Bronchitis

What is Bronchitis?
Bronchitis is an inflammation in the lungs that some people call a chest cold. It can be a miserable, but minor, illness that follows the common cold -- or a more serious condition like a chronic smoker's hack. A cough, phlegm, and feeling tired are typical symptoms of bronchitis, but these are also symptoms of other illnesses, so getting the right diagnosis is important.

Bronchitis: Inside Your Lungs
When the bronchial tubes that carry air deep into your lungs become inflamed, the inner lining swells and grows thicker, narrowing the breathing passages. These irritated membranes also secrete extra mucus, which coats and sometimes clogs the small airways. Coughing spells are the body's way of trying to clear out these secretions for easier breathing.

Repeated Bouts: Chronic Bronchitis
Doctors suspect this illness when you have a cough with phlegm on most days for at least three months in a year, for two years in a row. Chronic bronchitis is a serious condition that makes your lungs a breeding ground for bacterial infections and may require ongoing medical treatment. It's one form of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a lung disease that makes it hard to breathe

The symptoms of bronchitis are often the same as those of other conditions, such as asthma, pneumonia, allergies, the common cold, influenza, sinusitis, and even gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and lung cancer. See your doctor to get an accurate diagnosis. Serious illnesses like pneumonia require prompt treatment.

When to Call the Doctor
Check in with your medical provider if you:
Feel short of breath or wheeze
Cough up blood
Have a fever greater than 101 F (38 C)
Have a cough lasting more than four weeks

Causes of Acute Bronchitis
This form of bronchitis is more common in winter and nine out of 10 cases are caused by a virus. Irritants -- like tobacco smoke, smog, chemicals in household cleaners, even fumes or dust in the environment -- can also cause acute bronchitis.

Treatment: Acute Bronchitis
The only treatment generally needed for acute bronchitis is symptom relief: Drink lots of fluids; get plenty of rest; and avoiding smoke and fumes. A non-prescription pain reliever may help with body aches, but children under age 20 should not take aspirin. Your doctor may prescribe an expectorant to help loosen mucus so it can be more easily coughed up or an inhaled bronchodilator medicine to open your airways.


Chronic Bronchitis and COPD
Chronic bronchitis and emphysema are the two main forms of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Doctors may prescribe bronchodilators, which are drugs that help open constricted airways. Oxygen therapy helps some people breathe better and a pulmonary rehab program can improve your quality of life. Quitting smoking is a must to stop further lung damage.

How to Avoid Bronchitis
It's no surprise that the best way to decrease your risk is not to smoke or allow others to smoke in your home. Other ways include: avoiding colds and staying away from things that irritate your nose, throat, and lungs, such as dust or pets. Also, if you catch a cold, get plenty of rest and take your medicine as directed.

Food for health

Best and worst holiday foods:  http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/rm-quiz-holiday-foods

Diabetes and liver cancer http://diabetes.webmd.com/news/20131208/type-2-diabetes-might-raise-risk-of-liver-cancer
Grapefruits have a good amount of vitamin C. But science has yet to prove that you can easily get enough vitamin C through foods alone, without supplementation, to help treat cold and flu. However, grapefruit is packed with flavonoids -- natural chemical compounds that have been found to increase immune system activation.  Dislike grapefruits? Try oranges or tangerines.

Wheat germ is the part of a wheat seed that feeds a baby wheat plant, so it is full of nutrients. It has zinc, antioxidants, and B vitamins among other vital vitamins and minerals. Wheat germ also offers a good mix of fiber, protein, and some good fat. Substitute wheat germ for part of the regular flour called for in baked goods and other recipes.

Garlic offers several antioxidants that battle immune system invaders. Among garlic's targets are H. pylori, the bacteria associated with some ulcers and stomach cancer. Cooking tip: Peel, chop and let sit 15 to 20 minutes before cooking to activate immune-boosting enzymes. 

Spinach. Known as a "super food," spinach is nutrient-rich.  It has folate, which helps your body produce new cells and repair DNA. And it boasts fiber, antioxidants, such as vitamin C, and more. Eat spinach raw or lightly cooked to get the most benefit.

Green or black tea? Both are loaded with disease-fighting polyphenols and flavonoids. These antioxidants seek out cell-damaging free radicals and destroy them. Caffeinated and decaf work equally well.

