have attained it all, I have reached as high as a human can go.” In this life as we emotionally mature and grow experiences that were once beyond our grasp become plain. We can grown into our early experiences and begin to unwrap the gifts God has ordained for our growth.
Discover & Open your Gifts. To find your gift you must have a faith filled heart. Learn to thank the Lord truly for every experience that has touched your life. If you cannot think of a blessing that has come from them just say, “For whatever good may come of them.” and mean it.
When you believe you release a power into your life that is able to transform the most devastating experience into your greatest blessing. You will be able to say honestly that you would not choose to return and change these things. That because of the gifts they carry you would choose this road again. The Father is able to make all that has touched your life good. He will give you back all that was taken and so much more besides. All he asks is that you trust him.
In my life the Father has allowed me to be stretched beyond what I believed could be endured. I have overcome it all in his strength. I am no longer afraid. I have acknowledged, and accepted my past experiences as gifts from the Father. I acknowledge and accept the affect these experiences have had in my life. My world has been blown, I am not who I was. I have found that acceptance unwraps the gift, blending all parts of me into the excellence that has become my life. I have discover that I am more.
All of heaven is just waiting for a heart to open in praise and faith. The bright morning of all your tomorrow’s is only a praise away. Open the gift you have in your hands. Open it and find all your hopes and dreams are stored safely there. You already have the gifts, now praise the Lord for the growth and wisdom they brought into your life, for the depths of hurt you found you could endure. You have been emotionally, mentally, and spiritually stretched by life’s trials and pains. Praise the Lord for the growth. You are more for having passed through the fire.
If you are still in the midst of the trial and don’t yet know the out come. Praise the Lord for the opportunity to grow that is being provided. Tell him you trust him and know if you could see and understand it all as he does you are sure you would choose this road too. He will enable you to accept the gift he is giving. He will hold your world together.
To know you are safe in the Fathers care where nothing can touch you, is to be sheltered under his wings. He calls you to his high tower to enter and be safe. To Enter you must fully believe that all things come from him. When you know this without a doubt, then you will find that you are dwelling in safety under his wings. The Evil winds may blow but you will never again be blown, you are now grounded to the Rock. “The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.” Psalms:18:2
The ability to stick with my good choices; to choose to do the good stuff is the outcome of years of work and healing. The journey of emotional healing I’m on began long before I knew how broken I truly was. My earliest memories are filled with selfish people providing the child before them lessons in selfishness. Seldom and few were the glimpses of honest caring kindness shown during those early years. Looking back with the maturity of a woman who has learned to love and let go I can see the Fathers love surrounding me; holding my little self safely in his care until I was ready for his healing to take place.
Meeting and allowing the love of my husband into my life started the healing phase of my life. It has been over 30 years since this caring man slipped under my defenses and captured my heart. At first I felt uncomfortable; being cared for was a new experience. I had always migrated toward the comfortable toxic relationships I understood. This being prized, wanted and cared for felt foreign and uncomfortable. Long story short I stayed because he was always so kind and truly wanted to be with me. He had done nothing to deserve being hurt. So when he asked me to marry him I said “Yes”.
As the years went by I discovered his love had filled my life like a pair of warm old slippers; always at hand and easy to wear. He was easy to care for and at some point I began to truly love this remarkable person who had given so freely of himself.
After spending ten years learning how to be loved and how to love in return it all fell apart. My life as I knew it was ground to powder. The love that had colored my world teaching me to trust and care was pulled away. My loving husband emotionally crashed and burned. It was only my faith in the Father’s love that allowed us to find each other again and rebuild our life together.
The Father used it all for good. Time and again I have seen him take the most devastating experiences and turn them into the biggest blessings to come into my life. I can honestly say I would not change a thing. I am how I am today because of the Love of my Father and the man he sent to love me.
The back story I have shared was truly to make a point. The effects of the shame that colored my early years followed by the cold selfishness of my young adult life did not vanish when I learned to give and accept love. There were many damaging beliefs I held about myself I needed to face, examine and discard as lies. Beliefs I would never have thought to question if not for the excellent aid of a qualified counselor. Facing myself, owning my past and accepting the best and worst of me was one of the most painful processes in this healing journey.
A valued counselor once explained it this way: “Once the damage is done there are no pain free options to real healing.” After a body part or the emotional life has been broken any true healing will include some pain. To ignore the injury, never touch or deal with it, will mean a lifetime of disability and sadness. The only way to truly be whole again is to work through the pain.
There have been several Herbal Supports I have used over the years to support the process of healing.
Using Cayenne and Lobelia during counseling or when journaling:
Cayenne: Use 1 tsp in juice at beginning of the session to open up. Cayenne works on the emotional life as it does on the physical body; it enhances the ability to let the emotional issues bubble up and process. I found when using Cayenne at the start of any counseling session the process dealing with myself flowed much better.
