The Paradox of Faith

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I heard a talk, Taking Possession of Tomorrow by Bill Johnson. I took some notes and had a few reflections. This is by no means a comprehensive review of what he said, partly from Joel 2.

Imagine an entire city
Recognizing their need for God!

Our faith, our boldness, our obedience,
Can alter the course of history!

Don’t list the opposition you’ve experienced.
Don’t list the challenges you are facing.
Focus on what God is able to do
Through the resurrected Jesus!

Lord, alter my thoughts;
Altar my dreams;
Extend my vision
To see all YOU can do.

Bring the fruit of the impossible for the glory of Jesus.

That was all I had from Bill’s inspiring talk,
But that got me reflecting on WHY
More Christians don’t wholeheartedly
Run towards God,
With life-changing faith.
Why don’t we experience
The resurrected power of Jesus in our lives?

The Faith Dilemma

It is quite difficult
When you are so entrenched
In mediocre Christianity.
There is no urgency, no power,
No evidence of God at work.
Many of us have never known
Anything except comfortable Christianity
For our whole life.
We rarely, or maybe NEVER,
Have seen anyone healed
By the power of God.
We pray, but do we actually expect
Tangible answers to our prayers?
Mostly we stick to safe prayers.
We don’t want to ask too much
Of God. Perhaps we feel unworthy
Of His attention, or that our request
Isn’t noble enough.

I am comfortable and in control
When life is predictable.
My time is spent acquiring stuff,
Paying my bills, watching my shows,
Looking after the people in my life.
Do I need anything more?
More of God?
I don’t even know what that looks like.
I think I’ll pass.
I’d rather have the current amount.
Just the comfortable serving.
So I’ll be more like all of my friends.

Or maybe,

If I risk seeking more of God,
He won’t come through for me.
Maybe those ‘comfortable Christians’
Are the reality.

Maybe this desire for “more” of God
Is just pride. I think I’m better,
Or have a greater understanding, etc.
But if I were to test it,
If I seek to step boldly out
On what I perceive to be God’s promises,
And I fall flat,
Provision doesn’t come in,
The power of God is not displayed.
Not only will I be disgraced and discouraged,
But my example may lead people
Further from the truth.

So I stay stuck;
Comfortable in what I know.

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Becky Hastings, wondering about faith and God’s purposes in our world, knowing that anything good I can say or do is only through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Is God Quiet?

shhhh-1433634-639x852So often we live like God is quiet,
or not operating on earth;
like the inter-testamental times.

We don’t see the supernatural.
We don’t expect the supernatural.

Yet God, the Creator of all things
invites us into a relationship with Himself.

Think about that.

Imagine a person with a ‘Midas’ touch,
or phenomenal money-making ability.
What would it be like
to have a close relationship with them?
Their blessings would naturally overflow.
What if that person was your father,
who loved you absolutely?

God has glorious unlimited resources.

We worry about food and provisions.

My Creator – has the power
AND the DESIRE
To empower me
TO DO HIS WORK ON EARTH
Through the inner strength,
wisdom and guidance
Of the Holy Spirit.
Too often I stay mired in basic struggles:
Feelings of insecurity,
Struggles with habits
Relational challenges.
I don’t seek or experience
God’s power that I read about
In the Bible.
If I could comprehend
How wide, long, high and deep
God’s love FOR me is, and that
He can fill me with COMPLETENESS;
HE INVITES me to join Him in the work
He is doing on earth.
He has absolute power,
God is able to accomplish
INFINITELY MORE
Than I could ever think to ask for
Than I could ever dream or imagine.

All given freely
By His grace.
Nothing I could ever earn.

DSC_0062Becky Hastings, a sinner saved by grace, who enjoys considering all the grace our loving Father wants to bestow on us.

3rd Prize Chili

Red potOrganic 3 Bean Chili Con Cashew (Vegetarian)

This is my variation of an original recipe known as Chili Con Cashew by Kathryn J. Canfield, in Whole Foods for the Whole Family, published by La Leche League International. All the ingredients are organic, if they were available. This chili won 3rd place in a local chili cook off.

  • 5 cloves garlic, minced
  • 4 carrots, chopped
  • 3 stalks of celery, chopped
  • 2 onions, chopped
  • 1 to 2 jalapeño peppers, chopped
  • 1 to 2 tbsp. coconut oil
  • 1 tsp. each basil and oregano
  • ±1 tsp. chili powder, or to taste
  • ±1 tsp. curry powder (can’t get enough of those spices!)
  • 1 tsp. ground cumin
  • 1 tsp. turmeric powder (great anti-inflammatory food; add to everything!)
  • 1/2 tsp. salt or less
  • a few dashes of black and cayenne pepper
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 1/2 cups raw cashews
  • 2 cups black beans, cooked
  • 1 can garbanzo beans
  • 1 can kidney beans
  • 42 ounces chopped/crushed tomatoes, with their liquid
  • 1/3 cup raisins
  • 1/4 – 1/2 cup dry red wine

Salute garlic and all vegetables (except tomatoes) in the coconut oil in a saucepan for several minutes. Add all the spices (except the bay leaf) and stir.

