What's Holding You Back? 9 Ways to Spark a Breakthrough

Whatever your goal, there comes a point when you require a special kind of strategy to jet propel yourself to the next level.

By Lindsy Van GelderO, The Oprah Magazine From the October 2011 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine

Maybe you've hit a motivational wall and need to get back on track. Or maybe it's time to head down another road entirely. But how? What you're looking for is a breakthrough. Here are nine ways to make it happen.

1. Go Public

When Grand Plans linger in the daydream stage, there's always a risk that they'll die there. Going on the record is one way to keep them alive. "If you tell everybody you're running a marathon, you don't want to quit," says Laura Skladzinski, who at 24 briefly held the record as the youngest woman ever to have run marathons in all 50 states. Months before she started her record-breaking quest, Skladzinski launched her blog, 50by25.com, to force herself to press onward. "When you put your goals in front of others, there's accountability," she says—and serious motivation in not wanting to lose face or let yourself down.

2. Join the Club

Whatever your goal you can draw enthusiasm and ideas from like-minded dreamers. Comeback Moms provides advice to women reentering the job market. The Freelancers Union offers meet-ups, Webinars, and job leads for consultants, graphic designers, writers, and other independent contractors. SparkPeople includes free personalized weight loss tools like meal plans and fitness trackers and support from millions of members. Edison Nation links inventors with companies that can turn their ideas into products.

3. Confront the Risks

You might think that projecting certainty will get your loved ones to buy into your goal, but often it's being honest and vulnerable about the stakes that can really activate your support system. When Cynthia (C.J.) Warner, a former BP executive, craved a career change, she sat down with her husband and two teenage kids and candidly shared the potential consequences. They would have to return to the United States from England, where they'd lived for a decade. There would be less money...or even no money for a time. On the plus side, she'd be developing renewable energy. "My kids were captivated," says Warner. "My son said, 'That's so cool, Mom; you've got to do it,' and my husband was supportive, too. So I dove in." Now she is president of Sapphire Energy, a thriving firm that develops fuel made from algae.

4. When in Doubt, DIY

If help isn't forthcoming ask yourself: 'Is there another way to make this happen?' For Amanda Hocking, hundreds of rejection slips initially crushed her hopes of being an author. "Then I realized, if you have a dream, you can't let people tell you no," she says. "I decided to do whatever it took for my books to get out there." So she self-published her novel electronically on amazon.com. The first day, she sold five books; the next day, five more. Hocking kept writing—and publishing. Pricing her books low (some at 99 cents) and releasing frequent new titles helped fuel her fan base. Today she has grossed $2 million and become a best-selling e-author on Amazon. She's poised for stardom in the print world, too: St. Martin's Press offered her a four-book, $2 million deal and bought the rights to her series, The Trylle Trilogy. The first one will be printed in January.

5. Rely on the Kindness of Strangers

Biologists Jennifer D. Calkins, PhD, and Jennifer M. Gee, PhD, raised $4,873 to study quails in Mexico. Scott Wilson pulled in nearly $1 million to design a wristband that turns the iPod nano into a watch—and his creation is now sold in Apple stores. Musician Jenny Owen Youngs came up with $38,543 to record an album. Each of these projects owes thanks to Kickstarter, a Web site for creative types. Along with sites like IndieGoGo and RocketHub, Kickstarter allows you to post detailed proposals online and solicit pledges to make them happen.

6. Know Your Strengths

Sometimes Strengths—your ability to speak Spanish or repair gadgets—seem so obvious, they're easy to overlook. After a volunteering trip to a refugee camp in northern Uganda, Hunter Heaney persuaded his friends Anna Gabriel and Chris Holmes to join forces for Ugandan women he'd met, many of whom had been widowed and raped, and had children who had been kidnapped and forced to join militia groups. They knew they wanted to help, but their plan really ignited when Gabriel, the daughter of musician Peter Gabriel, realized she could tap her formidable Rolodex. "I've been surrounded by a network of musicians all my life," she says, "and I realized that was something I could give." So they created the Voice Project, in which famous musicians record a cover song on video, then invite the covered musician to do the same and, well, play it forward. The music video chain now includes Andrew Bird, Billy Bragg, Mike Mills of REM, and Gabriel's father, among others. So far the project has raised $225,000 for the Ugandan women.

7. Spread the Word

When Vicki Abeles realized that the endless homework and standardized-test preparation being forced on her kids was souring them on school, she decided to make a documentary about the problem. With little hope of landing a conventional distributor, the lawyer and mother of three school-age kids screened her film at every church, library, and school that would have her. Viewers told their friends and fellow parents, who requested screenings in their cities. "We developed a supportive community for the film by word of mouth," says Abeles. The rough cut expanded to a feature-length film, Race to Nowhere, that's now been watched by some 750,000 people in thousands of venues across 17 countries. Abeles, who frequently moderates audience discussions afterward, says, "With every screening, the conversation about homework is starting to change."

8. Cultivate Wonder

"Many of the world's inventions don't come from people simply working hard and throwing themselves at a project," says life coach Kathlyn Hendricks, PhD. "They come from wonder—from curiosity and a willingness to be delighted. That is your fuel source and your reservoir, and most people need to practice it at least ten minutes a day." The best way to shake free of your usual thinking patterns, Hendricks adds, is to make the sound hmmm aloud. "It's impossible to criticize yourself when you're making that sound," she says. "Follow it up with a question: 'Hmmm, I wonder what the company logo should look like. Hmmm, I wonder if I need a Web site. Hmmm, I wonder if I can....'" The answers will often launch you into new territory.

9. Embrace Your Critics

Naysayers come with the territory. Baseball lover Justine Siegal endured a lifetime of put-downs. As a 13-year-old, she was told that her coach didn't want her on his all-boy team. At 16 she heard that no man would listen to a woman on a field. "I'm shy but determined," says Siegal, who in 2008 spoke at the Society for American Baseball Research conference. "I stood in front of hundreds of people, mostly men, and asked them what major league baseball was planning to do beyond selling pink jerseys to get girls involved." Soon after, Siegal was hired as an assistant coach by minor league team the Brockton Rox. Then Siegal, a longtime pitcher, reached out to major league managers about going where no woman had gone before: to the pitcher's mound during spring training. Everyone turned her down, but she persisted with in-person pleas. This past spring, Siegal pitched batting practice for the Cleveland Indians. She went on to throw for the Oakland A's, the Tampa Bay Rays, the Houston Astros, the New York Mets, and the St. Louis Cardinals. Sure, it's intimidating. But every time she climbs the mound, she says, "I take all the butterflies and trembling and I just stuff them."

