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Apr 17 '08

12:27 PM

Who Am I?

Hello girls!

 How are you doing? I pray that you are feeling better! I know that sometimes admist the pain, we can feel like our lives do not have meaning. That no one cares all that much. We can also feel like we are all alone and so on..

Instead, this is what we can say when we are In Christ. I hope that it helps you!

Who am I?            

I belong to the household of God. I have been adopted into his family. I am a member of the body of Christ!  I have a big family! I pray it gets larger. He calls me a Saint. My brothers & sisters and I are called the chosen ones. He calls us the salt of the earth and Dear children. I have a membership in the company of the redeemed. I am stamped with his ownership.

I am fearfully & wonderfully made. He poured his love & spirit into my heart. He says that my body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. He wants all of his children to be his hands and his feet. I am a woman of faith.

I am loved. I was bought at a price. He sent his son to die on the cross for me!  I was purchased with his blood. I am forgiven. I am saved. I am set free. My redeemer lives. I am not ashamed. I am promised eternal life. I am born again.

I am valued. I am a peculiar treasure!

I have a Heavenly Father. He is my provider, my protector, my rock. He watches over me and disciplines me when I get out of line. Abba Father! I am a daughter of the King.

I am NEW.  I have a new heart.  He gave me a sound mind. He gave me a new spirit without fear of any man or woman. He brought me self control. He brought me a new confidence. I am filled with the fullness of God. I am blessed with His peace.

When I cry, he hears me. He is a God of comfort. When I am tired and feel like I cannot go on, he lifts me on Eagles wings. When I am discouraged, he pushes me on and refreshes my soul. I am a friend of God.

I am not alone. He is always with me. I am in God’s thoughts often!  He even wrote my name on the palm of his hand. He then put a new song into my heart. His arms are Everlasting. I am in Him and He is in me.

I am protected from the evil one. I am not shaken. I am wise in Him. I am not deceived.

I have direct access to God. I can bow at the throne of Grace and mercy in my time of need. When I am weak, I can draw strength from Him. I can pray and listen for his voice. He then guides my life to where I am to go. I am thankful.

I have meaning for my life. There is a lot to do! I am a fisher of men, a laborer, his ambassador, his servant among being a mother and a wife. I am not bored! I am privileged to share in Christ’s sufferings. I am an evangelist.

I am in love with the Creator of the universe, who is called the great I AM, the Alpha & the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the Resurrection and the Life, the Bread of Life, the Way, the Truth and the Life, the Almighty God, the Holy One, the LORD of All, the Most High, My Savior, My eternal salvation! I am alive in Him. I am filled with praise.

I am much more.
I am “IN CHRIST”

Lori
Psalm 19:14
Scripture references available.  Reference: The Holy Bible.
www.theendoclub.com

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Feb 7 '08

11:19 AM

Jesus Power-the great I AM!!

Hello Girls!  
As I have said before, I suffered a lot-emotionally, physically and mentally most of my life. Bad self esteem, feeling unloved, mixed up in the world and wondering what the point of all of it was.  Have you felt that way? About 7 years ago, the Lord healed me of it as I put my faith and trust in Him for my life after reading His word. I still suffer physically, but far less than before. Emotionally and spiritually I am healed though. The word of God-the Bible is where all the answers lay for the help that we all need.

Jesus Power-the great I AM!!

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

The scripture above speaks of God being the creator, but Jesus was in the beginning also.  Did you know this? You see if we do not believe that Jesus is God, then there is no power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus is power though!  Please believe and think about this! Jesus is God and can help all of us if we trust Him and believe in what he did for us on the cross!  

IN the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. John 1:1-3

 

Jesus is God in the flesh!
"And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." John 1:14

Also Jesus used the Jehovistic "I AM," identifying Himself as God.  Jesus Christ claimed to be the “I AM.” It is the personal name of the God of the Old Testament. On several occasions it is recorded that Jesus used the “I AM” formula in attesting to His deity. He claimed to be the LORD God, Jehovah, Yahweh.

Then Moses said to God, "Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they say to me, 'What is His name?' what shall I say to them?" And God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM." And He said, "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.'" Exodus 3:13-14   

The “I am” scriptures are my favorite. Think about how they can help you today with your suffering!!!

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

I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. John 10:9

I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. John 10:11

I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness. John 12:46

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

I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. John 15:1

 Almighty God, maker of heaven and earth. We come to you for help Lord! Please help us with our needs. Speak to us Lord and show us how to live our lives for your glory. Show us what to do about our health problems. Help us to rest in you. Ease our physically pain and bring us hope in all of our days. Show us how mighty that you are, how you answer prayers and do much more than is imaginable and much more than what we ask. We ask all according to your will for our lives as we trust in you. In Jesus Name we pray, Amen.

Please let me know if your e mail address changes. We have over 250 prayer members! I have no idea who gets these letters or not, so please visit the forum sometime to tell us how you are doing. Please put in your prayer requests at the top of the forum and visit to pray for the others! http://pub20.bravenet.com/forum/1696951335 I pray that you all are doing better!

Have you come to know Jesus? Do you know of the power of the cross??  If not, please click here!!!!! http://www.theendoclub.com/donotread.htm and please let Lori know.

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Jul 13 '07

11:28 AM

Quotes on Faith in suffering

 
  • "It is the spectators, the people who are outside, looking at the tragedy, from whose ranks the skeptics come; it is not those who are actually in the arena and who know suffering from the inside. Indeed, the fact is that it is the world's greatest sufferers who have produced the most shining examples of unconquerable faith." James Stewart
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  • "Don't pray for a lighter burden. Pray for a stronger back. " Unknown
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  •  "True faith is trusting the sovereign God even when we don't understand." Hank Haanegraff
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  • "Satan's aim is to destroy our joy and trust and delight in God, and to make God look worthless in the world's eyes. Everytime someone forsakes God for the world, gets angry at God when part of the world is taken away from them, they highlight the world as valuable....and everytime someone stays with God, when the world is taken away, and praises God, they highlight the value and glory of God". John Piper
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  • "The bible never belittles disappointment, but it does add one key word: temporary - - What we feel now, we will not always feel. Our disappointment is itself a sign, and aching, a hunger for something better. And faith is , in the end, a kind of homesickness - - for a home we have never visited but have never once stopped longing for." Phillip Yancey
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  • "We human beings instinctively regard the seen world as the "real" world and the unseen world as the "unreal" world, but the Bible calls for almost the opposite." Phillip Yancey
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  • "If we insist on visible proofs from God, we may well prepare the way for a permanent state of disappointment. True faith does not so much attempt to manipulate God to do our will as it does to position us to do his will. As I searched through the Bible for models of great faith, I was struck by how few saints experienced anything like Job's dramatic encounter with God. The rest responded to the hiddenness not by demanding that he show himself, but by going ahead and believing him though he stayed hidden." Phillip Yancey
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  • "I say this with care, but I wonder if a fierce, insistent desire for a miracle - - even a physical healing - sometimes betrays a lack of faith rather than an abundance of it. When yearning for a miraculous resolution to a problem, do we make our loyalty to God contingent on whether he reveals himself yet again in the seen world?" Phillip Yancey
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  • "Faith like Job's cannot be shaken becasue it is the result of having been shaken." Rabbi Abraham Heschel
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  • "Christians remind me of schoolboys who want to look up the answers to their math problems in the back of the book rather than work them through" Kierkegaard [we yearn for shortcuts, which lead away from growth - not toward it.]
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  • "God's favorites, especially God's favorites, are not immune from the bewildering times when God seems silent. Where there is no longer any opportunity for doubt, there is no longer any opportunity for faith either. Faith demands uncertainty, confusion. The Bible includes many proofs of God's concern - some quite spectacular - but no guarantess. A guarantee would, after all, preclude faith." Paul Tournier
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  • "To be commanded to love God at all, let alone in the wilderness, is like being commanded to be well when we are sick, to sing for joy when we are dying of thirst, to run when our legs are broken. But this is the first and great commandment, nontheless. Even in the wilderness - especially in the wilderness - you shall love him." Frederick Buechner
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  • "The point of the Book of Job is not suffering: where is God When It hurts? The prologue (chapters 1-2) dealt with that issue. The point of the Book of Job is faith: Where is Job when it hurts?" - Phillip Yancey
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  • "The most important things in life are intangible." Monsignor Tom Hartman
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  • “The very fact that faith looks to a power beyond itself means that it is continually subject to loss of control. So if you’re looking to get control of all your problems, forget Christianity. If you’re looking for success, happiness, or freedom from pain, forget Christ. The way of Christ is the cross, and the cross spells weakness, poverty, failure, death.” (Mason, Gospel According to Job, 41
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  • “Take away material prosperity; take away emotional highs; take away miracles and healing; take away fellowship with other believers; take away church; take away all opportunity for service; take away assurance of salvation; take away the peace and joy of the Holy Spirit... Yes! Take it all, all, far, far away. And what is left? Tragically, for many believers there would be nothing left. For does our faith really go that deep? Or do we, in the final analysis, have a cross-less Christianity? Unless the simple gospel has center-place in our faith, it has no place at all. Unless the cross is everything, it is nothing.” (Mason, Gospel According to Job, 210)
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  • "It is not the part of faith to question, but to obey." AB Simpson
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  • "God allows us to face difficulties so that our faith will be stretched and refined. The trials we face provide an excellent opportunity for us to declare our dependence on God and not on ourselves. The way we win the battle with discouragement is by humbling ourselves before God and telling Him that we need Him. There is only one way to do this, and it is through prayer." Charles Stanley
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  • "Prayer is an act of faith. Just by praying to God, you are declaring our trust in someone other than yourself. Your faith is increased as you pray and watch how God answers your prayers. God says in Jeremiah 33:3, "Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know. God is awesome in power and there is never a time when He is not beside you. He is faithful and holy." Charles Stanley
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  • "The storms in my life have become workshops where I can practice my faith in God's sovereignty." Jill Briscoe
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  • "Trust in the Lord is the only true antidote to fear. Focusing on God rather than the trial will keep us from sinking in fear. However, learning to face our fears does not mean we will never have another anxious moment. Faith does not lie in trusting God to stop the storm, but in trusting Him to enable us to walk through the storm. When trouble occurs, He will give us the ability to cope with it." Jill Briscoe
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  • "This idea of dying to self and "taking up your cross" is one of the hardest concepts in the Christian faith to understand. But it is hard not because it is complicated. It is hard because it is so difficult to accept. We try to complicate it precisely because we know intuitively what it means, and we do not like the idea. No one likes to die." (John Fischer, "On a Hill TOO Far Away, 126)
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  • "We like to talk about having the faith to be healed - what about the faith to be sick?." - Mike Mason
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  • "When people are in crisis:
    • - dreams die
    • - time slows down
    • - relationships are strained
    • - ignorance multiplies
    • - power evaporates
    • - character is tested
    • - priorities are altered
    • - we think more about whats important in life
    • - and sometimes, faith falters
      Pastor Charles Ware, President Baptist Bible College - Indpls, IN
     
