Thursday, April 29, 2010

Coming Apart

by Donna L. Watkins

God is such an encourager and I know He loves us more than we can imagine. If we are willing, He will guide us into a full and complete relationship with Him and others. I think God is taking us into a whole new level of life. God's been leading me to rivers of love and grace. Too often we fill our lives with Truth and forget the Grace part.

© 2010 Donna L. Watkins - Blue-winged Teal Diving for Food
Savannah River National Wildlife Refuge
Of course, to have grace you need to be filled with love. But either position can be done to extremes as we see in child-rearing methods. Some can be so disciplined and structured that there is no evidence of love, which produces a robotic type of person that seems to operate on programs and lists of rules.

Others can be so filled with grace that there is no evidence of discipline, which makes for an undisciplined adult, not of much use to anybody.

We need a balance of both in our lives. God tells us that His #1 commandment is to love Him and others. We've all read that, but have we taken it as our first priority? Do we make that our first goal in our spiritual walk or do we do the things that are easier? Things that we're more suited to with our talents and natural skills. The Bible tells us what gifts are given, but it also tells us the fruits we are to display. Jesus said we will know true Christians by their fruit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Joyce Meyer says that it seems God placed Love and Self-control as bookends for all the others because without them we can't produce the rest.

Do we focus on producing these fruits in our lives? Or do we focus on what we want to do "for the Lord." If we don't have a consumable love for God and a life of expressed love for others, what we are "doing" for the Lord is pretty worthless. We can't produce fruit with dead works. Christ calls us to "follow Him" ... to come apart from our busy lives and to seek what will truly satisfy. To come to the well for Living Water that will cause us to thirst no more.

We are a thirsty people, but we seek water and refreshment in all the wrong places. In shopping, houses, cars, job titles, sports, food, alcohol, drugs, sex, beauty, music, entertainment and every other provision the world gives us saying "THIS will fulfill your soul." And yet our souls are empty and still thirsty.

Randal and I have been having a very sobering time in the Lord. We have "come apart" to God's call to lean into Him and have been spending an average of five hours a day in spiritual food, prayer, and study. This began in December and although reasoning would say we've had a lot of time and we've come a long way in changing our thinking .... God indicates within us that "we ain't seen nothing yet." Let me quickly say that our call may not be your call, but God is calling each of us in His own way individually. Are you listening? Do you hear Him? What has He been saying to you?

Every thing we are being led to watch, read, receive by email, or listen to on CDs is all coming together to repeat and repeat things that have the intent purpose of renewing our minds. We choose a CD series with a topic of interest and find that within it are the same messages God's been showing us in a multitude of other ways ... even though you would think it would not relate to that at all.

How many people feel as though God is far from them? That the heavens are brass to their prayers? Yet, as we choose obedience (which is better than sacrifice - I Sam. 15:22), we see Him confirming things time after time on a daily basis. While there were times when we felt like we couldn't hear what God was saying ... we were simply too far away to be able to listen. As we draw near to God, He draws near to us (James 4:8). We aren't hearing audible voices, but all the confirmations and promptings of the Holy Spirit are like receiving faxes and emails direct from God. Isn't that what we're always wanting? Direct contact? But how do you have direct contact with anything without being in the presence of it?

When God says He will guide you, He will. If we are willing to obey His call to "come apart" and if we "lean in" determined to allow Him to reshape and mold us for this season of life, He will make changes in us that will turn our world upside down. All that we thought we knew will be blown into space, as He creates within us a dedicated desire to truly "follow Him." Not our own thoughts, reasonings or gifts and skills ... our focus on what we are fades away as we focus on Who He is.

"Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for those who love Him. But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit." (I Cor. 2:9-10)

The first battle we had was thinking we had to figure out how we could carve five hours a day out of life. After all, we have a business to run and commitments to keep. That's all about doing, isn't it? We have to provide for ourselves and we have to do what we have on our commitment list and we have to keep our lives running like clockwork. We slowed down a long time ago, which is why we chose to have a business of our own and pattern it in a more simplistic lifestyle ... but along the way, the simplicity of it was left behind and we joined in the rat race in many aspects.

The foundational belief that DOING is more than BEING is what has ripped apart our true service for the Lord and it's taken relationship right out of the picture. Yet God made us to BE. To have relationship with Him (walking and talking in the Garden) and with others (it was not good for man to be alone). Isolation is the sickness of our world. Technology has put us further and further away from true relationships and we wonder why we are feeling so unfulfilled when we're "in touch" with so many people in a day's time with cell phones and computers.

How do we get back to the Garden lifestyle? How do we get off the rat race track and get on to the pathway of life? God has those answers. They're not the same for everybody ... but if you ask with a willing heart ... you will get the answers. Then you will be challenged with whether or not you will step out into the unknown with obedience to His call. It's not about what He'll want to you do, initially. Yes, we are to serve, but our service is dead if we are not loving God with our whole heart, soul and mind.

When we are surrounded in a realm of His love that we have so absorbed that we can then walk in love towards others, that's the time for doing. Prior to that, we better learn how to BE first. That's the path we are on in our home in this season of life. God never gives up on us no matter our age or how stubborn and strong willed we are. I have a strong personality that God has been reshaping for many years in many different ways. Praise our Father for being ever so patient, merciful and gracious to continue to parent us ... even when we think our own self-confidence is enough.

