Have you heard the legend of the Cherokee Indian Youth’s Rite of Passage?

Once he survives the night he is a MAN!

A Cherokee  father takes his son into the forest, blindfolds him and leaves him alone.

He is required to sit on a stump the whole night and not remove the blindfold until the rays of the morning sun shine through it.

He cannot cry out for help to anyone.

He must endure the night terrors even though he can’t see what is happening round about him.

The boy is naturally terrified. He can hear all kinds of noises. Wild beasts must surely be all around him . Maybe even some enemy tribesman might do him harm.

Son Notices Father's Vigil

The wind blew through the trees and even shook his sitting stump, but he sat stoically, never removing the blindfold. It would be the only way he could become a man!

He cannot tell the other boys of this experience because each lad must come into manhood on his own.

Finally, after a horrific night the sun appeared and he removed his blindfold.

It is then that he discovered his father sitting on the stump near to him.
He had been at watch the entire night  protecting his son from harm.

Cherokee Father Watching Over His Son

We, too, are never alone.
Our Heavenly Father is watching over us.

Even when we are sitting on a stump and unaware He is beside us.

When trouble comes, all we have to do is reach out to Him.

Moral of the story:
Just because you can’t see God,
Doesn’t mean He is not there.
“For we walk by faith, not by sight.”

Seek the Lord Jesus Christ for he hath said  “…he that hath seen me hath seen the Father…” John 14:9 “…seek and ye shall find: knock, and it shall be opened unto you:..”  Mathew 7:7

Free Radical Culprits

Overview

Some Health Professional are beginning to understand the role “Free Radicals” play in accelerating the diseases and disorders associated with the aging process. Phlebitis, arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer just to name a few, become more common place as we age. Our bodies are bombarded by Free Radicals some of which are necessary for good health such as Nitric Oxide a chemical compound naturally produced in the body which appears to be extremely important in maintaining normal blood pressure, cholesterol, and heart function; however it has been estimated that each cell in the body is assaulted by approximately 10,000  “Unstable” Free Radical hits every day. Most of the harmful Free Radicals produced in the body are a byproduct of the oxygen metabolism which takes place when oxygen is utilized to produce energy from food components. Unhealthy diets, food preservatives, smoking,  air pollution,  UV light, stress, and pretty much just plain living accumulates Oxidative Stress to one degree or another but we normally begin to notice the effects more acutely around age 40-50.

Antioxidants prevent unstable Free Radicals Cascades

Free Radicals are  highly reactive atomically unbalanced molecules that cause damage to our cells similar to the way metal becomes rusty or fruit turns brown and spoils. This process is commonly known as oxidation. Fire, as we have been taught from grade school, is an extreme case of very rapid chemical oxidation at the atomic level and when fire rages out of control it can be very dangerous even deadly. So too can bio-cellular oxidation fuel abnormal cell production. I remember a loved one who after receiving a diagnosis of a malignant carcinoma lived only a short time afterward because “it spread like wild fire”. These deleterious chemical events accumulate over a period of time and manifest themselves in a plethora of  physical ailments and maladies from acid reflux to chronic fatigue syndrome. Old age is usually accompanied by a variety of diseases which are directly related to these chemical reactions. According to Dr. Richard A. Passwater PH.D.“The most striking factor in the aging process is the bodies loss of reserve due to the decreasing number of healthy cells in each organ… Free-radical damage to the cell membrane can impair the cell’s ability to transport nutrients into the cell and the cell dies without replacing itself.” Also “Free radicals can damage the cell’s DNA so instead of the cell being replaced by another healthy daughter cell, the cell is replaced with a mutant  that doesn’t function correctly.”  [*1.]

Free Radicals damage normal cells

So then,  Free Radical reactions left unchecked absolutely decreases the number of healthy active cells left in the body. I like the analogy of the light bulbs in an old theater marquee that burn out one at a time. In the beginning you can read it but as the bulbs begin to burn out it becomes more difficult and eventually the message is not discernible at all. So too, in the body, the cells of each organ decline but still function until they reach critical mass and the organ begins to shut down and eventually it’s “Lights Out”. Free-Radical Pathology and Aging is a relatively new field but it is gaining ground among research scientists; however many health professionals do not have the new information or the scientific studies that are now available.[*2.]  Because it takes years for this type of research to reach the clinical field many health professionals still think that these diseases are simply the result of  old age, or in some cases  germs or viruses and therefore treat the symptoms and not the cause. The good news is that there is a new generation of “Super Antioxidants” that studies have shown are effective in neutralizing the devastating consequences of  free radical damage and slow the onslaught of old age.

