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This is a guest post by Donna Young, a member of our MiCommunity Team.

HONEY…   AND THOSE AMAZING HONEYBEES

Raw, unrefined honey. This remarkable powerhouse of nutrients and healing agents has been used to cure numerous ailments and diseases for thousands of years.

But what are these elements in honey that have so much power to heal and regenerate?  After all, isn’t honey just a yummy and nutritious sweetener that every household has stashed away in their cupboards for whenever?   The answer is “yes,” err… and “no.”  Honey is not just a sweetener.

Good for your health, it is rich in vitamins, minerals, enzymes, carbohydrates, proteins, and antioxidants.  It promotes energy, helps to build strong bones and teeth, and is beneficial for nerve, muscle, organ, and normal brain function.  Are you anemic or have low blood pressure? Honey can help—it increases red blood cells which is a vital aid in curing anemia and stabilizing blood pressure. It also improves blood circulation, which supports healthy, glowing skin.  And of course, honey is that all-around delicious, natural sweetener, without the harmful side affects of refined sugar.  Please note though, if you have Diabetes or a sugar sensitivity, you may need to regulate your intake even of natural honey.

Let’s take a look at some of the medicinal benefits that raw honey has to offer.  It is anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-viral, fights off the common cold and flu, soothes a sore throat, and alleviates minor insomnia. It acts as an anti-septic by flushing away toxins from the system, promoting good digestion and a happy colon. Have blemished skin? Just dab a little honey on the blemished area, cover with a band aid over night, and by morning the area should be largely healed.  Due to the antioxidants contained in raw honey, in lotions it is an awesome skin protector that restores and refreshes.  It will stop a painful burn from damaging skin if applied immediately after a burn, and it speeds up the healing process of skin wounds, cuts, even surgical incisions.  Raw honey also has anti-aging nutrients to help slow down the aging process. As if that weren’t enough, it protects the skin from harmful UVA rays when taken internally as it supports the skin’s natural defenses, and offers mosquito bite relief due to its anti-inflammatory properties.

But we can’t have real, raw honey without the honeybee.   God has furnished these humble little creatures with mindboggling talents in the production of honey.  These hardy labor workers go about extracting nectar from flowering plants, storing the nectar in their stomach pouches, and then safely carrying the load back to their beehives.  This continuous process of going back and forth can sometimes result in hundreds of miles just to produce one pound of honey!  At this wonderful beehive “production factory,” hundreds, sometimes thousands of inhabited honeybees are meticulously and systematically processing the nectar into honey.

As if this perfect plan of creation is not enough, inside the beehives is where the honeybees construct honeycombs and produce beeswax.  After the wax has been refined and purified by the bees, it provides many health benefits for our skin. Beeswax works as a protective shield on the surface of the skin against irritants, pollution, and allergens while still allowing the skin to breath.  It also protects the lips against chapping and will leave them soft and supple.  It can also be used to sooth certain types of eczema.  The skin conservation properties of beeswax is powerful. In ancient Egypt, beeswax was used in the embalming process, and around 200-300 A.D. in China, doctors treated their patients with skin problems by treating the affected or wounded area by applying beeswax directly on it, then covering it with a bandage until it was healed.

Who can deny the benefits of enhanced health, beauty, and longevity that burst from the workings of the honeybee?   Honey and beeswax are just a few of many great sources of nutrition made available to us by the honeybee – they are also in large part responsible for the pollination of most edible vegetation.

Raw, unrefined honey and beeswax are very beneficial for our health, and can be found at your local bee farm or farmers market.  It is extremely important to support your local farmer.  Many of your local farmers practice sustainable agriculture and often times use organic farming methods which produce more healthful foods without the use of harmful agricultural chemicals.  Supporting your local farmer will strengthen your local community,  and it will give you the “feels like home” sense of well-being because you have the freedom of getting to know and trust your own farmer and his respectable practices.

Need a prescription for your ailment?  Honey might help!

Although honey is truly an amazingly healthy food, it is not recommended for infants under the age of one. Their stomachs and intestines are not yet fully matured and cannot properly digest honey.  We are not doctors – just people who love and use honey and have found it to be rather amazing.  If you have specific medical concerns, please consult a qualified holistic doc.

 

Have you seen this movie yet?  Whether you know what “GMO” means or not, please watch this movie.

It is available to view free until 10/17.  After that, you can purchase it here.

