Chicken Pie

Ingredients:

Oven temp: 325 F/160 C

1 kg chicken-boneless, cooked and diced

2 cups (240 gm) maidal

cup (180 gm) butter 1 tsp vinegar

1 egg or 1/4 cup cold milk

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 tbsp slightly beaten egg or milk to glaze the pie

2 cups milk

2 tbsp maida

1 tbsp butter1 tsp salt

1 tsp pissi kali mirch

Method:

Mix the butter, maida, vinegar, egg, salt and baking powder and knead lightly into a soft dough and keep aside.
Melt butter, add maida, saut? little and add the milk very gradually, stirring vigorously all the time.
Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 1-2 minutes, add the salt, pepper and chicken.
Roll out a little more than half the dough about 1/4 cm (1/8?) thick and cover the base and the sides of the pie dish. Dust base with flour and fill it with the chicken mixture.
Roll out the other portion of the dough, wet the edges, and cover the pie, pressing the edges together, to seal. Prick with a fork, glaze the surface with the beaten egg, or milk and bake in a pre-heated oven for about 45-60 minutes or until golden.

Christmas Biscuits

Ingredients:

250 gm flour

1/2 tsp ginger powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon powder

150 gm diced butter

100 gm castor sugar dried fruit/icing to decorateeggs - as required (approximately 4)

Method:

Rub flour and butter until breadcrumbs are formed.
Stir in sugar and spices. Add enough beaten eggs to form soft dough. Chill well.
Roll out the dough on a floured surface. Cut into desired shapes and arrange on a baking sheet.
Bake at 180 degrees for 10-12 minutes
Decorate with icing sugar/dried fruits/candy.

Christamas cake

Preparation time 30 mins to 1 hour
Cooking time over 2 hours

Ingredients

225g/8oz plain flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp mixed spice

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

200g/7oz butter

200g/7oz dark brown sugar

2 tbsp black treacle

1 tbsp marmalade

1/4tsp vanilla essence

4 eggs, lightly beaten

800g/1 3/4 lb mixed dried fruits

100g/3 1/2 oz chopped mixed peel

150g/5oz glace cherries, halved

100g/3 1/2 oz blanched almonds, choppedbrandy

To Decorate the Cake:

200g/7oz marzipan

1-2 tbsp apricot jam, warmed Royal Icing

3 egg whites

600g/1lb 5oz icing sugar, sieved

11/2tsp liquid glycerine - optional1 tbsp lemon juice

Method

1. Heat the oven to 150C/300F/Gas

2. Grease a 20cm/8inch round or an 18cm/7inch square cake tin and line the bottom and sides with baking parchment.

2. Sieve the flour, salt, mixed spice and cinnamon into a bowl.

3. Cream the butter and the sugar in a large mixing bowl and then mix in the sugar, treacle, marmalade and vanilla essence until light and fluffy.

4. Mix the eggs a little at a time into the mixture adding a tablespoon of flour mixture with the last amount.

5. Fold in the remaining flour mixture until well mixed and then mix in the dried fruit, mixed peel, glace cherries and the almonds.

6. Turn the mixture into the prepared tin and make a slight hollow in the centre.

7. Bake in the oven for 3 hours and then test with a skewer. If not ready bake for up to another hour testing every 20 minutes until the skewer comes out clean.

8. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for 15 minutes.

9. Turn out on to a wire rack and leave to cool.

10. Once cool, make a few holes in the cake with a skewer and pour over 3-4 tbspof brandy. Let the brandy soak into the cake.

11. Store the cake wrapped in foil and in an airtight tin or plastic container, holes side up.

12. OPTIONAL: For a rich and moist cake, spoon over a few tablespoons of brandy every week until you are ready to ice and decorate your cake.
To Decorate the Cake:

1. Place the cake on a foil board or cake plate.

2. Dust your hands and the work surface with a little icing sugar and knead the marzipan until soft.

3. Roll out half the marzipan to fit the top of the cake and roll out the rest in strips to fit around the sides of the cake.

4. Brush the cake all over with the warmed apricot jam and then place the marzipan on top and around the cake.

5. Cover the cake with a clean tea towel and then leave in a cool place for at least one day.

6. To make the icing, lightly whisk the egg whites adding the sugar at intervals. Beat well until the icing reaches soft peaks. Add the glycerine if using and the lemon juice.

7. Spread icing all over cake either flat iced using a clean ruler or by forming soft peaks. Decorate with Christmas ornaments.

BEAUTY TIPS

Body care

Mix six-teaspoon petroleum jelly, two-teaspoon glycerin and two-teaspoon lemon juice. Apply this moisturizing lotion at least twice a week if you have dry and flaky, arms and legs
Peel and grate a cucumber. Squeeze the juice to this, mix half-a-teaspoon glycerin and half-a-teaspoon rose water. Apply this on sunburns, leave it for some time.
If you have cracked heels, melt paraffin wax; mix it with little mustard oil and apply on the affected area. Leave it overnight. After 10 or 15 days, your heels will become smooth.
Massage your body with a mixture of coconut oil and any of your favourite scented oils like lavender or rosemary.
For rough palms, use a mixture of glycerin and limejuice in equal proportion.
For cracked heals, massage the foot with coconut oil and keep the foot in warm water for some time. Wipe the water off the feet and apply a mixture of hibiscus flower(10), Henna (1 handful) and juice of half a lemon. when dry wash it off.
Remove scars on your hands and feet by rubbing them with lemon peel.

Eye care

Dip wads of cotton in a chilled mixture of cucumber and potato juice. Keep this on your eyelids for 15 to 20 minutes and gently wash it off. Apply a little baby oil.
For long eyelashes.., apply a thin coat of castor oil every night. It strengthens lashes and cools your eyes.
Massage a few drops of coconut oil around the eyes to get rid off dark circles.
To reduce puffiness of your eyes, grate a potato; tie in a cloth and place the cloth over your eyes for about 15 minutes.
Add a small pinch of salt in water and wash for bright and sparkling eyes.
Mix tomato juice and lemon juice in equal quantity and apply around the eyes. After 30 minutes wash it off with cold and hot water alternatively.
Make a paste of sandal wood and nutmeg. Apply the paste around the eyes before sleeping and wash it off in the morning.
Crush a cucumber and take the juice. Add a little rose water and apply around the eyes and wash it after 30 minutes.
Place cotton wool swabs dipped in cold milk on closed eyes for removing dark circles.

Lip Care

You can mix one-tablespoon cranberry sauce juice with two tablespoons Vaseline for a delicious home made lip balm.
Apply the juice of lemon skin for avoiding black colour of lips
Massage your lips with coriander leaf juice for soft and rosy lips.

