Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Our Loving Father

by Andrew Wommack

Luke 11:11 - "If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?"

The most loving Father in the world cannot compare to our heavenly Father and the love He has for us. And yet, many times, we find it easier to believe in the willingness of a father or mother or mate to help us than in the willingness of God to use His power on our behalf.

Relatively few people really doubt God's ability, but rather, it is our doubt of His willingness to use His ability on our behalf that causes most people to do without. Jesus is assuring us that God's love, and His willingness to demonstrate that love, is far greater than we can ever experience in any human relationship.

The Lord didn't just save us out of pity or a sense of obligation as our Creator. He saved us because He loved us (John 3:16). It was the "good pleasure of his will" for us to become adopted sons (Eph.1:5).

We are wanted and accepted by our Father! What a wonderful thing this is! It would have been more than any of us deserve to be forgiven by God. Then to be given certain rights and privileges would have been more than we could have expected. But the Lord went further than that. He has actually accepted us.

The dictionary defines "accept" as "1. to receive gladly; 2. to receive into a place or a group" (New American Heritage Dictionary). The Lord does not just tolerate us; He actually loves us. He even likes us. He rejoices over us with joy (Zeph. 3:17).

Visit Andrew's Website.


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How Old Are Your Body's Organs That Renew?

Believe it or not, your lungs are six weeks old - and your taste buds just ten days!

Many people fret about aging, little realizing that whatever your age in years, some of your body parts are just a few weeks, even days, old. This is because they are constantly renewing themselves.

Here's an article that looks at how old you really are...
 
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Whole Food Supplements Go Beyond Multivitamins

From Natural Society

Across the spectrum of the natural health world, one thing is agreed on by virtually everyone – eating whole foods is better for health than eating processed foods.

Could it be any different with supplements? Most multivitamins are the supplement equivalent of processed foods, being comprised of isolated, refined, processed, and often synthetic nutrients combined in a capsule.

Like processed foods, processed vitamins have been stripped of their wholeness and integrity, which includes synergistic and balancing nutrients, enzymes, and co-factors.

In their refined state, they can act more like drugs in the body. Processed minerals can act like crushed rock, and often very little is digested and assimilated.

Small amounts of nutrients in whole food form are several times more effective than larger doses of isolated nutrients.   

Read the entire article.

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Ten Most Common Pet Toxins

The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (APCC) in Urbana, IL., handled more than 167,000 calls involving pets exposed to possibly poisonous substances in 2014.
Nearly 16% of those calls were from pet parents whose pets got into medicines intended for human use, putting this category at the top of the toxin list for the seventh year in a row.

Here are the 10 most common pet toxins of 2014 ranked in order of call volume.

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Friday, June 19, 2015

Change Your Thinking About Who You Are

Change Your Mind
by Andrew Wommack

Read Mark 7:17-23

Mark 7:21, "For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders."

These verses (21-23) further establish the fact that our heart includes more than just our spirit. Even Christians still struggle with things like pride and foolishness, which Jesus said comes out of our heart. It's certain that our born again spirit is not the source of these sins; therefore, the heart encompasses more than our spirit.

The word "spirit" is used in different ways in scripture. The most frequent usage refers to either the Spirit of God or the spirit of man. In that context, it denotes the person of the Holy Spirit or identifies a part of our three-part being (1 Th. 5:23). But the word "spirit" can also describe a mental disposition (Strong).

In Ephesians 1:17, Paul is praying that what is already true in our spirit will become our "mental disposition." He's praying for a release into the physical of what is already present in our spiritual being.

The Christian life is not an attempt to get more faith, or more anointing, or to get closer to the Lord. We already have these things in their fullness. We just need a revelation of what is already ours. Understanding this takes a lot of frustration and doubt away. It's much easier to release something you already have than to try and get something that you don't have. And why would anyone doubt whether or not he could receive what he already has?

Through Christ, we are already blessed with all spiritual blessings. All we have to do is appropriate what is already ours, through the renewing of our mind. If you will change your thinking to believe what God says in His Word about who you are and what you have, then this agreement between your spirit and soul forms a majority, and your flesh will experience the life of God that has been deposited in your spirit.

Visit Andrew's Website.



4 Homemade Traps to Get Rid of Fruit Flies

Fruit flies are the bane of many homeowners existence. They have a crazy short life span, going from egg to adulthood in 8-10 days, which means they reproduce at a ridiculously fast rate.

They thrive in moist, damp places, such as sink/garbage disposal drains, and are attracted to fruits and other foods - particularly ones that are fermenting or rotting (they clearly have no taste.)

To get rid of the nasty little buggers, try these 5 homemade fruit fly traps & methods to clear out your home.