Below is the description from the movie’s YouTube channel…

“Are you and your family on the wrong side of a bet?

When the US government ignored repeated warnings by its own scientists and allowed untested genetically modified (GM) crops into our environment and food supply, it was a gamble of unprecedented proportions. The health of all living things and all future generations were put at risk by an infant technology.

After two decades, physicians and scientists have uncovered a grave trend. The same serious health problems found in lab animals, livestock, and pets that have been fed GM foods are now on the rise in the US population. And when people and animals stop eating genetically modified organisms (GMOs), their health improves.

This seminal documentary provides compelling evidence to help explain the deteriorating health of Americans, especially among children, and offers a recipe for protecting ourselves and our future.”

More information can be found at: http://geneticroulettemovie.com  and http://responsibletechnology.org

 

Super quick post with a super quick and simple DIY recipe for the upcoming cold and flu season.

Homemade hand sanitizer!

Get a small travel bottle

Fill 2/3 with aloe vera gel

Add 1/3 with water

Add 5-10 drops (depending on the size of the bottle) of tea tree oil

Add 5-10 drops of your choice of oil – eucalyptus, peppermint, lavender…

Shake and viola!  Homemade hand sanitizer.

I love this!  🙂

 

A month or so ago I started experimenting with kombucha for the first time – a cultured tea drink.

I’d had it before in the store bought form, which was quite yummy, but had never tried brewing my own at home.

It’s crazy stuff.

The SCOBY – symbiotic culture of beneficial yeasts – that I got from my friend, Betty, was HUGE!  It looked like an alien life form in a bowl of sweet tea, and I apparently let it go way too long for its size and surface area, because that first batch smelled and tasted like vinegar.

I love ACV (apple cider vinegar), but this?  Yuck!

Look at that thing!  HUGE, right?!

Since my first attempt was such a miserable failure, I reached out to my crunchy Facebook friends for help and tried again, this time only letting it go for 6-7 days, instead of 2 weeks.

Better, but not by much.  Three more jars of fake ACV!

Third time around, I decided to switch to green tea, not let it go so long (maybe 4 or 5 days – can’t recall now), and I decided to use the Baby SCOBY that had formed by now instead of the BIG mama!

This turned out lovely!

My fourth batch is brewing on the counter now in a much more appropriate container, with smaller surface area…

But what to do with these bottles of “ACV” (aka botched kombucha brew) and this giant mother SCOBY?

OK, hold on to your seat.  I know my audience.  Some of you are “transitionally green,” some of you would consider yourselves “pretty crunchy,” and some of you would say you are “crazy granola.”

I can fall into any one of those three categories myself depending on the topic – and the day.

Just making kombucha at home probably already put me in the crunchy crowd for this scenario.

Using the “fake ACV” as a hair rinse in the shower probably moves me a little farther down the continuum.

And this…

 

Probably just pushed me off the crunchy chart and grossed half of you out.  😛

Yes, thanks to the tip from a dear friend, Kristin – who is a lovely mix of “crunchy” and “stylish” herself, with a heart of gold – I used the SCOBY as a face mask.

It’s like a “chemical peel” without the toxic synthetic chemicals.

Check it out up close…

I can just hear the responses…  Some of you are saying, “OH, GROSS!”

Others of you are saying, “SO COOL!”

You know who you are.  😉

Cutting up and peeling off strips of the big mama SCOBY was probably the worst part.  It had the consistency of raw chicken breast – and was so big that it really was about as thick as a thinner chicken breast.

I felt like I was butchering a living creature, and in reality, I suppose I was.

It felt a little “Silence of the Lambs” cutting it up and sticking the pieces all over my face with the juice running down my chin.  Ick.  Shudder.  (Not a movie I ever care to watch again – ever.)

I couldn’t help but wonder if my friend Kristin was going to say, “Dude, I was just kidding about the face mask thing.”

So, while I sat there with this slimy stuff all over my face for 20 minutes, I did a Google search, and sure enough, LOTS of people do this.

OK, well maybe not lots.  But enough that I knew it wasn’t Kristin’s idea of an “October Fool’s” joke.

Check out this list of alternative uses for the plethora of SCOBYs you accumulate when brewing your own kombucha.

SO many ideas…  So little time.  🙂

But I’m sure the big question some, if not all, of you are asking is…  How did it work?

