Pass the Fried Okra, Uncle Sam!

By Laurette Willis –

Think kids hate their veggies? Seems grown-ups aren’t much better. Based on a report by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control & Prevention), that’s how things look. It doesn’t seem as though any of us are even close to eating the recommended daily allowance of fruits and vegetables.

Do you live in one of the four “problem” states?

Oh, no! I live in Oklahoma! Yes, I’m a transplanted Okie from NYC (“Lovin’ It!” says Ronald McD). Less than 10% of folks in OK, MS, AL and SC supposedly eat the recommended 5-9 servings of fruit and vegetables per day.

For the majority of Americans, our favorite “fruit” is orange juice and the humble potato is our favorite vegetable. Fries and OJ. Starch and sugar, and not a lot of nutrients. Hey, don’t forget the tomato! Oh yeah, ketchup (in a handy squeezable mini-tube).

Do YOU Count Your Servings of F&V per Day? Me Neither…

Okay, someone must be counting, because the CDC says that only about a third of American adults eat two or more servings of fruit per day, and just over a quarter of us eat three or more servings of vegetables. So for most of us, an apple and some lettuce is about all we can manage (if that) every day— not even close to the recommended daily amounts.

How can we get the nutrition our bodies need?

Here is the recommended daily amount of fruit and vegetables: 2 1/2 cups of vegetables and 2 cups of fruit–total per day (1 1/2 cups of fruit if over age 30). The USDA counts 1/2 cup as a full serving—and that’s about how many fruits and vegetables most Americans eat per day (not good).

HOW do we make up the difference?

Here’s a few things I do:

1. Pray and ask the Lord to help you change your eating habits.

2. Take good whole food supplements.

3. Eat concentrated greens.

Making incremental changes every day can ensure that you and your family become GOOD statistics and beat the odds so you can be a “Fit Witness” for Christ!

Hemmed In, Wisconsin to Texas

By Robin J. Steinweg –

I blew through the days like a tumbleweed in a windstorm. Rehearsals and a choir concert for my second-born son were added to my full workweek. After the concert, I packed for my first-ever flight. My husband drove me in the wee hours of the morning to an airport five hours from home, the only flight that would get me to our firstborn son’s graduation.

Before my husband had driven halfway home, I landed a thousand miles away in Dallas, deaf due to air pressure. My son’s friends picked me up and got me to the auditorium fifteen minutes late. David was on stage with the praise band. I hadn’t seen him since Christmas, and I wept for joy. Then time suspended as I entered into worship.

It resumed in the congestion afterward, when David introduced me to more friends at the reception. I had my first meal since the quick PB&J I’d swallowed the day before.

David’s car took us homeward into an electric storm that covered the south of Oklahoma.

Around midnight we found a motel and slept a few hours.

Next afternoon we got as far as Liberty, Missouri, when BAM! The left front tire exploded. David rassled the car to the two-foot shoulder. We unloaded the trunk, picking hoards of local spiders off as we searched for jack and spare. I watched cars race past, barely missing us, and it began to dawn on me through the fog of shock that this was dangerous. As I shrank from speeding traffic, a pickup was forced into the ditch to our right. I called 911. Three squad cars responded, the officers standing in harm’s way to protect us as we waited for a tow. By evening we’d heard enough stories about that corner to be grateful we were still alive.

Home looked good the next afternoon.

Interesting contrasts in two short days. From ground level to 37,000 feet. From hearing to not hearing. From 50 degrees to 94 degrees. From North to South. From harried rushing to timeless worship. From steady, driven activity to sitting in a cramped car for two days. From the safety of an enclosed vehicle to the vulnerability of standing a couple of feet from hurtling metal.

Yet an unseen Hand hemmed us in. We were—and are—enveloped in His love and care.

PRAYER: Lord, whether my life is defined by unending change or unending sameness, You are present. Whether the pace is frenetic or flat, You are near. From my conception You have watched over me. Even to my gray hairs and old age, You’ll carry me. Bless You.

“You hem me in—behind and before; You have laid Your hand upon me … Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence? If I go up to the heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in the depths, You are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there Your hand will guide me, Your right hand will hold me fast” (Psalm 139:5, 7-10 NIV).

Eyes of Faith

By Carin LeRoy –

I love thinking, reading and learning about faith. It must be because I lack so much of it in my spiritual life, and God keeps trying to teach me. The word “believe” and “faith” are used over 4,000 times in the King James Bible, so He must have thought it a pretty important concept for us to grasp! If I can put faith in my fellow man and society each day, I wonder why I have such a problem trusting God?

Driving on the road takes faith. We hope that people aren’t drunk and are going to obey the traffic laws. We believe that the traffic lights are working correctly as we drive through them. Stepping into an elevator, I trust it’s not going to break down and trap me inside. Walking into a restaurant, I have faith it has clean sanitary food that won’t make me sick. I go to a doctor believing he made a correct diagnosis and prescribed the right medicine for me. These are ways we put trust in our world each day.

If we can believe in an imperfect and flawed society, why do we struggle to trust in a perfect and all-knowing God?

We like to be in control. We want to plan our own future, to believe in what we see as tangible and to hold on to things dear to us. How can we trust God with our lives if we want to control our own destiny? How can we believe if don’t trust in the promises in His Word? How do we let go of things that are important to us?

