Here is a strange paradox to consider: The more calories you eat, the hungrier you become! This paradox won’t seem so strange once you understand what really makes you hungry: low blood sugar.

Yes, low blood sugar triggers our brain that we need to eat. The brain needs a certain amount of glucose (blood sugar) to fuel itself. It’s a glucose hog! The brain uses 70 percent of your blood glucose to keep itself functioning, although it accounts for less than 3 percent of your body’s weight.

When blood glucose levels fall, your brain throws the equivalent of a temper tantrum. You may feel irritable or in a mental fog. You certainly will feel increased hunger.

Whatever the symptoms, you learn to self-medicate this drop in blood sugar by grabbing the quickest carbohydrate possible: a cookie, some corn chips, soft drinks or candy bars. The faster the brain gets fed, the quicker you feel better.

Or so you think.

You may not even realize it, but you are setting yourself up for another bout of low blood glucose, because those very quick energy foods are the same ones that cause a rapid increase in sudden insulin. Do this self-medicating long enough, and excess body fat piles on—because it is excess insulin that makes you fat and keeps you fat. This excess fat not only looks bad, but also causes a time bomb within your body: silent inflammation.

What is a healthy way to deal with this need for food the brain has and still regulate our blood glucose?

There are two things you can do to control this spike in insulin. The first is to follow the Zone diet. It is a highly effective food plan that regulates insulin and glucose levels. It is an important step in reducing excess insulin. High blood pressure, diabetes, arthritis and many other illnesses have all been traced to a life of too much insulin. These indicators of silent inflammation can be dramatically improved with the Zone diet.

Another way to feed the brain and maintain proper insulin control, thereby reducing silent inflammation, is by taking pharmaceutical-grade fish oil. This highly refined omega-3 can be taken in large amounts throughout the day, and it feeds the brain. It directly helps to regulate the release of insulin into the body. It also has the added benefit of reducing inflammation within our bodies.

It has been said that heart disease has very little to do with cholesterol but has a great deal to do with silent inflammation. Obesity, as well as diabetes, has a direct link to inflammation. Arthritis is by nature silent inflammation.

Pharmaceutical-grade fish oil actually reduces the silent inflammation that is caused by too much insulin. Taking five 7.5 grams of this highly refined omega-3 can have tremendous positive results. It is a natural insulin regulator as well as a natural anti-inflammatory.

Why pharmaceutical-grade fish oil? What makes it so unique? Flaxseed certainly contains omega-3s, as do other nuts and some fish. Many people think they can simply eat a few nuts during the day and reverse years of silent inflammation as well as regulate insulin. It would, however, be impossible to eat the amount needed to actually gain the anti-inflammatory benefits of pharmaceutical-grade fish oil. Flaxseed, as good as it is, takes more than 15 steps in the body’s digestive system to generate any real benefits.

Highly refined fish oil takes only one step. It seems a much better choice when addressing the health benefits that many of us suffer from. It is easy to take in capsules and has immediate results.

So, lose the hunger! Plan your meals using the Zone diet guide, which will maintain proper insulin levels, and supplement with highly refined fish oil to ward off any lapses you may have when going overboard on your glycemic load. Try to marry these two for optimal energy and brain power.

Dr. Barry Sears is a leader in the field of dietary control of hormonal response. A former research scientist at the Boston University School of Medicine and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dr. Sears has dedicated his efforts over the past 25 years to the study of lipids and their inflammatory role in the development of chronic disease. He holds 13 U.S. patents in the areas of intravenous drug delivery systems and hormonal regulation for the treatment of cardiovascular disease.

For the original article, visit CBNNews.com.

Israeli intelligence officials believe Syria used chemical weapons on civilians on Wednesday, and not for the first time, Minister of International Relations, Intelligence and Strategic Affairs Yuval Steinitz (Likud) told Israel Radio on Thursday, commenting on the reported deadly attack unleashed by Syrian President Bashar Assad on civilians on the outskirts of Damascus.

The Syrian opposition says what is believed to have been a sarin gas attack killed over 1,300 people. Assad’s government denies using chemical weapons.

Steinitz further called the international condemnation of the attack “lip service,” saying the international community “has failed to take any significant action to stop Assad from butchering his people.”

“The U.N. is still busy investigating things that happened six months or a year ago, instead of investigating what happened yesterday,” he says. “Moreover, investigating whether chemical weapons were used without looking into who used them is ridiculous.”

Defense Minister Moshe “Bogie” Ya’alon and U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel discussed the situation in Syria on Wednesday, Army Radio reports, quoting defense officials as saying Israel was concerned about the U.S.’ “flexible red line” regarding Assad’s use of chemical weapons and how it may affect regional deterrence and other conflicts, such as the Iranian nuclear threat.

Wednesday’s attack came exactly one year after U.S. President Barack Obama warned Assad against using unconventional weapons on the civilian population, saying it represented a “red line” for the United States that would mandate action.

“The Assad regime has already used chemical weapons several times. The death toll in Syria has now crossed the 100,000 mark. This is a struggle for life and death, and there is no end in sight,” Ya’alon told reporters Wednesday.

Ya’alon further added that 60 percent of Syria is no longer under Assad’s control but is instead ruled by various opposition groups. The defense minister said the use of chemical weapons indicates just how desperate the Syrian president has become.