I have to say I was amazed to find how smooth my skin felt afterward.  It was very nice – though it did look a little like I’d used a bad sunless tanner on my face at first.  Thankfully, that washed off easily with my face cleanser!

The olfactory experience and the end result reminded me of the probiotic skin brightener from Miessence that I use every other day or so.

But of course, the tactile experience was completely different.  And kinda fun – in a gross, but cool kinda way.

I think we’ll keep up with the kombucha brewing for a while, so my guess is that I’ll keep doing the SCOBY facials now and again.  But, when I’m in a rush, no doubt I’ll use the skin brightener for the beneficial “bugs” (probiotics) without the mess.

If you want the results without the SCOBY slime, I do recommend that brightener.  Stinks like vinegar, but works great – and don’t worry, the smell doesn’t linger at all.

So what about you?  Have you tried the SCOBY face mask?  If you haven’t, would you?

If anyone wants a SCOBY baby, I have plenty to share!  I wonder how I’d describe it to the post office guy when mailing it to some of you who are far away…

That might be funny…

Cheers all!  🙂

The savings I noted on my August energy bill got me wondering what my overall savings have been since switching to a third party supplier for our electric and gas service.  But I only recently got a chance to pour over the past almost 2 years of bills, and here is what I found…

For our electric service…

This is the “Everyday Green” 20% renewable energy option from Viridian Energy.

Through our local utility, only about 8% of the ‘energy content label’ is made up of renewable energy sources.  So, for only about $3 more (over the past 19 months = about $0.17 per month more on average), we’ve been able to support 2.5 times the amount of green, renewable energy than we would be otherwise.

Pretty cool.

Note – the electricity that comes to your home is all the same.  “Green” or “brown” – all energy sources are uploaded to “the grid” which then delivers the electricity to our homes.  By requesting greener energy sources through a third part supplier, you are helping to create a supply and demand system where more green energy is developed and put into the grid to meet the demand from the public.

Viridian also offers a 100% wind option, which we may very well consider switching to in the future.  We had signed up for that originally – and it was only about $5 more that first month.  But then, I realized that if I was going to be telling people about Viridian in any sort of referral format (please see my disclaimer statements below!), I would need to experience the same thing that most of my referred friends, family, and clients would experience.  And most people, at least to start, go with the 20% option because it’s greener energy for around the same price they’d be spending anyway.

So, we went with the 20% option instead, and after 19 months, I am happy to report that the Viridian promise of greener energy for about the same cost (on average – sometimes below in a given month, sometimes above) as your utility, holds true.

And here are our natural gas bills so far…

This past spring, Viridian launched their natural gas program, so we decided to give them a try in this realm too, having been happy thus far with their electric service.

Natural gas is a tricky one.  There is much debate ‘out there’ about it; from how it is extracted from the earth (the cons) to using it to get off foreign oil (the pros) and more.

There are no clear standards as yet as to what constitutes a sustainable approach to natural gas – though extremely abundant, it’s a finite resource.  And I have no answers on this.

BUT, I was happy to choose Viridian for the natural gas we do use because I know that their CEO and leadership team is genuinely committed to sustainability – and that makes them a voice in the natural gas arena that I would like to support.

And so far, the savings has been great.

We’ll see what it’s like come winter when our natural gas use ramps up for the colder months, but based on how they have delivered on their electricity promises, which were not ridiculously higher than the utility even in the peak summer months, I feel pretty positive about the winter bills coming our way.  SO much better than the first natural gas company we had picked back in 2009!

So… What about you?  Is energy deregulated yet in your state?  Can you, or have you, already picked a third part supplier?  What has been your experience with this?  How do you shop for an energy supplier – cost savings, green content, or a mix of both?  Do you know what questions to ask to find what matches your values?

Having gone through this process as a customer myself and done a good deal of research on the subject, I’d be happy to help answer questions for you if I can.  Feel free to contact me.  You can also look on Viridian’s website, or this post of mine from 2010, for FAQ&A on the general topic of energy choice.

