No-Soap Challenge

No-Soap Challenge

I started the “No-Poo” challenge last April 28 and at the same time i started the “No-Soap” challenge. Its been great! It is only a challenge during the first 2 weeks, but as time passes it becomes a way of life.

The Disadvantages of Soap http://www.soapalternatives.com/benefits.php
Soap is the simplest type of surface-active agent - surfactant - and works by making fat and oil water-soluble and easily removed by wiping or washing. Made from fatty acid salts, soaps clean by reducing the surface tension of your skin with anionic agents such as carboxylate, sulfonate and sulfate ions which are potential irritants.
At one time, it was thought soaps caused irritation by removing only fat from the outermost layer of the skin, but research indicates that soaps damage affects both the fat and protein structures of this top layer. This can cause unpleasant skin reactions and lead to a rougher skin texture. More bad news: the soap salts that emulsify dirt and oil are by nature alkaline and will raise the skin’s acidic pH as well as provoke swelling of the skin surface. Some studies have shown long-term use of a neutral or alkaline surfactant, such as soap, can increase the amount of bacteria on the skin, while swelling can lead to cellular damage or even breakage. Soap salts can also remove natural moisturizing factors and disrupt the skin’s protective barrier. The fatty acids in soap can have harmful effects too, by plugging follicles (pores) and causing acne.
No-Soap Advantage
-hair and skin softer than ever before
-hair less greasy than before
-saving money

I use Baking Soda for my hair and body and i feel very clean.My hair and skin is very soft. I used to get allergies from an unknown source and now its gone. For almost a month now i have not had an allergy attack.

Oh after i take a shower i use Virgin Coconut Oil as a moisturizer. I stopped using lotions.

Taking the "No-Poo" challenge

No-Poo means No Shampoo..

I'm now trying to get into a more simple way of consuming products that are 1st healthy to my own body and eventually contributing my lifestyle to a healthier environment for everyone. After all, aren't we called to be part of God's redemption?

This is a challenge to simply  not wash your hair with the toxic, chemical-laden, store-bought shampoo that damages the hair and strips it of natural oils and leads to all kinds of diseases in the long run, like cancer.

Suggested "new" way of washing hair:

Dump one to two tablespoons of baking soda in a container (those they use for coloring)
Add to it a cup or so of hot water.
Shake until the baking soda is dissolved.
Pour it in small amounts over my scalp, thoroughly massaging the portion of the scalp that the baking-soda-water hits, until it feels slippery (at first it will feel gritty).
Continue the pouring and massaging until my whole head feels slippery.

Rinse thoroughly. It should feel squeaky clean now.

To condition the Hair:
U can use Lemon Juice
or Apple Cider Vinegar (this can have vinegar smell)
or White Vinegar (no smell) a small dab of coconut oil

Rinse thoroughly. It should feel silky soft now.

Saved by Grace not by works

Woke up this morning like any other morning, I pray, I get my bible and read a chapter or two. Today was somewhat mundane yet special. 
I came across one of my favorite verse in the bible. 
 Ephesians 2:8-9 
God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.  Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.(NLT)
I know this verse by heart, the gift of Salvation! ... but this morning I got to notice the verse after.. 
Epheisans 2:10
 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
It explains the product after receiving the gift of Salvation through faith. "He has created us anew in Christ Jesus." Being re-created in Christ.. (or born-again, re-birth,etc) "so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago." A plan He made, for His glory and I can be a part of, by being me.
So I am a new creation in Christ, I just do good works. Its my new nature now, nothing to brag to God about, not to myself and others. A revelation that I don't have to feel guilty if I have done enough. 
Have a great Spring season.. wohoo!! Its a new season..


 Has Christianity Failed You? 
Who Made God?: And Answers to Over 100 Other Tough Questions of Faith 
 

I have a choice to be Better or Bitter

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. ¹⁰ That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Great words of Paul... Delighting  in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. Not being bitter but BETTER! For when we delight in God's grace we are made STRONG (better).

Bitterness is neither consistent nor rational. A bitter person is his own worst enemy. It is very difficult to maintain any kind of relationship with a chronically bitter person; and bitterness is a major contributing cause of marital and family problems.

The Results of Bitterness

• Bitterness is antisocial. A bitter person is selfish, inconsiderate of others, withdrawn from society, indifferent or adverse to conformity with conventional standards of social behavior. Even strangers avoid bitter people, Prov. 14:10. No one is happy around bitter people.
  
• Bitterness is a sign of the fragmented life, Jer. 2:19.
  