“Everything is still only happening around us, and it hasn’t reached us yet, but Israel knows that reality can change within moments, not just by a terror attack on one of the borders but as a result of strategic political shifts in the region,” he said.

Member of the Knesset Binyamin Ben-Eliezer (Labor) told Israel Radio, “Assad is guilty of genocide and the world—which is so quick to denounce us over every little thing—stands idly by, doing nothing.”

Ben-Eliezer said that Obama’s “red line” has been crossed and that Israel must remain vigilant and prevent any unconventional weapons from reaching Hezbollah, al-Qaida or other terror groups.

Russia, China Block UN Probe in Syria

The U.N. Security Council held a two-hour emergency session Wednesday following the deadly attack near Damascus, but longtime Syria allies Russia and China prevented the 15-member forum from launching an official investigation into the incident.

The Security Council called for “a thorough, impartial and prompt investigation” of the latest allegation of chemical weapons use in Syria but did not set a timetable for one. The United States, Britain and France are among 35 countries that urged chief U.N. investigator Âke Sellström and his team in Syria to investigate the incident without delay.

“There is a strong concern among council members about the allegations and a general sense that there must be clarity on what happened and the situation must be followed closely,” Argentina’s U.N. ambassador, María Cristina Perceval, said after the meeting.

While the council did not explicitly call for a U.N. investigation, it welcomed U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s call for one.

“The members of the Security Council also welcomed the determination of the secretary-general to ensure a thorough, impartial and prompt investigation,” said Perceval, who serves as president of the council this month.

Washington expressed its concern over the growing death toll in Syria.

“The United States is deeply concerned by reports that hundreds of Syrian civilians have been killed in an attack by Syrian government forces, including by the use of chemical weapons, near Damascus,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Wednesday.

“We are formally requesting that the United Nations urgently investigate this new allegation. The U.N. investigative team, which is currently in Syria, is prepared to do so, and that is consistent with its purpose and mandate,” he said, adding that “if the Syrian government has nothing to hide,” it would facilitate the work of the U.N. inspectors.

“They must have immediate access to witnesses and affected individuals and have the ability to examine and collect physical evidence without any interference or manipulation from the Syrian government,” Earnest said.

U.N. diplomats said Wednesday that Russia and China used their clout in the Security Council to block any real action against their Middle East ally, over what they perceived as “overly harsh language” against Syria.

An earlier Western-drafted statement, seen by Reuters, would have asked the U.N. to “urgently take the steps necessary for today’s attack to be investigated by the U.N. mission.” That proposed statement was diluted to accommodate Russian and Chinese objections, eventually sufficing with a demand for “more clarity” on the incident prior to any investigation, council diplomats said.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry called for a thorough investigation into the reports of the attack. Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said that its sources in Syria said that a homemade rocket carrying unidentified chemical substances had been launched from an area controlled by the opposition.

“All this cannot but suggest that once again we are dealing with a pre-planned provocation. This is supported by the fact that the criminal act was committed near Damascus at the very moment when a mission of U.N. experts had successfully started their work of investigating allegations of the possible use of chemical weapons there,” Lukashevich said in a statement.

“Moscow considers important an objective and professional investigation into what happened. And we call on all those who have the possibility to influence armed extremists to make every effort to end provocations with chemical agents,” he said.

World Leaders Demand Investigation

European Union Foreign Affairs Commissioner Catherine Ashton called for an immediate investigation of the attack, saying, “I have seen with grave concern the reports of the possible use of chemical weapons by the Syrian regime. Such accusations should be immediately and thoroughly investigated by the United Nations expert mission, which arrived recently in Syria. I reiterate that any use of chemical weapons by any side in Syria would be totally unacceptable,” she stressed.

Ashton urged full cooperation by Syrian authorities in the investigation, saying the U.N. mission “must be allowed full and unhindered access to all sites on the Syrian territory.”

“I am deeply concerned by reports that hundreds of people, including children, have been killed in airstrikes and a chemical weapons attack on rebel-held areas near Damascus,” British Foreign Secretary William Hague said in a statement.

Hague said reports of the attack remained uncorroborated and that Britain was urgently seeking more information.

“But it is clear that if they are verified, it would mark a shocking escalation in the use of chemical weapons in Syria,” he said, adding that Britain would try to hold to account anyone who used chemical weapons or ordered their use.

“I call on the Syrian government to allow immediate access to the area for the U.N. team currently investigating previous allegations of chemical weapons use. The U.K. will be raising this incident at the U.N. Security Council,” Hague said.

French President François Hollande called on U.N. inspectors to visit the site of the alleged chemical attack as well.

“With regard to the information coming out of Syria, the president asks that the U.N. goes to the site,” spokesperson Najat Vallaud-Belkacem told reporters in Paris.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said Thursday that if the reports prove true, “there would have to be reaction with force in Syria from the international community, but there is no question of sending troops on the ground.”

Fabius added that if the Security Council could not make a decision, one would have to be taken “in other ways.” He did not elaborate.

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said Berlin is “very worried about the reports that poison gas has been used near Damascus.”

“These reports are very serious and if they are confirmed would be outrageous. We call for this clarification to be made possible promptly and for the United Nations chemical weapons experts who are now in the country be given access immediately to check these accusations,” he said.

Turkey also called for a U.N. probe, saying it was monitoring the situation “with great concern.”

