I’ve been working on a “philosophy” of health and nutrition to post on Anne’s Health Place. Here is my first draft, and I’d love comments from you. Am I missing anything? Is anything worded too vaguely? (I’m not thinking that everyone will agree with all these points… and that’s okay! But is it clear? Easy to understand?) Thanks so much for your input!

<< clipped from http://www.anneshealthplace.com/philosophy.shtml >>

When you visit a health website, it’s nice to quickly find out what the author believes, so you can see if it’s a good fit for your style or not. Let’s face it… we’re not all the same, are we? Your family won’t have exactly the same health beliefs as mine, but you’re searching for information. You’re willing to grow and learn new things, right? Same here.

Here are the basic beliefs that we base our decisions on in our home:

• We believe in a Creator God, and we believe in the Bible as God’s revealed will for us. If you’re not a believer, you’re still welcome here — but we thought you’d want to know that we don’t believe in evolution and other non-biblical things here.
• We believe God made green plants for our food and good health (Genesis 1:29-30). When those green plants still have their God-given enzymes and nutrients in them, they will be healthier for us. For that reason, we try to eat a lot of “raw” foods that still have enzymes in them.
• We also believe that some green plants are just easier for our bodies to digest when they’re cooked, so we eat a lot of soups and cooked veggies in our home. Since we don’t believe that man evolved over many years but rather were created on the sixth day by God (and were intelligent enough to have fire, became farmers immediately, etc.), cooking is okay with us.
• We’re not vegetarians. Eating only plants has its place (maybe for short-term health reasons), but we believe that God directed mankind to eat animals for our protection and benefit after the global flood of Noah’s time (which, of course, we believe was a true, historical event). So we eat animal products in our home, for our health.
• We believe that the entire Bible is for our benefit and instruction, not just certain portions. Therefore, when God told Noah (and later, Israel, and later, the church) not to eat unclean meat with the lifeblood still in it, we believe that was for their health and benefit. That’s why we don’t eat pork, shellfish, and other “unclean” foods that scavenge and eat blood.
• We try to eat food in a form that is as close to how God created it as possible. That means we try to avoid factory-produced food, opting instead for making as much of our food from scratch as we can. While we’re NOT perfect in this (and you need to know that, in case you should ever visit), it’s a goal we’re constantly working towards.
• Our final point? We aren’t perfect! We’re sinners, imperfect, and bumbling idiots on many days. That’s why we still get sick and will eventually die. It would be wonderful to live to be hundreds of years old, wouldn’t it? But rather than making immortality our goal, we’re striving instead to have as good of a quality of life as we can for the years that our God will give us, so that we can serve Him, living with thanksgiving, love, and joy — and being okay with it if God should decide to take us home earlier than we liked. Only through the redemption that is in our Savior Jesus Christ can we have that peace and joy. Our satisfaction comes through Him, not in our own ability to eat right or try to reach other forms of self-fulfillment.

That sums it up, as best as we can. Read more about the steps we’ve taken for good health here.

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My ezine is online this week, rather than hosted here on my blog. You can only view it for a few weeks, then it will disappear, but it’s got some great stuff. I went through each of my websites and compiled the best articles from the last eleven years. The topic is parenting, and I think you’ll love it.

>> Click here to view it.

Also, in honor of the publication of our book, The Four Foundations of Lifelong Learning: Preparing Your Little Ones for School, all of our printed books and curriculum will be on sale for the entire month of March! This includes all of our Bible curriculum and P.E. curriculum. Enjoy!

To receive your discount, be sure to enter coupon code “IDES” at checkout.*

*Disclaimer: Enter coupon code ‘ IDES ‘ during checkout and save 10% off the purchase price. Discount cannot be used to pay for, nor shall be applied to, applicable taxes or shipping and handling charges. Maximum amount that may be applied to discount is $10.00 per account. Promotional codes cannot be applied to any previous orders. No exchanges or substitutions allowed. Only one valid promotional code may be used per order. Offer expires March 31, 2010 at 11:59 PM EDT. Lulu.com reserves the right to change or revoke this offer at any time. Void where prohibited. Offer Expires: March 31, 2010

“Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation” (Hebrews 13:7, KJV).