Ref/ [*1.] Live Better, Longer p.60  Dr.Richard A. Passwater Ph.D.

Ref/ [*2.]  Liu, X., et al. French maritime pine bark extract pycnogenol dose-dependently lowers glucose in type 2 diabetic patients. Diabetes Care 27: 839, 2004.

Ref/ [*2.] http://journals.lww.com/cardiovascularpharm/Fulltext/1998/10000/Endothelium_Dependent_Vascular_Effects_of.1.aspx

“For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the Lord…”Jeremiah 30:17

When we come to the place and time of our lives that we realize our inability to help ourselves and our utter need of rescue; those are the times when God often manifests His mighty powers of deliverance and healing. In Mark 5:24-34 we read a precious example of a woman diseased with an issue of blood for 12 years, even after spending all her money on doctors was not any better but rather grew worse, who finally fled to the Great Physician the Lord Jesus Christ.  Weakened from the loss of blood but undaunted she struggled through the crowd’s hard press believing that “If I may but touch His garment I shall be whole”. When the Lord Jesus discerned that “virtue had gone out of Him” he turned to focus the attention of all to the plight and deliverance of this now restored daughter of Zion; who upon understanding what had been wrought in her body fell down at the feet of Yashua and trembling told “all the truth”. Then Jesus said, “Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace and be whole of thy plague.” These were words of endearment and comfort which brought relief to her trusting believing heart and they can ring true for us today. Faith is an important aspect of healing for we read that “without faith it is impossible to please God: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” [Hebrew 11:6]  God gives comfort and peace to the faithful in times of crisis and when he chooses to give healing relief all the credit and praise belongs to Him. Whether he guides us to capable physicians or holistic healers it is the natural healing processes that he has designed into the human body that must respond; for it is God alone who is the ultimate source of  physical and spiritual regeneration.

The Great Physician

During my quest for healing the Lord gave me several Bible verses that I committed to memory which sustained and buoyed me up upon occasions of fear and trembling and comforted me when in prayer and fasting. I claimed these verses and verbally or mentally offering them back to God in my supplications.

Deuteronomy 31:8 And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not neither be dismayed.

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart: and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

A dear Christian friend sent me a copy of Beside Still Waters by the 19^th century “Prince of  Preachers” Charles Haddon Spurgeon

C.H.Spurgeon by Alexander Melville

who knew well the humbling effect of rejection and sickness in his own life. Depression was a frequent and perverse companion. He suffered from gout, a disease that produces torturous misery, and pain hounded him the last 20 years of his life. During his ministry, the Asiatic cholera epidemic scourged London and many people died daily. Tuberculosis was rampant and incurable. The debtor’s prisons were full–business failures were common. In London alone 100,000 children wandered in destitution headed for jails or early graves. Spurgeon’s trial and afflictions drew him closer to Jesus Christ and his people and as a dedicated pastor he drove all over south London visiting and ministering to the afflicted.

Beside Still Waters [Words of Comfort for the Soul] p.11

The Lord Who Heals You

Exodus 15:26 “If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and will do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandment, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord who healeth thee.”

Some saints are called to bear great physical pain. To them, I recommend from practical experience the power of faith in God during acute agony. This is the sweetest support during an impending operation. How grim those surgeon’s scalpels seem. I knew a patient once-I still know her-who, after the scalpel had been used on her, filled the doctor’s case with roses! God alone can help you fill with roses that grim memory of danger and suffering. How sweet to feel that if God has sent disease to your home, He has made them a chariot in which blessings have been brought to you.

Do not go to wine for comfort in the hour of depression. Above all things, dread the intoxicating cup in all its forms. You need not even appeal to friends for consolation. What do they know of your inner sorrow?

