Category Archives: Random but important

Creative Designer

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EarthLiving in Harmony with our Creative Designer

Some people openly balk at the idea of a Creator. That’s understandable. Many, from their earliest cognitive days, have been taught that there is no God, man (and all the rest of what we see around us) evolved through a series of steps over millions of years in a random manner to become what it is today.

Cognitive DissonanceTo me, that approach takes a lot more faith than believing in a designer, but I can certainly understand that there is a lot of cognitive dissonance involved in considering an entirely different point of view.

But, perhaps there could be a Creative Designer.

I love to walk in nature. I prefer mountains, or at the very least, hills, but trails will do in a pinch. As I’ve experienced many different trails in many parts of the world, I always notice fallen trees and sometimes I like to test my balance by walking along the tree. It’s also a great core building activity.

Logs in forestWhenever I see a pile of logs, or brush, it is apparent that it was placed there with a human plan. Sometimes a whole section of forest is being cleared and the trees have been cut and piled together. It is easy for even the smallest child to recognize that the trees didn’t jump into place, but were put there with human intervention.

In the same way, observing the complexity of the human body and all its intricate systems, points to a specific intervention. We don’t have a complex immune system that works in conjunction with various microbes that aren’t even part of our body, yet live in our gut, by a random process. The complexity of each cell in our body is absolutely astounding, containing molecular parts that are machines and have been copied by modern engineers because they perform their work so brilliantly.

Understanding the details of our biology is one way that convinces me of the absolute certainty of a Creative Designer. We are fearfully and wonderfully made, and our God knows us thoroughly – even our inward thoughts.

Maybe that is why there are so many who resist accepting the fact of a Creative Designer. If one exists, it might mean there are other facts that should be considered.

But we don’t need to fear. God’s magnitude of love for us is equal to His matchless design of us!

I invite you to explore the idea of a Creative Designer that LOVES YOU!

Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.
    He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation,
for through him God created everything
    in the heavenly realms and on earth.
He made the things we can see
    and the things we can’t see—
such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world.
    Everything was created through him and for him.
He existed before anything else,
    and he holds all creation together.
Christ is also the head of the church,
    which is his body.
He is the beginning,
    supreme over all who rise from the dead.
    So he is first in everything.
For God in all his fullness
    was pleased to live in Christ,
and through him God reconciled
    everything to himself.
He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth
    by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.

This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault. Colossians 1:15-22

Day 27 of Encouraging people to Seek Jesus: 30 ways in 30 days

If you have been helped in any way through my musings, please give glory to God. If you find anything disappointing or offensive or just have a question, please leave a comment below.

Struggle for Wisdom

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Light bulbI have been struggling to acquire wisdom for over 34 years.

For the first 20 years of my life my focus was on pleasure rather than wisdom. I could care less about wisdom. I made decisions based on my whims, my feelings, or guidance or pressure from others. If a wise person gave me guidance, I made better decisions, but if I was guided by pressure from equally pleasure-focused peers, my decisions were far from wise.

It is sometimes difficult to find wisdom in the avalanche of information in which we live. There are opposing voices with very persuasive arguments. Navigating towards truth and understanding it in order to make wise application to the current reality we face, is challenging.

Many forces are at work to get us on board to their agenda. Some of them aren’t bad. Some just want our money. Others seek to gain our money on an ongoing basis for the rest of our lives. Some lead to devastation and destruction.

We all have limited time on earth and limited resources to accomplish anything. But we do have choices. Unlike my early life, I now intentionally seek to make WISE choices.

34 years ago the entire trajectory of my life changed causing me to seek wisdom for the first time. Since that time, while I have not always made wise decisions, I continually seek to implement wisdom in every area of life and to learn from every mistake.

Surrendered34 years ago I embraced Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior and experienced the forgiveness of my sins, failures, and less-than-wise pursuits. I understood my need to completely surrender to my Creative Designer, Jesus, because I had made quite a mess of my life up to that point and had no idea how to proceed. Since Jesus designed my body, soul, and spirit, I surrendered to His control and sought to understand exactly the way I was designed, so that I could cooperate, not fight against, the purpose for which I was made.