  • "True worship has less to do with offering sacrifices than with being a sacrifice ourselves." Mike Mason, The Gospel According to Job
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  • "Faith is holding onto uncertainties with passionate conviction." Soren Kierkegaard
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  • "Real faith is refined in the fires and storms of pain". Eugene Peterson
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  • "Every truth about suffering can be twisted into a weapon for or against God. Most often suffering speeds us in the direction we are already heading - whether toward or away from God." David McKenna, The Whisper of His Grace
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  • "We are puzzled and bewildered whenever we see suffering in this world because we have become accustomed to the mercy and the long-suffering of God. Amazing grace is no longer amazing to us." R.C. Sproul, Reason to Believe
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  • "When you go through a trial, the sovreignty of God is the pillow upon which you lay your head." Charles Spurgeon.
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  • "How can we bless at one moment and curse at another?", Joni Eareckson Tada, Glorious Intruder
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  • "Refusing to be disillusioned is the cause of much of the suffering of human life. And this is how that suffering happens-if we love someone, but do not love God, we demand total perfection and righteousness from that person, and when we do not get it, we become cruel and vindictive; yet we are demanding of a human being which he or she cannot possibly give. There is only one Being who can completely satisfy to the absolute depth of the hurting human heart, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ. Our Lord is so obviously uncompromising with regard to every human relationship because He knows that every relationship that is not based on faithfulness to Himself will end in disaster.", Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest
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  • "Paul welcomed hearbreak, disillusionment and tribulation for only one reason - - these things kept him immovable in his devotion to the gospel of God," Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest
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  • "If there were never any clouds (sorrows and sufferings) in our lives, we would have no faith. God does not come near us without clouds." Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest
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  • "When you cannot see his hand, trust his heart." Unknown
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  • "Religion is for people who are afraid to go to hell. Spirituality is for people who have already been there." Martha Manning, Undercurrents
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  • "Satan is ever seeking to inject that poison into our hearts to distrust God's goodness - especially in connection with his commandments. That is what really lies behind all evil, lusting and disobedience. A discontent with our position and portion, a craving from something whih God has wisely held from us. Reject any suggestion that God is unduly sever with you. Resist with the utmost abhorrence anything that causes you to doubt God's love and his lovingkindness towards you. Allow nothing to make you question the Father's love for his child." Arhtur Pink
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  • "You have to have faith that there is a reason you go through certain things. I can't say I'm glad to go through pain, but in a way, one must, in order to gain courage and really feel joy." Carol Burnett
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  • "When we are in a situation where Jesus is all we have, we soon discover He is all we really need." Gigi Graham Tchividjian
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  • "Where reasons are given, we don't need faith. Where only darkness surrounds us, we have no means for seeing except by faith. Elisabeth Elliot
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  • "It is not all darkness in a heart which can cry, "My God". Charles Spurgeon on Psalm 88
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  • "The same sun that melts the butter hardens the clay." Billy Graham
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  • ("Suffering is paradoxical. It has a way of making or breaking us. It can convert a person into a bitter, depressed and vengeful wretch who spends his time shaking his fist at God. Or, it can have the opposite effect; it can draw a person deeper into the Lord and shape that person more fully into the image of Jesus. The response depends upon the quality of one's faith." - Dr. David Reagan))
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  • God never answers the question, "Why me, Lord?" Instead, He calls upon the questioner to lean on his faith and trust that God knows best and that all things work together for good for those who know the Lord. Thus, when Habakkuk cried out, "Why me, Lord?" The Lord answered, "The righteous shall live by faith" (Hab. 2:4). When Paul cried out, "Why me, Lord?" The Lord answered, "My grace is sufficient for you" (2 Cor. 12:9). - Dr. David Reagan
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  • "God always seems bigger to those who need him most. And suffering is the tool he uses to help us need him more." Joni Eareckson Tada
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  • "The problem of suffering is not about something but about someone."Joni Eareckson Tada
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  • "Testimonies of a person's faith are never given out of ease. No one ever came to Jesus Christ because they won the lottery!" Kimber Kaufman
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  • "Best definition of prayer I know? - - - - - "CRY" "Charles Spurgeon
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  • "Be persistent with your disturbance until you get face to face with the Lord himself. Don't deify common sense. To sit calmly by, instead of creating a disturbance, serves only to deify our common sense. When Jesus asks what we want Him to do for us about the incredible problem that is confronting us, remember that He doesn't work in commonsense ways, but only in supernatural ways. Look at how we limit the Lord only by remembering what we have allowed Him to do for us in the past. We say, "I always failed there, and I always will." Consequently, we don't ask for what we want. Instead, we think, "it's ridiculous to ask God to do this." If it is an impossibility, it is the very thing for which we have to ask. If it is not an impossible thing, it is not a real disturbance. And God will do what is absolutely impossible. We find faith by not only believing what Jesus says, but even more, by trusting Jesus himself. If we only look at what he says, we will never believe. Once we see Jesus, the impossible things He does in our lives will seem as natural as breathing. The agony we suffer is only the result of the deliberate shallowness of our own heart. We won't believe; we won't let go by severing the line that secures the boat to the shore - - we prefer to worry." Oswald Chambers
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  • "Living a life of faith means never knowing where you are being led - but it does mean loving and knowing the One who is leading. It is literally a life of FAITH, not of understanding and reason- - a life of knowing Him who calls us to go. Faith is rooted in the knowledge of a Person, and one of the biggest traps we fall into is the belief that if we have faith, God will surely lead us to success in this world. The final stage in the life of faith is the attainment of character and we encounter many changes in the process. We feel momentarily changed. We tend to keep going back to our everyday ways and the glory vanishes. A life of faith is not a life of one glorious mountaintop experience after another, like soraing on eagle's wings, but is a life of day-in day-out consistency; a life of walking without fainting." Oswald Chambers
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  • "Do we not see God at work in our circumstances? Dark times are allowed and come to us through the sovreignty of God. Are we prepared to let God do what He wants with us? Are we prepared to be separated from the outward, evident blessings of God? Until Jesus Christ is truly our Lord, we each have goals of our own which we serve. Our faith is real, but it is not yet permanent. And God is never in a hurry. If we are willing to wait, we will see God pointing out that we have been interested only in his blessings, instead of God Himself." Oswald Chambers
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  • It is not only wrong to worry, it is unbelief; worrying means that we do not believe God can look after the practical details of our lives, and it is never anything but those details that worry us. Have you ever noticed what Jesus said would choke the Word He put in us? Is it the devil? No - - "the cares of this world" (Mat 13:22). It is always our little worries. We say, "I will not trust what I cannot see" and that is where unbelief begins. the only cure for unbelief is obedience to the Spirit. The greatest word of Jesus to His disciples is abandon." Oswald Chambers
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  • "Men will never be great in theology until they are great in suffering." Charles Spurgeon
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    http://www.suffering.net/detail.htm
     
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    Jul 8 '07

    11:06 AM

    Meditation/Visualization/Yoga

    I wanted to share with you these articles, as I would hate anyone to be deceived. Believe me, I never knew. I used to do yoga quite often and ignored when they were doing prayers to amistad?(spelling) and sun salutations....I stay away from these things now. Live and Learn I say!
     
    OUT OF YOUR MIND: MEDITATION AND VISUALIZATION
    by Marcia Montenegro
     
    [NOTE: The writer formerly practiced Tibetan Buddhist, Zen Buddhist, and Hindu meditation, as well as visualization and psychic techniques taught to her by those deeply involved in those traditions. She also experienced the trance/meditative states as part of her practice of astrology and methods learned in psychic development classes. ]
    A voice intones: "Close your eyes...relax...let each muscle relax...let your mind go blank...see yourself as a cloud...floating...getting lighter and lighter..."
    Words like these, a form of guided meditation, are heard today in stress reduction workshops, human potential classes and on relaxation tapes. Is this what David means in Ps. 19:14 when he says, "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord...?" Is meditation just another form of prayer?
     
    There is a clear distinction between Biblical meditation, which means reflection, devotion and contemplation, and which makes use of the mind, and the meditation techniques mentioned above which are often taught without the word "meditation" even being used.
     
    The Hindu Connection: Meditation as taught and practiced today in the West originates from practices and beliefs of Hinduism and Buddhism. In Hinduism, the goal of meditation is to realize that one's personal identity is a barrier to the truth that the real self is part of the divine godhead, which is ultimate reality.
     
    The mind in both Hinduism & Buddhism is seen as part of the material body and therefore a barrier to spiritual enlightenment.Meditation is designed to bypass the mind, using special breathing techniques. The ultimate goal is samadhi with no cognition, or absorption into a state of pure consciousness through disengaging the mind and a loss of self-awareness and subject-object awareness: "The mind which for so long stood between us and our true nature has been overcome." One of the most common ways this is done is through various forms of yoga, including the popular hatha yoga taught in the West. "Though their means may differ, all yogic paths seek to transcend duality in union" so that one's "mistaken belief in himself as a separate, unique individual apart from God will be overcome."Exhaling the breath is "the surrender of our ego" and the move from attachment to "non-attachment."
     