Is this helpful to you? Post your comments!

Spoken Word - MARCO THE POET: THIS WOMAN HERE!!

Our Daily Bread - The Tales Of Two Sticks

Conventional wisdom questions how much can be accomplished with little. We tend to believe that a lot more can be done if we have large financial resources, talented manpower, and innovative ideas. But these things don’t matter to God. Consider just a couple of examples:

In Judges 3:31, a relatively unknown man named Shamgar delivered Israel from the Philistines single-handedly. How? He won a great victory by killing 600 Philistines with nothing more than an oxgoad (a stick sharpened on one end to drive slow-moving animals).

In Exodus, when God asked Moses to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt, Moses was afraid the people wouldn’t listen to him or follow him. So God said, “What is that in your hand?” (4:2). Moses replied, “A rod.” God went on to use that rod in Moses’ hand to convince the people to follow him, to turn the Nile River into blood, to bring great plagues on Egypt, to part the Red Sea, and to perform miracles in the wilderness.

Moses’ rod and Shamgar’s oxgoad, when dedicated to God, became mighty tools. This helps us see that God can use what little we have, when surrendered to Him, to do great things. God is not looking for people with great abilities, but for those who are dedicated to following and obeying Him.

If you use what little you may haveTo serve the Lord with all your heartYou will find that He can do great thingsWhen you begin to do your part. —Sper


Little is much when God is in it.

Fruit for Thought: Ackee

Ackee is the national fruit of Jamaica and is one of the main ingredients in the popular breakfast dish "Ackee and Saltfish." Ackee is not indigenous to Jamaica but was imported from West Africa during the 18th century, the name is derived from the West African name "Akye Fufo". Whilst the tree is grown in many countries, it is only known to be cultivated for food in Jamaica

Each fruit consists of three black seeds surrounded by yellow flesh and a skin which turns red on maturity of the fruit. Upon ripening, the red skin opens up revealing the flesh and seeds.

It is important that ackees are not picked until the skin has opened up as the flesh contains toxins up until this point. Knowledge of proper harvesting techniques is widespread in Jamaica so cases of poisoning are rare. In any case, serious illness due to eating unripe ackees has only been recorded in those who are already ill or frail. However, if you experience nausea and vomiting around two hours after eating ackee then seek medical treatment!

Ackee and Saltfish recipe

Ingredients

You will need the following ingredients to prepare enough ackee and saltfish for 4 people:-
 1/2 lb Saltfish (dried, salted codfish)
 12 fresh ackees or 1 (drained) can of tinned ackees
 1 medium onion
 1/2 tsp black pepper
 3 tbsp of butter
 1/2 a hot chilli pepper (ideally Scotch Bonnet)
 1 sweet pepper
 1 chopped tomato
 1 sprig fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried thyme


Optional ingredients:-
2 cloves of garlic
4 Scallion (or spring onions)
6 Slices of bacon

Preparation: Take a look at video. Enjoy!!!

Helpful Hint: How to Install Kitchen Blacksplash

Can Teachers Punish Students for Saying "Bless You" When Others Sneeze?

Take a look below at the clip of a teacher who punished his students for saying "bless you" when other classmates sneezed. He calls the act unnecessary and disruptive in class. to enforce his new rule he is even taking 25% off their grade to punish them for not complying. Of course, parents have complained that the liberal teacher is trying to suppress the religious implication behind the statement. However, the teacher insist that his rule had nothing to do with religion. Leave us a comment and tell us what you think.

Fruit for Thought: Rambutan

 The Rambutan is a tropical tree which belongs to the Sapindaceae family and also the fruit of this tree. Although it does not grow very tall, it produces an ample harvest. Rambutan is widely distributed throughout Indonesia, Malaysia and Southeast Asia and is identified in some countries, by different names. For example, in Nicargua, Costa Rica and Panama, Rambutan is identified as mamon chino while Thailand people call it ngoh. In Malaysia, another type of Rambutan is sold called wild Rambutan. Although the common color of Rambutan is red, the fruit of this particular type is yellowish. The hairy skin of the Rambutan fruit is removed to get to the whitish or pinky edible parts. They typically taste sweet though some are sour as well as sweet. 

Rambutan is a tasty fruit and it is very popular in many countries. Seed oil from the Rambutan is produced and in use to manufacture candles and soap. Although Rambutan trees are cut down rarely, their wood is used in the construction industry. Rambutan fruit is said to heal dysentery and diarrhea effectively. The leaves are also used as cataplasm to cure headaches. In Malaysia, the skin of the Rambutan fruit is used to prepare native medicines. Further, the roots of Rambutan trees are boiled and used as a medication to cure fever.

Rambutan fruit is rich in following components: Fat, Calcium, Iron, Protein, Nitrogen, Ash, Sodium, Zinc, Magnesium, Manganese, Potassium, Phosphorus, pH, Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Fiber. Eating five fruit in a day can seriously decrease the chance of cancer. Rambutan fruit is also very effective in lowering blood pressure.

Open Rambutan fruit by removing one part of its skin. Find the seam across the fruit and pull apart the leathery skin. You can also use the knife, but be careful, only cut through the skin. Then you can hold the fruit with your fingers and enjoy the sweet taste.

Rambutan fruit cannot be cooked; it can be eaten raw only.

Song of the Day-You Loved Me by Karen Clark-Sheard

Enjoy this Song of the Day Greater Paradise Family and Friends!

Should Married Couples Sleep in Separate Bedrooms?

Read the Article below and tell us your thoughts. Should married couples sleep in separate rooms?

