Seniors

Words That Improve Friendship

By Dr. Paul Tripp

When was the last time you talked with a friend?

I’m not sure how serious the conversation was, but one thing I am sure of is this: your words were not insignificant.

There’s an amazing proverb that Eugene Peterson translates: “Words kill, words give life; they’re either poison or fruit— you choose. “(Proverbs 18:21,

The Message)

How do you use words to “give life “to your friendship? Does it mean that you quote Scripture incessantly? Should you continuously point out the sin in others? Are you allowed to talk about sports or the weather?

There’s probably no better guide about how to talk with friends than (Ephesians 4:29): “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.”

This verse, and all of Scripture, doesn’t give us a preapproved vocabulary list to use or avoid; instead, it teaches us how to speak with a biblical agenda. There are three aspects of that agenda:

Consider the Person

“…only such as is good for building up…”

Gospel-centered communication is always other-centered communication. The Apostle Paul says I should never say anything to a friend that is not helpful for them. My words must not be spoken from a self-centered agenda where I am seeking to establish my will in the friendship, but spoken from an ambassadorial agenda, where I seek to be part of what the King is doing in the life of my friend.

Consider the Problem

“…as fits the occasion…”

Before I speak, I must think about what my friend is struggling with and what they most need now. Do they need encouragement, comfort, hope, direction, wisdom, courage, rebuke, warning, forgiveness, patience, teaching, correction, thanks, insight, a job description, or something else? My words must be shaped by an awareness of their need.

Consider the Process

…that it may give grace to those who hear.”

Gospel-centered communication is not just about the content of my words, but how they are spoken. Often I choose to say the right thing, but in the wrong way or at the wrong time. Confronting a teenager five minutes before they leave for school is not helpful, even if the content is accurate. Rebuking a friend for an offense in front of others is not beneficial, even if they need to be confronted. Asking your spouse to consider how they hurt you as they are trying to get to sleep might not be the best time, even if you do need to reconcile.

Here is what we all must remember: God has a bigger agenda for our friendships than we do. These relationships are designed to be workrooms for redemption, not shelters for human happiness.

What do your words reveal? Are you settling for your own definition of personal happiness when God’s purpose is nothing short of conforming us to the image of Christ?

If we are ever going to give grace when we talk, we need grace to free us from our bondage to ourselves so that our words may be liberated to be used by God.

God bless.

Reflection Questions

1. When was the last time someone spoke poisonous words to you? How did that kill your spirits? 2. What did someone say to you recently that was the result of the fruit of the Spirit? How did those words give life to your soul?

Think of one of your relationships where the truth needs to be spoken in love. Consider: 3. The Person. What self-centered motives do you need to put aside before having this conversation? 4. The Problem. What are the needs of the other person, and how can you select words that are most appropriate for their need?

5. The Process. How can you deliver these words in a time and manner that is most helpful? Where do you need to hold your tongue?

Dr. Paul Tripp

This content was originally posted by Paul Tripp on www. paultripp.com" >

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One of the secrets of happy and beautiful life"

By J.R. Miller

As your days — so shall your strength be!" (Deuteronomy 33:25)

One of the secrets of a happy and beautiful life is to live one day at a time. Really, we never have anything to do any day but the bit of God's will for that day. If we do that well, we have absolutely nothing else to do. Time is given to us in days. It was so from the beginning. This breaking up of time into little daily portions means a great deal more than we are accustomed to think. For one thing, it illustrates the gentleness and goodness of God. It would have made life intolerably burdensome if a year, instead of a day had been the unit of division. It would have been hard to carry a heavy load, to endure a great sorrow, or to keep on at a hard duty for such a long stretch of time. How dreary our common taskwork would be if there were no breaks in it, if we had to keep our hand to the plough for a whole year! We never could go on with our struggles, our battles and our suffering, if night did not mercifully settle down with its darkness, and bid us rest and renew our strength.

We do not understand how great a mercy there is for us in the briefness of our short days. If they were even twice as long as they are, life would be intolerable! Many a time when the sun goes down, we feel that we could scarcely have gone another step. We would have fainted in defeat, if the summons to rest had not come just when it did.

We see the graciousness of the divine thoughtfulness in giving us time in periods of little days, which we can easily get through with and not in great years, in which we would faint and fall by the way. It makes it possible for us to go on through all the long years and not to be overwrought, for we never have given to us at any one time more than we can do between the morning and the evening.

