Spring Cleaning Your Soul 

  

Spring is finally arriving (somewhat) in Minnesota!  Okay, it's still dark and dreary, but anytime I can look out the window and not see winter snow, I'm feeling better.  

As we head into the month of May, I begin to think about all of the sand, dirt, and grime that has crept in over the winter months.  Instead of allowing myself to feel panicky, I begin to set aside some time for each room.  I brew a big pot of ice tea, gather cleaning supplies and go for an hour or two to the spots in my home that need it the most ... entry ways, family room, and mud room (there's a reason it's called the mud room!)

But as I am more and more busy with each passing day, I begin to feel overwhelmed.  And I forget.  I forget the most important thing that scripture teaches us:  God created the world in 6 days and on the 7th ... HE RESTED!

Rest is a crucial part of mental and physical health.  I am terrible at this!  I don't spend time enough resting.  I feel guilty, I begin to think of all of the things that I need to do, and I get anxious.

This year, my husband, Farmer Dean and I decided to work on the need for rest.  We are implementing small snippets of time together, whether it be a good meal, a good tv show, a walk, or a movie night, we are making time for rest.

I have come to the realization that if I don't make time for rest, there will be no rest.  And if I don't have rest, I'm not living my best life.  Instead, I'm just existing in the day in and day out of work.  

It's time to make time for REST.  It's time to clean out the grime, dust, dirt, and exhaustion of your soul and get restored and refreshed.  It's time to answer the Father's call when He says:  

Introducing An Excerpt from our recent YOUR BEST magazine from Dr. Justin Hildebrand, DC 

 

There's a Tea For That!

 

Tea has been used to help calm the nerves, settle the stomach, and fight infections for centuries. The Ancient Chinese, English of the 1600s, and Native Americans all used tea as medicine. In the world we live today, tea is mainly used as a cold refreshing drink or to warm us up on a bone chilling day. The medicinal quality of tea has been lost to many of us. Remember for whatever ails us, there is a tea for that. 

  

Digestional Complaints: Drink peppermint or spearmint teas. Peppermint is best used to help warm you up and should be ingested hours after meals. Spearmint calms the nerves, lowers blood pressure, and starts the digestion of proteins. Thus, it is best for the high stung and should be consumed directly after meals.

 

Cranky/Fussiness: Drink chamomile tea. Chamomile is used to calm cranky children and adults or fall asleep. It is best used when sedation is desired, but should not be brewed by anyone who is allergic reaction to ragweed.

 

Common Cold/Respiratory Complaints: Drink green tea and/or Echinacea. Green tea has been thought to have anti-viral effects and has been shown to fight strains of the flu and common cold in research studies. It has a much better effect on viral conditions than the antibiotics commonly prescribed for cold like symptoms. Echinacea can possibly help reduce cold like symptoms when taken early in the infection. Echinacea has anti-inflammatory and anti-fungal properties and helps stimulate the immune system.

 

Bloating and Gas: Drink ginger or rooibus teas. Ginger has been used for thousands of years to clam gas and the unsettled stomach. Rooibus, or sometimes called red tea in stores, is great for bloating or complaints due to overeating. Rooibus is best used when cramping or discomfort is associated.

 

Diabetes: Drink Oolong and green tea. Oolong and green tea are helpful for managing type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Green tea can also help to reduce your risk for developing both types of diabetes. Adding a squeeze of lemon to pure oolong or green tea may increase the anti-diabetic effects.

 

Stress and Anxiety: Drink Siberian ginseng and passion flower teas. Siberian ginseng can reduce the cortisol (or stress hormone levels) in the body and decrease blood pressure as a result of a stress response. Passion flower has been shown to be effective for generalized anxiety disorders and can reduce anxiety without sedation.

 

Bottom Line: Next time you are feeling ill, down, restless, or just ate too much, just open the cabinet and grab some tea. It's a quick, easy, and a therapeutic option without side-effects for many common complaints.

 

Yours in health,

Dr. Justin Hildebrand, D.C.

 

 

                   

 

  

 

                                          

GOD'S NOT DEAD 

Rating: PG        Run Time: 113 Minutes

Showing Now in Limited Theaters 

 

God's not dead is an outstanding movie!

The premise of the movie is a young Christian man "Josh" (played by Shane Harper) is beginning his college career. One of the first classes he takes is a freshman philosophy course taught by an atheist and bitterly angry Professor Radisson (played by Kevin Sorbo). Wherein his first required assignment for the class is to write down on a blank piece of paper a simple three-word "fact" ... God is dead ... something that, as a Christian, Josh cannot bring himself to do.

 

As the story goes on, Josh has to defend his faith in God and essentially prove to the entire philosophy class that God is in fact alive. Josh uses philosophers, science and the Bible to make his case that God is not dead. Professor Radisson stands firm in his incredulity, claiming not to believe but eventually he reveals the true reason why he hates God. Josh's arguments for God are thought provoking, scripture based and vastly profound.

 

There are additional story lines in the film other than the conflict of an atheist teacher and his Christian student. As several other stories are occurring throughout the film, showing the viewer a variety of people at different places in their faith and the different challenges they face. We also meet a young woman of Middle Eastern heritage who is a secret Christian because she fears how her religious family will react. A self-centered businessman who receives a message from God through his near catatonic mother with dementia. The girlfriend of Professor Radisson who herself is a Christian and treated with ridicule for her faith, a foreign exchange student who does not know what to think at all about God and a Pastor who is still learning what God has in store for him. All these stories work well to show us ways God works in the lives of believers and non-believers alike and demonstrate how He is involved in every aspect of our lives.

 

Bottom Line: The movie is a must see, especially for anyone who feels discouraged because of being rejected time and again while trying to share hope and faith!

 

"Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven."

Matthew 10:32-33

 

If you missed it in theaters go ahead and buy the DVD to add to your collection, it is well worth it!