There has been a conspiracy! Whether earthly or in the spirit world, I don’t know. But this Sunday, at least in heaven, they will mark the greatest of all the Jewish Holidays—and it isn’t called Easter.

There is a secret Jewish holiday that no one wants to talk about. Well, maybe I’m being a bit dramatic, but the fact is that Yeshua rose from the dead on a Biblical feast day. If you look in Leviticus 23, verses 10 and 11, it says…

“Tell the people of Israel, ‘After you enter the land I am giving you and harvest its ripe crops, you are to bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the cohen, that is the priest. He is to wave the sheaf before Adonai … the cohen is to wave it on the day after the Shabbat” (Lev. 23:10-11).

These verses clearly say that the feast of Firstfruits is on the first Sunday, after the first Saturday, after Passover. Not so fast—the Pharisees and the Sadducees had a disagreement about this. The Pharisees claimed that since Passover itself was a rest day, it was the Sabbath—so Firstfruits would be the day after Passover. However, the Sadducees maintained that the Sabbath was referring to an actual Saturday—not a special Jewish holiday. So Firstfruits would always fall on a Sunday.

Yet, we don’t hear much from the Sadducees after the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE. Thus, the pharisaical view became the dominant view in Judaism. In fact today, many Jews confuse this Firstfruits with the Firstfruits during Shavuot (Num. 28:26).

I think the Scriptures are clear that the Sadducees got this one right. How do I know? We’ll, we are commanded in the very next passage to count seven Sabbaths from Firstfruits to the feast of Shavuot—or Pentecost.

“From the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, count off seven full weeks. Count off 50 days up to the day after the seventh Sabbath, and then present an offering of new grain to the Lord” (Lev. 15-16).

If Firstfruits did not begin on an actual Sunday (“on the day after the Shabbat”), then you could not count off seven Sabbaths. God said that it must be exactly 50 days, ending “the [Sunday] after the seventh Sabbath.” In other words, while Passover day is considered to be a day of total rest­­­­­—a Sabbath—whatever day fell 49 days after that would not necessarily be a Sabbath, as the day of the week would change every year.

Why is this Important?

There is a powerful reason I am sharing this. If the Feast of Firstfruits is on the Sunday after the Saturday after the beginning of Passover, then that means that Yeshua not only died on a Jewish Feast day (Passover), but rose from the dead on the Jewish Feast of Bikorim—Firstfruits! Paul understood that Yeshua rose from the dead on the feast of Bikurim (despite being a Pharisee), for he said in his famous discourse on the Resurrection of Yeshua in 1 Corinthians 15:

“But the fact is that the Messiah has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have died. For since death came through a man, also the resurrection of the dead has come through a man. For just as in connection with Adam all die, so in connection with the Messiah all will be made alive. But each in his own order: the Messiah is the firstfruits; then those who belong to the Messiah, at the time of his coming; then the culmination, when he hands over the Kingdom to God the Father, after having put an end to every rulership, yes, to every authority and power” (1 Cor. 15:20-24).

Yes, Yeshua—the first among the resurrected sons of God—rose in newness of Life on Bikurim, the feast of Firstfruits. Yet, is it really the greatest of all the Jewish holidays? When you consider that it pointed to the resurrection of the Messiah, I think it is safe to elevate to the top—but that is just one man’s opinion.

This Sunday, make sure to remind your friends (in a spirit of humility) that it is the Jewish Feast of Firstfruits, when Messiah conquered death, hell and the grave!

Ron Cantor is the director of Messiah’s Mandate International in Israel, a Messianic ministry dedicated to taking the message of Jesus from Israel to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). Cantor also travels internationally teaching on the Jewish roots of the New Testament. He serves on the pastoral team of Tiferet Yeshua, a Hebrew-speaking congregation in Tel Aviv. His newest book is Identity Theft. Follow him at @RonSCantor on Twitter.

For the original article, visit .

Antioxidants seem to be one of the trendiest buzzwords popping up in supermarket aisles and circulating inside health articles everywhere.