“Light must immediately be shed on these claims, and the United Nations mission that was formed to investigate chemical weapons claims in Syria should look into these claims and reveal its findings,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. “If these allegations are found to be true, it will be inevitable for the international community to take the necessary stance and give the necessary response to this savagery and crime against humanity.”

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu added, “All red lines have been crossed, but still the U.N. Security Council has not even been able to take a decision. This is a responsibility for the sides who still set these red lines and for all of us.”

Saudi Arabia also responded to the Syrian rebel reports and called on the Security Council to take action.

“It is time for the Security Council to shoulder its responsibility and overcome differences between its members and restore the confidence of the international community by convening immediately to issue a clear and deterrent resolution that will put an end to this human crisis,” Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said in a statement.

Arab League Secretary General Nabil Elaraby called for United Nations inspectors to immediately investigate reports of the chemical attack, Egypt’s state news agency MENA reports.

The secretary general said in a statement he was surprised this deplorable crime would happen during the visit of a team of international investigators with the United Nations who are already tasked with investigating chemical weapons use, MENA reports. He called on the inspectors to head immediately to the eastern Ghouta, a suburb of Damascus, to determine what happened.

For the original article, visit israelhayom.com.

It was early in our marriage. I don’t remember the specifics, only that there was a major communication breakdown.

We were both talking in perfectly coherent speech. But we obviously were not speaking the same language. And it wasn’t the first time. Finally, it dawned on me what was going on.

I had married an alien.

There really was no other explanation possible. There was some kind of language barrier going on. Like, one of us was a native English speaker, and the other learned the language later—maybe at the Greater Intergalactic Royal Language School (GIRLS).

Sound familiar? Communication is one of the major issues couples struggle with. These communication breakdowns illustrate a larger, and more obvious, point: We’re different. And while this can create difficulties at times, in the long run our differences actually make our lives work better than if we were all the same.

Eve Got the Raw End of the Deal

If we go back to the creation accounts in Genesis, we can see that these differences were intentional on God’s part. In Genesis 2:18 we read, “The Lord God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him’” (NIV).

The word translated as suitable here might better be translated as corresponding. In other words, God didn’t say the man needed a helper to meet his needs—that’s why none of the animals were “suitable.” Rather, the man needed someone who could work with him, to fill in the gaps, so to speak. By definition, then, this person would be different from the man. And along came Eve.

Eventually, they sinned. Eve’s initial sin was to believe the word of the serpent over God’s own words. Adam’s initial sin was one of inaction: He stood there and watched while the serpent deceived his wife.

Not to go off on a tangent here, but hey, guys! If a serpent is tricking your wife into sinning against God, you shouldn’t stand there and watch. You should pick up a stick and kill the serpent!

Adam and Even compounded their sin by hiding from God, and then Adam actually blamed God and Eve for his sin: “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree” (Gen. 3:12).

Nice one, Adam.

And then came the curse. Actually, curses. And here is where Eve got the raw end of the deal.

For women, the curse of pain in childbearing is not the worst part. The rest of Genesis 3:16 says, “Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.” That’s a terrible curse! Man’s curse is that it will be a lot harder for our work to be productive (vv. 17-19).

So the woman’s curse was relational, and the man’s curse was task-oriented. And this summarizes a major difference between the average woman and man—and explains much of the sin and frustration in the world.

A woman is wired for relationship—“a helper”—and this was corrupted by sin. For instance, women often ache for marriage and won’t leave an abusive relationship for fear of being alone.

A man is wired for task—God “put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it” (Gen. 2:15)—and this also was corrupted by sin. Thus, men tend to gravitate toward workaholism or laziness. Those are two extremes of the same taint on our view of work.

In both cases, something is taking the place of God in our worldview—either relationships or work becomes an idol.

Uniquely Wired

Modern psychology has come to the same conclusion. In a study he wrote about in his book Sixteen Men, psychologist Dr. Loren Pedersen found that, contrary to academic opinion that all gender differences are cultural, there are actually a set of traits that are very different in the majority of men and women.

He found that about two-thirds of men tend toward “thinking,” and two-thirds of women tend toward “feeling” when giving a Myers-Briggs personality inventory. This gives us insight into how women and men view and react to the world differently. These are generalizations, of course. But they ring true for the vast proportion of my own experiences and for most men (and women) I have talked to.

Since men tend toward “thinking,” it makes us more oriented toward problem-solving. We also are more willing to take on challenges, often because we feel like we have assessed the “risk-reward” equation to our satisfaction. The ramifications of this are that we often want to “fix” everything. We can also be arrogant and even unsafe.

Since women tend toward the “feeling” side, it makes them more sensitive to a person’s emotions, seeking connection and intimacy. This can make men uncomfortable.

Using Pedersen’s study, Geoff Gorsuch with the Navigators created a set of rules that help to generally describe how men and women see the world. Look at the comparison below to see the ramifications—both positive and negative—of each approach.

1. Most men tend to seek emotional space, while most women tend to seek emotional intimacy.

Men

• Positive: Helps men to obtain objectivity.
• Negative: Might make a man seem cold or uncomfortable with emotional expression.

Women

• Positive: Allows women to step into each other’s lives easily and develop relationships quickly.
• Negative: Can sometimes ignore the facts of a situation based on emotional needs subject to manipulation.