I had a fun week in homeschooling, a monumental week really. My children and I got a school room of our own! For 9 years of school, we’ve been using the dining room as our “school room,” which is fine — but my husband is so neat and tidy (and I’m not naturally so at all), so it’s always a struggle to return the dining room back to its original purpose at the end of each day. In addition, I have always wished for a place to hang a white board, maps, charts, and other “schoolish” things. Maybe not all mothers feel this way, but it’s always been a secret desire of mine. (Again, I love our decor, but it is sometimes hard to teach in an environment of pretty things in… well… a dining room!)

But I digress…

Now we have a room dedicated just to school time. One of my favorite things is indeed hanging teaching aids on the walls. We were listening to an audio by Andrew Pudewa, of the Institute for Excellence in Writing, where he describes many of the values of having visual aids on the walls to help with memorization.

One of the devices we’ve been using is to make charts of various mnemonic devices. The word mnemonic is Greek and means “to continually remember.” For instance, my son in algebra learned the mnemonic device “FOIL” for multiplying binomials. FOIL stands for First, Outer, Inner, Last — a way to remember which factors to multiply when.

In case you think I’ve completely forgotten our text for today, don’t worry. Mnemonic comes from the same Greek word as the one in our verse. Mnemoneuo or remember.

“Remember them which have the rule over you…”

I’ve always thought that this verse was talking about honoring my pastor or deacons. Later in Hebrews 13, we’ll read some verses that talk about ways to honor our leaders, but most commentators make the argument that the rulers mentioned in this verse are past rulers.

“Remember those who led you…” (NASB)

“Remember your former leaders…” (GNB)

One of the things we’ve been memorizing in our homeschool is the information on the front of the Veritas Press history cards, learning eight cards each week, as a framework of sorts to “hang” all our other history learning on. As mnemonic devices, or memory aids, they bring to our mind those Christian leaders who have gone before us. We remember the faith of John Knox of Scotland, for instance, and we learn about the people to whom he spoke the Word of God. We remember the faith of Calvin, Martin Luther — and even Abraham — and we remember that we are to follow their faith.

“And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground” (Hebrews 11:23-38, NIV).

One of our wall charts talks about kinds of verbs, and I can see two verbs in today’s verse: “Remember” and “follow.”

1. Remember — (“Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God…”) The words “have spoken” here aren’t referring to a sermon that is systematically and carefully arranged and delivered. They also aren’t referring to a single word, a hint of the gospel too casually mentioned on very rare occasions. Rather, “have spoken” is talking about an extended conversation that is characterized by strong emotions. Who is the leader who passionately argued in favor of the gospel with you, leading you to faith in God. Was it your mother and father? What about all the leaders who, down through the centuries, were so passionate for “Word of God” that they even gave their lives? How does their influence live on? Do we know? Do we even care?! And what mnemonic devices have we used to help us carefully remember them?
2. Follow — (”…whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation”) Why are we to so carefully remember our leaders, those who spoke to us the word of God? Because we are to follow in their footsteps. The word “conversation” in the King James Version means “behavior.” The “end” of their behavior is probably referring to the end of their lives, sometimes even in martyrdom. They were faithful to the literal end, when their physical lives were extinguished because of their consistent behavior. More sobering to me, though, is that the word “follow” doesn’t mean I should follow distantly in the shadows, hoping no one will see me (as Peter did at the trial of Jesus), but that I should “mimic” them, as Peter did at the end of his life, when tradition tells us he was crucified as Jesus was.

Who are your spiritual heroes? While we are to worship only God, we are told to “consider” (to stare intently at) the “behavior” and faith of those who have gone before us. They weren’t perfect people, but they were characterized by faith, by seeing the unseen and trusting the unseen God.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us” (Hebrews 12:1, NIV).

As mothers, we need to remember those who have gone before us, following their faith and godly behavior. We need concrete memory devices to help us do that, whether it be the study of the lives of great men and women in the Bible, in the pages of history, or in biographies and autobiographies.

Finally we need to follow their faith because little eyes are watching OUR faith! They are checking to see if our behavior will endure to the ends of our lives. Do we believe what we believe — enough to keep believing it until the end?

“…he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does” (James 1:6-8, NIV).

So I really did have a fun week in homeschooling. All my memory devices are neatly stored in wicker baskets on a shelf or hung up on the walls. As we study geography, our Latin verbs and Greek roots, our history cards, our Bible stories, and and our key-word outlines, I’m hoping that we’ll all remember why we’re studying so hard. May the seeds we plant during our school days bloom into strong plants that have the faith to endure until death, walking by faith.