Blueberries, cereal, even iced tea and soda all boast antioxidant prowess on their labels and their advertisements. But what are these super-nutrients anyway, and how and when should we consume them?

In a nutshell (perhaps an almond shell, since almonds are rich in the antioxidant vitamin E), antioxidants are beneficial because they block the action of free radicals, which are ubiquitous molecules with unpaired electrons. Free radicals make it their mission to find another electron, and in so doing damage surrounding molecules which results in the deterioration of oil, rubber, plastics and foods and can also contribute to heart attacks, strokes and cancer.

When you and I work out, free radicals are created and oxidative stress increases, leading many a logical thinker to conclude that consuming antioxidants promptly after they leave the gym, track or trail is advantageous. However, this habit could be more harmful than helpful.

You probably know well that God has “fearfully” and “wonderfully” created your body to self-heal, manage toxins and stress, and build itself back up again to be stronger than ever after it’s taken a hit. In a similar fashion, this is essentially what your body does after you exercise. Post-workout antioxidants violate your body’s innate code of repair and regrowth, and do so in two primary ways:

1. They impede muscle growth. The free radicals produced during your workout are needed to stimulate optimal muscle growth. Though the precise mechanisms by which free radicals help initiate hypertrophy (growth and increase of muscle cells) are unknown, it seems that the molecules serve as signals to your muscle cells, telling them to return bigger and stronger than before. If you quench these free radicals by taking antioxidant supplements immediately after you exercise, you’re actually hindering muscle growth and undoing much of the hard work you put forth in the gym.

2. They decrease insulin sensitivity. You may know that one of the most amazing perks of exercise is that it temporarily improves our muscles’ ability to respond to the hormone insulin. A recent study in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity looked at how insulin sensitivity is mediated by exercise. Insulin resistance was improved by 25 percent going from no exercise to 60 minutes of exercise per day. It improved 50 percent from no exercise to 120 minutes of exercise. In addition to the more vigorous types of exercise, there was a trend for higher insulin sensitivity even doing light exercise such as walking, but not a significant one.

A scientific paper entitled “Antioxidants Prevent Health-Promoting Effects of Physical Exercise in Humans” found that supplemental antioxidants can interfere with exercise’s positive effect on insulin. The researchers concluded, “Based on the evidence derived from the current study, we here propose an essential role for exercise-induced ROS (reactive oxygen species) formation in promoting insulin sensitivity in humans.”

In their study, the use of supplemental vitamin C and E prevented the necessary formation of free radicals (aka ROS) and as a result forbade the boost in insulin sensitivity normally experienced after exercise.

So, back to the question posed at the beginning of this article: When should we consume antioxidants? And, for that matter, should we bother to buy supplements?

As we saw in the study above, megadoses of vitamins C and E were detrimental to the increase of insulin sensitivity. Likewise, other studies have pointed to a heightened risk of prostate cancer among otherwise healthy men taking high-dose vitamin E and to a possible association between high-dose selenium supplementation and an increased risk of skin cancer. The operative phrase is high-dose and refers to the abnormal amount of antioxidants found in supplements and vitamins, not the low concentrations found naturally in fruits and vegetables.

Studies suggest that unless you need megadoses of antioxidants to treat a specific condition, there isn’t a reason to add them to your diet. Just make sure that a variety of fruits and vegetables compose the cornerstone of your diet. Here is a list of foods that are jam-packed with antioxidants:

• Spinach
• Broccoli
• Berries
• Walnuts
• Pecans
• Almonds
• Flaxseeds
• Apples (especially the skin)
• Green tea
• Coffee (yay!)
• Dark chocolate (double yay!)

If you are healthy and exercise on a regular basis, focus on fitting in these and other antioxidant-rich foods throughout the week. Consider limiting them directly after your workout, and refuel with an all-natural protein shake instead.

Diana Anderson-Tyler is the author of Creation House’s Fit for Faith: A Christian Woman’s Guide to Total Fitness and her latest book, Perfect Fit: Weekly Wisdom and Workouts for Women of Faith and Fitness. Her popular website can be found at , and she is the owner and a coach at CrossFit 925. Diana can be reached on Twitter.

