PLAGUE FORMULA

Several years ago, I became aware of a “Plague Formula” recipe.  From what I understand, something similar to this potent formula may have been used during the Middle Ages in Europe to strengthen one’s immune system and help resist dying from The Bubonic Plague.

This particular formula, developed by Dr. Richard Schulze, is as follows:

1 large white onion

2 large bulb garlic
            1 large ginger root as long as your hand

6-8 inch horseradish root

2 large handfuls habenero peppers or hottest available

1-2 large containers of raw apple cider vinegar       

1. Put all vegetables in blender.   

2. Cover vegetables with vinegar.  Blend 1-2 minutes until mashed. 

3. Pour mash into glass jars ¾ full. Cover to top of jar with vinegar.  Apply lid. 

4. Leave on counter and shake 3 times a day for 2 weeks or longer. 

5. Strain though cheese cloth and store in dark glass bottles in a cool place.

6. Dosage: 1 T. in a glass of water or juice, several times a day.

As you probably know, the Plague was caused by bacteria which spread to humans by bites from the fleas of infected rats.  My husband said that with all those ingredients just the smell of it is enough to keep anything away! 

However, it isn’t the smell that creates its effectiveness.  It actually works within the body to boost the immune system. 

According to Dr. Schulze, fresh garlic and onions have anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-viral, and anti-parasitic properties.  The other ingredients also have properties that contribute to its effectiveness.  But it has to be ingested into the body for it to work.  It “comes alongside” the body’s own bacteria-fighting capabilities to overcome the ill effects of the bacteria.  (Dr. Schulze's Plague Formula)

My friend, Andrea, recently shared with me an insight she had while reading about a plague in the Bible: a plague of a different nature—the plague of sin.  She expressed it this way, “Sin has a plague-like, and death-producing, effect.” 

I pondered that thought.

How true this is! When we are constantly exposed to situations in life that are contrary to what God teaches in the Bible, we begin to lose our sensitivity to them.  The continual exposure to the lifestyle of those who don’t honor God begins to dilute our sense of right and wrong.  We can, without awareness of it, be drawn into embracing a lifestyle that is dishonoring to God.  Such is the condition—not only of our own society, but of the world.

The infectious ‘bacteria’ of self-gratification, self-exaltation, and power has replaced the healthy lifestyle of submission and service to God.  We’ve been infected by the worldview of our society.  Self has replaced God.  We’ve become captivated by this allure of ‘self-actualization’ and have been drawn into its web. 

And so, by virtue of constant exposure, we’ve caught the disease.  We’ve become victims of the plague.  We need a Plague Formula!

            One heart full of desire to know God intimately and accurately

            One soul yielded to the cleansing power of Jesus Christ

One mind full of willingness to follow God’s instructions and commands

Two eyes searching for wisdom as for hidden treasure

Two ears full of attentiveness to that wisdom

One soul willing to yield to the beauty of serving the Living God

Instructions:

1. Carefully incorporate these ingredients into your life so as to walk in integrity

    by the power of God.

2. Practice the above ingredients daily. 

3. Mix them gently with constant prayer.

4. Resist, through the power of this formula, the pull of the world to exalt and

    gratify the desires of Self.

Complete application of this formula will strengthen the spiritual immune system and enable the user to escape the threat of spiritual death brought on by the Plague of Self.

The Bible: Proverbs 2:1-12

FORECASTS

When I heard the weather forecast a couple days ago, I decided it was time to set out my rain gauge.  With a forecast of up to 4” of rain, I was curious to see the exact amount we would receive, knowing that with thunderstorms the rainfall over an extended area can vary significantly. 

It was early in the morning and the sky was overcast, but the rain had not yet started.  “This is good,” I thought.  I haven’t missed anything. 

It wasn’t long before the rain began—intermittent through the early part of the day, but by late afternoon and throughout the night, wave after wave of heavy thunderstorms moved through the area.  I didn’t sleep well, often being awakened by lightening and thunder—and the sound of pounding rain. 

But, I was up early, curious to see just how much rain we had received.  As I stepped out into the backyard, the grassy lawn squished under my feet.  I hurried toward my rain gauge, hoping I wouldn’t get caught by another downpour.  

As I looked at the gauge, I couldn’t see the waterline.  Much to my surprise, the gauge was almost overflowing—5 inches of rain.  I quickly dumped it out, reset it, and ran back into the house just as a bolt of lightening lit the sky. 

The rain continued.  I got my binoculars out to check the water level in my neighbors’ backyards across the street.  The creek behind their houses was completely out of its banks and nearly up to their foundations.  Roads were closed from flooding, and many people had water in their basements. 

Finally the rain subsided late morning.  I checked the rain gage again—a little over an inch, for a total of over 6 inches of rain. 