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You Have Control Over Your Brain

Written by Dr. Caroline Leaf

Scientists in recent years have discovered how the state of our mind – what the brain does – influences our overall mental and physical health. It’s wonderful news that our intellectual limits are NOT “set” or “fixed” in childhood only to then decline from the age of 25! This bleak and incorrect view of the human brain has, thank goodness, been overturned by the astounding new research that the brain grows and changes no matter what your age; it all depends on how you USE your brain (see Intellectual Development).

When you adopt a lifestyle of intense mental focus, you quite literally “switch on” neuroplasticity, the marvelous ability of the brain the grow branches and unending scaffolds of networks to increase your intelligence. I have, in my own research, seen patients with severe trauma to the brain move to intellectual heights never dreamed off; students who thought they could not make it academically become master scholars; and people whose depression threatened to overthrow them set free.

Strategic approaches to thinking necessitate an understanding of your gift (see The Perfect You), how you think – which will create new neural pathways and strengthen existing ones for as long as you live! How you think and what you are thinking, which I call the “I-factor” are being proven scientifically to have as much if not more influence over our genes than diet and exercise. 

This is an emerging new field called Epigenetics and means control over and above the genes. This is very exciting because it means we are not victims of our biology, as we have been erroneously told, but are “captains of our souls” (from the poem ‘Invictus’).

What we think influences every aspect of who we are and how we feel physically. A fascinating study, one of many of this kind, done at Ohio State University shows that healing can be slowed by as much as 40% when one is stressed. Considering that stress is the body’s reaction to our thought life, our state of mind (our thought life), is quite literally determining our mental and physical health. For more on stress watch 1.13m vimeo clip on stress, or you can watch the whole episode 28.

It is your I-factor, your thoughts which encompass your beliefs and your feelings, which are able to create a virtuous cycle of health or a toxic cycle of sickness and unhappiness. It does not matter how sick or mentally challenged we may feel, we still have the ability to choose our thoughts and feelings. God has equipped each of us with all the genetic material and epigenetic ability to deal optimally with all the challenges of life.

It all boils down to the I-Factor, in other words it’s up to us to follow the words of scripture, "Every day I lay before you life and death; choose life so that you and your descendants may live." (Deuteronomy 30:19).

Visit Dr. Leaf's website..


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Monday, June 15, 2015

The Nature In Us Newsletter - 6/15/15

View This Post on The Website.

  The Nature In Us Newsletter - 6/15/15  
  by Donna L. Watkins  

"How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!  If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand." — Psalm 139:17

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Hello Dear Friends!

View Enlarged Image
Juvenile Carolina Wren on Deck
View More Photos of Wrens
Birds - We've got more new baby birds, but I'm still enjoying the little wrens the most.  So precious and sweet and innocent.  They seem to want to grow up fast compared to the finches that want to be beak-fed by the parents seemingly forever. 

I've seen Pileated Woodpeckers, Black-capped Chickadee and Rufous-sided Towhees.  Last year was the first juvenile towhees I had seen here on our property, although we've had the Rufous-sided Towhee pretty much since we arrived here in 2000. I also hear a lot of baby cries from nesting areas.  When they get almost ready to fledge they get real excited when the parents return to the nest with food and you can hear that excitement.  I don't bother the area where I hear these sounds since humans can create plenty of trouble.

It's a lot of work for the parents to feed their growing young and they don't need  humans interfering.  Leave them alone and enjoy them when you see them fledge.  Fledging is the stage in a young bird's life when the feathers and wing muscles are sufficiently developed for flight, although still dependent on parents for feeding and instruction.

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Two Young Pileated Woodpeckers
Looking Out Nest Hole

More Pileated Woodpecker Photos
View Enlarged Image
Juvenile Rufous-Sided Towhee
View More Towhee Photos
House Finch - The House Finch was introduced to our eastern area from the western side of the United States.  Unlike some introductions, it received a warmer reception due to the red coloring on head and breast and the long, twittering song that is so cheerful.  It can now be heard in most places on the continent. We enjoy having a lot of them here at Bluebird Cove.

You may be familiar with the House Finch Eye Disease that has been in bird news for years.  I won't share photos of ones we've taken to The Wildlife Center to be relieved of their plight.  They can only euthanize the bird since even if they cleared the condition in a bird, it will still be infectious to other birds.  We used to see some that were infected every year, but it's been two years now that I haven't seen any at all so I thought the situation was getting better, but the most recent news about this disease is quite shocking and disappointing.