Like carrots, sweet potatoes have the antioxidant beta-carotene, which mops up damaging free radicals. Sweet potatoes also boast vitamin A, which is linked to slowing the aging process and may reduce the risk of some cancers.

Cabbage. This is a source of immune-strengthening glutamine. And cabbage is easy and inexpensive to find during the winter months when it's in season. 

Watermelon. Hydrating and refreshing, ripe watermelon also has plenty of a powerful antioxidant, glutathione. Known to help strengthen the immune system so it can fight infection, glutathione is found in the red pulpy flesh near the rind.

Oysters.  Aphrodisiac? Immune boosters? Maybe both, thanks to the mineral zinc that's found in oysters. Low zinc levels have been associated with male infertility.  And zinc appears to have some antiviral effect, although researchers can't explain why. However, they do know it is important to several immune system tasks including healing wound

Acai Berry
Hawked as a "super food" along with produce like blueberries, the little acai berry's dark color signals that it is high in antioxidants called anthocyanins. While the acai is not scientifically linked to specific disease- or illness-fighting ability, antioxidants may help your body fight aging and disease.

Elderberry
An old folk remedy, extract from these dark berries appears to block flu viruses in test tube studies. But scientists caution that further study is needed. The fruit itself is rich in antioxidants and may also have the ability to fight inflammation.

Broccoli
Easy to find at the grocery store and incorporate into meals, broccoli is an immune-boosting basic. One study reported a chemical in broccoli helped stimulate the immune systems of mice. Plus, it's full of nutrients that protect your body from damage.  It has vitamins A, vitamin C, and glutathione.  

Pre-Disposed

http://www.livescience.com/39299-downers-predisposed-dislike.html

"Nah," "eh," "no" and "ugh": These are the familiar sounds of people who don't seem to like much and conjure negative quips for just about anything. While people with more positive dispositions may try to shake enthusiasm unto these downers, new research helps to explain why this often doesn't work.

That certain people like more things than others may seem obvious, but, until now, nobody has ever tested whether such dispositions operate as distinct personality traits, separate from other traits such as optimism/pessimism or extroversion/introversion. A team of researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the University of Pennsylvania have now conducted the first quantitative analysis of dispositional attitude, finding that it is, in fact, distinct from these other traits.

"Optimists tend to have generalized beliefs usually about the future, such as 'Things are going to turn out well,'" said Justin Hepler, a professor of psychology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and an author on the study. "We were interested in whether people liked or disliked things, in general, and had people report their attitude about different things."

http://www.livescience.com/8343-personality-predicted-size-brain-regions.html

In a social situation, it's easy to tell the difference between a wallflower and the life of the party, but a new study suggests we can also spot differences in their brains.

The results show the size of certain brain regions is related to people's personalities. For instance, highly altruistic people had a bigger posterior cingulated cortex, a brain region thought to be involved in the understanding of others' beliefs. Bigger regions are assumed to be more powerful. [Top 10 Mysteries of the Mind]

7 Thoughts That Are Bad For You

http://www.livescience.com/17852-unhealthy-personality-traits-neuroticism.html

What Type Are You? Our personalities do more for us than determine our social circles. Temperament can impact a person's physical health.

From those with a chill demeanor to the completely frazzled types, mental factors are ultimately tied to physical health. And while a highly neurotic person might deteriorate more quickly than others, not every character trait will kill you. Some might even boost lifetimes.

Cynicism.  Cynics who tend to be suspicious and mistrustful of others, a character trait that scientists refer to as hostility, may have an increased likelihood of developing heart disease. "These aren't necessarily hot-headed people, but people who are more likely to read into people's behavior as some hostile motive," Boyle said during a telephone interview.

In a study of more than 300 Vietnam veterans who were healthy at the study start, Boyle found that those who scored high on measures of hostility were about 25 percent more likely to develop heart disease.

Boyle and his colleagues think that hostile individuals might experience more stress, which can cause spikes in an immune-system protein called C3 that has been linked with various diseases, including diabetes. In fact, the participants with higher scores on hostility showed an increase in these proteins while the non-hostile men showed no such increase.

If you lack a sense of purpose, your stay on Earth could be truncated. A study involving more than 1,200 elderly participants who didn't have dementia at the study's start found that those who indicated having a high purpose in life were about half as likely to die over the study period, which lasted up to five years. The results, published in the June 15 issue of the journal Psychosomatic Medicine, held regardless of a person's age, sex, education and race, along with level of depression and neuroticism.