Stove Top Method: Add the remaining ingredients to the pan and simmer on low, stirring occasionally for ±2 hours.

Slow Cooker/Crock Pot Method: Dump the contents of the saucepan and all the remaining ingredients into a slow cooker and cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 5+ hours. In order not to waste any of your spicy flavor, add some of the tomato liquid to the saucepan, stir and pour into the crock pot.

Serve with sour cream, cheese, tortilla chips, corn bread, or WHATEVER YOU LIKE! It is also great as leftovers and can even be eaten cold!

ENJOY!

Becky Hastings

The plight of the parent with a vaccine injured child

Baby's mom vacc injury

Babies in the USA are routinely given 37 doses of 14 different vaccines by 18 months of age. They receive a total of 49 doses of 14 different vaccines before they start Kindergarten.

No parent ever goes to the doctor, complies with the medical recommendations to give vaccines, and expects to harm their child. Yet, sometimes, it happens. Vaccines might not cause obvious harm to every child, but they do harm some. This is the true reality of real parents with seriously vaccine injured children:

“I trusted my doctor and government and vaccinated my son. He now has severe regressive autism. Some days I’m soooooo angry at my stupidity; other days I’m so full of hate I actually vomit.” –Anonymous mom A

“A parent of a severely vaccine injured child is one of the most hellish demographics of this country. To have to go through that…. and then have the medical community, family, media, trendy ‘sheeple’, degrade you on top of it… there are hardly any words. One that stands out is shameful.” –Anonymous mom B

Red Flag WarningIt is incredibly difficult when facing the hellish nightmare of serious regressive autism

every              single              day,

to hear really ignorant, uninformed people who have an opportunity to give their own brand-new-baby a healthy life, make comments that show they might be choosing the same path. The ‘autism’ resulting from vaccine injury is not just a slight ‘quirky difference’ in personality. This is physical illness; pain, serious bowel disturbances, often non verbal, non-toileting, etc. These children and their families experience severe incapacitation on so many levels. The parent with a vaccine injured child seeks to vigorously wave a huge red flag, desperately trying to warn unsuspecting new parents, but many are too proud, too confident, too trusting in the medical system, to recognize the truth.

“Here’s the thing. I’m absolutely sure vaccines are the cause of my daughter’s brain damage (aka autism). What I don’t know is WHY. Was it Thimerosal? Was it the aluminum? Was it retroviruses? Was it aborted fetal tissues? Was it the MMR? Was it the DTAP? Was it the Hep B, HIB, Polio? Or was it the COMBINATION? Did she have a genetic predisposition for vaccine injury? Was it too many too soon? Why is it up to ME to figure it out and up to ME to fix it????????? WHY????? Oh and WHY is nobody helping me and WHY are doctors still getting away with telling me autism is a genetic mystery??? BULLSHIT.” — Donna L Delicate, New York, USA

If someone you love has been impacted by vaccine injury, please share your reality in the comments below. The world needs to know. Vaccines are not as safe as the marketing implies.

If you are considering giving any vaccines to your child, or trying to decide which ones are worth the risk, please read this.

If you, like me, have been blessed to NOT experience severe debilitating vaccine injury in your family, we can heed the words of the writer to the Hebrews:

Continue to remember those enslaved and in prison,
And those who are ill-treated
As if you yourselves were suffering.
As if you felt their pain in your own bodies. Hebrews 13:3

Becky on stage

Becky Hastings, Jesus follower, wife, mom, grandmother, health promoter, breastfeeding counsellor (helping moms for 22+ years), and someone who seeks to research, understand and share truth so people can make wise choices in our crazy mixed up, deceived world!

Boldly

Baby Dad silhouetteThrough our faith in Christ
We can come boldly
And confidently
Into the presence
Of God.

Think about that.

One would think
That God’s presence
Would evoke fear, or
Guilt;
Feelings of inadequacy;
Thoughts of judgment;
and punishment deserved.
Not measuring up, comparison,
Lack of blessing, shame,
A remembrance of rules, laws, punishment.

Yes, God gave the law
As a guide,
Fully knowing how impossible
It would be
For us to keep it.
The purpose of the law
Was to show our inability to keep it,
No matter how hard we try.