In speaking to the dominant religious leaders of his time, Matthew records Jesus’ rebuke to them because of their response to the prophet, John the Baptist:

“…you refused to believe him and repent of your sins.”

I believe refusal and rejection continues to be mankind’s biggest problem. We refuse to believe the prophets and messengers sent by God, of whom Jesus is preeminent, and we refuse to acknowledge and repent of our sin.

This is the hardest thing in the world to do: Admit you are wrong. Sometimes we know we are wrong but do not want to admit it. Other times we are wrong, but we fail to perceive that we are wrong. Another word for this is deception.

We are masters at justifying our actions, explaining how we are actually victims, or performing other mental gymnastics to convince ourselves and others that we are NOT WRONG. We like to be right.

Profound MeaningBut until we admit we are wrong, and wrong at a foundational level, we can never receive all that God wants us to have.

It wasn’t all that hard for me to see how wrong my life was after my pleasure-seeking quest, but it was hard to admit it and surrender to Jesus.

Realising that Jesus had wisdom that would actually make my life more meaningful and bring fulfilment, far beyond the pleasure I had been chasing, has been the most profound discovery of my life.

Letting the light of Jesus into my life has guided me to greater wisdom in every single area of life. I’m certainly not perfect, but I am growing and learning every day. The more I release my own ideas and seek the wisdom of all the writings we have in the form of the Bible, the clearer my perspective becomes on all aspects of life today. I continue to gain practical wisdom in all situations through my relationship with Jesus Christ.

My prayer is that others may come to know the wisdom available through Jesus. It involves a step of releasing and letting go, in order to accept what He wants to give you.

Day 26 of Encouraging people to Seek Jesus: 30 ways in 30 days

_DSC7099Becky Hastings, wife, mother, grandmother, passionate follower of Jesus Christ and truth seeker. Facing a world quite different from the one in which I grew up, I seek to research and understand the true route to health, freedom and joyful family living! If you have been helped in any way through my musings, please give glory to God. If you find anything disappointing or offensive or just have a question, please leave a comment below.

Jesus Is God

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CloudsIt’s not a popular statement to make, but as I read the ancient writings of Paul, I keep finding it repeated in many different ways and contexts.

Paul explains his mission in life to different audiences in slightly different ways. Because he was imprisoned and on trial, he had the opportunity to present his case a few different times. Reading about these encounters in the book of Acts gives us a glimpse of Paul’s encounter with Jesus, the Messiah, and how it changed the course of his entire life. He describes this direct encounter with Jesus and what Jesus told him to do:

“I am sending you to open their eyes, so they may turn from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to God. Then they will receive forgiveness for their sins and be given a place among God’s people who are set apart by faith in me.” Acts 26

Later, in his letter to the people living in Rome he says quite clearly,

Jesus is God, the one who rules over everything and is worthy of eternal praise. It is God who decides to show mercy. We can neither choose it nor work for it. The riches of God’s glory shine even brighter on those to whom He shows mercy (i.e. those destined for destruction). Romans 9

I love that thought because I was once one of those people destined for destruction. I get great comfort reading (and knowing) that the riches of God’s glory can shine even brighter on me! I have certainly received His mercy! Mercy that I never deserved and could never have earned.

Jesus is God and He came to earth to suffer so that He could show mercy on me.  Accepting this truth has brought joy and freedom to my heart and soul.

There are many things about the future, and even about the current times that we live, that are uncertain and unsettling. Jesus predicted conflicts that would happen. Paul describes a great rebellion against God in his second letter to the Thessalonians (chapter 2). I don’t claim to understand it all, but after reading through the chapter, it seems obvious that many of the things he predicted seem to be happening. Without a rock solid hope in my Savior, the all powerful Jesus, life would be terrifying. Jesus provides an anchor. He is also victorious, so I don’t need to worry.

I am thankful that Jesus has chosen me. He reveals truth to me. He helps me stand firm. I pray others will come to know Him as I do.

Day 25 of Encouraging people to Seek Jesus: 30 ways in 30 days

If you have been helped in any way through my musings, please give glory to God. If you find anything disappointing or offensive – please let me know so I can improve.