    This imported meditation is usually packaged as a way to relax or reduce stress. But this was never the purpose of meditation in its Hindu or Buddhist form. Sometimes taught with visualizations and breathing exercises, this "relaxation" exercise has many hidden dangers. The mind often goes into an altered state of consciousness, also known as a light trance or hypnotic state, during the meditation. The exercises are designed to bring this about. In such a state, rational judgment and discernment is suspended, and the mind is highly suggestible and open to any influences present. In one class the writer attended, a student who fell asleep was reprimanded because he would miss the "spiritual trip" intended by the exercise.
     
    This state of mind is not the same as spontaneous daydreaming, quiet contemplation, or conscious, rational concentration. The euphoria or peace experienced by many at first is short-lived and deceptive. Instructors of these techniques who teach them as a spiritual discipline often warn students that psychic experiences and supernatural encounters are common, some of them frightening, and that the breathing techniques can be dangerous. The effect for some people is similar to a drug trip. It is this state of mind during which one is supposed to contact guides from the spirit world.
     
    When another person guides one through a meditation, it is called guided meditation, guided imagery or guided visualization. This writer was first introduced to her spirit guide (called a spiritual master) via a guided meditation exercise. The class was told to repeat this same meditation for future contact with the spirit guide, and that at some point we would be able to contact the guide (or he/she contact us) without needing this process.
     
    The Buddhist Connection: Buddhist meditation (also called "mindfulness") taught in this country to Westerners is usually related to Tibetan Buddhism or to Zen Buddhism, an atheistic/agnostic religion. The goal is to empty the mind and become detached from feeling and thought, eventually realizing there is no individual self. This is also the goal for every waking moment; the meditation (Zen Buddhists usually just call it "sitting") is practice and preparation for that. In fact, the idea is to have no purpose at all, but just "to be in the moment" throughout life, with no evaluation or attachment. This originates from Buddha's teaching that desire causes all suffering.Following one's breathing during sitting is supposed to make the student realize that "You and I are just swinging doors." Tibetan Buddhism, being a more esoteric and mystical form of Buddhism, utilizes breath control and visualization to train the mind where it can focus on Sunyata, "the essential emptiness of the phenomenal world," and reach states where "the sense of experience ceases to exist."
     
    While this idea is appealing to those who fear they are controlled by emotions and worry, the result of this detachment can be a temporary numbing or false peace. The detachment actually results from disengaging normal thoughts, emotions and desires. Although taught as a way to deal with stress, this mindfulness is but a thinly disguised form of Buddhist meditation.
     
    Jesus said, "I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly" (John 10:10b). In the Psalms, we read the outpourings of the heart, both sad and joyful, and are comforted and uplifted by the solace found in God.
     
    The Occult Connection: The late Sybil Leek, a well-known witch and psychic, wrote that a psychic, while concentrating on a crystal during a reading, induces a trance both in the client and in the psychic in order to release "dormant psychic awareness." Another writer on occult techniques emphasizes the need for centering (another term for meditation and getting in the trance state) and advises that centering "may become more important than the reading itself." When it comes to crystal healing, an expert urges the reader to use the crystal to help achieve "an altered state of mind to access information which you otherwise wouldn't know" and that this altered state is also called a "trance state" which can allow one to "'see' the future or past."
     
    The trance or meditative state is basic to the work of witches, psychics, sorcerers, ritual magicians,channelers, and is used in past life regressions. It is the same state of mind reached with meditation techniques taught today. Some cultures/groups use drugs to reach this state.
    Creative Visualization: Visualization, as a form of meditation, is also called creative visualization or imaging, and has become a consistent teaching in positive thinking/human potential seminars. The term visualization is not being used here in the sense of imagining or visualizing as part of the regular creative process. Using normal visualization to create or to focus concentration for a difficult task is a natural process and differs from using visualization as a technique to manipulate reality or to get into an altered state that bypasses rational thinking.
     
    The technique of guided imagery or guided visualization occurs when someone is leading a person or group through steps of visualization with suggestions or directions on what the person(s) should be visualizing. Often this process is preceded by a series of relaxation/breathing exercises, crucial to going into a mild trance state.
    Creative visualization, hereafter abbreviated as C.V., is based on the occultic principle that what exists in thought can be manifested in reality. This is actually a form of sorcery. As said by ritual magician Donald Tyson, "The underlying premise of a magical ritual is that if you represent a circumstance, or act out an event in your mind, it will come to pass in the world." In sorcery (also called magick), this is sometimes called "the Law of Similarity." Underlying this principle are the beliefs that all concepts and objects are alive and that since we are God or Godlike, we are able to create and control with our minds and/or words.
     
    This belief is found in the New Age idea of creating your own reality, as well as in witchcraft and occultic magick. An entity calling himself Seth, who was channeled by writer Jane Roberts, taught that altering beliefs will alter material reality. Occultists also teach to align one's self with forces or spirits outside and within in order to manipulate reality, but the basic goals and methods are the same as found in C.V. In other words, C.V. is a teaching ripped straight out of the heart of occultism.
    One of the most popular proponents of C.V. since the '70's has been Shakti Gawain. According to Gawain, C.V. is "magic" and "involves understanding and aligning yourself with the natural principles that govern the workings of our universe, and learning to use these principles in the most conscious and creative way." Affirmations, repeated thoughts which can also be said aloud or written, are supposed to work an inner transformation, and are often related to C.V. techniques. In her bestselling book on C.V., Gawain actually articulates many axioms of sorcery, but she calls them "principles" of C.V.
     
    As in sorcery, C.V. teaches that like attracts like. Thus, good thoughts or even the physical presence of money will attract wealth and power. Bad thoughts will magically attract illness or failure. These principles are as old as the occult, and are the basis of positive thinking techniques, which differ from a positive outlook.
     
    Biblical Response: We should not substitute techniques for knowing Christ through prayer and reading God's word. Jesus taught us to seek God's kingdom and His righteousness first (Matt. 6:33); not to manipulate reality with our minds in order to become wealthy, healthy, successful, or peaceful. In fact, we are told several times in scripture to be ready to suffer for Christ (Acts 5:41; Rom 5:3-5, 8:17; Phil. 3:10; 2 Tim. 1:8; I Pet. 4:13) and to rejoice in it (Rom. 5:3; 1 Pet. 4:13).
     
    What about the mystical experience in meditation where one feels closer to God? There are Christian advocates of a method called "centered prayer" who seem to have been seduced by the glamorous exoticism of Eastern practices. One of these teachers counts himself privileged to have met a Hindu Swami, whom he calls a "spiritual master." Quoting Thomas Merton, he encourages the reader to find God, who is dwelling in our "inmost self," and that our inner self will then know God "through its own divinized subjectivity." The distinction between man and God becomes blurred, then obliterated, as one enters into a "pure consciousness" with Jesus so that one is no longer conscious of Jesus, but actually experiences a mystical oneness with Him. The subject/object distinction disappears, a classic goal of Eastern and occult meditative/trance states. There is no Biblical support for these practices; they are blatant imitations of Eastern spiritual techniques and views of merging with God.
     
    The Bible does not teach or give examples of mystical experiences to draw near to God. We cannot bring ourselves closer to God through a technique or fantasized trip but are brought near God through Christ (Jn. 16:24, Eph. 2:13, I Tim. 2:5).
     
    When we are exhorted to meditate on God's word, it means to ponder, to deeply reflect, to contemplate the meaning. The word translated as "meditation" in several verses in Psalms means to meditate in the sense of reflecting upon. In fact, the New Living Translation uses the word "thought" for meditation in several of these passages, such as in Ps. 19:14: "May the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart be pleasing to you." We are to seek to understand God's word with our minds, not to empty the mind, or to bypass the mind for a merging with God. We are separate from God; we cannot actually partake of God's essence or nature.
     
    Meditation techniques as discussed here can lead us to substitute Bible reading, prayerful communication with God, and conscious reflection with dubious subjective experiences taught by men and not by the Bible. God's word and prayer are our stress reducers, not an artificial method that manipulates our minds or feeds our desire for a beautiful experience. Should we be seeking a peaceful experience or the true abiding peace we find in Christ (John 16:33; Eph. 2:14)?
     
    Here is some info on Knowing the Lord Jesus:
    http://www.billygraham.org/SH_StepsToPeace.asp
     
    --------------------------------------------------

         An article about yoga from www.gotquestions.org
     
    Question: "What is the Christian view of yoga?"
     
    Answer: For many Christians in the West who don't understand the history behind it, yoga is simply a means of physical exercise, and strengthening and improving flexibility of the muscles. However, the philosophy behind yoga is much more than physically improving oneself. It is an ancient practice derived from India, believed to be the path to spiritual growth and enlightenment.
     
    The word "yoga" means "union," and the goal is to unite one's transitory (temporary) self with the infinite Brahman, the Hindu concept of "God." This "God" is not a literal being, but is an impersonal spiritual substance that is one with nature and the cosmos. This view is called "pantheism," the belief that everything is God, and that reality consists only of the universe and nature. Because everything is God, the yoga philosophy makes no distinction between man and God.
     
    Hatha yoga is the aspect of yoga which focuses on the physical body through special postures, breathing exercises, and concentration or meditation. It is a means to prepare the body for the spiritual exercises, with less obstacles, in order to achieve enlightenment. The practice of yoga is based on the belief that man and God are one. It is little more than self-worship disguised as a high level of spirituality.
     
    The question becomes, is it possible for a Christian to isolate the physical aspects of yoga as simply a method of exercise, without incorporating the spirituality or philosophy behind it? I don't believe so. Yoga originated with a blatantly anti-Christian philosophy, and that philosophy has not changed. It teaches one to focus on oneself instead of on the one true God. It encourages its participants to seek the answers to life's difficult questions within their own conscience instead of in the Word of God. It also leaves one open to deception from God's enemy, who searches for victims that he can turn away from God (1 Peter 5: .
     
    Whatever we do should be done for God's glory (1 Corinthians 10:31), and we would be wise to heed the words of the apostle Paul: "Fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise" (Philippians 4:8, NLT). 
     
    Love to ya girls
    Lori
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    Jun 29 '07

    9:16 PM

    The Pain of Endometriosis~A Christian's perspective

    The Pain of Endometriosis~A Christian's perspective
    Before & After...
     