Related Articles

A Call to Come Apart - Wade Taylor
Our Personal Coming Apart - Donna Watkins


This website is sponsored by The Herbs Place, distributor of Nature's Sunshine herbs, supplements, essential oils and more at wholesale prices.

The photo(s) and article are copyrighted. You may use either of them if you include the following credit and active link back to this website:
© 2010 Donna L. Watkins - This article was reprinted with permission from TheNatureInUs.com. The link to use is: www.TheNatureInUs.com.

Pets Make Life Healthier

by Dr. Jane Bicks

Many of us agree that we should do everything within our power to make sure that our companion animals enjoy the best possible life. But did you know that simply by playing a role in your life, your furry kids could actually help you to be not only happier but healthier?

Of course you did. It’s all part of the privilege and fun of being a pet parent. What you may not know is that there’s plenty of science to back it up. As a holistic veterinarian, I’ve read so many reports regarding the health benefits associated with having companion animals, which has been accumulated over the last two decades, including numerous research studies in the U.S. and across the globe.

A study published in The British Journal of Health Psychology reports that people who have companion animals tended to be healthier than those who did not. Additionally, when a dog was part of the family, the human family members had fewer minor ailments, lower blood pressures and lower cholesterol levels. Although the explanation for these advantages is unclear, these researchers guessed that all benefits might be accounted for by reduced stress levels. In these cases, lower stress levels might have been due to increased physical activity (like walking the dog) and levels of social interaction (hanging out with other pet-friendly folks).

The positive effects of having a canine companion have also been published in the prestigious American Journal of Cardiology. A recent year-long study looked at the effect of having a canine companion in 369 patients who had previously suffered an acute heart attack. The positive effects were nothing short of extraordinary! The patients who had a dog in the home had a much better chance of long-term survival. Over 7% of patients without a dog died during the study, compared with only 1% of those who had a canine companion. Even though these seem like small percentages, the difference between these groups is enormously significant.

Researchers at the University of Leicester found that when pets are in a household, children six years and younger develop social skills at an accelerated rate. Additionally, these children tend to have better coordination, improved confidence, superior communication skills and are even less likely to have allergies!

The British Medical Journal concluded that companion animals serve a vital need for socialization, especially for people at a higher risk for isolation, like those who suffer from physical limitations that might prevent them from interacting socially. Most medical professionals agree that the broader the network of social contacts, the better we are able to deal with the difficult times in life. This study, and others like it, supports the idea that this need for social relations can be fulfilled equally well by companion animals as with people.

These and many other studies reinforce what we as pet parents have suspected all along … that our beloved four-footed companions play huge roles in our health and happiness as members of our families.

And now I’m going to go spend some valuable time with my wonderful, loving pets. Because, who couldn’t use a good dose of health and happiness, right?”

Dr. Jane - View Dr. Jane's Healthy Pet Foods.

This website is sponsored by The Herbs Place, distributor of Nature's Sunshine herbs, supplements, essential oils and more at wholesale prices.

Trees Help Each Other

From Creation Moments

As it turns out, the true law of the jungle is cooperation.

What goes on beneath the forest floor is essential to the forest itself. Tree roots gather water and nutrients from the soil. In addition, fungi live among the roots, feeding off the sap and other carbon compounds produced by the tree. In return, the fungi help make nutrients in the soil available to the tree.

The picture of cooperation goes even further than this.

Researchers have learned that the trees themselves cooperate with one another. This cooperation even exists between species. Researchers shaded some trees, leaving others in the sun. Tagging trees with different isotopes of carbon, scientists were surprised to find carbon compounds made by the sunbathed trees present in the shaded tree! The trees that were doing well were helping the trees that were not able to photosynthesize, even if they were a different species.

The true law of the jungle turns out to be cooperation. Rather than survival of the fittest, this cooperation between living things reveals a carefully designed creation made by a loving Creator.

Prayer: You, Lord, are my helper. Help me to love others and help them as You have loved and helped me. Amen.

References: "Sylvan Symphony," Creation, p.56.

This website is sponsored by The Herbs Place, distributor of Nature's Sunshine herbs, supplements, essential oils and more at wholesale prices.

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Attracting Predator Bugs for the Garden

It's easy to love butterflies. But for many gardeners, attracting these beautiful pollinators is where the infatuation with insects begins and ends. Invite carrion beetles and assassin bugs to a flower border or vegetable patch? Only the intrepid dare go there.

Yet there are good reasons to create a backyard buffet for these and other so-called beneficial insects (robber fly, left). They are the tigers and barracudas of the insect world, preying upon many of the organisms that ravage prized garden plants. So many homeowners have pest problems largely because their yards are not inviting to the predators and parasites that in natural ecosystems keep pesky creatures in check.

Although a number of biological pest controls—the fancy term for beneficial insects—are sold at local nurseries and mail-order suppliers, the most effective way to entice predators to patrol your yard is to grow their favorite flowers. Winter, when you’re perusing the pages of nursery catalogs and dreaming of spring, is a great time to look for the blooms these creatures love best: asters, coneflowers and other daisylike native wildflowers, as well as popular culinary herbs such as dill and parsley that produce inverted parasol-shaped inflorescences. Read the entire article.

