Red, ripe and delicious, strawberries mean summer. From farm stands to your local supermarket, these luscious berries turn up just about everywhere.

But this is no summer vacation for these amazing berries, which work overtime for your health. Research shows that strawberries can stimulate your metabolism and suppress your appetite. They can help you lose weight and even help control blood sugar.

Strawberries can help promote weight loss in three ways:

1. Strawberries can increase the body’s production of a hormone that stimulates your metabolism and suppresses your appetite.
2. They can slow the rate of digestion of starchy foods. This helps control the rise in blood sugar that follows a starchy meal. This is a key benefit for those with adult-onset (Type 2) diabetes.
3. Strawberries also can help your weight-reducing hormones function properly.

Strawberries are a perfect part of The Fat Resistance Diet because one cup contains only 49 calories and comes loaded with vitamin C, 3 grams of fiber and some calcium, magnesium and potassium. Strawberries give you flavor, color and aroma, awakening your taste buds to the fresh, natural foods your body needs to be healthy and vital.

Strawberries may also have anti-inflammatory effects, inhibiting the activation of genes and enzymes that promote inflammation. Most of this benefit is due to antioxidants that give ripe strawberries their lush red color. And strawberries may help keep the brain young and fit. Studies with laboratory animals demonstrated benefits of strawberries for the aging brain.

How to Enjoy Strawberries: Shopping and Eating

When shopping for berries, freshness is key. Choose strawberries that are bright red and firm. Strawberries are a great snack or dessert and add color and flavor to healthy recipes. Naturally sweet and juicy, strawberries are a sublime pleasure just as they are, without adding sugar or cream.

Simply add a handful of sliced strawberries to:

• Cold cereal or granola
• Hot oatmeal
• Smoothies
• Yogurt

Get a free one-day meal plan with recipes by visiting Dr. Galland’s Web site at www.fatresistancediet.com/trial/.

Dr. Leo Galland is a board-certified internist who received his education at Harvard University and the New York University School of Medicine. He has held faculty positions at New York University, Rockefeller University, the State University of New York, and the University of Connecticut. Jonathan Galland is a health writer for newspapers, magazines, and major news Web sites. He is frequently interviewed as a weight loss and health expert on the radio and has appeared on Martha Stewart Living Radio.

For the original article, visit cbn.com.

In this article, I will look to address a number of issues that will help Gentile believers improve their witness of the gospel to their Jewish friends. There are definitely things we can do or say that can make a difference when sharing our faith; and there are also some fundamental issues that can dramatically change the way we help Yeshua introduce Himself to our Jewish brethren.

Two such issues are: gaining a better understanding of the barriers that currently exist and learning to bring a Jewish gospel back to our Jewish friends.

We Must Present Them With a Jewish Gospel

To help reflect on these issues, let us take a look at the Olive Tree example that the apostle Paul used to delineate between Jews and Gentiles (see Rom. 11:17-24). Let us also try to understand the context of current Christianity, the Gentile branch of the vine, which for the past 1,700 years has presented itself distinctive and apart from its Jewish origins and apostolic Hebraic roots.

While this may have been acceptable toward the nations during the time of the Gentiles, as the kingdom now transitions in these end days to re-include the Israel part of the family (see Rom. 11:25-26), it is no longer appropriate. As the Father looks to finally unite His family between Jew and Gentile, which has been foretold in the above Scripture, we must look to restore our faith to its heritage so we can properly fulfill our roles to make Israel envious; and I will address this point more fully in next month’s article on “The Roles.”

Please do not be offended by this, and allow me to fully explain so you may understand where I am coming from. I am not criticizing the way in which the gospel is presented to the Gentile world, but rather focusing on how it should be presented back to Israel.

Let me explain: Is not the vine that all Gentile believers are grafted into of Jewish origins? And was not the Jewish branch a natural one, even though it is mainly still broken off due to unbelief? In fact, is not everything we have received of Jewish origins?

“Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. Theirs are the patriarchs and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ who is G-d over all, forever praised! Amen” (Rom. 9:4-5).

When we first believe in Christ, are we not grafted into all of Israel’s covenants and promises, and is not salvation from the Jews, as Jesus has told us (John 4:22)? So how can we expect to win Jews back to faith and make them envious when the gospel we are presenting back to them is so foreign from their own heritage?

For since the church broke away from its Jewish origins, Jewish people now think of Christianity as a completely separate religion, when in fact it is the only true and proper extension of Judaism, especially if we believe Jesus to be the Jewish Messiah. So when we present the Good News to Jewish people, if we do not reconnect the dots and present it back to them as if it was their very own in the first place, we completely miss the mark.

If we want to be fully effective in reaching our Jewish brethren whom we know from Scripture are still yet to be restored, we must remind ourselves of our humble beginnings and how we have been grafted into the vine in the first place: “After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more readily will these the natural branches be grafted into their own olive tree!” (Rom. 11:24).

As pointed out in my last two Charisma articles about drawing Jewish people to jealousy, it is our own personal and intimate relationship with their G-d, who is now also our G-d, that will ultimately make them envious. But when it is not presented to them as a Jewish faith, it completely misses its effectiveness in helping them to be grafted back into their own olive tree.

Are you following me here? If we were still moving in the gospel of the first century, it would be different, because the founding apostles were all Jewish and so naturally had an innate sense of how to bring the Good News to their own people. But when the church moved away from its Jewish connection, it lost this ability.

This could be best seen through the Christian girl that led me to faith who never used Christian terms or symbols but instead presented Yeshua to me as if He was my very own, reconnecting her faith in Christ as a Jewish concept. This naturally made my transition much easier, despite my bloodline resistance to faith, because of the inherent barriers of persecution. You can read more about this story in my first book, The New Covenant Prophecy.

Maria never quoted the New testament Scriptures, which she knew I could not receive at the time, but instead used the Hebrew Scriptures as her source while using New Testament terms through her own speech. She always referred to G-d as the G-d of Israel, and she was so incredibly grateful toward my people for giving her Christ, whom she said was Jewish, and always referred to Him as the Messiah.

She also told me about all of the Jewish disciples and that in fact Christianity was Jewish and that as a result of Christ, she now inherited all of the promises and covenants of Israel that were given to my people first. She also mentioned that the New Testament was written by Jewish believers, excepting Luke, and that they moved with the Holy Spirit to build the church, who led them to open up to the Gentile world.

This made a huge difference to me in how I processed Yeshua, as He was presented back to me in a Jewish manner. When I began to further contemplate the acceptance of Messiah into my life, Maria had already reestablished this Jewish connection for me, which made my final journey that much easier to enter into.

In light of the time that we are now living in, as we have entered this time of transition between Jew and Gentile, like the apostles, we must be willing to make adjustments and come into agreement with the Holy Spirit’s work to reconnect us so Israel can come forth.

Just like the Jewish believers that clung to the Law and wouldn’t let go as the Holy Spirit began to move on the Gentile world and awaken them, we cannot expect Jews to become like Gentiles when receiving the gospel, and we must bless them into their own heritage and calling, which is distinct from our own—for from within the one new man and the oneness of the Spirit, we both have unique roles and callings to fulfill, especially in the final days before Messiah is to return. For within G-d’s end time mercy plan, Israel cannot come forth without the church, and the church cannot come into its inheritance without Israel’s redemption. Thus the family of G-d must finally become one!

Understanding the Barriers

Secondly, we must gain a better understanding of the current barriers that exist that have prevented Jewish people from coming to faith. Even with Maria’s skill in communicating the gospel toward me, it was so incredibly difficult for me to even consider Yeshua. This was as a result of what my people have suffered due to the horrible persecution that was bestowed upon them by the church and the Gentile world throughout the past 2,000 years in blaming them for Christ’s death.