Lovely almond pods

ALMOND BLOOM

Beautiful almond bloom

Almonds

Fortunately, the delicately flavored and versatile almond is available throughout the year to make a healthy and tasty addition to both sweet and savory dishes. Although packaged almonds are available year round, they are the freshest in mid-summer, which is when they are at the height of their season.
The almond that we think of as a nut is technically the seed of the fruit of the almond tree, a medium-size tree that bears fragrant pink and white flowers. Like its cousins, the peach, cherry and apricot trees, the almond tree bears fruits with stone-like seeds (or pits) within. The seed of the almond fruit is what we refer to as the almond nut.
This chart graphically details the %DV that a serving of Almonds provides for each of the nutrients of which it is a good, very good, or excellent source according to our Food Rating System. Additional information about the amount of these nutrients provided by Almonds can be found in the Food Rating System Chart. A link that takes you to the In-Depth Nutritional Profile for Almonds, featuring information over 80 nutrients, can be found under the Food Rating Health Benefits
Lower LDL-Cholesterol and Reduce Your Risk of Heart Disease
A high-fat food that's good for your health? That's not an oxymoron, its almonds. Almonds are high in monounsaturated fats, the same type of health-promoting fats as are found in olive oil, which have been associated with reduced risk of heart disease. Five large human epidemiological studies, including the Nurses Health Study, the Iowa Health Study, the Adventist Health Study and the Physicians Health Study, all found that nut consumption is linked to a lower risk for heart disease. Researchers who studied data from the Nurses Health Study estimated that substituting nuts for an equivalent amount of carbohydrate in an average diet resulted in a 30% reduction in heart disease risk. Researchers calculated even more impressive risk reduction--45%--when fat from nuts was substituted for saturated fats (found primarily found in meat and dairy products).
A study published in the British Journal of Nutrition indicates that when foods independently known to lower cholesterol, such as almonds, are combined in a healthy way of eating, the beneficial effects are additive. In this study of 12 patients with elevated LDL cholesterol levels, a diet containing almonds and other nuts, plant sterols (also found in nuts), soy protein, and soluble fiber (in high amounts in beans, oats, pears) reduced blood levels of all LDL fractions including small dense LDL (the type that most increases risk for cardiovascular disease) with near maximal reductions seen after only 2 weeks.
In addition to their cholesterol-lowering effects, almonds' ability to reduce heart disease risk may also be partly due to the antioxidant action of the vitamin E found in the almonds, as well as to the LDL-lowering effect of almonds' monounsaturated fats. (LDL is the form of cholesterol that has been linked to atherosclerosis and heart disease). When almonds are substituted for more traditional fats in human feeding trials, LDL cholesterol can be reduced from 8 to 12%.
In addition to healthy fats and vitamin E, a quarter-cup of almonds contains almost 99 mg of magnesium (that's 24.7% of the daily value for this important mineral), plus 257 mg of potassium.
Magnesium is Nature's own calcium channel blocker. When there is enough magnesium around, veins and arteries breathe a sigh of relief and relax, which lessens resistance and improves the flow of blood, oxygen and nutrients throughout the body. Studies show that a deficiency of magnesium is not only associated with heart attack but that immediately following a heart attack, lack of sufficient magnesium promotes free radical injury to the heart.
Potassium, an important electrolyte involved in nerve transmission and the contraction of all muscles including the heart, is another mineral that is essential for maintaining normal blood pressure and heart function. Almonds promote your cardiovascular health by providing 257 mg of potassium and only 0.3 mg of sodium, making almonds an especially good choice to in protecting against high blood pressure and atherosclerosis.
Almonds Provide Double-Barreled Protection against Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease
Lessening after-meal surges in blood sugar helps protect against diabetes and cardiovascular disease, most likely by lessening the increase in cholesterol-damaging free radicals that accompanies large elevations in blood sugar. This is one reason why low- glycemic index diets result in lower risk of diabetes and heart disease.
Almonds appear to not only decrease after-meal rises in blood sugar, but also provide antioxidants to mop up the smaller amounts of free radicals that still result. (Jenkins DJ, Kendall CW, Journal of Nutrition)
Researchers fed 15 healthy subjects 5 meals providing a comparable amount of carbohydrate, fat and protein: 3 test meals (almonds and bread, parboiled rice, and instant mashed potatoes) and 2 bread control meals. Blood samples, taken before each meal and 4 hours afterwards, showed levels of protective antioxidants increased after the almond meal, but decreased after the other meals. And not only did the almond meal increase antioxidant levels, but unlike the other foods, almonds also lowered the rise in blood sugar and insulin seen after eating.
Further research shows that eating almonds along with a high glycemic index food significantly lowers the glycemic index of the meal and lessens the rise in blood sugar after eating. (Jones AR, Kendall CW, Metabolism)
In this study, after an overnight 10-12 hour fast, 9 healthy volunteers were randomly fed 3 test meals and 2 white bread (high glycemic) control meals on separate days. Each meal contained 50 grams of carbohydrate from white bread eaten either alone or in combination with 1, 2, or 3 ounces of almonds. To check subjects' rise in blood sugar, blood samples were taken for glucose analysis immediately after eating, and at 15, 30, 45, 60, 90 and 120 minutes.
Eating almonds reduced the glycemic index (GI) of the meal and subjects' rise in blood sugar in a dose-dependent manner - the more almonds consumed, the lower the meal's GI and the less the rise in subjects' blood sugar after eating.
When one-ounce of almonds was eaten along with white bread, the GI of the meal (105.8) was comparable to eating white bread alone, but when two ounces of almonds were consumed with the white bread, the GI dropped to 63, and when 3 ounces of almonds were eaten, the GI was only 45.2 - less than half the GI of the white bread only meal.
Subjects' blood sugar rose 2.8 mmol/L after eating only white bread. When one ounce of almonds was eaten with the bread, blood sugar rose 2.2 mmol/L. Eating two ounces of almonds with the bread resulted in a rise in blood sugar of 2.0 mmol/L, and eating three ounces of almonds caused blood sugar to rise only 1.6 mmol/L - less than half the rise seen after eating white bread alone.
Practical Tips: Don't just enjoy almonds as a between-meal snack. Spread a little almond butter on your toast or down the center of a stalk of celery. Add a handful of lightly roasted almonds to your salad or chop and use as a topping for pasta, steamed or healthy sautéed vegetables. When eating foods with a higher glycemic index, including almonds in the meal can help keep your blood sugar under control.
Crazy about Your Heart? Go Nuts
Other nuts appear to be cardio-protective as well. Research published in the British Journal of Nutrition (Blomhoff R, Carlsen MH), which identified several nuts among plant foods with the highest total antioxidant content, suggests nut's high antioxidant content may be key.
Walnuts, pecans and chestnuts have the highest antioxidant content of the tree nuts, with walnuts delivering more than 20 mmol antioxidants per 3 ounces (100 grams). Peanuts (although technically, a legume) also contribute significantly to our dietary intake of antioxidants.
Nuts' high antioxidant content helps explain results seen in the Iowa Women's Health Study in which risk of death from cardiovascular and coronary heart diseases showed strong and consistent reductions with increasing nut/peanut butter consumption. Total death rates decreased 11% and 19% for nut/peanut butter intake once per week and 1-4 times per week, respectively.
Even more impressive were the results of a review study of the evidence linking nuts and lower risk of coronary heart disease, also published in the British Journal of Nutrition. (Kelly JH, Sabate J.) In this study, researchers looked at four large prospective epidemiological studies-the Adventist Health Study, Iowa Women's Study, Nurses' Health Study and the Physician's Health Study. When evidence from all four studies was combined, subjects consuming nuts at least 4 times a week showed a 37% reduced risk of coronary heart disease compared to those who never or seldom ate nuts. Each additional serving of nuts per week was associated with an average 8.3% reduced risk of coronary heart disease.
Practical Tip: To lower your risk of cardiovascular and coronary heart disease, enjoy a handful of nuts or tablespoon of nut butter at least 4 times a week.
Whole Almonds (with Skins) Provide Most Heart Healthy Benefits
New research on almonds adds to the growing evidence that eating whole foods is the best way to promote optimal health.
The flavonoids found in almond skins team up with the vitamin E found in their meat to more than double the antioxidant punch either delivers when administered separately, shows a study published in the Journal of Nutrition.
Twenty potent antioxidant flavonoids were identified in almond skins in this study, some of which are well known as major contributors to the health benefits derived from other foods, such as the catechins found in green tea, and naringenin, which is found in grapefruit.
"We have identified a unique combination of flavonoids in almonds," said Jeffrey Blumberg, Ph.D., senior scientist and director of the Antioxidants Research Laboratory at Tufts University. "Further blood tests demonstrated that eating almonds with their skins significantly increases both flavonoids and vitamin E in the body. This could have significant health implications, especially as people age."
Blumberg's team tested the effects of almond skin's flavonoids alone and then in combination with the vitamin E found in almond meat on blood samples containing LDL cholesterol. While almond skin flavonoids alone enhanced LDL's resistance to oxidation by 18%, when almond meat's vitamin E was added, LDL's resistance to oxidation was extended by 52.5%!
"The synergy between the flavonoids and vitamin E in almonds demonstrates how the nutrients in whole foods such as almonds can impact health," says Dr. Blumberg.