This website is sponsored by The Herbs Place, distributor of Nature's Sunshine herbs, supplements, essential oils and more at wholesale prices.

Herbs Work for Heartworms & More

Read more about a natural heartworm program and prevention options. There are also a bunch of success stories that have been provided by pet owners. The article also recommends Robin Sockness who is quite the expert for using natural products with pets. With all the problems of the chemical treatment for heartworms, it's great to know there are natural alternatives. Read the article.

This website is sponsored by The Herbs Place, distributor of Nature's Sunshine herbs, supplements, essential oils and more at wholesale prices.

Toxic Drywall from China in Recent Homes

A growing number of Americans are wondering why their new homes, built within the last five years, are rotting from the inside out. The problem: defective wallboard, commonly known as drywall.

An estimated 60,000 homes nationwide - primarily in southern states and California - could be affected. "We're taking this very seriously and our mission is to identify what are the facts and what are the risks," said Joe Martyak of the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

As early as 2004 a housing boom led to a dramatic shortage of U.S. manufactured drywall. To keep up with demand, builders turned to manufacturers in China. A document obtained by CBS News shows that by 2006, 228 million kilograms - about 500 million pounds - was imported into the U.S. from 20 companies in China. Read entire article.

Related Resource 
Toxic Drywall From China Poisoning American Homes and Their Owners

This website is sponsored by The Herbs Place, distributor of Nature's Sunshine herbs, supplements, essential oils and more at wholesale prices.

Turn Yard Into Luscious Food Landscape

Incorporate fruiting trees, shrubs and vines into your yard, and you'll enjoy the double benefits of a gorgeous landscape and luscious edible treats. To determine the best plants for your site, you'll want to consider several factors, including your desired yield and ornamental qualities, along with your location's hardiness zone and available pollination (some plants need other plants nearby for pollination).

Fruit-bearing trees, shrubs, and vines become permanent fixtures in the landscape — their branching patterns, their bark, and their trunks enduring throughout the year and looking more dramatic with time. Here's a detailed guide to help you choose the right plants for your yard.

This website is sponsored by The Herbs Place, distributor of Nature's Sunshine herbs, supplements, essential oils and more at wholesale prices.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Story of Stuff Project

Happy Earth Day!


The Story of Stuff Project is excited to announce the release of Let There Be...Stuff? - a six-session curriculum that helps Christian teenagers explore the relationship between their consumption, theirfaith, and the health of the planet.

To celebrate Earth Day, we're offering this incredible resource for free to the first 1,000 houses of worship or faith leaders who sign up to download it.

If you are a minister or lay church leader, youth group or bible study coordinator, we encourage you to download the curriculum here today. We will also be offering a version for Jewish communities in the coming weeks.
 let-there-be-stuff
Over the past five years, the pace and scope of religious engagement on the environment has accelerated sharply.  Our Project experienced this phenomenon first hand when we releasedThe Story of Stuff in late 2007. 

Almost immediately, faith leaders started calling and writing to ask if we had produced companion educational programs for churches or other houses of worship. Then last year, we partnered with GreenFaith - an interfaith coalition for the environment-to meet this need.

Our 6-week series for teenagers of faith is designed to help them understand the problems the planet is facing, raise awareness of the changes needed and empower them to develop environmentally sustainable patterns of consumption that honor creation and deepen their spiritual lives. Its chock full of hands-on exercises, thought-provoking questions and great group activities.

You can support our release of this program by downloading it yourself for use in a confirmation class, bible study or other church youth group; by passing word of this release on to your own house of worship; by providing us with feedback so we can improve the program; and also by contributing to the non-profit Story of Stuff Project. Your contributions will help us provide the guide for free to hundreds of houses of worship around the world.

Stay tuned for the release of our high school curriculum this summer!

On behalf of the entire Story of Stuff Project team,

Annie Leonard                  Allison Cook
Director                           Special Projects Coordinator

This website is sponsored by The Herbs Place, distributor of Nature's Sunshine herbs, supplements, essential oils and more at wholesale prices everyday.


This website is sponsored by The Herbs Place, distributor of Nature's Sunshine herbs, supplements, essential oils and more at wholesale prices.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

5 Products at $5 - Nature's Sunshine - Two Days Only


On Sale Tuesday and Wednesday ONLY!
April 20-21, 2010

ALJ (100 CAPSULES) - Buy Now
Super SALES - $5.00

ALJ is a key product for the respiratory system. It provides nutrients that must be present for proper respiratory system function. This formula supports healthy lung function and helps support the body during seasonal changes. It also encourages the entire respiratory tract to gently cleanse itself and helps promote respiratory tissue health.

B12, COMPLETE LIQUID VITAMIN - Buy Now
Super SALES - $5.00

The B vitamins offer many health benefits. They help promote energy, maintain the nervous system, improve immune functions and buffer the effects of stress. Notably, the B vitamins influence the health of most of the internal organs of the body and may reverse the pathogenic courses of many diseases.


