Swine Flu Continued...

Warning: Swine Flu Shot Linked to Killer Nerve Disease
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/09/01/Swine-Flu-Shot-Linked-to-Killer-Nerve-Disease.aspx

A warning that the swine flu vaccine has been linked to a deadly nerve disease has been sent by the UK Government to senior neurologists in a confidential letter.

The letter from the Health Protection Agency, the official body that oversees public health, was leaked to The Daily Mail, leading to demands to know why the information has not been given to the public before the vaccination of millions of people, including children, begins.

It tells the neurologists that they must be alert for an increase in a brain disorder called Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS), which could be triggered by the vaccine. GBS attacks the lining of the nerves, causing paralysis and inability to breathe, and can be fatal.

The letter refers to the use of a similar swine flu vaccine in the United States in 1976 when:

• More people died from the vaccination than from swine flu
• The vaccine may have increased the risk of contracting GBS by eight times
• The vaccine was withdrawn after just ten weeks when the link with GBS became clear
• The U.S. Government was forced to pay out millions of dollars to those affected

Concerns have already been raised that the new vaccine has not been sufficiently tested and that the effects, especially on children, are unknown.

Sources:

The Daily Mail August 15, 2009

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

As mentioned in this article, the 1976 swine flu vaccine campaign caused more harm than good, and there are indications that the current campaign may end up being a devastating repeat or worse.

At that time, one person died from the actual swine flu, while 25 people died from adverse reactions to the vaccine, and several hundred people developed crippling Guillain-Barré Syndrome.

According to The Daily Mail, the British Health Protection Agency sent letters to 600 neurologists on July 29^th, warning them to be on the lookout for cases of Guillain- Barré Syndrome once the swine flu vaccine campaign begins.

Why the warning was not sent out to general practitioners, who will be administering the shot, seems an odd choice if public safety is indeed the main concern.

This confidential correspondence between the British public health agency and neurologists in the U.K. is the first clue that all is probably not well with this fast-tracked pandemic vaccine.

Are You Willing to Let Them Experiment on Your Child?

According to a recent report from CNN, the U.S. is set to receive as many as 600 million doses of swine flu vaccine, enough for 300 million Americans.

Based on the recommendations from the World Health Organization’s (WHO) advisory group on immunization matters, the top priority groups that stand to receive the vaccine first include:

• Pregnant women

• Children over the age of 6 months with chronic health conditions

• Adults with chronic health conditions such as chronic respiratory disease, asthma, or obesity

• Health care workers

However, pregnant women, children, and those whose immune systems are already compromised are also at even greater risk to suffer severe side effects from the vaccine, as the adjuvants in the vaccine are designed to reduce your immune function.

Barbara Loe Fisher of the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) recently warned about the campaign underway to turn schools into virtual vaccination clinics. In many U.S. states, school has already started, so the decision of whether or not to vaccinate your child may become an issue you’ll have to deal with in the coming weeks.

Swine Flu Drug of Choice Causes Side Effects in Half of All Children

In the U.K. the hysteria over swine flu led to flu drugs being offered online, without a doctor’s prescription. This is incomprehensible, considering their risk. Just a couple of weeks ago I reported on brand new study findings that the swine flu drug of choice, Tamiflu, caused one or more side effects in OVER HALF of all children who received it!

Side effects included:

• Nausea – 29 percent

• Stomach pain or cramps – 20 percent

• Neuropsychiatric side effects including inability to think clearly, nightmares, and “strange behavior” – nearly 20 percent

• Sleep problems – 12 percent

The British Medical Association’s lead expert on swine flu went on the record stating that Tamiflu is now being overused.

Keep in mind that, although the swine flu has spread across the world it appears to have decreased in severity. The vast majority of cases are very mild, requiring only a few days in bed.

In fact, the regular seasonal flu is still far worse, and more deadly, than the swine flu.

How Vaccines Can Cause so Much Harm

The intended effect of a vaccination is to help you build immunity to a potentially harmful organism. However, your body’s immune system is already designed to do this in response to organisms that invade your body naturally.