Researching this subject, I found much more discouraging news.  "More than half the bird species we tested have been exposed to the bacteria responsible for House Finch eye disease," says André Dhondt at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.  A paper recently published in the online scientific journal PLOS ONE shows that a bacterial parasite previously thought to infect only a few species of feeder birds is actually infecting a surprisingly wide range of species, though most do not show signs of illness.

Species testing positive for exposure to the bacteria include feeder favorites such as Black-capped Chickadees, Tufted Titmice, and American Goldfinches. But exposure was also detected in forest species, such as the Wood Thrush.

"That was another surprise," says Dhondt. "How on earth do Wood Thrushes get infected with mycoplasma? They're not a feeder bird at all.  "The organism could mutate into a form that is much more virulent among other bird species and create a new epidemic," noted Dhondt, who added that "while we know that many species of songbirds are exposed to Mycoplasma gallisepticum, we still do not know whether the bacteria in other species of songbirds are identical to that living in House Finches in the same area."  Read the whole story in Science Daily.

Greater Sage-Grouse - A bird we never see here in the eastern United States is the Greater Sage-Grouse.  For most of the year the Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) are inconspicuous, browsing on sagebrush and other plants at ground level. This western United States bird is most known for its mating season.  Read more about this bird.  From March to May, males gather in groups, called leks, to compete for females. They perform elaborate strutting displays by ruffling feathers and making a distinctive noise produced by air sacks in the chest. Females gather to evaluate the males and choose which ones to mate with. View the PBS video on this "nature event."


Tidbit - This intrigued me to know whether or not it was true, so I searched to verify the info and found it was fact.   

Here's the links:  For the Nose and For the Ears


Spiritual News - Thanks to my friend, Marilee in Minnesota, for sending me an article about mass conversions amongst Muslims, Buddhists and Hindu cultures besides Jews also.  Jesus has been appearing to these people in their dreams.  There's even a website that allows them to share their testimonies and stories of conversion.  Here's a segment from the article:

"An ISIS fighter who says he "enjoyed killing Christians" has told missionaries that he has been having dreams of a man in white. The man told him, "You are killing my people." Before the fighter murdered one Christian, the believer said, "I know you will kill me, but I give to you my Bible." He killed the Christian, then took his Bible and began to read it. Jesus appeared to him again, calling him to become a Christian. Now the man is asking missionaries how he can become a follower of Christ and be discipled. God is miraculously at work around the world."   Read the whole story ... 


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Mama Love Deer with Fawn Nursing in Front of Porch
View All Photos On This Special Day - Begin Here
Critters - Deer and Fawn - I noticed that Mama Love Deer was pregnant back in May and then one day she arrived with the baby.  She was right out from the walkway to our front door and cleaning the baby.  The little one was quite patient but after awhile it was wanting to nurse.  View Video on Fawn Bath Time.

Reminds me of myself many times.  God is wanting to clean me up and I've got different ideas on my mind.  He sees a way to bring me more abundant living and I have my own trail map of "want to do" that will never provide the joy, prosperity or peace that my Creator Father has planned for me.

So many times in life I've set off on the trail praising the Lord for an idea and expecting Him to follow me.  We never get too old to make mistakes. Romans 12:1 gives us a wisdom choice:

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."

Does that mean God wants to make us His slaves?  Of course not.  He made our hearts and minds and knows what will really bring us all the blessings we could ever imagine.  The way the world operates has nothing to offer compared to what the Kingdom within us holds in store.

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Baby Fawn Looking For The Mama Love Deer Milk Bottle
View All Photos On This Special Day - Begin Here
I've been writing about this crippled deer since 2012.  When she brought a young fawn behind her last year, we changed her name to Mama Love Deer.  It was a name given in faith since she didn't seem to love that fawn in any way.  She was always ahead of it and would walk away when it tried to nurse. 

At one point the fawn was drinking from our small pond and slipped in.  It's a concrete pond with sloped sides so it got back out, but Mama's response only 15 feet away was to look up and then go back to eating some wild blueberries.  They kept coming around and the fawn did okay.  Renaming Mama in faith has paid off.  She's been very attentive to this one, like night and day.

It's wonderful to be able to see things like this but then it is also sad to see the down side of things like her right front leg having the knee joint not bending forward but bending outward to her side.  She's held up to the other female deer.  At times some have been friendly, but mostly they have chased her away.  She now comes at a time apart from others so she has less running to do.  It's sweet to know that she considers our yard a safe place.

Grizzly Bear - My friend, Charlene, in Northern California, has a lovely tract of land that's been passed down in the family.  They call it The Homestead.  She's got a lot of family and it's always amazing to me how often they all gather at the place.  They work to keep it nice for them and the wildlife and have built a variety of things to increase all the fun they have when they get together there.  Not long ago they put up a webcam to see what was coming around at night. 