"Till Bedtime Do We Part"

If you love your spouse but can't sleep in the same room, there's hope for you.

by: Linda Holloway

The bed shook. My eyes popped open in the dark. I lay still, hopeful that I could fall back to sleep. Just as my lids closed, a quick jerk roused me again. Then a three-stage snore ripped through the silence. Exasperated, I threw back the covers and headed for the guest room.

Tempted to stomp across the hall, I tiptoed instead. Even though my husband's sounds and motion prevented a restful night for me, I didn't want to wake him. No sense in both of us stumbling around in a fog at work the next day. He snored peacefully … and loudly, unaware that I'd left our bedroom yet again.

During 20 years of marriage Jerry and I slept most nights in the same bed. However, his snoring and restlessness increased over the years. In addition, I experienced more difficulty staying asleep, even if he was still and quiet. For two long years I'd move to another bed every night after about one hour's sleep. That's when I departed to a more tranquil environment. After tucking myself in bed, I might lie awake for another hour or two. I grew weary, angry, and frustrated but still hesitated to suggest separate bedrooms. I didn't want to hurt his feelings or cause him to think that my love for him was fading.

Finally I couldn't continue in a sleep-deprived state any more. I brought up the subject one night at dinner.

To my surprise my dear husband said, "I know you need your rest. It's okay." No signs of defensiveness or hurt.

"Of course, we'll have dates," I said. He raised his eyebrows and smiled at our code word for sex.

That night I kissed and hugged him and walked into my own bedroom. I read a few minutes and then drifted off to uninterrupted sleep. Jerry slept better with our new arrangement also. If he got wide-eyed in the middle of the night, he could turn on the TV and let it lull him back to sleep. Separate bedrooms made sense for us.

We're not Alone

When I mentioned this arrangement to others, I discovered that we weren't alone. Several friends enjoyed solid marriages but simply couldn't sleep with their spouses. It went beyond my circle of acquaintances. The National Sleep Foundation Survey of Women in 2007 found that 24 percent of women don't sleep with their significant other. The National Association of Home Builders observed a trend toward separate bedrooms. It predicted that 60 percent of new upscale homes will have two master bedrooms by 2015.

My friends told me their reasons for sleeping apart. In my unscientific survey, a spouse's snoring seemed to be the number one reason, regardless of age. Health also caused need for different sleep accommodations. Three friends or their spouses developed back problems and slept in recliners for relief. Hot flashes parted one woman and her husband so at least he could sleep. Also, two family members had opposite work schedules that required different sleep schedules.

Every person I talked with tried various remedies, as did I, before resorting to another bed: nose strips or tablets to quiet snoring, earplugs, retiring earlier than the snorer or restless sleeper. While those may help some couples, none of us met long term success. Even when a health issue, such as pain, restless leg syndrome, or body tics, interfered with sleep, spouses tried to maintain their common bed. Eventually, the need for sleep took precedence.

Each couple worked out the best solution for their situation. Sam and Jen sleep separately during the work week due to her snoring. They sleep together on weekends when he can snooze later. Mary spends the first hour or so with Joe to talk and cuddle, then she climbs the stairs to her own room to sleep. Cindy and Don begin the night in separate rooms. He likes to read, but she needs a dark room to fall asleep. The ones who use recliners also begin the night in their separate sleep places. Each couple settled into a routine that satisfied them both.

Younger women that I interviewed experienced some of the same problems as middle aged women. Jennie, a 30something, told me that her husband's snoring was driving her to the sofa several nights per week. Amy said that she and her husband part if one is sick or experiencing occasional insomnia. While empty nesters may have the luxury of more than one bedroom, younger couples found solutions as well. They retreated to a futon or sofa in a family room or basement recreation room. It wasn't a nightly habit, but used only as needed.

Not an End to Intimacy

Maintaining separate bedrooms doesn't signal trouble in a marriage unless spouses use them to avoid talking about problems. Honest communication is preferable to pulling into your own space like a turtle, even if you can only agree to talk about the finances, sex, child rearing, or whatever the next day. Sharon appreciated an older acquaintance's advice when she was a newlywed: stop going to another bed when she was mad at her husband.

"Honey," the woman told her. "The Bible says not to go to bed angry. Your marriage won't last if you don't face your problems."

As for Jerry and me, working together to solve our sleeplessness strengthened our relationship. Restful sleep dried up the nearly constant undercurrent of irritability so we could focus on other things, like each other.

Sleeping in separate bedrooms doesn't have to be embarrassing or an end to intimacy. It doesn't mean the spark has faded from your marriage. In fact, "Your place or mine?" can add spice to your sexual relationship. It does mean that you may need to be more intentional about assuring each other of your love and deepening your bond. Of course, all marriages require thoughtfulness and work.

If you believe that in order to sleep well you and your husband may need to sleep apart, pray about it. Then talk with him about it. This needs to be a mutual decision that's comfortable and acceptable to both spouses. And it really isn't anyone else's business what you do—not your friends, family, or even adult children. The purpose of sleeping in separate bedrooms is, well, to sleep.

Inspirational Must See Video-”You Matter”

Posted by elev8.com






Have you thought about what you are doing today? How about tomorrow.

Now is the moment to start. Do you need a new diet?
Are you tired of being abused? Do you just feel stuck?

It’s pointless to raise your standards and not believe you can achieve them; that’s called self-sabotage. Once you’ve raised your standards and decided on the habits you want to change, you must start to modify your limiting beliefs and remove your doubts by following this process:

1. Have a firm belief.
You need to have a firm belief, without any doubt in the achievement and success of your desires. These beliefs need to be like unquestioned commands. They’ll shape every thought, feeling and action you’ll take. Within the strength of these beliefs lies the “core” to real and everlasting change.

2. Your belief needs to be under control.
If not, no matter what you decide to change, you’ll never have the conviction to achieve your goals or the desire to truly change.

3. Create a strategy.
Once you have the beliefs that will lead to your success ingrained within you, you then need to have a strategy to achieve the results. I’ve provided the example result of getting in shape below; follow this strategy to enhance your belief in your goal.

Is Hypnotism Wrong?