 

A Tribute to A Truth Warrior

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Melanie & LukeRecently the world lost a courageous truth warrior, Melanie Hamilton Baldwin, mother of a severely vaccine-injured child who regressed into autism and self-injurious behavior. Melanie wrote a phenomenal chapter, “B.K. Lets Go of the Controls and Holds Tight to Faith,” in the book The Thinking Moms Revolution, Autism Beyond the Spectrum: Inspiring True Stories from Parents Fighting to Rescue their Children. For anyone who has not read this compelling collection of writing by 23 moms and one dad, it is ESSENTIAL reading, but it is also inspiring and challenging.

Melanie’s writing provides powerful inspiration to anyone no matter what the nature of struggle you are going through. She was a brave warrior whose life was cut short, yet she leaves a legacy for all of us. While Melanie experienced many challenges, she did not allow her challenges to make her callous or bitter, but responded with an impossible level of grace and even thankfulness for them.

Melanie’s challenges are unimaginable if you have never spent time with a severely autistic child who is suffering from physical pain and not able to communicate. The Thinking Moms (and one dad) do a great job of describing the daily reality of living with that kind of pressure. On top of the 24/7 job of being a mom to her son, Melanie also faced her own battle with breast cancer which spread. Despite this enormous combination of suffering, she was not despondent or overwhelmed, and had an amazing response. I have included quite a long quote because I believe Mel’s word speak for more eloquently than anything I can say.

Before you begin feeling sorry for me, let me just say this: This was one of the most blessed periods of my entire life…When I was diagnosed with cancer everything changed. I knew I didn’t have the strength for this, and I learned that God could use this experience for good. Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” To gather God’s strength, I dug deep into His word, and my relationship with Him flourished. It was through this experience that I learned the most valuable lessons of my whole life, and I have watched in amazement how He has worked.

…When we surrender control to God, He takes our lives and makes them what He intended them to be. It might appear you are losing control, but it actually sets you free.

I believe many times God uses trials to draw us closer to Him. It’s an amazing thing! People tend to look at me like I am crazy when I say that having breast cancer has been a blessing, but that’s truly what it has been. I‘ve fallen in love with Jesus. I’ve learned to trust that whatever God has in store for me is truly His best, even if I don’t understand it. I’m learning to give each decision that I have to make, including the small ones, to Him before I act. It’s kept me from making some very bad mistakes, and all the while He is showing me His work in my life. It’s awesome to see! God never promises in His Word that life will be easy for His people. In fact, it’s quite the contrary. He promises that we will endure trials and hardships. It’s how you deal with these trials that helps you grow the most as a follower of Christ.

But I believe God has a plan and His plan is better than any plan of my own. No, He didn’t give my son autism. My son was born healthy. The world gave my son autism. But somehow God can use it. None of it makes sense to me right now, but I do believe that one day it will. I just have to hold on tight to my faith and to my Lord and take life as it comes, one day at a time.

Another passion Mel had and I share, was for churches full of Christians “blinded to the dangers of vaccines and holding great trust in anyone with an MD degree.” Yet she was able to forgive and to pray, “I can forgive them because if it hadn’t happened to us, I wouldn’t understand it myself. All I can do is keep praying for the Lord to remove their blinders. I pray for that all of the time.”

From an earthly here and now perspective, we could look at Mel’s life and consider it a great tragedy, but I think Mel wants more from us. Her life can compel us to discover the faith that kept her strong, vibrant, and thankful till the end of her short time. Even though I didn’t know Mel, I feel great confidence that Mel’s greatest desire for all who read about her life and her son’s tragic decent into autism through our medical system, would be for them to turn to Jesus and find the same hope and comfort that she experienced through every challenge she faced.

Mel’s strong enduring faith lives on and continues to impact lives through the words in the book and blogs she left us. She was loved and treasured by many and I pray many more will be inspired by her courageous faith and that her words and legacy will compel us to seek Jesus as she did, and to become Truth Warriors, as she was, willing to  endure our challenges, but not shying away from sharing TRUTH wherever Jesus leads us.

Day 24 of Encouraging people to Seek Jesus: 30 ways in 30 days

Head Shot BAuthor: Becky Hastings, wife, mother, grandmother, passionate follower of Jesus Christ and truth seeker, especially in the areas of health and children. Navigating our present day world can be challenging, God’s timeless truths in the Bible are my guide.