Yet Christ’s death
Abolished the law,
Allowing us to enter
Boldly,
Confidently,
Into the very presence
Of God.

Awesome.

_DSC7099Becky Hastings, a forgiven, cleansed sinner who rejoices while boldly approaching God! Also, a wife, mom, grandmother, health promoter, breastfeeding counsellor (helping moms for 22+ years), and someone who seeks to research, understand and share truth so people can make wise choices in our crazy mixed up, deceived world!

Truth Seekers

cosmosArguably the most powerful words ever spoken on our earth:

My kingdom is not of this world (kosmos). If My kingdom were of this world, my subjects would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders, but My kingdom is not from here.

The reason I was born and have come into this world (kosmos) is to testify to (share, highlight, reveal) TRUTH. Everyone who seeks truth, who is on the side of truth, will hear (pay attention, understand, obey, accept) my voice. spoken by Jesus, recorded by John 18:36-37, Becky’s paraphrase

Seeking Truth

The extent of evil
Oozing in every sphere of life
Forces me to seek the LIGHT.
Wholeheartedly.
Unreservedly.

Not on my terms or conditions
For how can I impact or dictate
To the LIGHT?

I seek the totality of the pure LIGHT.
The LIGHT of truth.
The truth that brings healing; wholeness.

The truth that seeks good;
Demands justice.

The truth that fully accepts.

The truth that does not conform
To my ideals or expectations.

I must conform and align
To Truth.

I am fascinated by the topic of truth. In the information age in which we live, truth seems to have become more and more elusive. So much conflicting information is available. We are exposed to theories and arguments on every side, with multiple issues. How do we discern truth?

When the Spirit of TRUTH comes, he will guide you into all TRUTH. Jesus, John 16:13

Jesus prayed to God, the Father for us, this is what he said, “Make them holy by Your TRUTH; teach them your word, which is TRUTH.” John 17:17

I am the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE, no man comes to the Father, but by Me. Jesus, John 14:6

“I am the LIGHT of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the LIGHT that leads to LIFE.” Jesus, John 8:12

“But now I am going away to the one who sent me, and not one of you is asking where I am going. Instead, you grieve because of what I’ve told you. But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment. The world’s sin is that it refuses to believe in me. Righteousness is available because I go to the Father, and you will see me no more. Judgment will come because the ruler of this world has already been judged.

“There is so much more I want to tell you, but you can’t bear it now. When the Spirit of TRUTH comes, he will guide you into all TRUTH. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future.” Jesus, John 16:5-13

12Becky Hastings, a forgiven, cleansed sinner who seeks to walk closely to the LIGHT of Jesus Christ every day. Also, a wife, mom, grandmother, health promoter, breastfeeding counsellor helping moms for 22+ years, and someone who seeks to research, understand and share truth so people can make wise choices in our crazy mixed up, deceived world!

 

 

 

Preparing to Vaccinate

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Our government tells us babies need vaccines to be safe and healthy. The reality is that there is a level of risk in giving vaccines and the CDC is fully aware of the risk. Many parents accept what they are told. Others question. Some families have differing opinions on the need for vaccines with one spouse in favor, and the other opposed.

If you are considering giving your child a vaccine for any reason, please do a few things first. Please read the whole list, because there are many important points at the end, but I didn’t know the order to put them in, or which might be the most important for YOU to know. Don’t be surprised like many young parents.

1. Delay as long as possible. The older a baby is, the better; the heavier a baby is, the better. Vaccines are known to cause more damage to younger and lower weight babies.

2. Know the CDC recommended schedule of vaccines so that you know which shots they will want your child to get at which ages. Investigate the frequency and risk of each of the diseases so that you can make an informed choice between the risk of the vaccine and the risk of the illness, when treated.

vaccine Insert full size

One side of an original complete package insert.

3. Read the complete vaccine insert and ask the doctor if they have read the complete insert for each vaccine they are recommending. This is a lengthy document which is available from each vaccine manufacturer for each vaccine, or combination (more than one disease covered in the shot) vaccine that they produce. They come with the vaccines, or you can read them from the FDA site on-line.

4. Research the NVICP (National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program), VAERS (Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System), and the fact that vaccine manufacturers cannot be sued if their products cause damage or death. Pharmaceutical manufacturers, the CDC who recommends their products, and the doctors who administer the products are 100% liability free since Congress passed the National Vaccine Injury Act of 1986. Thousands of those injured by vaccines have been compensated, but this is only a small fraction of those who have. have actually been injured by these products. With no liability the manufacturers have no incentive to improve and ensure safety.

