Merry Christmas!!

It is now my 20th Christmas on this earth! And it's going to be a white one! Snow's on the ground, and while it isn't actually snowing anymore, it's cold enough to STAY! :)

CHECK OUT our family blog--I am about to post on it like a mad woman to get caught up before tomorrow (when we'll take tons MORE pictures and I'll be even farther behind!). Go HERE

I pasted below an article on Christmas that I thought some of you might enjoy. I personally have no idea WHEN EXACTLY Jesus was born, but I do not think that is the point of Christmas (dates). The point is that Jesus DID come (Praise God!) and walked this earth, took all the sins of his children, died, and rose again, bringing to life all those destined to do so! THAT to me is the point of Christmas--I don't really care what date it's celebrated because that isn't what matters to me. So I hope you enjoy the article! God bless you this Christmas.

Please note that the below article is not mine at all, I am simply posting it here for my readers to view :)


"Why December 25th?
The origin of Christmas had nothing to do with paganism, by Gene Edward Veith

According to conventional wisdom, Christmas had its origin in a pagan winter solstice festival, which the church co-opted to promote the new religion. In doing so, many of the old pagan customs crept into the Christian celebration. But this view is apparently a historical myth—like the stories of a church council debating how many angels can dance on the head of a pin, or that medieval folks believed the earth is flat—often repeated, even in classrooms, but not true.

William J. Tighe, a history professor at Muhlenberg College, gives a different account in his article "Calculating Christmas," published in the December 2003 Touchstone Magazine. He points out that the ancient Roman religions had no winter solstice festival.

True, the Emperor Aurelian, in the five short years of his reign, tried to start one, "The Birth of the Unconquered Sun," on Dec. 25, 274. This festival, marking the time of year when the length of daylight began to increase, was designed to breathe new life into a declining paganism. But Aurelian's new festival was instituted after Christians had already been associating that day with the birth of Christ. According to Mr. Tighe, the Birth of the Unconquered Sun "was almost certainly an attempt to create a pagan alternative to a date that was already of some significance to Roman Christians." Christians were not imitating the pagans. The pagans were imitating the Christians.

The early church tried to ascertain the actual time of Christ's birth. It was all tied up with the second-century controversies over setting the date of Easter, the commemoration of Christ's death and resurrection. That date should have been an easy one. Though Easter is also charged with having its origins in pagan equinox festivals, we know from Scripture that Christ's death was at the time of the Jewish Passover. That time of year is known with precision.

But differences in the Jewish, Greek, and Latin calendars and the inconsistency between lunar and solar date-keeping caused intense debate over when to observe Easter. Another question was whether to fix one date for the Feast of the Resurrection no matter what day it fell on or to ensure that it always fell on Sunday, "the first day of the week," as in the Gospels.

This discussion also had a bearing on fixing the day of Christ's birth. Mr. Tighe, drawing on the in-depth research of Thomas J. Talley's The Origins of the Liturgical Year, cites the ancient Jewish belief (not supported in Scripture) that God appointed for the great prophets an "integral age," meaning that they died on the same day as either their birth or their conception.

Jesus was certainly considered a great prophet, so those church fathers who wanted a Christmas holiday reasoned that He must have been either born or conceived on the same date as the first Easter. There are hints that some Christians originally celebrated the birth of Christ in March or April. But then a consensus arose to celebrate Christ's conception on March 25, as the Feast of the Annunciation, marking when the angel first appeared to Mary.

Note the pro-life point: According to both the ancient Jews and the early Christians, life begins at conception. So if Christ was conceived on March 25, nine months later, he would have been born on Dec. 25.

This celebrates Christ's birth in the darkest time of the year. The Celtic and Germanic tribes, who would be evangelized later, did mark this time in their "Yule" festivals, a frightening season when only the light from the Yule log kept the darkness at bay. Christianity swallowed up that season of depression with the opposite message of joy: "The light [Jesus] shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it" (John 1:5).

Regardless of whether this was Christ's actual birthday, the symbolism works. And Christ's birth is inextricably linked to His resurrection.

http://www.worldmag.com/world_sub_offers.cfm"

A Time to Think

Hey there blog readers. I hope you have enjoyed all my posts on the swine flu mania! I was sort of sad more of you didn't comment so we could have a big DEBATE, but oh well :) Just so you know for the future: (1) I love debate and (2) I am not easily offended. So bring whatever thoughts you may have to the table! I think it's good to learn how to defend what we BELIEVE.

A few things in the works. I am soon going to be writing a paper championing predestination/Calvinism/anti-Semi-Palagianism and will be posting that here. I also want to write a paper on the Sabbath (but that may not be for a while). For now, take a look at our family blog here to see what's been going on with us. I just posted ice skating we did for the twins' BD and am about to post Thanksgiving (which was totally AWESOME this year) and probably not today, but sometime soon, decorating our Christmas tree (which we did last night).

I pray you are blessed in the Lord, and that you had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

The Latest on Swine Flu (bored with this yet??)

You all are maybe getting sick of reading about the flu on my website (actually, I sort of am too, now that I think of it!). But this is important to me. I know the drug companies keep dosing people because it's a huge profit for them. Yes, I also know that many people really do believe that the flu vaccine will help, but research from OUTSIDE the people who are making the money on this, is the research that should be paid attention to! Those making money on the vaccines will not speak out against it! Our country doesn't operate like that anymore... So please be patient (I WILL post other items sometimes!), learn what you can, and spread the word. THESE ARE DR MERCOLA'S WORDS, NOT MINE. (below)

Common Links in Swine Flu Deaths...

Posted by: Dr. Mercola
October 31 2009 | 143,339 views

A recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that of the 36 children who died from H1N1 from April to August, six had no chronic health conditions. But all of them had a co-occurring bacterial infection.

The most common co-occurring infection that causes flu-related deaths is staphylococcus aureus. A third of the population carries it, most in their nose or on their skin.

The flu causes upper respiratory damage, which allows the staph to make its way into the lungs.

Sources:

Star Tribune October 5, 2009

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

This is exactly what I was referring to in Wednesday’s special swine flu alert. If you missed it, I urge you to take a moment to review it now. It received over 80,000 views within hours of being published.

In it, I discussed the prevailing propaganda being streamed through popularTV programslike 60-Minutes.

60-Minutes’ Story Also Highlighted Bacterial Infection as Flu Tragedy

Their segment, which aired last Sunday, did ask some hard questions to the Assistant Surgeon General. But they didn't ask why CDC officials persist in telling the public that this H1N1 strain of influenza is quite dangerous when the experience of those in the southern hemisphere (which just finished their flu season) is in direct conflict with what the CDC is telling the American people.

And, just like most of the mainstream media, 60-Minutes did not ask some of the most essential questions that need to be answered if you are to understand what is really going on with this "pandemic."

The issue of coexisting bacterial infections is one of those questions that need to be looked at more closely.

Their segment followed the story of a young high school football player who was infected with the H1N1 virus, received some form of medication for his flu symptoms, and then quickly developed a life-threatening staph infection in his lungs.

However, no questions were asked about what type of medication he received, even though it was clear that, after recovering slightly, he then quickly deteriorated after receiving the medication.

There was also no mention of whether the teen had already been vaccinated for seasonal or H1N1 influenza, either recently or in the past years.

A Canadian preliminary study is provocative in that it suggests that those who have gotten seasonal influenza vaccine in the past may be at greater risk for getting H1N1 and having complications.

The National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) is calling for a comparison of vaccinated vs. unvaccinated individuals for all health outcomes, and I believe it would be prudent to do so.

After all, in order for anyone to make an informed decision about vaccines, you need to have certain facts at hand, not conjecture stating that something is "believed to be safe" even though it has never been studied!