Grizzly Bear and Cub
They specifically wanted to see bear .... and it was too long before they did.  But this recent photo that they got is just so precious!  That wee tiny little cub alongside of the mom.  What a portrayal of the wild lives being aided by their stewardship of this land.  They've had a wide variety of wild animals at night and I'm blessed to get to share in the photos .... and now I'm sharing this one with you.

When we do the seemingly unimportant things in the Kingdom ... such as maintaining a piece of land ... it becomes a big thing to the animals that God created to live on this earth with us.  What a blessing Charlene and her family are.  We shall not know all of the "God things" we've done while on Earth.  When we get to heaven we may be shocked to find that much of what we thought was "good" was not really "God."  Many times we like to do things where we will receive our rewards on earth.  It's human nature.  Serving behind the scenes where nobody knows about it is a test of our pride.  I don't always fare too well on that "look at."


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Landscape Photo in Yellowstone National Park
View Yellowstone and Grand Tetons National Park Album
Travel - Yellowstone National Park - It's summer and families are planning vacations across the United States and around the world.  So many beautiful places to see and experience.  It makes it difficult to imagine how amazing Heaven will be when this is just a little drop of God's creativity. 

While we were at a Nature's Sunshine Convention in Utah years back, we planned a follow-up a trip to Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton National Park.  We flew our son in from Oklahoma and had the experience as a family.  Pictures definitely don't do justice, but if you can't make it there in person .... enjoy the views and animals from my travel gallery.

Yellowstone is a wonderland of magical things. It's America's first national park.  Old Faithful geyser is well known and the majority of the world's geysers are preserved at Yellowstone. They're actually the  reason the park was established in 1872. A mountain wild land of extremes is how it feels.  It's home to herds of bison, moose and elk, grizzly bears, wolves, and so much more.  This park is the core of one of the last, nearly intact, natural ecosystems in the Earth’s temperate zone.  Its lands cover three states:  ID, WY and MT.

View Enlarged Image
Elk Bull Finished Rubbing Antlers and
Wondering If I Had Any Thing To Rub Against

Yellowstone National Park
Grand Teton National  Park is known for its amazing landscape views.  Mountains, valleys rivers, lakes, and amazing skies and cloud formations are home to forests and wildflower meadows and a long list of wildlife.

The park also has a rich cultural history with old homesteads and cattle ranches.  You can walk on a trail  that American Indians might have used in the 1820s.  It will be a breathtaking experience and an unforgettable vacation if you get here.  View Yellowstone and Grand Tetons National Park Album.


Family - Battle For Our Children's Minds - (From AnswersInGenesis.org) Every generation has the same decision to make: Will I serve the God of the Bible or a false god?  How long does it take to lose a culture, from a Christian perspective?  Actually, it takes only one generation.  The devil knows this, and of course God warns us about it. Adolf Hitler understood this when he said, “He alone, who owns the youth, gains the future!”Over and over again in Scripture, God instructs His people to make sure they train up the next generation (Prov. 22:6).

Many fathers today are not carrying out their God-given, God-commanded role to be the spiritual head of their house and to take the responsibility for training their children in spiritual matters. In England, two-thirds of young people now say they don’t believe in God—in a culture where most people once went to church.  In America, a major poll indicated that two-thirds of young people will leave the church once they live on their own.

The public schools have been teaching their own brand of apologetics: how to defend the idea of evolution and history over millions of years, thus causing multitudes of U.S. students from Christian homes to doubt the history in Genesis. Doubts about Genesis place young people on a slippery slide of unbelief that eventually destroys their confidence in the rest of Scripture. Their trust in the soul-saving gospel itself, which is grounded on the Bible’s historical claims, is undermined.

Even when parents pull their kids out of public school, the anti-God message is so prevalent in the media, museums, and colleges—and even among friends, neighbors, and workmates—that young people are woefully unprepared to understand and defend their beliefs.

What a sad state of affairs?  But there is always hope.  Read the rest of the article and helpful ideas.

Donna at Norfolk Botanical Garden
Until next time ... meditate on this verse.  Need help understanding what meditation is?  Watch the June 2nd broadcast (2nd link on the series) on this series ... or watch the whole series.

Zephaniah 3:17 - "For the LORD your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, He will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs."
 
Donna

P.S. Anything in here that might help somebody you know?   

Here's a link to the online version of this newsletter. Click on it and on the left sidebar there will be an option to share in various ways.