NOTE – Depending on your energy usage and what you’re looking for, Viridian might not make sense for you.  Although this is not the main focus of my consulting business, I am knowledgeable of the details and options and can promise you a no-hype consultation and 100% commitment to saying, “This doesn’t make sense for your situation” if it does not make sense for your situation.
–
DISCLAIMERS:

a) In the spirit of full disclosure, while it is not a primary focus in my day to day business activities, I did choose to become a referring agent for Viridian.

b) As with Miessence, I am first and foremost a happy Viridian customer and would not be willing to ‘represent’ for them if I did not believe in the product and service enough to use it myself, based on all my research thus far.

c) Additionally, while I believe that these guys offer the best options that I’ve found thus far, I am married to principles, not a company or brand.  If I ever find a greener electric company for a better price, I’ll switch – and let you all know.  Promise!  🙂

d) If you are interested in switching to Viridian for your electric and/or natural gas service, as we did in our home, would you please consider calling them at 866-663-2508 to enroll (instead of enrolling online) and giving them my referring ID#11636?  I will make a small commission for having referred you – and be thankful to both you and Viridian.  Thank you!  🙂

e) Please remember, conservation will always save you more money than choosing a different supplier ever could, and it’s the first and most important step toward both lowering your bill and caring for people and planet.  A greener third party supplier, such as Viridian, is just icing on the cake.

f) In the spirit of further disclosure, Viridian is offering my family a little bonus for any new customers we refer before October 20th, so I’ll offer you a fun little incentive, too.  😉  For those who are genuinely interested in greener energy at a great price anyway, if you enroll by phone through my ID# before October 20th, I’ll do a fun little raffle among all those new customers for the winner’s choice of cash or a gift certificate (amount to be determined based on how many new customers actually enroll).

>> Note – Viridian currently offers service only in NJ, PA, MD, NY, CT, MA, and IL.  If you don’t live in one of those states, I’d encourage you to check around for similar options in your state from other companies – and please let me know what you find!  🙂

So, if you’re new to my blog, you’ll discover quickly that it’s much more of a personal blog than anything else.  While I aim to be a resource to my readers for sustainable living ideas of all kinds, I do not put out blog content as regularly as a professional blogger does.  I put out ideas as I wrestle with and experience them personally – and even then, only IF I find time to write.

Vocationally speaking, I am first a wife and mom – so taking care of my household takes priority over blogging.

I am secondly a home based business owner – so consulting for my clients who want to learn how to evaluate ‘green’ marketing claims and labels, or who want to learn how to evaluate home business options, takes priority over blogging.  And I sometimes use blog space to write messages to my clients beyond just sharing my own personal thoughts and struggles along the journey.

Quite honestly, between caring for my family and keeping up with the consulting questions I get regularly via email or Facebook or text or phone, there is very little time left to blog.  Even though I have a list of dozens of things I’d love to write about someday.

But that’s a ‘good problem to have’ and I’m thankful for it.  🙂

At the same time, it also keeps me continually wrestling with my night owl nature.

Summertime is so laid back in my house.  My hubby is a teacher, so since he’s home in the summer, he gives me extra space to work more.  This often includes me staying up late to get work done without the interruption of tending to the kids’ needs.  I get spoiled rotten each summer because he lets me sleep in whenever I need it.

And then, every September, the school year starts again and I get my wake up call.

School has been back in session for almost a month now, and while I’m not staying up until 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning (most nights anyway!), I’m not getting to bed as early as I’d like either.

This past weekend, Dr. Mercola’s weekly curated email had an article about best times to eat to line up with our circadian rhythms.  I honestly haven’t had time to read the whole article yet, but it definitely called my attention back – yet again – to how important sleep is for everything.  Health, weight, mental clarity, attitude – everything.  I recalled what I’ve heard about looking at electronic screens after dark ramping up your brain activity and making sleep less restful…  I remembered somewhere hearing that every hour of sleep before midnight is worth two after…

So inspired – and tired – Monday night I went to bed at 8:30 and felt awesome on Tuesday.  And then stayed up until 1ish Tuesday and Wednesday night and feel lousy today.  Muh.

I want to go to sleep earlier, but am so stuck in the patterns.

So…

I’m going to do a little challenge and am putting it out here on my blog for accountability.  🙂

Next week, Sunday the 30th through Saturday the 6th, my goal is to not be on my computer after sundown.

That will, in turn, likely get me to bed much earlier.  🙂

Anyone else with me?

I know, staying off the computer at night almost sounds ridiculous to suggest, doesn’t it?  (Where are my fellow night owls?)

But in reality, we were not created to live the 24 hour, “always on” kind of life we live in modern society.