     Dear Friends and Family,

    I have a disease that effects me emotionally, physically and spiritually. There have been times that I have hated this disease with a passion and have wondered why me? There have been times that I did not want to live anymore because of it. How I wanted this life to hurry up and be over with because I just could not take it anymore. I used to count how many years I had left to live in this world, because suicide was just not an option at this point. Please hurry this life up I would think, so I can escape!

    There have been times that I wondered why you did not come over and take care of me and talk to me about it. Why did you not see that I was in extreme suffering? Why did you think that I was just depressed? Why did you not understand?!

    Did you know how much it hurt me when you casually asked me how I was doing, and then you turned away when I started to tell you about it? Do you know how I remember that you never talked to me again after that day, perhaps you thought I was just too negative in my misery? Did you realize all those days and nights of my crying while I was in the bathtub? Thinking positive and saying positive words was just not going to cut it and it was not going to get me pregnant! Did you realize how many hours I had laid in bed with my Bible on my chest pleading when you said what you said to me?

    Do you realize how I isolated myself for years because no one understood! Did you understand my pain and suffering when I wrote to you about it? I remember the day that I gave you that heartfelt letter containing my years of pain, weeping and suffering. It took me a long time to be able to reach out and you just casually put that letter in your briefcase to never be seen or spoke of again. Oh how that hurt and I decided that day to never tell another soul.

    Yes I have suffered. I could write a book on the physical suffering. But what about the emotional suffering? I found it far worse than the physical. I found being lost and alone far worse than the physical. I found the lack of comfort from you and others far worse than any endo pain. I found the lack of understanding far worse than anything. Why didn't you just gather around a poor lost soul? Why I ask?

    I remember your looks when I could not even finish a sentence. My mind was so plagued with fatigue that I could not even put my thoughts together. Why did you not ask me what was wrong and if you could help? Do you know how many hours I spent in my bed?

    Infertility was another issue. I can write a book on all the pain. Oh how I hated baby showers as I was infertile. I hated celebrating your joy with you!!!! Why wasn't anyone thinking about me and my pain at those baby showers? I was so jealous of you.

    How I hated you when you who were jealous of me for some reason in the workplace and how I hated you when you used my pain of infertility against me.

    Why did you, my gynocologist laugh at me when I was in pain? I needed some medication and you thought it a joke! Why did I have to go to ER to ER and noone would take me seriously?

    Oh how I can write a book...How about my money problems? $9,000 yes $9,000 I spent on herbal treatment in 6 months and you thought I was crazy to do it. I was crazy! I was desperate for relief and would have done anything! How many more 1000's of dollars did my insurance not cover. How about my income loss for 2 years of not being able to work. Oh the list goes on and on and on...

    Oh how you have hurt me!!

    But Oh how I forgive you all for it!! I forgive you because my father in heaven has forgiven me and how I needed forgiveness, just as everyone else in this world needs this same forgiveness. I am sorry for hating you!! I am sorry for being jealous of you and not be in communication with you and instead assuming the worst. I am sorry for gossiping about you and slandering you because of my own pain.

    I feel that I have suffered more than the average person in this life, but now I see that each one of us in this world is suffering with some sort of heartache, some emotional problem, some a loss of a child, drug addiction, alcoholism, physical abuse. The list is endless. Many in this world do not have a roof over their heads. Some people are just plain empty and lonely. Some have no freedom! It is such a rough life of war and turmoil. He told us it would be this way! But he also told us that he has overcome the world.

    Today, I see the big picture!

    Oh how I am not bitter for all of the above that I write. Oh, of course I have my moments, but those moments are so very rare now. Thankfully one has called me to Him and showed me what this life is about. He showed me how much he loves me. He has loved me far too much to let me stay in my stubborn, isolated, self righteous and self preservation ways all those years. He called me to Him. Thankfully he caught my attention through the suffering. I listened and came to faith in Him. Thankfully I learned to read his words and reach out to him during the pain. Thankfully I chose to eventually learn from Him. He broke down those walls of steel that were surrounding me my entire life. He broke away all my past hurts of my childhood and more...

    Thankfully my husband and my children have grown in this faith also and have come beside me to take care of me. Thankfully I have met some new friends who love the Lord and know the real way to comfort and that is by showing me the comfort of the Lord. Thankfully I have created a website of hope but do you realize that it was not me? Do you realize that he uses the weak? I only obeyed.

    Thankfully I am the happiest I have ever been in my life. Thankfully he has shown me the most important thing in this life and that that is Love. He loves me with a passion. He has shown me His salvation! I am in Him and He is in me. He has taught me everything through suffering. He has shown me how to love children with a passion. The infertility led me to that. Oh I am thankful now that I was infertile! Oh how our children whom we adopted are so precious and love the Lord.

    Oh how I understand all that led me to Him. How I understand how much it was needed. I understand now how you could not possibly understand me all those years. Some of you have your own troubles, I understand and I pray for you and I forgive you. Please forgive me.

    Oh Doctors! Oh How I pray that they one day you see what is happening. Oh how I pray that you come alongside naturopathic Drs. whom I believe really have this disease together. How I pray that MD's and naturopaths can work together side by side for all health problems. Now that to me is success in healthcare. But I know we live in a fallen world. I know that many are led by prestige and power.

    The world is messed up and this is just one spec of the crazy world we live in. So many will continue to live with bad healthcare. But I pray it changes. I pray for awareness of this disease, but really I do not believe that it is the key to this disease. I think of this "Who is more powerful?" Man or God?

    I pray for you who think that I am just a crazy religious fanatic. Yes I know you think that, but it is ok. I see it in your eyes and I read about it when you talk of me. I pray that you understand that it is not a religion, but instead that it is a relationship. I pray that one day you understand what I am talking about. You see I was once in your shoes and I did not understand. It is a choice and I pray one day you make the right choice and believe. It hurts me to read your stories, when I sense that you do not have faith in Him because as you can read above, I remember!

    I believe he brought us all together to walk hand and hand with each other and show each other "the way". Life is short, too short now I think. He tells us in his word to Love each other. Some think love is tolerance-meaning love is not telling the other person that they are on the wrong path of life and some think that we should just accept and not correct each other. That is not love!! Love is caring for anothers soul, so much more than just a friendship. Love is praying for that person and crying for them. Love is caring enough to stand up and say:

    "Please listen, the word of God says..."!

    I pray that we all have the strength to do this in humbleness, gentleness, in prayer, with mercy and as an example in holiness. All of that is the biblical and non-condemning way.

    I am thankful that he has brought us together.
    I am thankful for the pain.

    ...Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. John 8:32 & 36.
     
    Thank you Jesus!

    Lori
    theendoclub@roadrunner.com
    www.theendoclub.com
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    Jun 13 '07

    11:23 AM

    Are you Heavy Metal Toxic?

    I would like to encourage every woman here to research for themselves the effects of heavy metal toxicity.

    Heavy metals are endocrine disrupters. They cause hormone imbalances, thyroid problems, and affect the adrenal glands (as well as many other problems). Many people are toxic with heavy metals and don't know it. Testing can be done through a naturopath or a chiropractor that has an expanded practice to determine toxicity. Most of the time heavy metals have to be "chelated" out in order for them to leave the body.

    Most people today are affected by Aluminum and Mercury more than any other metals. The following is a list of sources for these two metals:
     
    MERCURY RISKS:
     
    “Silver” amalgam fillings
    The insides of porcelian caps and crowns
    The filling solution of root canals
    Vaccinations
    Allergy Shots
    Antiseptics and preservatives containing thimerosal
    Contact solutions and eye drops from the 80's
    Broken thermometers or blood pressure monitors
    Broken fluorescent light bulbs
    Red tatoos
    Vaginal contraceptives preserved with thimerosal (before October 199
    Mercurochrome
    Current Marine paints or latex paints before 1990
    Fish (smallest risk)
     
    ALUMINUM RISKS:
     
    Anti-perspirants
    Antacids
    Many body lotions and cremes
    Most cosmetics
    Shampoos and conditioners
    Soaps
    Suntan lotions
    Lip Balm
    Alloyed Cookware
    Foods made with aluminized baking powder, self-rising flour, and salt (not sea salt)
     
    Over-the-counter medications and prescription drugs containing aluminum are too numerous to list. Read labels and consult your doctor and pharmacist
     
    Aluminum is used in baking powder and salt , yet there are no warning labels to alert the consumer
     
    Also, you might want to avoid Fluoride as well. Fluoride is a by-product of aluminum manufacturing. Fluoride attracts aluminum making it more absorbable by your tissues. It also affects the thyroid in a negative way. Fluoride is found in water, non-stick cookware, toothpaste, etc. Read more at www.fluoridealert.org
     
    You can respond on this post here:
    http://pub20.bravenet.com/forum/1696951335/show/778852
     
    Christy
    arendt934@windstream.net
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    Jun 9 '07

    8:42 PM

    June 2007-Should we blame our Doctors?

    Hello  I wrote this thinking about all that I have been through with my Drs. and because of reading all of your stories. I am sure that you can relate!

    Should we BLAME our DOCTORS?

    I think about the schooling that many of our MD Drs. had been through. I believe that it is only a short session on nutrition. I have asked my MD Drs. about adrenal gland fatigue, about iodine deficiency, about Candida and much more. My current     MD Dr. at Kaiser says to me honestly that he did not study this. That He looks for disease and not fluctuations and that He was not taught the things that I speak to him about.
    Should I get angry at him?

    I try to take what knowledge he does have and use that. For my heart problem, he was able to help me out. For the lumps I had-I believe that he was right on with his diagnosis and that it was nothing. When my gynecologist removed my polyps, she was thorough and checked for cancer. I was grateful for her follow-up even though I sensed that she might have been wrong about some things. When another gynecologist wanted me to take Lupron, I prayed 1st. When he said to have a hysterectomy I prayed 1st.

    Things changed and the Lord sent me elsewhere!

    Lots and lots of Drs. through the years...I do believe that most had my best interest in mind, but were certainly not knowledgeable with any of my major health problems. 

     I guess that what I am trying to say is that the Lord is the one who knew my ailments. He was the one who knew what was wrong with me. He was the only one who could have fixed me. I have felt like humpty dumpty many times and that somehow I have been getting put back together.