If you simply want to copy and paste the link into an email, here it is:  http://www.thenatureinus.com/2015/06/the-nature-in-us-newsletter-61515.html

 


Posts Since Last Newsletter

God's Word Has No Limits

Gardening in Drought

The Real Cost of Smoking - $9,000 a Year

9 Powerful Everyday Home Remedies

4 Reasons To Get A Duck

It Gets Messy When You Mess With Things

Simple & Non-Toxic Ways to Use Essential Oils to Freshen and Clean

Breakthrough Discovery For Bats' White-Nose Syndrome

The Scoop on Grain-Free Pet Foods

Butter vs Margarine: The Big Fat Butter Lie

The Nature In Us Newsletter - 6/1/15 (DLW)

Previous Posts You May Have Missed  

Faith as a Seed

15 Everyday Mistakes That Are Sapping Your Energy

Free Plan-a-Garden Online Tool

Will Off Grid Living Become Mainstream?

Getting Your Eyes Off The Circumstances (DLW)

New Bill Aims to Connect Kids with Nature

9 Reasons Gardening Is The Ultimate Mind-Body Workout

Pet Video: Leash Safety Made Easy

The Nature In Us Newsletter - 5/15/15 (DLW)

Great Sleep = Great Brain

Teaching Kids Basics of Gardening is Important

New Grain-Free Food for Dogs and Cats

9 Big Companies Are Listening To Consumers

Enduring Hardship

The Nature In Us Newsletter - 5/1/15  (DLW)

Doom and Gloom or Peace and Provision (DLW)

Delicious 3-Day Detox Smoothie Program

10 Reasons Why Your Pets Should Take Fish Oil

Roundup Weedkiller Now a Probable Human Carcinogen

Jesus Lifts Us Up When We Don't Bear Fruit

Creating a Butterfly Garden

5 Ways to Keep Ticks Out of Your Yard

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Copyright and Reprint Information - All photos remain the property of Donna L. Watkins, but may be used with proper credit and link back to the website, TheNatureInUs.com. Articles written by Donna L. Watkins may also be reprinted with proper credit and link back to the website, TheNatureInUs.com

Friday, June 12, 2015

God's Word Has No Limits

by Andrew Wommack

Read John 4:46-54

John 4:50, "Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son liveth. And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way."

Jesus didn't have to touch the child. He didn't have to send anything home with the father to affect the cure. All He did was speak and the son was instantly healed (v. 53).

This man had traveled over fifteen miles from Capernaum to Cana to find Jesus. Therefore, the son was not within 'earshot" so that Jesus' words sparked some cord of hope in his heart, thereby releasing God's power. No, Jesus' spoken word had so much power that no barriers (such as time or space) had any affect on it whatsoever.

This is hard for us to comprehend. We spend an entire lifetime learning physical limitations and adapting to them. But there are no limits to the power of God's word. Jesus created everything in this physical universe by His words, and that creation will respond to anything He says.

The Lord gave His Word to the Jews but they didn't believe it. Hebrews 4:2 says, "...the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard [it]." We have been given God's words too, in the Bible. If we will speak God's Word in faith, we will get the same results that Jesus did here.

Visit Andrew's website.


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Gardening in Drought

Sunset.com has some good information on how to cut down your water consumption with low-water plantings, clever modifications, and landscaping alternatives.

• Best low-water plants - These unthirsty plants remain tough in drought times, while adding gorgeous color and texture to your garden.

• Lawn-free landscaping ideas - Your guide to low-water planting and design.

• Tips on how to conserve water - Changes big and small can help you save water in your garden.

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The Real Cost of Smoking - $9,000 a Year

Cost of Smoking Infographic
Infographic by Cost of Smoking


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9 Powerful Everyday Home Remedies

by Claire at EveryDayRoots.com

1. Super Quick Decongestant- There’s a more in-depth version of this on the website, which I always try to keep on hand in case of a cold. If I do wind up without it though, and I am feeling too crummy to mix up a batch, I’ll make this quick (fiery) version using cinnamon, cayenne, and apple cider vinegar. Mix a ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon with ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne, and then stir the mixture into ¼ cup of apple cider vinegar. Take up to 1 tablespoon several times daily as needed for congestion. Have tissues on hand!

2. Simple (cough) Syrup- If you have a dry cough, this simple mixture of milk and honey can help soothe the tickle at the back of your throat. Honey on its own often times does the trick, but I find just a little bit of milk gives it a consistency that’s easier to swallow-not to mention milk helps coat your throat. Simply stir ½-1 teaspoon of milk into 2 ½ teaspoons of honey (or until it is as thick or as thin as you like.) Take 2-3 times daily as needed. Remember not to give honey to children under 2 years, and don’t take cough syrup if you’re expelling any mucous or phlegm, as your body needs to get rid of it.

