the "cycle of social withdrawal"

 

I want to see people. 

I want to be part of other peoples lives. 

But then I become overwhelmed because I don’t think I’m wanted in that space, I have a hard time thinking that I’m worth being there, knowing that I’ll have to expend the energy to mask what I’m feeling, having to use mental space to get ready and not knowing if what I wear will be acceptable, or if I’m acceptable. 

So then I decide to stay home, and it makes me feel alone. And I don’t want to feel alone. 

I want to see people. 

Opinion post - Untrue

I disagree. 

I have anxiety problems, and I'm closer to God than I've ever been. 

I understand maybe the idea that regularly daily anxiety is effected by our surroundings, and I do find more peace when I’m plugged into Him. 

But that definitely does not mean that I have anxiety because i’m not close to Him, or closer to something else. 

rBST free - I’ve been buying my pizza from Sams Club (tattoo brand) and my life is forever better!

The hormones that are added to the already hormonal female cows make it even worse when interacting with human hormones.. so ESPECIALLY when someone who has food sensitivities, it makes it worse. So I’m ALWAYS on the lookout for something that I can eat that’s NORMAL food and not insanely priced.

——————————-

is rBST banned in the USA? google result

https://www.organicvalley.coop/blog/rBGH-decoded-what-is-bovine-growth-hormone/

Recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH) or recombinant bovine somatotropin (rBST) frees to bovine growth hormone that is made in a lab using genetic technology. (Refer to www.cancer.org)

The FDA says that food products made from rBST treated cows are safe for human consumption, there’s no significant difference between the milk between the two. 

But what about how it effects the cows

And the people that it does make a difference for?

The effect it has on the cows is that it stimulates milk production by increasing a natural hormone like an insulin. (Www.organicvalley.coop)

Since it was FDA approved in 1993, an estimated 20% of dairy cows in the USA are injected with this hormone. (Www.non-gmoreport.com May07)

The available evidence shows that the use of rBGH can cause adverse health effects in cows. The evidence for potential harm to humans is inconclusive. (Www.cancer.org)

Unless your milk is organic or says “does not contain rBGH,” you’re drinking milk that’s banned in the European Union, Canada and other countries due to its potential effects on human health, including the increased risk of cancer, says the American Cancer Society. (Www.eathis.com 11 American food products banned in other countries)

Costco, Kroger, Safeway and Walmart all carry milk that’s rBST free. (Www.verywellfamily.com)

Hormone levels are higher in whole milk and less in skim milk. All milk (from all mammals) naturally contains certain levels of estrogen and progesterone. (Www.scientificamerican.com)

face scrubs and ingredients - my curiousity is your benefit

salt scrub - more abrasive, rougher granules, therapeutic benefits (calcium, magnesium, copper and iron), drying.

Look for salt from Utah, Himalayan, Mediterranean or Dead Sea. (Once a week)

sugar scrub - gentler (finer), no mineral benefits, less drying, natural form of acid (alpha hydroxy and glycolic acid) to even out skin tone and texture. Melts as you use it. Natural humectant in nature (capable of trapping in moisture), improves circulation and tightens skin.

Salt is good for heels, Sugar is good for face.

What do the different things do?

Black/Himalayan salt rich in calcium, potassium and sodium, cleans the pores of the skin, non-stripping

Charcoal is anti-aging, treats skin irritation and acne, purifies pores, detoxifies, every skin type

Brown sugar - contains a few minerals and molasses, less chemical production than regular fine sugar

Coconut/raw sugar - hydrating, helps breakdown cells and encourage renewing skin, natural zink and iron

Oatmeal soothes a burn or tan, softens, heals cracked heals, fights acne, treats dryness

Coffee grounds - (diuretic)  tightens skin, smoothies and brightens

Turmeric is an acne-fighter, reduces dark circles, soothes dryness, healed wounds, anti-wrinkle, heals

Aloe is cooling and healing

Cucumber is cooling and moisturizing

Lime could help prevent acne

Banana moisturizing

Tea Tree is anti-acne

Honey has antioxidants for anti-aging, antibacterial and moisturizing

What is “Activating”? 

Activating means breaking it down to have smaller volume for microscopic use (as in pores, absorption, etc). A regular piece of Charcoal would do nothing for the skin, so they have to magically emulsify it (activate it) for it to do any good. 

What the crap does “woke” mean?

 Woke is a term that refers to a perceived awareness of issues that concern social justice and racial justice. It derives from the African-American Vernacular English expression stay woke. Wikipedia

(So basically, it means that people who haven’t been paying attention to things in politics are now taking action, opening their eyes, and finding they have a voice about an issue, and wanting their voices to be heard.) 

Woke is a slang term that is easing into the mainstream from some varieties of a dialect called African American Vernacular English (sometimes called AAVE). In AAVE, awake is often rendered as woke, as in, “I was sleeping, but now I'm woke.” 'Woke' is increasingly used as a byword for social awareness.

