For the love of Coconut Oil~

I was introduced to Coconut Oil about 6 years ago…..Oh Em Gee!!!!

 

 

It has since become a staple in our home!

 

 

We use it for:

 

 

1) Cooking (I’ve replaced all other oils except Olive Oil) in our home with this wonderful gift from nature!

2) Baking (I am still learning how to substitute some of our favorite baked goods recipes with Coconut Oil but more and more are being adapted every month)

3) Skin Care (The possibilities here are endless……seriously)

4) Healing wounds…..yes…you read that right……healing wounds.

5) Poison Oak/Poison Ivy

6) Dental/Oral Hygiene

7) Hair Care

 

 

The list above is a short list of ways we use Coconut Oil in our home. I’ve got a jar in my kitchen cupboard…..we got a jar in each of our bathrooms…..I carry a tightly lidded container with me in my car at all times.

 

 

If I tried to tell you in this one post all of the wonderful things this oil does……you’d be here all night long…..so I won’t….but I will resource and provide links for you to follow up on and do your own research in the event you are interested in learning more!

 

 

Here is one of the ways I used it today…..I made my very own Micro-dermabrasion Solution! YIPPY!! It only took two ingredients! Now….I’ve paid the big bucks for commercial products that left my skin feeling dry….reactive and in some cases raw…..not so with my new recipe!!!

 

 

Homemade Microdermabrasion Solution:

 

 

 

 

 

 

1/4 cup coconut oil

2 Tbls. Baking soda

 

 

Mix together well. Coconut Oil is solid at room temps of 76 and below…..it liquifies at temps above 76 degrees. What you are looking for with this mixture is not some real precise….it can be a wee bit runny….or it can be slightly pastey…..either way….once it’s on your face….it will soften and proves very workable.

 

 

Once mixed….scoop out with clean fingers and begin to rub in light circular motions all over your face…..use it just like you would the commercial products…..rinse with nice warm water and PAT your face dry….don’t wipe of the oil when finished….let your face absorb the remaining oil…..this is heavenly!

 

 

Some of the characteristics of this oil will impress even the most hardened cynic……

 

 

Coconut Oil is:

 

 

1) Anti-viral

2) Anti-fungal

3) Anti-bacterial

4) Anti-microbial

 

 

It can be purchased OTC (Over the counter) I get mine at our local health food store but I am now seeing it show up on main stream grocery shelves…..if you live in my neck of the woods…..Fred Meyers is now carrying it in their organic foods section.

 

 

It is AFFORDABLE!

 

 

We use it every single day….morning and night.

 

 

My husband recently used it to rid himself of a bad flare up of poison oak! Poison oak to him is a certain week off work if it isn’t arrested IMMEDIATELY! He brought in a load of wood to burn in our wood stove and 45 minutes later the arm he carried the wood in was inflammed…..se lathered the arm with coconut oil and instantly the itching stopped…..the next morning…all signs of the rash were gone.

 

 

I have several stories of my own I could share as well….and I will….in another posting coming your way soon

 

 

For now…..I want to encourage you to google the benefits of coconut oil for yourself…..don’t take my word for it….dig in….research….I bet you’ll purchase a case or two before the weekend is out >wink<

 

 

Here are a few of my favorite Coconut Oil sites:

 

 

 

http://www.coconutoilbenefits.org/ This site has lots of videos with recipes for different ways to use CO. It also has a wonderful FAQ section. 

 

 

 

http://www.coconut-oil-central.com/coconut-oil-benefits.html Another site I visit often to keep up with ongoing research….they are constantly finding more uses for the oil!

 

 

http://www.coconutresearchcenter.org/ Last but not least….my very favorite Coconut Oil information site….this is where Dr. Bruce Fife publishes his own research. I purchased Dr. Fife’s first two books on the Coconut Oil Miracle and I can’t begin to tell you how our lives have improved! When you visit here….be sure to look over the left side menu and sign up for his free E-Newsletter…..you’ll thank me later….:)

 

 

Spa La La La La!!!

 

 

Blessed to be In His Grip~

 

The Eyes of the Lord……

For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward Him. 2 Chronicles 16:9

 

Can you even imagine that? I try….but it boggles my mind that the creator of the universe is mindful of me.