• A bitter person rejects Bible teaching. James 3:14, "But if you have bitter jealousy and strife, stop being arrogant and lying against the truth."
  
• Bitterness shows total lack of grace orientation. A bitter person does not understand the Plan of God, let alone how it affects individuals. In Job. 9:17-18, Job's complaint against God. "Why does God let this happen to me", is a statement of bitterness.
  
• Bitterness accompanies the sin unto death, Job. 21:25.
  
• Bitterness motivates complaining, Job 7:11, 10:1. People who habitually complain are bitter people; they have no self esteem.
  
• Bitterness motivates gossip, Psalm 64:3
  
• Bitterness fragments other peoples lives. Heb 12:15, "See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God and that no root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by it many be defiled.
  
• Bitterness is self induced misery, and it produces chain sinning. Bitterness is misery to others in the periphery. But two wrongs never make a right. You cannot build your happiness on someone else's unhappiness.

 FREEDOM

The Holy Spirit fills you and controls your life when you have no unconfessed sin in your life. You can trust the Holy Spirit to reveal sin to you when you commit it, or even before. When the Holy Spirit in control, He produces His fruit (Gal. 5:12). The fruit of the Spirit does not include heaviness, bitterness, discouragement, disillusion, anguish, sadness, dejection, or loss of productivity. Consider these points:

o Love is free from bitterness.

o Joy pushes bitterness out.

o Bitterness can not coexist with peace in the soul of the believer filled with the Holy spirit.

o Longsuffering gives the ability to deal with bitterness and other troubles.

o Gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance are fruits of righteousness, which is divine good. Divine good takes the place of bitterness.

Friends we can choose Grace ... we can be better!

Motivation

The definition of motivation is to give reason, incentive, enthusiasm, or interest that causes a specific action or certain behavior. To empower you and set you on track to achieving your goals.
There are 2 ways to motivate us:
1.Mastery- the more we practice and master our skills the more we will enjoy and have fun. We can experiment, be creative and grow in what God has already given us.
2.Purpose-   Mat 5:13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

John 1:4 In Jesus was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
 Motivation and Personality Motivation and Personality 2nd Edition Psychology for the Curious: Sensation, Perception, Motivation, Emotion, Cognition, Brain and Behavior, Learning, Memory, Consciousness, Personality, Psychopathology, ... Psychology and Deviance, Scientific Method

Enjoy practice and be who God made you to be SALT and LIGHT to a dark hurting world!

Happy New 2011 Message

Before: "I long for the day when.... I reach my goals and aspirations."

I love to day dream and imagine where God will take me.. I hang on to one of my life verse .... Ephesians 3:20 Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.
For years and years I hang on to "what I can think or imagine" as if God will magically make it happen. Its like some mantra I can conjure and create something out of nothing. However in the past few months I realize, the real work is knowing and trusting God Himself. The context of Paul’s prayer is found in the previous verses Ephesians 3:14-19  When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father,  the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

Now: "I am here today excited and trusting the One who is truly in control"

Psalm 119:105 Your word is like a lamp for my feet and a light for my path.  God will show a glimpse of a distant scene but wants us to live our life today. The word trust is believing yet not seeing ...Our LORD promises a lamp unto our feet, not a crystal ball into the future.  We do not need to know what will happen tomorrow.  We only need to know that He leads us and we will find grace to help us when we need it.

I still believe in the destiny God has prepared for me, the good works in advance. I am super excited to work and plant on the ground He has set before me.

Happy New Year to all!!

Hidden Meaning .. Christmas Carol..

From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics. 

It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church. Each element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality which the children could remember.

-The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ.

-Two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments.

-Three French hens stood for faith, hope and love. 

-The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John. 

-The five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament. 

-The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation. 

-Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit--Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership, and Mercy. 

-The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes. 

-Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit--Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness,Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control. 

-The ten lords a-leaping were the ten commandments. 

-The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples. 

-The twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in the Apostles' Creed.

 

by: Larvern Riley

True Faith

Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.” James 2:18

At first glance, this verse seems to contradict Romans 3:28, “We are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law.”

Deeper investigation, however, shows that the teachings of James and Paul are not at odds. While it is true that our good deeds can never earn salvation, true faith always results in a changed life and good deeds. Paul speaks against those who try to be saved by deeds instead of true faith; James speaks against those who confuse mere intellectual assent with true faith.

After all, even demons know who Jesus is, but they don’t obey him.

True faith involves a commitment of your whole self to God.

Laverne Riley

I always wondered why our famous nursery rhymes end in tragedy?