Two other studies have recently confirmed the heart-healthy benefits offered by whole almonds:
A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, which found that, as part of a diet rich in heart healthy foods such as soy, viscous fiber and plant sterols, almonds can reduce cholesterol levels as much as first generation statin drugs.
And a second study by the same research team, published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, and found that, as part of the same heart healthy eating plan, almonds can reduce C-reactive protein, a marker of artery-damaging inflammation, as much as statin drugs. Need more reasons to make almonds a staple in your healthy way of eating? Ounce for ounce, almonds are the one of the most nutritionally dense nuts. As well as providing an array of powerful flavonoids, almonds are among the richest sources of vitamin E in the diet. A one-ounce, 164-calorie serving of almonds, about a handful, is also a very good source of vitamin E and manganese, a good source of magnesium, copper, vitamin B2 and phosphorous, and delivers heart-healthy monounsaturated fat and other nutrients as well.
Almond's Healthy Fats May Help You Lose Weight
A study published in the International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders that included 65 overweight and obese adults suggests that an almond-enriched low calorie diet (which is high in monounsaturated fats) can help overweight individuals shed pounds more effectively than a low calorie diet high in complex carbohydrates. Those on the almond-enriched low calorie diet consumed 39% of their calories in the form of fat, 25% of which was monounsaturated fat. In contrast, those on the low calorie diet high in complex carbohydrates consumed only 18% of their calories as fat, of which 5% was monounsaturated fat, while 53% of their calories were derived from carbohydrate. Both diets supplied the same number of calories and equivalent amounts of protein. After 6 months, those on the almond-enriched diet had greater reductions in weight (-18 vs. -11%), their waistlines (-14 vs. -9%), body fat (-30 vs. -20%), total body water (-8 vs. -1%), and systolic blood pressure (-11 vs. 0%). Those eating almonds experienced a 62% greater reduction in their weight/BMI (body mass index), 50% greater reduction in waist circumference, and 56% greater reduction in body fat compared to those on the low calorie high carbohydrate diet! Among those subjects who had type 1 diabetes, diabetes medication reductions were sustained or further reduced in 96% of those on the almond-enriched diet versus in 50% of those on the complex carbohydrate diet.
Eating Nuts Lowers Risk of Weight Gain
Although nuts are known to provide a variety of cardio-protective benefits, many avoid them for fear of weight gain. A prospective study published in the journal Obesity shows such fears are groundless. In fact, people who ate nuts at least twice a week were much less likely to gain weight than those who almost never ate nuts.
The 28-month study involving 8,865 adult men and women in Spain, found that participants who ate nuts at least two times per week were 31% less likely to gain weight than were participants who never or almost never ate nuts.
And, among the study participants who gained weight, those who never or almost never ate nuts gained more (an average of 424 g more) than those who ate nuts at least twice weekly.
Study authors concluded, "Frequent nut consumption was associated with a reduced risk of weight gain (5 kg or more). These results support the recommendation of nut consumption as an important component of a cardioprotective diet and also allay fears of possible weight gain."
Practical Tip: Don't let concerns about gaining weight prevent you from enjoying the delicious taste and many health benefits of nuts!
Spread some nut butter on your morning toast or bagel.
Remember how many great childhood lunches involved a peanut butter and jelly sandwich? Upgrade that lunchbox favorite by spreading organic peanut butter and concord grape jelly on whole wheat bread.
Fill a celery stick with nut butter for an afternoon pick-me-up.
Sprinkle a handful of nuts over your morning cereal, lunchtime salad, dinner's steamed vegetables.
Or just enjoy a handful of lightly roasted nuts as a healthy snack.
Daily Consumption of Almonds May Help You Eat a Healthier Diet
If you've been reluctant to add almonds to your diet because of their high calorie count, a study published in the British Journal of Nutrition may help convince you to give these delicious, nutrient-dense nuts a try.
In this study, the normal eating patterns of 43 men and 38 women were followed for 6 months. Then they were told to eat approximately 2 ounces or one-quarter cup of almonds daily but were given no other instructions about changing their diet, and followed for an additional 6 months. By the end of the study, a number of very beneficial changes were seen to naturally occur.
While eating almonds, study participants' intake of health-promoting monounsaturated fatty acids, polyunsaturated fatty acids, fiber, vegetable protein, vitamin E, copper and magnesium significantly increased by 42, 24, 12, 19, 66, 15, and 23%, respectively.
At the same time, their intake of trans fatty acids, animal protein, sodium, cholesterol and sugars significantly decreased by 14, 9, 21, 17 and 13%, respectively. Both sets of changes in nutrient intake closely match the dietary recommendations known to prevent cardiovascular and other chronic diseases.
Manganese, Copper & Riboflavin-More Help with Energy Production
Almonds are a very good source of manganese and a good source of copper, two trace minerals that are essential cofactors of a key oxidative enzyme called superoxide dismutase. Superoxide dismutase disarms free radicals produced within the mitochondria (the energy production factories within our cells), thus keeping our energy flowing. Fortunately, Mother Nature supplies both mineral cofactors in almonds. Just one-quarter cup of almonds supplies 45.0% of the daily value for manganese, and 20.0% of the daily value for copper. Riboflavin (vitamin B2) also plays at least two important roles in the body's energy production. When active in energy production pathways, riboflavin takes the form of flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) or flavin mononucleotide (FMN). In these forms, riboflavin attaches to protein enzymes called flavoproteins that allow oxygen-based energy production to occur.
Flavoproteins are found throughout the body, particularly in locations where oxygen-based energy production is constantly needed, such as the heart and other muscles. Riboflavin's other role in energy production is protective.
The oxygen-containing molecules the body uses to produce energy can be highly reactive and can inadvertently cause damage to the mitochondria and even the cells themselves. In the mitochondria, such damage is largely prevented by a small, protein-like molecule called glutathione. Like many "antioxidant" molecules, glutathione must be constantly recycled, and it is vitamin B2 that allows this recycling to take place. (Technically, vitamin B2 is a cofactor for the enzyme glutathione reductase that reduces the oxidized form of glutathione back to its reduced version.) That same one-quarter cup of almonds will supply your cells with 17.6% of the daily value for riboflavin.
Help Prevent Gallstones
Twenty years of dietary data collected on over 80,000 women from the Nurses' Health Study shows that women who eat least 1 ounce of nuts, peanuts or peanut butter each week have a 25% lower risk of developing gallstones. Since 1 ounce is only 28.6 nuts or about 2 tablespoons of nut butter, preventing gallbladder disease may be as easy as having a handful of almonds as an afternoon pick me up, tossing some almonds on your oatmeal or salad or packing one almond butter and jelly sandwich (be sure to use whole wheat bread for its fiber, vitamins and minerals) for lunch each week.
A Protein Powerhouse
Almonds are concentrated in protein. A quarter-cup contains 7.62 grams-more protein than is provided by the typical egg, which contains 5.54 grams.
Description
The almond that we think of as a nut is technically the seed of the fruit of the almond tree, a glorious medium-size tree that bears fragrant pink and white flowers. Like its cousins, the peach, cherry and apricot trees, the almond tree bears fruits with stone-like seeds (or pits) within. The seed of the almond fruit is what we refer to as the almond nut.
Almonds are off-white in color, covered by a thin brownish skin, and encased in a hard shell. Almonds are classified into two categories: sweet (Prunus amygdalu var. dulcis) and bitter (Prunus amygdalu var. amara).
Sweet almonds are the type that is eaten. They are oval in shape, usually malleable in texture and wonderfully buttery in taste. They are available in the market either still in their shell or with their shell removed. Shelled almonds are available whole, sliced or slivered in either their natural form, with their skin, or blanched, with their skin removed.
Bitter almonds are used to make almond oil that is used as a flavoring agent for foods and liqueurs such as Amaretto. They are otherwise inedible as they naturally contain toxic substances such as hydrocyanic acid. These compounds are removed in the manufacturing of almond oil.