Most disease-causing organisms enter your body through the mucous membranes of your nose, mouth, pulmonary system or your digestive tract. These mucous membranes have their own immune system, called the IgA immune system, which fights off invading organisms at the point of entry, reducing or even eliminating the need for activation of your body’s immune system.

A vaccination, however, delivers either live or attenuated (dead) viruses directly into your tissues and blood stream through injection, completely bypassing your body’s first line of defense. And when combined with an immune adjuvant, your body’s immune system kicks into high gear in response to the vaccination. If your immune system is too weak to deal with the assault, severe side effects can occur.

Injecting organisms into your body to provoke immunity is contrary to nature, and vaccination carries enormous potential to do serious damage to your health.

To emphasize this point further, when ingested, the vaccine adjuvant squalene is actually recognized by your immune system as an oil molecule native to your body. It has antioxidant properties and is found throughout your nervous system and brain.

The difference between “good” and “bad” squalene is the route by which it enters your body. Injection is an abnormal route of entry which incites your immune system to attack all the squalene in your body, not just the vaccine adjuvant.

As a result, your immune system will attempt to destroy the molecule wherever it finds it, including in places where it occurs naturally, and where it is vital to the health of your nervous system.

For more information about squalene, and the hazards it poses when included in flu shots, please review my recent special report on the topic, if you have not already done so.

Is Silver a Good Choice for the Swine Flu?

While I believe colloidal silver does have some merit, there may be significant problems in using it for swine flu. We were initially going to carry one of the finest silver products in our store, but I recently learned of new information that changed my mind.

While silver will likely work to kill the swine flu virus, in many healthy individuals it is likely to elicit a severe cytokine storm reaction. This is basically a severe allergic inflammatory reaction that can occur in your lungs, and could be fatal.

Additionally, silver is a heavy metal and there is no need for it in your body. So when used acutely it may have benefit, but in the long run you will need to eliminate the silver ions in your body with some type of detoxification process.

I am currently consulting with some of the leading experts on a swine flu product that I hope to have by the end of the year that will use completely natural ingredients that build your immune system, and will not result in a potentially fatal cytokine storm.

In the Meantime Consider Vitamin D as it Prevents Seasonal Flu

Just last week I reported on Canada’s decision to investigate the role of vitamin D in protection against the swine flu. This is great, but there are already overwhelming evidence showing that your vitamin D levels play a significant role in your likelihood of getting the flu.

Vitamin D has been a hot research topic these past few years, and has been shown to have remarkable impact on nearly every single disease studied.

Here is a list of four studies published this year, showing an inverse association between 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 2009 analysis of the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey examined the association between vitamin D levels and 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 30 ng/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 10 ng/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.

4. 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.

Granted, so far none of the research has focused on vitamin D’s impact on pandemic flu. If your body has never been exposed to the antigens there is chance that vitamin D might not be enough.

However, there’s no evidence suggesting that vitamin D supplementation would cause you any harm or make your illness any worse.

On the contrary, if you are coming down with flu-like symptoms and have not supplemented with vitamin D, Dr. Cannell, one of the world’s leading vitamin D experts, recommends taking 50,000 IU’s a day for three days to treat the acute infection.

Some researchers, including Dr. Cannell, believe the dose could even be as high as 1,000 units per pound of body weight for three days.

Ultimately, your best bet is to maintain healthy levels of vitamin D around 60 ng/ml year-round. Please note that this is far higher than most doctors will refer to as “normal.” Rather it is the optimal level you’ll want to maintain for disease prevention.

I strongly recommend you watch my one-hour free vitamin D lecture along with my video on vitamin D’s role in flu prevention for more in-depth information about vitamin D’s role in flu prevention.

Taking care of your health to reduce or eliminate your risk of contracting the flu is always going to be your safest bet. In addition to optimizing your vitamin D levels, this past article details my other recommendations for avoiding the flu naturally, and I strongly urge you to start incorporating these changes into your life today.