I always wondered why our famous nursery rhymes end in tragedy? 

I was reading this website http://www.rhymes.org.uk 

The history and origins of most nursery rhymes reflect events in history and where available we have included both the meanings, history and origins of everyone's favourite nursery rhymes. Two examples of these types of nursery rhymes history and origins are 'Ring a Ring o Rosies' which refers to the Bubonic plague and 'Remember Remember' nursery rhymes which allude to Guy Fawkes' foiled attempt to blow up the English Houses of Parliament! Many of the words and nursery rhymes lyrics were used to parody the royal and political events of the day, direct dissent would often be punishable by death! Strange how these events in history are still portrayed through children's nursery rhymes, when for most of us the historical events relationship to the nursery rhymes themselves are long forgotten! 

Here are examples:

Hush bye Baby

Hush a bye baby, on the tree top,
When the wind blows the cradle will rock;
When the bow breaks, the cradle will fall,
And down will come baby, cradle and all.   

London bridge is falling down

London Bridge is falling down,
Falling down, falling down,
London Bridge is falling down,
My fair Lady.

Georgie Porgie 

Georgie Porgie pudding and pie,
Kissed the girls and made them cry
When the boys came out to play,

Georgie Porgie ran away. 

Humpty Dumpty

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the King's horses, And all the King's men
Couldn't put Humpty together again

Goosey Goosey Gander

Goosey Goosey Gander where shall I wander,
Upstairs, downstairs and in my lady's chamber
There I met an old man who wouldn't say his prayers,
I took him by the left leg and threw him down the stairs.

Jack and Jill

Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water
Jack fell down and broke his crown
And Jill came tumbling after.
Up got Jack, and home did trot
As fast as he could caper
He went to bed and bound his head
With vinegar and brown paper.  

Little Bo Peep

Little Bo peep has lost her sheep
And doesn't know where to find them.
Leave them alone and they'll come home,
Bringing their tails behind them.
Little Bo peep fell fast asleep
And dreamt she heard them bleating,
But when she awoke, she found it a joke,
For they were all still fleeting.
Then up she took her little crook
Determined for to find them.
She found them indeed, but it made her heart bleed,
For they left their tails behind them.
It happened one day, as Bo peep did stray
Into a meadow hard by,
There she espied their tails side by side
All hung on a tree to dry.
She heaved a sigh, and wiped her eye,
And over the hillocks went rambling,
And tried what she could,
As a shepherdess should,

Dangers of drinking SODA

I used to drink at least one can of soda, esp diet soda...but i now stopped! its so addictive.. here are my reasons..
Here’s what’s in Soda Pop:
Phosphoric Acid: May interfere with the body's ability to use calcium, which can lead to osteoporosis or softening of the teeth and bones. Phosphoric acid also neutralizes the hydrochloric acid in your stomach, which can interfere with digestion, making it difficult to utilize nutrients.

Sugar: Soft drink manufacturers are the largest single user of refined sugar in the United States. It is a proven fact that sugar increases insulin levels, which can lead to high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, diabetes, weight gain, premature aging and many more negative side effects. Most sodas include over 100 percent of the RDA of sugar.

Aspartame: This chemical is used as a sugar substitute in diet soda. There are over 92 different health side effects associated with aspartame consumption including brain tumors, birth defects, diabetes, emotional disorders and epilepsy/seizures. Further, when aspartame is stored for long periods of time or kept in warm areas it changes to methanol, an alcohol that converts to formaldehyde and formic acid, which are known carcinogens.

