Excellent Video Depicting the Fall of Man

A friend of mine sent me this video this week.  It is an artistic and creative depiction (using paints and poetry) of the fall of man, and it is powerful!  Please take the time to view it, and may it draw you to Jesus in gratitude and fire you up to “put on the full armor of God” (Ephesians 6:11) and take your stand in this spiritual battle we are in.

Click here to view video:  http://vimeo.com/11555977

Jesus Lives by Sarah Young

 

When I was given Jesus Calling by Sarah Young as a gift six years ago, it was as if I had uncovered a treasure chest of gold.  Not much has changed now that I’ve read her newest book, Jesus Lives. 

Second in a series of devotionals unlike any that I’ve ever read before, Jesus Lives is written from the perspective of our loving Savior, as if Jesus Himself were speaking words of comfort directly to the heart of your need.  Each page tackles another issue, a struggle perhaps, in the Christian walk–topics such as trust, endurance, adversity, peace, assurance, and intimacy with Jesus, to name a few.  Each devotional is followed by several Scripture verses that support each day’s reading. 

The author herself says, “We will experience many losses over the years, but the one thing we cannot live without is the one thing we can never lose–Jesus’ loving Presence.  Even this great truth, however, many not be enough to carry us confidently through our toughest times, unless it is accompanied by experiential knowledge of Jesus.”

Without any hesitation, I give this book a full 5 stars.  If you are looking to really get to know Jesus experientially or you want to hear Him speak directly to your soul and quiet your fearful heart as only He can, I encourage you to read Jesus Lives by Sarah Young. 

You can check out the details of this book and order it at Thomas Nelson Publishers, where I am a Book Review Blogger - http://brb.thomasnelson.com/

Spring and Summer Smoothies

Ok, because you got such a big laugh out of the “What About Bob” clip from my last blog, I’m including another one of my favorites here.  This one has no relevance to today’s blog, but is purely medicine for the soul.  (Click “Continue Reading” below to open up full page and view the video)

Another one of those “mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm, mmmmmmmmmmmmm” moments happen (see blog I’m referring to here) when I make my 5 year old his favorite smoothie, perfect for these hot spring and summer months.  And the best part?  Inside are hidden all sorts of healthy ingredients that he can’t even taste!

1 frozen banana (peeled)

Frozen strawberries (to taste)–approximately 5

Frozen blueberries (to taste)–approximately 3/4 cup

Rice Dream rice milk (to consistency he/she enjoys)–approximately 1-2 cups

Protein powder–I have discovered Garden of Life’s Raw Protein–it’s from the company of Dr. Jordan Rubin, who brought himself back from incurable Crohn’s disease with diet and then went on to obtain doctoral degrees in nutrition, teaching others how to reach optimum health.  This raw, organic, vegan protein has all the essential amino acids as well as enzymes and probiotics. 

Coconut Oil–1-2 tablespoons–Many in the nutritional community are saying that coconut oil is one of the best things you can add to your daily diet. . .cook with it, add it to smoothies, or eat it right off the spoon!

Although this is the entire list of what we add to our smoothies so far, you can also throw in flax seed or psyllium husk (excellent sources of fiber), fruit-sweetened yogurt (if there are no lactose intolerances), or any supplements from capsule form that you open up and sprinkle in (as opposed to having the child swallow a pill).  For example, we are beginning our son on Quercetin/Bromelain to help with these miserable springtime allergies, and sprinkling the powder from the capsules into his smoothie is exactly how we plan to get him to take those.

Enjoy!