 

If you have been helped in any way through my musings, please give glory to God. If you find anything disappointing or offensive – please let me know so I can improve. Thanks.

 

Christians are Forgivers & Fighters

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FightJesus had a lot to say about forgiveness. One of the main explanations of forgiveness comes from the parable He told in Matthew 18 about the servant who owed his master money and was pardoned, but then failed to forgive his fellow servant.

We have been forgiven MUCH, so our only appropriate response is to demonstrate forgiveness to those who owe us.

There is a difference in forgiveness and allowing evil people or practices that cause injustice against helpless innocent people to continue.

When we see evil perpetuated unchecked in our world we should have NOTHING to do with it, and we should seek to expose it.

Paul warns us repeatedly about  deception.

“I tell you this so that no one may deceive you with fine sounding arguments.” Colossians 2:4

“See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. For in Christ all the fullness of the Godhead dwells in bodily form and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is head over every power and authority.” Colossians 2:8

If we feel God is calling us to expose injustice and deception we also know a few things:

“Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Ephesians 6:12

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:2-5

Hey!Exposing evil can unleash a spiritual battle. But we don’t need to be afraid because we know that Christ is head over any and every spiritual force we will come up against. We can be assured of victory in the name of Jesus Christ, based on our relationship with Him.

We can be confident when we are seeking to help the innocent and downtrodden, because we have the power of the risen Lord Jesus Christ on our side.

“So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.” Romans 5:11

“United with the One who was raised from the dead, we can produce a harvest of good deeds for God.” Romans 7:14

Whatever God has called us to do, we know He is with us throughout the struggle we may encounter.

“Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances. For this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16 

Sums up our marching orders pretty well. Simple, but impossible to do in our own strength.

What battle has God called you to fight?

Where is God calling you to forgive?

Where do you see injustice and feel the Holy Spirit wants you to speak out boldly?

When have you seen God at work to fight in spiritual battles around you?

Day 23 of Encouraging people to Seek Jesus: 30 ways in 30 days

If you have been helped in any way through my musings, please give glory to God. If you find anything disappointing or offensive – please let me know so I can improve.

Friends on our Journey

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FriendsWe all need people in our life to

Encourage us

Strengthen us

Keep us from being shaken by our current troubles.

Paul described Timothy as being someone like that for the people in Thessalonica.

We are stronger when we allow people to encourage us and when we give encouragement to others.

Is there anyone in your life who provides you with that sort of encouragement?

Is there a person to whom you are able to give that sort of encouragement?

I’m always looking for more encouragement in my life.

Together, what might God be able to accomplish through us?

We always have the comfort of Jesus, but we can provide tangible help and comfort to one another during the challenges we face in this life.

It isn’t always easy to follow Paul’s instruction to the Thessalonians, but this is what we can do for each other.

Joyful

Day 22 of Encouraging people to Seek Jesus: 30 ways in 30 days

If you have been helped in any way through my musings, please give glory to God. If you find anything disappointing or offensive – please let me know so I can improve.

Strong Words

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conversationThere is a great deal of power in our words.

Our words come out of our heart and reveal who we are to the world.

Our words contain our biggest fears and can contain our greatest hopes.

We can help make our heart strong by saying words filled with hope and faith.

Memorizing God’s word can give us faith filled words to say – even if we may not fully believe them.

Memorizing faith-filled portions of the Bible is one of my greatest delights. I am able to take God’s word with me wherever I go. I can shout out God’s word while alone in a forest, or riding a bike.

There is power in repeating God’s word out loud. It encourages my heart to hear these words.

We live in a world that is more than just what we see. Jesus rebuked Peter because he was only looking at a situation from an earthly perspective:

“You are seeing things merely from a human point of view – not from God’s.” Jesus

God’s point of view should always be my starting point in any aspect of life:

WHAT IS GOD’S POINT OF VIEW IN THIS SITUATION?

How I spend my time, how I use my resources, financial decisions, relationship decisions, vocation decisions, health decisions, etc.

Framing my words, memorizing and meditating on God’s word until they become a part of me, all help me to keep seeing the world from God’s perspective.