 Posted by revelife.com


Due to trauma in my past and my own terrible memory, I can't remember my childhood. I can picture my father as he is in photographs, but I can't, as hard as I try, remember his voice or his laugh. I can't remember my little sisters first steps. I can't recall how my parents acted back when they were in love. I want to remember my childhood.
I decided that I would go to a hypnotist. I know that it'll be hard on me, but I think that it'll help in the long run. I mentioned it to my mother, who told me that it's unethical and furthermore, no Christian would go through with it.

She told me that she would find me a counselor. However, I've been in therapy for almost five years, and been through four therapists. I know that I've made significant progress, but nothing that I couldn't have done on my own just by thinking through my own problems. I don't think that therapy would help me remember. But even if it does, I'm tired of trying, and I'm tired of therapy.

Is hypnotism wrong? And if so, why? If hypnosis is spiritually out of the question, is there anything that I can do to get my memory back?

A Church Boxing Match Goes Terribly Wrong

By The Closet Calvinist on revelife.com



Guts Church (yes, that is its real name) in Tulsa Oklahoma had a boxing match today, Guts Fight Night, for the sixth time. Well, tonight things didn’t go so well.

This seemingly seeker focused church thought a boxing match would attract people to the church. And, what attracts men more than a boxing match? I guess giving them a car might, but that is for other churches.
Unfortunately, this church didn’t do things properly. They didn’t get the properly trained referees and medical personnel that are required for a boxing match. And, because of this, one of the boxers died. George Clinkscale died because of this.


Sadly, it will take a death to end this illegal activity. Unfortunately, other churches are still doing things that are almost as stupid.

Churches aren’t to have boxing matches to reach people. Instead, the way the Church is supposed to do outreach is by going to the people and sharing the Gospel with them. People need to be told that Jesus died to pay for their sins, not to be invited to attend church or invited to a boxing match. The Church is made up of believers, the Sunday service is for believers, thought unbelievers are welcome, to equip the saints so they can go preach the Gospel.

It seems the church will be sued by the relevant state agencies and likely by the player’s family. Pastor Bill Scheer may even go to jail over this.

We should pray for the boxer’s family, and the lost people in Guts Church.
Thanks for Phil Johnson of Pyromaniacs for tweeting about this.

Is Artificial Insemination a sin?

 posted by revelife.com

 

Artificial Insemination: Following God's Will or Your Own?

Scientific breakthroughs have made so many medical procedures possible. People are living longer, recovering from preventable diseases quicker and ultimately improving our evolutionary fitness. Science, when used appropriately, is an amazing asset to the human experience.

Artificial insemination and various other methods of scientific impregnation have allowed sterile or same-sex couples to start a family. Who wouldn't agree that two loving people should be able to start a family? If someone has a problem with this idea, they indeed have a major issues themselves.

When you read the Bible, "barren" women were a marginalized community during the time that the Bible was written. A woman who couldn't have children was looked down upon. A few times, we read that God gave women past prime children that they never thought that they'd have.

Abraham's wife Sarah and Mary's cousin Elizabeth were two older women who became "great with child" even when they didn't believe it was possible. I can't even imagine the hurt, isolation, anger and frustration that these women may have felt in their prime when they couldn't bear children. They must have been full of angst and suffering---the very cocktail that God uses to turn people's worlds upside down for the better.

God looks after the world's rejects in a special way. The ones who the world tends to throw away, cast down, and trample upon are the ones that God uses to do the bravest and boldest things in His Kingdom. God allows us to experience pain and heartbreak so that He break down the doors of our suffering and be our comfort. Restoration wouldn't feel so good if you were never lost.

Isaiah 54: 1 says "Sing, O barren woman, you who never bore a child; burst into song, shout for joy, you who were never in labor; because more are the children of the desolate woman that of her who has a husband" says the Lord. In this verse, we read that God acknowledges the status of a desolate or barren women. God has His eyes on these member of His kingdom. Even more importantly, God is telling them to rejoice! Why would God do that? I believe that God is telling barren and desolate women in this verse that they need to mother the orphans and the fatherless. Those without children of their own can mother orphans in a way that another women couldn't. God has a special place for the orphan and the barren women. Both of their shortcomings bring them together.

Is artificial insemination a selfish way of "getting your own way" no matter what? If you really believe that God can do anything, why would you result to a medical procedure to give you a child? Do you disagree that God has your best interests at heart? Do you feel the need to intervene? Trusting God completely is trusting Him with your body. Couples who can't conceive naturally and then seek artificial insemination may be seen as "poo pooing" God's perfect plan for them.

God looks after the orphans and widows but He does that through us on Earth. God works with all the hands that we give Him. What if a couple becomes so wrapped in the child that they had due to a medical procedure, that they don't even consult the local adoption agencies to give birth to God's plan for their lives? Being a childless couple can be socially stigmatizing I imagine. But God still works miracles and He still wipes the tears from all faces. Perhaps God wants the couple to know Him in a new way by being childless. But the newly conceived couple will never know that now.

Two loving parents are the only type of people who should start a home. But does that home have to be made up of children from their own bodies? How much greater of a calling it is to love a child that was not born of your body but of your heart? That requires the love of Christ. An adopting couple is called to love a man (child) as you love yourself (your own child). If couples get so busy with artificial insemination and procedures, what happens to the orphaned and the fatherless? Who will look after God's little one's of whom the Kingdom was specifically made for?

What are your thoughts on artificial insemination? Is adoption a legitimate option or is artificial insemination the only way to start a truly loving family?

Popular Cookbooks With Tasty Recipes For Diabetics

Posted by Elev8.com


Having diabetes is not the end of the world.  However, changing your lifestyle and finding healthier eating selections are vital for diabetics.  Many African-Americans feel that their lives will significantly change and their taste buds will become bland without succulent dishes like macaroni & cheese, fried chicken and sweet potatoes.  The thought of losing and reducing tasty and robust foods and desserts often leaves many diabetic African-Americans discouraged. With the help of innovative health experts, renowned chefs, celebrity cooks and other diabetics, helpful and simplified cookbooks are available for the cooking challenged individual with diabetes. Basic delicious recipes and useful advice for healthier lifestyles for diabetics are presented to the sugar-deprived individuals in need of savory flavor on their plate.