I know this is just my own personal journey and conviction to try this little challenge, and hopefully adopt it more long term, but can you imagine what it would do for our overall health, stress-levels, relationships, and spiritual lives, not to mention individual and collective energy conservation efforts, if everyone unplugged after dark?!

Sure, there are some types of work that demand after dark electronics use, but most of us could do without it if we chose to set that boundary.

And I think the results would be worth it.

I’m excited to at least try it next week.

And now it’s ‘out there’ – online, for the world to see… So I have to do it…  🙂

If anyone else wants to join me in the “Circadian Challenge” next week, let me know – maybe we can text each other at sundown to shut down.  🙂

Blessings to you all,
Lacey 🙂

 

 

Golly, so many things I want to write about, so little time.  🙁

Well, here is a super quick post to announce the winner of our summer-end new subscribers raffle for a $50 gift certificate toward certified organic products from Miessence.

Winner is Mary, with email address ending in @bigpond.com, from Australia.  Congrats, Mary!  I guess it’s actually a winter-end raffle for you.  Very fun!  🙂

For all those who didn’t win…  I do one every season, so the next one will be held on 12/21, and you can be entered again (even though you won’t be a new subscriber anymore) if you refer a friend who subscribes here and puts your name in the referral code box.  Then you and your friend will both be entered into the seasonal raffle.

There are also 9 days left on the coconut oil giveaway raffle.  See here.

Off to DC for my cousin’s bridal shower this weekend.  Hoping to find time in the next couple weeks to write more.

Blessings to all!  🙂

It never ceases to amaze me how time flies.

We returned home from Ukraine on the night of 8/13 and had just a few days to catch up a bit (which was spent mostly doing whatever the kids wanted to do with us since we’d been away from them for 1-2 weeks – and catching up on some ‘must dos’ for work), before attending the wedding of a dear friend, and then driving to Maine for vacation with some other dear friends, then visiting my awesome grandfather in CT, and then hosting a big event this past weekend with Narelle Chenery, who I took to the airport just this morning after a lovely couple days with her.

Phew!

I’ve been wanting to get my trip report written since we got home, but I knew things would just be too crazy until now, so I tried not to stress out about it, even though I knew my supporters were eager to hear about the trip.  Thankfully, I know they are all wonderfully gracious people who understand the need to know your own limitations.  Thank you all – my prayer supporters, logistic supporters, and financial supporters – first again for your support, and now also for your patience with me and grace toward my delay in getting this report to you.

And now, where to start?

Oh golly, maybe 17 years ago for those who don’t know the back story leading up to this trip?

Don’t worry, I’ll give you the abbreviated version up to this summer.  😉

For those who might be new to my blog, it does get personal.  This is basically a place where, as I’m able time-wise, I record and share my thoughts, journey, and day to day life as a wife and work at home mom with an ever growing desire for God to effect great change in the world in and through my own weakness, brokenness, and human limitations.

So here’s the summary of the back story leading up to this trip to Ukraine…

In September of 1995, I met Jesus and He’s been changing my life ever since.

In the spring of 1997, I sensed a strong call to abandon ‘my plans’ and follow Him on a path that used more of the gifts, talents, and interests He’d given me – which included cross cultural work (languages, travel, etc.).

Fall of 1997 – it became apparent that although He wanted to use these passions and talents He’d given me, He also wanted/needed to do some major work uprooting the pride I’d built up around them over the years.  The journey of being broken and remade had begun.  It hasn’t been easy, and isn’t over by any stretch of the imagination, but it has been so worth it.

Summer 1998 – Fred and I (dating at the time) spend time serving in Europe to see if this might be a direction in which God was leading us both, and therefore to determine if He might be leading us to each other in marriage.

Summer 2000 – Fred and I get married and explore the options and requirements for serving overseas long term as teachers.

Summer 2004 – We complete our Masters degrees as part of the requirements for teaching overseas – and welcome our first child.  Not long after, we discover that the organization through which we’d been planning to serve overseas doesn’t anticipate needing teachers for a long while to come.

Spring 2006 – We welcome our second child, and God starts really working on our ‘baggage’ pretty intensely.  Yucky stuff is getting drudged up to be healed, but it is agreed that the idea of moving to another culture should be tabled until we’ve worked through this stuff.  Again, not a fun process, but oh so worth it!

Summer 2008 – We welcome our third child, and God brings significant measure of restoration to Fred while at the same time increasing my passion for service through business.  (I had started on the WAHM, or Work at Home Mom, journey in the spring 2005, but mostly dabbled the first couple years).