The Infamous (and much overrated) Swine Flu

Couldn't resist posting this article my mom sent me on vaccinations and swine flu. Makes me so sad. There are so many people who make millions off of drugs, and who have a huge influence on the media, so this truth is buried underneath convenient lies. And it's not just vaccines that are wrong when it comes to the health situation in America (!) But don't get me started :) I don't claim to understand everything in this article, but I thought it made some good points. Enjoy!

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/08/04/Squalene-The-Swine-Flu-Vaccines-Dirty-Little-Secret-Exposed.aspx


GULF WAR SYNDROME Drug to be used in SWINE FLU VACCINES for CHILDREN!

By Dr. Mercola

According to Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, your children should be the first target for mass swine flu vaccinations when school starts this fall.[i]

This is a ridiculous assumption for many reasons, not to mention extremely high risk.

In Australia, where the winter season has begun, Federal Health Minister Nicola Roxon is reassuring parents the swine flu is no more dangerous than regular seasonal flu. "Most people, including children, will experience very mild symptoms and recover without any medical intervention," she said.[ii]

Sydney-based immunization specialist Robert Booy predicts swine flu might be fatal to about twice as many children in the coming year as regular influenza. Booy estimates 10-12 children could die from the H1N1 virus, compared with the five or six regular flu deaths seen among children in an average year in Australia.[iii]

“Cure the Disease, Kill the Patient”

Less than 100 children in the U.S. die each year from seasonal flu viruses.[iv] If we use Australia’s math, a very rough estimate would be another 100 children could potentially die of swine flu in the United States in the coming year.

If children are the first target group in the U.S. per Sebelius, that means we’re about to inject around 75 million children with a fast tracked vaccine containing novel adjuvants, including dangerous squalene, to prevent perhaps 100 deaths.

I’m not overlooking the tragedy of the loss of even one child to an illness like the H1N1 flu virus. But there can be no argument that unnecessary mass injection of millions of children with a vaccine containing an adjuvant known to cause a host of debilitating autoimmune diseases is a reckless, dangerous plan.

Why are Vaccinations Dangerous?

The presumed intent of a vaccination is to help you build immunity to potentially harmful organisms that cause illness and disease. However, your body’s immune system is already designed to do this in response to organisms which invade your body naturally.

Most disease-causing organisms enter your body through the mucous membranes of your nose, mouth, pulmonary system or your digestive tract – not through an injection.

These mucous membranes have their own immune system, called the IgA immune system. It is a different system from the one activated when a vaccine is injected into your body.

Your IgA immune system is your body’s first line of defense. Its job is to fight off invading organisms at their entry points, reducing or even eliminating the need for activation of your body’s immune system.

When a virus is injected into your body in a vaccine, and especially when combined with an immune adjuvant like squalene, your IgA immune system is bypassed and your body’s immune system kicks into high gear in response to the vaccination.

Injecting organisms into your body to provoke immunity is contrary to nature, and vaccination carries enormous potential to do serious damage to your health.

And as if Vaccines Weren’t Dangerous Enough on Their Own …

… imagine them turbocharged.

The main ingredient in a vaccine is either killed viruses or live ones that have been attenuated (weakened and made less harmful).

Flu vaccines can also contain a number of chemical toxins, including ethylene glycol (antifreeze), formaldehyde, phenol (carbolic acid) and even antibiotics like Neomycin and streptomycin.

In addition to the viruses and other additives, many vaccines also contain immune adjuvants like aluminum and squalene.

The purpose of an immune adjuvant added to a vaccine is to enhance (turbo charge) your immune response to the vaccination. Adjuvants cause your immune system to overreact to the introduction of the organism you’re being vaccinated against.

Adjuvants are supposed to get the job done faster (but certainly not more safely), which reduces the amount of vaccine required per dose, and the number of doses given per individual.

Less vaccine required per person means more individual doses available for mass vaccination campaigns. Coincidentally, this is exactly the goal of government and the pharmaceutical companies who stand to make millions from their vaccines.

Will There Be Immune Adjuvants in Swine Flu Vaccines?

