Vitamin C, also known as Ascorbic acid, is necessary for the growth, development and repair of all body tissues. It is involved in many body functions, including formation of collagen, absorption of iron, the immune system, wound healing, and the maintenance of cartilage, bones, teeth, and healthy skin. Vitamin C also helps your body fight infection, and it acts as an antioxidant, protecting cells from damage. Vitamin C is not stored in the body.(excess amounts are excreted) This antioxidant super-nutrient is found in a variety of fruits and vegetables. Yet, according to dietary intake data and the 2005 U.S. Dietary Guidelines, most adults don’t get enough vitamin C in their diets. Vitamin C is easily absorbed both in food and in pill form, and it enhance the absorption of iron when the two are eaten together. Vitamin C is a Water-soluble vitamins . These vitamins must be continuously supplied in the diet to maintain healthy levels. Eat vitamin-C-rich fruits and vegetables raw, steam, or cook them with minimal water to retain the vitamin (nutrients.) because heat can destroy vitamin C during cooking. Vitamin C is one of many antioxidants that can protect against damage caused by harmful molecules called free radicals, as well as toxic chemicals and pollutants like cigarette smoke. Free radicals can build up and contribute to the development of health problems such as cancer, heart disease, and arthritis.   Foods richest in vitamin C are citrus fruits, green peppers, guavas, strawberries, tomatoes, broccoli, white potatoes, and sweet potatoes. Other good sources include dark leafy greens,  and many other fruits and vegetables like cantaloupe, papaya, mango, watermelon, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, red sweet peppers, kale leaves, parsley, collard leaves, turnip greens, mustard greens, raspberries, blueberries, winter squash, and pineapples.         Eating a diet rich in all the nutrients is the best outcome for good health. So it is best to eat lots of fresh fruits and fresh vegetables. American Dietetic Association spokeswoman Dee Sandquist, RD, suggests we should “Strive to eat nine servings of fruits and vegetables daily, because you will get a healthy dose of vitamin C along with an abundance of other vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals that are good for disease prevention and overall health.” Vitamin C is very important for a pregnant mother and baby, both need this vitamin daily. It is necessary for the body to make collagen, a structural protein that is a component of cartilage, tendons, bones, and skin. Vitamin C literally holds the body together. A study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed some researchers believe that vitamin C deficiencies in newborn babies can impair mental development, based on studies done on animals. Sources: Natural Remedies Encyclopedia – Vance Perrell,...

Walking in the Spirt So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.  The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. (Galatians 5:16, 17 NLT) This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. (Galatians 5:16, 17 KJV)...

Verses from the Bible on Relationships  “So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear,  slow to speak,  slow to wrath;  for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Therefore  lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word,  which is able to save your souls.” (James 1:19-21 NKJV). “Let us hold fast the confession of  our  hope without wavering, for He who promised  is  faithful.  And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works,  not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as  is  the manner of some, but exhorting  one    another,  and  so much the more as you see  the Day approaching.”(Hebrews 10:23-25 NKJV). “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you.”(1 Peter 5:6, 7 KJV)   “For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only  do not  use  liberty as an  opportunity for the flesh, but  through love serve one another.  For  all the law is fulfilled in one word, even  in this:  “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another!” (Galatians 5:13-15  NKJV)  “With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.” (Ephesians 4:2-6 KJV)   “Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” (Ephesians 6:1-4 KJV)    “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them. Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord. Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged. Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eye service as men pleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God: And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive...

Walking With God through Prayer Enoch walked with God three hundred years, and begot sons and daughters…. And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him. Genesis 5:22-24, NKJV. – {BLJ 33.1} “While engaged in our daily work, we should lift the soul to heaven in prayer. These silent petitions rise like incense before the throne of grace; and the enemy is baffled. The Christian whose heart is thus stayed upon God cannot be overcome. No evil arts can destroy his or her peace. All the promises of God’s Word, all the power of divine grace, all the resources of Jehovah, are pledged to secure his or her deliverance. It was thus that Enoch walked with God. And God was with him, a present help in every time of need. – {BLJ 33.2} Prayer is the breath of the soul. It is the secret of spiritual power. No other means of grace can be substituted and the health of the soul be preserved. Prayer brings the heart into immediate contact with the Wellspring of life, and strengthens the sinew and muscle of the religious experience. Neglect the exercise of prayer, or engage in prayer spasmodically, now and then, as seems convenient, and you lose your hold on God. The spiritual faculties lose their vitality, the religious experience lacks health and vigor…. – {BLJ 33.3} It is a wonderful thing that we can pray effectually, that unworthy, erring mortals possess the power of offering their requests to God. What higher power can human beings desire than this-to be linked with the infinite God? Feeble, sinful human beings have the privilege of speaking to their Maker. We may utter words that reach the throne of the Monarch of the universe. We may speak with Jesus as we walk by the way, and He says, I am at thy right hand. – {BLJ 33.4} We may commune with God in our hearts; we may walk in companionship with Christ. When engaged in our daily labor, we may breathe out our heart’s desire, inaudible to any human ear; but that word cannot die away into silence, nor can it be lost. Nothing can drown the soul’s desire. It rises above the din of the street, above the noise of machinery. It is God to whom we are speaking, and our prayer is heard.-Messages to Young People, 249, 250 – {BLJ 33.5} From Be Like  Jesus by Ellen G....