It is no longer only the fact that Jewish people did not accept Yeshua to be the Jewish Messiah that keeps them away from G-d, but rather what has been done to them in the name of Christ, which is why Christian symbols are so offensive to Jewish people, for they have been used as weapons against them. In light of this, we must gain a better understanding of the past to help us to be more sensitive in our witness.

Throughout my nine months of resistance to the faith when Maria came into my life, this factor played a huge role in keeping me apart from G-d and is the main reason today that keeps Jewish people away from their own Messiah. I write about these issues extensively in my second book, which will be on bookshelves this coming October, The Ezekiel Generation, and I would encourage you to pick up a copy and read it.

As we draw closer to the times of Jesus’ return, these issues are becoming highly significant to us in fulfilling our end time roles and destinies, not only to help win Israel back to faith, but also to see the L-rd’s return. For Christ will not return until Israel says, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the L-rd” (Matt. 23:39).

As a result, when we look to bring the gospel back to Israel, it must be from their own heritage, from their Jewish vine and their roots, in order that they can be reestablished back into their own natural branch and we can finally find unity with them as the children of the living G-d.

Below are some good tips of what to say and what not to say when sharing the Good News with Jewish people:

1. Don’t use Christian terms that have been used against them. Use Jewish terms.

• Yeshua for Jesus
• Messiah for Christ
• Tree for Cross
• New Covenant for Gospel
• Congregation for Church

2. When praying in front of your Jewish friends, use Jewish terms. Be careful how you explain the Trinity, as some Jewish people think we worship three gods.

3. Avoid Christianese. For instance, avoid the repetition of Hallelujah and Praise the L-rd in your speech, as they will think you are weird.

4. Learn about the Jewish feasts, and use them to share your faith.

If every Christian living around Jewish people committed themselves to one Jewish person or family—to love them, to pray and intercede for their faith, to hold onto them, as Maria did for me—how long do you really think it would take the Christian world to reach the Jewish people?

Grant Berry is a Jewish believer in Yeshua/Jesus and author of The New Covenant Prophecy and The Ezekiel Generation. He has founded Reconnecting Ministries with the specific focus to help the church reconnect spiritually to Israel and considers it vital to the kingdom of G-d in the last days. His message focuses on the unity, love and healing that the Father wants to bring between Jew and Gentile yet clearly points out the differences and misunderstandings between the two groups. Now is the time to look more carefully into this mystery to make way for healing and reconnection in the Spirit. For more information, please visit reconnectingministries.org.

My weight-loss program focuses on low glycemic with lots of raw foods and vegetable juices. One question that comes up often is what to do about sugar cravings.

If the ice cream, chocolate or sweet energy bar continually calls you, it may be time to try something new. Here’s what you can do:

• Eat adequate protein.  One of the symptoms of not eating enough protein is sugar cravings.
• Improve digestion. Even if you’re eating enough protein, you may not be digesting it well. If so, you could benefit by taking digestive enzymes. I recommend taking enzymes—when taken between meals, they help “clean up” undigested proteins from the recent meal. A great benefit is that your hair will grow thicker.
• Apple-cider vinegar. Drink unfiltered apple cider vinegar and watch your sugar obsession disappear. Add 1 to 3 teaspoons of pure, raw, organic apple-cider vinegar to a 6-ounce glass of filtered water. Apple-cider vinegar promotes digestion by keeping your stomach acid in balance, helping the body digest proteins and fats. Good digestion is essential to seeing the desire for sugar fall by the wayside.
• Eat umeboshi plums. These are salty and sour, which can put an end to sugar cravings.
• Sleep enough; sleep well. When you don’t sleep well or enough, your appetite-controlling hormones get out of whack. If you need help, check out the amino acid program to balance brain neurotransmitters. This program can do amazing things for your sleep. Go to neurogistics.com and take the self-test quiz. Use the practitioner code SLEEP.
• Control yeasts. If you have a yeast overgrowth, known as candidiasis, you will probably crave sweets and/or starches, which easily turn to sugar. You can take the candida quiz to get an idea of possible yeast overgrowth (in the book The Coconut Diet). Coconut oil has been proven in scientific studies to kill yeasts. When you get yeasts under control, the cravings should diminish quickly.
• Face your emotional pain. Sugar cravings may be due to you saying, “I don’t want to really face the bitterness of my pain or the lack of sweetness in my life right now. I want to get ‘charged up’ and stuff my emotions.” There is only one way emotional pain ever leaves us. We must acknowledge it, forgive the offender and let it go. See my chapter on “Emotional Eating and Binging” in The Juice Lady’s Turbo Diet.