2. Most men tend to see challenges while most women seek security or safety.

Men

• Positive: Gets things done. Willing to take risks.
• Negative Can be very short-sighted. Can lead to excessive risk-taking and dangerous behavior.

Women

• Positive: Can help avoid unnecessary risks. Takes the long-term view.
• Can get “stuck,” not realizing their potential (or keeping their mate from realizing his).

3. Most men tend to “fix” rather than “accept.”

Men

• Positive: Focus on problem-solving. If no one wanted to fix anything, everything would stay broken.
• Negative: Can look at everything as a problem to be solved, rather than an experience to learn from.

Women

• Positive: Better suited for walking through things with people, rather than fixing them.
• Negative: Can focus on the emotional at the expense of dealing with issues decisively.

4. Most men tend to process information linearly, while women process in a more integrated fashion.  

Men

• Positive: Methodical approach. Don’t get confused by unrelated information or details.
• Negative: Everything is “either/or.” Can’t see the forest for the trees.

Women

• Positive: Better able to see the big picture. Allows for the “both/and.”
• Negative: Trying to do too much at once. Multitasking can lead to mediocrity or feeling overwhelmed.

5.  Most men tend to experience frustration as explosive anger while women experience frustration through a variety of emotional escalations.

Men

• Positive: Will tolerate a lot of minor frustrations if the task is getting done.
• Negative: Explosive anger is never good. Might have been able to head off the frustration if expressed earlier.

Women

• Positive: Venting as you go can help release pressure.
• Negative: Can come across as nagging.

Embrace the Differences

The attributes and tendencies of men are often used—on TV, in movies, even in sermon illustrations—for comic relief. We are portrayed as emotionally clueless buffoons.

The important thing to remember about these differences is that they do not give either gender an advantage over the other. Going back to the word in Genesis, they are corresponding. We fit together like pieces of a puzzle. My strengths match up to my wife’s areas of need, and her strengths match up with my areas of need. They help us in our parenting, managing our household, involvement in church and our friendships.

Here are some tips for inter-species—oops, I mean inter-gender—communication. You can share these with your wife as well:

• Sharing problems. When a guy shares a problem, 99 percent of the time it means he is looking for a solution. When a woman shares a problem—particularly with her husband—it usually means she wants to share the problem—share as in bearing one another’s burdens. This became clear to me one day when my wife had shared a problem with me. I was about three sentences into telling her how to solve it when she said, “I’m not stupid. I know what to do. That’s not why I told you. I just needed to talk with you about it.” She was sharing with me (relationship), not looking for me to tell her what to do (task).
• Don’t fear the tears. Don’t be manipulated by them either. Guys express emotions in two ways: silence and explosion. Women escalate in phases. Just because she’s crying doesn’t mean she’s desperate. When your wife cries, more often than not she just needs you to connect with her emotionally. Hug her, tell her you’re sorry she’s sad, tell her you love her and that God does too. But don’t freak out. (And if you’re showing this to your wife, this is just for her: Ladies, don’t take advantage of your husband’s discomfort with tears by using them to get what you want. It’s fighting dirty. And it’s actually undermining your intimacy. When he figures it out, he will be hurt and he will withdraw from you emotionally.)
• Listen responsively. Our wives need to be acknowledged. To you, your silence when she talks to you means, “I heard you. I get it. I don’t have any questions.” To her, it means, “I’m not really listening to you.” Whether she’s sharing a problem or asking you to take out the garbage, acknowledge what she’s saying.
• Sex. For a guy, sex goes great on the to-do list. We’re usually happy to accomplish this task whenever asked! For a woman, sex is a celebration of the relationship. It is the culmination of a series of events and feelings that make her want to be close to you. Be careful about the language you use when talking about sex. Don’t expect to come in at the end of a hard day, say two words to her during dinner, watch ESPN while she does the dishes, kiss the kids on the forehead before she puts them to bed and then find your wife to be in the mood for intimacy with you.
• Pray. Pray for your wife, and pray with your wife. When you don’t feel like much of a spiritual leader, it’s tough to feel like she will even want to pray with you. But she does. Give your wife a hug before you leave in the morning and say, “Can I pray for us real quick?” Then ask God to protect your wife, to be with her throughout the day and for Him to help you be the best husband you can be. This will change your heart and hers.

Take Heart!

We did a workshop on this topic at FUEL 2013. Most of the attendees were wives. I was explaining to them the perspective their husbands have and how different it is from their own. I found myself somewhat apologetic for men and our focus on task over relationship.

But then one of the wives said something profound: “Don’t apologize for how men are! My husband is just like you described, and I like it! We need someone in our marriage who can put the emotions aside and make a tough decision. I need someone who will push me to take risks. It’s good for me that he focuses on things one at a time while I’m trying to do five things at once and feeling overwhelmed. God made us this way for a reason. I’ll take the negatives, because the positives are so great.” Wise words.

So take heart! God made you the way you are. And He made the women in our lives the way they are as well. If you’ll pay attention and realize the motivations of a woman’s heart, you will (usually) be able to decipher the gender code.

Brett Clemmer is a Christ-follower, husband, father, rock-climber, runner and avid reader. He lives in Central Florida and works for Man in the Mirror. In his role as vice president of leadership development, Brett spends the majority of his time writing, training and equipping church leaders to disciple men. Brett co-authored No Man Left Behind, a guidebook for church leaders who want to build male disciples in their church. He is active on Facebook and Twitter and maintains the One Man, Under God blog at brettclemmer.tumblr.com.

