H1N1 Prevention – Rescue 911

I really need to stay more connected to what’s going on in the media. Ashamedly, it was only a few weeks ago I heard my sister-in-law talking about H1N1 and I asked, “What’s that”?  That must have been about three weeks, to a month ago (Before the recent deaths in the Toronto area-my condolences =( ).

Hey, I don’t have cable and rarely listen to the news…there are pros and cons that come with that. In this case, I would say it has been more of a pro for me.  I say this because the media tends to super-charge the public with fear, as fear tends to sell best (Admittedly, it is a frightening topic to begin with).  I’m not scared about it though. I have faith I have been building in the protection of God. I actually started to have a righteous anger start to rise in me concerning the fear and the epidemic that is trying to hit our region (and the world).

If this is something that has been troubling you, I have listed below an effective list of practical precautions you can take that cause the already-minimal odds that you would contract the virus, down to an even smaller percentage chance.

I encourage you to make your first line of defense Psalm 91.  (It is not a coincidence that God made the 91st Psalm, a psalm about protection: Rescue 91:1 …ya dig?? =)

Please find the practical precautions listed below…and don’t be afraid!! =)

Dr. Vinay Goyal is an MBBS,DRM,DNB (Intensivist and Thyroid specialist), having
clinical experience of over 20 years and discussed how to avoid transmission of H1N1
this season:

The only portals of entry are the nostrils and mouth/throat. In a global epidemic of this
nature, it’s almost impossible not coming into contact with H1N1 in spite of all
precautions. Contact with H1N1 is not so much of a problem as proliferation is.

While you are still healthy and not showing any symptoms of H1N1 infection, in order to
prevent proliferation, aggravation of symptoms and development of secondary infections,
some very simple steps, not fully highlighted in most official communications, can be
practiced (instead of focusing on how to stock N95 or Tamiflu):

1. Frequent hand-washing (well highlighted in all official communications).

2. “Hands-off-the-face” approach. Resist all temptations to touch any part of face
(unless you want to eat, bathe or slap)

3. Gargle twice a day with warm salt water (use Listerine if you don’t trust salt).
H1N1 takes 2-3 days after initial infection in the throat/nasal cavity to proliferate
and show characteristic symptoms. Simple gargling prevents proliferation. In a
way, gargling with salt water has the same effect on a healthy individual that
Tamiflu has on an infected one. Don’t under estimate this simple, inexpensive and
powerful preventative method.

4. Similar to 3 above, *clean your nostrils at least once every day with warm salt
water. *Not everybody may be good at using a Neti pot, but *blowing the nose
hard once a day and swabbing both nostrils with cotton swabs dipped in warm salt
water is very effective in bringing down viral population.*

5. Boost your natural immunity with foods that are rich in Vitamin C. If you have to
supplement with Vitamin C tablets, make sure that it also has Zinc to boost
absorption.

6. Drink as much of warm liquids (tea, coffee, etc) as you can. Drinking warm
liquids has the same effect as gargling, but in the reverse direction. They wash off
proliferating viruses from the throat into the stomach where they cannot survive,
proliferate or do any harm.

Great Christmas Message!

Check this note that was sent out by the government of the province of Sasketchewan, Canada. I thought it was BIG!:

Christmas message from Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall Author: Government of Saskatchewan Date: 12/10/2009 12:00:00 AM Source: canadaviews.ca