Cherie Calbom is the author of 21 books, including her latest best-seller, The Juice Lady’s Big Book of Juices and Green Smoothies, and Juicing for Life, with 2 million copies sold. Known as the Juice Lady for her work with juicing and health, her juice and diet therapy and cleansing programs have been popular for more than two decades. She holds a Master of Science degree in whole foods nutrition from Bastyr University. She has practiced as a clinical nutritionist at St. Luke Medical Center, Bellevue, Wash., and as a celebrity nutritionist for George Foreman and Richard Simmons. She and her husband conduct wellness juice and raw foods cleansing tetreats throughout the year. For more information and to sign up for her free newsletter, go to juiceladycherie.com.

Working on projects with your kids is a great way to spend your summer. You probably have plenty of items around the house that need attention, but those may not be the ideal project for you and your kids.

The best summer projects with dad will involve creating or repairing something the kids will get to enjoy when complete. Here are five fun projects you can do with your kids this summer.

1. Build a tree house. Nothing says fun for a kid like their very own tree house—especially one they helped build.

2. Create a website or blog. We are in the Google/Information Age, and kids are much more advanced than we were at their age. If your kid has an interest in computers, this will be a great project.

3. Install a basketball goal. A basketball goal at home can lead to endless hours of fun over the summer.

4. Grow something. Create a garden, plant a tree, plant flowers. Plant a garden with their favorite vegetables or herbs so they can enjoy eating the fruits of their labors.

5. Rebuild a computer or laptop. Do you have a kid interested in technology or who likes to take things apart? Encourage them and help them develop their skills by building a computer or laptop. You may have the next Bill Gates on your hands.

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.

Sports are unique in that they constantly put on display a metaphor of life. We often see an athlete who, despite his incredible ability, conditioning and preparation, seems to have zoned out and doesn’t perform to expectations.

It can happen in life as well. A man starts out in life, energized and excited about making his mark, yet over time grows weary and tired of the daily grind. His dreams become faded memories.

The thrill of life is dulled by routine.

As men, we must stay engaged in the fight. What fight? It’s the fight of life; the fight to make it; the fight for our family, our fitness, our finances and maybe our faith.

In the last few years, a passivity has crept into the psyche of men. Passivity may have slowly drained your energy and sapped your will. You may find it difficult to get up in the morning with the energy to take on the day. Your drive to work may be made in a comatose state of boredom. You may seem zoned out or disengaged. In fact, more and more workers are facing this very dilemma.

Gallup recently released a new poll about Americans and their jobs that stated that 70 percent of U.S. employees are either “checked out” at work or are “actively disengaged.”  According to the Los Angeles Times, the “actively disengaged” workers cost the U.S. as much as $550 billion annually.

There is a story in the Old Testament that describes this kind of passivity well. A great prophet, Elisha, was about to die, and the king of Israel, Joash, whimpered emotionally over the dying prophet.

Yet even in his dying state, the prophet was a fighting man. He instructs the king to take arrows in his hand and strike the ground. The king picked up the fist full of arrows and struck the ground three times.

Furious at the king’s passivity, the prophet exclaimed, “If you would have struck it many times, five or six times, then you would have completely defeated your enemy, but now you will only have three victories.”