For the original article, visit .

What’s the best way to pass your faith and your values to your children?

I know that’s a huge concern for many fathers. One of my top goals as a dad is that my children would embrace the faith that I have tried to live out.

In the recent book Families and Faith: How Religion Is Passed Down Across Generations, Vern Bengtson presents some eye-opening discoveries about “religious transmission.” Based on his research involving more than 3,500 people whose lives covered more than a century, he found that the pivotal factor in whether children continue their parents’ faith is a strong bond with their father.

When it comes to training kids in matters of faith and morals, we might typically think of teaching them right from wrong, emphasizing obedience to specific rules and expectations, and being a reliable role model for right behavior.

But Bengtson found that, while all those things are significant, they aren’t sufficient if there isn’t a strong emotional bond between the parent and child. A warm, close relationship with one’s father makes the most difference in regard to passing on religious faith—even more than a good relationship with one’s mother.

The same also appears to be true in nonreligious families: A strong emotional father-child bond creates the best chance for transmitting beliefs and values on to the next generation. (And while my examples and illustrations here describe a religious home, you can apply these principles to different approaches to faith and values.)

Doesn’t his point about relational warmth make perfect sense?

How many people do you know who were raised in religious homes but through the years had fathers who were too busy—at work, doing hobbies or even serving in the church—to build a strong relationship? It’s typical for those kids to resist their dad’s desires, especially in faith matters. They will likely resent their father’s efforts to be leaders in faith matters and may view their dad as a hypocrite.

Since the religious training isn’t backed up with a solid, caring relationship, the children may fight against everything Dad stands for. Some of that will happen with teenagers anyway, but as dads, we need to learn from this.

One of my favorite sayings is “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” It’s especially true among the people in our homes. To pass on a legacy that includes faith or a system of values, we have to focus on building solid relationships with our kids.

They need much more than a list of rules and principles. Those times of teaching, worship and/or prayer are certainly important. But don’t forget, dad, to also build a strong relationship so your children will want to follow in your footsteps. They need love to hold it all together.

How can you build that closeness in practical terms? Here are a few ideas in this week’s Action Points:

• Set up a habit of doing something together, one on one, that your child will look forward to. It could be breakfast out on Saturdays, frozen yogurt every other Monday or something similar. Let your child choose the food or activity.
• Take a kid along when you head to the hardware store, the auto mechanic or the grocery store. Away from the rest of the family, you’ll have more of each other’s attention. And if something happens where you get to model honesty or service to someone else, that’s a bonus.
• Tell your stories to your kids—about experiences, events and conversations that have shaped your beliefs through the years.
• Talk about dreams—yours and theirs. What is happening in your community or in the world, and how do your beliefs provide hope and meaning even in uncertain times? And how might your child be able to make a difference during his or her life?
• Be involved in whatever ways you can. When you’re there through the ups and downs of life, you’ll become a reliable point of reference for your child.

What’s your secret for building that close bond with your kids? What has worked when it comes to passing on your beliefs?Please help other dads by leaving a comment below.

Carey Casey is the CEO of the National Center for Fathering, a nonprofit organization dedicated to changing the culture of fathering in America by enlisting 6.5 million fathers to make the Championship Fathering Commitment. Subscribe to his weekly email tip by clicking here: “Yes! I want tips on how to be a great dad who lives out loving, coaching and modeling for my children.”

For the original article, visit .

In 2006, the New York Times printed an article, written by John Tierney and Garth Sundem, that gave a formula to predict the outcome of celebrity marriages.

In March 2012, the two writers redefined their formula, due to several years of results based on their predictions. Their research indicated that younger celebrity couples have a far less chance of marriage success than older couples and that the longer the courtship, the better the chances are for the pair.