BEE POLLEN - Buy Now
Super SALES - $5.00

Bee Pollen is a true gift from Mother Nature. It is rich in minerals and vitamins, including calcium, magnesium, manganese, potassium, zinc, riboflavin, thiamin and vitamins A, B6, C, D, E and K, and includes 12 different unsaturated fatty acids. It also contains biotin, a vitamin that is important for the skin, hair and nails.

LBS II (100 CAPSULES) - Buy Now
Super SALES - $5.00

LBS II is designed to support the production of digestive enzymes and bile, thereby promoting the growth of friendly colonic bacteria. It also provides nourishing natural substances to feed the colon and support it in its eliminative functions.


MAGNESIUM COMPLEX - Buy Now
Super SALES - $5.00

Magnesium Complex combines two excellent forms of magnesium citrate and malate. Studies show that magnesium citrate and malate are more soluble and better absorbed than the other forms of magnesium.


This website is maintained by TheHerbsPlace.com.

For herbs, supplements, and essential oils guaranteed for purity, shop The Herbs Place - wholesale prices & fast shipping from 4 warehouses. What's On Sale Now?

Annual Herb Day Celebration

Due to requests from herb lovers all over the country, HerbDay will officially be celebrated on the first Saturday in May going forward, starting with Saturday, May 1, 2010. More people in more parts of the country have a larger variety of herbs growing at this time of year than do in fall.

Some areas already had their events planned for the fall of 2010, so that schedule will hold. To find out what celebrations there are in your area, check the national event schedule.

For herbs, supplements, and essential oils guaranteed for purity, shop The Herbs Place - wholesale prices & fast shipping from 4 warehouses. What's On Sale Now?

Stages of Relationships

by Ron Carpenter

Re: Taking time to give your relationship some perspective and finding balance in life

This is where you make the decision to either see things that annoy you about him as unique, or view them as things that get on your nerves. You either embrace them as things that complete you, or you decide they’re things you’ll have to tolerate the rest of your life. You say things like, “I don’t know if I can take this.” Yet, it is right here, at this point in life, when kids, work, friends, PMS, hormones, and everything else that you have to balance determines the future of your relationship.

It’s balancing who does the housework, and yard work, who’s going to change the oil, who’s getting up at 3 AM to feed the baby and who’s getting up at 5 AM to change the baby—these are the balancing acts of life. They’re not always easy, and if you don’t watch out, you might lose the hope and potential that first got you together by bogging down and just trying to work from one day to the next.

The fact is, the passion, excitement, fulfillment, and abundant joy you’re supposed to experience in your relationship does not have to be over, nor does it have to take a back seat to the duties of what it takes to run a family and a life. You can still have the honor, and respect, still dream about a bright future, still do things together, still walk through life together. But, you have got to learn how to manage life, and that is the critical distinction between strong relationships and weak ones.

More people prefer to complain about a thing than target, attack, and subdue it with the person they were connected with by God in the first place. It’s easier for me to sit back and tell you everything that’s wrong with you than understand why you are the way you are.

It still amazes me after all the years I’ve been in church, how many people I’ve seen go to the alter, extend all kinds of grace and mercy to crack addicts, thieves, cheaters, and liars—give miles of compassion for people stuck in destructive cycles, habits, and perversions—and go right back to the pew where their wife sits and be unwilling to give her an inch of grace or mercy.

What happened to grace in the home? What happened to the forgiveness you gave her when you were dating, and now, you extend it to everyone else except the very one you’re in covenant with?

What if God got tired of you? What kind of relationship would you have if God attacked you with everything HE didn’t like about you, instead of covering it and forgiving you?

The fact is, our marriages are a typology of Jesus and the church. Men, listen to me: the way Jesus treats the church is how we’re supposed to treat our wives. And wives, the way you respect Jesus is how you’re supposed to respect your husband, and until that relationship is played out like Christ and the church, the typology is broken.

If someone never heard a preacher, picked up a Bible, or watched Christian TV, they should look at your marriage and find the affection Jesus and the church have for each other. That’s what He meant it to be like.

Relationship Builder Action Step: Read 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. Read it together. Write down every attribute that describes Godly love. Then talk together about examples of how you exhibit each of these and extend each to each other.

This website is sponsored by The Herbs Place, distributor of Nature's Sunshine herbs, supplements, essential oils and more at wholesale prices.

Free Critter Deterrent For The Garden

From Birds and Blooms

Free clippings from my dog-grooming business have kept a client’s garden rabbit-free for years. He also hangs sacks of dog hair in young fruit trees to keep deer from destroying them. Another client spreads dog hair around her yard in spring so the birds can use it for nest building. – Paula Alfonsi, Almont, Michigan

This website is sponsored by The Herbs Place, distributor of Nature's Sunshine herbs, supplements, essential oils and more at wholesale prices.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Heavenly Fight of Earthly Warming

To find St. Elizabeth Roman Catholic Church in this working class suburb south of Detroit, look toward the roofline, for the windmill. Not a big windmill, it is a spare steel structure maybe nine feet high, perched atop the rectory of the church and facing northeast into the winds that come off Lake Erie.