When Sea Billows O'er Me Roll

There are seas of suffering that the sufferer must navigate alone. No other sail in sight. Scan the horizon and nothing is seen but wave after wave. Now is your hour for faith in the great Lord, who holds even lonely seas in the hollow of His hand [Is.40:12]. He knows your poor body, and He permits it to be frail. He permits your heart to tremble because He will glorify Himself in His tenderness to your weakness. He will make you strong.

JEHOVAH ROPHI is His name: “The Lord Who Heals You.” Give yourself to Him, and you will yet sing of His loving kindness and tender mercies.

Has Courtesy Civility & Honesty Gone With The Wind?

Webster defines courtesy as: consideration, cooperation, and generosity in providing something.

This was once common place in America.

I was reading a cute, snippy tongue in cheek Hub page by an authoress called Pgrundy entitled Satan Works for a Cell Phone Company in which she describes her heroing experience in a late night Michigan snow storm car accident. Apparently poor visibility, icy road conditions and an inexplicably stopped Dodge Ram Pickup Truck conspired together smashing her car into a frozen country roadside ditch. Possibly surmising that this unfortunate woman was not seriously injured the unscathed rear ended “Rammaroo” truck and driver sped away after a hasty perusal of the situation. Still dazed and now abandoned with not so much as a  by your leave  she turned to her trusted cell phone for her promised deliverance but could find no signal in the teeth of the chattering cold. Pgrundy did not exactly explain how the tow truck was dispatched, to her panic stricken relief, but it was. When the shock of her potential near miss with personal disaster ebbed away, rage over the faulty cell phone emergency motivated a prompt visit to the delinquent mobile provider. The ensuing cell phone sales office confrontation is relayed in a sarcastically amusing tone but drives home the “up yours” attitude of contemporary sales and business personnel in America today. The apparent callous attitude of the truck driver, sales persons and Cell Phone Company gives us pause as we puzzle about what has happened to American society. She refers to Americans’  lack of civility, honesty and common courtesy as “The United States of Who Gives a Crap”. Southern Chivalry has been poo-pooed since the Civil War but I believe Miss Pgrundy would have received the services of gentlemen with exceeding appreciation.

Consequences of the Theory of Evolution

I believe the lack of personal integrity is the inevitable by product of the repudiation of Biblical Christian Principles in favor of the religion of Darwinian Evolution and Secular Humanism. America has rushed headlong, without realizing the consequences, into a purge of Christian ethics from the public discourse under the pretense of the false “separation of church and state” doctrine. Government Schools prohibit Bible Reading and prayer in the class room while teachers openly ridicule the Bible and intimidate young Christians into silence. Three successive generations have been “educated” under the concepts of natural selection and survival of the fittest. If man is only the sum of his material parts, a soulless animal, an accident of random chance then there are no eternal consequences for his actions. If there is no God who judges actions then there is no absolute moral authority; self restraint removed the lowest common denominator becomes main stream and people eventually behave like the animals they are believed to be. Mankind eventually devolves into a ravening creature that grabs as much as he can from whoever he can for as long as he can; euphemistically known as the Law of the Jungle.

When we are personally assaulted by verbal abuses and scams or slighted by neglect we should not be surprised because it confirms what the Bible says about man; that he is dead in sin and trespasses and needs redemption. Ephesians 2:1 The Scriptures name the problem and also name the solution in the person of the Jesus Christ. Romans 10:9 When reverence and love of God is stripped away from men, self restraint and genuine concern for others becomes a casualty and the primary motivation for living revolves around self-preservation/gratification. Little wonder that men leave women to fend for themselves out in the middle of nowhere during blizzard conditions or that young 20 year old salesmen mock and ridicule customers who need their help or that corporations defraud their customers/stockholders and promise more than they intend to deliver. America has sown millions of their children to the wind and now we are just beginning to reap the whirlwinds of societal dissolution. Hosea 8:7

While we Christians are not without our faults one cannot imagine a True Christian Gentleman leaving a damsel in distress or ambushing her with language of contempt or disrespect. The conduct of a gentleman is a civilizing influence upon society and inspires others to  elevate the nobility of the human race. Rightly understood, Biblical Christianity is a preserving influence upon society and that is why the scripture refers to regenerated believers as “the Salt of the Earth”.