Two thousand years ago, a Saviour was born, heralded as bringing good news of great joy to all people. Jesus came to give us a message of hope, peace, and healing. He told us to love one another, and taught us how to reach out to others, especially those less fortunate than ourselves. Saskatchewan is a great place to live, and getting even better. But there are still those in Saskatchewan and many around the world who don’t have the privilege of looking forward to a merry Christmas. We can all do our part in the coming year to ensure each person in this province has a reason to celebrate. We can reach out to someone in need locally, through hard working groups like the Salvation Army, or by supporting an organization that reaches out to other countries to offer help and hope – like Operation Christmas Child. Maybe including someone in our Christmas who has suffered illness or loss this year and is experiencing loneliness and sadness instead of joy. Or extending the hand of friendship to one of the many new people we have had moving to Saskatchewan who can’t be with family this Christmas. As author Washington Irving said, “Christmas is the season for kindling the fire of hospitality in the home, and the flame of charity in the heart.” In this coming Olympic year…may this flame be our personal torch. The gift of time along with a warm heart may add that moment of beauty to someone’s life. Christmas is a great time for those moments. Imagine Christmas Eve. Inside a church, the lights are dimmed. Each person holds a candle. The tiny flame brings a soft glow to each face above it. Voices are raised and sing the eternal question: “What Child is this?” As the notes softly end, there is a sense of peace that settles in each heart because Christmas has answered that question. Reality will soon enough bring back its responsibilities and worries and fears, but each of us needs more of those moments. Those moments of peace, beauty and harmony. Those moments that come from giving of ourselves. That is my wish for all of you. So from me and my wife Tami, our children Megan, Colter and Faith, to everyone in this great province, “May the spirit of Christmas bring you peace. The gladness of Christmas give you hope. The warmth of Christmas grant you love.” Merry Christmas, and a very blessed, healthy and happy New Year.

Vote to Abolish the Human Rights Campaign in Ontario

Hey Everyone,

I just wanted to pass this message along from my friend Faytene, to all who live in Ontario, Canada.

LAST CHANCE TO REGISTER TO VOTE FOR ABOLISHING HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSIONS IN ONTARIO!
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Thursday BEFORE NOON is your last chance to register to vote in the Ontario PC leadership election this June! While there are many candidates that can been supported for various reasons, one that has stood out to us is Randy Hillier, MPP. If elected, he has promised to completely reform, if not abolish, the Ontario Human Rights Commission.

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Why is this so important?In the very near future, human rights commissions could be used to completely muzzle people with socially conservative values, including the pro-life movement. Click here to watch a youtube video on the Canadian Human Rights Commissions and the Randy Hillier campaign.

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Click here to go to our information page on Human Rights Commissions.

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ACTION POINTS:

SPEND 10 DOLLARS DEFENDING FREEDOM OF SPEECH: Complete a membership form. Click here to register (it only costs $10). Make sure you put in the memo that you are in favour of abolishing human rights commissions.
EXERCISE YOUR FREEDOM OF SPEECH: No matter where you are in Canada, you can support defending freedom of speech by being a voice in the media. Write a letter to the editor and submit it to your local and national newspapers supporting Randy and abolishing the Human Rights Commissions. Click here to go to our easy letter to the editor tool.
EXERCISE YOUR RIGHT TO VOTE: Vote on Sunday, June 21st or Thursday June 25th.

7 Pounds – Some of My Thoughts

So I mentioned on Twitter and in my Status that I was about to watch 7 Pounds, the movie Will Smith acted in, that was just released on dvd. During the course of the movie I had a number of people reply, letting me know they liked the movie, and a few saying they didn’t lilke it. One person asked me what I thought about it, and after having watched it, I definitely feel thoughtful and in a place to write a little bit.

I had heard some people talking about it on the radio at the gym the other morning, but did my best not to hear what they were saying about it, because I had also heard that if you find out anything about the movie before you watch it, it will ruin it for you (That being said, if you have not seen the movie continue reading at your own discretion =D).

To answer my friend Naomi’s question, I have mixed feelings about the movie. I will start by saying this: 7 pounds is a movie that is masterfully written and directed, and powerfully acted. Will Smith, Rosario Dawson and the others really did an outstanding job taking you in.

My favorite type of movie personally is what I like to call a “heart movie”…a movie that inspires me and moves me. This was definitely a heart movie-it touched my heart. For me though, there are other factors that allow me to be able to fully enjoy a movie, or not.

I love the theme of sacrifice in this movie. It was very heart-warming, and even challenging, the way Tim gave his own life through his organs, to save and enhance the lives of so many others. But yet at the end of the movie I am left (at am still feeling at this very moment) with a horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach. I think this is for a combination of reasons.

