(Author: John Piper)

1. Jesus Christ, as he is presented to us in the New Testament, and as he stands forth from all its writings, is too single and too great to have been invented so uniformly by all these writers.

The force of Jesus Christ unleashed these writings; the writings did not create the force. Jesus is far bigger and more compelling than any of his witnesses. His reality stands behind these writings as a great, global event stands behind a thousand newscasters. Something stupendous unleashed these diverse witnesses to tell these stunning and varied, yet unified, stories of Jesus Christ.

2. Nobody has ever explained the empty tomb of Jesus in the hostile environment of Jerusalem where the enemies of Jesus would have given anything to produce the corpse, but could not.

The earliest attempts to cover the scandal of resurrection were manifestly contradictory to all human experience‚Äîdisciples do not steal a body (Matthew 28:13) and then sacrifice their lives to preach a glorious gospel of grace on the basis of the deception. Modern theories that Jesus didn’t die but swooned, and then awoke in the tomb and moved the stone and tricked his skeptical disciples into believing he was risen as the Lord of the universe don’t persuade.

3. Cynical opponents of Christianity abounded where claims were made that many eyewitnesses were available to consult concerning the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.

“After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep” (1 Corinthians 15:6). Such claims would be exposed as immediate falsehood if they could. But we know of no exposure. Eyewitnesses of the risen Lord abounded when the crucial claims were being made.

4. The early church was an indomitable force of faith and love and sacrifice on the basis of the reality of Jesus Christ.

The character of this church, and the nature of the gospel of grace and forgiveness, and the undaunted courage of men and women—even unto death—do not fit the hypothesis of mass hysteria. They simply were not like that. Something utterly real and magnificent had happened in the world and they were close enough to know it, and be assured of it, and be gripped by its power. That something was Jesus Christ, as all of them testified, even as they died singing.

5. The prophesies of the Old Testament find stunning fulfillment in the history of Jesus Christ.

The witness to these fulfillments are too many, too diverse, too subtle and too interwoven into the history of the New Testament church and its many writings to be fabricated by some great conspiracy. Down to the details, Jesus Christ fulfilled dozens of Old Testament prophecies that vindicate his truth.

6. The witnesses to Jesus Christ who wrote the New Testament gospels and letters are not gullible or deceitful or demented.

This is manifest from the writings themselves. The books bear the marks of intelligence and clear-headedness and maturity and a moral vision that is compelling. They win our trust as witnesses, especially when all taken together with one great unifying, but distinctively told, message about Jesus Christ.

7. The worldview that emerges from the writings of the New Testament makes more sense out of more reality than any other worldview.

It not only fits the human heart, but also the cosmos and history and God as he reveals himself in nature and conscience. Some may come to this conclusion after much reflection, others may arrive at this conviction by a pre-reflective, intuitive sense of the deep suitability of Christ and his message to the world that they know.

8. When one sees Christ as he is portrayed truly in the gospel, there shines forth a spiritual light that is a self-authenticating.

This is “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God” (2 Corinthians 4:6), and it is as immediately perceived by the Spirit-awakened heart as light is perceived by the open eye. The eye does not argue that there is light. It sees light.

9. When we see and believe the glory of God in the gospel, the Holy Spirit is given to us so that the love of God might be “poured out in our hearts” (Romans 5:5).

This experience of the love of God known in the heart through the gospel of Him who died for us while we were yet ungodly assures us that the hope awakened by all the evidences we have seen will not disappoint us.

(First posted as a Taste & See Article in 1999)
Get more from John Piper here!

Green Chili
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:
3 oz. green mole
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 jalapenos, seeded
1 lb. ground turkey
1 lb. turkey sausage
1 large can tomatillos, drained
3 bunches green onions
1 garlic clove
1 tablespoon cumin
2 tablespoons dried cilantro
2 tablespoons dried parsley
2 cups pinto beans

Directions:
In a small food processor, blend the jalapenos. If you like a hotter chili, leave the seeds in, but you can reduce the number of seeds to suit your taste. Chop green onions and sauté with blended jalapeno and chopped garlic in olive oil for 3-5 minutes. Add ground turkey and turkey sausage and brown. In a food processor, blend tomatillos. Add tomatillos and all spices, simmer for 45 minutes.