    Here is a list of some of my health problems that have come up:
    endometriosis, adrenal gland fatigue, major iodine deficiency, anemic/B12 deficient, hypoglycemic with pre-diabetes, candida, soy, dairy and gluten intolerant(pre-celiac disease) There is more like PMS and you know the normal crazy hormonal imbalance, infertility and stuff..., heart skipping beats and body twitching and so on..

    Now imagine every dr. I had gone to said I was healthy besides the endometriosis. I got a high rating on life insurance for good health! They never could find a thing wrong with me....There was a point that I KNEW that I was dying. This was about the time that I was seeking the Lord. This is all about the time that I was asking Him what HE wanted for my life. "What do you want from me!" I believe He told me.

    He wanted my heart

    All has been uncovered. All is getting fixed. God created the heaven and the earth. He can fix me! He has led me to a Dr. who has uncovered things, but it was not just the Dr. No way! I have amazing powerful stories of God. I asked him to reveal. My Dr. was just the messenger and the conduit to fix things. He spoke through her.

    Can you imagine that many times I think that it was all worth it? Knowing the Lord personally was worth all that hell that I went through?

    The Lord sent me to this Dr. She is not a Christian. But God used her. She was wrong about some things and seeking God clearly gave me direction to some things that I said NO to. Other times she gave the diagnosis and I prayed for God to reveal if this was the answer and it was. Long stories...This does not mean that I am perfect and it does not mean that I will always be healthy. But for now, I am amazed. He is faithful. He is my Savior and the Lover of my Soul. Let us not forget about eternal life!

    Some keys to hearing his voice:
    ~Knowing the Lord Jesus Christ in truth
    ~Seeking Him daily
    ~    Reading His word
    ~Lots of prayer
    ~Not being in sin-repentance-being "born again"

    Here is some scripture on some of it:

    Jesus said "I am the way, the truth and the life. Noone comes to the father except through me" John 14:6

    God our Savior...wants all men to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth. 1 Timothy 2:3-4

    If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. Jam 1:5

    But to You I have cried out, O LORD, And in the morning my prayer comes before You. Psalm 88:13

    "Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him. John 9:31

    Repent then and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord. Acts     3:19

    John     8:36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

    2Cr 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

    Jeremiah 29:12-13 Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.

    I love this verse as it is so true in my life! It was not just the disease as it was my soul that needed nourishment.
    He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. Psalm 40:2

    Please put your prayer requests here. It would be so appreciated if all of you view this post and pray for all the needs right now.  http://pub20.bravenet.com/forum/1696951335/show/788631

    Please also put your praises and your answered prayers on that post. God has answered so many needs through the years through this club. Praise to Him!

    Thank you so much!

    There still is time to join in the “Praying through the Bible group”  http://pub20.bravenet.com/forum/1696951335/show/786956

       It goes by date, so join in with us anytime. Write to Lori if you cannot afford it. theendoclub@roadrunner.com

    Love to ya girls! And many prayers!

    Lori
    <><

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    Jan 27 '07

    11:29 AM

    The word of God stands forever!

    The word of God stands forever!

    The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever. Isaiah 40:8

    Oh how I love my garden. It is my favorite thing as I work at home and as I work on the endo club website, I look out at all my beautiful flowers and listen to the bird's sing. My husband made it so nice for me, even adding a fountain. It was so pretty a week ago, until the frost hit California and then the fountain sunk into the ground. More than 1/2 of my plants are dead and our fountain is broken! If I was not a Christian (a follower of Christ) I would have probably been very upset as I used to be at things quite often. 

    Now this certainly is no tragedy. Ha Ha, I mean come on there are much worse things and going through health trials and death of loved ones, just does not compare. I read the news of worse storms all over the country and so much damage from this storm. Some things just make me ponder and think of how short this life is and how things just do not last. I do think of the year ahead though with great expectation of better health, my children growing in the Lord, more health progress for you and great hopes for all of you to know Him better.

    I love to hear about your health progress as I have been hearing great things on the forum and in the prayer club. Halleluiah!! But there is more to this life than good health and we cannot put all of our hopes in it. The hope of knowing Him and spending eternal life with Him in a perfect heaven can get us through any bad day! I am reminded to stress to all of you how important Bible study is as he speaks to us through his word. Please write to me if you do not have a Bible and I will send you one for free. Nothing compares to this relationship with Him. I pray that all of you look to Him this year more than ever and have this eternal hope in your days.

    "Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal."  2 Corinthians 4:16-18

    "... as it is written: 'Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.' But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit."  1 Corinthians 2:9

    "For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body...."  Philippians 3:20-21

    "Then one of the seven angels...  showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal...."The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it."  Revelation 21:9-10, 22-23

    And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” "Then He who sat on the throne said, ''Behold, I make all things new."  Revelation 21:3-5

    And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God. Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 1 John 5:11-14 

    Is your hope in something you will receive in this lifetime? Or is it in Christ and what is eternal?

    "Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13

    Please pray for all of our prayer members. God knows who you are!

    There are many treatments that you may not hear about from your MD Dr.  Please visit the "Your stories” page on the website. I do need to update that page as I hear stories all the time on the forum. Now if only I can keep track of them all! http://www.theendoclub.com/yourstories.htm

    Have you heard that many of us get better when we go on the endo diet?? Yes Many!! Perhaps you would like to do a test which I had to see if you are gluten intolerant? My test was positive and Diane Mills (endometriosis book) speaks of some kind of wheat/gluten connection to endo pain. It is true-Many go without wheat/gluten and feel better!  The test I had is here: www.enterolab.com I did it on my own for $120.00/gluten intolerance stool test and when that was positive, I did further testing which showed a dairy intolerance also. Let me know your results if you do it, as I wonder if it is the wheat or the gluten that is a problem for many of us? Here is more about the diet: http://www.theendoclub.com/theendodiet.htm

    Great video about salvation: http://www.billygraham.org/SH_StepsToPeace.asp

    Have you responded to His call today?  I would love to hear about it. Please write to me here theendoclub@adelphia.net or on the forum.
     
    Lori
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    Jan 17 '07

    10:08 PM

    LORD HAVE MERCY!

      LORD HAVE MERCY ON US ALL!
    In the prayer club, the forum, the guestbook, all who have visited in the past and who will in the future. Please bring physical, emotional and spiritual healing to all of us. All for your Glory Lord. 

    Word of God speak! 

    "Thy mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds" Psalm 36:5

    "O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!"     Psalm 8:9 

    O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker. Psalm 95:6

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    Jan 16 '07

    3:03 PM

    Another toxin!! -Teflon coated pans

    From Lori,
    I use cast iron pans now and threw away my teflon pans. I think the best thing is to think back to how life used to be before all the technology and all these toxins. Try to get back to the basics for better health. Don't go crazy though. I mean you do not want to be fanatical. I try to be balanced, but I am sure some people think that I am a bit nuts. BTW-I found my cast iron pans at a local store called "the alley" They were only $15.00 for a set of three. The food sticks to them, but I use coconut oil or olive oil - very healthy oils...
    Please also read the page on the endo club website called "non-toxic environment"
    Love in Christ 

    Dr. Mercola's Comment: www.mercola.com

    Despite mounting lawsuits against DuPont for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), the harmful chemical used in the making of Teflon cookware among many other consumer goods, the company has still not conceded that perfluorochemicals (PFC) are the focal point of countless environmental and health-related disasters.

    The EPA has called for a Teflon ban, and DuPont has paid millions in fines for hiding evidence about the dangers of PFOA and other PFCs.

    But to date, any ban among manufacturers has been a voluntary one, and financial penalties, even in the millions of dollars, are mere chump change compared to the hundreds of billions made on products whose residues can be found in nearly every U.S. citizen.

    Among the interesting details about the ongoing Teflon scandal, outlined in this excellent AlterNet piece:

    More than a quarter of DuPont shareholders voted to eliminate PFOA completely last April, considered by many to be a wake-up call to management that has, up to now, been ignored.

    Despite the massive amount of information regarding the toxicity of these chemicals, however, it's anyone's guess whether PFCs will ever be regulated or that something worse might come along to replace them. The EPA receives almost 150 new applications for chemicals every month, and it's squarely their responsibility to ferret out the truth.

    Nevertheless, there are some simple steps you can take to avoid common toxic substances and protect your health, including:

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    Dec 5 '06

    3:08 PM

    Christmas 2006 ~ Prayer letter

    Merry Christmas!      
                                A Savior is born

    Hello girls! Please know that so many of us are here for you in this club and are on the forum to gather together in prayer for you and to guide you. Also feel free to write to each other. Many times I sit here wishing that I could write to all of you, but it certainly is not possible! I am very thankful that God is with us in our daily struggles. Remember He is the maker of you and me. He is the maker of heaven and earth. He knows all the intimate details of your lives. He knows what you need today and what you need eternally. He even knows how many hairs are on your head (Luke 12:7). He is God! ~ Let us turn to Him daily!

    God is with us!
    Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. Isaiah 7:14

    The name “Immanuel” in Hebrew means     “God is with us,” and the prophecy finds its fulfillment in the birth of Jesus Christ!!


    The real Christmas story!
    Luke 2:1-20 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. And there were shepherds living out in the fields near by, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.” When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.  But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.


    More of the wonderful story!
    Isaiah 9 6-7 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.  For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and for ever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.

    John 1 1-18 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him.  He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him.  He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth. (John testified to him and cried out, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.'") From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father's heart,who has made him known.


    Now this is Love!
    1 John 4, 7-14 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No-one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Saviour of the world.

    Check out this video “Mary did you know”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZ9fsPNrRYo

     
     
     Have you responded to Christ's call today?  I would love to hear about it. Feel free to email me theendoclub@adelphia.net Lori 
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    Dec 1 '06

    3:45 PM

    Wisdom for Today!


    Today's Verse
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    Sep 17 '06

    9:50 AM

    Urgent Prayer Requests

    Please pray!!

    I spoke with my GP(MD)today. She (and I) would like to see me in a psychiatric hospital asap for monitoring and a change of medication. My depression is severe, and I have been known to overdose when feeling really low. Please pray for God's choice of hospital, psychiatrist and timing for me going in to hospital and that I would be able to give all the worries associated with it to Him(right down to things like who will look after my dog while I'm in hospital and who I might share a room with/or not) I am feeling really low at the moment, and this, and each day, is not easy and part of me is terrified. Does anybody understand? Thank you for your prayers....
    Jenny
     
     
    Jenny's post is on the forum here:
    http://pub20.bravenet.com/forum/1696951335/show/737242
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    Sep 16 '06

    6:43 PM

    Is there Hope?