My good friend Marquette is a personal trainer in what we CrossFitters affectionately call a “globo gym,” that is, a spacious, air-conditioned facility full of state-of-the-art machines, a class schedule offering everything from aerobics to Zumba, and maybe even a sauna or two in the locker rooms.

I was a guest on Marquette’s Blog Talk Radio program last week; the show was simply titled “What Is CrossFit?” Many globo gymgoers (and you may be among them) think only fire fighters, former Marines, and “bulky” women do CrossFit—if they are familiar with the training method at all.

As popular as CrossFit has become over the last several years, longtime fitness enthusiasts still aren’t sure what the fuss—and some may say “fanaticism”—surrounding CrossFit is all about. I frequently hear the following questions:

• “Is it just for hard-core fitness nuts? I think I’m too old/too out of shape.”
• “What is a CrossFit class like? And what on earth does ‘WOD’ mean?”
• “Why are there so many elements involved with CrossFit? I’d rather just run/lift weights.”

I hope to adequately answer those questions in this article, and perhaps even encourage you to give CrossFit a try!

Question 1: “Is it just for hard-core fitness nuts? I think I’m too old/out of shape.”

The short answer is a resounding no. In fact, CrossFit warmly welcomes everyone. High school athletes, grandparents, even congenital amputees like the inspirational wrestler, CrossFit instructor and motivational speaker Kyle Maynard call themselves CrossFit athletes.

Most of us are familiar with the 2010 Coen brothers’ western, True Grit. The movie is a remake of John Wayne’s 1969 adaptation of the novel by Charles Portis, telling the true story of 14-year-old Mattie Ross and her determination to find her father’s killer.

True grit, according to most dictionaries, means the ability to show toughness in the face of trouble or difficulty. It’s a character trait that involves qualities such as “backbone,” boldness, bravery, constancy, courage, dauntlessness, determination, endurance, fearlessness, gutsiness, heart, mettle, moxie, nerve, patience, perseverance, pluck, resolution, “spine,” spirit, spunk, stamina, staying power, stick-to-it-iveness, stoutheartedness, tenacity, valor, and the ever elusive “what it takes.”

Regardless of how you slice it, true grit is a quality All Pro Dads would love to see their children develop. The challenge, of course, is how can a dad develop true grit in his child without having to go through the kind of trauma Mattie Ross ran across in the mid-19th century frontier?

Here, then, are six ideas to help All Pro Dads develop true grit in their children:

1. Ease off on the handholding. You know what we mean. Allow your child to fail once in a while. Allow your child to succeed by his or her own efforts. Allow your child to complete difficult tasks without you stepping in to tidy them up and make them look better.

2. Cultivate a problem-solving culture at home. How about a few research assignments without Google? Maybe make pancakes without the “instant”! A series of difficult but achievable chores over the summer? Or a regular “kids’ night” for dinner prep responsibilities. Be realistic, but don’t be afraid of a challenge or two.

3. Help your child clarify, and then express, foundational values. Character education must be an ongoing priority at home. Teach your child to understand what they believe, to value what they believe and then to practice the art of explaining it.

4. Sign up to learn a difficult task—together. Check with your local YMCA or community college and sign up—with your child—for a class you know will be a challenge but something they can use. Bicycle repair, gardening, how to change the oil—don’t just talk about true grit; use some together.

5. Participate in a mission or service venture outside your personal comfort zone. Most real learning takes place in the face of at least a measure of difficulty. So get involved in a service project—together—that’s guaranteed to take you both outside your comfort zone.

6. Teach the faith. Jesus may have been the first to identify the essence of true grit when He said the following: “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33, NIV). Some translations use the words courage or confidence in place of heart. We believe faith education is a key element in developing the character necessary to sustain true grit, no matter what your age.

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 AllProDad.com, 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 AllProDad.com, fathers can join the highly engaged All Pro Dad social media communities on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram.

Need another reason to add fish to your dinner plate? New research has found omega-3 fatty acids, contained in oily fish such as salmon and trout, combat skin and mouth cancers—efficiently blocking tumor growth and destroying cancerous tissues. 

The findings, by from scientists at the Queen Mary, University of London, are based on laboratory tests that showed omega-3s cause cell death in malignant and precancerous cells at doses that don’t damage normal, healthy tissues. 

The research, published online in the journal Carcinogenesis, suggests omega-3s have the potential to be used in both the treatment and prevention of skin and mouth cancer. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids cannot be made by humans in large quantities and must be acquired from diet or supplements. 

“It may be that those at an increased risk of such cancers—or their recurrence—could benefit from increased omega-3 fatty acids,” said Zacharoula Nikolakopoulou, M.D., who carried out the research while studying at Queen Mary. “Moreover, as the skin and oral cancers are often easily accessible, there is the potential to deliver targeted doses locally via aerosols or gels. However further research is needed to define the appropriate therapeutic doses.” 

The new study involved a particular type of cancer called squamous-cell carcinoma. Squamous cells are the main part of the skin, and also occur in the mouth, digestive tract, lungs, and other areas of the body. Oral squamous cell carcinoma is the sixth most common cancer worldwide and one of the difficult and expensive to treat. 

