GOOD HEALTH: A GOOD MAN'S INHERITANCE

Real Food!

We are off again on an adventure of living well. I trust that you are living as well as you know how and that you continue to seek greater health.

DEDICATION:  Every listener who is busy trying to figure out what to give somebody for Christmas or Kwanzaa or Hanukah or whatever you call the season. I am especially dedicating it to you if you’re trying to figure out what to give a child that you know and love. And since I know every one of you fits this list, I dedicate today’s show to you all, my family of listeners.

On the topic of giving, the first scripture that most people remember is: ‘... God loves a cheerful giver...’ and the next one is ‘it is more blessed to give than to receive...’. And don’t forget, ‘...you can’t beat God giving...’ take your pick. [I’m not sure that last one is a scripture but I know it is the name of a song.] So if you are about to give somebody a gift, especially your children or the children who are in your bloodline, rethink what a gift is...

This is the part of our presentation where we get our focus. The focus of Living Well Ministries is ministry and Scripture is the foundation. My favorite scripture about giving is Proverbs 12:22 – “a good man leaves an inheritance for his children’s children...” 

An inheritance most often is thought of as property, money, stocks, bonds, houses or investments. It’s usually something material that can make the life of the receiver easier in some way. We understand, however, that an inheritance takes many different forms. Let us, therefore, take a look at other ways that a good man may leave an inheritance for his children's children and that would be the inheritance of good health.

Also, we are returning to the 55th Chapter of Isaiah verses 2 – 5. And why, you may ask, are we doing that: although our topic is gifting, and we are specifically discussing the gift of good health. I will tell you why: Because when we talk about health, the first thing that comes to mind is food. We need to make a link between today’s food and tomorrow’s health. Or, in our case, this year’s food is next year’s health, or lack of it.

Listen to what Isaiah had to say in his 55^th chapter, beginning with verse 2:

² Why waste your money on something that is not real food?
    Why should you work for something that does not really satisfy you?
Listen closely to me and you will eat what is good.
    You will enjoy the food that satisfies your soul.
³ Listen closely to what I say.
    Listen to me so that you will live.

Then the burning question returns: Why waste your money on something that is not real food?

Before we go any further, take a close look at what we call food. There’s going to be a great deal of it consumed here in the next few weeks. Then the next few weeks after that, people will be running here and there, trying to recover from it all. It is my job to pass on some information to that might help with what you decide to eat. I have no choice but to present this information, it’s like Elder Willie Pruitt used to say, ‘yawl may not hear me, but it’s the truth, so I’m going to say it anyway!

Would you like to leave an inheritance of good health for your children's children. And be sure that they are able to prosper.

The most important part of what we do, is not just that you to listen to me and not that you read labels and not that you try and change your diet or exercise more. The most important part is that you study and learn for yourself what it is that you need to do. I will even refer you to the second letter that the Apostle wrote to Timothy you know what it says. The first word of that letter is ‘study’.

So, when I give you some information, I don't want you to stop and sit down and embrace it just because I said it. Don’t accept it just because you think it's interesting or it’s going to give you something you to talk about. No; I want you to be your own health guru. Just use what I say as a place to begin your own study.

BODY IN TWO PARTS: G I F T I N G. We settled on gifting as our topic because of  the season. These next few weeks, people are running around buying and giving and exchanging gifts with people. Eventually some people even return gifts to stores.

You know, however, that when your Health Reverend talks about it, gifting is a different matter altogether. We are discussing gifting as it relates to the giving of good health and good health habits, to your children and your children's children. I, therefore, will begin by asking just a couple of questions? What does gifting mean to you? When you think about giving something to someone, do you only think of something that can be touched or seen or held in your hand or put into a box? When you think of gifting, do you think of giving good examples or offering affection or providing inspiration? These are gifts as well.

INSTRUCTION TOPIC: a slightly different question on the same topic: What foods are you giving your children?

Sometimes the information I encounter is so exciting, I feel that I should hurry up and pass it along to you. Then, there’s so much of it, I try to summarize the high points. This time, I did neither one of those. Today’s book is ever so very exciting. I am simply bringing you a new source for instruction and information. The first one has a bit of a story: [you know, with me, there’s always a story.] I first read this book at least 10 years ago, when I was living with a couple who had a health ministry of their own. They taught classes, sold health products—supplements, vitamins, nutritional oils, and so forth. They also sold books, and I tried my level best to read all of them.

This first one is entitled, The Crazy Makers: How the Food Industry is Destroying Our Brains and Harming Our Children. Published in 2000. Carol Simontacchi.  I never have forgotten it, for several reasons. First of all, the writer discusses the health and feeding of infants, babies, children adolescents and adults. According to her, what we are fed is the foundation of everything else that happens: physical or mental. It is a great source if you want to learn about how food additives affect the growth and development of young children. It also discusses how many different ways additives are presented; how many different ones of these additives are added to the foods that infants, children, and yes—adults, eat. Processed foods, that is.

Companies that produce and manufacture larger portions of foods, must be able to sell those foods. For foods to sell, they must be cheap enough, they must taste good and they must have a long shelf life. Another thing that must happen: they must appeal to the mothers of children! Why just mothers? Because, females make up 85% of all grocery store shoppers and the other 15% are influenced in their shopping, by females.

Little children like things that look pretty and they generally will eat something that tastes good. The first thing comes to my mind is a gummy something. Next time you go in a grocery store, check out how many different food items have been made into ‘gummies’.

