Health Transitions

I got an Above Rubies magazine just before we left for Kentucky. I had not had time to read it so I brought it with me. Some of you reading may be familiar with Above Rubies. There are things I like about Above Rubies and other things I don't agree with as well. However, I do find encouragement from the magazine so I typically read it. In their last issue there was an article about making kefir from kefir grain. I knew as soon as I read it that I wanted to make kefir for our family. Then a couple of weeks later we were given kefir grain. We started making kefir.

We had no idea how much we were going to learn from this experience nor how much it was going to change our thinking and way of eating. Kefir grain is basically the bacteria used to make kefir. You pour milk over the kefir and let it sit out for 12-24 hours on the kitchen counter covered with a towel to let it breathe. It ferments and turns into a healthy probiotic powerhouse drink. Then the milk is strained through a plastic (not metal strainer) and you have kefir. The kefir grain multiplies fairly rapidly. However, we noticed that ours was declining. We were a little confused by this, but then thought about the fact that we were using conventional milk. That basically means were were using milk from cows that had been fed with grain that has antibiotics in it to prevent infection. We had not given much thought to the fact that antibiotics could be in the milk. So we switched to making kefir with organic milk. The kefir grain then began to multiply once again.

For those who do not know antibiotics kill the beneficial probiotic bacteria in our intestines which can then lead to candida overgrowth. That has many more negative health implications than I think any one really knows. We know that some of the members of our household have candida overgrowth issues and have not been having success with medications, probiotics supplements, or eating yogurt. So combining all these facts Vic and I began to pray and discuss our eating habits. We have switched to organic dairy products. Our coop order will include organic cheese and at that point we should be switched over completely to organic dairy products. Then Vic and I talked about if the antibiotics are in the milk then it is in the meat too. So we are in the process of switching to grass-fed organic beef, pastured pork, and free-range chickens. That is easier said then done here in this community as to buy them from the farmer directly involves being on a waiting list for a while. So we are deciding which farmers to get on their waiting list. Then we switched to cage-free eggs. Vic and I also discussed that pesticides and herbicides also likely affect that delicate intestinal flora balance as well. So we are using as much organic produce as we can. Then we talked about the chemicals in our household cleaners. I am experimenting with making our own cleaners. So we are transitioning.

The dietary changes will have a negative budgetary impact so we have discussed ways to deal with that. We already ted to eat many meatless meals so we will do more of that, but still include the meats for special occasions and once a week which will make the need for meats be lower thus more budget friendly. Vic and I also discussed how sugars and processed foods feed the bad bacterias that cause the candida overgrowth issues. However, we do not want to give up all treats, but we will decrease them and change how we make them. So we decided to switch to sweetening with alternative sweeteners such as honey, stevia, sucanat, and sweeteners like that. At least we decided with these sweeteners we will make them at least have more nutritional content. As we discussed all these changes that will take time to implement we realized that basically we are changing to a more nutrient dense and less chemical diet. We have tended to try eat local and healthy anyway, but we are taking it further now. So if you visit my house I will be in the garden, kitchen, and garage a bit more once we complete school work for that day.

I started a running program before we left for Kentucky as well. Vic and the boys have decided to run as well. So in almost all ways we are adjusting to a healthier lifestyle as a family. As we transition we are hoping to be a healthier family by this time next year. Our goal is to need less medications and less medical care over the next year.

Spending time with eternity in mind

I just finished my to do list for tomorrow. I knew it was going to be long and so I asked my husband if we could put off a family responsibility until Friday when the day will be less hectic than tomorrow (Thursday). He said that was fine. Even then the list was still far too long. Then I started thinking and so I couldn't go to sleep.

What is most important on that to do list? I started thinking about how much time I have wasted in my life that will not count for anything in eternity. How many times have I allowed busyness to shut out time doing the things that matter most? Countless times. Then I realized that there are things I need to put on my to do list because they are priorities and prioritize them higher than things that would normally be on a to do list. I went back and added time to play with my children. I added time to make sure I spend with my husband.

See this is a unique season in my life that I will never get back. My children are young only one time and the years go by so quickly. There will come a time when the time I spend building relationships with them now will determine who they go to for advice and what choices they make in their future. My years of influence in their lives is only for a short time. I want to make that time count. So if something goes undone or the laundry piles up a little that is okay. It will always be there.

Then I started to think about our time here on this earth compared with our time in eternity. Scripture says to store up treasures in heaven. That means what we do with our time here on earth matters for eternity. Our time on earth is small compared to our time in eternity. So I want to make sure I am spending my time on what is the most important-- storing up treasures in heaven. So I want to invest in the right things. It might mean not having things that others find important. It might mean not having riches here on earth. It might mean not accumulating stuff. It might mean I don't spend my time keeping up with popular culture. That is all fine with me. In the end all that matters is that I hear "Well done good and faithful servant" when I enter eternity. So tomorrow I think I will tend to the most important parts of my to do list first by investing in my relationship with the Lord and the relationships with those in my life.

Put Doing The Lord's Will First

"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well" Matthew 6:33

While our family was in Kentucky this verse was a theme that seemed to be a recurring theme. It seemed for the first couple of weeks every church we went to talked about that verse. So it got our attention. Vic and I began to talk about money and actually get on the same page with this. In the past we would agree on a budget, but his brain had not made all the necessary pathways for him to make the follow through decisions. Then he would in my opinion too freely spend money and in his opinion I would be too tight with money. While we were gone we talked a lot about money philosophies. The Lord was building brain connections for him. We were able to get on the same page financially and the follow through has been good.

One thing that struck both of us as we would have conversations about money is that it is not our work that provides for us-- it is the Lord. Scripture is clear that God will supply all of our needs in Philippians and in Matthew chapter 6 we are told not to worry about money. We also talked about how by not coming to agreement on how to use money it was becoming our master. Scripture is also clear in Matthew that we can not serve both God and Money. Then our conversations led further to stuff. The generation previous to ours had all the stuff you have was a status symbol and sense of security. Vic and I began to realize how much that affected us. How much having stuff had become a security blanket of sorts so when we lost most of our stuff it left us feeling insecure. Since we could not get on the same page we had remained in that same insecure state.

We prayed together and talked a lot about priorities. We began to filter our priorities together through Scripture and less through our families. It was only then that we were able to come to agreement or be on the same page. We agreed that we were going to seek God's priorities for our family. We also agreed that as we seek the Lord he will make those priorities clear to us. Then we will live out those priorities and trust God to provide for our family.


We are trusting the Lord to provide all we need because we are putting his priorities first. We have started to filter our budget asking if it fits God's priorities. If it doesn't we go back to the drawing board. Our checkbook we realized is really a reflection of who owns our heart the Lord or money. We have decided to take the Lord literally at his word when he says to put his kingdom first and trust him to provide the rest. This decision has brought peace and unity to our marriage. We still have some growing to do in this area, but we are now working and growing together instead of against each other.