Yet the windmill, two solar panels on the roof, another atop the front porch and a solar water heating system above the garage are the pride of the Rev. Charles Morris, St. Elizabeth’s priest.

Over the last five years, Father Morris has sharply reduced his small parish’s energy use and emissions of carbon dioxide, the compound most scientists believe has led to global warming, and he has organized other congregations across Michigan to do the same.

“We’re all part of God’s creation,” Father Morris said. “If someone like me doesn’t speak about its care, who will? The changes we’ve made here, that’s a form of preaching.” Read the entire article.

An alternative view about global warming.

This website is sponsored by The Herbs Place, distributor of Nature's Sunshine herbs, supplements, essential oils and more at wholesale prices.

Indulge Yourself

by Donna L. Watkins

Self-Indulgence ... isn't this what we are told to do by television shows, advertising and even motivational books? Joyce Meyer once mentioned she had a tape series on "Patience" and couldn't sell it. She had another one on "Pride" and nobody wanted to pick up that one, especially the ones who needed it, since they had too much pride to allow somebody see them look at it.

© 2009 Donna L. Watkins - Male English Sparrow
What I really want to encourage you on with this article is self-control. It's about not always pleasing yourself. We get into many emotional battles and relinquish control of many areas of our life and our peace of mind when we don't learn about, and put into practice, self-control. It will actually preserve us and bring much joy into our lives. All of God's character qualities (consider fruits of the spirit) are for our good, to edify us and others as we walk on this Earth.

Self-control will enable you to walk in the rest of the fruits of the spirit a whole lot easier. Charles H. Spurgeon said, "Temperance (an old-fashioned word for self-control) is the best medicine - for it is a preventative and a preservative, as well as a cure."

Medicine is a good choice of words, isn't it? Self-control is a bitter medicine to get into our minds. Self-control is transforming desires to please self into desires to please God. It is responding to sin the same way a dead man does (Romans 6:2, 11).

It's so easy to go overboard in many areas of life. Whether it's shopping, eating, immoral activities or simply a belief system that says life is all about me and my needs. We are called to be living sacrifices (Romans 12:1) but we don't want to ponder that too much. It actually doesn't mean we are to be poor and debased and bedraggled. We are children of the King and we can live in royalty with a Kingdom mindset, but that mindset doesn't include overwhelming debt or poor health due to overeating just because we never learned to "just say NO."

The sin of gluttony refers to the excessive consumption of food, but taking it to a deeper level you could say that it is “seeking to satisfy our souls by indulging the appetites of the flesh.” This is in contrast to self-control, which is the ability to align the actions of our body with the desires of the spirit. When it comes to food it's a tough battle since most of our were raised with food being used as a reward and for comfort or being a good child.

We are the temples of the Holy Spirit, our Comforter and Helper. This is one of the things I sink deep into my heart because I want to provide a clean and healthy temple for God as much as it is in my power to do so. Christian self-control is ultimately about being controlled by God’s Spirit. In fact, God sometimes lets us fall into sins of the flesh to teach us not to trust in our own willpower! This is also why those who undergo persecution are considered 'blessed', or 'lucky', as it is obvious to them that they can’t pursue physical comfort and the Kingdom of Heaven at the same time.

Self-control is more than moderation. 
 It's an absolute resolve to discontinue self-indulgence. 
 It is removing all provisions for indulgence so you will not fulfill them.

When we wanted to get debt-free back in the late 80's, we knew we had to change our lifestyle. We not only had to determine what we could cut out of the budget, we had to be sure we turned away from the lure of advertising and window shopping. We didn't subscribe to magazines and newspapers. We didn't shop as a pastime to drool over things we wanted. We made no provision for the flesh being enticed into something.

In November of 1998, I made the final decision on giving up chocolate. I had tried it many times in the flesh and whenever I allowed myself to have "just one piece" or allow chocolate in our home, I fell into a binge like an alcoholic with liquor. I couldn't have "just one" of anything chocolate, but my flesh would tell me now and then that I could handle it. I would go for 6 months or even a year, but it was always a battle of the will.

Why was it so important for me to give up chocolate? Because my spirit realized how much control it had over my life. Chocolate made me eat more than I wanted to eat, it made me hyper and happy for a short period of time, and then dumped me into a hypoglycemic (low blood sugar) reaction which made me moody and nasty. The only good that came out of chocolate was the taste of the first bite. It was all downhill from there.

On that Fall day in 1998, I admitted I did not have enough strong will, determination or guts to keep chocolate out of my life. I needed God's power and fruit of His spirit to have enough resolve to discontinue this self-indulgence. I made a promise to God that if He would take away the craving and desire for chocolate, I would say "no" forever more to it.

 I knew there was the physical withdrawal so that's where I used my self-control and will power during the first weeks and then it was all up to God. I kept my promise and He has kept His. It's been an amazing thing! I have no desire for chocolate and I can walk into a place with the smell of it and with a bakery case full of it without wanting any.

Related Articles:
Escaping Temptation (chocolate)
Contentment - A Deer Mouse

This website is sponsored by The Herbs Place, distributor of Nature's Sunshine herbs, supplements, essential oils and more at wholesale prices.