Now then, let’s go to taste. There are only three ingredients that make food taste good: fat, sugar and salt. Of course, you can add other spices but without  these first three, not much happens. In my view, there is no substitute for taste, and in my further view, nothing tastes as good as butter, bacon and eggs. All these things have one thing in common: FAT! Salt isn’t nearly as appealing as the first two. Fat has been given a really bad name here in the recent 30 years or so, leaving only one choice: Sugar. You already know how I feel about sugar so I’ll just keep moving.

Shelf life. Shelf life. What in the world does that mean? This is the short version of it: before food can legally be sold, in cans, it has to be cooked. Once it is cooked, it has little, if any nutrition left. The story is, it will last longer in a can than it ever would in the produce section. Next thing, packaged foods. Some of them have shelf life – USE BY dates of at least 12 months. Are you sure you want to feed something to your little children that has lost all its nutrition?

Now, additives. Additives, it turns out, are also not your friend. Just for the fun of it, I thought I should give you a few of those names: check it out:

artificial color [unnamed]

artificial flavors [unnamed]

calcium propionate

mono calcium phosphate

oleoresin paprika

partially hydrogenated soybean oil sodium bicarbonate

sodium acid pyrophosphate

Sodium lactate [associated with panic attacks]

sodium nitrite

sodium phosphate

sorbic acid

We will sit with this book for the entire month of December. Maybe by January, you will have one of your own and we can move on to a different one.

I have all but one of my teeth. I’m sure it’s because of all the butter milk I drank when I was a child. Many of the people I started first grade with have few of their own teeth, if any and they all that I have all of mine! After you have taken a look, a listen to what Simontacchi says, you may be pressed to reconsider what you are feeding yourself and your children.

A DOOR PRIZE!!! The Gift of Taking, Honor Yourself First – All Else Will Follow. Dr. Jill Kahn.  Dr. Kahn is a medical doctor who works closely with cancer patients. Her book is all about how taking for ourselves, for our greater personal good, is the number one goal. She tells of her many enlightening experiences with finding her purpose in life. But she wasn’t just finding her purpose: she was accepting her calling. It is the same high call that we all have: honor yourself...first. It is only then that we can fully and openly honor others. This is still true in our quest for health and wellness.

I am putting this book aside and making it a ‘door prize’ for the person to contact me after reading this blog.  It doesn’t matter if you call, email, text. Just contact me and let me know that you heard me. Also, I’ll want to know what part of the discussion sparked your interest and got you to move. 

One thing that I really love about this book is that she gives us an ‘alternative’ look at the experience of giving. Taking, she calls it, when we are giving to ourselves. Again, remember, we are not talking about material ‘things’, but spiritual gifts of joy, given and shared from a position of full abundance. This reminds me of Rv HR Delaney, Jr., his prayers always included this line “...that we may all have a right to the tree of life, and have it more abundantly...” give yourself the gift of an abundant life, abundant health and happiness. Let me hear from you, OK! Your book is waiting! Remember now, it is a used book but we’ll find some way to cover over the inscription that’s already in it! 

HOW TO CLAIM A DOOR PRIZE: Be the first to contact me with at least a one-line [not one-word] comment about today’s post, call, text, whatever you like. Give me an address and I will send it to you!

It is a common response to this commentary for people to say, ‘...but what can you do?’ I’ll tell you this: there’s plenty to be done if those things in boxes in the grocery store are left on the shelves. When McDonald’s can’t sell a happy meal and gummy bears don’t go home with you, something will surely change. i know that. I’m sure you or someone you or someone you know, can remember quite well when cigarette smoking was allowed in every quarter. But today, it ain’t.

TODAY’S ASSIGNMENT: First, reconsider what you see as gifting. I suggest to you that the greatest gifts cannot be put into a box. When you sit quietly and listen to what you are hearing, from the voice of God, you will find some wonderful gifts that will greatly benefit your children and their children. Your assignment, therefore: listen and take heed. Take notes, if necessary, learn more about health and find ways to teach all that you learn to your children. That way, you will be certain to leave an inheritance of the most precious sort: good health and long life.

Second: pay a visit to the Habitat Re-store near you. Browse—slowly, browse—the book shelves and seek out an ‘alternative’ source of health information. Pick one up, flip some pages, read the inside flap. Pick up something that you would never have given a second look to. Don’t stop with health, move on to wealth, to spiritual instruction, to child-rearing...reading has no limits. There’s bound to be something in there you want to know. Do this, and make it a gift to yourself. Then, you know, after you take these books home, you have to do something with them. That mean: turn off the phone, the computer, the TV and turn on your new, improved brain and let it expand and grow new pathways. You’ll love it. Remember, a mind is a terrible thing to waste! 

I want Yawl to keep reading and keep sharing what you read. I am making my best efforts to make the best use of every piece of IT that I can. You can now hear me on www.blogtalkradio.com at 3:00 p.m. Sunday – 929 447 2763. It’s similar to here but a bit different. Also, you may listen live ot my local show www.wchmradio.com.

Please remember to check: www.thehealthreverend.blogspot.com; email: thehealthreverend@gmail.com; phone: 706 768 4917; twitter @healthreverend. Thank you for time in reading this. I am SandraTeresa Davenport, The Health Reverend, yawl holla, and no matter what, live well!

UPCOMING

December 17 – getting ready for xmas and how to stay well till the new year comes.

December 24 – old stories of xmas and what it means to give and share

December 31 – Watch night service.

The prayers of Isaiah.

Good Health – Weight Loss/Gain – Body Image [Not just a concern for women]

JANUARY – Tea/Herbals/Preventive Medicine [Colds, Flu, etc.]/Home Remedies

FEBRUARY – African-American history/heart health [depression, loneliness, loss/fear] and physical health. You don’t want to miss these meetings!