If any of you wants to be My follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow Me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for My sake, you will save it. The Son of Man will judge all people according to their deeds.

It’s not easy to live in the world and stay strong in confidence. It is much easier to give in to discouragement. Reviewing God’s strong words is a continual source of inspiration and encouragement for me. I know,

Just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, so we also may live new lives

lives focussed on Jesus, confident in His power, and filled with STRONG WORDS.

Day 21 of Encouraging people to Seek Jesus: 30 ways in 30 days

If you have been helped in any way through my musings, please give glory to God. If you find anything disappointing or offensive – please let me know so I can improve.

 

Water Anyone?

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drinking waterIt has been said,

Lose your heatlh

I’m quite an avid health seeker, as those who know me best will attest – sometimes a little bit overboard and too enthusiastic.

I have written a lot about various ways to boost and enhance our health, but one of the simplest things we can do is often overlooked – because it is just so simple.

WATER

We all need good clean water. One of the best times to drink that good clean water is FIRST THING IN THE MORNING. I was reminded of this just yesterday when I read some research showing how many different illnesses can be positively impacted – just by drinking water first thing in the morning, and waiting 45 minutes before having breakfast.

SIMPLE

How many do it? For those who have yet to make it a daily ritual – why haven’t you?

I could write a whole other blog about water, how I personally collect my own spring water, and other important aspects of drinking water, but I was struck by a spiritual correlation.

Just like our body needs pure clean water to thrive, and getting it first thing in the morning is ESPECIALLY beneficial, so our hearts and minds need the PURE CLEAN spiritual water we find in Jesus, usually through HIS WORD, the Bible. AND it is especially beneficial to have access FIRST thing in the morning.

If you are new to a faith journey I challenge you to prioritize time – you can decide how long – but prioritize time FIRST thing in the morning to focus on reading the Bible and getting your refreshing LIVING WATER through Jesus. One way might be to read one chapter from one of the Gospels and every day read the next chapter. There are other ways, but the important thing is to start.

This morning I was refreshed for hours through this one verse Paul included in his letter to the Romans (4:17):

As it is written: ‘I have made you [Abraham] a father of many nations.’ He [Abraham] is our father, in the sight of God, in whom he believed – the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.

We all know about Abraham, but the only reason we know about him is because God kept His promise to Him – God built nations of people through Abraham. Not because Abraham was so obedient – but because he demonstrated FAITH. He BELIEVED God.

But right now, God also sees me and He knows exactly what He can accomplish through me – and it is not the same as my current reality. “God calls things that are not as though they were.” I wonder what things God can call to be in my life?

What are the dreams that He has put in my heart? What dreams are in your heart? What are the longings or desires that ARE IMPOSSIBLE for us to accomplish on our own, but that God can easily accomplish – because He is the God who gives life to the dead!

Starting every single day with a dip into the living water will re-set your mind and your heart. Jesus said a lot about the importance of our hearts – these statements are all found in different chapters in Matthew:

“Whatever is in your heart determines what you will say.”

“These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.”

“You are defiled by the words that come out of your mouth.”

Are you depressed? Downtrodden? Discouraged? Stuck? How are the words that you are speaking (even inside your own head) keeping you in that state?

“You are defiled by the words that come out of your mouth.”

We need our hearts re-filled and re-charged EVERY SINGLE DAY – and especially first thing in the morning, so that our mouths can be filled with FAITH FILLED WORDS ALL DAY LONG.

What does God desire to accomplish through me and you? He has made it very clear in His word – that is another reason we need to keep reading it!

Light image croppedFor one thing we know for sure He wants to use us to represent Him as a fragrance of beauty wherever we go. We are to share our knowledge of God and of Jesus. He wants us to be salt and light. We need to repent of our own sinful tendencies and share the Good News of the forgiveness of sins with others. We are to love and forgive others – even when it is hard. We won’t ever be perfect. It is only His power in us that can do any of this!

We all have the same problem and it requires the same solution!

We need to recognize that we are sinners and we are not able to accomplish our own salvation. We need to repent, turn to God, and believe that through Jesus we can be made right and given a right relationship with Him!

Like Abraham, we “believe in God who brings the dead back to life and creates new things out of nothing!” What new things might God create in YOUR LIFE?