5. Research vaccine injury because it is a reality. After the Movie Vaxxed: From Coverup to Catastrophe was released, thousands of parents became more vocal about their experience with vaccine injury. You can find videos of these personal stories of tragedy. The Vaxxed bus collected thousands of signatures and videos which were compiled into another movie Vaxxed 2: The Peoples Truth.

6. Investigate how much money parents have spent on achieving recovery from vaccine injury. Sometimes this is referred to as “detoxing” after a vaccine. Many (but not all) are achieving incredible healing from serious neurological damage caused by vaccines, but at a tremendous emotional, physical, and financial cost. One mom, whom I know personally, now has a fully functioning 15-year-old. He was diagnosed on the autism spectrum at age 2. While he was able to transfer to mainstream education, the family has spent close to $1 million for all the therapies, treatments, supplements, etc., that have helped them achieve this incredible recovery.

Luca Bugarin after shots7. Take a full-face photograph of your child BEFORE the vaccine. Many subtle signs of vaccine injury can be clearly seen in the face immediately, or in the days following the injections, if we are paying attention. Notice particularly the eyes and the mouth. Sometimes vaccine damage is seen in eyes pulling in different directions or the mouth pulling up or down, in a similar way to those who have experienced a stroke. Many parents notice a pallor or lack of vitality in the face of their child following vaccines. For more information see http://areyoucrooked.com/

8. Take some video of your child’s most advanced actions or skills. Record their speech or verbal ability. Sometimes children have a serious reaction to a vaccine and are sick for several weeks and it becomes difficult to remember what they were capable of before they received the vaccines.

9. Record the batch number, manufacturer, and description of the shot in your own permanent records. Make sure you know exactly what vaccine is being injected into your child. This information will be vital in the case of any injury. It can be included in a VAERS report and can help when cases are presented to VICP for compensation. The batch numbers have relevance in cases where the same batch number has caused multiple injuries and this information could possibly benefit other parents.

10. Limit the number of shots. I would suggest no more than one at a time; that way you will be able to pinpoint which vaccine causes a poor reaction. Vaccine damage is individual but can also be cumulative. Some babies seem to be fine after receiving many injections; others react to only one shot. Limiting the number will give you more precise information on how your baby is responding.

11. High doses of Vitamin C before, and long-term after, can reduce negative symptoms. Toddlers and babies can be given 1 g/day of sodium ascorbate spread throughout the day or give 2 times the RDI/day of a Vitamin C Complex.

12. Give probiotics for at least 2 weeks afterwards.

13. Apply ice immediately, or ASAP, to the injection site.

Warning Tylenol14. Give NO acetaminophen, aka TYLENOL (USA) or PARACETAMOL (SA, UK), no matter who recommends it. While Vitamin C helps with glutathione production in the body, acetaminophen/Tylenol/Paracetamol depletes glutathione. Glutathione is critically important in the role of detoxing the brain. Despite this danger, many health professionals recommend giving a product containing  acetaminophen. Carefully read the contents of all OTC drugs. You will be surprised at how many contain acetaminophen.

15. Investigate exemptions, religious or philosophical, in your state or country. Vaccines are rarely mandated or required. 47 states in the USA allow non-medical exemptions to vaccines for school. You do not have to be a member of a specific religion or explain the details of your religious objection in order to claim a religious exemption for vaccines. You can get more information on vaccine exemptions from the National Vaccine Information Center (nvic.org).

16. Explore your family history for possible vaccine reactions such as: i) Autoimmune diseases, ii) Eczema, iii) High-pitched screaming, iv) Bowel disturbances, etc. Many doctors deny a connection with vaccines, but thousands of parents have found out the hard way, these symptoms can signal a possible adverse reaction. Vaccine reactions can be cumulative, which means they can grow worse with each future vaccine.

17. Do I, or my child, have a defective MTHFR gene? People with a defective MTHFR gene have an impaired ability to produce the MTHFR enzyme (estimates range from 20%-70% or more). This can make it more difficult to break down and eliminate not only synthetic folic acid but other substances like heavy metals.[1] Since vaccines are known to contain heavy metals, it is wise to have at least a simple saliva test to determine your MTHFR gene response.

18. If your child ends up with an obvious reaction to any vaccine, here are some steps you can take to discover and prove it was related to the vaccines.Take your baby/child to the ER and have doctors collect a blood sample to evaluate the “cytokine”, specifically look at the inflammatory cytokines. Insist on this. Save this information because these lab values document and validate the vaccine reaction in medical and legal arenas. This information will also provide substantiation for a doctor to provide you with a medical exemption so that you can say NO to any more vaccines in the future. In addition, recent studies confirm that mothers of children with ASD have elevated inflammatory cytokines and the children with ASD also have elevated inflammatory cytokines (Cytokine dysregulation in autism spectrum disorders (ASD): possible role of the environment).