On a smaller scale, I personally like happy endings. I like John Q (If you haven’t seen it and are going to I suggest you skip the next part of this sentence =D) where the father gets to go as far as to come seconds a way from killing himself to save his sons life, and then gets to survive.

I would have loved for Tim to be able to live, get healed up, be able to marry Emily and live happily ever after. I would loved for his fiancee to have never died in the first place and for them to live happily ever after. Happily-ever-after is not really the issue for me though, because I reallly enjoy the movies Braveheart, Glory, and Patriot, yet they all have, at the very least, bitter-sweet moments, and even endings to their stories.

No, the main issue for me I think that troubles me about this movie is the fact that Tim was driven by guilt and self-hate to do what he did, not by love. It is so interesting, that even though he went to such great lengths to sacrifice himself, which in itself is a heroic thing, because his overwhelming motivation was the guilt of killing the 7 people, including his fiancee, it completely twisted the feeling I am left with.

The one glimmer of love motivation rather than self-hate was him falling in love with Emilly, but that was so overshadowed by the gravity of his tormented state, even down to the disturbing nature of the way he killed himself, that it left me with no real redeeming feel from the movie. It’s kind of funny-my friend Nathan know this best about me-if my heart can’t agree with a movie, due to immorality, lack of honor, or sometimes even a wrong motivation or twisting of a theme, then I can’t embrace the movie the way I could if those elements were in tact.

Although the theme of sacrifice was present, the motivation twisted it, so I didn’t get a good feel from the movie. I can mentally pick good things out of the movie, but my heart doesn’t get a good feel from it. Interestingly enough, although I didn’t see Hancock, this movie kind of reminded me of theme of sacrifice in I AM LEGEND. The contrast in that movie, was the fact that his sacrifice was not out of self-hate, so it sat a little better. That, however was more one of those movies that I would have just plain, preferred a happier ending…that and the fact that I am not a huge fan watching movies that predominantly only have one actor in them-although I thought Will Smith did an exceptional job in that movie as well.

All in all, I thought it was a well done movie, that I can derive redeeming and powerful content from, I just didn’t like how it made me feel at the end. People who feel like Tim are part of the reason I exist and part of the reason our church family exists.  Actually, in looking at this movie, after relating to the human emotion and empathizing with the characters situations, it is important to take a step back and remember the reality that as a child of God, if you interject God’s will and His power into each person’s situation in the movie, you come out with a completely different result.  I was reminded of this when asking my younger sister Elia, what she thought about what she felt God’s view would be on someone killing themself to save others.   She simply stated she felt God will would be to heal the people, thus there would  be no need for the person to kill themselves…I couldn’t agree with her more =) .  But that poses a deeper question for many people-a question that there is most definitely a clear answer to in God’s Word…but that’s another topic for another day.

(I also want to mention that this movie, like many movies, missed it in the order in which the romantic relationship played out…ie. sex before marriage =(  ).

God’s Presence = God’s Power!

Sunday at our Durham Campus we were having an amazing time of praise and worship through song (Thanks Aubrey and team for leading us =)!! God began to remind me of something He has shown me before…

You can’t separate His presence from His power. That is to say, if you ever sense God’s presence, you can expect that He is not there just to be ‘felt’, but He is there to be interactive with us and show up in POWER! =)

Anyways, so I was enjoying myself in God’s presence and I felt the Holy Spirit prompt me that He wanted to give me some words of knowledge. This is not the first time this has happened, nor the first time I have given them…I think the frequency is very much dependent on my frame of mind, openness, and expectancy on a given day.

In any case I just relaxed and set my mind to hear from Holy Spirit. In my imagination, I saw (and almost felt) something down in my right knee, then a little bit later I felt soemthing up in my left shoulder area/upper ribs. I didn’t know for sure if it was shoulder, ribs, or glands under the arm. Thirdly I saw talons of a spirit of depression in someone’s back, dug into them, holding them in bondage. Lastly, I saw in my imagination (and again almost felt) my big right toe.