The forecasters do their best to let us know what to expect, but they can never be certain.  They have no control over the final outcome.

No control.  Think about that for a moment.  Weather forecasters base their predictions on observation, computer programs, and their interpretative judgment, but they can never be absolutely certain of the outcome.

However, there is someone who does have control.  The One who created all has control over all.

When a storm arose on the Sea of Galilee, Jesus “rebuked the wind and the surging waves, and they stopped, and it became calm.” (Luke 8:24)  And because he is God in human flesh—the creator of everything—he has the power to control his creation.  When we realize he has this power, we can believe what he says is true. 

Like the weatherman, Jesus is also a forecaster.  He has forecast the future.  However, his forecast isn’t based on observation, or computer programs, or his interpretative judgment.  It’s based on the fact that he, as God, is in control of the circumstances in his forecast.

While he was on earth, he ‘forecast’ to his disciples many things about what to expect in the future, and then challenged them to open their eyes: “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ And in the morning, ‘There will be a storm today, for the sky is red and threatening.’  Do you know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but cannot discern the signs of the times?”  (Matthew 16:2-3)

One specific “forecast” he gave them had to do with the beginning of the end times: “And you will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not frightened for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end.  For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes.  But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.”  (Matthew 24:6-8)  Hmmm…it sounds like our world today.

Forecasts.  We want them.  We want to know what is going to happen in the future.  We depend on the weatherman to tell us what the weather will be, even though we know it may not be totally accurate.  

However, as to the future of our lives—and of the world—fortunately, there is an accurate and reliable source we can turn to:  God’s revelation to us in the Bible.  It doesn’t tell us everything we want to know, but it does tell us everything we need to know. 

We can fully rely on its forecast to prepare for our eternal future.  

WAITING FOR FRUIT

I have a Kansas Apricot tree in my yard.  It’s not really suited to the cold climate in the Chicago area, but it's special to me because it’s a seedling from my grandmother’s tree in Kansas.  Although it blooms beautifully every year, it has only produced apricots twice in the twenty-five years I’ve had it! 

The second time it produced, I saved some of the apricot pits, and from them started some seedlings.  I planted one in the front yard where it has grown into a beautiful tree; but unfortunately, it’s so eager to bloom that it produces its blossoms with the first warm weather each year, only to meet the same fate as the mother tree.

Last year we had an unusually early spring.  By March, everything had blossomed, and by early April, both apricot trees were full of little apricots.  I was thrilled, thinking that I might finally get a crop.  But, alas, it was not to be.  In mid-April we had three consecutive nights of below freezing temperatures, and all the little apricots turned black and fell off. 

But this year is different.  Spring is delayed.  It’s mid-April and the trees are still dormant.  Easter has come and gone without any flowers in bloom.  The forecast is for more chilly weather for the next fifteen days. 

Perhaps—just perhaps—my apricot tree won’t bloom until the danger of freezing weather is past.  Perhaps this year it will produce fruit.  But I must always remember that my special Kansas apricot tree is a victim of its environment.

I think about this tree a lot since it’s in my line of vision from my living room picture window.  It makes me think about my own life—whether or not I’m “bearing fruit.”  Am I like this tree?  Am I too eager to “make things happen?”  Is it possible that in my zeal to produce “fruit” I miss God’s timing?  Does the “freezing weather” of life interfere with my plan to produce fruit?

The Bible uses the imagery of bearing fruit metaphorically—the consequences of an action are frequently described as its fruit.  One of the ways Jesus uses it is to speak of himself as the vine and those who believe in him as the branches. 

“Abide in me, and I in you.  As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:4-5)

The reality is that in order to produce meaningful fruit for the Kingdom of God, one must be plugged into Jesus.  When he is in control and working through us, the timing will be right and the fruit good.

How comforting it is to be a fruiting branch grafted into a vine through which empowering juices flow, enabling one to produce fruit according to his will and in his “season.”  He is the one who determines the right timing for the fruit to be produced; my part is to make sure I am “abiding” in him and have my will lined up with his will.

“Waiting for fruit” then involves being yielded to Jesus, committed to his will, and waiting for his timing.  The words of the Psalmist state the results so clearly:

"He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither.  In all that he does, he prospers.”   (Psalm 1:3)

I’m still hoping and waiting for fruit from the apricot tree in my yard, but an even greater desire is that my life would exhibit his fruit in his timing.

REFLECTIONS ON THANKFULNESS

It’s the day after Thanksgiving, and all the activity of the day—cooking, eating, spending time in fellowship with friends—is over.  In the quietness of this “day after” I’ve spent some time reflecting on what I’m really thankful for—not just in words, but in true heartfelt emotion.