What Does "Woke" Mean? | Merriam-Webster

( I think there is more social awareness now than before because we have so many ways to find out information, so many ways to share information, and so many ways to speak out on certain topics. People are starting to pay attention more and use their voices for what they believe in. )

Where did the enneagram come from?

 Enneagram 9 and 2

These are my two numbers. I am a Peacemaker and a Helper. 

But what does this mean? 

The Enneagram is a way for us to figure out how we see the world. How our inner workings effect us in our lives. Who we are in our core and how we can learn to live better and interact in healthier ways. 

But this is a new thing. 

Where did it come from? 

The Enneagram is basically a quiz/chart used for us to learn to be more mindful of our own personal inner workings. It’s been used in counseling, it’s been used in business settings, it’s been used in schools to help people understand their strengths and weaknesses. 

https://theenneagramatwork.com/what-is-the-enneagram-1

This is an amazingly well written/said interview/article. 

https://religionnews.com/2017/09/05/what-is-the-enneagram-and-why-are-christians-suddenly-so-enamored-by-it/

Coming from a place of being a Christ-follower, it’s amazing to see someone who doesn’t just learn the Types of people we are but figuring out that they lead us to know where we lack and how we can further find our way to God. 

With my Types, I can gather that I do have a need to avoid and a need to be needed. I have always been this way. I avoid anything negative, and I want people to need me, but I’m so lost on how to put these two together.. this is where learning to be mindful helps me. This is also where being reminded that God loves me and gives me grace in all my mess ups makes me thankful. Because I know I need Him to help put me together as a whole human being, while in the meantime trusting Him and leaning on Him to guide me. 

If you have never done this test and are interesting in it, you can go to https://enneagramtest.net/

Do I have faith?

Do I have faith?

When I ask God for things, am I asking honestly in prayer?

Prayer.. and I just saying it in passing.. or am I actually talking to Him in conversation?

The heart of the matter.

If you believe.. believing.. you will receive if you believe

AND ask for in prayer.

Is this how we talk to Him?

Or do we need some adjusting?

transformation

How do we show, in our lives as Christ followers, that we follow Him? 

That He has changed us? 

"For man, all that their faith changes in the external trappings of their relationships. Instead of partying we have Bible studies. Instead of clubbing, we host game nights. But is it really God's goal to simply turn drinking buddies into accountability partners? To turn gossip sessions into prayer? NO! Far be it from us to expect so little transformation in our friends ships! When the spiritually dead receive new life in Christ, the entire heartbeat of friendship is transformed." - Youversion (www.bible.com)

How sad it is that we only expect surface changes when it's the insides that need to be renewed. 

How are you showing your faith to those around you? 

Are you carrying a Bible and wearing a necklace, yet berating people who do the smallest things wrong?

Or are you showing up for people emotionally and loving like Christ does? Touching the heart?

Are you working on your own insides to give your fellow believers a view of what living for Jesus is supposed to be like? Being an example of God?

 

The family of believers being one family

I'm going to write out exactly what I found in a Bible study on www.bible.com, also known as the Youversion app. 

Hit the nail on the head. 

SEEK UNITY.

Believers are never told to become one; we already are one, and are expected to act like it. 

- Joni Eareckson Tada

But it isn't always that easy. 

There are so many groups in the Christian community that think their way and their interpretation is the only way. We get bothered about the smallest of things and then get even more bothered when others don't feel the same. 

If we would spend more time showing grace to others that we show to ourselves, we would experience more unity among those whom we may not see eye to eye. 

-----------

So yeah.

Brothers and sisters in Christ.

The jots and tittles of theology and scripture are simple when it comes to what God commands us.

We are not to fight amongst ourselves.

We are to bring His truth to the world in every way.

And yet we allow the devil to congregate his demons in the cracks and crevices that WE create.

Stop making cracks.

Close up the crevices.

Heal the separation of the church and remember why we believe what we believe.

It's all about Jesus.

It's not about you.

There is not to be division in the church.

Stop dividing.

And start mending.

This gives me a visual of the movie Brave, and how Merida took her sword tip and sliced the threads of the beautiful tapestry. We allow ourselves to buy into the lies the devil feeds us, therefore creating threads of doubt and hate among the church as a whole.

Mend the bond torn by pride.

Why doesn't God just show himself to us?

What would be the point of God showing himself to us?

We wouldn't believe what we saw anyway.

We deny anything that isn't easily explained.

We barely take the time to sit down and think and reflect and research and read and understand.

If God walked up in front of you.. would you even know? Would you even care? 

Even if God showed himself to us.. it wouldn't matter.

We only trust and believe in things that we decide to trust and believe in.

It's our choice to trust and believe in things.

And even those two things are separate. 

You can trust in something and not necessarily believe in all of it (like when we trust in humanity but don't believe in it, or when we say we trust in science but don't believe everything science shows or tells us).