The U.S. government has contracts with several drug companies to develop and produce swine flu vaccines. At least two of those companies, Novartis and GlaxoSmithKline, are using an adjuvant in their H1N1 vaccines.

The adjuvant? Squalene.

According to Meryl Nass, M.D., an authority on the anthrax vaccine,

“A novel feature of the two H1N1 vaccines being developed by companies Novartis and GlaxoSmithKline is the addition of squalene-containing adjuvants to boost immunogenicity and dramatically reduce the amount of viral antigen needed. This translates to much faster production of desired vaccine quantities.”[v]

Novartis’s proprietary squalene adjuvant for their H1N1 vaccine is MF59. Glaxo’s is ASO3. MF59 has yet to be approved by the FDA for use in any U.S. vaccine, despite its history of use in other countries.

Per Dr. Nass, there are only three vaccines in existence using an approved squalene adjuvant. None of the three are approved for use in the U.S.

What Squalene Does to Rats

Oil-based vaccination adjuvants like squalene have been proved to generate concentrated, unremitting immune responses over long periods of time.[vi]

A 2000 study published in the American Journal of Pathology demonstrated a single injection of the adjuvant squalene into rats triggered “chronic, immune-mediated joint-specific inflammation,” also known as rheumatoid arthritis.[vii]

The researchers concluded the study raised questions about the role of adjuvants in chronic inflammatory diseases.

What Squalene Does to Humans

Your immune system recognizes squalene as an oil molecule native to your body. It is found throughout your nervous system and brain. In fact, you can consume squalene in olive oil and not only will your immune system recognize it, you will also reap the benefits of its antioxidant properties.

The difference between “good” and “bad” squalene is the route by which it enters your body. Injection is an abnormal route of entry which incites your immune system to attack all the squalene in your body, not just the vaccine adjuvant.

Your immune system will attempt to destroy the molecule wherever it finds it, including in places where it occurs naturally, and where it is vital to the health of your nervous system.[viii]

Gulf War veterans with Gulf War Syndrome (GWS) received anthrax vaccines which contained squalene.[ix] MF59 (the Novartis squalene adjuvant) was an unapproved ingredient in experimental anthrax vaccines and has since been linked to the devastating autoimmune diseases suffered by countless Gulf War vets.[x]

The Department of Defense made every attempt to deny that squalene was indeed an added contaminant in the anthrax vaccine administered to Persian Gulf war military personnel – deployed and non-deployed – as well as participants in the more recent Anthrax Vaccine Immunization Program (AVIP).

However, the FDA discovered the presence of squalene in certain lots of AVIP product. A test was developed to detect anti-squalene antibodies in GWS patients, and a clear link was established between the contaminated product and all the GWS sufferers who had been injected with the vaccine containing squalene.

A study conducted at Tulane Medical School and published in the February 2000 issue of Experimental Molecular Pathology included these stunning statistics:

“ … the substantial majority (95%) of overtly ill deployed GWS patients had antibodies to squalene. All (100%) GWS patients immunized for service in Desert Shield/Desert Storm who did not deploy, but had the same signs and symptoms as those who did deploy, had antibodies to squalene.

In contrast, none (0%) of the deployed Persian Gulf veterans not showing signs and symptoms of GWS have antibodies to squalene. Neither patients with idiopathic autoimmune disease nor healthy controls had detectable serum antibodies to squalene. The majority of symptomatic GWS patients had serum antibodies to squalene.”[xi]

According to Dr. Viera Scheibner, Ph.D., a former principle research scientist for the government of Australia:

“… this adjuvant [squalene] contributed to the cascade of reactions called "Gulf War Syndrome," documented in the soldiers involved in the Gulf War.