The point of the story is to fight to the finish, to not let up, to press on toward complete victory.

I have noticed that a lot of men want an excellent life with about 80 percent effort.  However, if we’re going to win and win big, we must stay engaged, fighting hard against the resistance of routine and pressing toward a complete victory.

The apostle Paul told his young protege, Timothy, that God has not given us “a spirit of timidity, but of power, love and self-discipline”  (2 Tim. 1:7)

Don’t be passive or timid toward your pursuit of life. Don’t give up. Don’t check out. Don’t become weary in well doing.

You may be battling boredom in your marriage. Seemingly, the thrill of the romance is gone. My suggestion is to reengage your relationship. Actively pursue her. Consider that most men do not commit adultery for the relationship but for the risk and the thrill. Allowing your marriage to become boring is a dangerous thing.

You may have lost the edge at work. Yesterday’s sales and achievements are dusty plaques on the wall. Past victories are not bringing in the money for today and certainly don’t guarantee future income. Get after it. Change your routine. Look for new opportunities, new leads, new prospects.

Your health and fitness may have become weak and fattened. Get up early and get after it. Fight the bulge. Don’t just get on the treadmill and slow-pace it. Make it hard. Do something that gets you out of passivity.

Get up and get your fight back!

I’ve entered my 50s. This is the decade when men make a choice to either allow their life, marriages, finances and health begin a slow process of downward momentum or they re-engage and get active, aggressive and determined.

I recently read that most men’s monumental successes are achieved in their 50s. With that in mind, I am actively pursuing God’s best for my life. My wife and I date every week. I am enjoying the fruit of my labor. And even more amazing, I recently started working out at Crossfit, a brutal workout regiment. I am fighting the 50s! I want to be in the best shape possible so that I can fulfill my purpose. I don’t want to be satisfied striking my arrows in my teens, 20s and 30s. No, I want to strike my arrows in my 50s and 60s, and I won’t stop there!

What about you? Are you going to strike those arrows? How many times?

FivestarMan was founded in 2008 by Neil Kennedy. Kennedy has passionately promoted God’s Word for 25-plus years of ministry. He is known for practically applying biblical principles that elevate people to a new level of living. As a business, church, ministry and life consultant, Kennedy has helped others strategize the necessary steps to reach their full potential.

For the original article, visit fivestarman.com.

If you were tasked with reaching an unreached nation as God’s ambassador in Yeshua, how would you proceed?

My wife, Connie, and I became Israeli citizens and took up residence in this country over 20 years ago. A few years later, after getting a foundation in our new/old tongue of Hebrew, I faced that very question. I asked myself, “How can I best invest my life in order to draw our people to their Messiah?”

Since then, I’ve been privileged to establish humanitarian aid efforts and to assist in planting Hebrew-speaking Messianic congregations. These works are certainly relevant, and I’m grateful for them. But in all honesty, Israeli society as a whole has not yet been touched on a large scale by the pioneer ministries that have sprouted up in the past 25 to 30 years.

It was only when I got involved with teenagers—Messianic youth—that I saw a realistic possibility of influencing this chosen people, destined in Scripture to rediscover our Messiah King but blocked from knowing Him by history and spiritual blindness.

Back in the 1990s, I was invited to a youth event, sponsored by a dedicated ministry from abroad and conducted in English. I saw kids raising their hands high in surrender to the Lord. I saw the broad smiles on their faces and their tender tears of repentance. I knew that these young people needed this type of gathering in an Israeli, Hebrew-language format.

Naively, what I didn’t yet realize was how long it would take to create such a ministry. Thus was born Katzir, the Hebrew word for “harvest.” As a national service based on the volunteered time of young adult counselors and adult advisors, hundreds and hundreds of teens have been inspired and equipped through the 14 years of Katzir camps.