Mix green mole in 1 cup of boiling water until dissolved. Add mole and pinto beans; simmer for 30 minutes. Serve with sour cream or crème fraîche.

Source: Jason Longman of Atlanta

Taco Lettuce Wraps (Raw vegetarian)
Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients:

Taco “meat”:
2 cups walnuts, soaked
1/3 cup wheat-free tamari soy sauce
1 bunch cilantro
1 tablespoon cumin powder
¬Ω tablespoon coriander powder

Taco wraps and toppings:
1 head romaine lettuce
3 tomatoes, sliced
3 avocados, sliced
Celtic sea salt to taste

Equipment needed: food processor

Directions:
In the afternoon of the day before, soak walnuts overnight in filtered water. Process taco “meat” ingredients in a food processor until the mixture resembles ground taco meat. Stop to scrape sides. Remove and set aside. Wash and choose from crispy lettuce leaves for taco wraps. Prepare avocados and tomatoes. Fill lettuce cavities with taco “meat” and top with toppings. Serve two tacos on a white salad plate with a favorite Mexican seasoning on top.

Source: Mandilyn Canistelle (www.chefmandy.com)

Herb Baked Salmon with Creamed Style Spinach
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:
4-6 oz. pieces of salmon
1 tablespoon Trocomare
1 teaspoon tarragon (dry)
1 teaspoon coriander crushed seeds
juice of 2 lemons
2 tablespoons of butter

Directions:
Marinate fish in herbs, spices, and lemon juice for 1-2 hours. Sear in hot butter, 2 minutes on each side. Finish in oven 5 minutes at 385° F.

Creamed Style Spinach

Ingredients:
3 cups spinach, rough chopped
1 cup herbed goat’s cheese sauce
¬Ω cup yogurt
2 tablespoons capers

Directions:
Combine and heat just enough to wilt spinach. Pour over salmon.

Source: Sheila Barcelo of Eden’s Gourmet in Central Florida

† These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Sleep is an area of life we sometimes take for granted.. until we go a couple of days without out proper sleep. Sleep is not a luxury it is a necessity!
It is without a doubt one of the most important aspects of our daily routine as far as the maintenance of health and prevention of disease is concerned.
Our body’s regenerate after a fresh nights sleep, making it ready for a whole new day of activity. Depriving the body of sleep will allow your body to be compromised without you even knowing it!
Waking up tired, feeling irritated through your day are just a few ways to know that your sleep is suffering. Combine a lack of sleep with a high stress job, taking care of a sick child or even menopause and you will start to feel like a basket case. You cannot burn the candle at both end without eventually paying the price.

Try some of these things to help you get your rest.
-Melatonin.
Your body produces this natural relaxation aid from the pineal gland. Sleeping in absolute darkness will help your body regenerate Melatonin. Shut off the Tv!
-Make your bedroom a relaxation vacation.
Create a relaxing theme to your room by adding beautiful drapes, aroma therapy, peaceful pictures, and cool climate. Make it so that when you enter you immediately feel relaxed.
-Consider Socks
Warm feet = deep sleep.

There are other things you can do too, focus on these things and make it a habit to get your 7-8.5 hours of sleep.

Most of us know that brown rice is nutritionally far superior to white rice. Why? Brown rice has only the hull—the outermost layer of the grain—removed, which is the least invasive nutrition-wise.

White rice, by contrast, is highly processed and removes 67% of vitamin B3, 80% of vitamin B1, 90% of vitamin B6, 50% of the manganese, 50% of the phosphorous, 60% of the iron, and all dietary fiber and essential fatty acids. In essence, this strips the rice of a fair amount of its nutritional value.