Patti Labelle’s Lite Cusine (authors Patti Labelle and Laura Randolph Lancaster)
Singer and New York Times best selling author Patti Labelle offers delicious and mouth watering recipes with a healthier perspective on better living.  The book gives over 100 recipes that include Killer Chocolate Cake with Guilt-free glaze, Savory Shrimp Scampi and Oven (Taste like Fried) Chicken.  Ms. Labelle also shares personal stories about her struggles with diabetes and body images issues throughout her career plus the death of her mother to diabetes.



The New Soul Food Cookbook for People with Diabetes (authors Faiola Gaines, RD, LD and Roniece Weaver, MS, RD, LD)
This cookbook is for the soul food lover in you. It presents traditional recipes in realistic portion sizes using herbs and spices without losing flavor in dishes that are loved worldwide such as Collard Greens with Smoked Turkey and Sweet Potato Pound Cake.



Diabetes Cooking for Dummies (authors Alan L. Rubin, MD with Cait James, MS)
The familiar Berlitz For Dummies brand offers their edition of the 300 plus page reference that gives recipes, smart tips on how to dine out, how to thrive with diabetes and manage a more balanced lifestyle and diet. The book also recommends the latest testing devices and monitoring procedures.  Overall, the newly diagnosed or the complacent diabetic has a variety of choices for cookbooks available to live and eat tasty for a robust way of life!



Betty Crocker 30 Minute Meals for Diabetes
Long-time Cookbook heroine Betty Crocker offers a few diabetic cookbooks that are simple and painless.  A favorite in her collection for the on-the go diabetic is entitled,.  Each recipe offers quick healthy meals that deliver tasty results. Betty Crocker saves the day with her simple soups, salads and vegetable dishes that are accompanied with colorful illustration of each dish.

Daily Bread: A FIRM Foundation

September 26, 2011 — by Dave Branon

Before she was 2 years old, my granddaughter Katie did something that would make any grandpa proud: She began to recognize cars by make and year. This all started when she and her daddy began spending time together playing with his old collection of toy cars. Daddy would say, “Katie, get the 1957 Chevy,” and she would pick it out of the hundreds of tiny cars. And once, while he was reading a Curious George book to her, she climbed down from his lap and ran to get a miniature Rolls Royce—an exact replica of the car pictured in the book.

If a 2-year-old child can make such connections, doesn’t that show the importance of teaching children the right things early on? We can do this by using what I call the FIRM principle: Familiarity, Interest, Recognition, and Modeling. This follows Moses’ pattern in Deuteronomy 6 of taking every opportunity to teach biblical truths so that children become familiar with them and make them a part of their lives. Using their interests as teaching opportunities, we repeat Bible stories so they become recognizable, while modeling a godly life before them.

Let’s give the children in our lives a FIRM foundation by teaching them about God’s love, Christ’s salvation, and the importance of godly living.

O give us homes built firm upon the Savior,
Where Christ is Head and Counselor and Guide,
Where every child is taught His love and favor
And gives his heart to Christ, the crucified. —Hart

Build your children’s lives on the firm foundation of the Word.

Old School Song of the Day by The Clark Sisters-- Is My Living In Vain

Love & Marriage: Is Submission Necessary To Make A Marriage Work

My single girlfriends have a pretty diverse range of opinions on marriage. Some think monogamy and therefore marriage is a fairytale and would rather end their days with cat in lap, tropical breeze blowing through graying hair and glass of pinot noir in hand. Others want the storybook wedding, the Cosby marriage and the Harvard bound children. Most are in the middle somewhere. One thing that often comes up with single girlfriends and guy friends is submission…

For the more religious types, a wife submitting to her husband is the expected course of action–a “duh” type of thing that goes right with putting on that wedding band. Just because it’s expected doesn’t mean it comes easy though. Even my Bible thumbing sister girls question their ability to “submit” to a dude. Most of my girls think that whole submit thing is a bunch of bull caca and the dudes wonder if their future wives can even call it even much less submit.

For me, in my household, there’s no submission. My husband and I are partners in this home. We recognize each other’s strengths and weaknesses and we fall back or step up accordingly. It’s insane, as a free adult, to submit to another person 100% of the time. Hubby and I have brains so we use them. I have no problem deferring to him or trusting his judgment on big decisions when I’m not available for some reason or when he is clearly the better person to handle it. I don’t feel the need to control things just for the heck of it. We’re partners. We have eachother’s back, we support eachother and we do things that benefit us both.

So, when my single girlfriends gripe about the idea of marriage and giving up their freedom and individuality, I balk. Ladies, if you don’t want a knuckle-dragging man whose gonna come in thump his chest and proclaim “Me man, you woman,” then don’t get with that type of dude. It really is that simple. In my opinion, the most critical thing for the success of a romantic relationship is sharing values. I value my independence (I’m the most solitary person I know) and my husband’s and hubby feels the same. Awesome. Everything is not perfect of course. We both have egos that need stroking or deflating at different times. But in the end, we have the same goals in mind.

Living with someone, whether you’re married or not requires compromise and creative solutions to keep your sanity and maintain a healthy relationship. Submission is just not in the game plan to me. Permanent submission is not something a free human being does for another human being.

Asserting basic human dignity, rights and intelligence does not impinge upon manhood. Any man who thinks otherwise, is simply not someone who would date me and vice versa. I have no problem with letting a man be a man. But he has to be a real man who is secure and loves his intelligent, resourceful wife. Marriage is what you make it.

Do you think you have to submit to your husband in order to have a peaceful, functioning household? What do you think you have to give up to have a solid marriage?

Daily Bread

Verse of the Day

“Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.”

Hebrews 10:35-36 KJV

Obama Says No Child Left Behind Puts Schools At Disadvantage; BCPS An Example « CBS Baltimore

BALTIMORE (WJZ)—President Obama uses Baltimore as an example of why the federal government should reform No Child Left Behind.

Political reporter Pat Warren has more on the president’s proposed changes.
President Obama believes No Child Left Behind puts too many schools at a disadvantage.
The president lands a kick in the No Child Left Behind act by waiving some of the requirements that tie student achievement to federal funding.