Why Aren’t These Important Questions Being Asked?

So far 81 children have died from H1N1 in the US. The death of any child is tragic. However, using these deaths to potentially harm countless others who are not naturally at risk may be even worse.

Here are some of the questions that need honest answers, as they may paint an entirely different picture than what we are currently told by health officials and the media.

How many pediatric deaths occurred in children who:

• Were positively lab confirmed as H1N1?

• Had underlying chronic immune and brain dysfunction?

• Were fully vaccinated according to CDC recommendations?

• Had received influenza vaccine this year?

• Had received seasonal influenza vaccine in previous years?

• Received Tamiflu or another anti-viral prior to death?

• Had a coinciding bacterial infection with H1N1?

• Were never vaccinated - totally unvaccinated?

With only 81 sets of medical records to review, someone ought to be able to compile these statistics.

So far we know that, of the 36 children who died from H1N1 between April and August of this year, 30 had some form of chronic health condition, and all of them had a co-occurring bacterial infection.

Clearly, having a robust, well-functioning immune system is the best way to ensure your body’s innate ability to fight off this mild flu virus, and not succumb to secondary infections such as staphylococcus aureus.

I’d also like to know how many flu deaths might be attributed to antibiotic-resistant staph infections.

According to the Star Tribune, the most common co-occurring infection that causes flu-related deaths is staphylococcus aureus, which is commonly found on your skin and in your nose. About a third of the population carries it.

Unfortunately, methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, also known as MRSA, has become a serious public health problem, one that is getting progressively worse and actually exacts a greater death toll than "modern plagues" like AIDS.

Needless to say, we already know the reason for the ever increasing threat of MRSA – over use of antibiotics, both in medicine and conventional farming practices. It’s an entirely man-made problem, the answer to which is exercising RESTRAINT in the use of antibiotics, so that they can actually work when someone’s life is really on the line…

It could be of great value to have more facts about each of these H1N1 flu deaths.

But the fact still remains that flu vaccines will nearly always decrease your overall immune function, not enhance it!

Obese at Six Times Higher Risk from H1N1 Complications

Most authorities agree that the H1N1 variant virus is quite mild. The vast majority of people (99.99%) are having very brief and mild illnesses from this virus. And yet, some people do die from it -- some die each and every flu season. But who, and why?

Unfortunately, the media is not giving you the answers to these questions.

I will publish an excellent review, and a two-hour audio interview with Dr. Russell Blaylock on this issue on Tuesday, so please stay tuned! Because as he will explain in greater detail, 100 percent of those who have died had underlying health problems before they were infected.

In addition, one of the more powerful risk factors for being admitted to the ICU and of dying is obesity.

Turns out obese people are admitted 6x more often than those of normal weight. And obesity plays a significant role in the risk to children and pregnant women as well, something that has never been discussed by the media, the CDC or the public health officials.

According to Dr. Blaylock, one study found that 32.7% of those admitted to the ICU had asthma or other chronic pulmonary disease, far higher than the general population. Obesity is also associated with a high incidence of insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome, both of which would increase your risk of having a serious infection, even to mild viruses.

BEWARE: Taking Tylenol with the Flu Shot May Actually Make You Worse

According to two studies, published in the journal Lancet on October 17, giving your child an analgesic to prevent fever when getting a vaccine could make things worse.

Their studies showed that after vaccination, the immune response was lower among babies who were given acetaminophen (such as Tylenol), right after they received the shot.

The vaccines used in the study were for pneumococcal disease, Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, hepatitis B, polio and rotavirus. No flu vaccines were included. However, it’s likely the effect would still be the same.

MSN.com quotes infectious disease expert Dr. Marc Siegel as saying that:

"…the conclusion that Tylenol not only suppresses fever, but also decreases immune response is plausible. After all, what is an immune response? It's an inflammatory response."

The researchers also found that although fewer infants developed a fever after getting acetaminophen, they also developed significantly fewer antibodies against the disease they were vaccinated against. They believe the acetaminophen’s anti-inflammatory activity might interfere with your body’s immune system antibody response, which could explain why the vaccine was rendered less effective.

However, what is not mentioned by either MSN, or foodconsumer.org, who also ran an article on these findings, is that a lowered immune response also means you're more susceptible to develop other infections. And, as we now know, it is secondary infections such as bacterial staph infections that turn out to be deadly -- not the flu virus in and of itself.

You Take Your Chances Either Way…

I also want to stress that you must remember that you are taking your chances either way, whether you get the flu shot or take your chances with the flu.

This year, flu deaths are trumpeted across the world, and yet people are also dying and suffering life-altering disabilities shortly after receiving the flu vaccine, whether it be the seasonal- or the H1N1 vaccine. (They’re claimed to be nearly identical anyway, so why would it matter which it is?)

For example, here are just a few recent stories that receive nowhere near the same amount of attention. In fact, most if not all, are being portrayed as unfortunate coincidences that have nothing to do with the fact they just received a flu shot, and no further investigations are made:

• Five people recently died after getting flu shots in Korea

• The New York Times mentions an 8-year-old boy from Long Island who died roughly a week after receiving a seasonal flu vaccine

• Twenty-five year old woman suffers irreversible disability after receiving the flu shot

• Last year, a 6-year-old girl from Colorado died after getting the FluMist vaccine

Remember, the medical industry ACCEPTS these occasional deaths as collateral damage during mass vaccinations and other drug interventions.

The question is, do you?

Flu Mortality, Unrelated to Vaccines, Has Been Down for Years

Also remember that the mortality rate of the swine flu is extremely low.

Dr. Ronald Whitmont, M.D. reports in a recent article of The Epoch Times:

"So far, H1N1 is much less severe than the regular flu. The calculated mortality rate for H1N1 in 2009 is only 0.5 percent.

In 2006, the death rate for influenza was 0.77 percent, and in 2005 it was 0.79 percent.

Of course, the CDC and the pharmaceutical industries claim credit for this reduction in death rate, but statistical analysis shows that this trend predated the introduction of the vaccine and is not correlated with either vaccine or antiviral medication use." [Emphasis mine.]

Unfortunately, no one knows what the mortality rate is within, say, two weeks of receiving a flu vaccine, because there’s no tracking method in place tracing each and every person who is vaccinated.

These are the kind of statistics that are sorely needed.

How to Prevent Flu the Natural Way

Please understand that there are effective ways to reduce your chances of ever getting the flu in the first place, without ever going near a vaccine.

H1N1 is a milder than normal flu bug, and it is the state of your immune system – not the virus itself – that determines whether or not you will get sick, even if you come in contact with the virus.

Following these simple guidelines can go a long way to help keep your immune system in optimal working order:

• Optimize your vitamin D levels. This may be one of your most important strategies for maintaining optimal immune function against all disease, not just the flu. Vitamin D has been well documented to increase the production of over 200 antimicrobial peptides that fight infection.

• Avoid Sugar. Sugar decreases the function of your immune system almost immediately, and as you likely know, a strong immune system is key to fighting off viruses and other illness. Be aware that sugar is present in foods you may not suspect, like ketchup and fruit juice.

• Get Enough Rest. Just like it becomes harder for you to get your daily tasks done if you're tired, if your body is overly fatigued it will be harder for it to fight the flu. Be sure to check out my article Guide to a Good Night's Sleep for some great tips to help you get quality rest.

• Don't Let Stress Become Overwhelming. We all face some stress everyday, but if stress becomes overwhelming then your body will be less able to fight off the flu and other illness.
  
  If you feel that stress is taking a toll on your health, consider using an energy psychology tool such as the Meridian Tapping Technique (MTT), which is remarkably effective in relieving stress associated with all kinds of events, from work to family to trauma. You can check out my free, 25-page MTT manual for some guidelines on how to perform it on yourself.

