Session Notes

A Love Letter From Your Father – Grace Walk Ministries:::Sharing the Love & Life of Christ:

” I will do something new. Do you want to see it? I will make a way when there is no way. (43:18-19) I will go before you and make the rough places smooth. I will shatter the barriers that block your way and will give you treasures, wealth from secret places so that you will know that it is I, the Lord God “

This is so inspiring!!! I pray Jesus’ Spirit continues to teach us, our family, friends, clients, and world it!

Kudzu Christians – Grace Walk Ministries:::Sharing the Love & Life of Christ:

” until we receive glorified bodies, we each possess the power of indwelling sin in our bodies. (See Romans 7:21-23) As we trust Christ at each moment, His life empowers us to walk in victory. However, when we fail to depend on Him, we yield ourselves to the power of sin.”

The is a very good article on God revealing healing. However it needs to be read in light of Jesus taking away sin and it’s power by us being open to it/Him by faith. May it be so that we depend of Jesus every moment to experience the victory.

wittenburgdoor.com

Several recent studies have shown the limited effectiveness of abstinence programs, leading many to the conclusion that we have simply set the bar too high for the advanced libido of today’s average teen. Our young people already face enough stresses in life without adding unnecessary ones. Churches should be building up our future leaders, not crushing them under a load of guilt. The answer to this problem is both clear and simple: If the expectations can’t be met, then lower the standards. Though we have already learned this principle in the arena of public education, once again, the Church is slow to catch on.

Jesus Himself said “My burden is light.”

That’s why we are proud to offer a “lite” version, or re-visioning of a popular abstinence program. We confront specific areas in which previous abstinence methods have failed, and offer exciting options.

Thanks Kathy for pointing this out…

Some links just don’t deserve to be hidden in the comments… Yes, it’s a parody — but it’s just as real as the insanity of purity ball/ring thing.

On the one side, we have Fundamentalist Evangelicalism — with their useless shame and purity balls. On the other we have the liberal left — with teachings that (Though well hidden) really do sound allot like the above link.

Seems either is so much better then addressing the real issue: Shame, guilt, fear and shattered relationship — you know, things WE WOULD actually have to change instead of just hammering our kids…

When We Feel Nothing – Grace Walk Ministries:::Sharing the Love & Life of Christ:

“hen we feel nothing, God’s grace shines brightest. It’s one thing to trust Him when everything is going our way, but when circumstances close in on us, trusting Him is evidence of supernatural grace flowing through us. Do you find yourself not feeling the ‘joy of the Lord’ the way you want? If so, be assured you’re at a place where the current of grace can run deeper and wider than usual in you. Whether you feel His presence or not, just trust Him. Be assured that He knows the path you are walking and He is quietly walking it with you. Cling to Jesus and know that the Sun will shine again for one simple reason – Great is His faithfulness.  ”

I pray the spirit would teach us/the world the comfort of His grace in our painful times.

Just Play – Grace Walk Ministries:::Sharing the Love & Life of Christ:

“Joyfully embrace every day and live with the certainty that your Father’s heart is set on you and on the purpose of thrilling you with His love. Let Him love the bondage of adulthood from your heart until it is filled only with a childlike attitude that trusts Him and embraces the world with enthusiasm.”

This is a great article that highlights the faith we are to have like some aspects children possess. May it be so that we, our family, friends, clients, and the world allow THE SPIRIT to facilitate it rather than try to get the understanding ourselves.

abcnews.com

At least nine out of 10 Americans, men and women alike, have had premarital sex, says a new report. And premarital sex isn’t new — the high rates include the sexual habits of women born in the 1940s, challenging the idea that sexual behaviors used to be more restrained.Sex has apparently become something of a young American habit. “It’s hard to stop the evolution of that urge,” said Judy Kuriansky, a sex therapist, media personality and adjunct professor of psychology at Columbia University Teachers College in New York.The report, published by the private Guttmacher Institute in New York, challenges the thinking behind government-funded programs that rely primarily on abstinence-only teachings. The study, released Tuesday, appears in the new issue of Public Health Reports.

So to summarize, everyone is having premarital sex. All the Christians are having premarital sex too — even those subjected to purity balls and purity rings. In fact, it matters not at all what race, sex or religion the persons hold, they are all having every sort of sex and the only reason they are not having babies all over the place is that, in spite of the US government and abstinence education, more and more of them have figured out contraception.

