Quick Update

Our current life in bullet points:

• Rachel and Sarah are raising funds to go on a missions trip during springbreak to New Orleans with Crisis Response International.
• We are no longer in the media department at IHOP. We are waiting on the Lord for our next assignment. Waiting is not as easy as it sounds.
• We are spending more hours in the Global Prayer Room praying for world revival and for the return of Jesus to the earth.
• Zach is leading 2 sets a week in the Justice Prayer Room and will soon be playing on a couple of sets a week in the Global Prayer Room.
• John and I are doing pre-marital counseling with a young couple getting married soon.
• I got a very part time job. Besides providing a little extra income it's good mental therapy.
• John and the kids are leading worship for the Children's Equipping Center once a month.
• John is helping the kids at The Daniel Academy to build worship teams.
• I'm also teaching a Yearbook class at The Daniel Academy.
• The girls are gearing up for another ballet in May. I will be working on costumes to help pay the way for our girls to dance.

That's a very abbreviated version of our life.

On This Day 14 Years Ago

That's right, on this day 14 years ago Sarah was born on the morning of her due date. How often does that happen? She hasn't changed from that habit, she still likes to be on time. It was a Sunday morning and she was born bright and early around 5am. John still could have lead worship that morning but opted to bring the other kids in to see their baby sister. :) Just 2 weeks earlier she was facing the wrong way on the womb and we had to have her turned. Being the obedient child that she is, she stayed put. Her birthday meal was lunch at IHOP, that would be the International House of Pancakes not prayer. That's her creation.....an Ice Cream Kit Kat Cake.

This One's For You, Mom

Subtitle-"What is that stuff on your countertop?"

This was my Mom's response to our Kefir culture, amoung other things, fermenting in my kitchen. I first read about the benefits of Kefir years ago in a Above Rubies Magazine. I've been curious ever since but never checked into it. About a year ago I was picking up Rachel at a friend's house and the parents told me about all the things they were culturing. Kefir was one of them and he offered me grains to get started. I was thrilled. Now I'm culturing Kefir, Kombucha tea, and fermented vegtables. Kefir is by far the easiest and healthiest thing to start with. Here's just a few health benefits....

• 
  they manufacture B-vitamins, such as biotin, niacin(B3),pyridoxine(B6) and folic acid by providing the enzyme lactase they enhance, and indeed allow, the digestion of milk based foods, and the vital calcium which they contain, for people who cannot otherwise digest milk.


• 
  they predigest the protein of cultured milk (yoghurt, kefir) thus enhancing protein digestion and absorption.


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  they can act as watchdogs by keeping an eye on, and effectively controlling, the spread of undesirable micro-organisms (by altering the acidity of the region they inhabit and/or producing specific anti-biotic substances, as well as by depriving rival unfriendly bacteria of their nutrients). The antibiotics some of the friendly bacteria produce are effective against many harmful bacteria, viruses and fungi. Not the least of the potentially harmful yeasts controlled by some lactobacilli is Candida albicans, now implicated in many health problems in people who are malnourished or whose immune systems are depleted. Food poisoning and many bowl and urinary tract infections (diarrhea, cystitis etc.) can be prevented and treated using high bacterial cultures.


• 
  they can help considerably to enhance bowel function. Where bowel bacteria are absent, the function of peristalsis is impaired, and the amount of time it takes for food to pass completely through the system is much increased.


• 
  they can help to control high cholesterol levels, thereby affording us protection from the cardiovascular damage which excessive levels of this nonetheless important substance can create.


• 
  they sometimes act to relieve the symptoms of anxiety.


• 
  they have been shown to control facial acne in 80% of adolescents with this problem.


• 
  they play a vital role in the development of a healthy digestive tract in babies.


• 
  they play a role in protecting against the negative effects of radiation and toxic pollutants, enhancing immune function.
  

It's been said that Kefir grains may have been used by shepherds in the bible in their wineskins and made with goatmilk. Not sure how this could be proved but it's an interesting concept.

We make ours with raw milk from the farm. I haven't used it for anything but smoothies. It's not a good day unless we've all had our Kefir smoothie. My favorite flavor is coconut pineapple. We mix it up with peaches, strawberries and mixed berries and always a banana to take away any sour taste.

Happy Kefir drinkers.

The Kefir grains multiply very quickly so we end up either sharing them or throwing them away. So if any of my Minnesota friends want some, we're planning a trip in early May. I would be happy to share them with you. How much do you want, Mom?

Look Mom, We Have No Teeth

Everybody Needs One Of These

Chloe is the resident scrubber in the house. She loves scrubbing dishes and other pots and pans. For weeks she has been asking to scrub the stove top burner trays. It was a dream come true for her when they are dirty enough to clean. That bottle in the background is Kombucha tea, not beer. We took a vow over 20 years ago to not drink alcohol and haven't since. I'll write more about the tea later. You might want to try it yourself.