Perhaps that’s why, in the United States, the law requires white rice to be enriched with vitamins B1, B3 and iron—although these aren’t the same as the indigenous nutrients that were lost in the processing. What’s more is that at least 11 nutrients lost in the white rice processing are not ever replaced.

Brown rice provides an excellent source of manganese. In fact, one cup of brown rice gives you 88% of the Daily Value (DV) for manganese, a trace mineral that helps produce energy from protein and carbohydrates and is involved of the synthesis of fatty acids and cholesterol. Manganese is also a strong part of an antioxidant enzyme called superoxide dismutase which helps to fight off free radicals.†

Brown rice is also a good source of fiber and selenium. One cup of brown rice supplies 14% of the Daily Value of fiber and over 27% of the Daily Value for selenium—a trace mineral that is at the active site of many proteins and is essential to thyroid hormone metabolism, antioxidant defense systems and immune function.†

Brown rice also provides a rich source of magnesium, a mineral which is a co-factor of over 300 enzymes—including enzymes necessary for healthy blood sugar levels. Magnesium also plays a role in supporting cardiovascular health, already healthy blood pressure levels and strong bones.† One cup of brown rice supplies 21% of the Daily Value for magnesium.

While brown rice packs a nutritional wallop in its plain form, its nutritional value is enhanced when it is sprouted or germinated—that is, soaked for several hours before it’s cooked. Researchers found that germinated brown rice has more fiber, three times the amount of lysine (an essential amino acid) and ten times the amount of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)—an amino acid that supports healthy kidney function—than regular brown rice.†

Why the increased nutrient levels?

Researchers say the germination process activates enzymes that release additional nutrients. Hiroshi Kayahara, Ph.D., the lead researcher in this brown rice project, explains, “The birth of a sprout activates dormant enzymes in the brown rice all at once to supply the best nutrition to the growing sprout.”

The researchers also note that white rice will not sprout and that the sprouted brown rice has a sweet flavor due to the enzymes breaking down some of the sugar and protein in the grain.

Speaking of protein in the brown rice…those on a plant-based diet often have a difficult time finding a high-quality supplemental protein source, but brown rice protein may prove to be one worthy of trying.

Brown rice protein is nutritionally rich and often has enzymes added to separate the protein from the carbohydrates—resulting in a brown rice protein powder that’s about 70% protein and contains four times more arginine than other protein powders. (Arginine is converted into nitric oxide, which allows better delivery of nutrients.) Brown rice protein is also rich in glutamine, which promotes muscle growth and supports immune health.†

With all the other positive nutritional attributes of brown rice, that’s yet another win for this amazing grain.

† These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
By: jodan Rubin

We are now shooting videos for all kinds of workout routines to help you to your goals. If you are a Meal Plan purchaser, you will have these coupled with your fitness plan, for free. If you just like to watch enjoy them as we post them.

Please make some suggestions for workouts you would like to see and please rate our videos!

Email us or post in the comments.

Sometimes readers of the Bible see the conditions that God lays down for his blessing and they conclude from these conditions that our action is first and decisive, then God responds to bless us.

That is not right.

There are indeed real conditions that God often commands. We must meet them for the promised blessing to come. But that does not mean that we are left to ourselves to meet the conditions or that our action is first and decisive.

Here is one example to show what I mean.

In Jeremiah 29:13 God says to the exiles in Babylon, “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.” So there is a condition: When you seek me with all your heart, then you will find me. So we must seek the Lord. That is the condition of finding him.

True.

But does that mean that we are left to ourselves to seek the Lord? Does it mean that our action of seeking him is first and decisive? Does it mean that God only acts after our seeking?

No.

Listen to what God says in Jeremiah 24:7 to those same exiles in Babylon: “I will give them a heart to know that I am the Lord, and they shall be my people and I will be their God, for they shall return to me with their whole heart.”

So the people will meet the condition of returning to God with their whole heart. God will respond by being their God in the fullest blessing. But the reason they returned with their whole heart is that God gave them a heart to know him. His action was first and decisive.