Lobelia: at the end of the session ½ tsp. Lobelia added directly into the mouth followed with a swallow of juice or water will allow the emotions to settle. When using Lobelia at the end of my counseling I was able to rest for ten minutes then freely go about the rest of my day. All the emotional issues had settled and were processing on the unconscious level where the work of healing is truly done.
NF Formula: This is an excellent aid for emotional stress. It can be used as needed in times of emotional stress or trauma. I’ve seen this formula stop a panic attack in seconds, just ended the drama. Calmness washes over the mind and heart as the nerves are nourished and soothed.
Friends and members are asking; “What exactly are you doing?” The weight is continuing to dissolve away. It has become obvious that whatever I’m doing is working and working very well. As of this morning 112.5 pounds have melted from my form. Of course I’ve tweaked the plan from the book, “The Obesity Code” to fit my needs.
What exactly am I doing? The answer is simple; I’m following a low carb food program, water fasting and Liver Flushing. I’ve been water fasting three to five days a week since the last week of August 2017. Many feel this is quite dramatic, but the results are very worth the effort. Before forming an opinion for or against this program read the book “The Obesity Code”.
April 2014 at Top Weight
The Liver Fasting part is where it becomes a bit trickier. I’ve been doing an ELF or Amazing Liver-flush about every other week. The Amazing Liver Flush is very effective and really clears out the waste but is a bit harsh and I can only tolerate one or two a month. What triggers the liver flush is when the weight loss stalls. If I’m going to water fast then I expect to drop some good weight the next day. After struggling through a day of water fasting and running to the bathroom all evening only to not lose or only lose a half pound the next day I know it is time to flush the liver.
Liver Flushing clears the waste from the liver so the liver can effectively process the excess fat out more effectively. Any weight loss program will benefit from regular liver flushing. An example would be this past week. After three days of water fasting I’d only lost a pound. Friday night I did an Amazing liver Flush. Saturday I water fasted as I felt a bit off from the flush.
Jan 24 2018
Sunday morning the scales showed a five pound drop. Sunday I when out to lunch with a friend which likely cost me. Monday – Wed I water fasted and dropped another 2.5 pounds. This makes the total weight loss this week at 7.5 pounds. Anytime what you are doing stops working or fails to work when it is obvious it should then it is time to flush the liver. My problem is I get so tired of all that oil and will put it off for several day instead of getting right on it and clearing the issue quickly.
This is the summary of what is working for me. The emotional work is also a part of this process. I have become emotional for no reason; my sweet husband has been a great support for this process even if he is scratching his head wondering what is wrong with me. It’s all good and then is an end in sight.
What is real love, how does it materialize into a life? What impact will honest loving have in real life?
To know true love is to learn to be at peace with whatever the day brings. Why? Because all truth and love come from God, the Father who is love is aware of all my needs no matter how small. He has covered my life, is willing to take every burden, and heal every hurt.
Accepting, and living in the flow of his love allows all His loving goodness to flow through my life, healing my past while providing strength for today’s trials and annoyances. Where true love abides there is no fear. The future holds only the bright promise that when we have done all the good possible in this life we will take that last step into eternity.
The eyes of love see and understand the damage selfishness and fear can inflict on the innocent. True love is other focused more interested in giving than receiving. His love allows me to love the unlovely, to care for those who have no care or concern for me. I am loved.
Many hold the dream that true love sweeps all trials and annoyances from life’s path. Such a dream is foolish thinking. How would one grow if not for the trials life brings? How can I learn to believe in a benevolent, loving heavenly father if the need to test my faith in him never arises? Each trial is an opportunity to grow beyond who I am today. A chance to embrace the truth about myself found only when daily annoyances and trials push me beyond my limited resources.
True love is the assurance that when all doors have been closed and the only way of escape is the open window He will provide the wings for you to fly. Love is the Freedom to live wide open allowing life to be what it is and everyone to be who they are. Love’s eternal wave brings healing, wisdom, and strength to anyone willing to stand and receive the full happy life founded on truth and love.
There is so much to be thankful for. This has been a fantastic week. The humidity has felt low and the sun has been out all week. Almost makes me feel like I still live in California instead of North Carolina.
Riverside California, is where I grew up before moving to the Victorville area with my daughter in the early 1980’s. It did not take long for me to fall in love with the dry heat, wide open landscape and quiet of the area. All the reasons that drew me to the desert are now gone, with the exception of the dry heat.
The last time we ventured out there was December 2002. Victorville had become so congested we were in a stand still traffic jam on Bear Valley Road. My husband and I were both shocked and saddened by the over population of the area. The open spacious natural beauty I remembered had been replaced by rows of same looking houses.
Looking out my window today I see trees everywhere. Moving from the wide open spaces of the Mojave Desert to the woodlands of North Carolina has taught me to appreciate a different type of solitude. Where once the expansive views were as far as the eye could see in all directions now the beauty is blossoming at my feet. The lush green foliage unfolds in the early spring continuing to grow throughout the hot days of summer providing a cool carpet for my barefoot walks in the cool of the day.