If we learn well the lesson of living just one day at a time, without anxiety for either yesterday or tomorrow, we shall have found one of the great secrets of Christian peace. That is the way God teaches us to live. That is the lesson both of the Bible and of nature. If we learn it, it will cure us of all anxiety; it will save us from all feverish haste; it will enable us to live sweetly in any experience. "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." (Matthew 6:34)

8 Easy Lifestyle Habits For Healthy Immune Function

Today, tomorrow, and forever, it’s imperative that you take care of your immune system. Believe it or not, you can use lifestyle habits for healthy immune function right where you are. There’s never been a better time to build these healthy habits into your daily life.

These healthy habits are sciencebacked methods to support immune function. Here’s how you can use each one to lift your mood, your faith, and your immune system today.

8 EASY LIFESTYLE HABITS FOR YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM’S HEALTH 1. LAUGH AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE

Let’s start with a joyful habit. Laughter.

Have you ever wondered why we laugh? Why did God give us this gift?

It is an amazing health-promoting habit. The more you can build laughter into your daily life, the more you’ll reduce cortisol, improve your mood, and decrease depression.

These, in turn, will encourage healthy immune function.

Interestingly, multiple studies show that the benefits of smiling and laughter are experienced whether its real or fake. So, fake it if you need to, and get in a good belly laugh each day.

2. SLEEP AT LEAST 7 HOURS PER NIGHT

Sleep is one of the strongest immune-boosters available to you. It can support your immune function through your lymph system and help your body restore itself each day.

How is sleep one of the strongest lifestyle habits for healthy immune function?

It allows your body and brain to recoup, restore, and fight disease. During sleep, your immune system releases cytokines which both promote sleep and fight disease. When you are awake, your body must do the work of being awake, moving, and maintaining an active brain. This takes most of its resources. When you are asleep, it can do maintenance on your body.

What’s more, sleep deprivation is well-documented as a factor in decreased immunity and increased illness, decreasing immune cells in number and strength.

One study of 1,654 participants aged 20-74 years looked at sleep and its effects on those with various illnesses. It followed these participants for 20 years. The results indicated that participants with existing high blood pressure or impaired blood sugars, who slept less than 6 hours per night, were 1.8 times likely to die of heart disease or stroke.

3. MAINTAIN HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS

God has created us for relationships, and they are important for overall health and healthy immune function.

Positive relationships can improve your mood and decrease stress. This, in turn, can promote a strong immune system (see more below).

To maintain relationships even when you can’t always be with each other in-person:

Invest in the relationships within your household and neighborhoods. Find new games to play, movies to watch, routes to walk, and other ways to make great memories together.

Stay in touch with loved ones however you can. Use technology to video-call, send videos to friends, and keep in touch. Social media can be a negative addiction if left unchecked, but it can also be a great way to feel a sense of community if you’re away from loved ones.

Maintain the relationships that are important to you. It’s good for your health and immune function!

4. LET GRATITUDE AND OPTIMISM PREVAIL

It’s always the perfect time to allow gratitude and optimism to prevail. You can get your gratitude journal going again. You may have started one during the Thanksgiving and the Holiday Season last year. Or, this idea may be new to you.

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LIFESTYLE

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Gratitude journals, focusing on small daily blessings, are powerful. Being grateful is associated with better mental, emotional, and physical health and immunity.

To start a gratitude journal, first simply get a pen and a paper, or a journal. Next, write 5-10 “gratitudes” per day. They can be big or small things. You can write them throughout the day, or at the beginning or end. Just choose to focus on simple gratitudes each day as one of your lifestyle habits to support healthy immune function and more.

5. EXERCISE EVERY DAY

Right now, you might feel like you don’t have many options for exercise. But actually, you have 2 great options: exercise in your home OR outside.

In fact, if you look online for free yoga, aerobic, or other classes, you’ll likely find some great ones. Some gyms and studios are offering online class streams.

Or, get outside! Whether it’s just a short walk or a ride on a bike, God has given us a huge gift in the mood-elevating outdoors. Not only is any activity good for our muscles, hearts, and brains, outdooractivity specifically has been shown to improve mood and depression. What’s more, if the sun is shining, your body will make Vitamin D, an immune-stimulated vitamin.

And there’s even more good news: When you exercise, a group of immune cells called myokines are produced and released by the skeletal muscles. These promote immune function and whole-body health benefits.

6. PRAY CONTINUALLY

Prayer is not a last-ditch effort for health and immune function, but a foundation for your relationship with God, your mental health, physical health, and entire well-being.

In fact, prayer releases control from you and gives it to God. It helps change your heart towards any stressful situation, even if the situation itself doesn’t change. And lastly, it allows you to focus on truth. God’s truth is that He is with you in any circumstance. That nothing is too big. And, that He will walk with you through it.

The act of prayer has shown to increase certain helpful neurotransmitters, such as dopamine, which help promote a state of relaxation, focus, motivation, and well-being.