 

I made a card today with the above verse on it……praying that it will be an encouragement to the recipient……

 

 

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!!!

 

Thrilled to be In His Grip today!~

 

Grandma’s Girls~

The girls came to stay for a few days this week! We love it when they come to visit…..we had some serious fun this time! They are getting big enough to be able to follow some very simple instructions and our activities during this visit reflected that!

We made Ladybug Cracker Appetizers that we found on the Taste of Home site for grandpa when he got home from work last night. The girls could hardly wait until Grandpa got home so they could show him and eat the treats they made! I was really surprised how little supervising this activity required. I did the cutting but they did all of the assembling and loved every minute of it!

Then we had fun making fish out of socks! Yes….you heard right…..we took brand new socks….stuffed them with tissue paper….fixed a washer in the toe and fished for them! We made fishing poles from glitter batons we bought at the Dollar Tree and attached yarn with a magnet on the end for our *hooks*. Hours of fun for sure!!!

Next time we learn to sew!!! Plastic canvas and yarn to start with……counting the days……

Joyfully In His Grip~

 

The Last Shall Be First~

This devotional I am sharing today is not one I’ve written but one that speaks deeply and precisely to a place I’ve been. For the last 5 years, I’ve been home, retired from a life in the business world. I was a marketer….the Lord seemed to be blessing the works of my hands…..but alas…..my gazed dropped at some point during my career and my focus became one of goals and accomplishments rather than of service to Him. Yes….I completely lost sight of the fact that my career was blessed so I could serve Him through it….I worked hard at it so it could serve me….in the end…..I served it……thank you Lord for delivering me from that *pool* of competition…..

January 25
	But many that are first shall be last; and the last first.
	Mark 10:31
This statement runs cross-current to that which our culture propagates. Our society is becoming increasingly competitive in its orientation. And yet those who win society’s competition seem to be increasingly disillusioned with the prize. That is, people who get to the top often find the top isn’t what they thought it would be. This explains why top athletes, for example, often find themselves being sucked in to the drug scene. They got the prize — but the prize was too small.Jesus comes on the scene and calls us away from competition. How does this work out practically? In your mind’s eye, travel back two thousand years ago to a place called Bethesda where you see hundreds of people with all sorts of physical ailments positioned around a pool of water. Why are they there? The understanding of the day was that the first one in the water after an angel supposedly stirred it would be healed. Consequently, these blind, lame, hurting people jockeyed for position in order that they might be first in the pool. But what does Jesus do when He arrives at Bethesda? He finds a lame man seemingly at the back of the pack and says, ‘Do you want to be made whole?’ ‘I have no man to help me into the water,’ the man answers. ‘I don’t have a network. I don’t have the skills. My college education is outdated. I don’t have connections. How can I compete in this culture? I have no one to help me.’ This man had no stock options. He wasn’t a member of the health club, not on the city softball team. He wasn’t competitive, yet it was he and he alone who captured Jesus’ attention that day. ‘Arise,’ Jesus said. ‘Take up your bed. I’m freeing you from this pool of competition.’ And the man was healed (John 5:8-9). I believe Jesus says the same thing to us today. Maybe you’ve been jockeying, struggling, planning, conniving, attempting to get the edge, to make it happen, to get ahead financially, relationally, or even in ministry. If so, I encourage you to take a mental trip to Bethesda and be reminded again that the paradox of the Kingdom is that the first shall be last and the last first.

This Daily Devotional is an excerpt from the book “A Days Journey” by Pastor Jon. “A Days Journey” is a collection of 365 short devotions from the New Testament.  If you would like your own copy of “A Days Journey” you may click here to go to the SearchLight Store

Humbly In His Grip~

 

Developing my new habit~

What if you woke up today with only the things you thanked God for yesterday?

 

 

 

 

“In everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus”. 1 Thessalonians 5:18

 

If you’ve read this blog in the early days of this month…..you are aware that I accepted a challenge to document 1000 Gifts this year. There are no real rules as to how a person can document their gratitude….just that they do! The objective is to develop an *attitude of gratitude*. The challenger, Ann VosKamp suggests we document 3 gifts a day. Sometimes there are days that go by that I don’t get on the computer long enough to write a blog entry so I will take this opportunity tonight to document several of my gifts! These are gifts that I HAVE, not gifts I am seeking, want or asking God for.