For instance, in their formula, Romeo and Juliet stood a 0 percent chance of lasting five years. Britney Spears and Kevin Federline only stood a 1 percent chance of making it five years. The main variable the two researchers discovered over six years of tracking results was that the more superficial the relationship—the more “tabloid,” as they put it—the more it was doomed to an early crash. .

Celebrity marriages based on substance and quality interaction stood a far greater chance to outlast expectations. The two have also discovered that in celebrities, it is the wife’s fame that really matters. “Women initiate 70 percent of breakups.” If the female is substance over tabloid, the chances that the marriage will last are higher.

Are celebrities really that much different from us normal folk? No, they are not—just higher profile and a bit more impulsive. In the end, we all are just seeking meaningful love.

What are the variables that are found in successful marriages? What type of marriages last not only five years but until “death do us part”? Let’s examine some necessary ingredients:

1. God-centered. God must be in the center of each marriage for it to blossom and reach its full potential. Remember, you are a conduit of God’s love for your spouse. When a husband and wife are tapped into the bottomless ocean of the Lord’s grace, love and mercy, they are eager to have that overflow onto each other. Pray for strength, guidance and wisdom to love each other well.

2. Sense of humor and a short memory. Anyone who has been married for a lengthy period of time can tell you that a sense of humor is certainly required to get through the trials and tribulations of marriage. You had better be able to laugh together, and especially at yourself. When it comes to trouble, keep a short memory; lose the grudges and smile.

3. Conflict and tension. Say what? That’s right, most healthy marriages require periods of conflict and tension in order to balance the relationship, like steam escaping from a pot so the pot does not explode. Conflict and tension also serve a role in the sexual relationship (“make-up sex”) of a marriage as well. Love only grows stronger when it has endured a storm.

4. Open communication. One of the deadliest poisons to a marriage is when the couple has stopped talking. When a couple has a lack of communication, it leads to suspicion, and suspicion leads to stress and worse. Married partners should be able to share everything with each other, and through that help each other navigate life successfully. 

5. Teammates and partners. Going hand in hand with communication is the spirit of teamwork and partnership. A couple should balance the best traits of each person to form the best possible team to take on the challenges of marriage, parenthood and life in general. Great teams play to each member’s strengths. The same applies in marriage.

6. Rock-solid trust. Trust is hard to earn and easy to lose. It must be held as sacred. None among us are perfect, and we will make our mistakes, but in a successful marriage, trust must not be broken. It is an enormous leap of faith to align personal destiny equally with another, and without trust in that person, you will never make it. You have their back, and they have yours; never allow anything to come between. And neither spouse ever lies to the other, no matter how uncomfortable the conversation. Lies are the WMDs to trust.

7. Positive compatibility. Simply put, sex can’t sustain a relationship long-term. In order to establish an environment where a marriage can reach full potential, it is essential we choose partners with whom we share many compatible traits and values. We have to actually like being with that person.  We’re good friends with them. We need to share the same hopes and dreams. Compatibility goes far beyond the bedroom.

8. Passion and commitment. Passion is a burning desire to be successful at a stated goal. The commitment to do whatever it takes to reach the finish line. It takes great sacrifice by both partners to reach the level of commitment necessary to make a marriage last. We are tested and tempted constantly by other options, and that will not change. Deep passion and unwavering commitment for, and to, the marriage is how you reach a golden anniversary. 

9. Emotional security. This is usually an overlooked aspect of human need: the requirement we have to keep a place where we feel safe and secure from the outside world. A marriage that is working well is just that. It’s the “us against the world” mentality, where we feel needed and wanted. When you listen to sports players talk after they win championships, someone will always say, “We closed ranks, and it was us against the world.” A successful marriage works the same way.

10. Unbreakable respect. When two people are in love, they have a mutual respect and desire for each other that overrides any shortcomings and traits in the other person. There is an unbreakable respect and passion for that person. This should last not only when things are going great, but when the hard times come as well—when tragedy strikes or when people change. When respect leaves a marriage, the people involved will usually follow not far behind. 