Robert E. Lee Christian Gentleman

Robert E. Lee was described, even by his enemies, as a “Christian Gentleman”. Today few strive to emulate his godly example. He describes a gentleman not by his birth but by his conduct as follows:

The forbearing use of power does not only form a touchstone, but the manner in which an individual enjoys certain advantages over others is a test of a true gentleman.

The power which the strong have over the weak, the employer over the employed, the educated over the unlettered, the experienced over the confiding, even the clever over the silly — the forbearing or inoffensive use of all this power or authority, or a total abstinence from it when the case admits it, will show the gentleman in a plain light.

The gentleman does not needlessly and unnecessarily remind an offender of a wrong he may have committed against him. He cannot only forgive, he can forget; and he strives for that nobleness of self and mildness of character which impart sufficient strength to let the past be but the past. A true man of honor feels humbled himself when he cannot help humbling others.

Thems Fighten Words!

The family feud questions that nobody is supposed to talk about but always seem to are religion, politics and in some family circles money. Money problems currently rank high on the list of taboo topics that folks have difficulty in discussing. Our sensitivity level toward this particular issue seems to be in direct proportion to the indebtedness that we carry. The feelings of helplessness and embarrassment tend to make the topic of debt anathema to the average person. Even the government is apparently gun shy [pun intended] about revealing financial information as it conceals a great many so called off budget expenditures in an attempt to disguise the true cost of government. Operating in a habitual climate of debt and denial is neither healthy nor prudent for the individual or the state. The Federal Government has promoted the Keynesian Model of deficit spending currently known as Obamanomics and  the American people have followed that lead oblivious to the consequences.Woe.

If the National Debt, Deficit Spending, Inflation, Consumer Debt, Mortgage Debt and Foreclosures are not enough to get you excited about the future feel free to add a dozen or two topics of concern. Have you been laid off? Having trouble making ends meet? Just get a load of “What a Trillion Dollars Looks Like” and the National Debt is currently over 11 of these big bad boys which makes every man woman and child in the country automatic debtors not to mention the perpetual debt inherited by future generations. Just how long can we pass the buck? No pun intended. Why do you think hospital maternity wards insist that expectant mothers apply for Social Security Numbers to mark their as yet unborn children? As for the 11+ Trillion Dollar National Debt, Chuck Thompson the voice of the Old Baltimore Colts coined an expletive rather appropriate here, “Go DaWar Miss Agnes!” The name of that game is good-by dollar and hello computer money. Anyone up for a game of Human Bondage, Wheel of Missed Fortune, or Someone Madoff with a Ponzie Scheme? If you think that we owe this multi-trillion dollar debt to ourselves and that it is just a “paper tiger” the International Bankers have news for you.

Recovery Starts With Me

One way that we have alleviated the distention about the family feud question concerning money and debt at my house has been with a company by the name of United First Financial®. We are learning techniques to help us live within our financial means and eliminate our personal debts in record time, a concept that the government has yet to learn. I believe that the American people can set the proper example for our children and grandchildren sake by getting our spending habits under control and paying off our consumer debt as soon as possible. The pot cannot call the kettle black and get away with it. Debt elimination is the key to economic freedom and that lesson may have to be learned the hard way by some because the truth is that there really is “No Free Lunch”. The Borrower truly is a Servant to the Lender.

In my experience with melanoma cancer of the lymph nodes [armpit variety] the conventional treatment is surgery [Lymphadenectomy Axil] followed by testing [MRI, CT & PET scans] to see if the cancer is spreading and to find the source if possible. I also proceeded to have ongoing visits with a dermatologist who continued to look for the cause. He seemed to view me as an Idaho potato and proceeded to carve [what he thought to be] multiple potentially cancerous eyes [moles] out of my increasingly scarred torso. Every one of the biopsied moles turned out to be “atypical” which means potentially cancerous but not. The worst part of that experience was having body hair stitched into the incisions which makes for uncomfortable healing and nervous bandage removal. [Ouch!] I now recommend shaving before hand and distinctly remember the urge to moooo! when the doctor would brandish his scalpel because I was beginning to feel like the proverbial “Cash Cow” being thoroughly milked. Seeing the protocols and  billing practices I was reminded that cancer is a multi-billion dollar industry eager to get its pound of flesh one way or the other. My oncologists, during this time, soberly talked to me about how melanoma can travel virtually any where in the body through the blood steam and lymphatic system and can be fatal at that point. He encouraged me to have the remainder of the [apparently healthy] lymph nodes under my right arm “cleaned out” surgically even though the scans showed no cancer. I asked if by removing healthy lymph nodes I would be compromising my immune system. I suggested that because the cancerous lymph nodes came out clean and encapsulated that my immunes were working properly but he said it was not worth the risk and that the additional surgery was simply protocol. He then scheduled me to see a Johns Hopkins Melanoma Specialist in experimental vaccine therapies who basically said that in order to qualify for any of his experiments that I needed to have the aforementioned “clean out” job first. We had been earnestly praying for guidance and wisdom during this time and now we began asking the Lord for an alternative to the one size fits all approach to cancer.   [to be continued]