Day 20 of Encouraging people to Seek Jesus: 30 ways in 30 days

If you have been helped in any way through my musings, please give glory to God. If you find anything disappointing or offensive – please let me know so I can improve.

Where are the WARNINGS?

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needleEvery person in the USA is completely acclimatized to hearing and seeing marketing of all sorts of drugs on TV directly targeting consumers – AND very frequently! It has become so commonplace that most teens and twenty somethings think it is just the way life is. It probably doesn’t occur to most of those exposed to this continuous outpouring of pharmaceutical marketing (known as DTC – direct to consumer), that there is ONLY ONE OTHER COUNTRY IN THE WORLD WHERE THIS IS LEGAL.

That being said, what about all those dire warnings? How can people hear them and still want the drugs? Don’t they take the warnings seriously?

Maybe hearing the warnings over and over again desensitizes people to the seriousness of the warnings?

Imagine if there were advertisements for vaccines which included ALL the warnings at the end? It might read something like this, (with information based on the vaccine inserts supplied by manufacturer of the DtaP vaccine), this is the disclaimer:

This product is not suitable for anyone who:

  • has had a prior adverse reaction to the DTaP vaccine, or other similar vaccines;
  • has had an encephalopathy within 7 days of a previously administered similar vaccine;
  • has a progressive neurologic disorder.

Additionally, the aluminum adjuvant in the vaccine, used to stimulate the immune system, may

  • leave a hard lump at the injection site, which may be hot to the touch – this will typically dissipate in a few days, but
  • has been known to affect muscle pain and chronic fatigue, and, though rare,
  • may trigger development of autoimmune disease, such as multiple sclerosis (Multiple Sclerosis i.e. MS) or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease);

Consult with your doctor at the first sign of any such reaction.

  • The vaccine recipient may also experience an involuntary, extended, bone-chilling cry for several hours sometime within the twenty-four hours following injection, often repeated over the following few days, which indicates brain inflammation, and may be followed by a lengthy period of regression – consult with your doctor.
  • The DTaP may cause a bulging fontanelle in infants – this typically subsides after a few days, but may indicate brain damage; be alert for unusual behaviors, and call your doctor should you detect any.
  • In infants, there are reports of associated SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) with the vaccine; do not place your infant face down until sixty days following the last of the three scheduled DTaP shots.
  • And, you may experience any combination of the following reported reactions, some of which may require hospitalization:
  • Hey!abdominal pain;
  • anaphylactic shock;
  • apnea;
  • autism;
  • bacterial/viral infections;
  • convulsions;
  • disintegrative disorder;
  • coma;
  • abnormal EEG;
  • blood disorders;
  • diabetes;
  • eye movement disorder;
  • fever > 105 degree F;
  • hearing loss;
  • trouble walking;
  • narcolepsy;
  • pain, swelling and redness at injection site;
  • paralysis;
  • pneumonia;
  • impairment of psychomotor skills;
  • screaming; and
  • speech disorders.

This vaccine has not been evaluated for carcinogenic or mutagenic potential, or for impairment of fertility, and there are currently 8150 reported associated deaths. It has not been tested or approved for use in pregnant women.

Additionally, each 0.5-mL does of this vaccine is known to contain

  • aluminum hydroxide as adjuvant (not more than 0.625 mg
  • aluminum by assay) and 4.5 mg of sodium chloride.
  • Each dose also contains ≤100 mcg of residual formaldehyde and
  • ≤100 mcg of polysorbate 80 (Tween 80).

The above disclaimer is based on the information provided in the manufacturers’ own inserts.

It really is important to be FULLY AWARE of EVERYTHING in a vaccine given to your child and of EVERY contraindication (i.e. reasons for which the vaccine manufacturers recommend NOT giving the vaccine). We all expect our doctors or nurses to know this information, but it is simply TOO much information and the responsibility for any possible vaccine injury will be completely ours.

You can find all the vaccine inserts for every single shot you are thinking about giving to your baby, your child or yourself. Please inform yourself of what are the possible outcomes.

I don’t know about you, but I’m not very comfortable absorbing eating or injecting aluminum hydroxide, sodium chloride, formaldehyde and polysorbate 80 – even in minute quantities. It just can’t be good.