• Exercise. When you exercise, you increase your circulation and your blood flow throughout your body. The components of your immune system are also better circulated, which means your immune system has a better chance of finding an illness before it spreads.

• Take a good source of animal based omega-3 fats like Krill Oil. Increase your intake of healthy and essential fats like the omega-3 found in krill oil, which is crucial for maintaining health.

• Wash Your Hands. Washing your hands will decrease your likelihood of spreading a virus to your nose, mouth or other people. Be sure you don't use antibacterial soap for this -- antibacterial soaps are completely unnecessary, and they cause far more harm than good. Instead, identify a simple chemical-free soap that you can switch your family to.

You Can Make a Difference

Most polls show that we ARE making a difference because more people are becoming educated about influenza and flu vaccines, especially H1N1 swine flu. Recent national polls have revealed that 30 to 50% in many communities are not planning to get a swine flu shot. Those who haven't made up their minds yet have lots of questions. So we have created some posters that you can print and post ALL over your community, your local stores, office and schools.

Wake Up America!

From Dr Mercola's Website (below)

ALERT: Special Swine Flu Update

By Dr. Mercola

I, like many others, consider 60-Minutes an excellent source of journalism. Their executive producer, Don Hewitt died earlier this year after leading the program for 41 years to one of the most successful programs in the history of television. His guiding principle was to tell a story and is actually a strategy I am seeking to implement on this site.

Last Sunday, their lead story was no exception and followed the champion strategy of telling the story of a young high school football player who was infected with the H1N1 virus...

60 Minutes on H1N1 October 18, 2009

You can see the 60 minutes interview from 1977, over 30 years ago. This is in stark contrast to this segment. Admittedly it was done long after the damage was done but if you look at 4:15 you will see one of the CDS consultants clearly state he warned them of this danger and yet when the CDC head is confronted with this, he denies it.

60 Minutes Episode on H1N1 from 30 years ago

Do you think much has changed in the last 30 years? If anything, conflict of interest has gotten much worse.

This past Sunday's 60 Minutes segment did ask some hard questions to the Assistant Surgeon General. However, what was missing is that they didn't ask why CDC officials persist in telling the public that this H1N1 strain of influenza is quite dangerous when the experience of those in the southern hemisphere, which just finished their flu season, is in direct conflict with what the CDC is telling the American people.

Overall 60 Minutes did a fairly good, objective piece of journalism that told the truth. They even pressured the Assistant Surgeon General about the vaccine's safety. On one hand, she's hitching her safety statements to the fact that the H1N1 vaccine is similar to seasonal influenza vaccine, and therefore "safe," even though she realistically CAN'T say that the new H1N1 swine flu vaccine is safe, or that it has been thoroughly tested because it only has been tested for a few weeks.

On the other hand CDC officials are screaming that H1N1 is so different from the seasonal influenza strains that have circulated in the past few decades that a national alarm must be sounded and everyone needs to be so afraid that we all should get vaccinated to prevent a deadly pandemic. This is completely inconsistent and irrational logic.

Come on CDC, you simply can't have it both ways.

Questions that Were Are Not Being Asked

The interviewer on the 60 Minutes segment did ask some hard questions, but he, like most of the mainstream media did not ask important questions that are absolutely essential to understand precisely what is going on with this "pandemic"

There have been 81 children who have died from H1N1 in the US. These of course are tragic.

How many pediatric deaths occurred in children who:

• Were positively lab confirmed as H1N1;

• Had underlying chronic immune and brain dysfunction

• Were fully vaccinated according to CDC recommendations

• Had received influenza vaccine this year

• Had received seasonal influenza vaccine in previous years

• Received Tamiflu or another anti-viral prior to death

• Had a coinciding bacterial infection with H1N1

• Were never vaccinated - totally unvaccinated

Other Important Observations on the Segment

It is quite clear from the video that Luke did not get worse until after he visited the physician and was given an antipyretic and possibly Tamiflu. Certainly it could have been coincidence but it is an interesting observation.

No mention was made if Luke had been vaccinated for seasonal or H1N1?

Additionally there was no reference made to the last swine flu epidemic in the US when 50 million people got the swine flu vaccine and more people died from the vaccine than the swine flu itself -- and that's not counting all those that developed permanent neurological damage.

Why is no one reminding the public of this well documented and vitally important part of vaccine history?

Your Immune System is Perfectly Capable of Fighting H1N1

Additionally what the 60 minutes segment failed to mention is that it is relatively easy to improve your immune response to fight this infection.

If 99.9% of the people are not having any serious complications from the infection, it would seem perfectly rational to believe that minor lifestyle changes could have dramatic effects on fighting this infection, and none of these involve taking potentially dangerous and unproven vaccine interventions.

Simple Measures That Can Help You Fight Illness

• Vitamin D has been well documented to increase the production of over 200 anti microbial peptides that fight infection.

• Eliminate sugar from your diet as that will impair your immune response

• Get plenty of rest

• Exercise appropriately

• Take appropriate supplements like oil of oregano extract, propolis, olive leaf extract, elder flower extract, acerola, DMG.

However you will need to know the above BEFORE you purchase any supplements on that list. Any company that informs you of the above will be in violation of US Federal law and a newly created Swine Flu Task Force has been given the authority to shut the business down and even throw owners in jail.

Violations of these new rules are being prosecuted even more aggressively than alternative cancer treatments. Earlier this week, Dr. Andrew Weil actually received an FDA/FTC warning letter that threatens jail time for failure to comply with the rules.

3) The Canadian preliminary study is provocative in that it suggests those who have gotten seasonal influenza vaccine in the past may be at greater risk for getting H1N1 and having complications. This reinforces NVIC's call for a comparison of vaccinated vs. unvaccinated individuals for all health outcomes.

Notice When Things Don't Add Up...

Interestingly, the 60 minutes segment acknowledges that many people born before 1950 have antibodies to the new H1N1 influenza and are naturally protected.

WAKE UP AMERICA, this is before ANY vaccine was available!

If influenza vaccines are so effective, then why don't they work to protect people that have been getting their flu shots all these years?

(There is a new Canadian study that suggests those who have gotten seasonal influenza vaccines in the past may be at greater risk for getting H1N1 swine flu. This information reinforces NVIC's call for a comparison of the long term health outcomes of vaccinated and unvaccinated children).

The answer is, of course, that vaccines do not offer long term immunity. Natural immunity is what you gain when you recover from influenza and natural immunity is what is protecting older Americans, who have recovered from exposure to H1N1 strains of influenza in the past.

What is unknown is whether the massive amount of vaccine exposure in the US population has critically weakened people's ability to mount an effective immune response to novel infections like H1N1.

It was discouraging to see 60 Minutes end their segment on H1N1 influenza vaccine with an encouragement to go to their website to find out where to get a swine flu vaccination...

Fighting Back in the Courts -- and Winning!

Last week the New York state Supreme Court judge issued a restraining order against the state from enforcing mandatory vaccination.

This came about as a result of a lawsuit by the Public Employees Federation, the New York State United Teachers, and an attorney representing four Albany, NY nurses, who sought to reverse the policy that required New York hospital workers to get the swine flu vaccine or face termination. The suit argued that NY state Health Commissioner Richard Daines had overstepped his authority.

The Supreme Court ruled that the vaccination for nurses, doctors, aides, and non-medical staff members who might be in contact with patients, remain voluntary.

This is an incredible victory, and a vital one. And it shows that there are still ways to oppose the complete disintegration of human rights, choice, and freedom.