Bone Weakening
Animal studies demonstrate that phosphorus, a common ingredient in soda, can deplete bones of calcium.
And two recent human studies suggest that girls who drink more soda are more prone to broken bones. The industry denies that soda plays a role in bone weakening.
Animal studies -- mostly involving rats -- point to clear and consistent bone loss with the use of cola beverages. But as scientists like to point out, humans and rats are not exactly the same.
Even so, there's been concern among the research community, public health officials and government agencies over the high phosphorus content in the US diet. Phosphorus -- which occurs naturally in some foods and is used as an additive in many others -- appears to weaken bones by promoting the loss of calcium. With less calcium available, the bones become more porous and prone to fracture.
The soft drink industry argues that the phosphoric acid in soda pop contributes only about 2 percent of the phosphorus in the typical US diet, with a 12-ounce can of soda pop averaging about 30 milligrams.
There's growing concern that even a few cans of soda today can be damaging when they are consumed during the peak bone-building years of childhood and adolescence. A 1996 study published in the Journal of Nutrition by the FDA's Office of Special Nutritionals noted that a pattern of high phosphorus/low calcium consumption, common in the American diet, is not conducive to optimizing peak bone mass in young women.
A 1994 Harvard study of bone fractures in teenage athletes found a strong association between cola beverage consumption and bone fractures in 14-year-old girls. The girls who drank cola were about five times more likely to suffer bone fractures than girls who didn't consume soda pop.
Besides, to many researchers, the combination of rising obesity and bone weakening has the potential to synergistically undermine future health. Adolescents and kids don't think long-term. But what happens when these soft-drinking people become young or middle-aged adults and they have osteoporosis, sedentary living and obesity?
By that time, switching to water, milk or fruit juice may be too little, too late.
Research presented at an American Diabetes Association gathering this summer found that women who went from drinking less than one, non-diet soda a day to one or more daily sodas were nearly twice as likely to develop type 2 diabetes over a four-year period as women who drank less than one soft during a day. (The women who drank more soda also gained more weight over the same period.)
A study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism suggested that fructose, a sweetener found naturally in fruit juice and typically used in concentrated amounts in soft drinks, may induce a hormonal response in the body that promotes weight gain.
Soft Drinks, especially light-colored drinks, and canned iced tea appear to “aggressively” erode teeth enamel in laboratory tests—and it didn’t matter whether they were diet drinks or regular ones, according to a study published in General Dentistry.
Meals on Wheels: A Handbook on Food and Drink Made Simple
Big Train Blended Ice Coffee, Heath Mocha, 2.8-Ounce Bags (Pack of 25)

The Benefits of Negative Ions

"Economy Daily News" - January 30, 2002
It is well known that consuming more alkaline foods, i.e. fruits and vegetables, is beneficial to human health. An acidic PH balance of the body, on the other hand, makes the body weak and susceptible to sickness. Acidification of the blood, which is caused by the loss of electrons, can be prevented by Negative Electric Ions which contains an abundant amount of electrons improving the body's immunity and resistance to illnesses. This is the reason Negative Electric Ions products are becoming more and more popular nowadays.

Metabolism, which is the process of acquiring nutrients from the blood and excreting waste out of the body, is extremely important to the human cells. The more Negatively Charged Electric Ions there are in the blood, the more efficient the cell's metabolism process.

On the contrary, the more Positively Charged Ions there are in the blood, the slower and less efficient the cell's metabolism. This causes the body's cells to become weak and the body will tend to get sick more easily and aged faster.

An experiment was conducted on electric ions and the permeability of the cell membrane. In the experiment, skin was used to exemplify the cell membrane. When positively charged ions were permeated into the surface of the skin, its pores and sweat glands began to contract. However, when Negative Electric Ions were permeated into the surface of the skin, its pores and sweat glands expanded, which demonstrates good metabolism of the cell membranes. This is phenomenon is called Prototype Plasma Membranes of Dermal Reflectivity. Dr. Arudoman of Germany also conducted a research regarding the influence of ions to the human body. He proposed the following hypothesis - Negatively Charged Ions are beneficial to the human body in four major ways: It helps to strengthen the functions of autonomic nerves, reinforces collagen (tissues that are resilient and tension-related), improves the permeability of the cell's prototype plasma membranes (improves metabolism), and strengthens the body's immune system.

The human body is surrounded by ions; therefore, the function of electrons inside and outside the cells has significant influence on the human body. It makes the body strong if good ions are taken. When the amount of Negative Electric Ions contained one c.c. of air inhaled reached 5,000 to 50,000, it strengthens the body's resistance and immunity; and when the amount of Negative Electric Ions contained in one c.c. of air reached 100,000 to 500,000, it relieves illnesses. Negatively Charged Electric Ions in our body are essential in sustaining and improving our health. Whereas 85% of the Negative Electric Ions are absorbed from our skin, only 15% is inhaled and absorbed through our lungs. (quoted from page 56 of Negatively Charged electric Ion Treatment, issued by Youth Publishing)

Production and Neutralization of Negative Ions and Beams: Eighth International Symposium/Production and Application of Light Negative Ions: Seventh European ... (AIP Conference Proceedings) (v. 439) 

Negative ions are beneficial to human body in four major ways:
Reprinted from "Economy Daily News" - January 30, 2002

• Strengthen the functions of autonomic nerves
• Reinforces collagen (tissues that are resilient and tension-related)
• Improves the permeability of the cell's prototype plasma membranes (improves metabolism)
• Strengthens the body's immune system 

LightAir IonFlow 50 Surface Air Purifier