On Organic Food

Dear TEAMS,

Because I have been trying to limit the Nutrition Stuff to my other blog on our business site for reference, I have not broached this topic with you.  However, as this blog grows, I am seeing less time for me to spend on the other blog and think I will integrate it into this one.

You probably feel I have spent most of your life with me preaching to you about God first and Nutrition second.  Well, that is at least what I think sometimes!  Your body is not who you are, but it is so vitally important to your quality of life, which I imagine I will cover in future posts.  But for today, I thought I would begin with a question I was asked by someone and my answer.

Love, 

Hi, just wondering what you think about regular/organic produce. Obviously the best choice is food grown in your own garden! Sometimes I wonder if it's really that big of a deal with fruits and veggies, if you wash them (and peel them sometimes)...what do you think? A friend of ours got us thinking, she works at an organic foods store and she said some of the worst ones are potatoes and apples, they soak up the chemicals. So i guess something like bananas would be less affected?

We don't feel led to buy all this organic food at the store...but we do try to get natural foods when we can because we believe they are best. what brought this to my attention again is because I'm going to make [her daughter]'s fruit and veggies myself since that's the healthiest and cost-effective way to go! Thanks!

[signed]


Hi [friend]!

What the government says a producer must do to be "organic" and what most people consider "organic" are 2 very different things. The question isn't if it's organic, it's if it is safe, nutritious food.

It is my opinion that you can have 2 veggies at [local grocery store], one marked "organic" and one not marked and the one that is not marked could be actually safer to eat. What I have decided to do for our family is try to buy organic leafys, but if I can't then I pull off the outer 2 layers and throw them out. For strawberries, peaches, and apples, I try to buy local so I can ask what they use as pesticides/herbicides. For ALL produce, I bring it home and soak it in a water-with-vinegar bath, about 2:1. And I bought one of those plastic pot scrubber things and use it after they have soaked.

With [her daughter]'s digestive system being the age it is, squash is a great thing to start her out on, and quite safe since you throw away the rind. Pumpkin, butternut, acorn--whatever. You'll get fiber, starch, and lots and lots of vitamins A and C.

Don't underestimate buying frozen veggies, either. Heating carrots and tomatoes destroys some of the nutrients, but enhances some of the other phytonutrients in them.

Does your friend know the farmers who grow the stuff at her store? I'm sure she sells tons of great, nutritious, and safe stuff! However, I'm just letting you know how I approach it for our family with our finances. If we can buy organic, that's great, but for the times when we can't this is what we do.

Love ya!

Checklist: What to Do In Case of An Auto Accident

Dear TEAMS,

Here's a help for you to print out and place in each vehicle you have.  If you are in an accident, you probably will not be thinking straight, so just pull this out and follow the directions.

Love,

This document contains important information and should be completed in case of an accident

Remain at the scene of the accident and stay calm.

Notify the police.

Exchange information with other driver.

Other Driver:

Name: ___________________________________________

Address: _________________________________________

Telephone Number: _________________________________

Driver's License Number: _____________________________

Insurance Company: _________________________________

Policy Number: ______________________________________

Year, Make, Model, Color of Vehicle: _____________________

License Tag Number: __________________________________

Owner (If not the driver):

Name: ___________________________________________

Address: _________________________________________

Telephone Number: _________________________________

Driver's License Number: _________________________________

Insurance Company: _________________________________

Policy Number: _________________________________


Witness 1:

Name: ___________________________________________

Address: _________________________________________

Telephone Number: _________________________________

Witness 2:

Name: ___________________________________________

Address: _________________________________________

Telephone Number: _________________________________

Passenger:

Name: ___________________________________________

Address: _________________________________________

Telephone Number: _________________________________

Statement by Other Driver:
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________

Police:

Police Department: __________________________________

Investigating Officer: _________________________________

Badge Number: _____________________________________

Report Number: _____________________________________

Accident Information:

Date of Accident: ____________________________________

Time of Accident: ____________________________________

Weather Condition: ___________________________________

Accident Diagram (draw intersection or road with landmarks): 

Show the following:

Street you were on: ___________________________________

Your direction of travel: _________________________________

Street other driver was on: _______________________________

Other driver's direction of travel: ___________________________

Teenage Dating

Dear [child],

In 1 Samuel is the story about the children of Israel asking for a king.  Years before, God had delivered them out of Egypt, fed them when they complained, disciplined when they forgot about Him (because He knew the best thing for their lives was to acknowledge Him as God), and then finally delivered them into the Promised Land.