Know a herb of India

Henna

Family Name : LYTHRACEAE

Botanical Name : LAWSONIA INERMIS

Common Name : HENNA, AL-KHANNA, AL-HENNA, JAMAICA MIGNONETTE, MEHNDI, MENDEE, EGYPTIAN PRIVET, SMOOTH LAWSONIA

Part Used : FLOWERS, POWDERED LEAVES, FRUIT

Habitat : Scarcely in dry decidious forests, widely cultivated as a hedge plant.

Uses : The roots are bitter, refrigerant, depurative, diuretic, emmenagogue, abortifacient and trichogenous and is useful in burning sensation, leprosy skin diseases and amenorrhoea. It is used in pre mature graying of hair. Henna is widely used for drawing tattoos, arts and designs. Leaves are useful in wounds ulcers strangury cough, bronchitis, dysentery etc. The fruit is thought to have emmenagogue properties

Parables and Insights - Sundar Singh

Part-IV

"We in India," says the Sadhu, "knew already that God is good. But we did not know that He was so good that Christ was willing to die for us." "There is much that is beautiful in Hinduism, but the highest light comes from Christ." "To some extent God satisfies all desire for Himself, but full satisfaction is only found in Christ"; "he who finds Him finds Heaven upon earth."
"The Wise Men followed the Star to Bethlehem. But when they reached Bethlehem they no longer needed the Star, for they had found Christ, the Sun of Righteousness. When the sun raises the stars lose their radiance." "In India we have many genuine truth-seekers, who faithfully follow their Star; but it is only starlight which guides them. But you Christians have the glory of the Sun." "Hinduism and Buddhism have dug canals, but they have no living water to fill them." "In this sense I was prepared to receive the Living Water from Christ." "Christianity is the fulfillment of Hinduism."
"There is in the Himalayas a certain kind of flower which by its scent lulls men into unconsciousness.... in form and colour the flowers are beautiful; everyone who sees them feels attracted to them, but no one walks near them, or sits down among them without being overtaken by mysterious and fatal slumber. At first I thought that the flowers were poisonous, but people assured me that this was not the case, for those who have been overcome by the scent do not die until the twelfth day, and then death ensues from hunger and thirst, and not from the immediate effect of the drug. In like manner the things of this world are not in themselves evil, but they stupefy careless souls, and hinder them from being conscious of spiritual hunger and thirst, and they drift into a sleep which may easily lead to spiritual death."
"I say to the Hindu Sadhus: 'You become Sadhus because you want to torture yourselves. I became a Sadhu in order to serve; I do not torture myself, although I have often been tortured by others. 'Indians forsake the world and deny themselves before they have discovered the fullness of God. They practice self-denial for its own sake not because they have found peace, but because they want to win peace."
"When a man is thirsty, whether he is learned or ignorant, young or old, in order to quench his thirst what he needs is not knowledge, but water. Before he drinks the water he does not need to know that it contains oxygen and hydrogen. If he refused to drink it until he could understand what we mean by oxygen and hydrogen he would die of thirst. From time immemorial men have quenched their thirst with water without knowing anything about its chemical constituents. In like manner we do not need to be instructed in all the mysteries of doctrine, but we do need to receive the Living Water which Jesus Christ will give us and which alone can satisfy our souls."
"It must be admitted that philosophy has made no progress in the course of centuries. The same old problems repeat themselves, though in new forms and in fresh language. In India an ox with blindfolded eyes goes round an oil-press all the day long. When his eyes are unbandaged in the evening he finds that he has been going round and round in a circle and that although he has succeeded in producing some oil he has gone no further. Although the philosophers have been at it for hundreds of years, they have not reached their goal. Now and then, after much labour they have produced a little oil, which they have left behind them, but it is not sufficient to meet the sore need of mankind."
The Sadhu differentiates true knowledge of God from pantheism:1. "God is our Creator and we are His creatures; He is our Father, and we are His children." 2. "If we ourselves were divine, we would no longer feel any desire to worship." 3. "If we want to rejoice in God we must be different from Him; the tongue could taste no sweetness if there were no difference between it and that which it tasted." 4. "To be redeemed does not mean to be lost in or absorbed into God. We do not lose our personality in God; rather we find it." 5. "Pantheism does not admit the fact of sin. Therefore we often find immoral conduct among its followers."
"No one ought to imagine that the Presence of Christ and the sense of 'Heaven upon earth' mean what a believer in pantheism means when he says: 'Now I am God.' No, we are in God and God is in us. But that does not mean that we are God or that He is man." "There is fire in the coal, and the coal is in the fire, but the coal is not the fire, and the fire is not the coal. We are only so far united with God as we give our hearts to Him and allow Him to baptise us with the Holy Spirit."
"Look at the sponge as it is immersed in the water. The sponge is in the water, and the water is in the sponge. But the sponge is not the water, nor the water the sponge, but both are different things. When we give time to prayer then we are in God, God is in us; but that does not mean that God is our soul or that we are God." "Just as the water is in the sponge, so God is everywhere and in all things, but He is not identified with created things."
"Have you ever stood in a smithy? Did you notice how the blacksmith held the iron in the fire? It became more and more glowing the longer it lay in the forge, until at last it looked quite like fire. The iron was in the fire, and the fire was in the iron, but the iron was not the fire, nor the fire the iron, when the iron began to glow, the smith could bend it into any shape he desired, but it still remained iron. Even so we still retain our personality when we allow ourselves to be penetrated by Christ."
"The Atonement achieved a union which was not there before. He is in us, and we are in Him; by this I do not mean that kind of union which Indians call 'losing oneself in God.' They talk of the stream which is swallowed up or lost in the ocean. We do not lose ourselves, but we attain life in union with Him."
"Krishna says: 'In every age I am born to save the good and to destroy the wicked.' Jesus, on the contrary, came to save sinner

Scripture Memory System

Recitation

The instructions below outline an easy-to-use system to help your family members develop the habit of memorizing and remembering Scripture. By spending just five or ten minutes a day, you and your children can learn and retain hundreds of verses.
First, a word about memorizing, or recitation. The Charlotte Mason method of Recitation is not cumbersome, yet works amazingly well. The method is simply this: once or twice each day read aloud the verse or passage you are memorizing. As the words become familiar, the family members should join in saying the parts they know. Continue the one or two readings a day until all family members can recite the Scripture together with confidence.
It doesn’t matter how long the passage is. In fact, your family should memorize longer passages regularly. Simply once or twice each day read the entire passage through until everyone can recite it together. Don’t worry about how many days it takes for everyone to memorize the selected Scripture. Hiding God’s Word in your heart is not a race; it’s a lifelong habit.
Read what others are saying about this Scripture Memory System.
The System
Step One: Get an index card box and forty-one tabbed dividers that fit inside it. It doesn’t matter if the dividers have letters on them; you can flip them over and use the other side for labeling.
Step Two: Label the dividers as follows and place them in the box in this order:
1 divider — Daily
1 divider — Odd
1 divider — Even
7 dividers — Days of the Week (Sunday, Monday, etc.)
31 dividers — Numbered 1-31
Step Three: Copy onto index cards (or slips of paper) any verses your family already knows. Record both the reference and the text of the passage. If you don’t know any yet, don’t worry — you will very soon. Place the verses you already know behind the numbered dividers, distributing them evenly.
Next write cards or papers for verses you want to memorize. (See our Verses List if you would like some suggestions.) Put one verse card or paper behind the Daily divider; this will be the passage you’ll work on memorizing first. Then stack the rest of the verses to be learned in front of the Daily divider to learn at a later time. At the beginning, you won’t have any verses in the Odd and Even or Days of the Week slots. Don’t worry, they’ll fill in; see the next two steps.
Step Four: Each day you will say together the verses behind four dividers:
Daily
Odd or Even
Day of the Week
Date of the Month
So if today is Tuesday, the 3rd, you will say the verses behind Daily, Odd (because 3 is an odd number), Tuesday, and 3. The next day (Wednesday, the 4th), you will say the verses behind Daily, Even, Wednesday, and 4. Keep in mind that only the verse behind Daily is a new one that you are memorizing; all the others are just review.
Step Five: As you master the verses behind the Daily divider, advance that card and move the replaced verses farther back in the box. So when you have memorized a Daily, move it behind either the Odd or Even divider. Move the verse that was in that Odd or Even slot back to a Day of the Week slot. And move the verse it replaces in the Day of the Week slot back behind a numbered divider. You can then put a new verse or passage to memorize behind the Daily divider and you’re ready to go again.
In this way, you will review a new verse every day, then graduate to every other day, once a week, and finally, once a month. Use the system every day of the month and you will review all the verses you know every month of the year! Of course, not all months have thirty-one days; the verses behind 31 will be reviewed seven months out of the year. We recommend putting verses that you know quite well behind that number since it gets reviewed less frequently.
When you have advanced enough verse cards that you have one placed behind each numbered divider, start at 1 again and add another card to each. Soon you’ll have several cards behind each numbered divider. And eventually, you’ll have memorized so many verses that you’ll have enough cards to expand to two boxes! What a wonderful milestone that will be!