All Pro Dad is Family First’s innovative and unique program for every father. Their aim is to interlock the hearts of the fathers with their children and, as a byproduct, the hearts of the children with their dads. At , dads in any stage of fatherhood can find helpful resources to aid in their parenting. Resources include daily emails, blogs, Top 10 lists, articles, printable tools, videos and eBooks. From , fathers can join the highly engaged All Pro Dad social media communities on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram.

For the original article, visit .

Steven Kim doesn’t just talk about the fight against human trafficking—he lives out the consequences of it, having spent four years in prison for helping North Korean refugees get to South Korea through Vietnam.

“I never had a vision to help them,” says the South Korea native who now divides his time between Long Island, New York, and a new endeavor in the Dominican Republic. “They came to me. Once I saw their misery, I had no choice but to be involved. This was God’s invitation.”

Accepting that invitation involved high risks, though. And the work began quietly. While living in China, where Kim oversaw the manufacturing of chairs sold to U.S. retailers, he learned the plight of two refugees at the underground church he attended. The pastor feared the church would get shut down if he offered the two men anything more than food and a few dollars, so Kim took them home, igniting a spark that prompted him to help more North Koreans sneak across China and into other countries. This eventually led to his arrest in 2003 and subsequent conviction for aiding illegal immigrants.

Once in prison, Kim grew spiritually desperate.

“I could recognize God’s voice for the first time in my life,” he says. “I had no other choice but to allow Him to come in and lead me through.”

While God continued to fuel Kim’s spiritual fire, being locked up didn’t quench his desire to rescue refugees. After his release, he organized the 318 Partners Mission Foundation, named after Article 318, the section of Chinese law used to prosecute him for helping North Koreans cross the border. Launched with no support, the foundation now has nearly 1,600 partners. The businessman hopes the release of the book that tells his story, The Fearless Passage of Steven Kim, will add to this.

“I have no goals,” Kim says of the future. “God will drive the ministry by Himself. I just follow His leadership.

For Jews and Christians, the Passover season is a special time for reflection on the rich spiritual truths contained within this remarkable holiday. Indeed, we can all observe the command to remember the incredible Israelite deliverance from bondage in Egypt.

For Christians, the events of a momentous Passover some 15 centuries later have given added meaning to this holiday, so that the truths of the first are reinforced in the latter. Deliverance from Pharaoh’s taskmasters became freedom from slavery to sin. The blood of a lamb on the doorposts became a typology of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.

Yet the parallels between Pesach and Easter were lost for centuries to most Christians when the early church fathers deliberately severed our faith from its Jewish roots. In time, this hostility to Judaism produced vicious blood libels against Jews at Passover.

Today, however, multitudes of Christians are rediscovering our Hebraic roots. Indeed, Time magazine recently identified growing Christian interest in our faith’s Jewish heritage as one of the 10 top trends of our day.

Even respected Jewish scholars have started joining Christian theologians in rediscovering the “Jewishness” of Jesus and the Hebraic origins of Christianity. One notable expert in this regard is the late Prof. David Flusser of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, considered the leading Orthodox Jewish expert on the Second Temple era and Early Christianity.

Flusser placed Jesus within the Pharasaic tradition and viewed Him as among the great sages of his time, such as Hillel and Ben-Shammai. But Flusser concluded that the Galilean preacher went boldly beyond the classic Judaism of that day, for instance by proclaiming the advent of the kingdom of God and espousing a radical ethic of loving one’s enemy.

As a result of such groundbreaking scholarship, the Feast of Passover is one occasion when the lineage and cultural identity of Jesus as a “son of the covenant” now holds so much more meaning for Christians. In fact, nothing reattaches Christians to their Jewish roots faster than realizing the Last Supper was actually a Passover seder meal being led by a Jewish rabbi.

Thus, we can now see in the Gospel narratives just how closely Jesus held to Jewish traditions in presiding over the Passover meal with His disciples—or rather, His talmidim.

For instance, He followed the custom then developing in first-century Judaism of serving four cups of wine at the Passover meal to mirror the four great “I wills” of Exodus 6:6-7. When Jesus took the third cup—considered the “cup of redemption”—He used it to seal a new covenant with His followers.