Oh ya, and 5% of Americans apparently lie on anonymous surveys about having sex…

Zinc Food Sources:

” zinc helps in the production of about 100 enzymes in your body, builds you a healthy immune system, maintains your senses of smell and taste and is needed for DNA synthesis. Foods Containing Zinc Zinc is very much associated with protein foods. Thus, you may assume that most foods high in zinc are protein-rich as well. The best sources of zinc include beef, lamb, pork, crabmeat, turkey, chicken, lobster, clams and salmon. If you are a vegetarian, you will most probably intake less zinc that those who have meat-based diets. Good zinc food sources aside from meats are dairy products such as milk and cheese, yeast, peanuts, beans, and wholegrain cereals, brown rice, whole wheat bread, potato and yogurt. Of all these vegetarian zinc foods, pumpkin seeds offer one of the most concentrated non-meat food sources of zinc. “

Hemochromatosis: Tests and diagnosis – MayoClinic.com:

“Blood tests At any stage — even before symptoms appear — doctors can detect iron overload with two blood tests: Serum transferrin saturation. This test measures the amount of iron bound to a protein (transferrin) that carries iron in your blood. Transferrin saturation values greater than 45 percent are considered too high. Serum ferritin. This test measures the amount of iron stored in your body. If the results of your serum transferrin saturation test are higher than normal, your doctor will check your serum ferritin. Because a number of infectious and inflammatory conditions other than hereditary hemochromatosis can cause elevated ferritin, both tests are needed to diagnose the disorder. You may need the tests repeated for the most accurate results.”

Hemochromatosis:

“What are the symptoms of hemochromatosis? Joint pain is the most common complaint of people with hemochromatosis. Other common symptoms include fatigue, lack of energy, abdominal pain, loss of sex drive, and heart problems. However, many people have no symptoms when they are diagnosed. If the disease is not detected and treated early, iron may accumulate in body tissues and eventually lead to serious problems such as arthritis liver disease, including an enlarged liver, cirrhosis, cancer, and liver failure damage to the pancreas, possibly causing diabetes heart abnormalities, such as irregular heart rhythms or congestive heart failure impotence early menopause abnormal pigmentation of the skin, making it look gray or bronze thyroid deficiency damage to the adrenal glands [Top] How is hemochromatosis diagnosed? A thorough medical history, physical examination, and routine blood tests help rule out other conditions that could be causing the symptoms. This information often provides helpful clues, such as a family history of arthritis or unexplained liver disease. Blood tests can determine whether the amount of iron stored in the body is too high. The transferrin saturation test reveals how much iron is bound to the protein that carries iron in the blood. Transferrin saturation values higher than 45 percent are considered too high. The total iron binding capacity test measures how well your blood can transport iron, and the serum ferritin test shows the level of iron in the liver. If either of these tests shows higher than normal levels of iron in the body, doctors can order a special blood test to detect the HFE mutation, which will confirm the diagnosis. If the mutation is not present, hereditary hemochromatosis is not the reason for the iron buildup and the doctor will look for other causes. A liver biopsy may be needed, in which case a tiny piece of liver tissue is removed and examined with a microscope. The biopsy will show how much iron has accumulated in the liver and whether the liver is damaged. Hemochromatosis is considered rare and doctors may not think to test for it. Thus, the disease is often not diagnosed or treated. “

Nutritional Sources of Iron:

“Food Sources of Iron: Almonds Apricots Avocados Beets (and greens) Black cherries Blackstrap molasses Brewer’s yeast Broccoli, raw Cereals Chicken Cocoa powder Cod Dates Dried fruit Dulse Eggs Enriched breads Fish Green leafy vegetables Haddock Kelp Kidney beans Lentils Lima beans Liver Meat Millet Offal Peaches Pears Peas, fresh, cooked Poultry Prunes (dried) Pumpkins Raisins Rice and wheat bran Sesame seeds Shellfish Soybeans Spinach, raw, chopped Sunflower seeds Turkey Watercress Wheat bran Whole grains   Herb Sources of Iron: Alfalfa Burdock root Catnip Cayenne Chamomile Chickweed Chicory Dandelion Dong Quai Eyebright Fennel seed Fenugreek Horsetail Kelp Lemongrass Licorice Milk thistle seed Mullein Nettle Oat straw Oysters Paprika Parsley Peppermint Plantain Raspberry leaf Rose hips Sarsaparilla Shepherd’s purse Uva ursi Yellow dock  ”