3. Emergency Headache Relief- When it in doubt, turn to peppermint. That’s my motto for headache relief. Peppermint is one of the main components in Roots Balm, and if you don’t have everything on hand to make the recipe, it can work wonders when you’re in a pinch. With analgesic (pain-killing), anti-inflammatory properties, and a refreshing scent to clear a pain-clouded mind, it’s something I always have on hand in all its forms! For this all you need is 10-15 drops of peppermint essential oil, and 1 tablespoon of liquid oil (grapeseed, olive, jojoba, etc.) Mix the two together and keep in a tightly lidded container. To use, simply rub on your temples or over tight muscles in the neck at the onset of a headache. Get more remedies for headaches.

4. Dry Skin Soother- Got coconut oil? Perfect-you’re already mostly done with this recipe. I love coconut oil for dry, chapped, skin, and it can work perfectly well on its own, but I like to add a little bit of lavender essential oil to it to get an extra boost when it comes to soothing particularly itchy or cracked dry skin. Scoop out some coconut oil and melt it over low heat (the amount is totally up to you and your container size.) For about a ½ cup of coconut oil I usually add 15 drops of lavender essential oil. When needed, rub just enough to cover dry skin, massaging in well. It may seem oily at first, but it absorbs beautifully.

5. Middle-of-Nowhere Mosquito Repellant- If you plan on going out into the woods, pack some fresh basil leaves along with you. Not only is this one ingredient a strong mosquito deterrent, it smells a whole lot better than commercial bug spray (not to mention it’s safer!) All you need to do its crush the leaves up so the juice is released, and apply directly to your skin. Alternatively, you can boil 1 cup or so of basil leaves in 2 cups of fresh water and put it in a spray bottle to bring along with you.

6. Quick Constipation Relief- If you find yourself constipated, drink a glass of warm lemon water. The extra fluid helps things pass through smoothly, while the lemon-for whatever mysterious reason-really kicks starts your system. If needed, drink up to 2 glasses. If you find yourself chronically constipated, drink a glass every morning on an empty stomach. To prepare, stir the juice of ½ lemon into 1 cup of warm water. Drink the whole glass. If you are still having trouble take a look at our list of 16 Home Remedies for Constipation Relief.

7. Bye-Bye Hives- If for some unfortunate reason you find yourself with hives, resist the urge to pester those annoying little buggers, and reach for the baking soda instead. Mix baking soda with just enough water to form a paste that isn’t watery, but not so thick you can’t spread it around. Apply it to your hives for relief from the itching, and rinse off with cool water after it has dried. You can cover with a bandage if necessary, but I prefer to leave it open.

8. Sunburn Soother- You don’t have to whip up a nice lotion to soothe your sunburn-indeed, half a cucumber and some aloe vera gel will often times do the trick. Be sure to chill both ingredients beforehand. Peel and remove the seeds from the cucumber, and roughly chop it up. Scoop ¼ cup of aloe vera gel into a food processor, add the cucumber, and blend until smooth. If you find it too globby or it won’t keep its consistency, use less cucumber. Apply to sunburn as needed to instant relief. This will store in the refrigerator for up to a week. More sunburn remedies.

9. Nausea Relief- If you find yourself nauseous, there are 2 simple things you can do to help get relief. First, if possible, sit in front of a fan. Second, find a citrus fruit, preferably lemon or lime. Slice it up, breathing in the refreshing smell. Then, pop the slice, at least partway, into your mouth. It doesn’t have to be for long, but something about it has wonderful way of clearing up that terrible feeling of sickness.

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Copyright and Reprint Information - All photos remain the property of Donna L. Watkins, but may be used with proper credit and link back to the website, TheNatureInUs.com. Articles written by Donna L. Watkins may also be reprinted with proper credit and link back to the website, TheNatureInUs.com.

4 Reasons To Get A Duck

From Rodale

Raising ducks in your backyard can benefit you a lot more than you might think.  Sure, backyard chickens are popular. In addition to giving you a constant supply of omega-3-rich eggs, they make really cool pets.

But so do ducks, which can be a perfect addition to your backyard flock if you like to garden and love eggs—and if you hate bugs ... I have happy childhood memories of ducks hoovering up grubs and other wigglies.

If that isn't enough, here are four more reasons I highly recommend raising ducks for your family. Read the entire article.


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Copyright and Reprint Information - All photos remain the property of Donna L. Watkins, but may be used with proper credit and link back to the website, TheNatureInUs.com. Articles written by Donna L. Watkins may also be reprinted with proper credit and link back to the website, TheNatureInUs.com.