I went forward to give the word a bit later and I asked if there was anyone with a right knee injury. Keston (a member from Durham Campus) put up his hand, which was really cool (not that he had a knee injury =P), cause I didn’t know he had any issues in his knee. We prayed for him and released God’s power.

Next I asked about the shoulder area and no one put up there hand. I asked a couple times (I have had situations before where I found out afterwards that it was a particular person, but they were either too embarrassed, or didn’t want to put their hand up for some other reason), but still no one. I also broke the spirit of depression’s power over whoever was struggling with that.

At that point my mom came to give a word, and honestly, I was feeling a little insecure to mention the big-toe because no one had put up there hand for the arm…I mentioned it to Pastor Brendan and he said I should just put it out there. When my mom had finished her word, I mentioned about the big right toe. Immediately from the front of the church on the one side someone yelled out “That’s me!” I looked over and it was my brother-in-law…lol. I think I mentioned something and then opened my mouth to pray for him, but before I could get 3 words out of my mouth, he yelled out “I got it!” He had received his healing in a matter of seconds!!

Where God’s presence is, His power is as well!! I encourage each one of you that reads this, whenever you go to church, open the word, pray, or simply put your mind on God…EXPECT his PRESENCE!! And with His presence EXPECT His POWER…EVERY TIME!!

If you get His presence you get His power…you cannot separate the two.

Colossians 1:27
To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Hope = Future-tense Expectation
Glory = Manifestation/Showing up in a tangible way

Every day with God let’s expect Him to show up in a tangible, supernatural way!

2 Chronicles 16:9
For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.

Let’s be those on whose behalf He has the pleasure of showing up and showing Himself STRONG!!

How to Pray Effectively

I had twittered a little message on Saturday, that ended with a comment about learning to pray effectively. I had someone message me today and ask me how you pray effectively. I just took a little time to write them back and this what I wrote:

Hey there,

That’s a good question! =) One it would do well for a lot more people to ask.

Simply put, an effective prayer is a one that is prayed according to God’s will. A book in the Bible called 1 John says:
14This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him. (1 John 5:14-15)

So how do we know what His will is? God’s will is very clear as you get to know His Word and you come into a real authentic personal relationship with Him (much different/better than just going to church) and come to understand His character.

But even if you pray a prayer in line with God’s will there are still some things that can make your prayers ineffective:

1. Doubt/Fear – If you a pray a prayer, but then all of your thinking and decisions/actions after you pray that prayer are contrary to the pray you just prayed, you don’t really believe that God heard you and his going to answer.

2. Sinful Lifestyle – Living a life filled with sin and living your own way, will render your prayers very ineffective. God loves that person, but sin brings with it spiritual death (separation from God). That is a very dangerous position to be in, because the just penalty for this ugly thing the Bible calls sin, is eternity in the Lake of Fire.

If you are living in sin, you can pray (even prayers according to God’s will), but the sin in your life will keep you from many answers to prayer.
Bitterness, hate, unforgiveness, sexual sin, lusting, lying, putting other things in life before God, taking God’s name in vain…all these things will rob you of having your prayers answered.

The most important thing to be able to pray effectively is to make sure your relationship with God is on point.

I have attached a link regarding that topic below:

://www.facebook.com/board.php?uid=28958224621#/topic.php?uid=28958224621&topic=4782

If you want more info, check http://wayofthemaster.com/ and pick option 1 during the intro. =)

Hope this helps

Joel

Barrack Obama: The Son of Two Men??

I know I haven’t posted for a while, but this clip woke me up!!  This is too funny!

The Untold Victims of Abortion

Like I mentioned in my last post, at the end of the day, babies are not only ones who suffer from an abortion.  Women need to be informed about all the dangers and pain that will come in the aftermath of aborting a child. Watch this video:

Some Thoughts on Abortion (In Reference to My June 11th Post)

I know I haven’t posted anything in a while, but a recent comment on my last post (Which was a while ago) prompted me to respond.  I started writing it as a response comment, but decided move it over and just create a whole new post.