The vision of Katzir is to equip the Messianic youth of Israel to be the workers and leaders in the final harvest, leading to Yeshua’s return. Those who attended our initial equipping times years ago already have completed their compulsory military service and are entering professional careers, establishing young families and serving in local congregations.

They are the future of Israel. They are the key to transforming our society. They have grown up here in the land. They know the language, the culture, the institutions of Eretz Yisrael (the Land of Israel). I am convinced that the only way to truly impact this nation with the saving grace and power of Yeshua is through His young, dedicated Israeli disciples—integrated and developing relationships on the grassroots level.

This summer we will again spend a full week, night and day, with 90 teenagers and 30 volunteers, most of whom were once campers. Via small group interaction, biblical teaching, worship, prayer, outdoor activity, deep conversations and team-building experiences, we’ll watch them change before our eyes. Here are three of their own responses from past gatherings:

“To be real is hard, but it’s worth it. I passed through many things during this summer camp. Many prayed for me. It was really amazing. I don’t want to continue the way I was, but really to be real. I shared something with you that was very private. It was really hard for me. For the next two days many people talked to me and told me things that were helpful and who identified with me. I never had a lot of believing friends. Believing friends are not to be taken for granted. I’m so glad to spend time with you—to speak freely without expecting to be put down. It’s so important.”

“I felt a lot of love from all of you. I really enjoyed it. I know that God did something deep in my life. Now, I can choose, and not be afraid. Before I was afraid. I began to sing yesterday. I feel that you are now my family. I hope we can be together again.”

“Many of you feel alone where you are. As a counselor I am also facing challenges. I felt so bad that I couldn’t give all of you the answers you were seeking. But God told me ‘I want you to direct the kids to Me … and I will give them the answers.’ I yielded to God. I heard some stories about what some of you are going through. To hear that you are persevering – you brought me back to a better place. There is a LIE that you are alone and no one else is going through what you are. Keep on keeping on! I love you so much.”

I hope that with this brief introduction, you can feel some of the awesome sense of reward, challenge and anticipation of our team. Please join us in equipping the youth who will soon become Yeshua’s finest messengers in Israel.

Eitan Shiskoff made aliyah in 1992 and established Tents of Mercy Congregation and Humanitarian Aid Center in 1995. He and his wife, Connie, have been married 44 years and have four children and nine grandchildren. He is the author of a new book What About Us? The End-Calling of Gentiles in Israel’s Revival.

For the original article, visit maozisrael.com.

Hello there, swine saviors! I’m not naïve enough to assume that all of you who read a previous post of mine decrying the consumption of pork have now sworn to be “pig-headed” and forgo sausage links forever. But a girl can dream.

Today, I want to move from the turf to the surf and discuss the aquatic creatures God tells us to steer our metaphorical fishing boats (shopping carts, really) clear of. Leviticus 11:20 calls these fish “abominable”! Pretty strong language for seafood, don’t you think?

Here’s the overarching rule that would put Joe’s Crab Shack out of business: Any fish without scales is off-limits. This includes lobster, oysters, clams, crabs, scallops, mussels, catfish and Bubba Gump shrimp.

When I first learned this, I wanted to cover my ears because I cherished ordering shrimp cocktail at restaurants. (And I must be honest; I still do on occasion.) However, my disappointment soon faded when I heard why the little crustaceans are so offensive.

Finless, scaleless fish are bottom-feeders. They spend their time moseying along the lake or ocean floor, having their fill of fish waste. Due to their physiology, whatever these creatures consume moves directly into their system.

This is why scientists can determine water pollution by checking the flesh of shellfish and crustaceans. In essence, these organisms are trash collectors, the marine equivalent of slop-wallowing swine.

Fish with fins and scales, however, are fantastic for us. Tuna, salmon, trout and halibut are all rich sources of proteins, vitamins, minerals and essential omega-3 fatty acids, which are proven to stimulate blood circulation, reduce blood pressure and prevent cancer, to name a few of their benefits.