"Persons with high purpose readily derive meaning from and make sense of the events of their lives, and likely engage in behaviors and activities that they deem important," said study researcher Patricia Boyle of the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center in Chicago.

Some other research has suggested that people with a higher sense of purpose may have different levels of stress hormones, better heart health or improved immune systems, though more research is needed to firm up any of these biological mechanisms, she said.

The opposite also holds: "The findings from our study suggested that people who no longer set and work actively toward goals or enjoy their day-to-day activities (how they spend their time) are those with greater mortality risk," Boyle told LiveScience.

Lots of Fretting

People who are highly neurotic — a href=" http://www.livescience.com/5665-neurotic-die-prematurely.html">constantly worried and anxious, and prone to depression — die sooner on average than their chill counterparts. And a recently reported study of nearly 1,800 men followed over a 30-year period suggests that's partly because neurotics are also more likely to smoke. Perhaps having a cigarette eases anxiety, said study researcher Daniel Mroczek of Purdue University in Indiana, adding that such a short-term payoff might not be worth it if it kills you down the line.

Late for appointments? Can't keep your desk [or computer files and emails] organized? No self-control? These seeming benign qualities could take a toll on your health.

A review of more than 20 studies and nearly 9,000 participants revealed people who are conscientious — organized, self-disciplined, as opposed to impulsive — live two to four years longer than others. Study researcher Howard S. Friedman of the University of California, Riverside suspects the boost in lifetime can be attributed partly to the fact that highly conscientious individuals are less likely to smoke or drink to excess, and live more stable and less stressful lives.

Anxiety
The jitters can put a strain on your noggin, research suggests. Compared with highly frazzled individuals, Individuals with a mellow demeanor who are outgoing may be less likely to develop dementia, which can be caused by Alzheimer's disease and other illnesses. The claim is based on a study that followed more than 500 elderly individuals for five years. Among the outgoing extroverts, dementia risk was 50 percent lower for participants who were calm compared with those who were prone to distress.

Gloom and Doom
The gloomy, inhibited person is not just at a disadvantage socially, but also physically.

A preliminary study of more than 180 patients suffering from peripheral arterial disease (plaque buildup in the arteries) showed participants with so-called type D, or distressed, personality, had an increased odds of dying sooner than other people. Type-D people are more likely to experience negative emotions while at the same time hold in their feelings.

The researchers, who detail their work in the August issue of the journal Archives of Surgery, suggest the personality type is linked with the body's immune system as well as stress response system.

Stress
Research is showing that prolonged stress can be deadly, and if it doesn't do you in, workplace stress can increase your chances of heart disease, flu virus, metabolic syndrome and having high blood pressure.

A study of nearly 700 Israeli workers found that those who experienced job burnout (when work stress becomes unmanageable) were nearly twice as likely to develop type 2 diabetes, in which a person's body becomes resistant to the sugar-regulating hormone called insulin.

And while a job promotion might boost your income, it also stresses you out. British researchers recently found that when people get promoted, they suffer on average about 10 percent more mental strain and are less likely to find time to go to the doctor.

If you are not happy

from:  http://www.livescience.com/5065-5-keys-happiness.html

You've watched "Seinfeld" re-runs, splurged on yourself and downed pints of Ben and Jerry's. Nothing's helping. Maybe you're one of the 20 million Americans diagnosed with depression, you're bottoming out or you just want something to improve your day.

Here are five ways — some admittedly challenging — to help you get that much-needed mood boost:

1) In Happy Land, genes trump environmental factors, according to the experts. And a study in the March issue of the journal Psychological Science scores another point for the gene team: Differences in DNA that could explain why some people tend to have an extra bounce in their step might also underlie the tendency to be more emotionally stable and socially and physically active.

Genes do not provide free passes from the doldrums, and other external factors will still try to mow you down. But, heredity could provide some people with a horde of happiness that they can draw from when the good times aren’t rolling.

And Canadian researchers' ability to genetically stifle depression in mice in 2006 indicates that human happiness could one day be improved by manipulating genes. This was the first time science throttled the throes of any organism. Mice bred to be void of the gene, called TREK-1, acted as if they had been downing anti-depressants for at least three weeks.