Friday, June 5, 2015

It Gets Messy When You Mess With Things

From Charlie and Jill LeBlanc

Charlie and Jill LeBlanc
Joyful Word Ministries

Last year we decided it was time to replace our old kitchen floor so we could sell the house. It seemed like a fairly reasonable task, especially since a carpenter/friend of mine offered to help ....

After a few hours, I could see this project was a lot bigger than I imagined. Isn't that usually the case? The dust and the debris was overwhelming, at least for me -- a singer/song-writer kind of guy. :-} There were times I just wanted to stop and times I questioned why I even started ~ Then I realized,

"When you mess with things, things get messy."

It's that way in our lives too. Most of us don't want to be messed with, because when we do, it just gets messy, which means a lot of work. Whether it's our attitude, our marriage, our weight, our job, our relationships, our health, whatever it may be. We just don't want to be messed with.

It's easier sometimes to simply leave things as they are. True. BUT . . .

We then end up settling for situations that aren't God's intention, and start complaining because nothing is improving.  Read the entire article.

Note:  We ordered their Simply Worship CD and have absolutely been enchanted by it for weeks.  The lyrics are also available to download free so it's easy to have your own worship and praise session every day!  My favorite song on the album is "Come Unto Me." If you're having any heavy burdens ... this song's for you!


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Simple & Non-Toxic Ways to Use Essential Oils to Freshen and Clean

21 Awesome Ways to Use Essential Oils to Freshen and Clean
by Dan Bischoff

You probably know that essential oils have calming and healing effects, but did you know they can be used for cleaning too?

Using essential oils around your home is a natural way to freshen and clean your living space. Whether you are finishing up your spring cleaning or preparing for summer barbecues, these essential oil tricks will prepare you for anything.

Here are a few unique ways you can use essential oils to freshen up your life!

1. Keep Pests at Bay

Keep spiders and rodents at bay with peppermint essential oil. These creepy critters can’t stand peppermint! Add 10-15 drops of the essential oil to a spray bottle with water and spray in the cracks and gaps where spiders and rodents enter your home. For extra protection, add one or two drops of peppermint oil to a cotton ball and leave it in common entrance places, such as doorways and basements.

2. Keep Fruit Fresh

To keep your fruit fresh, wash fruit in a bowl of cool water with two to six drops of lemon essential oil. Stir the fruit in the bowl and leave it long enough for the food to pick up the essential oils. This will help increase the shelf life of your fruit, leaving it bright and ripe for a few extra days.

3. Eliminate Shower Curtain Scum

Essential oils can be used to get rid of shower curtain scum. Use a spray bottle filled with warm water, four drops of eucalyptus essential oil and four drops of tea tree oil (melaleuca). Spray this mixture onto your shower curtain for cleaning and then onto your tub. Leave the mixture to help fight mold when the curtain is back in place.

4. Freshen Your Home

To freshen the air in your home, use essential oils in your air filters. Every time you change your filters, add a few drops of your favorite essential oils before replacing them. Essential oils kill microbes in your ducts and will leave a pleasant scent throughout the house. Use cinnamon essential oil to clean the air with its anti-microbial properties or diffuse clove, rosemary or orange essential oils when guests come over to blow them away with your home’s fresh scent.

5. Freshen Your Fridge

When cleaning out your fridge or freezer, use lime, grapefruit or lemongrass essential oil in your final rinse. It will leave your refrigerator with a refreshing scent and help to neutralize any mold that might be creeping into your fridge.

6. Freshen Your Car

Keep your car smelling fresh with essential oils. The scent of essential oils are subtle and are easy to refill, making them the perfect car freshener. Try using an essential oil car diffuser to keep the scent longer and from overpowering your vehicle. Use lavender oil to relieve tension or rose oil to boost your mood on the way to work.

7. Stay Safe in the Sun

You can create your own homemade, toxic-free sunscreen using essential oils. Mix coconut oil, zinc oxide, shea butter, helichrysum oil and lavender essential oil in a bottle and store for summer. This natural sunscreen will help protect your skin from damage at the park or neighborhood barbecue.

8. Sleep Tight

To help you and your loved ones sleep better, place a few drops of lavender essential oil on a blanket or pillow, or add a few drops to a spray bottle with water and use it to freshen your sheets when making the bed. Keep the bottle with you on vacation and spray your hotel room to kill microbes and deodorize the room.

9. Scour Dirty Pans

Clean out burnt pans with lemon essential oil. Boil water in the dirty pot or pan and add a few drops of lemon oil to remove burnt residue or stuck foods. You can also add a few drops of lemon oil to the dishwasher soap compartment before washing to leave your dishes spot-free.