So now connect that with Jeremiah 29:13. The condition there was that they seek the Lord with their whole heart. Then God will be found by them. But now we see that the promise in Jeremiah 24:7 is that God himself will give them such a heart so that they will return to him with their whole heart.

This is one of the most basic things people need to see about the Bible. It is full of conditions we must meet for God’s blessings. But God does not leave us to meet them on our own. The first and decisive work before and in our willing is God’s prior grace. Without this insight, hundreds of conditional statements in the Bible will lead us astray.

Let this be the key to all Biblical conditions and commands: “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:12-13). Yes, we work. But our work is not first or decisive. God’s is. “I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me” (1 Corinthians 15:10).
John Piper

It’s that time of year again, the time that most children love and many parents cringe over: Halloween.

Even if you are not a fan of this holiday, you can use Halloween‚Äôs usual candy-fest as a “sweet” opportunity to teach your children lessons in health and nutrition.

Children are naturally drawn to salty, sugary, and unhealthy fatty foods, so this time of year is almost irresistible to them with all the free candy, cookies, cakes and other sugary ‚Äúgoodies‚Äù that are literally poured into their hands. Research shows that sugar suppresses the body’s immune system – particularly problematic as we’re now in the much-publicized cold and flu season, with the additional risk of H1N1 swine flu. Sugar can also be destructive to your family’s health in a host of other ways.

With a little planning and foresight, you can help your kids control some of those natural cravings, moderate their sugar consumption and impart some terrific nutritional good sense in the process! Here are seven suggestions to help take the trick out of the treats your children bring home this Halloween:

Send your children out with a full stomach. Give them a good wholesome meal making sure it’s low in sugar, starches and bleached white flour. Prepare high protein meals like chicken or beef with veggies like green beans, broccoli, salad and/or carrot sticks. Have them drink lots of water and minimize any sugary drinks including juices, soft drinks, and sports drinks before going out. Remind the kids that since they’ll be eating candies tonight, the deal is that they have to eat a good dinner. They will be motivated to eat up so they can get started.

Offer to buy your children’s candy from them. Even if it’s 5 or 10 cents per piece, it‚Äôs worth not having them consume the unhealthy sugars, dyes and other chemicals in the ‚Äútreats‚Äù for days or weeks on end.

Have your kids trade in their sweets for a better treat. Even if the trade is for one or more of their favorite desserts this is a much better option. Make a special event of it by taking them to their favorite dessert destination.

Offer to trade those bad treats for healthier activities like going to a movie, putt-putt golfing, bowling or some other fun family outing. The few hours you invest in having fun will make a special memory that will last much longer than a lollipop.

Offer to take your children on a trip to the health food store and let them discover healthier alternatives. Discover new treats like healthy CocoChia® Snack Fuel Bars or natural chocolate, carob, yogurt-coated nuts and raisins. The list is endless! Remember treats are fun, not staples in your diet.

Teach your older children to read labels and ingredient lists. Encourage them to avoid “goodies” with hydrogenated oils and artificial colors. Making them an active part of their nutritional choices now will lead them to making healthier lifestyle choices later in life.

Offer the trick-or-treaters who come to your home healthy treats like packets of nuts, seeds, raisins, beef jerky, popcorn or pretzels. Take the dollars you’d spend on the treats and convert them to loose change, passing out the coins to the kids. Take a stand and set a trend!

A safe and healthy Halloween is something all parents want for their children. Teaching children how to enjoy themselves without over-indulging can set the pattern for healthy lives and stop the disturbing increase in obesity that has become a major public health concern.

Great tips from livingfuel.com of whom we are official dealers of please let us know how we can help you.

These are 3 must have components for achieving anything in life that is worth pursuing. The problem is that our default status is one of laziness and contentment. There are times for both but neither one has a place in pursuing a life changing physical, spiritual and mental make overs.

What make over?