When buying fish, be sure and shop only for wild-caught brands. The “farm raised” variety are more likely to harbor contaminants and lack nutrients.

Oh, I do want to return to piggies for a moment. I just learned that labs that do microbiological research have the ability to isolate cancer viruses from patients’ blood, view them under a microscope to diagnose the strains, then develop a remedy to destroy them. They can also replicate the cancer in a petri dish.

What’s interesting and not a little unsettling is the fact that doctors have found that the best material for growing cancer viruses is pig fat! So again, while it’s fine to live high on the hog, it’s rather unfavorable to snack on the swine.

Okay, time to practice my banjo! I think I’ve been inspired to write a bluegrass song about pigs farmers and crawdads …

Stay fit, stay faithful.

Diana Anderson-Tyler is the author of Creation House’s Fit for Faith: A Christian Woman’s Guide to Total Fitness. Her popular website can be found at www.fit4faith.com, and she is the owner and a coach at CrossFit 925. Diana can be reached on Twitter.

For the original article, visit dianafit.com.

My ability to become angry amazes me.

Someone or something trivial will trigger it. It’s my reaction to feeling thwarted in some way, however serious or ridiculous.

I trip over my wife’s heels on the way to the closet. Ugh! Somebody cuts in front of me on the freeway. Really? My schedule or plan gets interrupted or redirected. You’ve got to be kidding me. I get asked to do something I didn’t plan on doing. What? A project takes way too long because I am not the one in charge of it. This is ridiculous. I get a no when I thought for sure I would get a yes to my request. Unbelievable.

Sensations, words and feelings seize my body in those moments. Before I even have a second to think about things, there it is. I am “hot” about someone, somebody or something.

Anger in this sense is not bad, not a sin and functioning the way it should. I am being alerted to an obstruction of my will. The problem is that all anger contains some level of malice. It’s this aspect of anger that can act like an aggressive cancer and spread quickly because it includes an intent to harm.

All anger is harmful, which is why we don’t like it when we know people are angry with us. At some level they want some kind of correction or harm to befall us. Again, the abiding and unseen presence of anger in any relationship is a cancer and, once spotted, has to be radiated quickly. 

In history’s greatest message ever given on life and relationships, Jesus Himself chooses to address the issue of anger as the No. 1 personal issue men must be aware of and address internally as it arises (Matt. 5:21-22). More specifically, He teaches men to recognize it and place limits on it in their lives where it exists at the attitude level versus the action level. 

This is a consistent theme of Scripture because it is the one emotion behind so much pain and evil. Men are called by the Bible to learn how to “lay aside anger” (Col. 3:8) because to retain and cultivate it is to give the devil a perfect entry point in your life to start wreaking havoc in your relationships (Eph. 4:26-27).

Evil suggestions are welcomed by an angry man more eagerly than one who is settled within. Our anger attracts his presence, as he also knows anger leads to contempt and contempt seeks to degrade, exclude, push away and isolate others. If anger is the knife that can cut into healthy relationships, contempt is the powerful hand driving it deep into the soul of another.

Cutting words, phrases, gestures, looks or acts that are intended to harm scar relationships. In our culture men do not have to act outwardly mad to be mean. Few men physically murder others, but millions are killing the souls of others through anger, contempt and verbal stabbings.

To eliminate the cancer of anger and contempt, here are a few suggestions:

• Treasure the preciousness of people around you.
• See people as God’s creations designed for eternal purposes.
• See yourself in others so that you can be kind to others.
• Seek personal transformations that improve relationships.
• Personally connect to God’s love for you so that you can give away that same love in your relationships.
• Intervene and interject God’s truth into moments of anger. A good first step is to memorize James 1:19-20 and speak it when you feel anger rising.
• Meet weekly with a group of men to process your “stuff,” ask for prayer and be accountable to love people.
• Talk to God daily and on a moment-by-moment basis to aspirate negative feelings and thoughts you may have toward others.