The small woodland creatures and song birds visiting our yard and deck continue to provide hours of entertainment. The feeling of contentment and peace pervade this place. Our Father continues to shelter us surrounding our lives with his presence and protection. We are truly blessed.
When beginning any healing or detoxing program the benefits will only come if the waste can be removed and healing nutrition brought in. The largest elimination organ is our colon. If this avenue of elimination is not open and producing well all the good you are doing is for naught. The waste will be reabsorbed as it sets in a sluggish backed up bowel waiting to be eliminated from the body.
The healing and detoxing of the body need not be a negative experience. Many people are hesitant to begin a good detox because they cannot afford to be sick or don’t want to feel bad. Detoxing can produce flu like symptoms when the waste that should be eliminated is reabsorbed. Feeling bad is not necessary, when the immune system is supported with proper nutrition and enough Echinacea the waste is neutralized and eliminated, not reabsorbed.
It’s all good. With proper nutritional and emotional support the healing of the body, mind and heart can be an uplifting fulfilling time. Healing is not so much about the diseased condition as it is about unblocking life on every level, while flooding the body, mind, and soul with healing, restorative nutrients. Take the opportunity to get real with yourself. You are a physical, Emotional and Spiritual child of God, as the physical body begins to heal there will be a corresponding clearing of old issues from your emotional and Spiritual life.
Everyone will have their share of pain in this life. The hard times are not here to destroy us, but to enable us to grow. As we choose to meet life’s challenges, we develop real worth and depth of character. When we choose to turn about and squarely face our own personal demons, we inevitably discover how powerful a single choice can be. The power of choice is the gift Jesus died to give each of us. The journey of 1,000 miles begins with one step. The power to overcome on every level and rise above every weakness begins with one choice. When you choose to embrace life’s trials, you are choosing to attend classes designed specifically for you. Now, instead of being a victim, you are choosing to expand and grow psychologically, emotionally, and spiritually.
Finding healing answers for the emotional issues which contribute greatly to the physical ills we all face continues to be an on-going mission. Knowing what is right and doing the right do not necessarily go hand in hand in a life that has experienced abuse or neglect during the informative years of childhood. Discovering why has been a large part of my personal healing journey. Rising above the early misuse and abuse in my life continues to be a daily challenge.
Several weeks ago I stumbled across another Seminar by Dr. Tim Jennings I’d never viewed. After learning so much from his other two seminars on the brain I decided to try and wade through this one too. His talk entitled, Modern Medicine Seminar, to a group of medical students includes discussions on drug therapy, not really my kind of material. Even so Dr. Jennings has provided so many “light bulb” moments the material ought to be worth something. What a gold mine. Dr. Jennings explains the effect early abuse, neglect and emotional trauma have on the brain. Then toward the end of the talks he provided a few nutritional suggestions for brain health. (Pomegranate Juice, Folate (l-methylfolate), Nac-Acetyl Cysteine, Vitamin C Supplement, and Turmeric) He did not suggest any dosage so I played around a bit and came up with something that works me.
The best source for any vitamin or mineral is from a live food source. Life is teaching me that there are times when the natural juices and food sources need to be carefully supplemented for the additional support necessary for healing some specific issues. Massive use of vitamin and mineral supplements can add a heavy load to the kidneys and liver. Find the best food source for the needed nutrients whenever possible.
The regiment begun a month ago is proving to be one of the best choices I’ve made in a long time. Life is becoming fun again; interest in and for my life is returning. That said I have always loved what I do and am so privileged to know all the members of HEAL Association but in recent years I have stopped enjoying many of the extra activities that have been a huge part of my life. Photography, cooking, sewing, writing, the creative side of my life had stopped. I’m looking forward to these activities again.
After the first two weeks on this program it was time to flush my liver. There is obviously a good deal of house cleaning going on so if you decide to follow the above regiment don’t forget the foundational programs: Boosting with Echinacea, Bowel Cleansing, and Massive nutrition (Superfood & Juicing ect..) In addition plan to ELF or do a liver flushing program every few weeks.
The ability to stick with my good choices; to choose to do the good stuff is the outcome of years of work and healing. The journey of emotional healing I’m on began long before I knew how broken I truly was. My earliest memories are filled with selfish people providing the child before them lessons in selfishness. Seldom and few were the glimpses of honest caring kindness shown during those early years. Looking back with the maturity of a woman who has learned to love and let go I can see the Fathers love surrounding me; holding my little self safely in his care until I was ready for his healing to take place. 
What is real love, how does it materialize into a life? What impact will honest loving have in real life?
When beginning any healing or detoxing program the benefits will only come if the waste can be removed and healing nutrition brought in. The largest elimination organ is our colon. If this avenue of elimination is not open and producing well all the good you are doing is for naught. The waste will be reabsorbed as it sets in a sluggish backed up bowel waiting to be eliminated from the body.