Eyes of faith see God for who He is. The vastness of His power and the greatness of His love are the foundation upon which our faith must rest. His purposes are far bigger than mine and His knowledge and love for me is more than I can understand. When my faith becomes blurry and I can’t see God with a clear focus, I put on those eyes of faith. One lens focuses on His great love; the other on His limitless power.

PRAYER: Thank You for Your great love and vast power. Keep my heart focused on that as I learn to trust You. Give me eyes of faith that will see You.

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith,” (Hebrews 12:2 NIV).

What Do You Mean My Comic Books Aren’t Tax Deductible?

By Darren Marlar –

The worst thing about being broke? Tax time. There’s nothing worse than seeing how worthless of a person you are… to the exact nickel.

Remember the scene in Star Wars where the Millennium Falcon jumped to light speed and all of the stars came rushing at them? That’s how doing taxes feels to me – but instead of stars, it’s numbers and letters… and IRS agents.  Instead of the Millenium Falcon it’s the kitchen table.  And my wife is Chewbacca (unless she’s reading this, then she’s Princess Leia).

I see all of those numbers flying at me – 1099, W2, W4, 1040, 1040EZ, WD-40, V8, B4… YOU SANK MY BATTLESHIP!

Tax time actually feels, well… taxing.  It’s the only time of the year you’re forced to literally use “deductive” reasoning. And in order to get all of your deductions you have to ask for a receipt every time you buy something. How is that good for the planet? How many forests have we mowed down because we were given a receipt at the car wash?  Sure, I’d like to save the rainforests, but there is no way I’m not claiming a deduction on that Biggie Dr. Pepper I bought in Dubuque.  That was a business trip.

If you buy something to use on the job, it’s tax deductible – so from now on, everything I buy, no matter how mundane, I’m going to use it on the job. In the middle of my comedy shows I’ll pull out last week’s grocery list: eggs, bacon, Preparation-H, big bag of Baby Ruths…

What’s deductible for stand-up comedians? Watermelons and sledgehammers? Rubber chickens? If I put down my occupation as “stand-up comedian” will the IRS take any of my deductions seriously? I can imagine that audit. “You’re deducting Preparation-H? Tell us that joke, Mr. Funny Man!” When is the last time you met anyone who works at the IRS that had a sense of humor?  I’m pretty sure they find IRS agents by looking over the resumes of former DMV workers who were fired for not having enough personality.

I envy parents at tax time, because they have kids.  That means they can celebrate “Dependents Day.” Children: they are little tax deductions. We don’t have kids – just a picture on our fridge of a poor Guatemalan kid.  But he doesn’t count because he’s not “related.”  Whatever.  I guess I won’t even bother asking about my cat then.

I know they’re past due, but I’m not done with my taxes yet. In fact, I avoid doing them as long as I can – everything comes first. I’ll trim my toenails. I’ll trim my wife’s toenails. I’ll organize the sock drawer.  Do you have any idea how awkward it is trying to explain to your neighbors why you’re organizing their sock drawer?

I don’t wait to file my extension – I filed mine the day after Christmas. Why do today what you can put off until Cinco de Mayo? I know I’m not Mexican, but if it gets me out of doing taxes until Kwanza, I’m good to go.

Heck, I’d claim to be Amish if it got me out of filling out a 1040 form. I could be an Amish comedian.

“How many Amish does it take to change a light bulb?”  “What’s a light bulb?”

“You might be Amish: if you ever asked the question, ‘Does this shade of black make me look fat?’”

But no – the Amish pay taxes too.  I checked.  I don’t know why I’m making a big deal out of this.  After all, I only made fifty-two dollars last year.

The Choice of Truth

By Rosemary Flaaten –

As I read and reread the evaluation, these questions ran rampant through my mind: How could I not have met their expectations? How could they think so poorly of me? Am I really this bad?

This questioning quickly turned to derogatory interpretations: I guess this proves that I really am a failure. I knew I wasn’t cut out for this job and these comments prove it. I’m pathetic. Anger, resentment and self-disgust caused each negative comment to swell in intensity, making me feel smaller and less competent.

All too often, I choose to pick the negative out of an evaluation or a conversation and then feed it so that it expands into a much larger and darker issue than what was originally intended. I allow my mind to take me down the path of negativity and resistance. At these times, I am moving away from God and how He could use this to make me more like Him if only I didn’t turn away.

The Psalmist declares “I have chosen the way of truth” (Psalm 119:29 NIV). This advises me that following God’s way is choosing a route which leads away from negativity and falsehood. Instead, it follows a process characterized by examining the facts to create an honest assessment of the situation and myself, thus keeping me from being drawn into excess negativity.

When I choose the corridor of truth, I will no longer be blinded by coddled hurt, unable to see any truth that might be wrapped in their evaluation. Rather, by looking for any nuggets of truth, I will seize the potential for growth.

What path will you choose the next time you  receive an evaluation that seemed unfair or where you felt misunderstood? Will you choose the pathway of negativity or will you choose to allow God to show you the truth in the statements and use it to fuel growth?

QUOTE: “True genius resides in the capacity of evaluation of uncertain, hazardous, and conflicting information.” — Winston Churchill

“Keep me from deceitful ways, be gracious to me through your law. I have chosen the way of truth, I have sent me heart on your laws” (Psalm 119:29-30 NIV).

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