2) It only takes $5 spent on others to make you happier on a given day, according to a 2008 study. And selfless acts can also help your marriage become a more enjoyable experience for you and your spouse. 

After performing good deeds, people are happier and feel their life has more purpose. But is the act selfless if you expect something in return? Maybe it just depends on how you look at it.

3) Think of a happy place. And you, too, like Happy Gilmore, might sink that putt and earn back your grandmother's house — or overcome your own hurdle.

Humans are more resilient than we think and can endure trying times, as demonstrated in a 2005 study that tracked mood changes in dialysis patients. They were in a good mood most of the time despite having their blood cleaned three times a week for at least three months. But healthy patients envisioned a miserable life when asked to imagine adhering to this demanding schedule.

As Winston Churchill said, "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."

4)   Work out

Consistently breaking a sweat, along with medication and counseling can help people battling depression by sapping lonely and vulnerable feelings.

Exercise improves one's state of mind in part by affecting the body's levels of two chemicals: cortisol and endorphins. The adrenal glands of angry or scared people produce cortisol. This increases blood pressure and blood sugar, weakens the immune response and can lead to organ inflammation and damage. But working out burns cortisol, restoring the body's normal levels.

Running, biking or using an aerobic exercise machine also causes the brain to release endorphins — the body's natural pain relievers — into the bloodstream. The body foregoes the negative side effects of drugs while still experiencing a natural high. To gain the most from your workout, make sure its intensity reflects your stress level. And challenge your body to continually adapt by varying the exercise’s length and intensity.

5) Live long

If you have the right genes and are selfless, optimistic and active but still find yourself down in the dumps, just give it some time.

A study of 2 million people from 80 nations released in January found that depression is most common among adults in their mid-40s. Among Americans, the worst of times hit women around age 40 and men about age 50.

But with age humans are more inclined to filter out the negatives while focusing on what they enjoy.

Americans in their golden years tend to see the glass as half full, despite their increased doctor visits and chemo treatments. After battling cancer, heart disease, diabetes or other health-related obstacles, 500 independent Americans from age 60 to 98 rated their own degree of successful aging as 8.4 on average, with 10 being the highest in a 2005 study.

Happiness, it seems, takes time.

Spirituality and Religion Make Young Americans Happy

Flex Your Brain

Many people focus on physical fitness, but few know that brain fitness is also something you can work on. In fact, you can exercise your brain as often as you would your arms or abs--and the results can be positive and empowering.

It’s helpful to think of your brain as you would a muscle. To improve your brain, you can’t simply repeat the same exercises over and over. Just as lifting a two pound weight will cease to challenge you, so will repetitive exercises such as crosswords or Sudoku. 

Once you master easy exercises, you must move on to harder ones in order to push your brain—like your muscles—to a new level.

This is based on your brain’s innate neuroplasticity, or its ability to grow and change in response to new challenges. In other words, the right types of stimulating exercises can physically change your brain.

This came from an article/add for Luminosity. 

Our Lives are Determined by our Attitude

Our lives are not determined by what happens to us, but by how we react to what happens. Not by what life brings to us, but by the attitude we bring to life. A positive attitude causes a chain reaction of positive thoughts, events, and outcomes. It's a catalyst, a spark that creates extraordinary results. 

Every single person's life isn't determined by how hard they fall, and how much failure that they suffer, but instead it is determined by the amount of times that a person is willing to get up after falling, the number of times that a person is able to turn a loss into a victory.

 Life is about how we react to the circumstances that present themselves to us, life is determined by the attitude and mental state that we keep when we are forced to endure. The more that we remain positive in our mind and in our thoughts, the more likely of a chance that the actions that we commit from dwelling on this positive thinking will eventually get us positive results and bring forward progress in our lives. The more often that we are willing to think positively, the more often we will obtain those results that are beyond ordinary, we will immerse ourselves in the extraordinary"

PRAYER, by Kilian Okanwikpo of Vienna, Austria

A reverent communication with God during which a person gives thanks and asks for blessings. Prayers are addressed to our Heavenly Father in the name of Jesus Christ. Prayers can be either spoken aloud or silent. A person’s thoughts may also be a prayer if they are directed to God. A song of the righteous may be a prayer to God.

The object of prayer is not to change the will of God, but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is already willing to grant, but that we must ask for in order to obtain.