10. Freshen Your Gym Bag

Keep germs out of your gym bag with essential oils. Fill a spray bottle with water and a drop of tea tree and lavender essential oils to refresh your bag, shoes and yoga mat after a day at the gym. For smelly shoes, pick your favorite essential oil and put two drops on a cotton ball. Place a cotton ball in each shoe to find them refreshed in the morning.

11. Control Flies

Open windows and outdoor cooking are some of the great perks of summer. But, these activities can attract pesky flies that ruin dinners. To create a barrier against flies at your next cookout, mix 25 drops of peppermint essential oil or lavender essential oil with water in a spray bottle. Use the mixture on windows, doors and dining tables. Make sure to shake well before use.

12. Eliminate the Smell of Smoke

If you smoke or live next to someone who does, you can easily eliminate the smell of cigarette smoke with a few drops of essential oils. Put four drops of rosemary, tea tree and eucalyptus essential oils in a spray bottle and spray near your patio or in your car to neutralize odors.

13. Preserve Your Leather

To preserve leather jackets, sofas and shoes, use essential oils to clean them. Soak a cloth in lemon essential oil and wipe down leather items. This will help keep the material from splitting and preserve the color.

14. Scour the Sink

You can create an all-natural kitchen sink scrub to make your sink shine without using harmful chemicals. Make the mix using half a cup of baking soda, one-third cup of vinegar, and five drops of bergamot and lime essential oils. Use this mixture to scrub the sink and then rinse with warm water. Your kitchen sink will shine like new!

15. Freshen Your Home While Vacuuming

Use your favorite essential oils when vacuuming to leave a fresh scent after cleaning. Add a cotton ball with a few drops of peppermint, spearmint or pine essential oils to your vacuum cleaner bag or collector cup for a refreshing scent. If you have dogs, use geranium essential oil to clear your carpets of canine smells.

16. Freshen the Bathroom

Make your own bathroom freshener with natural essential oils. To neutralize unpleasing scents and freshen up your bathroom, apply a few drops of citrus, rose or lavender essential oils to a cotton ball and place it behind the toilet.

17. Reduce Mold

Eliminate mold in your home with an essential oil diffuser. Fill it with fungus-fighting tea tree oil or anti-microbial cinnamon essential oils. For a more direct mold defense, mix tea tree oil with grapefruit seed extract and vinegar. The grapefruit seed helps to neutralize the smell of the vinegar while all three ingredients work together to stop mold in its tracks.

18. Make Powerful Solvent

You can create a powerful solvent with lemon or wild orange essential oils. Use a few drops to remove price stickers, get gum out of the carpet, or clean sap off gardening tools. For eliminating tough gunk, leave the essential oils for a few minutes before removing.

19. Camp in Peace

Make camping and backyard fires a breeze with natural mosquito repellent. Protect yourself and your s’mores from mosquitoes with an essential oil bug spray made of one drop of lemongrass, citronella and eucalyptus essential oils mixed with one teaspoon of coconut oil. Rub the mixture on exposed skin for protection all night long.

20. Keep Fishy Smells Away

Does your kitchen smell of fish or onions after cooking? Get rid of unwanted kitchen smells by adding a few drops of clove, cinnamon or any citrus essential oils to a simmering pan of water. You’ll be able to cook a delicious fish dinner without worrying about the smell taking over your kitchen.

21. Freshen Your Linens and Clothes

For cozy towels, sheets and clothes, add five drops of rose essential oil to water and pour it into the center cup of your washer. Finish the laundry by soaking a small piece of terry cloth in lavender, rose or ylang ylang essential oils and tossing it into the dryer.

If you are looking to get rid of mites, use eucalyptus to clean your linens and clothes. These essential oils will leave your clothes feeling soft and smelling fresher than ever.

Conclusion

Essential oils are one of the most useful natural tools for home remedies and fresh cleaning supplies. Get the most out of your oils with 100 percent natural products from Nature’s Sunshine’s authentic oils. Nature’s Sunshine promises the oils will be the highest quality and made authentically, so you know you’re getting the most out of your essential oils.

Sources
http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2014/04/35-surprising-uses-for-essential-oils-everyone-should-know.html; http://www.edensgarden.com/pages/home; http://www.edensgarden.com/pages/aroma; http://draxe.com/essential-oil-uses-benefits

About Dan Bischoff
Dan is a fanatical health nut who religiously takes supplements every day. And when he's not taking supplements, he's reading just about every health article he can find. He's addicted to Nature's Sunshine Nature's Harvest, Ionic Minerals, Relief Formula and Chlorophyll ES.
 

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