“We can’t let another generation of young people fall behind because we didn’t have the courage to recognize what doesn’t work, admit it, and replace it with something that does. We’ve got to act now,” President Obama said.

Baltimore school superintendent Andres Alonso supports the change that’s coming.
“I would think I was personally there because we are seen as a district that is making a lot of progress and that’s facing the kind of challenges that the waivers are supposed to get rid of,” Alonso said.

Baltimore schools did not fare well last school year. More than 80 percent failed to meet target proficiencies in reading and math, despite improvements.

“You have schools that are making huge progress, yet they are being labeled as underperforming because they’re not at 100 percent proficiency even though they’re dealing with huge challenges and making progress,” Alonso said.
“Our kids get only one shot at a decent education,” President Obama said. “They cannot afford to wait any longer. So given that Congress cannot act, I’m acting.”
The waivers come with conditions Alonso believes the city, and the state, can meet. About 1/3rd of the schools in the state have reportedly been labeled as failing.

“The state of Maryland is uniquely positioned to get a waiver because its Race to the Top application moved it a long way toward what the president is asking for now,” Alonso said.
“The economic challenges we face now are economic challenges that have been building for decades now, and the most important thing we can do is to make sure that our kids are prepared for this new economy,” said the president. “That’s the single most important thing we can do.”

The Obama administration is certain it has the authority to make the changes without congressional approval.

No Child Left Behind was enacted during the Bush administration, requiring all students to be on their grade level in reading and math by 2014.

Do you agree with Obama and Superindant Alonso? Post your thoughts and comments.

Our Daily Bread - From Bad to Worse

It happened again. I got the urge to clean my office. Before I could resist, I had created an even bigger mess than I started with. One pile turned into many piles when I started sorting books, papers, and magazines. As the mess mushroomed, I lamented that I had started. But there was no going back.

When God recruited Moses to rescue the Hebrews from slavery, their situation went from bad to worse as well. There was no doubt that the job needed to be done. The people had been crying out to God to help them (Ex. 2:23). Reluctantly, very reluctantly, Moses agreed to appeal to Pharaoh on behalf of the Hebrews. The encounter did not go well. Instead of releasing the people, Pharaoh increased his unreasonable demands. Moses questioned whether he should have started (5:22-23). Only after a lot more trouble for a lot of people did Pharaoh let the people leave.

Whenever we set out to do something good, even when we’re certain that God wants us to do it, we shouldn’t be surprised when the situation gets worse before it gets better. This doesn’t prove that we’re doing the wrong thing; it just reminds us that we need God to accomplish everything.

There is only One who knows
All the answers to my woes;
He will all my needs supply
When in faith to Him I cry. —Morgan

The supreme need in every hour of difficulty
is a vision of God. —G. C. Morgan

Song of the Day - For the good of them-Kim McFarland-Anderson

“May God Have Mercy On Your Souls”: Troy Davis Executed

JACKSON, Ga. (AP) — Georgia executed Troy Davis on Wednesday night for the murder of an off-duty police officer, a crime he denied committing right to the end as supporters around the world mourned and declared that an innocent man was put to death.