    Is there HOPE???
     
    Hello,
     
    I know that there are many out there who are using Natural treatments like for instance:
     
    Natural Progesterone Cream
    The Endo Diet
    Fibrovan
    Herbal treatments
    Castor Oil Packs
    Detoxing
    Candida Detoxing with Probiotics
     
    Now some of you may not be completely healed in your body as it takes some time. But, have you had progress? That is the question, have you had progress? Progress is good!
     
    Please share with us on this post your progress that you have made. I remember when I was going through it, it was like this:
     
     2 steps up, then 1 step back. It progressed like that for me for a good 2 years. You may get sooner results, remember I am a bit older now. Oh I am so much better! I rarely get sick! I still suffer with fatigue when I get stressed, but I think that I am healthy now! Am I healthy? What a wonderful word. I am. Thank the Lord for good health!
     
    I want to encourage you. Please post your stories ok. Please come back here and share what remedies have helped you. If you get info from this website and it has helped you, please do not forget about us, please come back to us and share with us! It is good to encourage all those who are reading.
     
    Please keep a journal!! Post your stories & read some below on the forum http://pub20.bravenet.com/forum/1696951335/show/734647
     
     I will update them soon to the page on the site called 'Your stories" http://www.theendoclub.com/yourstories.htm
     
    Love in Christ,
    Lori
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    Aug 26 '06

    5:51 PM

    Good health begins in your gut

    For everyone who has been on antibiotics! VERY IMPORTANT. You do not want to get Candida like I did. You can read my experience with probiotics below the article. Taking probiotics helps with the immune system as I read:
    Many factors compromise the immune system’s defenses such as the overuse of antibiotics and prescription drugs, environmental pollutants, and stress, resulting in impaired healing ability and lowered defense against infection.
     
    Hey did you know that many naturopathic Drs. consider endometriosis to be an auto-immune disease? Very strange how many girls with endo also have candida and gut problems and so much more.
     
    Now do not forget about the Lord!! He is the one who can guide us into paths of good health and can lead us to the way for all of life's problems. You can read more about that on that page of the website called "About Prayer"

    Here is an article from www.mercola.com

     Probiotics are as Crucial as It Gets to YOUR Good Health

    Probiotics are health-enhancing bacteria that replenish the microflora in your intestinal track, helping your body to digest and absorb food, as well as fight off many different illnesses and disease.

    While it's received little recognition by Western medical professionals, the health benefits of probiotics have been known for at least 100 years. Studies have shown that probiotics are effective for the control of:

    Inflammatory bowel disease
    Vaginal yeast infections
    Food and skin allergies in children
    Premature labor in pregnant women
    Recurrent ear and bladder infections
    Chronic diarrhea ... and more!

    Again, I recommend probiotics for ALL my new patients. If you are successfully able to change your diet so you are truly eating properly day in and day out, the need for probiotics decreases as it is somewhat similar to planting a garden. If you have plenty of healthy plants there is no room for the weeds to grow. However, if you do indulge in sugar or grains, become sick or take antibiotics, then it is wise to continue routinely taking a healthy, high-quality probiotic like Rebalanced Health Probiotics Plus.

    Research now suggests that giving pregnant women and newborns doses of "good" bacteria may help prevent childhood allergies. Allergy experts say probiotics offer the first good evidence that harmless bacteria can train infants' immune systems to resist allergic reactions.

    If you are still wondering why I feel so strongly about probiotics then please consider this -- some scientists estimate from 6 to 60 trillion actual bacteria may exist in your gut -- that's 3 to 4 pounds of bacteria -- with more than 400 different kinds of bacteria living in your gastro-intestinal tract.

    In light of this fact, it's certainly not a stretch to attribute an abundance of bad bacteria in your gut to the reason why you may be feeling ill. Some experts even believe this may be one of the main physical reasons why people come down with many chronic illnesses in the first place!

    Now consider one more staggering fact: the typical American consumes as many 175 pounds of sugar per year! When you make poor food choices that include sugars, grains, artificial sweeteners and other chemical toxins, you feed the "bad" bacteria, which are more likely to cause disease, rather than promoting the "good" bacteria that help protect you from disease.

    Why You Must Be EXTREMELY Careful When Choosing a Probiotic

    I wish choosing an effective probiotic formula was as simple as making a trip to your local health food store. Unfortunately, not every product that claims to be a "probiotic" actually contains the number of bacteria (or even the type of bacteria) associated with this claim.

    One Belgian study1 found that one-third of probiotic products tested, including the widely trusted and popular acidophilus, did not provide any of the promised benefits! For this reason, my team and I have left no stone unturned in our efforts to find you the absolute best probiotic formula available today. (Me and my team have even made recommendations to them over time to make it a truly exceptional product!)

    Total health begins in your gut, so if your GI tract is not in optimal health, then your overall health will be compromised. When it comes to your health, the proactive approach is always the way to go. Probiotic Plus is a simple low-cost and highly effective way to ensure your health!

    Chronic and degenerative diseases, many of which haven't been heard before are increasing at alarming rates in America, and we'd be foolish not to question the most obvious reason for this -- our diets.

    What Other Top Physicians Are Saying About Probiotics:

    "The majority of our population could use probiotics. Proper digestion is far more important than most people realize."

    -- Dr. Victoria Hamman, Natural Healing Center, San Francisco, CA

    "I recommend probiotics to the majority of my patients. Today digestive problems tend to be the rule rather than the exception for both children and adults."

    -- Dr. Tod Thoring, Westside Natural Healing, Los Angeles, CA

    Your GI tract ideally contains 85% good bacteria and just 15% bad bacteria. Unfortunately, most of us in the western world have eaten foods that cause this ratio to actually reverse! If Americans were eating truly healthy diets it would generally be possible to maintain a healthy bacterial balance in the gut without the use of probiotics.

    However, as I mentioned above, most diets are so dependent on sugars and grains that nearly everyone can benefit from probiotics. Here is just a partial list of symptoms that can often result from an imbalance of bacteria in the intestinal tract:

    Gas, Bloating and Indigestion

    IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome)

    Diarrhea and/or Constipation

    Skin problems such as Acne, Eczema & Psoriasis

    Bad Breath and Body Odor

    Delayed development in children

    Candida Yeast Infections

    High Cholesterol Levels

    Chronic Fatigue & Fibromyalgia

    Frequent Colds and Flu

    Let's face it; few, if any of us, can honestly say that we have perfect diets. And just like your lawn, it is wise to "reseed" areas that have become barren for one reason or another. With Probiotic Plus, you get the optimal formula to successfully "reseed" the microflora in your gut with good bacteria for better overall health.

    Why It's Smart to Keep an Extra Bottle On-Hand for Diarrhea or If You Travel Overseas

    In addition to their incredible daily benefits, probiotics are incredibly useful when traveling to foreign countries or when eating at suspicious restaurants. Nearly 75% of the US population comes down with some food borne infection every year.

    I've found that using a high quality probiotic like Probiotic Plus Formula every 30-60 minutes will typically resolve most cases of acute infectious diarrhea relatively quickly.

    I have seen this work so consistently that I advise all my patients traveling overseas to make sure they take a bottle with them when they travel overseas. I can assure you it is always in my shaving kit when I travel overseas.

    If You Are Taking Antibiotics Without Probiotics, You Are Taking Unnecessary Risks

    If you are a woman taking antibiotics, then you're especially vulnerable to a vaginal yeast infection. Probiotic Plus contains over 26 billion good bacteria that will replace powerful infection causing fungi like Candida. It's one of the best ways to protect yourself naturally!


    Here's a classic "catch-22:"

    Your doctor prescribes an antibiotic for you to take when you are sick, when your immune system is weakened. However, the antibiotics you get from your pharmacy are, for the most part, mycotoxins that have been shown to be immunosuppressants that will further weaken your immune system by destroying the friendly bacteria guarding your intestines!

    In fact, every time you swallow antibiotics, you kill large numbers of beneficial bacteria in your intestine, upsetting the delicate balance in your intestinal tract. And these friendly bacteria can be quickly replaced by hostile bacteria, including Candida yeast, a powerful member of the fungi family, and bad anaerobic bacteria.

    As your intestinal bacteria die, yeasts can thrive and even use their tendrils to literally poke holes through the lining of your intestinal wall, resulting in a syndrome called leaky gut. And yeasts are not the only possible cause of this syndrome. Some scientists have linked non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) such as naproxen and ibuprofen to the problem too.

    More recently, scientists presented findings that linked antibiotics with allergies and asthma2 Researchers concluded the changes to both the growth of bacteria and fungi within the GI tract from antibiotics disrupted the function of your regulatory T cells to lessen the immune system reaction to respiratory allergens.

    So, it's important to remember that while your antibiotic may save you from one problem, it may cause a host of other problems. There is a common misconception that you should wait until you are finished with your antibiotic to start taking probiotics. Even though the antibiotic is killing the good bacteria, that's exactly when you need it the most!

    You should also be aware that, even if you careful to avoid antibiotic prescriptions, you still might be taking them with every bite of beef3 you eat. That's because more antibiotics per pound are used on livestock than in human medicine. Nearly every restaurant does uses factory farmed beef that are exposed to these antibiotics, so even if you avoid them at home, you will likely be exposed when you eat away from home.

    By simply taking an occasional probiotic, not only will you decrease your risk of developing allergies and asthma, but also you will strengthen your immune system helping you to avoid a need for antibiotics in the first place!
     
    article by Dr. Mercola www.mercola.com
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Now let me give you a bit of my experience: I was so very, very tired! My naturopath did find out that I was B12 deficiant, anemic and had adrenal gland fatigue. I overcame most of that, but was still dead tired! One night, I had ice cream and I went crazy in itching. In my ears, scalp, other places it was an itching, firey feeling under my skin. I told my naturopath about it the next day as NOT coincidently already had a Drs. appt. She said "You have candida" Oh no! Well it was quite an experience of fighting candida which lasted for a year. I finally overcame it and now my health and my endo is so very much better.
    PRAISE GOD!
    Oh did I tell you that I had a history of yeast infections. Horrible, 20 years of them. 2 months of that strong probiotic was a cure! Imagine ok, it was such an easy cure, but all of that suffering. Oh well perhaps it is to teach you, so for good reason. I also as long as I can remember had itching in my ears and such brain fog. From what I think and look back on, perhaps I had candida for a very long, long time but that it was progressing to the point of it being throughout my body.
     