We pray to the Father in Christ’s name (John 14:13–14; 16:23–24). We are truly able to pray in Christ’s name when our wishes are the wishes of Christ (John 15:7; Doctrinr and Covenants 46:30). We then ask for things that are right and thus possible for God to grant (3 Nephi 18:20). Some prayers remain unanswered because they in no way represent Christ’s desire but spring instead out of the selfishness of man (James 4:3; Doctrin and Covenants 46:9). Indeed, if we ask God for unrighteous things, it will turn to our condemnation (Doctrine and Covenants 88:65).
http://www.lds.org/scriptures/gs/prayer?lang=eng

You Are the Architect of Your Future

This also captured from a Nigerian woman's FB post.

It does not matter what people call you, what really matters is what you call yourself. You need to make up your mind on what you want to do with your time and what you want to accomplish in life. If you believe strongly on what you want, with God’s help, you will surely achieve it. Heroes or champions are not specially born, they are humans born of women just in the same process like me and you. I am bringing you into the awareness that other people may stop you temporarily, but the only person in this world that can stop you permanently in life is you.

Never think that you are disadvantaged therefore disappointed in anyway. The world is full of people who though they were disadvantaged, yet refused to stop struggling for their place in life. 

Your future does not depend on what others say wrongly about you, but on your choice and belief about yourself. The family you come from does not determine your future, but your choice and decision. Always believe that you can make it. Great men believe in themselves. Champions are ordinary people with extraordinary determinations.

Believing in yourself 
is an endless destination.
Believing that you have 
failed is the end of 
your journey .

Sarah Meredith 

A large part of your success depends on whether people have confidence in you.
Nobody will have confidence in you if you don’t believe in yourself and destiny.

You must be in charge of your future and destiny by laying a block of courage and enthusiasm on it every day.  “A consistent man believes in his destiny, a capricious man believes in chance.” - Benjamin  Distraeli  (The former British Prime Minister)

You need to awake to take hold of the driver’s seat of your future and believe that your destiny changes today as you make the right choice and decision.

• The picture of your life is before you; paint it the way you want. The mind is where a man finds the positive decision that makes him believe his own future. 
• On the other hand, the mind is where a man discovers the negative belief about himself.
• You can achieve anything you choose or anything you desire, if you start seeing it in your mind. 
• Whatever you do not see in your mind can never be realized. 

Mental creation comes before physical manifestation. Sarah Meredith said, “Believing in yourself is an endless destination. Believing that you have failed is the end of your journey.” 

• Stop confessing failure and choose success, 
• stop confessing defeat, choose victory. 
• Expect appointment not disappointment. 
• Choose and put on the garment of success. 
• Think success, desire success, act success and success will finally become your realization.

I believe achievement is far more dependent on your behavior,  habit and attitude than on your family background. No matter the circumstances surrounding your life, your choice to succeed is more important and still lies ahead of you. It is a matter of whether you will choose to pursue your dreams or not. The will to succeed is more important than the opportunities. Dennis Waitley said, “Life is the movie you see with your own eyes. It makes little difference what’s happening out there. It is how you take it that counts.”

The Power of Choice

This also captured from a Nigerian woman's FB post.

What lies behind you and
what lies before you are tiny
matters compared to what
lies within you.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

There are many circumstances of life over which we have no control. Since we have no control over those things, we have no power of choice on them. For example, you cannot control the length of your life but you can control its width and depth. You cannot control the weather but you can control the atmosphere of your mind.

As we grow up in life, there are many choices we can make. Although we can’t always choose what our circumstances will be, but we can choose what we will do to them. We have no choice over the parents we came through into this world. We have no choice over when or where we were born! We cannot choose how tall, short, fat or slim we will grow but we can decide what we become in future. Choices and decisions go together. People who have choice over their circumstances are those who make the right decisions. Inability to make the right decisions and stand on them remains one of the main causes of failure. One of the factors that will determine the level you go in life is how you make your decisions.

Indecision is a decision. Everybody’s life is driven by a force. While some are driven by their past mistakes and guilt, others are driven by fear. Some even believe that no matter what they do, life will always be unfair to them. They then loose hope in life, and become afraid to do anything or think of any thing worthwhile.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “What lies behind you and what lies before you are tiny matters compared to what lies within you.” Your destiny is how your life makes it. We hear people say, “Your own is on the way.” I know that opportunities never come to those who wait for chance but they are captured by those who dare to ‘attack’ . Not those who are destined for chance make it in life but those who know their choices and follow them.