The one that helps you loose weight by learning the science behind the food you eat and growing spiritually in a way that you never thought possible. Sounds like a massive undertaking but I assure it is worth it and doable with the 3 things listed above.

Motivation- This will come from a competent personal trainer and spiritual coach but you must come with a level of motivation to see it through.
I cannot give this to you and I will not try, you have to want it. That means you have to get excited about what could be spiritually, physically and mentally. If you can do that then there is a lot we can accomplish.

Determination- Another thing that I cannot give you, having determination will get you through the low times whether they be cravings, pain, injury and time. Determination is that glare in your eye at the end of a growling workout that says “I got 10 more in me”. Or “I failed eating right but I WILL do better today”.

Destination- Arguably the most important of the 3 but cannot exist without the others and also cannot be given to you. A goal, a place to get to, a destination, is the only way to get to a location without driving in circles. Stopping and starting again and again is a good example of not having something to work towards. Simple or complex big or small whatever they are, you need to set them ahead of you and make them attainable.

Now go to the website and stop making excuses!
Get your butt in gear and in shape before you see your family during the holidays and learn how to survive them.

Sprouted Bread Click Here

This link I found is both informative and accurate about the health benefits of sprouted bread. I have been using Sprouted breads for years and highly recommend the Ezekiel brand of sprouted bread. Their cinnamon raison goes great with my eggs and turkey bacon in the morning and is a way healthier and easily assimilated whole carb and protein source. Not to mention the amino acids and high vitamin content.

If you are trying to loose weight limit your intake of grains and sugars having only one slice a day.

If you are trying to gain weight try having a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on sprouted bread before bed.

Get out there and enjoy health foods!

The horrors of physical suffering correspond to the horrors of moral and spiritual outrage. Sometimes this means that people’s suffering is directly correlated with their immorality and belittling of God. This will be the case, for example, with the eternal suffering of hell. It will correspond in perfectly just measure with the outrage of an individual’s sin.

But often the correlation is indirect. Everyone suffers physically because of the outrage of Adam’s sin, and because of God’s subjecting all of creation to futility (Romans 8:20). But these sufferings do not all correspond to an individual’s particular sins. All physical suffering corresponds to moral and spiritual outrage, but not all suffering corresponds directly to individual sins.

What is stunning and essential to see is that physical horrors correspond to spiritual horrors. God knows that we do not feel horrible about the spiritual horror of our sin. We take it lightly. But we get very angry and very agitated and very indignant about the horrors of our physical suffering. So God correlates the two in order to make plain to us how horrible sin is. Belittling God feels like a light thing to us. Being burned feels huge.

So hell will be physical, not just spiritual, even though the greatest outrages of life are not physical. The greatest outrages of life are spiritual‚Äîthe demeaning of God by unbelief and indifference and rebellion is the greatest outrage in the universe. It may produce the holocaust or it may produce self-exalting philanthropy. But the magnitude of the moral horror in both cases is mainly Godward. Belittling God’s infinite worth is the ultimate outrage.

Here is a picture of what I mean.

God says to the exiles in Babylon concerning the false prophets, Ahab and Zedekiah:

Because of them this curse shall be used by all the exiles from Judah in Babylon: “The Lord make you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire,” because they have done an outrageous thing in Israel, they have committed adultery with their neighbors’ wives, and they have spoken in my name lying words that I did not command them. (Jeremiah 29:22-23).

I am shocked by the term “roasted.” Why such a description? It actually happened, that’s why. Nebuchadnezzar roasted them. And why did it happen? Why such an outrageous physical horror and why such an outrageous physical word used to describe it?

Because speaking false things about God and committing adultery does not feel outrageous to us. But roasting someone in the fire does. So God correlates the two so we would learn what is really outrageous in the world. Demeaning God and breaking covenants.

The physical suffering of this age is God’s warning: This is how horrible and outrageous sin is. Flee it while there is time. Turn to Christ for forgiveness.

The physical suffering of eternity is God’s judgment: This is how horrible and outrageous sin was. Now there is no fleeing. It is too late.