In addition to that, on October 15, another group of health freedom advocates, including Dr. Gary Null and other New York health care workers, filed an emergency injunction in the US District Court for the District of Columbia to prevent the distribution of the swine flu vaccine, and to void the FDA swine flu vaccine approvals already granted on September 15.

The complaint alleges that the government failed to follow its own rules and applicable legislation in rushing the vaccine approvals in the absence of any of the requisite minimum scientifically sound and appropriate testing for both safety and effectiveness as required by law since 1964.

I will keep you posted on the progress of that injunction.

Criticism is Par for the Course When Advocating Non-Conventional Views

It's impossible to take a stance against such an ingrained medical paradigm as vaccines without taking some hits, and I've taken my fair share lately. Some bloggers and doctors are naturally unhappy with what I'm disseminating, so I'd like to take a moment to clarify my own views.

First of all, I'm glad that people from both sides of this debate are available to discuss it because that is what we desperately need -- discussion. Conventional medicine has routinely ignored and ridiculed the voices speaking up for a "safety first" approach. We need to have an open, public discussion about the realities and dangers of what we're doing, and whether or not vaccination is the safest approach to preventing chronic illness and maintaining health.

So I'm actually pleased that the opposition is taking the time to read my material, as are millions of others who already agree and have looked deeply enough into the matter to understand my position.

The fact of the matter is that vaccinations do not optimize immune function and there is way too little information about what else they do in the human body that may contribute to poor health. My main point is that there are ways to prevent illness and maintain health that are so much more natural, easier, less expensive and more effective than routine use of multiple vaccines in childhood and throughout life.

So in many ways I am grateful for the swine flu challenge that we are now going through, because it allows us the opportunity to expose flaws in vaccine system and the way mainstream medicine thinks about health and wellness.

Is the Swine Flu "Deadly," or Not?

There are far too many points of criticism to respond to them all, but let's review one point that has come up -- a point that is commonly heralded by mandatory vaccination advocates.

Many of them take serious issue with my claiming that the swine flu vaccine is not deadly, and use that to insinuate that I'm spitting on the graves of the children who have died.

Nearly all of them, just like the CDC and mainstream media, use the statistic that 36,000 people die from the influenza every year. I actually wrote an article about this fallacy more than five years ago.

Interestingly that number has remained static as if carved into stone all these years.

However, the truth is that less than 1,000 people actually died from type A or type B influenza. The other 35,000 died from pneumonia. This is actually clearly listed on the CDC's own website, yet virtually everyone ignores this fact.

Dr. David Rosenthal, Director of Harvard University's Health Services, brings further clarity to this confusion.

Most of these so-called influenza deaths are in fact bacterial pneumonias -- not even viral pneumonias -- and secondary infections. Furthermore, a study in the Journal of the American Medical Academy shows that many of these deaths are a result of pneumonias acquired by patients taking stomach acid suppressing drugs.

So, for example, if we are to take the combined figure of influenza and pneumonia deaths during the flu season of 2001, and add a bit of spin to the figures, we are left believing that 62,034 people died from influenza.

The actual figures are 61,777 died from pneumonia and only 257 from influenza.

Even more amazing, in those 257 cases, only 18 were lab confirmed as positive for the influenza virus!

In my opinion, there's a vast difference between 257 deaths and 36,000 deaths from influenza..

A separate study conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics for seasonal influenza seasons between 1979 and 2002 reveals that the range of annual influenza deaths were between 257 and 3,006, for an average of 1,348 influenza deaths per year.¹

Again, nowhere near the 36,000 mortality mark that has been etched into stone by those who are advocating annual flu shots.

Although the loss of even a single life is tragic, I don't think anyone would look at these numbers and say that a mortality rate of less than 1,350 is cause to label influenza a "deadly disease" that requires mandatory influenza vaccination.

Listen to the CDC's Own Admissions!

So, how does the CDC respond to this discrepancy reported by the Harvard scientist?

Please read carefully the CDC's own statement:

"Typically, influenza causes death when the infection leads to severe medical complications... [and as most such cases] are never tested for virus infection...

...CDC considers these figures to be very substantial undercounting of the true number of deaths from influenza. Therefore, the CDC uses indirect modeling methods to estimate the number of deaths associated with influenza."

In an earlier 2003 article JAMA, William Thompson from the CDC's National Immunization Program attempted to explain "influenza-associated mortality." He wrote,

"Based on modeling, we think it's associated. I don't know that we would say that it's the underlying cause of death."²

In summary, the CDC is admitting:

• Deceased are not tested to determine the presence of the flu virus, and

• They do not directly perform any direct testing to determine the exact cause of death. "Indirect modeling methods" is a professional way of saying they use subjective mathematical equations to arrive at their figures.

The 36,000 mortality figure is nothing more than a mathematical model. The British Journal concluded that the only possible rationale for the CDC's complete disregard for scientific fact, even in face of independent research to discredit its statistics, is a public relations effort between the CDC and the vaccine manufacturer's campaigns to increase flu vaccination.

What IS a "Deadly Disease"?

As of October 11, 2009 the World Health Organization reported that, worldwide, there have been more than 399,232 laboratory confirmed cases of pandemic influenza H1N1, and over 4,735 deaths.

Folks, that is 4,735 deaths in the ENTIRE world, not just the US!

Most all of these deaths occurred in immunocompromised individuals.

Now I do not want to diminish the value of any life, but what is needed here is a critical perspective.

Malaria kills ONE MILLION people EVERY YEAR, worldwide. Death is a direct result of the malaria infection.

So every DAY 2,740 people are dropping dead from malaria, whereas less than 13 people per day died from the swine flu in the past year, worldwide (if you disregard that most died not as a direct result of the swine flu virus, but from having poor immune function which led to serious secondary infections and complications).

Did you ever wonder why malaria doesn't get much press coverage? Doesn't it strike you as odd that more isn't done to clamp down on such a deadly disease if governments are talking about quarantine centers at airports and suspending personal choice and freedom over the swine flu?

Confusion and Misdirection IS at Work. But Why?

A thorough , comparative analysis of several flu pandemics has been published in the prestigious British Medical Journal, that gives evidence that the H1N1 swine flu is of "the same subtype as seasonal H1N1 that has been circulating since 1977."³ The author points out the substantial confusion between the high public attention the present H1N1 scare is receiving and the very low level of scientific certainty that H1N1 is more severe than other seasonal influenza.

With the facts at hand, it is easy to detect a pattern of misdirection and purposeful confusion.

Doesn't it make you wonder why?

You Can Make a Difference

Most polls show that we ARE making a difference because more people are becoming educated about influenza and flu vaccines, especially H1N1 swine flu. Recent national polls have revealed that 30 to 50% in many communities are not planning to get a swine flu shot. Those who haven't made up their minds yet have lots of questions. So we have created some posters that you can print and post ALL over your community, your local stores, office and schools.

Hopefully more people will wake up and recognize that it is not wise to blindly trust information that is one-sided and doesn't provide ALL the facts about seasonal and H1N1 swine flu and influenza vaccines. People now have access to information from a wide range of sources, which they can independently evaluate to make educated decisions and Take Control of Their Health!

One way we can make a BIG difference in protecting our right to make informed, voluntary vaccination choices is to support the three-decades of work by the National Vaccine Information Center to prevent vaccine injuries and deaths; protect exemptions in vaccine laws and promote scientific research into the health of vaccinated and unvaccinated children. I have made this non-profit organization -- America's Vaccine Safety Watchdog - one of my favorite charities and I urge you to become a donor member and help NVIC protect your informed consent rights and your children's health. Go to www.NVIC.org to learn more.

Coincidence

Serious Vaccine Reactions to Now Be Called 'Coincidence'?