The photo(s) and article are copyrighted. You may use either of them if you include the following credit and active link back to this website:
© 2010 Donna L. Watkins - This article was reprinted with permission from TheNatureInUs.com. The link to use is: www.TheNatureInUs.com.

10 Benefits of Raised Garden Beds

Today, if the weather cooperates, my kids and I will be starting our Square Foot Garden. We have a lot of work to do, as the boxes aren’t even on the ground yet. In fact, we still have to build a square foot garden box.

Though it’s tempting to just hoe out a patch of ground and plant some seeds, I’m convinced that the initial work we put into building raised garden beds will pay for itself in the long run. Why? Let me count the ways..

This website is sponsored and supported by The Herbs Place where you get wholesale prices every day.
This website is sponsored by The Herbs Place, distributor of Nature's Sunshine herbs, supplements, essential oils and more at wholesale prices.

Newsletter - 4/15/10

Bookmark and Share

Hello Friends!

We just returned from our 33rd Anniversary Getaway. We don't always make a big deal out of our anniversary, but we do like to celebrate the event. We chose rivers, parks, mountains, and waterfalls in South Carolina, and best of all, visits with friends in Georgia. You can view links to photo albums and video.

I hope you're really enjoying this Spring weather. The pollen is everywhere but it's so much better than snow! The birds are so loud and cheerful and the frogs are singing their chorus also. It was such a long winter. I'm so joyous for the good weather.

Love and Hugs,
Donna

New Posts Since Last Newsletter

Trip to Greenville, SC with Photos  (DLW)

Contentment: A Deer Mouse  (DLW)

Hope For Creation

Finding Healthy Pet Products

Grow Your Own Birdseed

Where Is Your Hope?

Kids Going Green

Not Too Late for Nest Boxes

How Fear Affects The Body

Live In a Butterfly Neighborhood

Tax Deduction for Pets

Previous Popular Posts


Quick Links to The Herbs Place.


View Posts By Topic


Archives
All posts are archived by month/year and title at the bottom left side of this website.

This website is sponsored by The Herbs Place, distributor of Nature's Sunshine herbs, supplements, essential oils and more at wholesale prices.

Trip to Greenville, SC with Photos

We just returned from our 33rd Anniversary Getaway. We don't always make a big deal out of our anniversary, but we do like to celebrate the event.

Since we have more than enough "stuff" we enjoy making memories and so we headed out for a week down south. Spent a few days in Greenville, SC area.

Photo albums:

Downtown Greenville and Falls Park on the Reedy (tree-lined streets and waterfalls on river)
Kilgore-Lewis House and Gardens

On our anniversary day we drove up to Table Rock State Park in Pickens, SC, and hiked along a stream with various waterfalls. It was a gorgeous Spring day!

Photo albums:
Table Rock State Park, Trail, Waterfalls and Lodge
Pumpkintown Opry and Aunt Sue's Country Corner

The rest of the time we visited friends in Georgia and that really gave us lots of memories and moments to remember until we see them again.

Video of Waterfalls Along the Trail



This website is sponsored by The Herbs Place, distributor of Nature's Sunshine herbs, supplements, essential oils and more at wholesale prices.

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Contentment: A Deer Mouse

by Donna L. Watkins

With woods behind us, we are challenged with deer mice wanting to set up housekeeping in our garage. We store bird food there and having a stocked pantry is a delight to a deer mouse. One thing deer mice is portray is a character quality of contentment.

The deer mouse can make its home almost anywhere because it will make itself comfortable with whatever is available. Now and then when we are reorganizing the garage we find evidence of where the deer mice have stored night time snacks.

We also find their sleeping and cozy warm areas in boots, small boxes tucked behind a workbench, or in anything that would not be moved about on a regular basis. Inside these nests are pieces of fabric from rags lying around, leaves, and sometimes chewed pieces of things we wished they hadn't chewed on. They are creative and make use of what they can find and are totally content with their circumstances ... whether we are or not.

Sometimes we have to focus on another spiritual quality to be able to hold ourselves up in a weak area. One such quality related to self-control is contentment. We are surrounded by a world where people have everything in excess. It's been about more and more and more for so long.

We need to learn to settle into being content and it will afford us much greater self-control. Some people I know believe in having a back-up of many things they own. They have an extra tv, extra tools, extra appliances, extra umbrellas, etc. It's like we're expecting everything to break and need to be replaced.

I'm always amazed at how stores can sell extended warranties to people. My first question when they're offered to me is this: "So are you telling me this thing I am about to purchase is going to break before a year passes?" That would cause me to want to research a bit deeper on the performance statistics of that product. I can't see paying a company for a product and then paying them "insurance" in case it breaks. I just can't grasp that at all.

On our journey out of debt, it was amazing the things we found that we didn't know we had when we couldn't run out to buy something else. Our brains became more creative in seeing new ways to do things. As we sold things to pay off debt, our lives and minds became more peaceful.

Contentment is realizing that God has already provided 
everything I need for my present and future happiness.

Sometimes we expect things to make us feel better. When we look to stuff for our significance, that stuff becomes idols. Only God can give us true joy, peace of mind, and love enough to cover all of our greatest needs. The less we have to maintain, the more time we can spend with our Father and that time will reap rewards you would never have dreamed possible.