You can also believe in something and not trust in all the aspects of that belief. 

Seeing God for ourselves wouldn't make a difference. 

Because we are who we are.. we are sinful humans. 

We will always be sinful humans.

None of us is without it. 

So therefore, there is no need for us to see God.

The 23rd Psalm - broken down

The Lord is my Shepherd (this makes me feel comforted and knowing that He is in charge and taking care of me and will bring me back when I'm going in the wrong direction.)

I will never be wanting as long as I keep in mind that He supplies all my needs.

He gives me a place to rest, he satisfies my hunger and thirst for knowledge and and rest. 

He restores me from the inside out. My soul is refreshed and revived through Him.

He protects me, encourages me, leads me, guides me, 

and when the enemy is knocking at my heart and tearing at my soul,

God is the one to bring out the good china and the choice foods that will give me what I need instead of what I'm looking for, and He will do it in the presence of the evil, so they can see that He is good and they have no power against that. He doesn't wait for them to leave me alone, He shows up in the middle of the fight to strengthen me and show His power.

You anoint me and show me the right way to go.

You show me my path and place my feet where they belong. You ground me. You center me.

I am Yours.. always.

I'm thankful for the peace and encouragement and love and restoration I find in You.

insight to the book of Ruth in the Bible

 Thanks to the study from Everyday Faith and author Bejamin Galan

In the story of Ruth, there is loss and suffering, but there is also joy and love, 

commitment and hope, and God's power and tenderness in the midst of it all.

It's a story of transformation from death and degradation and disorientation

to fulfillment and love and loyalty.

To start out we need to know the context that this was written in.

There was no king, nobody in charge, everyone did what they wanted to

or what they thought was okay.

It included a tragic cycle of people repenting when they felt like they did something bad

and then going back to doing what got them there in the first place.

There was famine going on, as well, and with no king (normally the person

who would be in charge of providing security and food for everone),

they had to fend for themselves.

During this time, Naomi's husband died, and then 10 years later her two sons did as well.

So being a woman with no husband,

and no sons either to take care of her,

she was on a level where she couldn't even eat with servants.

She was basically a beggar. 

So like the story of Job (he lost everything, but being a man in that time,

he was able to take care of himself) she was destitute.

Because she was a wife, she had left her own homeland to start her life with her husband.

So she was even in a place that didn't accept her as their own.

Her daughters-in-law (Ruth and Orpah) were in the same predicament.

Orpah decided to go back to where she was from. 

Ruth decided to join Naomi on her journey back to her homeland.

"Your people will be my people, your God my god, wherever you go I will go." (Ruth 1:16-17)

This was a very courageous decision because she didn't know if she would even be

accepted to the land Naomi was from.

But she loved her mother in law and was loyal and committed to her. 

During this transition, Naomi changed her name to Mara because Naomi meant "pleasant", but

with eveything that had happened to her she renamed herself "bitter".

There was food in Naomi's homeland (Bethlehem) so she decided to go back.

Ruth was taking a huge chance going with her because she was a foreigner, female, barren and widowed.

But she took it upon herself to care for her mother-in-law.

Naomi/Mara had a relative there on her husbands side who was a man with a good heart and was respected, had his own land, and she felt he would be safe to go to.

The people of Bethlehem knew their connection, and knew that the field Ruth was getting her

grain from was Boaz's plot of land. (Boaz is the family member I talked about.)

The words that are used in Ruth 2 mean that he was known as a worthy man, a man of standing, mighty,

strong, able, powerful, wealthy. He was well-known for his good heart and his leadership.

Socially, Ruth and Boaz were from two completely different ends of the status pole.

His servants loved him because he was gracious and caring.

He noticed that Ruth was gathering wheat because he knew everyone that worked for him. 

He let her continue to do say, be protected by the men who worked there,

and share in the water that was provided for the servants as well.

He knew that her social worth was less than a servants, but because of what he did (because he knew

that she would be an easy target for abuse and violence), he made her part of his household.

He brought her to his table to share in his meals.

He actually told his servants to leave extra stalks of wheat and grain behind them for her to take.

Because of this she was able to take enough for herself, and also prepare wheat and grain

ahead of time to take to Naomi/Mara so she wouldn't have to prepare it herself.

Ruth's care and loyalty to her softened Naomi's grief and bitterness. 

Boaz had heard about what Ruth was doing for Naomi, and his heart was compassionate towards her.

The way she treated her mother-in-law made Boaz intrigued and softened towards her.

In those times, marriage was an economic thing instead of about love and romance.

Boaz had nothing to gain economically, so there was nothing about Ruth's social status that would

have contributed in that way.

That's another reason it's amazing what he did for her and how he treated her.

It was all about how he saw her commitment to Naomi/Mara.

They were a spiritual match.

She was from Moab, a Moabite, and they usually were one of Isreals worst enemies, but she

acted and behaved like an Isrealite.

Like Boaz.