I appreciate the people who have taken the time to post your perspectives.  In reference to the last comment (At this point in time anyway) I definitely agree that women are not ‘baby-making factories’ and should not treat themselves as such (And unfortunately putting our money into policies and programs isn’t solving much of anything in many cases, let alone abortion-the root issues are whole lot deeper…but maybe that’s another post =D).

Here’s the thing for me.  There seems to be a huge blind-spot in our society (North America) regarding the issue of abortion, which special interest groups have been looking to cultivate through media and a myriad of other avenues for quite some time now.  The blind-spot or deception says this: A baby human being is not really a baby human being, until it has left the confines of his/her mother’s womb. 

I was watching a great movie the other day, called “Amazing Grace”.  It is a dvd you should be able to pick-up at any block-buster (or Rogers Video as well if you live in Canada).  The movie is based on the true story of a young politician who lived in the late 18th and early 19th century, who gave his life see the abolishment of the slave-trade in the English Empire. 

The deception I saw surrounding many 17th and 18th century white anglo-saxons, regarding the obvious equality and humanity of the black race reminded me of the deception I see today.

Why do some only call a child-in-the-womb “my baby” if they want the child, but if they don’t want the child, all of sudden they describe him/her as “the fetus”? 

Life begins at conception, therefore from that point forward there is a responsibility on the man and the woman to serve and protect that life-that child, as any good parent does.

What gets me is the hypocrisy of my society (Canada) in regards to partial-birth abortion (Which by the way, is one of the first things Obamahas promised to institute, if he is elected). Partial-birth abortion allows a baby to be killed in the womb right into the 9th month of pregnancy!! It is not a typo!  You read that correctly!! 

Cassandra somewhere between 1 and 2 years old.

Now consider this…I have an adopted baby-sister right now(She is just about to turn 4 years old now).  She was born pre-mature at the age of 6 months, at which point her twin died; but with the doctors and child-services going the extra mile and a strong will to live, Cassandra is now a healthy growing little girl. 

The astounding and horrific thought is that, while surgeons and nurses were working over-time in hopes of saving her sickly and fragile little life, in the very next room over there may have been a strong and healthy 6 month old baby (or older), being brutally murdered (I don’t mean to be insensitive, but I have to call a spade a spade).  Does that make any sense at all??

I mean, it is absolutely rediculousto me, that a baby has virtually no human-rights at all (at least in Canada), up until they exit the birthcanal, at which point they “become human”.  Literally, you could be in your eighthor ninth monthof pregnancy and decide to set up an appointment for an abortion.  On the way to the appointment your water breaks and you go into labor.  You can’t get to the abortion clinic quick enough, so the baby is born.  You still don’t want the child so you stop the car and go find a trash can.  You are caught  in the act, and tomorrow your face is on the front page of every newspaper in the country as the most heartless, irresponsible, selfish person of the year-possibly the decade!!  You walk down the street and people look at you with disdain and disgust, like you’re a monster!

…WAIT A MINUTE!!! Do you see what I see??  Isn’t that lady, the same lady who was just on her way to dispose of the child anyways??  So what’s the difference?? The difference a little word called deception. 

The other thing I don’t get, is when people bring up all these exceptional-case situations, as if they are the norm, like ”What if you find out the child is seriously handi-capped”, or “What if the mother doesn’t have means by which to care for the child?”, or “What if the child is a product of rape?”  These are great questions, but for many people even by asking these questions they have revealed that they are often walking under the same deception that I have been talking about. 

What do I mean? 

While, let’s change the circumstances and see which questions would still be considered socially acceptable questions.  The child is no longer in the womb, but was actually 3 day-old new-born, born 3 months pre-mature.  Now which of those questions is a socially acceptable question when we are talking about new-born baby? 