God has given us prayer as an amazing cortisol-releasing activity that brings us closer to Him while improving our health. As stress goes down, the efficacy of the immune system increases.

7. ENGAGE IN STRESSRELEASE ACTIVITIES DAILY

All of the above activities, from exercise to laughing to sleep, are stress-releasing activities. They all reduce cortisol, and this has a direct impact on your immune system. They are all stress-reducing, lifestyle habits for a strong immune system.

But, you may know of some others to work great to reduce your own stress. What are they? Reading? Talking on the phone to a loved one?

If needed, think of 1-3 more activities you can do each day to decrease stress and cortisol.

As you do, you’ll promote immune health. High blood cortisol levels are correlated with increased blood pressure, poor immunity,

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negative moods, reduced sleep and energy, memory issues, and an increased incidence of diabetes and heart disease. Stress-reducing activities can help!

8. DETOX FROM UNHEALTHY EATING AND FLOOD YOUR BODY WITH NUTRIENTS SEVERAL TIMES PER YEAR

Your body is constantly bombarded with unhealthy compounds, toxins, and chemicals. Every day. Every hour. Some of these are ingested, some are inhaled, and others are byproducts of your body’s processes.

What can you do?

You can detox, fast, and cleanse your body from foods that harm it, and flood your body with nutrients that promote healthy immune, liver, digestive, lymph, and kidney function.

BOTTOM LINE

You can use easy strategies to support your immune function and whole-body health. Get started now: laugh, sleep, maintain relationships, pray, reduce stress, exercise, and detox. © All rights reserved 2022 - Dr. Don Colbert>

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10 New Healthy Habits In 10 Days

10 DAY PLAN TO IMPROVE HEALTH

Do you believe you can transform your habits, and your health, in just 10 days? While a full transformation may take longer, and results certainly do, you can set 10 new healthy habits in motion in 10 days. And these can significantly improve health.

How, they can help you set up daily habit-based goals, one small step at a time. If 10 habits in 10 days feel like too much, consider just per week, such as 10 new healthy habits in 10 Mondays. Or, choose just 3-5 of the following list to tackle this month.

No matter how you want to do it, you can set the wheels in motion to change your health with 10 new healthy habits in 10 days. Here are 10 to get you started.

Day 1. Start Each Day With Prayer And Faith: From The Rising Of The Sun

Prayer is a wonderful gift for spiritual health. Believe it or not, it can also affect us physically. It has been found to reduce cortisol and support mental and physical health!

On day one, figure out the best time to spend in prayer each day. Make it a daily priority and habit.

Prayer has been shown to increase the secretion of neurotransmitters, such as dopamine. These compounds decrease cortisol while promoting relaxation, focus, and motivation.

Day 2. Get Into The Keto Zone

If you haven’t already, take day 2 to learn about the Keto Zone and how it can affect your health.

If you are looking for an effective, healthy way to lose weight, improve overall health, support healthy blood sugars, and more, it’s a great option for you. When you get into the Keto Zone, you’ll cut out most of your carbohydrates. You’ll rely on healthy fats, moderate protein, ketones, and only small amounts of carbs for nourishment and energy. How?

The best way to get started is to get the book: Dr. Colbert’s Keto Zone Diet Book

You will find how to cut carbs and get into ketosis. Then, continue to follow our posts, recipes, Facebook groups, and more to keep going. You can also join our FREE 21-Day Keto Zone Challenge!

Day 3. Drink Up: Aim For 80 Ounces Per Day

This is a simple habit, but not necessarily easy. Throughout your day, drink 80 ounces of more water per day.

How?

Often, it’s easier if you set up a schedule. Try to drink 32 ounces by noon, 32 ounces by 4 pm, and 16 additional ounces in the evening.

Amazing, adequate hydration supports great energy, health, and the condition and appearance of your skin.

In fact, one study found that increasing water consumption by 2 liters per day improved skin condition and physiology, even in those who already consumed high amounts of water. The researchers concluded that this increase and improvement in skin health would likely have the most positive effect on those with lower daily water consumption.

Water, green tea, and black tea are all great choices for overall health, skin health, and anti-aging habits.

Day 4. Stretch For A Youthful Body

One day 4, brainstorm to decide when you should add a bit of stretching each day. Just 3-5 minutes is enough. Stretch in the morning or before bed. Believe it or not, as you gain flexibility in your spinal cord, you’ll improve your posture, range of motion of your limbs, and support cardiovascular health.

Amazingly, trunk flexibility directly represents the flexibility of your arteries? As crazy as it sounds, researchers have found that poor trunk flexibility is associated with stiff arteries. This means that keeping your body flexible enough to touch your toes means better artery health and blood pressure.