Know a herb of India

GARLIC

Garlic is grown in many areas throughout the world and is considered by herbalists to be one of the most essential and useful herbs used for medicinal purposes. Various cultures have benefited from using garlic in medicines and foods for centuries.

The Miracle of GarlicGarlic has been used for many years to prevent health problems including colds, flu, menstrual pain, high blood pressure, coughs, gastrointestinal problems, atherosclerosis, and bronchitis.

Garlic has been proven to kill various fungal infections, viruses, bacteria, and intestinal parasites. Also labeled as an antioxidant, garlic may help prevent certain cancers such as colon cancer and can improve the effectiveness of the immune system.

Garlic is most popular for its effectiveness of cardiovascular wellness. Garlic is effective treating atherosclerosis, high cholesterol, respiratory infections, and triglyceride levels.Alliin is the primary ingredient found in garlic. This chemical is similar chemically to cysteine, an amino acid containing sulfur, and possesses no odor.

After garlic is crushed, alliin is to converted into allicin, the compound that gives garlic its strong smell and numerous health benefits.Side Effects and Possible InteractionsGarlic supplements are said to have to side effects other than the strong odor.

The combination of using garlic and warfarin may result in a greater risk of bleeding. Large doses of garlic should not be ingested when using warfarin, indomethacin, dipyridamole, aspirin, or other medications that thin the blood.Dosage and AdministrationGarlic is most commonly taken daily in capsule form containing between 1000 and 3000 mg. 0.03 to 0.12 mL of garlic oil can be taken three times a day.

"I am the God of thy father"

Late Mr. N. Daniel
Exodus 31:1-8

"I am the God of thy father." God knows our fathers. God knows your father, God knew Moses’ father. "I am the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob." Why was God so particular to mention Moses’ father? God knew Moses’ father was a man of God, full of faith. By faith the parents of Moses hid him three months against the law of Pharaoh. If they were not people of faith, Moses would have been meat for the crocodiles. There are many crocodiles in this world which destroy the souls of children. But many parents are careless. Many children are in the power of the devil because of the carelessness of the parents. Their one desire is to gather money in this world.
Moses’ father was a praying man. Instead of being thrown into the river Nile, the prayer of his father threw him into the palace of Pharaoh. It was a place where the best learning of those times was available.
Satan is reigning in this world. His one desire is to see you destroyed. John 10:10 "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." Satan wants to destroy your children. He wants to destroy them during their teens. When their faith in Christ is destroyed they are as good as dead. When those who do not study the Word of God are the elders of churches, faith cannot grow there. So children’s faith is destroyed before they grow into manhood and before they enter married life.
God wanted a deliverer to lead Israel. He looked for a home where there was faith and where there was righteousness. He wanted parents with faith who prayed for their children every day. God found one family where both the parents believed in Him. The eldest son and the eldest daughter believed in God. Here was an atmosphere where a deliverer could grow. The father, mother and sister and brother covered the new born infant with prayer. They gave the babe more than food and physical care. They gave him faith and righteousness. God heard their prayer. He preserved the babe. God also gave him a good earthly education. God answered their prayer further by continuing his education after he had learnt all that there was to learn in Egypt. He was now in new surroundings where sheep were his companions. It was a wilderness. In similar places John the Baptist, Elijah and other deep men of God were educated. The proximity of men of unfaith is a great contamination. Here in the wilderness, God educated him. You receive your highest degree when you are educated by God. God said, "Come on, Moses, I remember your father’s prayers. They are all before me. I remember, I remember the promise I made to Abraham. I have seen the tears of my people. I am God and I am bound by my covenant. Remove your shoes. This is a holy place. A man perfectly educated by the Holy Spirit finds a holy place at hand. God visited him and spoke to him. He anointed him and gave him many signs to convince Israel that he had been sent by God.