Defiant to the end, he told relatives of Mark MacPhail that his 1989 slaying was not his fault. “I did not have a gun,” he insisted.
“For those about to take my life,” he told prison officials, “may God have mercy on your souls. May God bless your souls.”
Davis was declared dead at 11:08. The lethal injection began about 15 minutes earlier, after the Supreme Court rejected an 11th-hour request for a stay.
The court did not comment on its order, which came about four hours after it received the request and more than three hours after the planned execution time.
Though Davis’ attorneys said seven of nine key witnesses against him disputed all or parts of their testimony, state and federal judges repeatedly ruled against granting him a new trial. As the court losses piled up Wednesday, his offer to take a polygraph test was rejected and the pardons board refused to give him one more hearing.
Davis’ supporters staged vigils in the U.S. and Europe, declaring “I am Troy Davis” on signs, T-shirts and the Internet. Some tried increasingly frenzied measures, urging prison workers to stay home and even posting a judge’s phone number online, hoping people will press him to put a stop to the lethal injection. President Barack Obama deflected calls for him to get involved.
“They say death row; we say hell no!” protesters shouted outside the Jackson prison where Davis was to be executed. In Washington, a crowd outside the Supreme Court yelled the same chant.
As many as 700 demonstrators gathered outside the prison as a few dozen riot police stood watch, but the crowd thinned as the night wore on and the outcome became clear. The scene turned eerily quiet as word of the high court’s decision spread, with demonstrators hugging, crying, praying, holding candles and gathering around Davis’ family.
Laura Moye of Amnesty International said the execution would be “the best argument for abolishing the death penalty.”
“The state of Georgia is about to demonstrate why government can’t be trusted with the power over life and death,” she said.
About 10 counterdemonstrators also were outside the prison, showing support for the death penalty and the family of Mark MacPhail, the man Davis was convicted of killing in 1989. MacPhail’s son and brother attended the execution.
“He had all the chances in the world,” his mother, Anneliese MacPhail, said of Davis in a telephone interview. “It has got to come to an end.”
At a Paris rally, many of the roughly 150 demonstrators carried signs emblazoned with Davis’ face. “Everyone who looks a little bit at the case knows that there is too much doubt to execute him,” Nicolas Krameyer of Amnesty International said at the protest.
Davis’ execution has been stopped three times since 2007, but on Wednesday the 42-year-old ran out of legal options.
As his last hours ticked away, an upbeat and prayerful Davis turned down an offer for a special last meal as he met with friends, family and supporters.
“Troy Davis has impacted the world,” his sister Martina Correia said at a news conference. “They say, `I am Troy Davis,’ in languages he can’t speak.”
His attorney Stephen Marsh said Davis would have spent part of Wednesday taking a polygraph test if pardons officials had taken his offer seriously.
“He doesn’t want to spend three hours away from his family on what could be the last day of his life if it won’t make any difference,” Marsh said.
Amnesty International says nearly 1 million people have signed a petition on Davis’ behalf. His supporters include former President Jimmy Carter, Pope Benedict XVI, a former FBI director, the NAACP, several conservative figures and many celebrities, including hip-hop star Sean “P. Diddy” Combs.
“I’m trying to bring the word to the young people: There is too much doubt,” rapper Big Boi, of the Atlanta-based group Outkast, said at a church near the prison.
The U.S. Supreme Court gave Davis an unusual opportunity to prove his innocence in a lower court last year, though the high court itself did not hear the merits of the case.
He was convicted in 1991 of killing MacPhail, who was working as a security guard at the time. MacPhail rushed to the aid of a homeless man who prosecutors said Davis was bashing with a handgun after asking him for a beer. Prosecutors said Davis had a smirk on his face as he shot the officer to death in a Burger King parking lot in Savannah.
No gun was ever found, but prosecutors say shell casings were linked to an earlier shooting for which Davis was convicted.
Witnesses placed Davis at the crime scene and identified him as the shooter, but several of them have recanted their accounts and some jurors have said they’ve changed their minds about his guilt. Others have claimed a man who was with Davis that night has told people he actually shot the officer.
“Such incredibly flawed eyewitness testimony should never be the basis for an execution,” Marsh said. “To execute someone under these circumstances would be unconscionable.”
State and federal courts, however, have repeatedly upheld Davis’ conviction. One federal judge dismissed the evidence advanced by Davis’ lawyers as “largely smoke and mirrors.”
“He has had ample time to prove his innocence,” said MacPhail’s widow, Joan MacPhail-Harris. “And he is not innocent.”
The last motion filed by Davis’ attorneys in Butts County Court challenged testimony from two witnesses and disputed testimony from the expert who linked the shell casings to the earlier shooting involving Davis. Superior Court Judge Thomas Wilson and the Georgia Supreme Court rejected the appeal, and prosecutors said the filing was just a delay tactic.
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, which helped lead the charge to stop the execution, said it considered asking Obama to intervene, even though he cannot grant Davis clemency for a state conviction.
Press secretary Jay Carney issued a statement saying that although Obama “has worked to ensure accuracy and fairness in the criminal justice system,” it was not appropriate for him “to weigh in on specific cases like this one, which is a state prosecution.”
Dozens of protesters outside the White House called on the president to step in, and about 12 were arrested for disobeying police orders.
Davis was not the only U.S. inmate put to death Wednesday evening. In Texas, white supremacist gang member Lawrence Russell Brewer was put to death for the 1998 dragging death of a black man, James Byrd Jr., one of the most notorious hate crime murders in recent U.S. history.
Davis’ best chance may have come last year, in a hearing ordered by the U.S. Supreme Court. It was the first time in 50 years that justices had considered a request to grant a new trial for a death row inmate.
The high court set a tough standard for Davis to exonerate himself, ruling that his attorneys must “clearly establish” Davis’ innocence – a higher bar to meet than prosecutors having to prove guilt. After the hearing judge ruled in prosecutors’ favor, the justices didn’t take up the case.
The execution drew widespread criticism in Europe, where politicians and activists made last-minute pleas for a stay.
Spencer Lawton, the district attorney who secured Davis’ conviction in 1991, said he was embarrassed for the judicial system – not because of the execution, but because it took so long to carry out.
“What we have had is a manufactured appearance of doubt which has taken on the quality of legitimate doubt itself. And all of it is exquisitely unfair,” said Lawton, who retired as Chatham County’s head prosecutor in 2008. “The good news is we live in a civilized society where questions like this are decided based on fact in open and transparent courts of law, and not on street corners.”
—
Associated Press reporters Russ Bynum in Savannah, Kate Brumback and Marina Hutchinson in Jackson, Eric Tucker and Erica Werner in Washington and Sohrab Monemi in Paris contributed to this report.

Song of the Day - Rev. Milton Brunson & The Thompson Community Singers - Safe In His Arms

Daily Bread

Verse of the Day

“And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope:”

Romans 5:3-4 KJV

Song of the Day: Canton Jones G.O.D. - Official Video

"I call him G.O.D."

Enjoy and be blessed today!

Prayer for Children: 5 Year Old Prays at the Potter's House

In this clip, Isaiah Jackson prays. He decrees and declares or prophesies (w/subtitles). This is an awesome video. Take and look and be blessed.

As Christians, Should We Support The Death Penalty?

Christianity and the Death Penalty

By: Tom Head, About.com Guide

Both supporters and opponents of capital punishment often claim that the Christian tradition is on their side--and, to a certain extent, both groups are right.

All government executions described in the New Testament claimed the lives of Christians or Jewish allies, most notably:

The beheading of John the Baptist (Mark 6:27) ;

The crucifixion of Jesus Christ (numerous references) ;

The stoning of St. Stephen (Acts 7:59)

Defenders of the death penalty point to Jesus' remarks in support of traditional Jewish law (Matthew 5:18) and the authority of earthly governments (Matthew 22:21).

Capital Punishment in Christian Theology

The earliest Christian writers spoke overwhelmingly against capital punishment. To name an especially prominent example, St. Clement of Rome, who led the church during the latter years of the first century as the Christian church's fourth pope, wrote that "to witness a man's execution, regardless of the justice of his prosecution, is forbidden by the moral law of Christ."

Today, the Roman Catholic Church and most global Protestant traditions oppose capital punishment, while most conservative U.S.-based Protestant traditions support it.

Also Consider the story below when leaving a comment. How easily could the justice system make a mistake and kill an innocent person? Many believe this to be the very case involving Troy Davis, scheduled for execution next week. 

Why It’s Worth The Effort To Save Troy Davis From Execution 

Written by Oretha Winston on September 16, 2011 11:45 am

Guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. It’s the foundation of our justice system, built to serve and protect the wrongly accused. But in the case of Troy Davis, it’s a principle that has been defied, ignored and trampled on. Davis has captured considerable attention because of the doubt raised over whether he killed Mark MacPhail in Savannah in 1989.

The U.S. Supreme Court even granted Davis a hearing to prove his innocence. It was the first time it had done so for a death row inmate in at least 50 years but he couldn’t convince a judge to grant him a new trial. The officer’s family believes there is no doubt that Davis killed MacPhail and prosecutors say the right man was convicted.