Anger, like cancer, has to be aggressively isolated, treated and eliminated. You won’t have your hair fall out, but hopefully your pride will whither. Remember, all men will be triggered and experience anger. But receiving, indulging, retaining and expressing it is a choice. 

Kenny Luck is the founder of Every Man Ministries and the men’s pastor at Saddleback Church. His 20th book, Sleeping Giant: No Movement of God Without Men of God, is the proven blueprint for men’s ministries and was recently released through B&H Publishing. Watch and read more of Kenny’s teaching at EveryManMinistries.com. Follow Every Man Ministries now on Facebook, Twitter (@everymm) and YouTube.

For the original article, visit everymanministries.com.

Do you ever feel lost or out of place as a father?

New dads almost always feel intimidated by the idea of having a child. No one is ever quite prepared for such a radical change. (And that’s why we produced our free e-book, Forming a Lifelong Bond.)

Even more experienced dads can go through this—I know I still do. Challenges come along, and we freeze up or just avoid the situation. Or we try the first thing that comes to mind, which isn’t always the best approach.

Being a dad is challenging, but it shouldn’t be terrifying, aggravating or painful. Millions of guys make the necessary adjustments and do great with their kids, and so can we.

So, for dads in any situation or any stage along the journey, here’s my word of encouragement: Be comfortable in who you are as a dad. And I’m not talking about sitting around in your easy chair all day.

As I see it, being comfortable as a dad requires a balance of two ideas:

1. You play an important role. Dads make a huge difference in their kids’ lives. Your children do better when you’re present and fully engaged. And they might not admit it or even realize it, but they look up to you; they depend on you. So you should stand tall and be confident that you can handle the challenges that come your way, and you can adjust to meet your child’s changing needs as he grows. Be optimistic, believing that you will grow in your commitment and in the various roles of fatherhood.

2. Stay humble. Do this while embracing the important role and the power you have as a father. Being comfortable in who you are as a dad means you’re okay with the notion that you’re still learning and growing. You’ll never know it all, and you’ll never be perfect, and that’s okay; you can live with that.

In my home, I ask my wife and my son lots of questions as I keep learning how to be the loving dad I need to be. I need their help! So I periodically ask them how I can be a better dad, and I try to really listen to what they say. I have to be comfortable hearing that maybe I’m not doing so well in this or that area. I can’t take it personally or throw in the towel.

Being a great dad is a continuing process, and I’m growing comfortable with the good and the bad in my fathering. I guess that’s where maturity and patience come in.

So there you go: Embrace the importance of your role as a father, and accept the idea that you’re a work-in-progress. Laugh at yourself! Be quick to apologize and seek forgiveness. Keep listening and keep learning.

Get comfortable, and settle in for the long haul. Being a dad is a lifelong responsibility and privilege.

Do you feel comfortable as a father? Did it come naturally or require a lot of growth on your part? We’d like to get your feedback—either below or on our Facebook page.

Action Points for Dads on the Fathering Journey

• Take the initiative in some way to build a stronger relationship with each of your family members—even if it involves something that’s out of your comfort zone.
• What’s your plan to keep growing as a father? We believe one of your biggest assets in that regard is the other men around you. Read more.
• Summer reading suggestion: Read a book that helps you address an area of personal growth, such as communication, self-discipline, anger management, fathering, etc. (We have some suggestions here.)
• Ask your children and their mom to suggest one way you can improve as a dad. Really listen, and don’t take it personally.
• Are you planning some time away with your family this summer? Those times provide some great opportunities to soak in the joys of being a dad (and sometimes the trials). Here’s an article from our online library about this.

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 who to make the Championship Fathering Commitment. NCF believes that every child needs a dad they can count on, and uses its resources to inspire and equip men to be the involved fathers, grandfathers and father figures their children need. Subscribe to his weekly email tip by clicking here: “Yes! I want tips on how to be a great dad who loves, coaches, mentors, and inspires my children.

For the original article, visit fathers.com.