The symptoms they developed included arthritis, fibromyalgia, lymphadenopathy, rashes, photosensitive rashes, malar rashes, chronic fatigue, chronic headaches, abnormal body hair loss, non-healing skin lesions, aphthous ulcers, dizziness, weakness, memory loss, seizures, mood changes, neuropsychiatric problems, anti-thyroid effects, anaemia, elevated ESR (erythrocyte sedimentation rate), systemic lupus erythematosus, multiple sclerosis, ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), Raynaud’s phenomenon, Sjorgren’s syndrome, chronic diarrhoea, night sweats and low-grade fevers.”[xii]

Post Vaccination Follow-Up Might as Well Be Non-Existent

There is virtually no science to support the safety of vaccine injections on your long-term health or the health of your children. Follow-up studies last on average about two weeks, and look only for glaring injuries and illnesses.

Autoimmune disorders like those seen in Gulf War Syndrome frequently take years to diagnose due to the vagueness of early symptoms. Complaints like headaches, fatigue and chronic aches and pains are symptoms of many different illnesses and diseases.

Don’t hold your breath waiting for vaccine purveyors and proponents to look seriously at the long-term health consequences of their vaccination campaigns.

Snow in July

Ah I have been silent for a while. Well, I have been pleasantly busy :)

The 4th of July was the other day, and we went hiking. Robert was driving home when low and behold, my dad yelled, "Is that snow!!!?" I was reading Gone with the Wind intently so had not been looking about at our surroundings, but when I heard that, I did! Sure enough, a white substance was on either side of the road (mostly melted, but still there to be sure!). At first we all said it was hail, but it surely was not. Snow! On the 4th of July. What a strange state Colorado is. But I love it :)

Just had to share that tidbit. Keep an eye on our family blog www.cochranfamily101.blogspot.com and soon you will see pics of the hike! Didn't get any of the snow as it was rather dark out and rainy, but I hope you enjoy the others!

I hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July. God bless!

Give it Up... Let Go

""There Is A River"

There is a river that washes you clean
There is a tree that marks the places you've been
Blood that was spilled, although not your own,
For all of your tears, are the wages for things you have done

And all of those nights
Spent alone in the darkness of your mind
Give it up, Let go
These are things you were never meant to shoulder

There is a river that washes you clean
There is a tree that marks the places you've been
Blood that was spilled, although not your own
For all of those tears, love will atone

So, give up the right
To control the waves that empty out your life
Above wild skies
Are the rays that break the shadows we design

Give it up, let go
These are things you were never meant to shoulder
Give it up, let go

There is a river that washes you clean
There is a tree that marks the places you've been
Blood that was spilled, although not your own
For all of those things, love will atone

I know the world can turn in different ways
Most of the time, we're simply hanging on
And under the signs of how we all behave
We might find the place that we belong

There is a river that washes you clean
There is a tree that marks the places you've been
Blood that was spilled, although not your own
For all of these things, love will atone

For all of those nights, that you cried all alone
All of your tears, love will atone

What does This World Need?

I have been thinking. Just to warn you, whenever I say this in my family, many members will say, "Uh oh! Not again!" They are mostly joking, but partly serious I think, since most of my shared thoughts include a new habit we can develop, a new idea to make money, or a new meal idea :) That is partly a joke--I do think of other things too!

Anyway, I have been thinking. There are so many different types of "Christians." Those who are Baptists, those who are Presbyterian; those who are reformed, those who are Armenian; those who date, those who court; those who believe in spiritual gifts, and those who think they are past history; those who wear skirts all the time, and those who don't care what they wear; those who sing hymns, those who rock out every Sunday morning on all the latest praise and worship songs created; girls who wear make-up, girls who don't--because of principal ; those who listen to contemporary Christian music, and those who believe any drum beat is wrong; those who believe in sending children to public school, and those who believe it is the parents' job ALONE to educate their children.... (to name a few)

So, which one, in each of these examples, is the RIGHT way? Are all Christians right and Jesus isn't particular about these things?

Or is somebody wrong.

That is a sobering thought. A lot of times I believe that Christians become comfortable in their lives and begin taking on the look, feel, and sound of the world without even knowing it. If we are not actively fighting against the world and it's passions, then passively those very ideas will invade out lives.