 

My goodness….there are so many!

 

1000 Gifts~

 

21. A comfortable, dependable car.

22. A wonderful bed to rest in.

23. I am so thankful for the gift of my home.

24. Good health

25. My husbands good health

26. A godly husband

27. So many good friends, near and far

28. Everyone who’s last names are: Sweet, Wells, Irving, Vert, TenEyck, Gerig, Godfrey, Champagne, Baer, Kneiling…..there’s more >wink

29. Our wood stove

30. Clothes to wear

31. Abundant and good food to eat

32. A washer and dryer that works to help lighten my load

33. A dishwasher that does the same

34. For a heart of flesh…..(the Lord exchanged my heart of stone for this heart that can now feel both joy and pain….

35. For the courage God has blessed me with to share His goodness

36. For a deep hunger to know Him more intimately. I know this is a gift because there is no good thing in me except Him….His Spirit draws me…

37. Evergreen trees

38. This computer

39. Chocolate chip cookies

40. My new set of dishes from my mother in law after she moved into the retirement home she now lives in. I’ve never had a matching set of dishes before….clearly….all was ok in my world but what a delight to have dishes that match!

41. Warm comfortable slippers

42. My oversized blue fleece turtleneck…..it’s like wearing a blanket…

43. For the book series I am reading by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins: The Stories of John, Mark, Luke and Matthew.

44. The ability to create with paper, fabric, clay…..

45. Yogurt

46. Lip balm

47. Love

48. For those people who choose to believe in the best in me

49. For those in my life who are not afraid to speak truth to me…..

50. Forgiveness

51. The laughter of my children

52. The laughter of their children

53. For the Hope Christ has given me….

54. The ability to teach

55. Good good books

56. Good worship music

 

 

Truly grateful to be in His grip tonight~

 

Am I a *sin-sniffer*?

 

 

 

Matthew 7:5

 

“You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

 

Recently I was visiting with a dear sister in the Lord who happens to be related to me! We love to share about what the Lord is doing in our lives with one another……the fellowship is so so sweet! We were talking about how much we learn from our children and she told me a story about her sweet daughter.

 

Her daughter came home from an event with friends and declared that one of her friends was “just a sin sniffer”! My friend and I unraveled in laughter over the cuteness of this statement her daughter made…we laughed hard! I tell you though….since that conversation…the Holy Spirit has not left me alone concerning this topic! Every single time I find myself tempted to judge a conversation I might be having, or watching someone go through a challenging time….the minute I begin to think *Well that’s not the way I would do that*……the faithful Hound of Heaven pricks my conscience and my neck bows in repentance.

 

I am all grown up physically…..but spiritually, I continue to grow in God’s grace. I wonder why I am so tempted to compare my walk with that of others around me….I wonder why it’s easier for me to see the error of ways in others. I can learn from others mistakes but I think it’s deeper than that. I’ve grown up in a world that judges ones life by accomplishments that can be measured….accomplishments that can been seen, felt and touched. Learning to be content with the *fruit* that is being grown by the Master Gardner of my life has been foreign to me.

 

Dear Lord~ Teach me to *see* others through Your eyes…..eyes that see the promises, potential and possibilities that have been woven into the precious people you have brought into my life. Change my heart oh God….make it ever new….help me support people to grow to their FULL potential in You! In Jesus name Amen…..

 

 

1 Corinthians 2:2

‘For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified’

 

In His Gracious Grip~

 

Listening to and Honoring God’s Word~

 

Acts 13:48a

When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord;

 

I ran a day care while my children were younger. I rarely let the children play out in the front yard because we had a wonderful and beautiful fenced backyard for them to play in. One day, some of the older children, and by older I mean, the 8-10 year olds were petitioning me to let them play out in the front yard. Against my better judgement….I allowed two of the older boys out to play in the front yard. There were other children in the neighborhood shooting hoops, riding skateboards and such, so I didn’t think the idea was all that bad. We live on a street that is one short block long with no through streets on either end so traffic was not a real concern. The boys were elated! I ran down a list of rules to follow…they nodded their heads to each and every one of them…..they promised to honor my word…….were good to go!