There are THOUSANDS of families who are spending fortunes they don’t have, to try to restore the health of their precious children after receiving vaccines. While many are achieving success, it is GRUELING, and expensive. There are resources written by parents who are succeeding at detoxing children from vaccine damage [2].  If you don’t know anyone impacted by vaccine injury, or if your children seem fine after getting shots, every day you should thank God that your child has not been similarly injured.

For some it only took one shot to send them into the spiral known as serious vaccine injury. Some families were selective about the shots and delayed them, yet their child was still injured. For others it was a progressive combination of vaccines. These families would give anything to go back in time and make the vaccine decision again.

One mom, L.G., learned about vaccine injury personally: “I received the Hepatitis B series in my late teens because I ‘had’ to have it for college, which I later learned is a LIE. Additionally, these shots were given to prevent a disease I was never at risk for. It had been years since my last vaccines, but that series triggered my autoimmune disease. I developed an arthritis there is no cure for, that is predicted to be chronic and debilitating for the rest of my life, possibly putting me in constant pain and causing me to be unable to walk or move freely. I am currently doing well but must avoid dietary triggers, get regular exercise and rest. I’m taking a mild medication that has the potential to damage my liver. My pro-vaccine rheumatologist even agreed the vaccines I received as a teen were likely a cause/trigger for my arthritis. I just want everyone to know, if you consent to give the vaccines, you take on the responsibility for any negative outcomes for yourself; no one else is liable, the pharmaceutical companies are completely protected.”

EDITED Jan 10, 2019. Perhaps the most important thing you can do IF you decide to give vaccines, is summarized by Dr Edward Yazbak

A young parent would be well advised to NEVER be alone with the baby in the immediate post-vaccination period. The presence of a friend, a neighbor or a relative when the baby arrests or convulses can make the difference between a simple interrogation and a full-blown “crime scene investigation”. The inconvenience of having a guest, including a mother-in-law, pales in comparison to what I have seen happen to innocent people because some doctor decided that there was a “Shaken Baby Syndrome”.  https://www.nvic.org/Doctors-Corner/Edward-Yazbak/Multiple-Vaccinations-and-the-Shaken-Baby-Syndrome.aspx

Most of us can’t imagine anything worse than a baby dying after receiving vaccines. Many parents have found there is something worse: being charged with the murder of your child who dies after receiving vaccines when you are absolutely innocent.

Becky on stageBecky Hastings, a wife, mom, grandmother, passionate follower of Jesus, health promoter, breastfeeding counsellor helping moms for 22+ years, and someone who seeks to research, understand and share truth so people can make wise choices in our crazy mixed up, deceived world!

[1] See more at: The MTHFR Mutation: What It Is and What to Do About It https://www.amymyersmd.com/article/mthfr-mutation/

[2] “Fight Autism and Win” by Jan Martin and Tressie Taylor. This book “walks parents through the process of detoxing mercury and how to handle issues like yeast and adrenal fatigue in children. The success rate for this protocol is very good!” Julie Hill

Inspiration From My Heart to Yours

Sometimes songs linger with an extremely powerful positive message. The words are worth considering and meditating on. Powerful truthful words that need to sink deep into my soul. This is one of those songs. I pray it will bring as much light and encouragement to your heart as it has brought to mine. I like to read and review the lyrics, so I’ve included them below. You can also listen here.
Be blessed,
Becky

Baby Dad silhouetteSons and Daughters
by Brett Stanfill

Before He spoke creation
The God of heaven knew our names
Formed in His reflection
We are His glory on display
And His heart is good
He is always kind
With a cross He proved
He is on my side

We are the sons
We are the daughters of God
No matter where we go
We’re close to the Father’s heart
And though we stumble
He will not let us fall
We are the Lord’s and
He will never forsake His own
We are the sons
We are the daughters of God

finger-post-in-the-morning-sun-1553708-1279x852His love He lavished on us
And called us children of the King
And in His loving kindness
He chose the lowly and the weak
And His heart is good
He is always kind
With the cross He proved
He is on my side.

When the lies speak louder than the truth
Remind me I belong to You.
And when I can’t see past the dark of night
Remind me You’re always by my side.

We are the sons
We are the daughters of God.
No matter where we go
We’re close to the Father’s heart.
And though we stumble
He will not let us fall.
We are the Lord’s and
He will never forsake His own.
We are the sons
We are the daughters of God.

North Point WorshipBrett Stanfill (Album: Hear)