Many people believe that whatever they are passing through today, they have already been destined for such conditions from birth. Some people give that as an excuse to free themselves from the challenges of life. One thing is certain; the choice and decision you make today fill a gap in one way or the other. Every human being is created for one purpose or the other but our choices play an important role in our future. I believe that the former President of the United States of America understood this when he said, “The history of free men is never written by chance but by choice.”

The human life is guided by this principle or law; if you sow indecision, don’t expect to reap success where or when others are harvesting the fruit of their decisions. If you fail to study your books, forget about passing the exam. If you sow carelessness, you don’t have to expect the harvest of peace. 

If you are not serious about your dreams, your destiny is not properly shaped. Though God destined you to be a leader in a certain field, but your choice can put paid to it. You are what you choose to be in life. From birth, God destined Joseph to fill the gap of leadership among his people but obstacles came his way. His choice saw him through.

How to Lock in Memory, like after a class

Simply shutting your eyes and relaxing after learning something new may be the best way to remember it, livescience.com reports. 

Researchers at the University of Edinburgh asked a group of healthy volunteers between the ages of 60 and 90 to listen to stories and try to remember as many details from them as possible. Then, some were asked ro close their eyes for 10 minutes in a quiet room and daydream about anything they liked, while others were asked to play a computer game.

When it came rime to recall what they'd heard—both 30 minutes afterward and a week afterward—the volunteers who had rested remembered far more derails than those who hadn't. That suggests that the formation of new memories is not completed in mere seconds, and that activities that we are engaged in for the first few minutes after learning new information determine how well our brains absorb it, says study author Michaela Dewar.

Previous research has shown that sleep is crucial to crystallizing memories, but taking a brief waking rest—without studying what you've learned or facing any eternal distractions—appears to return similarly beneficial results.

The Optimist Creed

Promise Yourself

• To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.
• To talk health, happiness and prosperity to every person you meet.
• To make all your friends feel that there is something in them.
• To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true.
• To think only of the best, to work only for the best, and to expect only the best.
• To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.
• To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.
• To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you meet a smile.
• To give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others.
• To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.

No Man is Without Some Challenges

This also captured from a Nigerian woman's FB post.

“A man without
obstacle is an
obstacle to the
world.”

The story is told of a man who was going to the bush with a rope on his neck on a suicide mission because he was fed up of life. He was eating banana and groundnut as he was going; a beggar met him on the way, begged him for some bananas and groundnuts to eat complaining that he had not taken anything since the previous day. As the frustrated man gave to the beggar, he became happy, dancing and thanking God as he was going. The man looked at him and captured a message from the beggar and said, “If I, the seemingly most frustrated man could still give out something, there is no point killing myself.” The man threw away the rope he was to use to commit suicide and went back home. What condition do you find yourself today that you think you are the most frustrated person? It is not the end of the road, but just a bend on the road. The devil has a way of making people believe that they are passing through the worst situation ever. This is a lie.

The people who don’t have any obstacle in this world are the problems the whole world is facing. There is no one that is free from problem or obstacle. You cannot successfully live without the challenges of life. This world is a jungle of problems. Each day of our lives come with prosperity and problems, obstacles and opportunities, burdens and benefits, set-backs and stepping-stones. Everyday of our lives come with challenges to face, obstacles to overcome and battles to fight.

A pastor told a story about the crusade they attended. When prayers were going on, a young man was standing close to a rich man; each of them was making request to God (praying). The prayer of the young man was, “God make me rich like this rich man beside whom I am standing.” The rich man heard the prayer of the young man; he stopped and asked him, “Why are you praying that God should make you rich like me?” “Come, I want to show you the condition that brought me to the crusade.” The rich man called him to a private place and opened his private part for the young man to see the pain that brought him to the program. He said, “I have gone to many places in this world for treatment without solution. I am here, believing the God of all possibilities for my condition. My condition and your poverty; which one would you rather have?” The man shouted, “Forbid it God that I should have this kind of condition and become the richest man in my country.”

I welcome you all to this world of failure and success, joy and sorrow, troubles and triumph, poverty and riches, bondage and deliverance, weeping and laughing, hatred and love, ups and downs, friends and foes etc. The only thing that comes to anybody freely without fight or struggle is failure. If you expect a different result from what you have been getting, get up and be ready to face obstacles and challenges.