I understand there are some people reading who have had or been involved in having an abortion.  Please understand, my heart is not to be judgemental towards you, but my harshness is more towards the issues that exist in our society, especially the mass-deception that has been often preciprocated by our government, health system, and various forms of media.  I personally know people who have had abortions, so please hear my heart.  I am by no way trying to minimalize the pressure and life-changing implications of raising and providing for a child, I am just saying that abortion should be considered no more of an option than the mother who leaves her baby in the dumpster, in the cold stairwell in the middle of the winter. 

So what is the solution?  I humbly suggest adoption. There are thousands of couples who dream of raising a family, but do not have the ability to produce children. If you find yourself in a situation where you are not able to take care of the child that is on the way, bless them with the opportunity to live out their God-given destiny.  Bless a heart-broken couple with the opportunity have a family. Why not?

(In my next post I will actually be sharing a video with statistics showing that the babies are not the only victims of an abortion…)

Sincerely,

Joel D. Witton

Raise The Standard

I came across a short article today on raising the standard of holiness in our lives.  This is something that is key if you don’t only want to survive, but be successful as child of God.  She did an excellent job of staying very practical in describing some of the areas of our lives that holiness should influence.

Raise the Standard

by Joyce Meyer

 

 

Make a decision to serve God wholly, putting Him first in everything you do. Living above society’s moral decline involves the choices we make regarding our conversations, the way we dress, what we read, and the TV shows and movies we watch. It also has to do with the level of integrity with which we live our personal lives, interact with other people and conduct ourselves in our businesses or professions.As Christians, we need to encourage one another to live by godly standards and to resist the pull of the world. We need to hold each other accountable for the words, images and information we allow into our minds.

A well-known quote offers some good advice: “Watch your thoughts, for they become words. Watch your words, for they become actions. Watch your actions, for they become habits. Watch your habits, for they become character. Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.”

You may be thinking, Joyce, the music I hear and the movies I watch are really none of your business. True, but I know that setting high standards and living a godly lifestyle will bring you blessings and set you on a good path toward your future. I don’t believe watching excessive violence, listening to filthy language or seeing images of people scantily dressed will help you grow in God.

Romans 14: 22 makes very clear that we should not do things we feel guilty about or try to make others live by our convictions: “Your personal convictions [on such matters]—exercise [them] as in God’s presence, keeping them to yourself [striving only to know the truth and obey His will]. Blessed (happy, to be envied) is he who has no reason to judge himself for what he approves [who does not convict himself by what he chooses to do]” (The Amplified Bible).

God is interested in the influences we allow in our lives. In addition to what we see and hear, we need to be very careful about the people with whom we spend our time. The Bible teaches us not to sit passively and inactively in the pathway of sinners, nor to relax and rest in the presence of the scornful and mockers (see Ps. 1:1).

It is easy to dive into a body of water and float downstream with the current, but it is more difficult to swim upstream. It is often easier just to go along with other people and do what the majority of them want to do, but in the long run doing so can cause us significant heartache and misery.

We must set high standards for what we wear, what we watch on TV, what we listen to, how we use our time, whom we associate with, and how we spend our money.

A lifestyle of obedience to God’s Word offers many blessings. If we would commit to higher standards of holiness in our lives, we could eliminate some of the enemy’s ammunition and thwart some of his plans against us. Our lifestyle choices would help form shields around us that Satan could not penetrate. The things we see and hear can be tools the enemy uses to wage war on the battlefields of our minds.

When we see or hear something, it is recorded forever in the subconscious mind. Who do you think is behind ungodly scenes, images and words in so much of today’s music, television, Internet and printed material? It isn’t God; it’s the enemy!

Working through the world’s system, Satan constantly pours out poison, and often we just sit by passively taking in whatever is being offered. We must decide whether we are going to dedicate ourselves to God or serve the world system.

One of God’s great gifts to mankind is the power of choice. If we want to enjoy the blessings He has for us, we need to make lifestyle choices that align with His Word and are consistent with the values of His Word, not choices reflecting the constantly eroding values of the world.

I urge you to make a decision to serve God wholly, putting Him first in everything you do.