Summer 2010 – We begin to learn much more about sustainable living and creation care.  Our change in company affiliation for my consulting business frees me up to be home more in the evenings, working online much more.  At the time, this was a blessing because we were expecting Baby #4 later that year, but in retrospect, it has also freed me up to take my business anywhere much more easily – as in, wherever God might ultimately call Fred to serve.

Fall 2011/Winter 2012 – We sense a call to serve more in our local community with a church plant in town.  Our pastor encourages us to also revisit the overseas call at this time, knowing that process generally takes time to actually come to pass.  We meet with Ben and Kristy Williams to discuss their need for ministry help in Ukraine.  It’s agreed that Fred should come on a summer short term service trip to check out the work they’re doing over there.

Spring 2012 – Since they know of our willingness to possibly serve overseas long term, Ben and Kristy ask that I come on the trip as well, since we’d obviously both need to feel called to serve there – even if my role might be more of a supportive one as wife and mom.  Thanks to the support and encouragement of our wonderful family and friends, we make plans for me to go for the last half of the trip.  I’ll need to bring the baby (toddler but still an avid nurser) with me, but the 3 ‘bigguns’ can stay with grandparents and friends.

Summer 2012 – Back story ends, the trip begins…

Fred left on 7/30, and during his week away, I gained a greater appreciation for him, for single moms, and for God’s grace.  This was the first time (I think in forever) that Fred was away for more than two days/nights.  I definitely got a good reminder of how easily I can take him for granted and how thankful I am for him.  At the same time, I was also blown away by God’s goodness and grace and felt so thankful to know that if Fred were to die and I were to become a single mom, He would carry us and we’d be OK.

Andrew and I left to join Fred in Ukraine on the evening of 8/7.  Thanks to my Dad for driving us to the airport, for everyone who hung out with my older kids all week, and especially for those of you who prayed for the flight over.  Andrew did great!  It was actually really easy traveling with him alone for the most part – there were a few moments here and there, but overall, wow… so thankful.

Of course we were wiped out when we arrived early afternoon on the 8th.  Ben and Kristy and Yulia, their friend, fellow servant, and often babysitter, picked us up at the airport and we drove I think about two hours (slept a bit, so not sure) straight out to the camp site where the camp was in full swing.

Camp was in ‘free time’ for the afternoon when we arrived, and we found Fred playing catch (I think) with some of the campers right near the gate.  Obviously, we were all glad to see each other.  Andrew was very excited to ‘find Daddy.’  I had told him, and the other kids, that we were going over to find Daddy and bring him back home.  Fred took us around to meet some of the campers, we had dinner, and then Andrew and I crashed early for the night, while camp went on with its evening programs.

On Thursday, we got to spend some time with Kristy and her kids, talking about life and ministry, and then sitting in on English class.  Fred had the class full of the camp translators – who I think were mostly staff from the local church who was organizing the camp as an outreach to youth in their city.  It was really fun watching them discuss how best to translate one of Fred’s poems into Ukrainian.  I also got to spend some time with another special Yulia, who is the wife of the pastor of the church our team was working with.  Language was a barrier to getting super deep with words, but her English was quite good and we were able to talk about life as moms.  And beyond the language, there was definitely a connection of  love as sisters in Christ.

Friday, everyone left from the camp and returned to the city.  Over the next two days, we attended follow up activities with the campers, who were at all different places on their journeys with God.  Many don’t know Him at all.  Some have recently discovered Him (I think I heard that 9 campers discovered Him at camp).  And some have been walking with Him for a while.

One of the most beautiful experiences, both at camp and while attending their church service on Sunday morning, was worshiping God in song with people singing in two different languages.  The connection and love that God’s grace and mercy creates between people who otherwise are literally a ‘world’ (OK, really just an ocean) apart, is just so humbling and breathtakingly beautiful.  I found myself not wanting to leave and yearning even more for Him to make us all unified in His love, as He is working to do.

But we had to leave.  Monday was departure day.  Many of the campers came to the airport to say goodbye, and I found myself struck again by a strong desire to be a part of God’s work in Ukraine.

