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Faith For The Faithless

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Patrick Greene

Meet Patrick Greene, a devoted Atheist, an atheist with a history of activism.

Mr. Greene, recently began a  battle to have a Nativity scene removed from public property.  Back in February he threathened to file a lawsuit against Henderson County, Texas, to stop this very public dispaly.

But during his pursuit Patrick Greene became ill and had to drop the lawsuit.

He had developed eye cataracts and was in danger of losing his vision, and this needed his full attention and money. This vision problem became worse and he had to quit his job as a taxi driver, which left him unable to support himself and his wife of 33 years.

Since he is an atheist, I would have to say he did not pray for help.  Yet, help came from an unlikely source, it came from Christians.  See, in true Christian attitude, Jessica Crye, a christian woman who had read about his problem, went to her church  members and asked them to help Mr. Greene.   Church members raised $400.00, and the flood gate was open, soon after that thousands of dollars was raised for Mr. Greene.

Imagine Mr. Greene’s surprise when he was given this money, and it came from the very people who he was being atheistic with.  Why would Christians want to help him?  He was “flabbergasted that Christians would help atheists.”  This simple act of love changed  Mr. Greene, he began to see the light (God had touched his heart) he now believes and  has converted to Christianity.  ALLELUIA!

What a wonderful story!  An atheist who saw God in one act of love and kindness.   We are all God’s children.  There are no requirements to receive Gods’ love and attention.

Just like Saint Paul, who was blinded on the road to Damascus, Mr. Greene now will be working with God and not against him.  I pray that Mr. Greene finds peace within himself, the kind of peace that comes with the knowledge that God is in control and God’s love is for all.

AMEN

http://life.nationalpost.com/2012/04/05/texas-atheist-activist-patrick-greene-conversion-spurred-by-christian-womans-compassionate-act/

mb

Food and Health

Cooking With Tea – Food Hero

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Both Merci and I love a cup of tea.  It’s how we start every morning.  A cup of tea and then comes the coffee.  We grew up watching our mothers drink tea alone or with company. Morning, noon or night, always a good time to put on the kettle.  According to Readers Digest, research shows that tea drinkers can enjoy greater protection from heart disease, cancer and stress, no matter what type of brew they choose.  We both like the black and green teas.  I have 2 cups of green tea at work, 1 cup   with my lunch every day.  Experts say the antioxidants in tea leaves confer major health benefits.  That’s why we admire how these creatvie cooks went beyond the cup to find tasy ways to meld tea with their appetizers, meals and desserts.  These ideas are so great!

Steep in soup – Krissy Fulton of the food blog Make It Naked steeps 4 to 6 green tea bags in chicken broth for five to eight minutes for a Asian-inspired infustion.

Bread chicken – Season chicken with tea leaves as you would salt, pepper and other spices before dredging in flour and pan-frying.  Finecooking.com suggest a black tea called lapsang souchong for its smoky, bold flavor.

Spice up cookie batter – Faith Durand of thekitchen.com adds one tablespoon of finely ground Earl Grey into a basic sugar cookie.  Almost any type of tea from green to masala chai will work.

 

I always use tea instead of water in pre-packaged cake mixes, instant potatoes, soup mix – what ever calls for water, I  use tea – it gives the finished product  a  homemade  taste that everyone likes. My secret ingredient.

Flavonoids in tea makes it a healthy addition to meals – hope you give tea a try !

ls

http://www.rd.com/

 

product review

Food For Heart

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When we look at ourselves we only see the outer shell.  Our outer shell is important, but what about what makes the outer shell tick.  The most important muscle of the body is the heart.  Keep this muscle strong by eating healthy, and the rest of the body will reflect the rewards.

The following  foods are known to be very powerful in keeping the heart muscle ticking.   The best is they are all tasty and nutritious.

 

Strawberries  – I eat strawberries everyday.  Love it when super markets have BOGO.

Hey, I just realized that strawberries and the heart are the same color and if you look at them closely they have the same shape.  Coincidence? No such thing as coincidences in my book.

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Rye Bread –   I stopped eating white and whole wheat bread.

I do happen to find Rye Bread a tasty treat.

Avocado – Oh, boy!  Love to slice a few pieces in my lunch box.  It is also my excuse to eat Guacamole dip.  Doesn’t the pit look like a heart, also.

Salmon – Now this is something I don’t eat often.  I would love to cook  it at least once a week, but I have a husband who really has objections to fish.  If only I could tell him it is chicken, but the smell will definitely give it away.

Nuts – Go nuts over nuts.  Eat them daily as a snack.  Your heart will get nutty over this.  Almonds, cashews, and walnuts are my favorite

 Dark chocolate – OK, had a hard time accepting dark chocolate, but now I make sure I eat the dark one…one piece a night good hearty  good.

Yes, you are what you eat.

Remember, what is reflected outside begins on the inside.

Eat hearty…

mb

source: realage.com

Did You Know

Happy Passover

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Passover is a Jewish holiday and festival. It is a time when the Jewish people celebrate the  story of the Exodus, in which the ancient Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt.

In the narrative of the Exodus, the Bible tells that God helped the Children of Israel escape slavery in Egypt by inflicting ten plagues upon the Egyptians before the Pharaoh would release his Israelite slaves; the tenth and worst of the plagues was the slaughter of the first-born.  The name Passover was a true passing over.  The Israelites  mark the doorposts of their homes with the blood of a spring lamb and, upon seeing this, the spirit of the Lord passed over these homes.

It was the last plague that gave the Israelites their freedom.  The Pharaoh had a very hard heart.  It sometimes reminds me of how stubborn people can be, and how they only focus on one thing and not see the whole picture.

This story may seem harsh.  Like, why did God sacrifice the first born of the Egyptians?  Well, it was not  just the Egyptians, it happened to anyone who did not have blood on the door.  Then you ask,  “What kind of God would do such a horrible thing?”  But if we step outside of the story we should realize that they did get fair warnings.  God could have started with the slaughter of the first-born and worked his way down, if it need be.  God wanted to give  Pharaoh and his people a fair chance, even though, God, who knows all, knew  Pharaoh would never concede to letting his people go .  I mean who would they use to build their Sphinx’s and Pyramids.

God was fair.  God sent warnings to Mr. Pharaoh, and all Pharaoh had to do was let Mose’s people go, but he was being controlling and selfish.  We are our own worst enemy.

Passover is a true victory celebration.

 

HAPPY PESACH

http://www.chabad.org/holidays/passover/pesach_cdo/aid/871715/jewish/What-Is-Passover.htm