Troy’s execution is scheduled for next week, and there is simply too much doubt in his case for us to allow this to happen. On Monday, September 19th, Troy has his final hearing in front of the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles. They have the power to halt the scheduled execution and commute Troy’s sentence, permanently preventing what could be a wrongful execution.

It is now up to us to make sure the Board hears our voices loud and clear. Send a letter to the Board asking them to grant clemency for Troy Davis.

It is hard to fathom that our justice system would sentence a man to death when there is so much doubt.

Consider these items:

- Seven of the nine original witnesses in Troy’s case have recanted or changed their story;

- One eyewitness testified for the first time in 2010 that he saw his relative, not Davis, shoot Officer MacPhail

- At least 10 individuals have implicated the alternative suspect as the actual perpetrator.

William S. Sessions, a former FBI director under presidents Reagan and George H.W. Bush, argued in the Journal-Constitution on Thursday that “serious questions about Davis’ guilt” remained. The case, Sessions said, was “highlighted by witness recantations, allegations of police coercion and a lack of relevant physical evidence.”

This week, Amnesty International said it delivered more than 500,000 signatures to the state Board of Pardons and Paroles, which will hold a clemency hearing for Davis on Monday. Former President Carter and Archbishop Desmond Tutu are among those who have raised questions about his guilt. The Atlanta march is one of 300 rallies, vigils and other events organized worldwide by Amnesty International in what it is billing as a “Global Day of Amnesty for Troy Davis.”

Simply  put , pro lifers believe that every person is sacred, every life is precious – even the life of one who has violated or possibly violated the rights of others by taking a life. Human dignity is not qualified by what we do. It cannot be earned or forfeited. Human dignity is an irrevocable character of each and every person.

Laugh of the Day- Christian Comedian Pastor Brodrick Rice on TBN

Enjoy the Laugh of the Day!!! Be Blessed!!!

Fruit for Thought: Mangosteen

The mangosteen fruit is a small, purple fruit about the size of a tangerine, with a rind similar in texture to the pomegranate. In Thailand, it is known as the “queen of fruits” and is prized the world over for its taste and medicinal value.

In India, Thailand and China, preparations made from the rind are used as antimicrobial and anti-parasitic treatments for dysentery and other forms of infectious diarrhea. The plant’s astringent qualities are also useful in preventing dehydration and the loss of essential nutrients from the gastrointestinal tract of diarrhea sufferers. The Thai people take advantage of the mangosteen’s antimicrobial properties to treat infected wounds, tuberculosis, malaria, urinary tract infections, syphilis, and gonorrhea.
It has long been recognized in Asia that the mangosteen has powerful anti-inflammatory properties, and is therefore effective in treating eczema, hyperkeratosis and related skin conditions such as psoriasis and seborrhea. In the Caribbean, a tea made from mangosteen, known as “eau de Creole,” is used as a tonic for fatigue and low energy states, universal symptoms experienced by millions around the world. Brazilians use a similar tea as a de-worming agent and digestive aid. In Venezuela, parasitic skin infections are treated with poultices of the fruit rind, while Filipinos employ a fruit preparation to control fever. While known in many parts of the world for centuries, the mangosteen fruit is only now being discovered by North Americans. This is unusual considering that North America is often the first area to benefit from medical discoveries; in this case, however, it is one of the last. Fortunately, knowledge of the mangosteen is spreading quickly, and it is becoming known in countries far removed from where it is grown.

  Mangosteen Yogurt Panna Cotta

Mangosteen and Lime Sorbet

Mangosteen Mousse

For these great recipes involving Mangosteen, please click below. try one out and let us know if it's a winner. Enjoy!!!

http://www.samartfoods.com/index.php?lay=show&ac=article&Id=538681146&Ntype=7

In Sickness and in Health? Can You Divorce Your Mate if They have Alzheimer's?

Squaring Pat Robertson's Alzheimer's remarks with the Bible By Dan Gilgoff, CNN.com Religion Editor (CNN)– Televangelist Pat Robertson's comments last week advising a husband to divorce his Alzheimer's-stricken wife drew criticism from Robertson's usual theological allies. "This is more than an embarrassment," wrote Russell D. Moore, dean of the school of theology and senior vice president for academic administration at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. "This is more than cruelty. This is a repudiation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ."

Many Christians in the Twitterverse and in other online spaces also expressed disapproval of Robertson's comments, which came in response to a viewer of his "700 Club" TV show asking about a friend who started dating another women after his wife developed Alzheimer's disease. "He says that he should be allowed to see other people, because his wife as he knows her is gone," the viewer asked. "I’m not sure what to tell him. Please help." Robertson acknowledged the situation is a "terribly hard thing" but said the viewer's friend is right. "I know it sounds cruel, but if he’s going to do something, he should divorce her and start all over again, but to make sure she has custodial care and somebody (is) looking after her." When his co-anchor pushed back against that advice, Robertson acknowledged the marriage vow of "Till death do us part" but said that Alzheimer's is "a kind of death." Criticism from the medical community seems to be less harsh than that from Christians but has nonetheless been forthcoming. Here's Eric J. Hall, founding president and chief executive officer of the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America: There is no doubt that this heartbreaking disease robs people of their memories and other intellectual functions, but to liken Alzheimer’s disease to, as Mr. Robertson said, ‘a kind of death’ fosters an insensitivity that feeds misperceptions about the disease. It fails to take into account that people with Alzheimer’s disease, although impaired, deserve optimal care and dignity. Love and compassion are the greatest gifts for every human being until their very last breath. In a Facebook post Thursday, Robertson's show, "The 700 Club," acknowledged the criticism without taking anything back: Thank you for sharing your concern about Pat Robertson's response to a BringIt On Question about a friend's wife in the late stages of Alzheimer's. Having had many close friends struggle through Alzheimer's, Pat has seen the devastating impact that it has on not only the spouse with the disease, but especially the caregiver whose quality of life also becomes completely debilitated by it. – CNN's Elizabeth Landau contributed to this report.