Interestingly, He also used customary Jewish words of betrothal at that same moment, promising to go build them all mansions in His Father’s house and to come back for them one day as a bridegroom for His bride (John 14:2-3).

In serving them wine and unleavened bread, Jesus further played off the command to remember the Passover by instructing His disciples to always partake of it “in remembrance of [Him].”

Then one of the most extraordinary moments of the Last Supper came when He washed the feet of His disciples.

Like other great rabbis of His day, Jesus had developed a unique preaching style by telling parables, many of which are universally known to this day, such as the parables of the good Samaritan and the prodigal son. But He was different in the way He also practiced what He preached. In washing the feet of His disciples, the rabbi Jesus taught by deed and not just words what it means to be a servant in His kingdom (John 13:14-15).

And finally, Jesus demonstrated tremendous grace that evening when He gave the place of the guest of honor to His immediate left to Judas, even though He knew this was the one about to betray Him. What a difference it would have made down through history if Christians had understood that Jesus was never bitter toward Judas.

Sadly, it is too late to change that history. But we are witnessing a sea change in Christian attitudes towards the Jewish people today as we understand better the Jewish matrix of our faith. This historic shift is helping to build Christian support for an embattled Israel at a critical hour. And just as importantly, it is shielding multitudes of Christians against modern-day blood libels and other anti-Semitic lies now being hurled at the Jewish state.

David Parsons is an ordained minister who serves as media director for the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem ().

If you’re trying to improve your diet, whether it’s to lose weight or simply get healthier, you can be overwhelmed with information and advice—sometimes to the point that you give up before you even get started. But choosing a healthier diet doesn’t have to be complicated.

Following six simple tips can get you on the right path without complicated and confusing rules:

1. Go vegetarian, at least part of the time. While you don’t have to shun meat completely, your diet should focus on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds. When you do eat meat, choose wild-caught fish and poultry and meat that’s free of hormones and antibiotics. According to the American Dietetic Association, vegetarians have lower risks for cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes and several forms of cancer.

2. Count fingers. Read labels and lists of ingredients, and if a product has more ingredients than you have fingers, leave it sitting on the grocery shelf. It’s been overprocessed and is low on nutrients. The fewer fingers needed, the better.

3. Test yourself. If a product includes ingredients you can’t pronounce or spell, chances are it contains chemicals and additives that can be harmful—and may even be linked with cancer, allergies and other health problems.

4. Opt for organic. Organic growers use natural fertilizers instead of chemicals, natural compounds to kill weeds, pesticides from natural sources to control insects instead of dangerous chemicals, and organic feed instead of antibiotics and growth hormones. A study from Stanford University found that eating organic produce and meat lowers the levels of pesticides detected in consumers, and a Brazilian study found that organic tomatoes contained more vitamin C and plant phenols than conventionally grown tomatoes.

5. Color your meals. Chuck white foods (bread and rice) and replace with 100 percent whole-grain breads, cereals and brown rice. Make sure whole-grain products contain at least 2 grams of fiber per serving. Pick the brightest, most deeply colored fruits and vegetables. Richly colored purple (eggplant), red (cherries, cranberries) and blue (blueberries) fruits and vegetables are rich in anthocyanins—a powerful type of flavonoid.

6. Ditch sugary drinks. Most beverages are high in calories and contain artificial coloring and other questionable ingredients, and artificially sweetened drinks contain chemicals such as aspartame that some experts believe raise your risk for many health problems, including Alzheimer’s disease, metabolic syndrome, cancer and cardiovascular disease. Instead, choose water. Tea and coffee are also good choices and contain many beneficial antioxidants. When buying fruit juice, be sure the label says “100 percent juice.”

For the original article, visit .

Let’s get right to the facts. A little under three years into my marriage, it was anything but roses.

The days of remembering our vows were long gone, and communication had all but dried up. The only thing I needed to do was the last thing I wanted to do. What was it? Man up and talk to my wife.