Parables and Insights - Sundar Singh

Part-III

"In Christ I have found what Hinduism and Buddhism could not give me, peace and joy in this world. People do not believe, because they are strangers to the experience. Once when I was wandering about in the Himalayas, in the region of eternal snow and ice, I came upon some hot springs, and I told a friend about them. He would not believe it. 'How can there be hot springs in the midst of ice and snow?' I said: 'Come and dip your hands in the water, and you will see that I am right.' He came, dipped his hands in the water, felt the heat and believed. Then he said: 'There must be a fire in the mountain. So after he had been convinced by experience his brain began to help him to understand the matter. Faith and experience must come first, and understanding will follow. We cannot understand until we have some spiritual experience, and that comes through prayer. As we practice prayer we shall come to know who the Father is and the Son, we shall become certain that Christ is everything to us and that nothing can separate us from Him and from His Love. Temptations and persecution may come, but nothing can part us from Christ. Prayer is the only way to this glorious experience."
"Our knowledge of Divine Reality depends upon our inner life, and not upon philosophical arguments." "Although Philosophy tries to grasp Divine Reality, it does not succeed. No one can grasp Divine Reality with the intellect." "Jesus began His work, not among philosophers, but with simple fisher folk. The world has seen many learned men and many of them it has already forgotten; but these simple men who helped Jesus Christ in His work will never be forgotten."
It is not God who sends the sinner to hell, it is his own sins. God allows everyone to come to heaven; indeed, He invites everyone most earnestly to come in. But sinners themselves feel that it is a torture to stay there; that is why they do not desire it. God does not make their entrance into heaven either difficult or impossible, no, it is their own inner attitude which makes it impossible for them to have any joy in eternal life."
"The Indian seer lost God in Nature; the Christian mystic, on the other hand, finds God in Nature. The Hindu mystic believes that God and Nature are one and the same; the Christian mystic knows that there must be a Creator to account for the universe."
"When I entered heaven for the first time I looked all round me and then I asked: 'Where is God?' and they answered and said unto me: 'God is seen here as little as on earth for God is infinite. But Christ is here, He is the image of the Invisible God, and only in Him can anyone see God, either here or upon earth."
"Some years ago I saw how a simple countryman was being shown a red glass bottle filled with milk. They asked him what was in the bottle. He said: 'Wine, brandy, whisky.' He could not believe that it was filled with milk until he saw the milk being poured out from it, because he could not see the white colour of the milk owing to the redness of the glass. So it is with the Person of the Saviour. He became Man and His Godhead was hidden in His Humanity. People saw Him tired hungry and thirsty, and they said: 'If He is God, why is He tired, hungry and thirsty, and why does He pray to God?' They saw only His human side, and could not believe that He was really divine. But those who followed Him and lived with Him knew that He was more than human and that He was God.' "
"Some years ago in Tibet I heard a story about a King who wished to send a message to his people. He entrusted the errand to his servants, but they would not do as he wished. The King, who loved his subjects, now, resolved to take the message to them himself in order to be convinced of their difficulties. He could not go there as a king, for he wanted his subjects to speak to him freely of all their sufferings and distresses. So he changed his garments, left off his royal robes, and dressed himself like a poor man. Then he went right among his people and said to them: 'I have been sent by the King in order to learn about all your difficulties. 'The poor and the distressed had confidence in him and told him all their anxieties, and he saw how he could help them. But there were also some proud people who could not bring themselves to believe that such a poor man was really the King's messenger, so they were rude to him and chased him away. Later on the King came to his subjects at the head of his army in all his royal state, and the people could hardly recognise him again nor believe that it was the same person. They said: 'Then he was a poor man and now he is King.' The proud who had despised him were punished and thrown into prison, but those who had been good to him were honoured and their wants relieved. Even so is it with the Word of Life who became man; His people did not see His Glory, and they crucified Him. But the days are coming when we shall see Him in His Glory, and we shall know that He is the same Jesus Christ who lived like a poor man for three-and-thirty years upon this earth."
"Once when I was travelling about in the Himalayas I saw something which made the love of God very real to me. In a Tibetan village I noticed a crowd of people standing under a burning tree and looking up into the branches. I came near and discovered in the branches a bird which was anxiously flying round a nest full of young ones. The mother bird wanted to save her little ones, but she could not. When the fire reached the nest the people waited breathlessly to see what she would do. No one could climb the tree, no one could help her. Now she could easily have saved her own life by flight, but instead of fleeing she sat down on the nest, covering the little ones carefully with her wings. The fire seized her and burnt her to ashes. She showed her love to her little ones by giving her life for them. If then, this little insignificant creature had such love, how much more must our Heavenly Father’s love to His children, the Creator love His creatures!"
Christ speaks: "If you talk with a man who has been born blind about different colours: red, blue, yellow, and their variations, he has no conception of their glory and beauty, and he is quite unable to value them for he only knows about them; he knows their different names, it is true, but he can never have a true idea of the various colours until his eyes are opened. In fact, the colours are quite remote from his experience. Even so is, it with the eyes of the spirit. A man may be as learned as possible; but until he has received his spiritual sight he cannot know me, nor see my glory, nor understand that I am the Incarnate, God.
"It is impossible for us to achieve our own salvation.... Good ethical teaching sounds well, but it accomplishes nothing. A fish which has been caught in a net can see a certain distance before it; it can even move about a little, but it is still a prisoner.... If it tries to work its way out, it realizes still more painfully that it is a prisoner. My studies broadened my mind, but in spite of everything I discovered that I was caught in the net of sin. I am not alone in feeling this; I have met many, many Indians who had forsaken the world, who were living in caves in the jungle where they were striving with all their might to find the way to spiritual freedom; but all their efforts were fruitless. They only became more deeply entangled in the net.... Many of them, however, went on seeking until they found Christ.... Christ broke the fetters of sin, and they were free."
"If the little chicken in the egg were to declare that nothing existed outside the egg, and its mother were to reply: 'No, in the outside world there are mountains, flowers, and blue sky,' and the little chicken were to reply: 'You are talking nonsense, I can't see any of these things,' and if the shell were to break suddenly, then the little chicken would see that his mother was right. It is just the same with us, we are still in the shell, and we see neither heaven nor hell. But one day the shell will break, and then we shall see. At the same time there are hints of the future state: the little chicken in the shell has eyes and wings, which are in themselves a sufficient proof that they will be needed for a future life. The eye is created for seeing, yet what can it see while it is in the shell? The wings are created for flying, but how can it fly while it is in the shell? It is quite clear that neither eyes nor wings are intended for a cramped life within the limits of a shell. In the same way, we have many desires and longings which can never be satisfied here. There must be so me way of satisfying them, however, and this opportunity is Eternity. But just as the little chicken needs to be kept warm as long as it is in the shell, so while we live in this world we have to be cherished and warmed by the brooding Presence and Fire of the Holy Spirit."
"Other teachers who know that they will have to leave this world are anxious that their teaching should continue to live in written form when oral instruction is no longer possible. But Christ is quite different. He never dreamt of leaving us alone, and He will be with us to the end of the world; therefore He did not need to leave any written word behind. Then there is another reason why He wrote nothing. If He had written something in a book, men would have bowed down and worshipped it, instead of worshipping the Lord Himself. God's Word is only a hand stretched out to point the way to the Lord who is the Truth and the Life." "The Life and the Spirit of the Lord can only be written in the hearts of men, and not in books."
"In the mountains the rushing streams make their own river bed along which they flow; but in the plains men have to work hard to make canals, in order that the water may flow along them. It is just the same with those who live upon the heights with God. The Holy Spirit streams through them freely, while those who give little time to prayer and communion with God have to find their way with much labour and effort."

Change - Part IV

By Robert H. Schuller

"The fruit of God's spirit is love, joy, pace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." -Galatians 5:22, 23
Inventory time! Let's do a checkup on the positive changes we have already made. Recognizing that we never reach perfection, fill in your own testimony of the changes God has already brought about in your life. BEFORE I BECAME A BELIEVER, TODAY, I AM BECOMING I WAS MORE
* * *
I am changing as I focus on what God is doing in my life!
* * *