Years pass, and they decide they don’t like the current system of government that they’re under, which is them being responsible for themselves and then having judges to settle disputes.  They see what other countries with kings have and the grass looks greener on the other side to them.  They figure if they have a King, they’ll have more.  God hears them, tells them “no,” and then because He is so loving, tells them why.  He says how much harder their lives will be:  This will be the procedure of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and place them for himself in his chariots and among his horsemen and they will run before his chariots. ¹² He will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and of fifties, and some to do his plowing and to reap his harvest and to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. ¹³ He will also take your daughters for perfumers and cooks and bakers. ¹⁴He will take the best of your fields and your vineyards and your olive groves and give them to his servants. ¹⁵ He will take a tenth of your seed and of your vineyards and give to his officers and to his servants. ¹⁶ He will also take your male servants and your female servants and your best young men and your donkeys and use them for his work. ¹⁷ He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his servants.  1 Samuel 8:11-17

The children of Israel still want a king, so God gives them Saul, and BAM! within a short time, everything God said would happen does happen, and the children of Israel are miserable.  Turns out the grass they thought was greener was actually dead grass that was spray painted green to look nice, and the life of ease and benefits led to greater misery than they had ever had.

Why did God give the Children of Israel what they asked for, even though He knew what it would lead to?  Because He saw they had hardened their hearts so far that they needed to learn the hard way.  I am convinced it tore Him up, and He never felt happy when they started reaping the fruits of desire. He wasn’t angry at all for them asking for it.

He was calling them to a life of greater intimacy with Him so that He would provide the ease they so desperately wanted; they figured they knew better than He did what was best for them.    He was calling them to deny themselves and invest in a greater future; they were saying that they wanted to satisfy things in the now and not believe it was worth it to wait.  And the last reason I believe He gave them the King they asked for is because He knew that even if He didn’t, they were going to do things their way anyway.

This is exactly how I feel about creating this list for you for having a [boyfriend/girlfriend].  The reason you want a xfriend is a faulty one.  Every reason you have given us for having a xfriend we can see from our perspective is not good for you relationally, not good for the other person relationally, not good for the spouse you will ultimately marry, and not good for your relationship with God.  But, we feel like if we don’t give you these rules, you are going to retain the heart attitude that you have and not turn to God to satisfy the needs you have, anyway.  So, we will give you these rules.  We are telling you up front that your desire for a xfriend is going to result in heartache and you will find the grass is not greener, but actually a false impression altogether.

But, we love you.  So here goes:

Rules for Dating/Opposite Sex Relationship:

 NOTE:  This is a living document, which means that these rules can be expanded on at any time.

1. You tell us the name of the person you are dating and introduce him/her to us before you go on your first date.
2. Sixty percent of your time spent together is with us.
3. Your physical contact is limited to hand-holding.
4. If you are upset about some aspect of your relationship with him/her, you do not let it impact how you relate to anyone else in the family.  This doesn’t mean you deny it’s going on.  You simply have to say up front, “Listen, I’m feeling frustrated about my relationship with [person] right now.  I would appreciate it if you wouldn’t [whatever you don’t like] and give me some breathing room.”  This has not been the case for you which is why we feel we must bring it up.
5. Dates consist of being in groups in public places.
6. If you go over to that person's house to spend time with him/her, there will be other people present in the rooms where you will be, and you are only in the public areas of his/her house.
7. You need to understand that if you are dating someone, then you are saying it’s okay to be teased about it.  That’s how this house works, for whatever reason.

Love,

Mom and Dad

If This Was My Last Day on Earth

Dear TEAMS,

It has been 10 weeks since J’s death overseas.  I am still speaking with his family, mourning with them.  While I don’t really battle anymore with what his last moments were like—I’m fairly certain he didn’t have time to be afraid, nor ever knew what hit him—I do wonder about his morning.  Since he was killed on his way to work, he had only lived a few hours that morning.  Was it like every other morning?  Did he kiss his wife and kids goodbye as usual?  What about getting into the car…was he even thinking about what he was doing as he drove along, or was his mind lost in thought about bills to pay, or was he talking to God?