Days, weeks and even months were passing along, and I still couldn’t bring myself to talk to my wife. Yes, of course, we could talk in general and even put on the necessary “everything is perfect” act around friends and family members. But when it came to life-breathing, marriage-saving words, well, they just couldn’t come out of me. If you could admit it, many of you would agree with me.

So I did what I think many other men are doing in their marriages today. I went looking for help in all the wrong places. Here are a couple of the wrong places I decided to seek help:

• Another woman, whom I hardly knew and who wasn’t even married
• Multiple online forums and message boards
• Family

I attempted to seek answers from the above options for months. People I had never even met would sympathize with me. They would tell me stories or share about their struggles and current bad situation.

I felt like the other woman understood me when we talked about my struggles, but I finally realized she could never fix what I needed to fix. And although my family supported me in whatever I chose to do in life, I knew they were saddened and disappointed. These were all roads with dead ends, and I was slowing learning that fact.

With time and my marriage ticking away, I finally decided to get humble and seek answers the right way. Here are a couple of the correct places I decided to seek help from:

• Married men I knew had a good marriage
• God, by giving my marriage over to Him and trusting Him
• My wife, by finally—and honestly—talking to her

Manning up and admitting my situation to a close friend and brother in Christ was the best move I made to start things out. I was so worried about shame that I never considered the idea that he had struggled in his marriage at one point, too, and could share in my feelings.

Talking to a good friend or even your pastor about your marriage will lift a huge weight off your shoulders, and you should do it sooner than later. He offered me sound advice, books to read and ears to listen.

Not only did my buddy offer me good advice, but he also encouraged me to start talking to God about my marriage. I wasn’t praying for my wife or my marriage at the time. If you can relate, give these two things a try for at least a week. Seeking God’s counsel may not bring immediate relief, but it will allow you to express your feelings more often.

Don’t knock it until you try it, gentlemen.

And yes, I finally talked to my wife. Was it easy? No! Was it the right thing to do? Yes!

Did she take it well? Not really, but my heart was finally on the table and a path to resolution could finally be started. To be honest, men, sometimes your wife has no idea you’re even feeling the way you’re feeling. She might think the issue in the marriage is something completely different than what you think it is—all the more reason to sit down and speak to her in a loving tone about your marriage and the issues that need to be resolved.

What Is the Bottom Line?

As a married man, you should only be seeking counsel for your marriage issues from either a man or your wife. This isn’t to say there’s anything wrong with other women or to that they couldn’t offer sound advice. It’s to say that your marriage should be between you and your wife, not another woman—unless, of course, the woman is a counselor or a good friend that you and your wife are seeking mutual help from.

Still not convinced? Here are five reasons married men should not seek marriage advice from other women:

1. Your wife will most likely not know the woman you are talking to, and you will be doing it without her knowledge.

2. You could start to use the advice in a negative way or against your wife.

3. If it goes on for too long, you can easily start to build up an emotional tie and trust with the woman, possibly leading to an emotional affair.

4. You are only “one flesh” with one woman—your wife!

5. Consider how your wife would feel. Try to see the situation from her perspective.

Why do you think it’s important to only share your marriage issues with your wife or another trusted man? The same question applies to the ladies about their husbands.

Manturity is a blog built on establishing spiritual maturity in today’s man. The goal is to assist men in building better marriages and help them in grow in maturity and explore different aspects of manhood. features new weekly blog posts, daily social media updates and a powerful resources page. Stay up to date with the Manturity blog communities on Facebook and Twitter.

For the original article, visit .

A recent study revealed shocking facts about vegetarians. The study found that although vegetarians eat better and lead a healthy lifestyle and drink far less compared to meat eaters, they are not as healthy as expected.

Researchers at the Medical University of Graz in Austria conducted research that describes the vegetarian diet as one that includes high amounts of fruits, whole grains and vegetables, and low amounts of cholesterol and saturated fats. The researchers examined the data obtained from the Austrian Health Interview survey and compared the eating habits and lifestyles adopted by meat eaters and vegetarians.