Gladness, not Gloom, January 24  2.”Serve the Lord with gladness: come before His presence with singing. 4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His name.” Psalm 100:2,4 King James Version (KJV) ”Let every church member kneel before God while in His temple, and consecrate to Him His own, which He has bought with the blood of Christ…. God will bless all who will thus prepare themselves for His service. They will understand what it means to have the assurance of the Spirit, because they have received Christ by faith. The religion of Christ means much more than the forgiveness of sin. It means taking away our sins and filling the vacuum with the Holy Spirit. It means divine illumination, rejoicing in God. It means a heart emptied of self, and blessed with the abiding presence of Christ. We need the vital qualities of Christianity, and when we possess them, the church will be a living, active, working church. There will be growth in grace, because the bright rays of the Sun of Righteousness pervade the chambers of the mind. Let us not bring the gloom of unbelief into the church. Let us trim our lamps, seeking a fresh supply of oil, before we step over the threshold. It is our right, our privilege, to dismiss gloomy depression. As we go to the house of worship, we may go with joyfulness, for are we not going to meet with God and His people? … Let no thought of criticism enter your mind, to torment you, for Satan is near. He will do this work without your help. Refuse to cooperate with the accuser of the brethren. Gather up every ray of light, then seek out those who need help, and give this light to them. God says, “Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled” (Luke 14:23)…. The Lord will greatly bless His tried and chosen ones, if they will cooperate with Him. When the Holy Spirit came down on the day of Pentecost, it was like a rushing, mighty wind. It was given in no stinted measure, for it filled all the place where the disciples were sitting. So will it be given to us when our hearts are prepared to receive it…. When you meet with the Lord, say, I am in the Lord’s house, and I desire all wicked thoughts, all mistrust and murmuring against my brethren, to be banished. We have met here with God, who “so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish,...

1. Proverbs 3:6 “In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.” (KJV) 2. Psalm 23:4 “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” [NKJV] 3. 1 Corinthians 13:4 “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; ” [NKJV] 4. Proverbs 3:5 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;.” [NKJV] 5. Romans 12:2 “Do not conform yourselves to the standards of this world, but let God transform you inwardly by a complete change of your mind. Then you will be able to know the will of God—what is good and is pleasing to him and is perfect.” (GNT) “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” [NKJV] 6.Philippians 4:6 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” (ESV) “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;” [NKJV] 7. Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” [NKJV] 8. Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me..” [NKJV] 9. Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” (NLT) “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” [NKJV] 10. John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting...

 The CDC recommends a yearly flu vaccine for everyone six months of age and older as the first and most important step in protecting someone against flu viruses. In addition to getting vaccinated, the Red Cross has some simple steps people can take to help prevent the spread of the flu virus. Parents can also practice these things with their kids to help keep them well: Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue or sleeve when coughing or sneezing, and throw the tissue away after use. If a tissue isn’t available, cough or sneeze into your elbow, not your hands. Wash hands often, especially after coughing or sneezing. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand-rub. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Avoid close contact with people who are sick. Stay home if you’re sick. Citrus fruits loaded with Vitaminn C  is great to boost the immune system; such as Oranges, tangerines, grapefruits, lemon,limes.  [”The benefits of vitamin C may include protection against immune system deficiencies, cardiovascular disease, prenatal health problems, eye disease, and even skin wrinkling” ~~ WebMD] Signs Of The Flu: How does someone know they have the flu? The common signs of influenza are high fever, severe body aches, headache, being extremely tired, sore throat, cough, runny or stuffy nose, and vomiting and/or diarrhea (which is more common in children). If someone in your household does come down with the flu, the American  Red Cross wants you to know the best way to care for them: Designate one person as the caregiver and have the other household members avoid close contact with that person so they won’t become sick. Make sure the person stays at home and rests until 24 hours after the fever is gone. Designate a sick room for the person if possible. If there is more than one sick person, they can share the sick room if needed. If you have more than one bathroom, designate one for those who are sick to use. Give each sick person their own drinking glass, washcloth and towel. Keep the following either in the sick room or near the person: tissues, a trash can lined with a plastic trash bag, alcohol-based hand rub, a cooler or pitcher with ice and drinks, a thermometer and a cup with straw or squeeze bottle to help with drinking. A humidifier will provide extra moisture, making it easier for the sick person to breathe. Sick people should wear a facemask, if available, when they leave the sick room or are around others. Give plenty of liquids (water and other clear liquids) at the first sign of flu and continue throughout the illness. People with the flu need to...