If you’ve been following along again with our health classes, you’ll know that we’re at the end of our 8 sessions. In this last class, we take two full hours to tackle some of the most common health questions.

• What do I do if my family won’t eat better without a fight? I can fix the right stuff (oatmeal, whole wheat bread, veggie meals), but they won’t touch it or just complain — so I don’t try.
• How does exercise play a role in good health? I just don’t have enough energy to exercise.
• I weighed 140 pounds in high school. In 15 years I’ve gained enough weight that now I weigh over 300 pounds, and I don’t know where to start.
• What do I do if I’m eating things just because I’m emotionally upset?
• I’m allergic to everything, and it makes me miserable. What can I do? (Specifically, I have gluten sensitivity, chemical sensitivity, and seasonal allergies.)
• What do I do about vitiligo?
• What do I do about snoring?
• I’ve tried every diet there is … Maybe I haven’t given it enough time to change my body, but one would think I’d see more progress if I’m doing it right. Is something off balance? maybe thyroid?
• How do you find the right doctor or encourage your doctor to look for more answers before prescribing a drug?
• I was wondering about serving sizes, like how do I find out what a normal serving size is? My children eat as much as I do. Is that okay as long as it is healthy food?

There were many more questions answered over the course of the two hours, since this was a live call and guests could ask anything they wanted. It was a lot of fun! Click here to listen!

I’d love to hear your feedback from these classes. What could I do to improve them or make them more practical? What would you change? How have you been helped?

Thanks!

I found the following great links online this week, and I couldn’t help but share. Here they are, in no particular order:

• Telephone Rules — Have you ever thought about how much easier it is for classroom teachers to actually get a lesson done, without the phone ringing off the hook all day? No one is allowed to interrupt class unless it’s an emergency. In this article, Janice Campbell shares her rules for homeschooling with the telephone.

• Flirting 101 (for Married Women) — Married women should flirt — but only with their own husbands (of course!) Here are some fun ways to win the heart of your husband.

• Freedom in Following Rules — Many say that we are free in Christ, so free that we never have to obey any rules at all. Is this true? This author shares how God’s “rules” give freedom, just as the rules of a board game help us better enjoy the game.

• Coconut Recipes — I’m always on the look-out for more ways to get coconut into our diet, yet coconut is starting to feel a little boring to me. (Honestly, I was just thinking that this morning!) So I was excited to discover this page of recipes from Tropical Traditions, an excellent supplier of coconut oil.

I never dreamed how many topics could come out of one little Bible passage, but this week’s certainly had a lot of them! I wasn’t sure what to write about. Too many good possibilities here!

But I’m going to try to be as practical as possible. (If you want some of the deeper topics, just dig in. There’s a lot of treasure in these verses, if you’ll mine for it.)

As a review, though, we learned that “faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1). Faith is living my life in light of things that haven’t happened, that are in the future, and that I can’t see.

Today we read,

“Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,
‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’

So we say with confidence,
‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?’” (Hebrews 13:5-6).

Faith doesn’t look at material possessions; rather, faith looks at our Spiritual Provider.

God’s Provision

We are told to keep our lives free from the love of money. In Matthew 6, Jesus tells us that we can love money (the Hebrew word is “mammon”), or we can love God — but we can’t love both. We can either depend on earthly treasures to supply our needs, or we can depend on God to supply — but we can’t trust both.

We often forget that when we store up our treasures here on earth, our treasures can very quickly be lost. Moth and rust can destroy. Thieves can break in and steal.

Our pursuit of money, and the security that we think it will bring, becomes idol worship.

“They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator” (Romans 1:25).

Faith sees what can’t be seen, which is God’s faithful provision for all our needs. He feeds us. He clothes us.

“I was young and now I am old,
yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken
or their children begging bread” (Psalm 37:25).

So let’s get practical for a moment. When we worry, are we worshiping and serving created things rather than the Creator? We may say that we recognize God is our provider, but to prove that, we have to stop worrying.

“Unless the LORD builds the house,
its builders labor in vain.
Unless the LORD watches over the city,
the watchmen stand guard in vain.

In vain you rise early
and stay up late,
toiling for food to eat—
for he grants sleep to those he loves” (Psalm 127:1-2).

God’s Presence

God provides for our needs, but He goes even further and provides us with His very presence. The author of Hebrews quotes from the Old Testament here with God’s statement that “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).