Our #1 role is to protect our children. In order to do that, we need to be fully informed.

We need to know the warnings.

30 ways in 30 Days, Exploring Vaccines: Day 21

You Feed Them

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breadJesus was a walking talking miracle demonstration up close and personal for His twelve disciples for three years while He lived on earth

I’m sure there were many times they might have felt they were riding a roller coaster. Up high one minute, strong twisting jerky twists and turns the next. They never knew what to expect and sometimes had a hard time figuring Jesus out. It can be the same for me.

I learn so much from trying to understand what Jesus was about while He was on earth.

In Matthew 14 there are some big events. First Jesus learns of John the Baptists death at the hands of Herod. He immediately wanted to find a remote area to be alone. I don’t think He was surprised, but He could have been grieving. Maybe He wanted to talk over the implications and explain them to His disciples.

But it didn’t happen. Instead a HUGE crowd inconvenienced them with their presence – even though they had travelled to a VERY REMOTE place. Jesus wasn’t upset or annoyed at this intrusion, “He had compassion on them and healed their sick.”

His disciples might have been a bit more bothered and suggested to Jesus that they send the people away. Imagine that. They have the Son of God in their midst. He has demonstrated His incredible power to heal every sort of malady right in front of them, He has called them and He is clearly their leader, yet they decide He needs them to tell Him what to do!

Before I get too judgmental I need to remember that I sometimes have the same propensity. I like to tell God what He needs to do, like He’s not sure what to do next, but it is very clear to me.

I love this next part. Jesus does not accept their plan to send the people away to buy food. He shoots it right down with one phrase:

“That isn’t necessary – YOU FEED THEM.”

You see, Jesus had compassion on the crowd, to be sure. But He also had an incredibly generous plan for His disciples. His words would have challenged them, but those words were also an incredible opportunity and invitation to them

“YOU FEED THEM.”

Jesus knew everything and could have used any means to accomplish His purposes. He knew exactly what the disciples had on hand in terms of food resources (turns out to be only five loaves of bread and two fish between the twelve of them).

In the same way, Jesus knows exactly what our current resources are. He knows what we have and He knows how limited it seems to us in terms of our ability to follow His passion of FEEDING and HEALING the masses.

My response is something like this, ‘Lord, You see and know everything. You have compassion on the crowds of people who were so confused and looking for hope in the midst of their despair. Lord, there are lost, hurting, sick despairing people today. You see what I’ve got. I can make a list of what I have to show you that it really isn’t much at all. What can you do with what I have?’

Jesus simply said, “Bring them here.” Bring them to me. Bring what you have, even if you think it is very small and insignificant, just bring it to me.

Then He involved His disciples in one of the most incredible fast food conference experiences the world has ever known. He took what they brought to Him and He multiplied it.

He can do the same today. He can multiply what I’ve got to offer. What do I have? What do you have? Your list and mine will be different, but we all have something and Jesus can multiply whatever we have when we offer it to Him. He can also help us to see even more – things we have that we aren’t aware of.

Paul said it like this:

But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus… For I didn’t shrink from declaring all that God wants you to know. I have been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard. Acts 20

giving handsWhat have i got in my hands? This morning I looked at what I have in a new way: my time, my background, my access to information, my life experiences, my internet connection, my social media access, my communication skills, my volunteer opportunities, my training skills, my relationships, etc. I realized I don’t need them to be first class. Jesus just asked for what the disciples had. He knew that what they had was not enough to get the job done. The disciples meager food resources were not fully adequate to feed the 5000 people who were hungry. But when I bring my resources to my Savior, He can multiply them for His glory.

He wants to demonstrate His power to people today and, just like He allowed the disciples to be an integral part of this great demonstration, He generously allows His agents today to be part of His agenda.

I am so thankful that He can take what I have and multiply them. I am so thankful He has invited me to join Him in the work He wants to do in the world today.

What do you have? How can Jesus multiply what you have?

Day 19 of Encouraging people to Seek Jesus: 30 ways in 30 days

If you have been helped in any way through my musings, please give glory to God. If you find anything disappointing or offensive – please let me know so I can improve.