    Now let me tell you about my daughter: She just would not gain weight no matter what I tried! She most often would get gas and stomaches. She also would get a stomache after drinking milk. MD drs. never found the culprit, but when I took her to my naturopath, she did a stool sample and behold! There were no good bugs in her stomach. Absolutely none. She did not have candida, but still she had a gut imbalance. 2 months of probiotics did the trick! No more stomaches, gas problems relieved and she loves to drink milk(I give her organic only though) with no problems. She finally started gaining weight! Did I tell you that in 1 1/2 years, she did not gain one pound. She was 5 years old. After the probiotics, she gained 5 pounds in 6 months! This also may have been what improved her health as my daughter used to be so very sickly. She would get the flu and a bad case every 2 months. She is quite a bit healthier now, but she was also given colostrom(another letter)
     
    This is the probiotic my naturopath put me on.
    http://www.rockwellnutrition.net/product.asp?itemid=239
    Many health food stores carry probiotics, just call and ask but the one above is very good! Make sure you get one that has been refrigerated and keep it in the refrigerator. Dr Mercola seems to have a good one too on that article above. I think that I need to be on some kind of probiotics for life as I am a bit afraid of it coming back and it seems that when I am not doing something, I catch a glimmer of symptoms. My naturopath says that some people have to fight candida always. I believe I am one of those people. I eat kefir and at times I go back on the probiotics. Also garlic seems to do me tons of good! It is a great candida killer(I have been on many Candida killers) Also if you have candida and the die off symptoms are making you miserable, try charcoal tablets as they absorb the die off of toxins. Hope that you feel better soon!
    Lori
     
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    Aug 10 '06

    2:35 PM

    Soy- Is it Healthy?

    Soy is it healthy? Very controversial subject!
     
    Note from Lori: I do not eat regular soy. It gives me cramps. I researched soy and it seems to be the consensus that most naturopathic Drs. say that fermented soy is the way to go. Fermented soy is: Natto and Miso and something else I cannot remember. The Natto does not give me cramps. I used to eat Natto daily, but now just a few days a week.

    More Evidence Soy is Not as Healthy as Originally Believed

     

    This fascinating report in the UK Guardian Limited details some of the earliest evidence that soy can be harmful to your health.

    One investigation began when multimillionaire lawyer Richard James became convinced that soy beans were killing his rare parrots.

    Parrots do not eat soy in the wild, but a high-protein feed containing soy had been marketed as a new miracle bird food. When James fed it to his parrots, however, the birds became infertile, died, or aged prematurely.

    Researchers initially thought that James must be mistaken about the cause, but when he financed an exhaustive study of soy, they found that soy contains toxins and disruptive plant estrogens, and could also damage the thyroid.

    James's lobbying gradually forced governments to investigate. In 2002, the British government concluded that there was little evidence for the supposed health benefits of soy, and a good deal of evidence for its risks.

    Soy's health claims are usually based on the low rates of heart disease and certain cancers in east Asian populations. However, Asians do not actually eat as much soy as has been generally assumed, and what they do eat tends to have been fermented for long periods. Fermentation considerably reduces the levels of dangerous isoflavones in soy.

    Guardian Unlimited July 25, 2006

    Dr. Mercola's Comment:

    There is now decades' worth of evidence that consuming soy is harmful to your health. Thousands of studies link soy foods to malnutrition, digestive distress, immune-system breakdown, thyroid dysfunction, cognitive decline, reproductive disorders, infertility and a host of other problems.

    The exception, of course, is when the truly traditional way of preparing it is used -- fermenting it. This elimnates many of the concenrs with soy.

    Non-fermented soy products contain a number of potentially health-disrupting "anti-nutrients," such as phytic acid. You would be wisest to avoid any such foods. Soy infant formula in particular should never be used, as it can damage your infant. It will:

    Makes you wonder why world soy production, according to the Chicago Board of Trade, has exploded to some 270 metric tons, a nine-fold increase over the past four decades alone.

    Perhaps it's because American soy producers spend as much as $80 million to promote soy worldwide. Or possibly it's because American soybean farmers received some $13 billion in subsidies between 1998 and 2004.

    Unfortunately, a new process recently launched by Solae LLC combines non-fermented soy, meat and vegetable protein in such a way that you may not be able to discern the fake food from the real thing, meaning that even more concealed soy will probably sneak into the American diet -- yet another important reason to stay far away from processed foods.

    If you still believe soy is a health food, I would encourage you to review my homepage on soy, Why Soy Can Damage Your Health.

    ©Copyright 2006 Dr. Joseph Mercola. All Rights Reserved.  This content may be copied in full, with copyright, contact, creation and information intact, without specific permission, when used only in a not-for-profit format. If any other use is desired, permission in writing from Dr. Mercola is required. www.mercola.com

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    Aug 8 '06

    11:22 PM

    Eat Your Broccoli!

    Note from Lori: Eat your Broccoli! It helps to eliminate estrogens and excess estrogens cause endometriosis to grow. Oh Yuk! Unless you have a low thyroid, then cruciferous veggies are excellent for you! Do not microwave your veggies! (more on that later)
     
    Scientists have identified cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, bok choy, and Brussels sprouts to contain a high level of phytoestrogen. These important vegetables work by competitively occupying the estrogen receptor sites on the cell membrane to prevent estrogen from exerting its effects on the cell. About 3-5 servings a week is needed.
    This is part of an article from www.lammd.com
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    Aug 8 '06

    12:51 PM

    August 2006 -Are you hearing from God?

     Are you hearing from God?

     He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. Matthew 11:15

    We plead and talk to Him in our sufferings!  We cry out to Him in our emotional and physical pain! We ask for hope and joy to be in our days! We have days where we wonder if we should go to the E.R.  Which Dr. should we go to? What treatment should we pursue? When you ask him for help, what do you hear back? Is your answer from man or is it from God? Please think about this a minute before you go on to read ok. Now certainly answers from God can come through man…but that is another letter.

      “Sanctify them in the truth; thy word is truth” John 17:17

    One of the main ways that God speaks to us is through his word – the Bible. It's called "The Word" for a good reason. Through his word, God can show us Biblical principles to apply to our lives today! Jesus was saturated in the Scripture; he quoted it continually. Are you reading his word daily? For way too many years, I did not hear from God. Besides not being in the word daily, I did not know him in truth. I did not know his Son. I am so very thankful that I read the book. All of us have the opportunity to get this guidebook for our lives. Go out and get one today!

    The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all that call upon him in truth. Psalm 145:18

    What are you hearing?

    If what you are hearing disagrees with Bible Scripture, it is not of Him. As an example, if you are unmarried and your Dr. tells you to get pregnant with your boyfriend as a treatment plan, this is not from God as it goes against scripture. Now we know that the Bible does not tell us about Progesterone Cream, the CEC and Lupron. Ha if only it were that easy! But the Bible does tell us the ways to hear from God. If we have this relationship with his son Jesus, He can guide us in making decisions. We will have help and direction in our trials.

    What are you hearing about God? 
          For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 2 Timothy 4:3-4

    The word of God gives us a warning about one’s preaching another Jesus and preaching of another Gospel.  Be careful of who is at your door and what you are reading! The Bible tells us how to know a false prophet. It also tells us about spiritual deception.Please look up these scriptures. (Deuteronomy 18:21-22, 2 Corinthians 11:3-15; Galatians 1:6-9; 1 Timothy 4:1; 2 Peter 2:1-3; 1 John 4:1-3 and Jude 3-16).  If you do not have a Bible, please write to me and I will send you one for free. Compare everything that you hear to the word of God! Please I plead with you to read it so that you will not be deceived.

      God’s word – the Bible is truth

    Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.     (Spoken by Jesus.) Matthew 24:35

     

    The Bible is the inspired word of God. The Holy Spirit breathed upon the human vessels the very thoughts and words He wanted written. This flowed through the human channels involving their emotions, character and personalities. In writing Scripture, God did not use men as machines; He never violated their personality, but rather prepared them for such a high task. The final result was that the Scripture is without any error, omission or inaccuracy for the Holy Spirit guarded and preserved each thought, phrase and word. The Bible claims to be the very Word of God. Though written by some forty different authors over a period of about sixteen centuries, over two thousand times the Bible is spoken of or alluded to as “the “Word of God” (1 Thessalonians 2:13; Hebrews 4:12; Ephesians 6:17; Mark 7:13; Colossians 1:25; John 10:35; Luke 8:11).

    Similarly it is called the “Word of the Lord” (Jeremiah 1:2,11; Ezekiel 1:3; Isaiah 1:10; 40:8; Hosea 1:1; Acts 8:25; 13:48; 2 Thessalonians 3:1; 1 Peter 1:23-25).

    As a further way of describing itself, the Bible says that it is the word of Christ (Colossians 3:16); the word of life (Philippians 2:16) the word of faith (Romans 10: , the word of truth (Ephesians 1:13) and the scriptures of truth (Daniel 10:21). Or simply and dramatically, the Word (Acts 4:31; 6:4; James 1:21-23; Luke 4:4; 1 Timothy 4:5).

    The Bible is the Oracle of God (oracle signifying “the speaking place”). Christianity is present where there is a sincere belief in an infinite and personal God who has not been silent or who has removed Himself from His creation. Rather the true and living God is with us, and has spoken to us. His Law is referred to as “lively oracles” Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God. Romans 3:2

    How else do we know the Bible is the truth?