Parables and Insights - Sundar Singh

Part-III

"In Christ I have found what Hinduism and Buddhism could not give me, peace and joy in this world. People do not believe, because they are strangers to the experience. Once when I was wandering about in the Himalayas, in the region of eternal snow and ice, I came upon some hot springs, and I told a friend about them. He would not believe it. 'How can there be hot springs in the midst of ice and snow?' I said: 'Come and dip your hands in the water, and you will see that I am right.' He came, dipped his hands in the water, felt the heat and believed. Then he said: 'There must be a fire in the mountain. So after he had been convinced by experience his brain began to help him to understand the matter. Faith and experience must come first, and understanding will follow. We cannot understand until we have some spiritual experience, and that comes through prayer. As we practice prayer we shall come to know who the Father is and the Son, we shall become certain that Christ is everything to us and that nothing can separate us from Him and from His Love. Temptations and persecution may come, but nothing can part us from Christ. Prayer is the only way to this glorious experience."
"Our knowledge of Divine Reality depends upon our inner life, and not upon philosophical arguments." "Although Philosophy tries to grasp Divine Reality, it does not succeed. No one can grasp Divine Reality with the intellect." "Jesus began His work, not among philosophers, but with simple fisher folk. The world has seen many learned men and many of them it has already forgotten; but these simple men who helped Jesus Christ in His work will never be forgotten."
It is not God who sends the sinner to hell, it is his own sins. God allows everyone to come to heaven; indeed, He invites everyone most earnestly to come in. But sinners themselves feel that it is a torture to stay there; that is why they do not desire it. God does not make their entrance into heaven either difficult or impossible, no, it is their own inner attitude which makes it impossible for them to have any joy in eternal life."
"The Indian seer lost God in Nature; the Christian mystic, on the other hand, finds God in Nature. The Hindu mystic believes that God and Nature are one and the same; the Christian mystic knows that there must be a Creator to account for the universe."
"When I entered heaven for the first time I looked all round me and then I asked: 'Where is God?' and they answered and said unto me: 'God is seen here as little as on earth for God is infinite. But Christ is here, He is the image of the Invisible God, and only in Him can anyone see God, either here or upon earth."
"Some years ago I saw how a simple countryman was being shown a red glass bottle filled with milk. They asked him what was in the bottle. He said: 'Wine, brandy, whisky.' He could not believe that it was filled with milk until he saw the milk being poured out from it, because he could not see the white colour of the milk owing to the redness of the glass. So it is with the Person of the Saviour. He became Man and His Godhead was hidden in His Humanity. People saw Him tired hungry and thirsty, and they said: 'If He is God, why is He tired, hungry and thirsty, and why does He pray to God?' They saw only His human side, and could not believe that He was really divine. But those who followed Him and lived with Him knew that He was more than human and that He was God.' "
"Some years ago in Tibet I heard a story about a King who wished to send a message to his people. He entrusted the errand to his servants, but they would not do as he wished. The King, who loved his subjects, now, resolved to take the message to them himself in order to be convinced of their difficulties. He could not go there as a king, for he wanted his subjects to speak to him freely of all their sufferings and distresses. So he changed his garments, left off his royal robes, and dressed himself like a poor man. Then he went right among his people and said to them: 'I have been sent by the King in order to learn about all your difficulties. 'The poor and the distressed had confidence in him and told him all their anxieties, and he saw how he could help them. But there were also some proud people who could not bring themselves to believe that such a poor man was really the King's messenger, so they were rude to him and chased him away. Later on the King came to his subjects at the head of his army in all his royal state, and the people could hardly recognise him again nor believe that it was the same person. They said: 'Then he was a poor man and now he is King.' The proud who had despised him were punished and thrown into prison, but those who had been good to him were honoured and their wants relieved. Even so is it with the Word of Life who became man; His people did not see His Glory, and they crucified Him. But the days are coming when we shall see Him in His Glory, and we shall know that He is the same Jesus Christ who lived like a poor man for three-and-thirty years upon this earth."
"Once when I was travelling about in the Himalayas I saw something which made the love of God very real to me. In a Tibetan village I noticed a crowd of people standing under a burning tree and looking up into the branches. I came near and discovered in the branches a bird which was anxiously flying round a nest full of young ones. The mother bird wanted to save her little ones, but she could not. When the fire reached the nest the people waited breathlessly to see what she would do. No one could climb the tree, no one could help her. Now she could easily have saved her own life by flight, but instead of fleeing she sat down on the nest, covering the little ones carefully with her wings. The fire seized her and burnt her to ashes. She showed her love to her little ones by giving her life for them. If then, this little insignificant creature had such love, how much more must our Heavenly Father’s love to His children, the Creator love His creatures!"
Christ speaks: "If you talk with a man who has been born blind about different colours: red, blue, yellow, and their variations, he has no conception of their glory and beauty, and he is quite unable to value them for he only knows about them; he knows their different names, it is true, but he can never have a true idea of the various colours until his eyes are opened. In fact, the colours are quite remote from his experience. Even so is, it with the eyes of the spirit. A man may be as learned as possible; but until he has received his spiritual sight he cannot know me, nor see my glory, nor understand that I am the Incarnate, God.
"It is impossible for us to achieve our own salvation.... Good ethical teaching sounds well, but it accomplishes nothing. A fish which has been caught in a net can see a certain distance before it; it can even move about a little, but it is still a prisoner.... If it tries to work its way out, it realizes still more painfully that it is a prisoner. My studies broadened my mind, but in spite of everything I discovered that I was caught in the net of sin. I am not alone in feeling this; I have met many, many Indians who had forsaken the world, who were living in caves in the jungle where they were striving with all their might to find the way to spiritual freedom; but all their efforts were fruitless. They only became more deeply entangled in the net.... Many of them, however, went on seeking until they found Christ.... Christ broke the fetters of sin, and they were free."
"If the little chicken in the egg were to declare that nothing existed outside the egg, and its mother were to reply: 'No, in the outside world there are mountains, flowers, and blue sky,' and the little chicken were to reply: 'You are talking nonsense, I can't see any of these things,' and if the shell were to break suddenly, then the little chicken would see that his mother was right. It is just the same with us, we are still in the shell, and we see neither heaven nor hell. But one day the shell will break, and then we shall see. At the same time there are hints of the future state: the little chicken in the shell has eyes and wings, which are in themselves a sufficient proof that they will be needed for a future life. The eye is created for seeing, yet what can it see while it is in the shell? The wings are created for flying, but how can it fly while it is in the shell? It is quite clear that neither eyes nor wings are intended for a cramped life within the limits of a shell. In the same way, we have many desires and longings which can never be satisfied here. There must be so me way of satisfying them, however, and this opportunity is Eternity. But just as the little chicken needs to be kept warm as long as it is in the shell, so while we live in this world we have to be cherished and warmed by the brooding Presence and Fire of the Holy Spirit."
"Other teachers who know that they will have to leave this world are anxious that their teaching should continue to live in written form when oral instruction is no longer possible. But Christ is quite different. He never dreamt of leaving us alone, and He will be with us to the end of the world; therefore He did not need to leave any written word behind. Then there is another reason why He wrote nothing. If He had written something in a book, men would have bowed down and worshipped it, instead of worshipping the Lord Himself. God's Word is only a hand stretched out to point the way to the Lord who is the Truth and the Life." "The Life and the Spirit of the Lord can only be written in the hearts of men, and not in books."
"In the mountains the rushing streams make their own river bed along which they flow; but in the plains men have to work hard to make canals, in order that the water may flow along them. It is just the same with those who live upon the heights with God. The Holy Spirit streams through them freely, while those who give little time to prayer and communion with God have to find their way with much labour and effort."

Know a herb of India

PODINA

Botanical Name : : MENTHA ARVENSIS / PIPERTIA

Family Name: : LAMIACEAE

Common Name: : FIELD MINT, CORN MINT, JAPANESE MINT, PODINA

Part Used : Whole Plant, OilHabitat : Found through out India.Uses : The entire plant is Antibacterial, antifibrile. It yeilds an essential oil and menthol which exert, through their rapid evaporation, aslightly anaesthetic, and anodyne local effect. It is effective in headache, rhinitis, cough sore throat, colic, prurigo and vomiting. Menthol obtained from this is used in balms. It is also used as Flavoring agent in culinary preparations.

Cleanliness

CLEANLINESS means different things to different people. For instance, when a little boy is told by his mother to wash his hands and face, he may think that holding his fingers under a running faucet and wetting his lips is enough. But Mother knows better. She takes him back into the bathroom and scrubs his hands and face with plenty of soap and water—despite his loud protests!
Of course, standards of cleanliness are not the same around the world, and people grow up with varying concepts of cleanliness. In times past, a clean, well-ordered school environment in many countries helped students develop good habits of cleanliness. Today, some school grounds are so full of litter and debris that they resemble a garbage dump more than a place to play or exercise. And what about the classroom? Darren, a janitor in an Australian high school, observed: "Now we see filth in the classroom as well." Some students take the instruction "Pick it up" or "Clean it up" to mean that they are being punished. The problem is that some teachers do use cleaning as a means of punishment.
On the other hand, adults are not always good examples of cleanliness, either in everyday life or in the business world. For example, many public places are left messy and unsightly. Some industries pollute the environment. Pollution, however, is caused, not by faceless industries and businesses, but by people. While greed is probably the main cause of the worldwide problem of pollution and its many ill effects, part of the problem is the result of unclean personal habits. A former director general of the Commonwealth of Australia supported this conclusion when he said: "All questions of public health reduce themselves to a consideration of the one man, the one woman, the one child."
Still, some feel that cleanliness is a personal matter and should be of no concern to anyone else. Is that really so?
The importance of cleanliness cannot be overemphasized when it comes to our food—whether we buy it at a market, eat it at a restaurant, or have a meal at a friend's home. A high standard of cleanliness is expected of those handling or serving the food we eat. Dirty hands—theirs or ours—can be the cause of many sicknesses. What about hospitals—of all places, the place where we expect to find cleanliness? The New England Journal of Medicine reported that unwashed hands among doctors and nurses may help explain why hospital patients develop infections that cost up to ten billion dollars a year to cure. We rightly expect that no one will endanger our health by his unclean habits.
It is also a very serious matter when someone—deliberately or thoughtlessly—pollutes our water supplies. And how safe is it to stroll barefoot along a beach where one may see used syringes left behind by drug addicts and others? Perhaps of even greater personal importance is the question: Is cleanliness practiced in our own home?
Suellen Hoy, in her book Chasing Dirt, asks: "Are we as clean as we used to be?" She answers: "Probably not." She cites shifting social values as the main reason. As people spend less and less time at home, they simply pay someone else to do the cleaning for them. Consequently, maintaining a clean environment is no longer a matter of personal importance. "I don't clean the shower—I clean myself," said one man. "At least, if my house is dirty, I'm clean."
Cleanliness, however, is much more than outward appearance. It is an all-embracing ethic of sound living. It is also a state of mind and heart that involves our morals and worship.