"Do not conform any longer 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." -Romans 12:2

"Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him." -1 John 2:15

The first verse doesn't just give a no-no and then move on. It gives a no, and then gives an ACTIVE command, that we should be transformed by the renewing of our minds! This takes work!! Self-control and self-government to force our minds from their natural inclinations (since all men are born in sin) and into the right avenues TO KNOW THE WILL OF GOD. I get so excited about this. We can actually KNOW the will of almighty God! Think of all the heart-ache we could save ourselves if we just knew God's will.. Well, my friends, there is a way to know it. Praise the Lord!

All that to say, just because one becomes a Christian doesn't mean that he or she has somehow arrived and now has to do no more work! Oh no, the work is just beginning... The work to know what is of God, and what is of the world. More and more I am convinced that something cannot be both. Either something (habit, desire, thought, deed, event) is of GOD, or it is of the WORLD. There is no middle ground! I am not totally sure of this yet, but that is where I am leaning... Simply because there is absolutely NO sin in anything God does, so everything of God would have NO sin, and so everything else would be sin, right?

Maybe I am getting into semantics here :)

I just want to honor the Lord, and I am confused when I see Christians who are so diverse. How can BOTH lifestyles honor the Lord?

I would love to hear your thoughts. In the meantime, here's a song by Casting Crowns that really got me thinking about all this stuff

What this world needs
is not another one hit wonder with an axe to grind
Another two bit politician peddling lies
Another three-ring circus society
What this world needs
is not another sign-waving super saint that's better than you
Another ear pleasing candy man afraid of the truth
Another prophet in an Armani suit

What this world needs is a Savior who will rescue
A Spirit who will lead
A Father who will love them in their time of need
A Savior who will rescue
A Spirit who will lead
A Father who will love
That's what this world needs

What this world needs
is for us to care more about the inside than the outside
Have we become so blind that we can't see
God's gotta change her heart before he changes her shirt
What this world needs
is for us to stop hiding behind our relevance
Blending in so well people can't see the difference
And it's the difference that sets the world FREE!

People aren't confused by the Gospel
They're confused by us.
Jesus is the only way to God, but we are not the only way to Jesus
The world doesn't need my tie, my hoodie, my denomination or my translation of the Bible
It just needs Jesus
Jesus is going to save the world, but maybe the best thing we can do, is get out of the way...

I think the world is partly confused because we looks just like them... Anyway, just something to think about.

May you show someone today the Love of Christ.

Crash!

My laptop computer crashed. I am looking to buy a new one (probably a desk top) and am open to suggestions! If you have an opinion AND good proof on why you think a certain brand is better than another, please leave me that opinion! I am pretty bummed since the laptop that crashed was only two years old. I, um, think I'll NOT buy an Acer again (laptops' hard drives should last longer than two years!).

So yeah, tell me what you think. I will probably be buying one in like a week or so (want to do some research first). All my pictures, docs, etc. were on it so that's part of the reason I haven't been blogging on the family blog...

Thanks, and God bless!

By Your Side

As you face this new year, what are your thoughts? Excitement, hope, expectations, maybe some doubt or cynicism... Whatever they may be (and I'm still figuring this one out myself in my own mind), I think gratefulness should be one of those thoughts. God has lead us all through another year, praise him!

My family has always made goal-setting a big part of the new year, so here goes! Some of my goals are:
(1) Practice my violin every single day!
(2) Save up lots of mula in my savings (rather than spending it); my goal is to have like $5,500 by next year
(3) [tentative!] become a realtor. Still seeking God's wisdom on that one...
(4) Curb my propensity to say what's on my mind to whoever is nearby *gulp* It's not always encouraging....

Well, that's some of them! I don't have many as I don't want to make too many promises to myself! That only makes me frustrated when I can't fulfill them...

As I open up this 2009, this song has been on my mind. I hope it speaks to you. Note the youtube link to see the music video and hear the song sung by this relatively new band, Tenth Avenue North. I just bought their CD and every song on it is either us talking directly to God, or God talking to us (in the case of this song). Rare...

"Why are you striving these days?
Why are you trying to earn grace?
Why are you crying?
Let me lift up your face
Just don't turn away

Why are you looking for love?
Why are you still searching?
As if I'm not enough?
To where will you go child
Tell where will you run?
To where will you run?