It was less than three weeks ago that my husband and I were in Nairobi, Kenya.  One evening, after having dinner with some new friends, we took a taxi back to the guesthouse where we were staying.  My sense of direction was totally disoriented and I had no clue where we were in the city.  I simply had to trust the taxi driver that he would get us to our destination.  

It was not a smooth ride—there were lots of potholes and speed bumps.  And, from my perspective, the traffic was chaotic.  I still had vivid memories of three years ago when we were in Kenya and narrowly missed being in a tragic accident in which there was a fatality—our driver’s quick reaction saved our lives.  And during this current trip, we had seen accidents almost every day we were in Nairobi. 

I realized as we swerved in and out of traffic I had absolutely no control over the situation; my safety was in the hands of the taxi driver.  I was, for all practical purposes at that moment, entrusting my life to him. 

Strangely though, I was totally relaxed and at peace with an assurance that in due time we would arrive at the guesthouse.  This surprised me, and I marveled at the thought.

How was it that I could entrust my life to a total stranger in the midst of what could be a very dangerous situation.  I knew nothing about this man that made him trustworthy, except that he was employed by the taxi company, which I assume would have made sure he could drive safely.  How could I trust him like this, and yet experience times when I had trouble trusting God, whom I do know, and whose very character is marked by trustworthiness?  It sounds absurd, doesn’t it!

I must admit, I am thankful for the taxi driver who got us to our destination safely, but I’m most thankful for my Heavenly Father who is totally trustworthy to carry me through all of life’s dangers and trials and bring me safely to my final destination in His Heavenly Kingdom.

This is beautifully expressed in a quote from A.W. Tozer:  “With the goodness of God to desire our highest welfare, the wisdom of God to plan it, and the power of God to achieve it, what do we lack?  Surely we are the most favored of all creatures.”

For this I am truly thankful.

THE DELIGHT OF NEW INSIGHTS

Have you ever experienced an insight that filled you with delight?

Recently my husband and I were on a trip through several states in the American Northwest.   As we were driving from Casper, Wyoming to Rapid City, South Dakota, we traveled through an area where there was extensive strip-mining for coal.  As we checked on the map, we figured we were about fifty miles from the next town called Newcastle.

My husband immediately thought of the expression “selling coal to Newcastle.” Having only a vague recollection of its meaning, we looked it up on his iPhone.

According to Wikipedia, the expression refers to a “foolhardy or pointless action.”  It grew out of the fact that at some point in the past, Newcastle upon Tyne in north-eastern England was a huge producer of coal, “and therefore any attempt to sell coal to Newcastle would be doomed to failure” because they had no need of it.  

As we were discussing and thinking about this, my husband suddenly said, “Hey, we’re in coal mining country and the name of the next town is Newcastle!”  

At that moment, we experienced the delight and joy of a new-found insight.  The fact that the town to which we were driving was named Newcastle took on a whole new meaning! 

It’s amazing the transformation that takes place in the mind when it becomes enlightened!  We knew we were on the road to a city named Newcastle, but it meant nothing to us—it was just a name.  It wasn’t until we learned and understood the significance of the name and its connection to coal that it took on a new meaning.

As I reflected on this little delight, I thought of other times I’ve experienced the joy of “a light bulb experience.”  There were several that soon came to mind, but the one that stood out most was the time I really grasped an understanding of who Jesus is:  that he is God himself, taking on human flesh and coming to live among his creation.  

That insight changed my whole perspective and understanding of Jesus’ death and resurrection.  In Jesus, God had became a part of his creation and did for me what I could not do for myself.  That insight changed my life.  

So often in life, we don’t have the curiosity or the willingness to seek the information that leads to the discovery of such insights. If my husband and I hadn’t wanted to know more about the saying “selling coal to Newcastle” and put forth the effort to learn what it meant, we’d have missed both the insight and the delight.

Likewise, it takes effort to grasp the understanding of who Jesus really is.  The fact that he is fully God and fully man is a mystery; but God says that if we seek to know him with all our heart, he will reveal himself to us (Luke 11:10, Jeremiah 29:11-13, Proverbs 8:17).  

The beautiful thing about seeking him and finding him is that the more we seek to know him, the more he reveals himself to us; and through this process, we have the continual opportunity to experience the “delight of new insights.”

A TALE OF TWO KINGS

Today is July 4, the birthday of the United States of America.  On this date in 1776, our forefathers put their lives on the line and signed the Declaration of Independence, declaring freedom from British rule.

Those of us who know and understand the history of our country have a deep gratitude for the patriots who risked everything for what they believed was right.  Their example still motivates us today.  

What was it that caused them to declare independence from the British?  The king was exploiting the colonists and taxing them in oppressive ways.  He ignored the fact that as British citizens, it was their right to be represented in the law-making bodies in Britain.  The king didn’t really care about the welfare of the American colonists.