In the experiments, the scientists grew cell cultures in the lab and then treated them with fatty acids. The cell lines included both cancerous oral and skin cells, along with pre-malignant cells and normal skin and oral cells.

“We found that the omega-3 fatty acid selectively inhibited the growth of the malignant and pre-malignant cells at doses which did not affect the normal cells,” said Kenneth Parkinson, head of the Oral Cancer Research Group at Queen Mary’s Institute of Dentistry.

“Surprisingly, we discovered this was partly due to an over-stimulation of a key growth factor [epidermal growth factor] which triggered cell death. This is a novel mechanism of action of these fatty acids.

While previous studies have linked omega-3s with the prevention of some cancers, there has been very little work done on oral cancers or normal cells.

Living in the land of Israel, in the biblical region Judea and Samaria, there are many aspects of daily life for which I am grateful to God and for His giving me the privilege of living here, fulfilling His prophecy.

Because the more common, and much less biblical, name for Judea and Samaria is the West Bank, I am often asked about my personal safety and that of my family. I am asked about the overall state of affairs here (there’s always something in the news), given that many of our neighbors are hostile—including no shortage of terrorists—and the sense that overall, Israel is a dangerous place to live, much less visit, even for Christians who understand this is the only land whose deed is in the Bible and its significance for Jews and Christians.

Often when having these conversations, I am surprised to hear parallel dreams about coming to visit and see the land, but people fear to do so. I shouldn’t be surprised, because I am well aware of how Israel is portrayed in the media. But living here and experiencing the reality of life here, the difference between what’s reported and what’s real are often so vast that the only way for people to understand is to come see for themselves.

During these conversations, I explain the reality, not denying very real issues that exist and the fears I have as a father and husband, and I invite people to come visit and see firsthand. Whether you’ve been to Israel yet or not, allow me to use this opportunity to share with you some of the reality on the ground and invite you to come see for yourself.

As many Israelis do, I have deep and warm relationships with many Israeli Arabs not noted here. However, one relationship that is noteworthy is the man who is the closest living person to me as a father figure. He is a Christian Israeli Arab, and his children are like my siblings and my kids’ uncles and aunts.

However, in writing about these experiences, I am writing about relationships between Israeli Jews and non-Israeli Palestinian Arabs, both Christians and Muslims.

This was sparked by a recent wonderful interaction I witnessed at a local grocery store serving and employing both Israeli Jews and non-Israeli Palestinian Arabs. Being in the West Bank, that makes the Israelis who work or shop there “settlers,” as depicted in the media often in a disparaging way. Yet there are many personal interactions that take place daily there that are testimony to the reality that peaceful coexistence is possible, that “settlements” are not an obstacle to peace, and that raise doubt to the wisdom of certain policies and beliefs that call for an altogether separation of Jewish Israelis from non-Jewish Arabs.

While waiting on line to check out, I saw the clerk from the adjacent register stand up and walk to the grocery cart of the woman who was bagging her groceries in front of me. What struck me is the clerk was kissing the baby of the woman checking out, cupping the baby’s face and kissing her all over as the baby enjoyed a cracker.

In Israel, it’s not uncommon to see total strangers approach and even embrace kids they don’t know and then offer parenting advice. In the U.S., this might be met with a call to the police, but here it’s quite normal, or at least not abnormal.

What was remarkable in this instance is that the store clerk was an Arab woman, and the baby she was nearly kissing to death was an orthodox Jewish “settler.”

On another occasion, I had an incredibly open and warm conversation with another Arab clerk with whom I shared hopes and wishes, as well as photos, for our kids’ future to be one of living in peace.

Many other examples abound. Once I needed a new tire and went to the local garage.   Mohammed apologized profusely that he only had one tire for me to choose from, offering to give me a temporary one and come back the next day when he’d have another for me to select from as well.

Just outside my community, there are four Arab businesses: a hardware store, two car washes and an auto body shop. All advertise exclusively in Hebrew to Israeli Jews, “settlers,” and when doing business there, one is greeted warmly and with excellent customer service that makes these places frequented by my neighbors and gives them a good living with mutual respect the rule.

We may not love each other, but we do rely on one another. I explained this to a visiting U.S. diplomat once, that if we were to be separated from one another by a fence, they would lose their livelihood and the negative social ripple effect would be profound.

Within my community, there are an abundant number of Arabs who come to work here, so much so that I joke on any given weekday there are more Arab men here than Jewish men because the Jewish men typically commute to jobs in nearby Jerusalem.

Two such men are the gardeners who tend to our lawn and several fruit trees. Whenever they come to care for the lawn, they know they are welcome for coffee and cake that my wife will gladly serve them, as I did myself this week. They appreciate our hospitality, and we appreciate their hard work.

In 2010, I hosted a church group from Nevada. I invited the mayor to escort us some of the way. While overlooking an adjacent Arab village, he showed our guests how we were in the midst of connecting our water supply to theirs. Water is precious in Israel, and every liter shared means far more than the value of the water itself.

As we stood there, two young Arab men approached the group and addressed the mayor directly in Hebrew, expressing a familiarity one has when talking to someone you already know. This took place during the U.S.-imposed building freeze, done as a way to nudge the Palestinians back into negotiation with us.