 

Thrilled with their new found freedom…..the day ended….their parents came for them and all seemed well. Later that evening we heard a knock on the door. It was our neighbor Ron from across the street. He had come to let me know that the front seat of his car had been filled with pine cones and dirt clods. Apparently he had left the passenger side window down all day long (it was mid-summer). Ron told us that after interviewing some of the other neighborhood boys that he was reasonably convinced that the offender lived in our house.

 

Now…I have 3 boys of my own…..quite a bit older than the two that begged for their freedom that day. Our own boys all had solid safety nets…..two of them were at work and the other was away at summer camp. Uh-oh…..the list of suspects had been narrowed down to only two. Michael and Josh.

 

After hearing Ron and chatting with him a bit….I told him that we would get to the bottom of the mystery the next day…..and we did. The boys arrived and ate breakfast. I began to tell them about neighbor Ron and his complaint. Immediately Michael said….*It was Josh!* Josh began to whimper and offered a full fledged confession.

 

I walked hand in hand with Josh over to Ron’s house…..he knocked on the door and asked to speak to Ron. Ron came to the door…..(he is a giant of a man, standing 6’6″ tall) Trembling and voice shaking…Josh squeaked out his apology. Ron forgave him and put him to work cleaning up the mess. Hard lesson learned for a young man. Years later….after Josh graduated from high school….he and his parents came for dinner. He shared that he had never forgotten that lesson and his parents shared that it had a huge impact on him going forward as well!

 

I am telling a story about a young man named Josh who didn’t honor my words…..and the consequences he paid for not doing so……but when I read the verse above…..I have to notice how very much like Josh I am! The Lord instructs me in His Word to do things His way and so often I don’t…..often times with disastrous consequences.

 

Food for thought:

 

Scripture is the Lord’s word of instruction. When you read scripture and hear the Lord’s voice are you “glad”? What have you read or heard recently that has been difficult to do or apply? Did you do it your way or the Lord’s? What was the result? Will you “honor” the Lord’s Word? In what area is the Lord instructing you today? Will you listen and apply what you have learned? Or, will you continue in your own way? The way of the follower of Christ is to listen for and do God’s will.

 

In His Gracious Grip~

 

Pastor JD Farag’s Weekly Prophecy Update~

People Get Ready~ Jesus is coming!

Keep your lamps full of oil and your wicks trimmed family!

So thankful to be In His Grip~

 

I have a BIG but and I cannot lie……

Perhaps you do too?

Humbly in His grip…..

 

Book Series I am starting~

I love to read…..especially fantastic fiction! Some of my favorite fiction writers are, Joel Rosenburg, Brock and Bodie Theone, Francine Rivers, Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins.

Today!  Today I was able to find the final book in a series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins called The Jesus Chronicles! I like to have all of the books in a series before I start reading that series. I know…I know….it sounds sort of strange, but I’ve started far too many book series only to find myself unable to complete them because I can’t find the next book.

So tonight I get to start reading The Jesus Chronicles!

 

Book One:

 

 

Book Two:

 

 

Book Three:

 

 

Book Four:

 

 

 

From Publishers Weekly~

 

With their wildly popular Left Behind thrillers, LaHaye and Jenkins took the Christian fiction genre to new heights of mainstream success, but also sparked renewed debate among evangelicals concerning End Times theology. Now, they reunite to undertake the Jesus Chronicles, a four-book series of historical novels profiling the lives of the Gospel writers: John, Mark, Matthew, and Luke. This first installment recounts the personal and spiritual journey of the only one of the original apostles who died from old age rather than martyrdom. Robinson Dean brings an appropriately deep and sober tone to his duties as narrator, especially in his portrayal of the elderly John’s exhaustive efforts to leave a written record of both his first-person experiences and prophetic visions. The authors steep their storytelling in a conservative interpretation of scripture that may not appeal evenly across the broader spectrums of Christian theology, but they provide some engaging human drama. The audiobook also includes Dean’s reading of the complete texts of all five New Testament books for which John is credited (John’s Gospel, his three Epistles and Revelation).
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. –This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

 

 

I will share my own review once I finish this series  so stand by if you are interested! You can also read book reviews now simply by googling them.

 

 

1000 Gifts~

 

17) Trucks that are able to handle the snow.

 

18) Italian Food

 

19) Warm, comfortable clothing.

 

20) Ability to learn.

 

 

Snuggly in His Grip today~