But what if the king had been concerned about the welfare of his subjects?  What if his predisposition had been one of goodwill toward them with a desire to see them prosper?  It is quite possible that the American colonies would still be a part of Britain today.  

However, that’s not a sure thing.  Take for example the King of Kings and His subjects, Adam and Eve.  Here is a case where the King was benevolent toward His subjects, but they still rebelled.  

He created a beautiful Garden for their home and provided everything they needed.  In His goodness, He gave them dominion over all that He had placed in the Garden; they were to rule over it and take care of it.  All He required was their obedience.

But, when tempted, they disobeyed by choosing to follow their own desires.   The consequences were severe, resulting in a curse being placed on all creation.  We now live in the result of that choice.  

But this good King of Kings is still good, and He has a plan.  He came to earth and broke the grip of that curse, so that all who follow Him will one day live as He had originally planned — in new bodies, on a new Earth, with Him.  That’s Heaven.  And, He’s still seeking those who will come to Him and obey Him.

I find an interesting paradox here.  We celebrate our independence from a tyrannical king, an independence that has allowed us to exercise what we consider our right to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”   But at the same time, we ignore the King of Kings, who in His goodness, mercy, and love offers us that very life, liberty, and happiness for which we seek.

Seems like a mystery, doesn’t it.  It is!  But it’s real.

So, on this Fourth of July, let us rejoice in celebrating our country’s independence and the many freedoms it has provided us.  As you do, also think about the plan of the benevolent King of Kings.  If you've never considered His offer, you may be surprised to find it’s the very thing you’ve been seeking.

Happy Birthday America!  (and perhaps even a Happy Birthday to the new you!)

TREASURE HUNTING

For lunch today I had a salad made out of “treasures” from my backyard, most of which I had not planted.  My favorite green this time of year is lambsquarter (also called goosefoot or Belgian spinach).  Most people consider it a weed. 

However, according to Dr. Peter Gail, Director of Goosefoot Acres Center for Wild Vegetable Research and Education, its leaves have more vitamin C than citrus fruit and more vitamin A than carrots.  It’s the richest green vegetable source of calcium and is especially rich in protein, B vitamins and phosphorus.

Dr. Gail states, “It is sadly amusing to watch serious gardeners deliberately destroy these young wild spinach plants growing voluntarily in their gardens, at no cost or work to them, to make room to plant cultivated spinach seeds which are harder to grow, less tasty and not as nutritious!”

Joyfully, the treasures of my backyard aren’t limited to just lambsquarter.  From the many wild edibles available there, I chose dandelion greens and blossoms, violet leaves and blossoms, volunteer Egyptian onion greens, and volunteer cilantro.  Added to that were a few thinnings from the arugula and lettuce plantings, and the tops and bulbs of the freshly pulled radishes.  Drizzled with a homemade oil and vinegar dressing seasoned with basil (dried from last year’s crop), I had a super salad.  I could just “feel” my cells saying “Thank-you.”

But let’s be honest.  The idea of eating “weeds” is not all that appealing to most people, or even me – unless, of course, I know they’re edible, nutritious, and palatable.  Then they’re treasures.

As I sat and ate my Backyard Salad, I began to think about other “treasures” in life that I might be missing – either because I don’t know about them, or because the thought of them is not appealing. 

“That’s it,” I thought.  “I miss out on treasures because I don’t recognize them as treasures.  And I don’t recognize them as treasures because they’re not appealing to me!

My mind suddenly jumped to a lecture I recently attended.  The speaker, Dr. David Levy, is a renowned neurosurgeon.  During his speech he talked about the power of forgiveness in the context of his relationship with his father.  He had issues with his father that stemmed from his childhood and had a lasting effect on him.  But he finally came to the place where he forgave his father and worked to develop a relationship with him, during which time he let his father know he had forgiven him.  

Then Dr. Levy made this profound statement:  “The greatest gift children can give their parents is to forgive them – even when they don’t ask for it.”

Wow!  Now that’s a nugget of pure gold!  A hidden treasure! I hadn’t really thought of my forgiving someone as a gift to them, but it is.  If someone owes me some money and I “forgive him the debt,” I’m absorbing the cost.  It costs to forgive because forgiving means that I am releasing the other person from their obligation to me.  (That’s not always appealing because our natural inclination is to “make them pay” for what they’ve done.)  But the result can be real freedom in the relationship.

That’s a treasure I’ve tucked away in my heart to not only apply in my own life, but to pass on to others. 

I have a hunch that treasures are everywhere, and that we miss them because we aren’t really looking for them.  And, I have a hunch that often we fail to recognize the treasure because it seems so counter-intuitive – like the thought of eating highly nutritious weeds.

Treasure hunting!  It’s something you can do too.  Just think of it as finding nourishment for the soul. 

And while you’re at it, try some lambsquarter from your own backyard and nourish your physical body as well!