    The Manuscript Evidence
    The Gospel of John fragment (8:14-22) from the 3rd Century is an Oxyrinchus Papyrus known as the P39 in scholarly circles. It is one of the earliest witnesses in existence to any portion of The New Testament.  www.inkandblood.com
     
    What is a manuscript? A manuscript is a hand-written copy of an ancient document that predates the invention of the printing press in 1455. Today there survive 24,633, partial and complete, ancient handwritten manuscript copies of the New Testament alone, not to mention the tens of thousands of Old Testament manuscripts that survive today dating back to as early as the third century B.C. These hand written manuscripts have allowed scholars and textual critics to go back and verify that the New Testament that we have in our possession today is the same New Testament that the early church possessed 2,000 years ago. There also exists today tens of thousands of manuscript copies of the Old Testament proving that the Old Testament was transmitted accurately down through the centuries.

    Jesus was crucified in A.D. 30. The New Testament was written between A.D. 48 and 95. The oldest manuscripts date to the last quarter of the first century, and the second oldest A.D. 125. This gives us a narrow gap of thirty-five to forty years from the originals written by the apostles.  There was no great period between the events of the New Testament and the New Testament writings. Nor is there a great time lapse between the original writings and the oldest copies.      With the great body of manuscript evidence, it can be proved, beyond a doubt, that the New Testament says exactly the same things today as it originally did nearly 2,000 years ago.

    There was an amazing discovery in 1947. In Israel a shepherd boy tending his father’s sheep in Qumran, north and to the west of the Dead Sea in Israel, made an amazing discovery while looking for a lost sheep. There in Qumran, in a hillside cave that had laid untouched for nearly two thousand years, he discovered an ancient collection of hand written copies of the Old Testament. These scrolls had been hidden in caves by the Essenes, a Jewish sect living in Qumran, 2,000 years ago. These scrolls and writings, now known as “The Dead Sea Scrolls,” represented every book of the Old Testament except the Book of Esther. They are considered one of the greatest discoveries in modern times. These Old Testament manuscripts predate the time of Christ’s birth all the way back to the third century B.C. Its manuscript copies of the Old Testament like this that have allowed Biblical scholars and textual critics to go back and verify that the Old Testament that we have today is the same Old Testament that the Jewish community had before Christ was even born.

    The skeptic asks, “How do they know that the Dead Sea Scrolls date back to before Christ?” Scholars determined the age of the scrolls by examining…

    1. The pottery that housed the manuscripts.  2. The weave and pattern of the manuscript cloths. 3. The form of the characters.  4. The spelling of the words. 
     5. The coins found alongside the manuscripts.
    6. Carbon-14 dating methods were also applied by the     University     of Chicago.     
    You can view some of these manuscripts yourself in places like the British     Museum, the Cambridge University Library, the Smithsonian Institute, Oxford University, and the National Library at Paris.

    Fulfilled Prophecies
    Prophecies from the Old and New Testaments that have been fulfilled also add credibility to the Bible. The Scriptures predicted the rise and fall of great empires like Greece and Rome (Daniel 2:39, 40), and foretold the destruction of cities like Tyre and Sidon (Isaiah 23). Tyre’s demise is recorded by ancient historians, who tell how Alexander the Great lay siege to the city for seven months. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had failed in a 13-year attempt to capture the seacoast city and completely destroy its inhabitants. During the siege of 573 B.C., much of the population of Tyre moved to its new island home approximately half a mile from the land city. Here it remained surrounded by walls as high as 150 feet until judgment fell in 332 B.C. with the arrival of Alexander the Great. In the seven-month siege, he fulfilled the remainder of the prophecies (Zechariah 9:4; Ezekiel 26:12) concerning the city at sea by completely destroying Tyre, killing 8,000 of its inhabitants and selling 30,000 of its population into slavery. To reach the island, he scraped up the dust and rubble of the old land city of Tyre, just like the Bible predicted, and cast them into the sea, building a 200-footwide causeway out to the island. Alexander’s death and the murder of his two sons was also foretold in the Scripture. Another startling prophecy was Jesus’ detailed prediction of Jerusalem’s destruction, and the further spreading of the Jewish diaspora throughout the world, which is recorded in Luke 21. In A.D. 70, not only was Jerusalem destroyed by Titus, the future emperor of Rome, but another prediction of Jesus Christ in Matthew 24:1,2 came to pass—the complete destruction of the temple of God.

    Messianic Prophecies
    In the Book of Daniel, the Bible prophesied the coming of the one and only Jewish Messiah prior to the temple’s demise. The Old Testament prophets declared He would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2) to a virgin (Isaiah 7:14), be betrayed for thirty pieces of silver (Zechariah 11:12, 13), die by crucifixion (Psalm 22), and be buried in a rich man’s tomb (Isaiah 53:9). There was only one person who fits all of the messianic prophecies of the Old Testament who lived before A.D. 70: Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of Mary.

    Corroborating Writings
    Critics also charge that there are no ancient writings about Jesus outside the New Testament. This is another ridiculous claim. Writings confirming His birth, ministry, death, and resurrection include Flavius Josephus (A.D. 93), the Babylonian Talmud (A.D. 70–200), Pliny the Younger’s letter to the Emperor Trajan (approx. A.D. 100), the Annals of Tacitus (A.D. 115–117), Mara Bar Serapion (sometime after A.D. 73), and Suetonius’ Life of Claudius and Life of Nero (A.D. 120).

    Archaeological Evidence
    Here is something very recent! First millennium manuscript, open to Psalm 83, found in Irish mud! The book was found open to a Psalm describing attempts to wipe out the name of Israel. Read more about it on CNN. http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/europe/07/25/ireland.psalms.ap/index.html  If you are following what is going on in the Middle East, this is quite astonishing! If you want to know what will happen with Israel, read your Bible! God already told us what will happen. He told us about it 1000’s of years ago! Truth shall spring out of the earth..Psalm  85:11 

    Believe! You have every opportunity to check out the resources above to find out if what is written above is the truth or not. I urge you to do some studying and praying. Please read your Bible. God is good and this relationship with his one and only son Jesus is so good! He can help us in our daily struggles; guide us in our treatment decisions. He gives us compassion to help others in pain. He has provided us with help for our depression, anxiety, our loneliness, heartache, anger and bitterness towards some of our Drs. He tells us how to forgive others, how to overcome worry, conquer fear, what to do when tempted, how to train our children. He can give us peace, rest, contentment, discipline and salvation! He gives us hope. Everything we need is in the book! Please take time the time to read at least 15 minutes per day. If you have not read the Bible before, I suggest starting in the book of John, which is the 4th book of the New Testament.

     Dear Heavenly Father, We pray for those who do not have this relationship with you Lord. Please show them your word and give them strength and the desire to read your word daily. Show them your love that surpasses all understanding and show them how to have this relationship. For those who do know you, please strengthen them in this relationship with you and help them to remain and walk in your ways. In Jesus Name, Amen.

    Thy word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path Psalm 119:105

    To all who received him, to those who believe in his name, he gave the right to become children of God -- children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. John 1:12-13

    In Christ      Lori 
    References: www.livingwaters.com & www.alwaysbeready.org
    Richard M. Fales, Ph.D.  Scripture quoted from the NIV & KJV

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    Jun 1 '06

    6:11 PM

    June 2006 - Jesus is our friend

    Hello. There are so many needs this month! Who should we turn to? He is the faithful friend who will never let us down let us go to Him!

    What a Friend We Have in Jesus

    What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and grief’s to bear!
    What a privilege to carry     everything to God in prayer
    O what peace we often forfeit,    O what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.

    Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere?
    We should never be discouraged;     take it to the Lord in prayer. Can we find a friend so faithful who will all our sorrows share? Jesus knows our every weakness; ake it to the Lord in prayer.

    Are we weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care? Precious Savior, still our refuge; take it to the Lord in prayer. Do thy friends despise, forsake thee? Take it to the Lord in prayer! In his arms he'll take and shield thee;  thou wilt find a solace there.

    Text: Joseph M. Scriven, 1820-1886

    Music: Charles C. Converse, 1832-1918

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    May 1 '06

    7:44 PM

    May 2006 - Paul and Joy

    Hello Girls!
    I was reading this today and I want so much to be like the apostle Paul, but sometimes I will honestly tell you that I end up in self pity. We must fight against this thinking with the word of God! Have you read what the apostle Paul went through and he was still joyful. If you have not read about him, here is some of it from scripture. I hope that it encourages you to read more Bible!

    Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. 2 Corinthians 11:25-35

    Paul was:
    Persecuted in Damascus, he escaped in a basket (Acts 9:20-25).
    Driven out of Jerusalem and sent to Tarsus (Acts 9:28-30).
    He was stoned at Lystra and thought to have died (Acts 14:19).
    Paul whipped and imprisoned at Phillipi (Acts 16:16-24).
    Paul received five Jewish and three Roman scourgings (2 Corinthians 1 1:16-33).
    Disputed with Peter (Galatians 2:14).
    He was subject to a great tumult by Demetrius the silversmith (Acts 19:23-29).
    Seized by the Jews and beaten (Acts 21:27-32).
    Paul bound with chains (Acts 21:33).
    He was persecuted for his mission to the Gentiles (Acts 22:21-23).
    The Jews conspired to kill him (Acts 23:12-14).
    The high priest conspired to kill Paul (Acts 25:1-3).
    Paul is shipwrecked but all hands are saved (Acts 27:41-44).
    Paul is bitten on the hand by a viper in Malta but survives (Acts 28:1-6).
    Paul also speaks of his thorn in his side in other scripture...
     
    I read the above and then read some of his letters to the churches after & during his suffering, like part of the one below.  Paul rejoices, has hope, has courage, longs to be with Christ, but knows that he has much to do on this earth for the glory of the Lord. What has happened to Him serves to advance the gospel(Phillipians 1:12). Paul’s example can challenge us to endure our hardships in life more joyfully.  Yes I know how this may not come easily. I do believe that staying in the word daily(The Bible) is the key to all this hope. When we are down, he lifts us up!! I speak from experience. It is hard, but we must rely on Him!
     
    Here Paul inspired by God writes again:
     
    Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:4-9

    I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.
    I can do everything through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:11-13     

    Please read all of the book of Ephesians and all of Phillipians(New Testament) for more insight into Paul and his joy and what the Lord has told us written through Him. It is about 1/2 hour of reading.

    Let us pray!

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