From http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/10/20/Mild-Swine-Flu-and-Over-Hyped-Vaccine.aspx

Every day Americans wake up to news reports that warn us about the dangers of influenza, especially the new H1N1 “swine flu”.

But swine flu is mild for most people and the virus is not mutating into a more serious form.

Millions of people around the world have recovered from swine flu, and millions more will get sick with fevers, body aches, nasal congestion, cough and sometimes diarrhea and vomiting and recover from it this year and next year without any complications.

Nonetheless, wide-scale vaccination is being encouraged -- even though swine flu vaccines have been tested on only a few thousand healthy Americans for a few weeks. There is little or no information about how safe the vaccine is for pregnant women and chronically ill or disabled children.

If you or your child are injured from getting a flu swine flu shot, you are on your own. Congress has shielded the vaccine manufacturers and any person giving swine flu shots from lawsuits if people get hurt.

There is no funded government vaccine injury compensation program for swine flu vaccine.

Do NOT let a doctor or anyone else tell you that a serious health problem you or your child experiences after vaccination is a coincidence and allow more shots to be given until you know for sure.

The most tragic cases of vaccine injury occur when vaccine reaction symptoms are dismissed as a 'coincidence" and more vaccines are given that result in more severe symptoms -- and sometimes end with permanent brain and immune system damage or death.

But while Americans are still debating whether to roll up their sleeves for a swine flu shot, companies have already figured it out: vaccines are good for business.

Drug companies have sold $1.5 billion worth of swine flu shots, in addition to the $1 billion for seasonal flu they booked earlier this year. These inoculations are part of a much wider and rapidly growing $20 billion global vaccine market.

"The vaccine market is booming," says Bruce Carlson, spokesperson at market research firm Kalorama, which publishes an annual survey of the vaccine industry. "It's an enormous growth area for pharmaceuticals at a time when other areas are not doing so well," he says, noting that the pipeline for more traditional blockbuster drugs such as Lipitor and Nexium has thinned.

As always with pandemic flus, taxpayers are footing the $1.5 billion check for the 250 million swine flu vaccines that the government has ordered so far and will be distributing free to doctors, pharmacies and schools. In addition, Congress has set aside more than $10 billion this year to research flu viruses, monitor H1N1's progress and educate the public about prevention.

Drugmakers pocket most of the revenues from flu sales, with Sanofi-Pasteur, Glaxo Smith Kline and Novartis cornering most of the market.

But some say it's not just drugmakers who stand to benefit. Doctors collect copayments for special office visits to inject shots, and there have been assertions that these doctors actually profit handsomely from these vaccinations.

Mere Christianity

…”If you really get into any kind of touch with Him you will, in fact, be humble—delightedly humble, feeling the infinite relief of having for once got rid of all the silly nonsense about your own dignity which has made you restless and unhappy all your life. He is trying to make you humble in order to make this moment possible: trying to take off a lot of silly, ugly, fancy-dress in which we have all got ourselves up and are strutting about like the little idiots we are. I wish I had got a bit farther with humility myself: if I had, I could possibly tell you more about the relief, the comfort, of taking the fancy-dress off—getting rid of the false self, with all its ‘look at me’ and ‘aren’t I a good boy?’ and all its posing and posturing. To get even near it, even for a moment, is like a drink of cold water to a man in a desert…

If anyone would like to acquire humility, I can, I think, tell him the first step. The first step is to realize that one is proud. And a biggish step too. At least, nothing whatever can be done before it. If you think you are not conceited, it means you are very conceited indeed.”

-CS Lewis

Mere Christianity

Chapter: The Great Sin

Page 99

If you haven't read this book--read it! It'll change the way you think about yourself, and Christianity in general.

Blessed Be He!

The following is an excerpt that made me want to dance, laugh, and cry all at the same time (but I happened to be on a plane when I was reading it, so didn't *smile*). Anyway, I just had to blog it and share with you all.

"The Great Dance does not wait to be perfect until the peoples of the Low Worlds are gathered into it. We speak not of when it will begin. It has begun from before always, There was no time when we did not rejoice before His face as now. The dance which we dance is at the centre and for the dance all things were made. Blessed be He!"

"Never did He make two things the same; never did He utter one word twice. After earths, not better earths but beasts; after beasts, not better beasts, but spirits. After a falling, not a recovery but a new creation. Out of the new creation, not a third but the mode of change itself is changed for ever. Blessed is He!"

"It is loaded with justice as a tree bows down with fruit. All is righteousness and there is no equality. Not as when stones lie side by side, but as when stones support and are supported in an arch, such is His order; rule and obedience, begetting and bearing, heat glancing down, life growing up. Blessed be he!"

"They who add years to years in lumpish aggregation , or miles to miles and galaxies to galaxies, shall not come near His greatness. The day of the fields of Arbol [earth] will fade and the days of Deep Heaven itself are numbered. Not thus is He great. He dwells (all of Him dwells) within the seed of the smallest flower and is not cramped: Deep Heaven is inside Him who is inside the seed and does not distend Him. Blessed be He!"

"All which is not itself the Great Dance was made in order that He might come down into it. In the Fallen World He prepared for Himself a body and was united with the Dust and made it glorious for ever. This is the end and final cause of all creating, and the sin whereby it came is called Fortunate and the world where this was enacted is the centre of worlds. Blessed be He!"

"The Tree was planted in that world but the fruit has ripened in this. The fountain that sprang with mingled blood and life in the Dark World, flows here with life only. We have passed the first cataracts, and from here onward the stream flows deep and turns in the direction of the sea. This is the Morning Star which He promised to those who conquer; this is the centre of worlds. till now all has waited. But now the trumpet has sounded and the army is on the move. Blessed be He!"

"Where Maleldil [God] is, there is the centre. He is in every place. Not some of Him in one place and some in another, but in each place the whole Maleldil, even in the smallness beyond thought. There is no way out of the centre save into the Bent Will which casts itself into the Nowhere. Blessed be He!"

"All things are by Him and for Him. He utters Himself also for His own delight and sees that he is good. He is His own begotten and what proceeds from Him is Himself. Blessed be He!"

"All that is made seems planless to the darkened mind, because there are more plans than it looked for. In these seas there are islands where the hairs of the turf are so fine and so closely woven together that unless a man looked long at them he would see neither hairs nor weaving at all, but only the same and the flat. So with the Great Dance. Set your eyes on one movement and it will lead you through all patterns and it will seem to you the master movement. But the seeming will be true. Let no mouth open to gainsay it. There seems no plan because it is all plan: there seems no centre because it is all centre. Blessed be He!"

If you have never read CS Lewis' Space Trilogy, then you must put that on your reading list. Wasn't that beautiful? What happened in our world (the fall of Adam and Eve) has just been defeated and avoided in this other world, and this is the celebration (you saw references to the Fall, if you remember). These are angels and men praising "Maleldil", who is God Almighty in these books, for his greatness and his sovereignty.

Blessed be He!

Please, Open your Mind and be Willing to have it Changed--it Could Save Lives.

Watch the video at the link below and then read this article. The government, as in so many other issues, has blinded our minds to what is really going on, just so they can make a few bucks (I should actually say, the Medical Industry). Where has the rule gone that science has to be TESTED and hold sound before it's taught as FACT. And yet all these people promoting, carrying out, and receiving vaccinations are repeatedly ignoring evidence that points vaccinations out to be very dangerous and unnecessary.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCBlxqmOMKM&feature=player_embedded

The video by Thinktwice Global Vaccine Institute offers a good summary of what every person should know about the seasonal flu vaccine; how it’s made, and its effectiveness.