That got me to thinking about how many people who die never know it’s their last day on earth.  In fact, I don’t even know as I’m writing if today is my last day on earth.  But there are some things I would want to do if I could know:

If Today Was My Last Day on Earth…

1. I would linger the extra 30 seconds in the shower and feel the joy of the warm water, instead of hopping out to get to my next project.
2. I would earnestly repent for the daydream I had last night whereby bad people get kidnapped by some stealthy billionaire and dropped in the middle of the desert with a bottle of water.
3. I would set the oven timer to go off every hour and when it went off, I would look into each of my children’s eyes and tell them how much I love them and how glad I am I got to be their mommy, and I would text my husband the same about being his wife.
4. I would stop feeling guilty for all I didn’t accomplish.
5. I would pray that one last time for the people I know and love who don’t know the reality of Christ to truly discover who God is so that they would finally bow their knee to Him, so that I might be assured of a beautiful eternity for them.
6. I would find anything at all to laugh at and really laugh well.
7. I would make sure my Will was accessible to those who would need it.
8. I would walk around my house and stop in each room and just let the memories I have from them flood my mind, and I would smile and weep.
9. I would sit on the porch, shut my eyes, and try to figure out how many different birds there are around me right then, based on the bird calls.
10. I would write your daddy a letter, thanking him for sharing his life with me and for providing for me all these years, and I would tuck it under his pillow.

Perhaps I should consider each day as my last?

Love, 

If I’m Ever Afraid of Dying

Dear TEAMS,

I was talking with a family friend this week who has been through a trauma that has her afraid of dying.  It is all very logical—the trauma she experienced was terrible, and so I validated that it is a reasonable fear.  She doesn’t want to have the fear anymore, so she has received counseling concerning ways to help her not be afraid.  Thankfully, she was going to a Counselor who understands that we battle unseen forces more than even what is seen, so she is really coming against those powers of darkness.

But I wanted more for her.  I suggested she take a two-pronged approach, standing firm and fighting the fears but also getting a real picture of what Heaven is like and how desirable and wonderful it is to go there…that all the time we are in a win-win.  We are all the time in this wonderful life because we are redeemed and have the capacity to face the earth’s trials with God’s peace through trusting Him:  win.  If something happens that we die, though--no matter if it is sudden or lingering, brutal or peaceful—we go to Heaven:  win.  In other words, we have all this and Heaven, too.

Every so often, I have that brief moment of clarity which shows me the reality of Heaven.  It is so clear to me that for just a moment I see the eternal nature of Heaven, and the joy that is there—true joy, with pain not being part of the equation of life.  For just a glimpse, I see purpose and pure, abundant life…the life God intended from the start, the life that was there in Eden before the Lie, and the life we are destined to because we believe Jesus is Who He said He is.  

The lightness in my Inner Man for that moment is hard to describe.  It is the absence of fear; it is the absence of everything that keeps me grounded here.  And every time I get these peeks, it hits me again with a new revelation that where God is…well, that’s Reality.  Not the things we are so sure of here that we see, hear, taste, and feel.  It will be so good to be there.  I have been married to God for 30 years or so through Jesus’ sacrificial death and victory over the chains that held Mankind, and I have yet to see His face.  This God Who loved me so much that He saw my predilection to wander away from Him, even though we are not whole until we are reunited with Him, that He paid a price for me even before I was born.  This God Who is endless Comfort, endless Counselor, endless Creator, who saves my tears in a bottle and sings over me, Who sees when I go to bed or when I get up, Who is taken with me all the time and fawns over me out of the purest Love imaginable…I have never gotten to touch His face, or bow down before Him in a way that I could see Him when I arose.  I yearn to be with Him, and I yearn to see people I love again.

And it is so good to be here.  I must wait awhile until God calls me Home, and do the work He has purposed me to do here.  I love living with you and I love living with your father.  More than being blessed, I am aware of my blessings and what my position really is before God.  I am thankful.  I exist to do the King’s work, and I willingly do so, even when it costs me dearly.  The beautiful thing is, every time I feel I am losing a part of myself in service to Him through being a homemaker, I realize that what is replaced is true satisfaction of the real me.  

Yes, all this and Heaven, too.

Love,