This is truly an amazing promise! When God gave this promise to Joshua and the children of Israel as they were about to enter the Promised Land, they believed Him — long enough to conquer the city of Jericho. Oh, except for Achan, who forgot that God would never leave or forsake him… and so he stole some gold from the city… even though God had told them not to… but he forgot God was with Him… so he didn’t obey… then he was surprised when he was caught….

Hmmm. Do I ever forget that God will never leave or forsake me?

I’m quite happy He’s with me… when I’m having a problem, or I want a quick answer to prayer, or I want to get all emotionally wrapped up in my religious experiences.

It’s not as convenient to have an ever-present God when I don’t feel like obeying Him.

“Praise be to the LORD, who has given rest to his people Israel just as he promised. Not one word has failed of all the good promises he gave through his servant Moses. May the LORD our God be with us as he was with our fathers; may he never leave us nor forsake us. May he turn our hearts to him, to walk in all his ways and to keep the commands, decrees and regulations he gave our fathers. And may these words of mine, which I have prayed before the LORD, be near to the LORD our God day and night, that he may uphold the cause of his servant and the cause of his people Israel according to each day’s need, so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God and that there is no other. But your hearts must be fully committed to the LORD our God, to live by his decrees and obey his commands, as at this time” (1 Kings 8:56-61).

So which shows more faith? Prayer and religious experiences… or obedience to my Heavenly Father’s commands?

God’s Power

The hardest part for me is remembering God’s power. I start looking around at the power of man, and then I start to get afraid. I start to think of all the things that people could do to me, might say about me, might think of me. I’m sorry to say that it’s rare indeed that I “say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?‘” (Hebrews 13:6).

(Well, I might say it — but probably not with too much confidence!)

These verses are a quotation from Psalm 118, where the Psalmist wisely tells us,

“It is better to take refuge in the LORD
than to trust in man” (Ps. 118:8).

Faith sees what can’t be seen. It sees YHWH’s power, His presence, and His provision, and it takes refuge in Him.

I mean really, what can man do to me? I suppose my husband could lose his job… but Who has promised to always feed and clothe me? I suppose I could get sick, but Who gives me breath so that I can praise Him? I suppose someone could persecute me because of my faith, but Who has promised to give me life at the last day? I mean really, what can man do to me?

If you’re ever tempted to skip reading the Bible verses on blogs, don’t skip these. They’re good enough to believe!

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:

‘For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.’

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:28-39).

Those are shouting words! Hallelujah!

If we’ll just have faith to see what we can’t see.

Maybe it was because we were married young, or maybe it was because we hadn’t learned to trust God very well with our money… but for whatever reason, we had a rough start money-wise to our marriage. We made lots of mistakes, and some of those mistakes are still haunting us today.

My husband and I are determined to teach our children how to handle money correctly… biblically! Here are some things we’re trying to emphasize in our home:

1. To acknowledge that God is our provider. Our jobs don’t provide for our needs; God provides for us. Our jobs are simply the stewardship given to us by God to advance the gospel in the world. We work because that’s what God created us to do. God provides for our physical needs. As we acknowledge God our provider, we work with excellence, we pray when we have needs, and we give back to God as a thank-you offering (tithe).
2. To manage well the resources entrusted to us by God. He wants us to be wise and faithful stewards of His resources. Therefore, we operate with a budget. We make purchases wisely and carefully and prayerfully. We take care of our belongings, since they really belong to God.
3. To be content. Since our God will faithfully supply our needs, we show our gratitude by being thankful for what He has given us, never turning material things into objects of worship. We don’t covet or envy what others have. We learn to wait patiently for God’s provision, rather than spending beyond our means.
4. To share. We recognize that as stewards of God’s world, sometimes we are to use our possessions to bless others. We look for ways to help the poor, orphans, and widows. We give first, before buying things for ourselves.

Several different homeschooling companies have authored curriculum to help us teach wise financial principles to our children. Here are some I’ve seen:

• Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace curriculum for elementary, high school and college students.
• Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace Jr. Kids for ages 3-12.
• Making and Managing Money for Teens, by Jeff and Kathy Brodock
• Saving with Kids ebook series, by Living on a Dime

Do you have some favorite curriculum? Leave a comment below, and tell us why you love them.

I’ve been sick a lot over the last year. That’s really frustrating! And embarrassing! Why embarrassing? Because I have a health website, that’s why! I’m supposed to always be healthy!

I know deep down that no one is always healthy, but I’ve asked myself many times why I still get sick, when I try to eat right and take the best herbs and read good books about health. Why, why, why?