The Arab men wasted no time complaining to the mayor that they hated the building freeze, that they wanted to work, and that it was hurting them and their families economically. Mind you, the mayor was the mayor of an Israeli “settlement,” and the building that the men wanted to be doing was building houses and infrastructure in our community. Is that an obstacle to peace? Hardly.

There’s the instance I witnessed of heavily armed Israeli soldiers helping to push a stalled car of an Arab woman off to the side of the road, soon joined by two Arab men to help. The media would have a hard time explaining, much less reporting on this as it didn’t involve rock throwing, stabbing or rubber bullets being fired or something else to blame on the occupation.

Adapting the timeless philosophical question, if Israeli and Arab coexistence happens but there’s no media report of it, does it really happen? The answer is, unequivocally, yes.

Many other examples abound. These are a fraction of personal experiences I have had. I could write a book if I included my neighbors’ experiences as well. If it had only been about kissing a cute baby, perhaps it would be an anomaly. But it’s not. Coexistence, where given the chance, exists and can flourish.

Will peace come from that? I don’t know. But I do know that peace without coexistence cannot happen. And too much of U.S.-Western thought seeks to separate the two, divide Jews and Arabs, and does not begin to comprehend how one is reliant on the next.

If you’ve not been to Israel yet, please start planning your trip. If you have, it’s probably time to recharge your batteries and come back. That’s why I am organizing a special, uniquely subsidized trip to Israel, especially for pastors and heads of ministries, to see for themselves and then be able to lead a group of their own.

If you are interested or wish to share this with your pastor, please be in touch directly at [email protected]. But either way, do come visit, please be in touch, and come see for yourself.

With hugs and kisses from the “West Bank.”

Who will you be five years from now? What direction are you moving regarding overall health and well-being?

You have more control than you might think. As you journey toward the future, keep this in mind.

You Are What You Eat

Your body needs an abundance of nutrients to function at its best and avoid disease. Unfortunately, those nutrients are much harder to come by than in previous generations, due to soil depletion, pesticides, harsh processing and dangerous preservatives.

There are many reasons why obesity and diseases such as diabetes are far more prevalent now than in previous generations, but one reason is the quality of food we consume—both what it contains and what it lacks.

As you already know, my website contains numerous references to study after study linking disease and longevity to food and nutrition. This is why I have committed so much energy to developing nutritional supplements designed to address this growing problem with our food supply.

You Are What You Think

We used to say, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” We now know this is absolutely not true. Not only do the words of others (especially our parents) affect us deeply, but so do our own words and thoughts.

If you surround yourself with negative people and negative thoughts, you will develop a negative outlook on life, which will negatively affect your health. People with a positive outlook live longer and have less chronic disease than those who tend to be worried and sad. As I’ve said before, to be healthy, you need to be happy.

You Are What You Do

If you exercise and remain socially active, you will be a completely different person than if you live a sedentary life and have limited interaction with others. Your mind and body need to be stretched and challenged on a regular basis.

Recent studies show, for example, that people who retire later have a lower risk of developing dementia than those who retire earlier. Other studies show those who exercise regularly have less disease and a greater sense of well-being than those who don’t.

Similar studies show that those who spend more time sitting in a car or sitting in front of a television have a greater chance of dying than those who are more physically and socially active.

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 drcolbert.com.

Hebrew University’s Stand With Us campus coordinator Lee-El Lewinsohn recently accompanied 25 students to the International Women’s Conference, which focused on women’s rights in Israel and worldwide gender equality.

Leading Israeli public figures, including politicians, activists, businesswomen, journalists and religious leaders, spoke at the conference.

“Israel faces many challenges, and so do the women in Israel, but our strong pluralistic and democratic society has achieved many goals and is constantly in flux, changing, growing and improving,” Lewinsohn says.

Participant countries of origin included Nepal, Cameroon, Nigeria, Kenya and the island of Nevis in the Caribbean.

Shelisa Martin Clarke, a public health administrator from Nevis, says she learned “from the Israeli perspective” how to deal with domestic and gender-based violence in her country.

Sabina Deshemaru, a Nepalese student at the Hebrew University, notes, “I want to approach the Nepalese army and to see if there is a chance to replicate the idea of how Israel works with people who have post-traumatic stress disorder.”

Rilwan Raji, a Nigerian doctor, emphasizes that Israel “is an inspiration” with regard to women’s rights, noting that he is consistently impressed by women serving in high-level positions in the Israel Defense Forces, the Knesset and Israel’s foreign service.

“Basically, the most important thing is how women are integrated into the political system, for the more women are in politics, the better will be the plight of the girl child,” Raji says. “For me, it’s unbelievable that Israel has so much to offer despite the conflict. It shows that the security situation is not an excuse for lack of development.”

Raji claims Nigeria frequently uses the existence of the Boko Haram Islamist terror group, which attacks schools, health care clinics and churches, as a pretext for lack of development.

Luchuo Engelbert Bain, a doctor from Cameroon, learned from the Stand With Us conference how to communicate pro-women’s health messages that emphasize the “problems of women are the same the world over, even though the degree differs.”

Bain also notes the importance of inspiring men to take an interest in promoting women’s rights. He says the information he gathered at the conference will help him educate women about the dangers of HIV and the need to protect against risks in Cameroon posed by arranged childhood marriages, forced marriages to deceased husbands’ brothers, and prostitution, all of which lead to the spread of HIV.