We become like who we hang around with. The Bible tells us to choose our friends very carefully in this life. He who walks with wise people will become wise himself, but that he who keeps company with fools will he himself be destroyed.

"He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed." (Proverbs 13:20)

Don't we make ourselves companions with our stuff? Especially electronic gadgets. It's what we spend our time on and what relationships do we trade for it? What lifestyles do we form from it? Is it time to consider what we want our lives to really look like? Maybe a bit of contentment needs to be added to yours?

Related Articles:
Clutter Affects Our Lives
There Is a Way Out
Indulge Yourself

This website is sponsored by The Herbs Place, distributor of Nature's Sunshine herbs, supplements, essential oils and more at wholesale prices.

The photo(s) and article are copyrighted. You may use either of them if you include the following credit and active link back to this website:
© 2010 Donna L. Watkins - This article was reprinted with permission from TheNatureInUs.com. The link to use is: www.TheNatureInUs.com.

Hope For Creation

Evangelism, caring for the poor, tending the garden, and worship are part of our identity in Christ.

That’s why Evangelical Environmental Network (EEN) is partnering with the Blessed Earth website. Rev. Mitchell Hescox, of EEN, is joining Matthew & Nancy Sleeth in Orlando, FL on April 21, 2010 for “Hope For Creation: A Live Simulcast.”

The simulcast will feature worship and teaching to celebrate all that God creates as well as our call to be good creation stewards. It’s time to renew our call as the original environmentalists. No politics, No agenda.

Creation offers a marvelous testament. In 1975 the creation’s witness to Mitchell, especially Romans 1:20 came alive: (For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities — his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse) He was in the middle of a Mexican wilderness as God used the earth, His beautiful creation in all its majesty, to lead him back to faith.

As a church, we must remember that creation care is not only a Biblical command but also an opportunity as potentially the greatest evangelism tool for the 21st century.

Join with me and thousands of Christians worldwide from your sanctuary, living room, coffee shop, dorm, or classroom on Earth Day eve. Sign up for free simulcast and reminder.

This website is sponsored by The Herbs Place, distributor of Nature's Sunshine herbs, supplements, essential oils and more at wholesale prices.

Finding Healthy Pet Products

HealthyStuff.org tested over 400 pet products, including beds, chew toys, stuffed toys, collars, leashes, and tennis balls. Since there are no government standards for hazardous chemicals in pet products, it is not surprising that there were alarming levels of toxic chemicals found.

HealthyStuff.org results are especially of concern to pets who are frequently close to floor and commonly put products into their mouths. Exposures are greater, resulting in greater health concerns. Check out some of the new test data for pets.

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Grow Your Own Birdseed

Use these 10 plants to bring more feathered friends into your backyard.

Plants have a lot more to offer than just beautiful flowers. Why not get the most out of your garden by growing plants with multiple benefits? Here, you'll find 10 great blooms that offer seeds for birds.

Autumn Joy sedum (Sedum 'Autumn Joy', Zones 3 to 9)

Just when your other plants start to fade, Autumn Joy sedum will take the spotlight with its star-shaped blooms. Grow in full sun to light shade until the first frost.

Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia, Zones 3 to 9)


This is another garden classic birds adore. The traditional black-eyed Susan has dark centers and bright-yellow flowers, but now there are even more varieties to choose from. Grow in full sun to light shade for blooms in summer through autumn.

Blazing star (Liatris species, Zones 3 to 9)

Many gardeners know this plant as gayfeather. Don't be surprised when you see an American goldfinch gripping the purple spikes of this flower head. It grows up to 5 feet in full to partial sun and blooms in summer.

Read the entire article for all 10 plants at Birds and Blooms.

Copyright and Reprint Information
The photo(s) and article are copyrighted. You may use them if you include the following credit and active link back to this website:
© 2009 Donna L. Watkins - This article was reprinted with permission from TheNatureInUs.com.
The link URL is: http://www.TheNatureInUs.com

Where Is Your Hope?

From Creation Moments.

Romans 15:4: "For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope."

Where do you find hope? Christians find their hope outside themselves in the sure promises of God in Jesus Christ. These promises are found throughout the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. But what happens to our hope when we decide to be selective about what we want to believe of the Bible's teachings and/or when we add other beliefs that are not from the Bible?

One good example of what happens can be found in Jane Goodall's autobiography, Reason for Hope: A Spiritual Journey. Goodall became famous for living with and studying chimpanzees in Tanzania. While her family doesn't appear to have had a strong Christian faith, Jane's grandmother is described as having a very deep faith and wishing the same for Jane.

By her own accounting, by the time she was in her teens, Jane decided she would be selective about the Bible's teachings, believing what she wanted and discarding the rest. Then she started adding beliefs from non Christian religions to her belief system. She admits that this left her with the problem of where to find hope.

In her autobiography, Goodall writes that she finally found four reasons for hope. They include: the human brain, the resilience of nature, the indomitable human spirit and the energy and enthusiasm of young people. But, we add, in a sinful world, all of these things are more likely to lead to suffering and evil than to provide hope. Our only real hope is found in Jesus Christ and His victory over sin, death and the devil.