Signs and Symptoms of Influenza

As most of you probably know, influenza is a contagious viral respiratory infection. Symptoms include:

• Fever

• Chills

• Runny nose

• Sore throat

• Cough

• Muscle aches

• Fatigue

• Decreased appetite

Typically, the condition will improve after two to three days of bed rest, although some symptoms may persist for about a week.

What many people do NOT know, however, is that death caused directly by the flu virus is very rare. The vast majority of so-called “flu deaths” are in fact due to bacterial pneumonia – a potential complication of the flu if your immune system is too weak.

Other complications can include ear- or sinus infections, dehydration, and worsening of chronic health conditions.

The elderly and people with other pre existing medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes, or heart disease, are at higher risk of developing pneumonia after a bout of the flu.

The Flu Vaccine Does Not Prevent the Flu, nor Protect Against the Vast Majority of Flu-Related Deaths

The conventional treatment for bacterial pneumonia is an antibiotic, not a viral flu drug, so to think that taking a flu vaccine will prevent death from pneumonia doesn’t really make sense.

“But the vaccine will prevent the flu, which will prevent the possibility of developing pneumonia,” some might say.

That sounds good in theory, but the statistics simply do not support this assertion.

Because study after study, and master studies that compile the results from several studies to get a more objective result, keep coming to the same conclusion: Flu vaccines DO NOT WORK, and in many cases do more harm than good.

In fact, one shocking statistic brought to light in this video is that BEFORE the CDC advocated vaccinating children under the age of five, the number of children dying from the flu was very low, and on the decline.

Then, in 2003, just after children aged five and under started getting vaccinated, the number of flu deaths SKYROCKETED. The death toll was enormous compared to the previous year, when the flu vaccine was not administered en masse to that age group!

How anyone can consider a strategy that yields a higher death toll to be a “success” is a mystery to me.

The Problem with Flu Death Statistics

However, as frightening as much of this may sound, it’s important to keep things in perspective. According to the statistics shown in the video above, more Americans die from asthma, and even malnutrition each year, than the flu.

Unfortunately, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) grossly distort the facts about flu deaths, making the flu virus seem far more dangerous than is warranted. On the CDC’s main flu page, they state that about 36,000 people die from the flu in the United States each year.

But if you search a little harder, you can find the actual number of people who died from the flu in 2005 (this is the most recent data that’s available) was 1,806. The remainder was caused by pneumonia. In 2004, there were just 1,100 actual flu deaths.

The statistics the CDC gives are skewed partly because they classify those dying from pneumonia as dying from the flu, which is inaccurate.

How is the Flu Vaccine Made?

This is another area that many people do not understand or take into consideration before getting a seasonal flu shot.

In January or February of each year, health authorities travel to Asia to determine which strains of the flu are currently active. Based on their findings in Asia, they assume that the same strains of viruses will spread to the U.S. by fall.

At this point, U.S. vaccine manufacturers start making that season’s flu vaccine, which will contain the strains found in Asia. However, if the viral strains circulating in the U.S. that season are not identical to those in Asia, the vaccine you receive is a complete dud.

And to add insult to injury, you’ve just been injected with a laundry list of harmful ingredients.

What’s in the Seasonal Flu Vaccine?

The flu strains selected are cultivated in chick embryos for several weeks before being inactivated with formaldehyde, which is a known cancer-causing agent. Then they’re preserved with thimerosal, which is 49 percent mercury by weight.

Even many health care professionals are confused about this and are not aware that the preservative thimerosal is mercury. As a quick side note, one of my chief writers told me that, “the doctor’s office told me the vaccine does not contain mercury, just something called thimerosal.”

Please, don’t be fooled by this incredible ignorance. If you have carefully studied this issue there is a great possibility you may know more than your physician about this topic. Don’t back down if they tell you something you otherwise know to be true.

According to the CDC, the majority of flu vaccines contain thimerosal. Some contain as much as 25 mcg of mercury per dose. This means that it may contain more than 250 times the Environmental Protection Agency’s safety limit for mercury.

By now, most people are well aware that children and fetuses are most at risk of damage from this neurotoxin, as their brains are still developing. Yet the CDC still recommends that children over 6 months, and pregnant women, receive the flu vaccine each year.

In addition to mercury, flu vaccines also contain other toxic or hazardous ingredients like:

• Aluminum -- a neurotoxin that has been linked to Alzheimer’s disease

• Triton X-100 -- a detergent

• Phenol (carbolic acid)

• Ethylene glycol (antifreeze)

• Betapropiolactone - a disinfectant

• Nonoxynol - used to kill or stop growth of STDs

• Octoxinol 9 - a vaginal spermicide

• Sodium phosphate

How Safe is the Flu Vaccine?

Serious reactions to the flu vaccine include, but are not limited to:

• Life-threatening allergies to various ingredients

• Guillain-Barre Syndrome (a severe paralytic disease that is fatal in about 1 in 20 cases)

• Encephalitis (brain inflammation)

• Neurological disorders

• Thrombocytopenia (a serious blood disorder)

How Effective is the Flu Vaccine?

Remember that the potential effectiveness of a flu vaccine is dependent on the ASSUMPTION, made nearly a year in advance, that Asia’s viral strains will be the ones hitting the U.S. When they guess wrong, the vaccine is worthless from the very start.

But does that mean they withdraw the flu vaccine when they discover it contains the wrong strains? NO! They just keep giving it out anyway.

But even if they were to overcome that hurdle and actually select the correct strains, there’s still no evidence that it does anyone any good to get a flu vaccine.

Study after study comes back showing the same dismal results: the flu vaccines are not an effective method of prevention of the flu, and they do not save lives. As mentioned earlier, they may even be responsible for an increased death rate in some groups.

Sometimes determining efficacy is as easy as reading the information coming straight from the vaccine manufacturer.

How about this quote taken directly from the flu vaccine FLULAVAL’s package insert (which you likely never see when getting the flu shot) for the 2009-2010 formula:

" FLULAVAL is an influenza virus vaccine indicated for active immunization of adults 18 years of age and older against influenza disease caused by influenza virus subtypes A and type B contained in the vaccine. This indication is based on immune response elicited by FLULAVAL, and there have been no controlled trials demonstrating a decrease in influenza disease after vaccination with FLULAVAL.”

That’s right, NO controlled trials demonstrating ANY decrease in your risk of contracting the flu at all after vaccination! (It also states that each dose contains a total of 25 mcg of mercury.)

For those of you who are still unconvinced, know that there’s plenty of scientific evidence available to back up the recommendation to avoid flu vaccines. In addition to studies mentioned in the video, here are several other examples showing that flu vaccines do not work for any age group:

• A study published in the October 2008 issue of the Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine found that vaccinating young children against the flu had no impact on flu-related hospitalizations or doctor visits during two recent flu seasons.

The researchers concluded that "significant influenza vaccine effectiveness could not be demonstrated for any season, age, or setting" examined.

• A 2008 study published in the Lancet found that influenza vaccination was NOT associated with a reduced risk of pneumonia in older people.

This supports an earlier study, published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

• Research published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine also confirms that there has been no decrease in deaths from influenza and pneumonia in the elderly, despite the fact that vaccination coverage among the elderly has increased from 15 percent in 1980 to 65 percent now.

• In 2007, researchers with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious

Diseases, and the National Institutes of Health published this conclusion in the Lancet Infectious Diseases: “We conclude that frailty selection bias and use of non-specific endpoints such as all-cause mortality,have led cohort studies to greatly exaggerate vaccine benefits.”

• A large-scale, systematic review of 51 studies, published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews in 2006, found no evidence that the flu vaccine is any more effective than a placebo in children. The studies involved 260,000 children, age 6 to 23 months.

Last but not least, I think it says a lot that 70 percent of doctors and nurses, and 62 percent of other health care workers do NOT get the yearly flu shot.