BECAUSE of the shockingly unhygienic conditions in Europe and the United States during the 18th and 19th centuries, missionaries of that period preached what might be termed "a doctrine of cleanliness." This doctrine equated filth with sin, whereas cleanliness was said to bring one closer to God. Perhaps this is what made popular the axiom "Cleanliness is next to godliness."
This view was taken by the Salvation Army, founded by William and Catherine Booth. According to the book Health and Medicine in the Evangelical Tradition, one of their earliest slogans was: "Soap, Soup, and Salvation." Then, when Louis Pasteur and others demonstrated beyond doubt the connection between illness and bacteria, it only added impetus to and a scientific basis for better public-health schemes.
Some of the immediate measures taken included not requiring a witness in court to kiss the Bible and abolishing the common drinking cup at schools and railway stations. Efforts were even made to replace the common chalice at religious services with individual cups. Yes, those early pioneers did seem to have considerable success in changing people's attitudes toward cleanliness. So much so that one writer called the result "a love affair with cleanliness."
This "love affair with cleanliness," however, apparently was only skin deep. It was not long before enterprising merchants turned the humble soap into a beauty product. Clever advertisements led customers to believe that using certain personal hygiene products would give the user social status that others could only envy. Television perpetuates this fantasy. The successful and glamorous people featured in commercials and on soap operas are seldom seen cleaning the house, sweeping the yard, picking up trash, or cleaning up after their pet cats and dogs.
There also are those who reason that going out to work pays the bills, whereas housework or other cleaning chores are of no financial value. And as there is no monetary reward involved, why should they care for the environment? One result of this has been that some people today think that all there is to cleanliness is personal hygiene.
God's View of Cleanliness
There is no doubt that those early efforts to teach cleanliness did help improve people's living conditions. And rightly so, for cleanliness is a quality that belongs to and originated with the holy and clean God, Jehovah. He teaches us to benefit ourselves by becoming holy and clean in all our ways.—Isaiah 48:17; 1 Peter 1:15.
Jehovah God is exemplary in this respect. Cleanliness, as well as his other invisible qualities, is clearly seen in God's visible creation. (Romans 1:20) We observe that the creation itself causes no lasting pollution. The earth with its many ecological cycles is a self-cleaning marvel, and it is designed for clean, healthful living. Such clean work could come only from a clean-minded Designer. We can deduce from this, therefore, that worshipers of God should be clean in all aspects of their life.
Four Aspects of Cleanness
The Bible identifies four aspects of cleanness that worshipers of God should strive for. Let us consider each of these.
Spiritual. This could be considered the most important cleanness of all because it has to do with a person's prospects for everlasting life. However, this is often the most neglected aspect of cleanness. Simply put, to be spiritually clean means never to cross the line that God has drawn between true worship and false, for God views any type of false worship as unclean. The apostle Paul wrote: "'Get out from among them, and separate yourselves,' says Jehovah, 'and quit touching the unclean thing'; 'and I will take you in.'" (2 Corinthians 6:17) The disciple James is also very specific in this respect: "The form of worship that is clean and undefiled from the standpoint of our God and Father is this: . . . to keep oneself without spot from the world."—James 1:27.
God clearly demonstrated his disapproval of mixing false worship with his true worship. False worship often includes unclean practices and detestable idols and gods. (Jeremiah 32:35) Thus, true Christians are urged to shun any involvement with unclean worship.—1 Corinthians 10:20, 21; Revelation 18:4.
Moral. Here, too, God draws a clear line between what is clean and what is unclean. As a whole, the world has come to be as described at Ephesians 4:17-19: "They are in darkness mentally, and alienated from the life that belongs to God . . . Having come to be past all moral sense, they gave themselves over to loose conduct to work uncleanness of every sort with greediness." Such immoral thinking expresses itself in many ways, overt and subtle, hence Christians need to be on guard.
Lovers of God know that prostitution, homosexuality, premarital sex, and pornography are violations of Jehovah's standard of moral cleanness. However, expressions of these practices are commonplace in the entertainment and fashion world. Christians must therefore be on guard against such trends. Wearing skimpy, revealing clothes to Christian meetings or social gatherings draws unnecessary attention to the human body and shows a lapse of chasteness. Besides bringing unclean worldly thinking into the Christian association, dressing that way has the potential to create unclean thoughts in others. This is an area where Christians need to work hard at displaying "wisdom from above."—James 3:17.
Mental. The secret recesses of one's mind should not be a repository of unclean thoughts. Jesus warned against unclean thinking when he said: "Everyone that keeps on looking at a woman so as to have a passion for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart." (Matthew 5:28; Mark 7:20-23) These words apply equally to viewing pornographic pictures and films, reading accounts of lewd sexual activities, and listening to suggestive lyrics of songs. Thus, Christians must avoid defiling themselves by entertaining unclean thoughts that could give rise to unclean, unholy speech and actions.—Matthew 12:34; 15:18.
Physical. Holiness and physical cleanliness are closely linked in the Bible. For example, Paul wrote: "Beloved ones, let us cleanse ourselves of every defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in God's fear." (2 Corinthians 7:1) True Christians, therefore, should strive to keep their body, home, and surroundings clean and tidy, as much as circumstances permit. Even where water for washing or bathing is in short supply, Christians should try to do the best they can to keep clean and presentable.
Physical cleanliness would also preclude the use of tobacco in any form, overindulgence in drinking alcohol, and any form of drug abuse, which befoul and damage the body. The shepherd described in The Song of Solomon appreciated the sweet fragrance of the Shulammite girl's clothing. (Song of Solomon 4:11) Caring for our personal hygiene is a loving thing to do, as we want to avoid inflicting unpleasant odors on those around us. Perfumes and colognes may be pleasant, but they are no substitute for regular bathing and clean clothes.
Keeping a Balanced View

The earth is a self-cleaning marvel
When it comes to physical cleanliness, people can go to extremes. On the one hand, being fanatic about cleanliness can rob us of the joy of living. It can also consume much precious time. On the other hand, dirty and unkempt homes may prove to be costly to repair. Between these extremes is the practical, sensible approach to keeping our home clean and presentable.
Keep it simple. Cluttered homes or rooms are difficult to clean, and dirt may not be so easily detected in such congested surroundings. Modest, uncluttered homes take less time to clean. A simple life-style is highly recommended in the Bible: "Having sustenance and covering, we shall be content with these things."—1 Timothy 6:8.
Keep it tidy. A clean home is the responsibility of everybody living in it. Untidy homes often start out as untidy rooms. Tidiness means that everything is in its proper place. The place for soiled clothes, for example, should not be the bedroom floor. And more seriously, toys and tools left lying around are potentially dangerous. Many accidents in the home are due to untidy habits.
Clearly, cleanliness and the Christian way of life are inseparable. Concerning a godly way of life, the prophet Isaiah speaks of "the Way of Holiness." And he adds the sobering thought that "the unclean one will not pass over it." (Isaiah 35:8) Yes, cultivating good habits of cleanliness now gives strong evidence of our faith in God's promise that he will soon establish a clean paradise earth. Then, in all parts of this beautiful planet, all people will glorify Jehovah God by complying fully with his perfect standards of cleanness.—Revelation 7:9.

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