Balance of Nature

 

I am supplement poor.  I began taking a multivitamin for men over 50 (uh, that would be me), Total Beet for my blood pressure, chondroitin glucosamine for my joints, turmeric and CoQ10 for better statin absorption, … and the list kept growing.  So, to keep from going bankrupt, I ditched them all for Balance of Nature fruits and vegetables capsules.  I take 3 vegetable capsules and 3 fruit capsules once a day and let my body produce what it needs.  But, I must figure out when to take the capsules because I have an unintended problem.  When I take the veggie capsules, my burp smells like lasagna.  Not a bad thing, because I like lasagna, but other people may not like the lasagna smell.  So, if the veggie capsules smell like lasagna, why not just eat lasagna each day and get the benefit of vitamins and a tasty supper?!  But the lasagna smell is not really lasagna, just the lasagna smell.  So, for now, I’m taking the veggie capsules with breakfast (lasagna for breakfast?!) to mix food with the capsules and the fruit capsules in the evening (dessert last).  We’ll see how it works.  I feel like Daniel as a young man when he asked to be excused from the King’s heavy food and expensive wine.  Daniel said to his handler in Daniel 1:12, “Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days …”  Hey, if this works, I may save some money and stay healthy in the process!  I may end up being a Balance of Nature influencer!  I’ll have to ask for a commission (or at least free stuff).

Contributaries

 

Pastor Jamie used a great illustration last Sunday.  The pastor of the church has a prominent position leading the congregation, but there are many supporting folk who are working behind the scenes to make the pastor successful.  Pastor Jamie said that the pastor is like the mighty Mississippi river and the helpers are like the tributaries filling the Mississippi river.  Brother Jamie made up a new word to describe these important but behind-the-scenes people: they are ‘contributaries’ (a mix of contributors and tributaries).  The Mississippi is 11 miles wide at its widest and 200 feet deep at its deepest!  But it has 21 major rivers flowing into it along with over 7,000 lesser tributaries that make the mighty river as big as it is.  And churches have janitors, musicians, sound technicians, and ordinary people inviting friends to church each Sunday to make the church what it is.  Paul was a prominent apostle in the New Testament, but in Romans 16, Paul listed 33 helpers who were important ‘contributaries’ to his ministry.  Romans 16:3&4, “Greet Priscilla and Aquila my helpers in Christ Jesus: Who have for my life laid down their own necks …”  Paul acknowledged that he couldn’t do it alone.  And neither can we!  We need each of you to make this thing called the church work!  Hey, show up next Sunday and do your little insignificant thing ... and do your service for the Lord, and not to be seen by men.

New Tee Shirt

 

Friday morning, I wore a new tee shirt to cardiac rehab and got several compliments.  I like my tee shirt, although some might say it is irreverent, but anyone who knows me knows that my heart and life belong to Jesus Christ all the way.  I like witness wear that catches someone’s attention and focuses it on Jesus Christ (which this tee shirt does).  I like the smiles at Chick fil-A, but a prefer the positive comments from pagans at Walmart.  The Chick fil-A folk are like preaching to the choir … they’re already on my side.  However, the folk at Walmart … they are pagans and in need of the gospel.  Well, most of them.  I am reminded of Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”  Amen!  The Gospel is powerful!  Yes, it is!