Day 5. Activate The Cells With A Cold Shower

This habit is simple and doesn’t add time to your schedule. Choose to swap a hot shower for a cold one.

Cold showers may be slightly uncomfortable, but there is strong evidence that they are great for health.

Cold showers are known to activate skin cells, shrinks pores, and promotes a better complexion. Next, cold showers can actually increase brain activity and even reduce stress and depression according to studies . Cold showers may reduce chronic fatigue.

Lastly, cold showers likely support immune function. In fact, a recent study from the Netherlands found that cold showers significantly reduce sick days. Just 30 seconds or more of cold showering per day reduced sick days by 29% in the studies.

Day 6. Keep A Gratitude Journal And Write 5 Meaningful Gratitudes Per Day

On day 6, find an old notebook or journal and begin a gratitude journal.

Gratitude is a healthy habit that can absolutely improve health and wellness. How?

First, gratitude can directly influence the quality of your sleep. A study of 400 participants found that writing gratitudes during the day and before sleep improves both the quality and duration of sleep. And, this study even included participants with sleep disorders. In another study, gratitude was linked to a 10 percent improvement in sleep and a 19 percent decrease in depression levels in patients with chronic disease and insomnia.

When you improve sleep, you improve whole-body health. Gratitude can also support: • Immune System Health • More Motivation for Healthy Habits • Mental Health • Heart Health

Want to know more? Read here to find out the ways gratitude affects health and aging.

Day 7. Proactively Learn To Make Laughter An Everyday Event

On day 7, think about laughter, and prioritize it in each day. This may mean reading your favorite funny author, spending time with a great friend, or even listening to a favorite comedian.

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See HEALTHY HABITS on Page 25

HEALTHY HABITS Continued from Page 24

Why would you prioritize laughter?

Amazingly, laughter is considered an effective, non-invasive therapy for improved mental health and mood. In fact, it’s been found that laughter alters dopamine and serotonin activity, and causing an increase in endorphins. These chemicals decrease discomfort, cortisol, and depressed moods.

Day 8. Get Moving, Outside If Possible

Aside from changing your diet, adding exercise may be the most time-intensive habit on this list. But, it can absolutely improve your health.

There’s little doubt that being physically active, every day, is beneficial for your health. It works your heart, keeps blood vessels more elastic, supports a healthy weight and healthy blood sugars, and even supports brain health.

In fact, you don’t need to train for a marathon for these benefits – even walking every day can get the job done. Starting day #8, can you start the habit of a daily walk? Do you have 30 minutes, or even 3 separate 10-minute time slots for walking or another physical activity? Can you do it outside?

Here are 10 Amazing Benefits of Walking!

Day 9. Intermittent Fasting: Evening Through Mid-Morning

If you decided to enter the Keto Zone on Day #2, you can take it one step further and add intermittent fasting starting Day #9. In fact, even if you’re not in the Keto Zone, you can enjoy the benefits of intermittent fasting. How?

Around 7 pm in the evening, consider starting a daily intermittent fast to slow aging.

Why?

There are many documented benefits to intermittent fasting.

These include: • Improve cholesterol markers • Reduced triglycerides • Improved aging • Weight loss without negative cellular adaptations • Reduced risk of Diabetes • Reduced risk of cancer and improved treatment

What’s more?

Study after study has shown that intermittent fasting benefits body systems often affected by aging, including brain health, heart health, and blood sugars.

To fast 15-16 out of the 24 hours per day, finish eating at 7 pm each day, and fast with only non-carbohydrate liquids (like coffee) until 10 am or so. Then, utilize Keto Zone eating for 8 hours per day.

Day 10. Sleep Must Be A Priority – 7 Or More Hours Per Night

We could all use more sleep. If you’re not getting enough, you are short-changing your health. On day 10, think about sleep and how you can consistently get at least 7 hours per night.

Good quality sleep has many health and aging benefits. These include: • Reduced Daily Cortisol • Better Melatonin Levels • Less Depressed Moods • Less Inflammation • Healthy Body Weight • Better Heart Health • And More

In fact, good sleep begets good sleep, and lack of sleep increases cortisol for up to 24 hours, which then negatively affects sleep again. Lack of sleep has also been shown to reduce mental performance and alertness while increasing inflammation and cortisol.

BOTTOM LINE

In just 10 days, you can improve your health. You can set new habits and prioritize activities that support brain health, healthy weight, heart health, and more. If you’re ready to start, just take the first step with day one. Don’t let the list become overwhelming, take it at your own pace. Each day, make your own health your priority, and proactively and systematically start 10 new healthy habits in 10 days © All rights reserved 2022 - Dr. Don Colbert.>