The results obtained from the research indicate that vegetarians don’t visit doctors more often for general physical check-ups and vaccinations, and were more vulnerable to life-threatening diseases like cancer and allergies.

The research has further stressed the relationship between meat eaters and vegetarians, where each group accuses the other of leading an unhealthy lifestyle. Many people have already started to vent their anger on social platforms such as Twitter.

What’s The Study?

The research included more than one thousand people, 25 percent of whom were vegetarians, 25 percent were meat eaters as well as fruit and vegetable eaters, 25 percent who ate less meat and 25 percent who were heavy meat eaters.

The study concluded that although vegetarians drank less and consumed more fruits and vegetables, their physical and mental health was poorer and their Basal Metabolic Index (BMI) was lower compared to others.

What Do Critics Have To Say?

After the report was made public, it was followed by a huge response from critics. Some people believe that this report is merely propaganda and an advertisement for encouraging people to follow a meat diet, and that it is a way to benefit the meat industry. Well, the study coordinator and epidemiologist Nathalie Burkert stated to The Austrian Times that this is a false accusation and their study does not justify this claim.

Burkert further states that their report did find evidence suggesting that people who eat healthily and follow a vegetarian diet are more likely to be faced with life-threatening ailments such as depression, asthma, allergies and cancer compared to people who eat meat. However, Burkert was still unable to cite the reasons and causes for this finding.

The researchers cannot sufficiently explain the cause and effect of these findings. According to Burkert more research is needed to find the answers to these questions.

Don Colbert, M.D., is board certified in family practice and in anti-aging medicine. He also has received extensive training in nutritional and preventive medicine, and he has helped millions of people discover the joy of living in divine health.

For the original article, visit .

Life hacks are clever tips and tricks that can be used to solve an everyday problem a person may be facing. Life hacks often make our lives a little bit easier and a little more productive.

So, to help all of you men out there, here are some life hacks that will hopefully help you in one of your most important jobs—being a husband.

1. “How to love your wife well” life hack. Write a note. Surprise your spouse with a long love letter and put it on their pillow one morning. Or leave sticky notes with short words of encouragement on the bathroom mirror or the kitchen table. To help get you started, here are some things you can write: “10 More Things Husbands Want to Hear From Their Wives” and “10 More Things Wives Want to Hear From Their Husbands.”

2. “Watch your words” life hack. Do I have good motives? Is my reason for saying it beneficial to the listener or only for selfish purposes? I have to be careful on this one. There have been many times in my life that I’ve said something that is very true, but I only said it so someone would be impressed with me or because I was trying to manipulate them to do something for me.

3. “How your marriage can thrive in busyness” life hack. Set aside a little time throughout the day. Our days often have a couple minute-long breaks here and there. So instead of checking your Twitter feed, posting on Facebook or staring off into space, make those moments count. Send a quick email or text to your spouse, or make a phone call to them just to let them know you are thinking about them. It’s a simple way to interact frequently and consistently without taking too much time out of your schedule.

4. “Discipline your kids together” life hack. Be consistent. You can read all the books in the world and have dozens of great ideas, but if you’re not consistent, they won’t work. I’ll admit it: Being consistent is tough. Sometimes it’s easier to just let the kids get away with something rather than sticking to your plan. But consistency pays off in the long run. It helps our children know what to expect.

5. “How to communicate well with your wife” life hack. Do not speak with attack intensity. On any given day, motherhood can be a strategic battle. So if a husband needs to communicate and approaches in attack mode, he may get a woman warrior reaction. This is the fight-or-flight response taking over in her brain. It is much better for a husband to approach softly.

6. “Strive for greatness in your marriage” life hack. Do a random act of kindness daily. Brighten your spouse’s day with little moments of joy. Do the dishes for her. Give her your undivided attention when she gets home. A little gesture goes a long way.

Which life hack is most helpful for you? Please share your thoughts with me below.

Mark Merrill is the president of Family First. For the original article, visit .