In as much as I am a cancer survivor I have been asked by some of my Twitter Friends to share my experience with the dreaded “C” word in order to encourage  and give hope to others. I believe that our attitude toward cancer is similar in some ways to the attitude society adopted toward leprosy victims in Bible times. I said similar because cancer patients today are not treated like the lepers of the Old Testament  in as much as they are not separated from society into colonies or shunned or made to go about crying “Unclean, Unclean” but some of us do  feel alone and tend to ostracise ourselves from society and even our friends and family. This is usually self inflicted but not always and like the leper of old we feel unclean and so we are because the cancer is perverting and consuming our hidden parts and leaving decay in its wake. Like Lady Macbeth we cry “Out Damn Spot” but cannot wash it away, except by the Grace of God. Apparently everyone has cancer cells floating around inside their bodies waiting for a failure of the immune systems to strike but I thought that my immune system was in tip-top condition until November 2006 when a hard lump the size of a tennis ball formed in my right armpit almost over night. I wrestled with denial for about four months until the discomfort  finally forced me to go to a doctor and eventually to a surgeon who promptly scheduled me for surgery. This was a simple outpatient procedure and I was only “somewhat alarmed”. Post surgery my wife talked with the doctor and got the initial report; the tumor was about the size of a baseball [10cm in diameter], encapsulated, came out clean and was sent to the lab for testing. Hopeful she then drove her dopey I say groggy husband home to nurse and drain for the standard two week period. I learned to love ice because the pain medication [oxycodone] gave me itching hives and a nervous condition so that I couldn’t sleep but still tried in a reclining chair. We returned to the surgeon after the standard two week recuperation period to have the drain removed, check for infection and get the lab results on the tumor. After detubing me and taping me up he sat me down and said, “Mr. Lathrop according to the results your tumor tested positive for melanoma and you must go and set-up an appointment at the Oncology Center. See my secretary for directions and come back and see me if you have any more trouble”. Tumors are always possible cancers but even so we did not even consider that possiblity for me, the health food and vitamin nut. We were STUNNED.    [To Be Continued]

“For what shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world and loose his own soul?” Mk8:38

The"Love" of Money is the Root of All Evil

It is easy to believe that we are secure and self sufficient when things are going well. Life is good when most of our wants are being met and we are feeling well. When we are working and making plenty of money a false sense of security overwhelms us and the spell of complacent self centered sufficiency obscures reality. We often times spend money that we don’t have to buy things that we don’t need to impress people that we don’t necessarily even like. Some of us try to fill our lives with travel, places and stuff adinfinitum never looking very much beyond our immediate circumstances and desires. The moto of many can be summed up on the bumper sticker which reads “He that dies with most toys wins”/or for the worldly wise “We’re spending our kids inheritance” pasted on the rear end of an RV. We put the”I” in Idolatry right willingly. I call it the I-ME-MY syndrome.

There are times however when “Life Happens” and our Heavenly Father gives us a glimpse of our total inability and utter need for help. The Lord may use economic hardship, sickness or even the death of our loved ones to get our attention. He calls us to focus on Him and to call upon Him while he may be found.  What we concider to be misfortune or accidents of life God can use to help us see that life is fleeting and that we must prepare for our eternal destiny. One of the “accidents of life” that we hear about so often now-a-days is “the Doctor said I have Cancer”. And sometimes the Doctor says, like he said to my friend Herb, “you have acute Leukemia and only 3 weeks to live, go home and get your affairs in order.”>  to be continued