Prayer: Dear Father, I thank You for the hope You give me in Christ. Help me to share my hope with others. Amen.

References: World, 10/30/99, "Scientists need faith." Visit Creation Moments.

This website is sponsored by The Herbs Place, distributor of Nature's Sunshine herbs, supplements, essential oils and more at wholesale prices.

The photo(s) and article are copyrighted. You may use either of them if you include the following credit and active link back to this website:
© 2009 Donna L. Watkins - This article was reprinted with permission from TheNatureInUs.com. The link to use is: www.TheNatureInUs.com.

Kids Going Green

This information is provided by BlessedEarth.org

Just for Kids - Going Green Educational Resources

www.climatechangeeducation.org
Your children can learn to be “cool climate kids” on this Web site dedicated to climate change education.

www.epa.gov/climatechange/kids/index.html
EPA’s Web site for kids with games, information, and links.

globalwarmingkids.net
Children can learn to be “global warming” kids on this Web site. A project of ClimateChangeEducation.org.

www.online.nwf.org/site/PageNavigator/ClimateClassroom/cc_about_climateclassroom
This National Wildlife Federation Climate Classroom is a Web site that helps educate children about global warming using developmentally appropriate methods.

www.davidsuzuki.org/NatureChallenge
Fun and easy things kids can do to protect nature.

www.marvelbelievecare.org/FreePublications.html
Excellent website for practical resources for Sunday school or devotion time. Includes free downloadable creation care coloring books, flash cards of creation care Bible verses, and multi-level activity books

Source: BlessedEarth.org - Blessed Earth is an educational nonprofit that inspires and equips faith communities to become better stewards of the earth. Through outreach to churches, campuses and media we build bridges that promote measurable environmental change and meaningful spiritual growth.

This website is sponsored by The Herbs Place, distributor of Nature's Sunshine herbs, supplements, essential oils and more at wholesale prices.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Not Too Late for Nest Boxes

From "This Week at Hilton Pond" Newsletter

Although some female Eastern Bluebirds are already sitting on eggs here in the Carolina Piedmont, we still see pairs roaming about looking for suitable nest sites. From this we conclude it's not yet too late to build and put up new nest boxes--especially in more northerly parts of the species' breeding range.

Besides, you may still get other cavity nesters to move in--birds such as Brown-headed Nuthatches and Downy Woodpeckers.

"This Week at Hilton Pond" we approach the topic of creating artificial cavities for bluebirds and other birds that will use them. The current photo essay includes a blueprint for a simple bluebird nest box, plus lots of natural history info about bluebirds and other cavity nesters.

For ideas on how to attract bluebirds et al., please check out the installment.



This website is sponsored by The Herbs Place, distributor of Nature's Sunshine herbs, supplements, essential oils and more at wholesale prices.

Sunday, April 4, 2010

How Fear Affects The Body

We all know by now the negative effects of fear, stress and anxiety to our bodies. Angina, arrhythmias, asthma, allergies, high blood pressure, irritable bowel, tension headaches, strokes, impotence, insomnia, diabetes, prostatitis, malabsorption, and eczema are but a few of the many diseases known to be stress-related.

Doctors are only now starting to study this mind/body connection, calling this new field Psychoneuro-immunology. The aim of these researchers is to nail down physical and molecular underpinnings of emotions and disease, using the latest medical technology, looking inside the brain, at hormones and at the immune system for answers... Read the entire article.

This website is sponsored by The Herbs Place, distributor of Nature's Sunshine herbs, supplements, essential oils and more at wholesale prices.

Live In a Butterfly Neighborhood

This can inspire you to make your neighborhood a butterfly neighborhood also. Get a lot of ideas and information at Monarch Watch.

By Camille Evans, Dunedin, Florida

You have to love butterflies to live on my street. Well...it's not a law, but I live in one of five neighboring houses occupied by butterfly enthusiasts. All of us have butterfly gardens and raise caterpillars in our backyards.

It all started 3 years ago when my neighbors Theresa and Jim showed me their beautiful butterfly garden and gave me a monarch caterpillar to raise. They told me to plant milkweed and buy a 'critter keeper' box at a pet store.

My grandson, Henry, and I fed the caterpillar and watched it grow bigger each day. It formed an amazing chrysalis that looked like a green-and- gold-studded jewel case. It eventually grew so transparent that I could see the orange and black wings inside.

Entranced, Henry and I watched as the monarch broke free from the chrysalis and emerged a perfect butterfly. After that, I had butterfly fever!  Read the entire article.

Tax Deduction for Pets

t’s called the HAPPY Act — Humanity and Pets Partnered Through the Years — and if it gets through Congress, pet owners across the nation will get a tax deduction for pet care expenses of up to $3,500 per person.

The bill, introduced by Rep. Thaddeus McCotter, R-Mich., defines a pet as “a legally owned, domesticated, live animal,” which covers dogs, cats and an assortment of other creatures. View updates on bill.

This website is sponsored by The Herbs Place, distributor of Nature's Sunshine herbs, supplements, essential oils and more at wholesale prices.

Share This Post