However, that’s not looking likely at this time.  Or at least, not with Ben and Kristy at this time.  When we met with them on Saturday morning to discuss the long term service idea more, two main things came up in the conversation.  1) They shared with us that what they need right now, before they can expand the rest of their team, is someone to take over the oversight of the English camps ministry.  But because this involves a lot of travel, they feel strongly that they need a single person or a couple with no kids.  Since we have four kids, that’s pretty obviously not us.  2) Fred is still not clear on where God is leading him.  He longs for God to bare much fruit in and through him, and he knows that can be done anywhere – in his current teaching job, in more formal ‘ministry’ roles, in any vocation of any kind really.  He feels a stirring away from school teaching, but doesn’t know toward what yet.  So, he needs to get some clearer vision on where God is calling him before we can really pursue anything else.

At the same time, God is also very clearly working in both of us to release more and more of our inner control freaks and surrender more and more to His love and grace.  This sanctifying process is most clearly happening in our role as parents, where we sometimes get pushed to the point of strong reactions and anger, instead of being able to respond in love and grace as we might more readily do with a stranger.  Why on earth should our reaction toward our children, for whom we have perhaps the greatest responsibility to model God’s love, be any different that it would be for a stranger to whom we wish to demonstrate His love?!

God’s work of  ‘putting to death’ our control freaks is also evident in our ‘work’ vocations.  I am passionate enough about what I’m doing now, career wise, that my biggest struggle is giving in to striving.  God is constantly reminding me to let go, work within the boundaries He sets for healthy sleep and relationships, do what I can do, and wait on Him to connect me with customers and business partners in His timing, instead of striving to connect myself with people in my time frames.  And Fred is, as I mentioned, working through his own stuff with regard to his work vocation.

No doubt, a lot of the ‘control freak’ that He’s digging out of us needs to go in preparation for whatever He has next for our family.  Again, not always a fun process, and sometimes painful, but oh so worth it.

The people on this trip were a great encouragement and blessing to me, and I hope that Andrew and I were a blessing and encouragement to Kristy, Yulia, and the campers with whom we got to interact.  It definitely stirred the passion for international work and ministry in my heart.

As I came home to the whirlwind of activity with which I opened this post, I found myself wrestling through a few things.  I love my work in the  business world, and I feel God has called me to serve in this role long term, but it is sometimes hard knowing that many people may mistakenly think I’m passionate first about shampoo, skin care, or nutrition – or even business.

But even that has roots in ego that needs to get uprooted.  Caring at all about how others perceive me, instead of just focusing on God and what He wants me to do on a daily basis, stems from the ego.

But then there is the side of my heart that just honestly and humbly wants the Lord to get all the credit and glory for my life.

I am in a very real sense passionate about these things – personal care and nutrition, and business – but not for their own sakes.  Rather, I am passionate about the Creator God of all the universe, who cares about us in every way possible – physically, emotionally, spiritually, financially, relationally – and connecting with Him in all these areas of my life through work that I believe lines up pretty well with His ways (nothing in this world lines up with Him perfectly) and who He’s shaping me to be.  Nutrition, health, and toxin-free living, while important, can for many become a ‘god’ in their lives.  While it’s important for me to take care of myself – and the planet given to sustain us – by eating food grown as He’d designed it to grow, and reducing exposures to man-made toxins, it’s not something to obsess or worry about either.

I want to ‘obsess’ on the author and perfecter of my faith, who alone gives me breath and life, peace, joy, guidance, and confidence in the face of uncertainty.  The One who can take my heart and expand it in bizarre directions to a point of breaking, but then somehow use all my great weakness and limitation to work out great things in the world.  He alone can do this, and I want my life to always point to Him.

One example of bizarre directions on our minds lately…  How can we feel simultaneously strong desires to be both suburban homesteaders and global nomads?!  Either way, the bottom line, is we desire to live our lives more and more fully dependent on and connected with our Lord.  But those are seemingly opposite ‘directions’ so how is that going to reconcile?

I’m left now with little to do but keep praying, take one day at a time, and wait.

The journey is to be continued…  🙂

 

Coconuts!

OK, well, actually it’s a *more than lovely* jar of coconut oil, but wow!

Listen, you probably know already that I’m more of an experiential writer than a “hard core blogger” writing out every stitch of research I can find on a subject.  I like to keep it short for both your sanity and mine – and then say… “If you have time and desire for more details, just ask me and I’ll be happy to point you in the direction of the resources I’ve found on the topic.”