The reasons why they opted to not get vaccinated were:

• They didn't believe the vaccine would work

• They believed their immune systems were strong enough to withstand exposure to the flu

• They were concerned about side effects

Might Influenza be Little More Than a Symptom of Vitamin D Deficiency?

Vitamin D, “the sunshine vitamin,” may very well be one of the most beneficial vitamins there is for disease prevention. Unfortunately it’s also one of the vitamins that a vast majority of people across the world are deficient in due to lack of regular exposure to sunshine.

Published in the journal Epidemiology and Infection in 2006, the hypothesis presented by Dr. John Cannell and colleagues in the paper Epidemic Influenza and Vitamin D raises the possibility that influenza is a symptom of vitamin D deficiency.

The vitamin D formed when your skin is exposed to sunlight regulates the expression of more than 2,000 genes throughout your body, including ones that influence your immune system to attack and destroy bacteria and viruses. Hence, being overwhelmed by the “flu bug” could signal that your vitamin D levels are too low, allowing the flu virus to overtake your immune system.

At least five studies show an inverse association between lower respiratory tract infections and 25(OH)D levels. That is, the higher your vitamin D level, the lower your risk of contracting colds, flu, and other respiratory tract infections:

1. A 2007 study suggests higher vitamin D status enhances your immunity to microbial infections. They found that subjects with vitamin D deficiency had significantly more days of absence from work due to respiratory infection than did control subjects.

2. A 2009 study on vitamin D deficiency in newborns with acute lower respiratory infection (ALRI) confirmed a strong, positive correlation between newborns’ and mother’s vitamin D levels. Over 87 percent of all newborns and over 67 percent of all mothers had vitamin D levels lower than 20 ng/ml, which is a severe deficiency state.

Newborns with vitamin D deficiency appear to have an increased risk of developing ALRI, and since the child’s vitamin D level strongly correlates with its mother’s, the researchers recommend that all mothers’ optimize their vitamin D levels during pregnancy, especially in the winter months, to safeguard their baby’s health.

3. A similar Indian study published in 2004 also reported that vitamin D deficiency in infants significantly raised their odds ratio for having severe ALRI.

4. A 2009 analysis of the Third National Health andNutrition Examination Survey examined the association between vitamin D levelsand recent upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) in nearly 19,000 subjects over the age of 12.

   Recent URTI was reported by:

   • 17 percent of participants with vitamin D levels of 30ng/ml or higher

   • 20 percent of participants with vitamin D levels between 10-30 ng/ml.

   • 24 percent of participants with vitamin D levels below 10ng/ml

   The positive correlation between lower vitamin D levels and increased risk of URTI was even stronger in individuals with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

5. Another 2009 report in the journal Pediatric Research stated that infants and children appear more susceptible to viral rather than bacterial infections when deficient in vitamin D. And that, based on the available evidence showing a strong connection between vitamin D, infections, and immune function in children, vitamin D supplementation may be a valuable therapy in pediatric medicine.

How to Prevent the Flu without Getting a Flu Shot

For most people the flu shot does not make you healthy; it does just the opposite and weakens your immune system.

If you follow a healthy lifestyle, you will not have to worry about getting the flu. Take it from me -- I’ve never received a flu shot, and I haven’t missed a day of work due to illness in over 20 years. The key steps that I follow to stay flu-free, which I suggest you follow too, include:

• Get plenty of sunshine, safe tanning bed exposure or supplemental vitamin D3

• Eat right for your nutritional type, including avoiding sugar

• Exercise

• Get adequate sleep

• Address emotional stress

• Wash your hands regularly

Related Links:

Do Flu Shots Work? Ask A Vaccine Manufacturer

Prominent Physician Advises Against Flu Shots

U.S. Government Ignores Flu Vaccine Death

Surely God doesn't SEND Pain...!

HIS BOTTLE OF TEARS
Stacy McDonald
www.yoursacredcalling.blogspot.com

"You number my wanderings; put my tears into Your bottle; are they not in Your book?" (Psalm 56:8)

He numbers my wanderings—He watches, records, and walks with me. He always has; even though it hasn’t always seemed like it. He even remembers the things He’s allowed me to forget. He has seen it all. So many times I thought I suffered alone; feeling like nobody cared—nobody understood. But, He was there – storing and counting my tears.

Now, if that was it—if all God did was stand beside me, watching my pain, it would seem a little cruel. It may be somewhat comforting, validating perhaps, to know He was there witnessing my hurts; but, it would be a hollow, scary kind of comfort. Who is this God who grieves with me, but is unable to stop my pain?

I was told that God watches with sadness as we suffer; but, that He has virtually nothing to do with it—no control. He grieves with us, but He can't do anything about the circumstances which caused our suffering. And I became afraid.

Are you afraid? Have you ever wondered: “If God really loves me, why doesn’t He do something?” “Why didn’t He keep this from happening” “Why doesn’t He take away the pain?” “Why can’t I get past this?”

"But to You I have cried out, O Lord, and in the morning my prayer comes before You. Lord, why do You cast off my soul? Why do You hide Your face from me? I have been afflicted and ready to die from my youth; I suffer Your terrors; I am distraught. Your fierce wrath has gone over me; Your terrors have cut me off. They came around me all day long like water; they engulfed me altogether. Loved one and friend You have put far from me, and my acquaintances into darkness." (Psalm 88:13-18)

Why is it we’re rarely told that God orchestrates our lives according to His will? How can we find comfort in a god who sits wringing his hands in despair while we suffer—powerless to do anything?

"Who is he who speaks and it comes to pass, when the Lord has not commanded it? Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that woe and well-being proceed?" (Lamentations 3:37-38)

Yes, He is in control of our lives…even the painful parts. He knows us intimately—and He knows our suffering the same way. Yet, he allows the “woe and the well-being” to occur in our lives for our good and His ultimate glory. Coming to terms with that fact is comforting. God is in control. Knowing that our pain isn’t wasted provides healing, somehow—He uses it all.

"Though He causes grief, yet He will show compassion according to the multitude of His mercies. For He does not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men." (Lamentations 3:32-33)

Many of us have scars from our pasts—perhaps even deep festering wounds. Sometimes these wounds are hard to identify because we have stuffed them—hidden them…even from ourselves. Perhaps they have healed over, only on the surface. Occasionally, we’re stunned by sudden stinging signs of a deeper hurt—signs that appear and are briefly exposed by the bumps and bruises of everyday life. And we wonder.

"Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed; neither be disgraced, for you will not be put to shame; for you will forget the shame of your youth…” (Isaiah 54:4)

When will I forget the shame? How can I face my forsakenness? What if someone sees the real hurt that fuels my fears? Even I can’t look.

If I slip and reveal too much, everyone will behold my disgrace. They will know my worthlessness—my ugliness. They will see how low and unwanted I have always been.

But if I can forget, maybe they can too. If I can hide myself, I can’t be rejected. If I can blind myself to who I really am, maybe I will go away—at least that part of me—the cowering girl with the haunted eyes.

"When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take care of me." (Psalm 27:10)

But I won’t go away. Closing my eyes to my wretchedness will not hide my wicked heart, or my twisted worthlessness—even from myself.

Run—Hide—Pretend—Forget—

Remember—Cry—Hate—Run—Hide…

"Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me hear joy and gladness, that the bones You have broken may rejoice. Hide Your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities." (Psalm 51:7-9)

In my “wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked” state I asked Jesus to cloth me in the white garments He offered—garments purchased with His own precious blood—garments that covered my wretchedness and gave me worth and value. In His mercy, He anointed my eyes and I was finally able to see (Rev. 3:17-18). He washed me clean and gave me a new name.