(chorus)
I'll be by your side wherever you fall
In the dead of night whenever you fall
Please don't fight these hands that are holding you
My hands are holding you

Look at these hands and my side
They swallowed the grave on that night
When I drank the world's sin
So I could carry you in
And give you life

(chorus)
Here are my side wherever I fall
In the dead of night whenever you call
Please don't fight these hands that are holding you

(bridge)
And I, I love you
And I want you to know
That I, I love you
I'll never let you go

By your side wherever you fall
In the dead of night whenever you call
Please don't fight these hands that are holding you

By my side, my hands are holding you
In the Dead of night, my hands are holding you..."

-By My Side by Tenth Avenue North (from their CD Over and Underneath)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J95rAr0gOFU

Wherever or whatever I go or do in this new year, He'll be by my side and that is so encouraging...

Afterwards

So you've opened up the gifts, eaten the treats from your stocking, now what? When I was younger, I remember feeling pretty empty after Christmas day had gone by in all its glory. My parents were always good about sensing this and explaining that there is so much more than the gifts and treats. Those will pass away and even when we've gotten so many good "things" there will still be an emptiness, an emptiness that only Jesus Christ can fill. I believe it is totally possible for even Christians to feel this void. And it doesn't only happen on Christmas! After some event we've waited a long time for is over, it's hard to not feel depressed--what do I have to look forward to NOW. I struggled with this for many years and still do, but I have learned a little bit, maybe, and that little bit I have learned is that things will never satisfy.

It's not an effortless activity to be filled with Christ. I personally must work towards that every day and not allow myself to be caught up in "life."

So how do you feel after this Christmas? Alive and filled with Christ and blessed beyond measure by the gifts given in his honor? Or empty and restless. I pray that everyone reading this would be filled with Christ either for the first time, or anew.

"Some still failed to understand it, so God spoke his final word; on a silent night in Judah's hills a baby's cry was heard..."

Love Has Come To Walk Among Us....

"In the space of the beginning
Was the living Word of Light
When this Word was clearly spoken
All that came to be was right

All creation had a language
Words to say what must be said
All day long the heavens whispered
Signing words in scarlet red

Some have failed to understand it
So God spoke His final Word
On a silent night in Judah's
Hills a baby's cry was heard

Glory!; sang the angel chorus
Glory!; echoed back the night
Love has come to walk among us
Christ the Lord is born this night

All creation sing His praises
Earth and heaven praise His name
All who live come join the chorus
Find the words His love proclaim

Find the words His love proclaim"

-Anthem for Christmas
Words: Gloria Gaither
Music: Michael W. Smith

We went to a Micheal W. Smith Christmas concert the other night and it was, to say the least, awesome. His piano playing is incredible, and his choice of music and putting instruments together is talented indeed... He's still got his touch, even is he is a grandfather now! Anyway, this is one of my favorite Christmas songs by him. He didn't play it at the concert, but it's good enough in his 1989 (the year I was born!) CD "Christmas." (Buy it if you don't already have it--no Christmas music collection is complete without it.)

The picture is sort of corny, but to hear this song, go to this link... Just close your eyes and listen...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pk_LdUyTPC0

Merry Christmas!

My Friend is Gone :)

That would be: the trial (see below post). :)

We had the carpets cleaned as planned and so far so good! I still have minor reactions every now and then, but am overall much mucho better! Praise God... I was honored to have the men pray for me at church not last week but the week before. God is good.

Thanks for all of you praying! Pray now that I continue to get better and better with eventually no reactions at all!

Life is good. We are settling into our new house just fine. We had two lovely huge snows on last Friday and Sunday! Snow is one of the prettiest things God created, I think. I am already praying for a white Christmas *wink* We had one last year and it was so beautiful and such a huge blessing. God knew how to comfort me when I was homesick last year after moving from GA! Stifle me in beauty *laugh*

Have a wonderful week. "Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!" (sorry all you Florida peeps!)