For the original article, visit unitedwithisrael.org.

“Are you telling me that as a Gentile believer, I don’t have to keep the Sabbath or eat Kosher in order to be saved?” That was the question a precious young believer asked me at the end of my message a few weeks ago.

I taught all week at Blue Mountain Christian Retreat through my book Identity Theft, taking a hard look at the early communities of first-century believers and how they lived.

This woman had been taught in a Messianic congregation—I don’t know where—that God calls Gentiles to keep the Torah, just as Jews. Before I go further, let me make two points:

1. I do believe Jewish believers are called to live a Jewish life according to Scripture as a matter of calling (Rom. 11:29).

2. I don’t believe this has any bearing whatsoever on our salvation, which is obtained solely through faith in Yeshua alone.

Having said that, there are some congregations that teach God’s perfect plan is for Gentiles also to keep Torah. While I do believe there is freedom for any believer to keep the entire Torah, it is not required. Let’s take a look at the Word of God.

1. The Jerusalem Council. The very first theological council convened over this very issue. In Acts 15, Messianic leaders that had been preaching the Good News to the Gentiles gathered together. The issue at hand: Do Gentiles have to convert to Judaism in order to be saved?

After hearing impassioned testimony from Shimon Kefa (Peter), Jacob (James) ruled:

“It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood.  For the law of Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath” (Acts 15:19-21, NIV).

Some have claimed that the last part—that “Moses … is read in the synagogues”—meant that the Gentiles could grow in their Jewishness over time. It is more likely that Jacob’s intention was to show the four things they were forbidden to do were universally immoral ways to worship the one true God and that the Torah would back that up.

1. The four prohibitions address how the former pagans, now believers, could worship. Obviously, they would adhere to other universal laws found in the Old Covenant (“Thou shalt not lie,” “Thou shalt not steal,” etc.), but in their liturgical life—how they worshipped—they had to forsake certain pagan practices, such as drinking blood or lying with temple prostitutes, as these were clearly universally immoral worship practices to both Jew and Gentile. The Torah, which was read weekly, would affirm this (v. 21).

Biblical scholar Richard Bauckham has argued that each of the four prohibitions can be found in Leviticus 18-19. He claims these practices are moral issues (even though the context is liturgical) and that they were abominations by which God cast the Canaanites out of the Land. Jacob is merely saying here in Acts, “Torah backs up this decision.”

2. God has called Israel to be a separate nation. Israel was chosen from among nations to be a light to the rest of the world (Ex. 19:5-6; Is. 42:6; Gen. 12:3). This calling is not voided by the New Covenant. Paul says, referring to natural Israel, “God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable” (Rom. 11:29). But nowhere does the New Covenant command Gentiles to live as Jews.

As the Jews embraced God’s Law, His anointing would attract the Gentiles: “May God be gracious to us and bless us, and make his face shine on us—so that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations” (Ps. 67:1-2).

3. Mark Paul’s words to Gentiles. When Gentiles were being taught they had to be circumcised in order to be saved, Paul blew a gasket! Paul, who taught us it is faith alone, through grace that we are saved (Eph. 2:8), could not have been clearer regarding the Gentiles being required to keep the law of Moses:

“You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Yeshua the Messiah was clearly portrayed as crucified. I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh? … So again I ask, does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard?” (Gal. 3:1-3, 5).

And then: “For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.’ Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because ‘the righteous will live by faith’” (vv. 10-11).

While it is clear that the new believing communities sprouting up in Gentile nations were aware of the Jewish roots of the faith (1 Cor. 5:7), where does Paul or any other New Testament writer encourage Gentile believers to live as Jews?

Why, then, are Jewish believers commanded to keep the Torah?

Good question. First of all, let me repeat it: No one will be saved through works of the Law—Jew or Gentile. However, Jews are called to live as Jews as a matter of eternal calling (not to obtain eternal salvation). I can eat a lobster tail today, and it will not affect my salvation, but I would not be staying true to my calling as a Jew. In the Acts revival, the new Jewish believers were portrayed as being “zealous for the Torah” (Acts 21:20). And this was a good thing!

However, while Gentiles are certainly free to keep the Torah, it is not their calling. Gentile believers should not be made to feel guilty for not worshipping on Saturday or keeping kosher. They certainly can, but they are not compelled.

Robin Parry says it well: “Gentiles were granted the status of full membership of the end-time community of God’s people without having to convert to Judaism.”

One of the greatest examples of this in the New Covenant can be seen in the lives of Titus and Timothy. After coming to faith, Timothy, who was Jewish through his mother, was circumcised, whereas Titus, a Greek, was not: “Yet not even Titus, who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised” (Gal. 2:3). In fact, Paul circumcises Timothy just before going on a journey to tell the Gentiles they are not compelled to keep the whole Torah: “As they traveled from town to town, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey” (Acts 16:4).

Imagine locking yourself in a room having never read the New Covenant. Then, without commentary from me or anyone else, you read the New Covenant. I am confident you would come away with these two New Covenant truths:

1. Jews who find the Jewish Messiah are still Jews.

2. Gentiles believers become one with Israel but are not required to live as Jews.

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, Identity Theft, was released April 16. Follow him at @RonSCantor on Twitter.

For the original article, visit messiahsmandate.org.