So, I’m not going to get into super great detail about coconut oil and how it is safer cooking, can be used to make all sorts of homemade topical remedies (my favorites are vapor rub, bug balm, and antibiotic ointment), and can even be used in a pinch for sunblock, believe it or not!  (I tried this recently because I forgot to pack our favorite sunblock when sending my girls off to Baba and Grandma’s for summer day camp.)

What I will tell you is this…

Coconut oil is among those things that we’ve still been getting at a grocery store because we can’t get it at a local farm.  For a while now, we’ve just been using whatever organic brand Wegman’s had on the shelf.  I think it was Spectrum.  It’s been OK, I guess, but then I had the opportunity recently to sample the Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil from Tropical Traditions.

I had heard some of my friends in my local Holistic Moms chapter talk about this brand, but had just never tried it.

And then I did.

Wow!  NO comparison.  SO much better than the stuff we’d been using.  Feels better, tastes better, and most of all – smells better.

I’ll be honest, I don’t even know about pricing because I did get my sample jar free, but until or unless I find something better, this will be my go to brand, pretty much regardless of price (though I may likely still use the surely less expensive grocery store stuff for my homemade vapor rub, bug balm, and antibiotic ointment).  I’m really big on quality and value being much more than a sticker price, and in this case, I think the quality and value are worth it.  I love knowing that not only is the process by which they make the oil superior, but it’s also supporting organic farming families in the Philippines and a company whose owners honor the God of all creation, from what I can tell, by how they do business.

And good news for you!  I’ve been approved to do a giveaway of this amazing product, too.  😉

Before I get to those details, I just have to share this.  Give yourself a smile break today and watch this video just for fun…
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Wasn’t that fun?!

Right – so the giveaway!

Below is the scoop on the giveaway from Tropical Traditions. Scroll down for the details from them, including a great little video about their extra special coconut oil and what makes it so very different from others on the market.

TO ENTER:  Simply subscribe to Tropical Traditions’ newsletter AND my monthly newsletter (your info is safe with both of us, not shared, and you may unsubscribe any time) before 9/30, THEN come right back here and give yourself an official entry in the giveaway raffle using the Rafflecopter widget below.  (Open to Canadian and US residents – this giveaway only; other blog giveaways vary in eligible locations)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose. Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.

Disclosure: If you click on any of the Tropical Traditions links in this post and place an order, I will get a gift certificate to use on my next order of coconut oil – and be grateful to you and them.  Thanks!  🙂

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Everything below this line, written by Tropical Traditions.
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Win 1 quart of Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil!

Tropical Traditions is America’s source for coconut oil. Their Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil is hand crafted in small batches by family producers, and it is the highest quality coconut oil they offer. You can read more about how virgin coconut oil is different from other coconut oils on their website: What is Virgin Coconut Oil?

You can watch the video they produced about Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil:

Tropical Traditions also carries other varieties of affordable high quality coconut oil. Visit their website to check on current sales, to learn about the many uses of coconut oil, and to read about all the advantages of buying coconut oil online. Since the FDA does not want us to discuss the health benefits of coconut oil on a page where it is being sold or given away, here is the best website to read about the health benefits of coconut oil.

WIN SIX AUTOGRAPHED COPIES OF KRISTI MARSH’S BOOK “LITTLE CHANGES”AND A MIESSENCE GIFT CERTIFICATE

This announcement first made on July 17th in the July edition of MiCommunity.  Reposted here on the blog August 17th.

Have you seen the new book by Kristi Marsh yet?

In the months of July and August, some members of the MiCommunity Team will be reading Kristi’s book, Little Changes, and really hope you will read along too.

We would love to hear what has inspired you to make “Little Changes” in your lives? If you haven’t yet, what has kept you from making the changes? What do you fear as the biggest hurdle in sticking with these changes?

By sharing your thoughts with us, you will be entered into our summer raffle to win 6 autographed copies of Little Changes to share with your book club or circle of friends plus a Miessence Certified Organics gift certificate to help you on the road towards elimination of chemicals in your home.

To enter, simply comment below and share your thoughts on the questions above by August 28th at 11:59 pm.  The raffle winner will be notified by September 15th.

For an additional entry and chance to win this raffle, subscribe to our MiCommunity monthly inbox magazine between July 17th and August 28th, and use the code ‘little changes’ when you subscribe here.

If you’d like the ‘fine print’ on the raffle, please request a copy of the terms & conditions here.

ENJOY THE BOOK!!!