As frustrating as it is, I can think of a few reasons:

1. I don’t always DO everything I know I SHOULD do. I still eat white bread at times (and more so when I’ve been sick, because I lack the energy to make as much from scratch). I stay up too late sometimes. When my body is worn out from a serious disease, I don’t have the room for error that a more healthy person would have. One mess-up, and I’ll feel it. Two mess-ups, and I’m sick. Three mess-ups, and… well, everyone around me regrets it! Am I ever going to be perfect? Not likely.
2. Even if I were close to perfect, I still struggle with a disease-filled body. My body is recovering, not starting from a blank slate. This means that sometimes it struggles with just living, let alone getting better. However, I’m inspired to keep trying so that my kids and husband, who have healthier bodies than I do, can have a healthier future.
3. I don’t know it all. Addison’s disease is really tricky, and some of the things (herbs, foods, etc.) that work well for others would really mess me up. For instance, I have found that kidney-cleansing herbs don’t agree with my body. I’m trying to figure out the science behind it, but I have a long ways to go. I could spend all day, every day, online researching my disease, but then I wouldn’t have time for anything else in life. It’s not good to get obsessed about health. It could easily become an idol to me.

So as much as my pride would like to stand here and announce that I’m the picture of perfect health, my weight is ideal, I never have acne, I have tons of endurance, and I never wake up on the wrong side of the bed — well, it just wouldn’t be the truth.

A Bible passage has been a huge encouragement to me:

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort” (2 Corinthians 1:3-7).

When I mess up, I’ve learned something that I can share with others. When I get sick, I can learn how to help others avoid it. When I struggle with something, I can relate to others who are having the same struggles. I can encourage and lift up others. That’s such a good thing! Maybe it’s the whole reason God put me on this earth.

P.S. Join us for our 7th free health class, called “Help for Us Humans.” We look at ways to avoid health problems, what to do when we DO get sick, and what God’s Word says about healing. I really talk from my heart in this class.

photo courtesy of istockphoto

I like fast and easy, and nothing is as fast or easy as pulled-beef sandwiches. I bought a beef chuck roast, and I browned it, then threw it in my crockpot with a cup of water. I let it cook on high for about 5 hours. Now it’s juicy, and I can easily pull it apart with a fork.

Now to make some delicious, homemade (and healthy) sauce:

• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon peanut butter
• 1 teaspoon celtic sea salt
• Juice of 1 lemon (about 1 tablespoon)
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1 tablespoon celery seed
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon raw sugar
• 2 tablespoons butter

I placed all these ingredients in a saucepan, then I brought it to a boil. Next, I simmered this for about 20 minutes. Finally, I added my cooked roast to the saucepan, shredding the meat with a fork while mixing it with the sauce. It’s ready to serve on crusty rolls. I’m serving mine with sauteed carrots and zucchini.

Wardeh Harmon, owner of the GNOWFGLINS™ blog, is getting ready to teach a 14-week course on how to cook healthy foods. I’m just so excited, I could scream!

I have a free course on nutrition over at Anne’s Health Place, and of course I think it’s a good course (wink), but several of you have mentioned that it’s long on theory and a little short on practical how-to. Well, Wardeh has come up with an excellent solution.

She is going to show us, with videos and handouts and everything, how to make soaked and sprouted breads, how to make beans correctly, how to make chicken stock, how to make simple dinners, how to make kefir and cheese and pickled foods (and other weird things, LOL), and even how to make sourdough bread!

Class members have a forum where we can ask each other questions. She’s made a list of equipment and supplies, and because I’m already slightly weird, I actually have almost everything in my house already. Best of all, she’s a believer, so she constantly gives God the credit for the wonderful food He made. No New-Age stuff here!

Did I mention that I can download the videos and watch them at my own convenience (probably while feeding my baby), so this is the ultimate in easy?

The course is priced at around $10 per class (not bad!), but if I can convince just two of you to sign up and take the class with me, I’ll get paid enough affiliate commission to cover my tuition. So there… shameless advertising! Seriously, though, if you have a blog or know a few friends who would appreciate the class, you could do the same and take the class for free.

She’s only taking enrollment applications until February 22. It’s a 5-month course, so if you miss the enrollment date, you’ll be waiting awhile.

Learn more about Wardeh’s Cooking Class

Oh, and here is a sneak peak at the class, on how to make soaked muffins:

I haven’t been this excited about something in a long time. I hope to see you in class!