THE FEAR OF OBSTACLE IS THE BEGINNING OF FAILURE

10 Facts About Women, All In One Piece

I got this, also, from an obscure FB page by folks in Africa.

1. A woman is such a school you will never graduate from.
2. A woman is not like 'dettol advert', if you don't take care of her...others will.
3. Your wedding certificate with her is not a"driving license"; its just a "learners permit"!
4. It takes time for a woman to trust a man, its hard to change when she does, but if you mess up, you might just forget it.
5. She can be a very bitter pill, and a very sweet angel, it all lies in your approach.
6. A woman hardly forget things; she remembers hurts more, avoid making her hurt.
7. A woman can be highly secretive..most ­ times when they prove hard to men, they go to their closet and friends to cry!
8. All women 'love' to be begged! They love it more than they love men often!
9. When a woman is angry, over half of what she says- she doesn't mean...
10. The most difficult time for a woman is when she is away from the man she loves.

The Gospel Reader

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APw-JHverc0&feature=youtu.be

Functioning Mind Radiates Love - Parts of the Body on Strike

This is pilfered from a personal writing by a Church member in Africa on Facebook.

Once upon a time, parts of the body decided to hold a meeting, they didn't invite the stomach. They were angry with the stomach as they accused him of laziness. At the meeting, they all said how much work they had to do.

“We breathe in oxygen and carbon dioxide out all the time and we are tired” said the noses. 

“I think everyday to make sure that the body will be functioning, to avoid foolishness and I am fed up,” said the brain.

“We open to see everything many times, dust and many other unpleasant particles in the air affect us throughout the day’s activities, we are tired,” said the eyes.

“We suffer to break hard bones to make sure that nothing affects the stomach, we are weak now,” said the teeth.

“We stand, walk and run all day and we are tired,” said the legs.

“We carry you (body) all day long and we are tired,” said the buttocks.

“We have listened for all of you to get all the information you need all the time and we are tired,” said ears.

“I talk, eat and drink all day and I am tired,” said the mouth.

Finally, they all said, “stomach does nothing and he gets all the food, it is not fair. He must work.” They all decided they were not going to work until stomach started working.

The next day, the nose refused to smell anything, breathe in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide. Brain didn't want to think of what to do. Hand did not cut and pick up the food; eyes refused to open to see anywhere, mouth didn't want to open to take in the food. Tongue didn't taste anything. The teeth did nothing because they had no food to chew. They all did nothing.

After a day or two, all of the parts of the body began to feel tired and ill. Arms and hands were weak, eyes couldn't open, tongue and mouth were drying, ears could not hear and legs couldn't carry them all. The whole parts of the body became functionless.

This way, they all learnt their lessons; they learnt that every part of the body has a part to play to ensure there is function in the body. Stomach also has a job to do. It takes in the food and makes every part strong and healthy for the whole body to function well.

Remember that the world is one, and all the people living on it owe the other one responsibility for the other. Nobody can make it on his own; you need people and other people need you. The good things you do, whether small or great, affect a change in the universe. On the other hand, the evil of men create one negative thing or the other in the universe.

Nobody is an island to himself. This world is just like the story you have read concerning the parts of the body. You cannot have pain in your finger without having the feeling in the brain.

The little service of love you render to our nation, churches, the dying souls, prisoners, hospitals, the unemployed and many other less privileged people somewhere is a function in the universe. When you help others to find solution to their problems, you create an open door for yourself faster than you can do yourself.

A fascinating study on the golden rule was conducted by Bernard Rimland, director of the Research Institute for Child Behavior.

Rimland discovered that the happiest people are those who help others. Each person involved in the study was asked to list ten people he knows well and to label them as happy or not happy. Then they were to go through the list again and label each one as selfish or not, using the following definition of selfishness: A stable tendency to devote one’s time and resources to one’s own interests and welfare and willingness to inconvenience oneself for others.

He found that all of those labeled happy were also labeled unselfish. He wrote that those whose activities are devoted to bringing themselves happiness are far less likely to be happy than those whose effort are devoted to making others happy. Rimland concluded, “Do to others as you would want them do to you.” How true is it?

Napoleon Hill said, “No man can help others without helping himself.”