"You shall no longer be termed Forsaken, nor shall your land any more be termed Desolate; but you shall be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah; For the Lord delights in you…." (Isaiah 62:4)

"For the Lord has called you like a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, like a youthful wife when you were refused,” Says your God." (Isaiah 54:6)

So, why do I try to live in the land of the forsaken when I have been invited to the land of the cherished? (Eph. 5:29) Why do I close my healed eyes to what He has changed and walk in the torment and fears of the forsaken? Why do I hide in the comfort of familiar pain, cowering alone deep in my soul, when I have been called to be a city on a hill? (Matt 5:14) Sometimes pain is comfortable—it’s what we know.

"But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:21-24)

Yes! This is my battle! I know the truth; but, I struggle. I know I’m loved, and am no longer forsaken; but, too often, I don’t feel it, so I don’t walk in it. Oh “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24) Help me to walk in the truth of your love toward me simply because I know it’s true. Help me to see my life, and even my pain, as a sacrifice to you—to embrace my past as something that will be used to better glorify You.

"You shall also be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God. You shall no longer be termed Forsaken, nor shall your land any more be termed Desolate..." (Isaiah 62:3-4)

Fear torments—fear of the unknown, fear of rejection, fear of being hated, fear of being unwanted, unloved…even just tolerated. Those who have known deep rejection know how difficult it is to articulate the irrational fears that plague you—that chase you down in the dead of night—and sometimes in the day. There is One who knows better than any other—He knows it all.

Rejection was my foe. He stood over me with a gleaming dagger, mocking me—imminent victory gleaming in his eyes. My heart pounded. I closed my eyes and turned my head to the fate I knew I deserved. “I wouldn’t want me either,” I thought.

Yet, suddenly, with each beat of my heart, the footsteps of my Beloved pounded in my head. Could it be?

A voice charged with passion and authority thundered through the air, “She is Mine.” It is all He said.

From where I lay, I could see the nail marks in His feet.

I looked up and realized my foe was gone. All that remained of him was the dagger in my own hand.

Lord, save me from myself. You rescued me from Your own wrath and from the tormentors who had laid claim to my soul. Why then do I secretly struggle to live in victory over the very bondage I loathed—even when I see and know the truth? Why do I so often see myself with worldly eyes? “Oh God, I believe; help my unbelief!”

"But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more?" (Galatians 4:9, ESV)

Lord, help us all to see ourselves the way You see us—to know and remember that You have orchestrated our steps. You have walked in and experienced our pain. You have loved us in our ugliness, and washed us clean. Remind us that regardless of who lets us down, You never will. Regardless of who may forget us, you will never forget.

“Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me." (Isaiah 49:15-16)

Lord, You have my name engraved on the palm of Your hands; engrave that truth on my mind and heart.

Let my spirit be consumed with the fact that You will never leave me nor forsake me (Heb. 13:5). "In God I have put my trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?" (Psalm 56:11)

Help me to walk in victory over that treacherous foe You have already defeated; help me to recall and use the testimony of Your mercy and grace in my life to overcome the lies of this world (Revelation 12:11).

The words burned through my mind with a healing heat, searing their meaning into my soul: “She is Mine.”

Safe—wanted—loved—cherished.

"I am my beloved’s, and his desire is toward me." (Song of Solomon 7:10)

MY NOTES: I've talked to many Christians who believe God "allows" things to happen, and I've always struggled with that definition because if God is sovereign over everything (which hopefully every Christian would agree with!) then how come some "things" (hurricanes, tornadoes, death, pain--you name it) he "allows." Does this mean he sees bad things coming, but can only wring his hands in consternation? Definitely not! I believe thinking that about God is a direct affront on his Majesty. OK or is it that he COULD stop them if he wanted, and just decides it's too much work, or it'll do them good anyway, or what?

I loved this article because it spoke of who God really IS. Everything else pales in comparison. Think about it this way: I think all true Christians would agree that if Jesus Christ had not died for our sins, there would be no way out of the Hell that was waiting for us, right? Right. Basically, none of us have gotten eternal life by our own works. Therefore, if WE DO NOT DESERVE ANYTHING BETTER THAN HELL-then isn't anything ABOVE AND BEYOND HELL A COMPLETE AND TOTAL GIFT? Grace... God doesn't owe us a single thing.

Just some food for thought. Please feel free to leave comments, but before you do, I ask you to pray and seek the Lord, and what is the real truth of this matter. God bless.
-Katie

Re-Learning the Presidents!

Have you ever seen the show "Are you Smarter than a 5th Grader"? If you haven't, it's an hilarious TV show where the guest (or victim) is required to answer questions from a typical 5th grade text book. The guest can be helped by 5th graders, five of whom are up on stage with him/her. It's similar to "Who wants to be a Millionaire" but, in my opinion, more fun (maybe because I actually know the answers to most of the questions--Millionaire is mostly pop culture, which I know little to nothing about!).

Anyway, if the guest answers a series of 5th grade questions correctly, he/she gets a million bucks! It's a fun show, and it was sad and funny at the same time how many adults who LOOKED intelligent didn't know answers to simple questions (like how many Es are in the word mathematics-they didn't show the word-or what continent has the largest rain forest in the world). I watched one adult man in his 40s miss both of those! So yeah, it's a cool show.

All that to say, one of the questions related to the chronological order of presidents and I was ashamed I didn't know the answer! So I studied up a little on that subject, and here are some interesting facts as the product of my research. :)

There have been more one term presidents than there have been two term. Since there has been a total of 43 presidents, sixteen were two term, twenty were one term, and seven were assassinated, resigned, or died natural deaths. It's also interesting to me how Franklin Roosevelt served three terms! (I put him under the two term bracket.) Here is the list I found, for your enjoyment:

A list of U.S. Presidents, listed in the order in which they entered office.

1. George Washington (1789-1797)
2. John Adams (1797-1801)
3. Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809)
4. James Madison (1809-1817)
5. James Monroe (1817-1825)
6. John Quincy Adams (1825-1829)
7. Andrew Jackson (1829-1837)
8. Martin Van Buren (1837-1841)
9. William H. Harrison (1841)
10. John Tyler (1841-1845)
11. James K. Polk (1841-1849)
12. Zachary Taylor (1849-1850)
13. Millard Fillmore (1850-1853)
14. Franklin Pierce (1853-1857)
15. James Buchanan (1857-1861)
16. Abraham Lincoln (1861-1865)
17. Andrew Johnson (1865-1869)
18. Ulysses S. Grant (1869-1877)
19. Rutherford B. Hayes (1877-1881)
20. James A. Garfield (1881)
21. Chester A. Arthur (1881-1885)
22. Grover Cleveland (1885-1889)
23. Benjamin Harrison (1889-1893)
24. Grover Cleveland (1893-1897)
25. William McKinley (1897-1901)
26. Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909)
27. William H. Taft (1909-1913)
28. Woodrow Wilson (1913-1921)
29. Warren G. Harding (1921-1923)
30. Calvin Coolidge (1923-1929)
31. Herbert Hoover (1929-1933)
32. Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933-1945)
33. Harry S. Truman (1945-1953)
34. Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953-1961)
35. John F. Kennedy (1961-1963)
36. Lyndon B. Johnson (1963-1969)
37. Richard M. Nixon (1969-1974)
38. Gerald R. Ford (1974-1977)
39. Jimmy Carter (1977-1981)
40. Ronald Reagan (1981-1989)
41. George H. W. Bush (1989-1993)
42. Bill Clinton (1993-2001)
43. George W. Bush (2001-2009)

I hope you learned something new. And if you get a chance sometime, check out that show "Are you Smarter than a 5th Grader." It's a riot.