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This week's podcast comes from this blog post, Microneedling with PRP by Dr Mariah Mosley. 

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Today's meditation explores the symmetry between the Feast of Weeks of the Old Testament, and Pentecost. We jump around a lot: 

• Moses goes to Sinai and God descends on it in fire (Ex 19:18.) This represents the birth of the nation of Israel as a theocracy: the giving of the Law. 
• This was the first Feast of Weeks at Mt Sinai, 50 days after passover (Ex 19:1.) 
  • Later "official" Feasts of Weeks: Lev 23:15. 
• That day, 3000 Israelites died in rebellion (because Aaron made them a golden calf to worship at the foot of the mountain: Ex 32:28). 
• Joel prophesied that when the Holy Spirit fell there would be prophecy, visions, and dreams (Joel 2:28-29).
• John the Baptist prophesied the Holy Spirit would come with fire (Matt 3:11)
• The New Covenant fulfillment of the Feast of Weeks: Pentecost. The Holy Spirit falls as tongues of fire (Acts 2:1-12) and Peter quotes Joel (Acts 2:14-21).
• That day, 3000 new believers were added (Acts 2:41). Symmetry!
  • Paul says the law kills but the spirit gives life later (Romans 7:10, 2 Cor 3:6)

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Today's podcast comes from this blog post, Lithium as a Neuroprotectant. 

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Today's meditation is on the story of the Centurian's servant, from Matt 8:5-13 and Luke 7:1-10.Download the latest episode of Christian Natural Health!This is the transcript of my retelling. The podcast includes the original text and discussion as well.

The Centurian is at home, and in one of the fanciest homes in Capernaum—if he had the money to build a synagogue that still stands thousands of years later at least in part, he was a wealthy guy. His home is large, made of stone like the synagogue, and as a commander of thousands, he’s used to not only commanding his legionaries, but he also has a number of servants.

The one who is sick was very dear to him. Probably he had been his servant from childhood, so at this point he was more like family than a servant. Matthew’s account says that he was paralyzed, but Luke’s says he was “sick to the point of death,” so this probably wasn’t a result of an injury. Perhaps this was an elderly servant who had had a stroke. It must have been a severe stroke, to leave him paralyzed—and if he was at the point of death, perhaps he was also unconscious. Maybe he never regained consciousness after the stroke. But the Centurian was very distraught, and knew well that none of the physicians could help. At that time in history, there was nothing that could really be done for stroke victims; they either recovered on their own or they didn’t, and with Luke’s account, this one was going in the wrong direction. The Centurian was used to taking charge. When a problem arose, he dealt with it. He solved problems. The feeling of helplessness to affect any positive change for this servant whom he loved so dearly was awful.

But he didn’t feel helpless for long—as usual, a solution occurred to him, though it was admittedly outside the box. The Centurian lived in Capernaum, the home base for Jesus’ ministry. He’d heard about the carpenter’s son who somehow knew the scriptures inside an out, and who had turned water into wine at a wedding there many months earlier. Since then, the rumors were that he went about healing the blind, the lame, the dumb, and the sick of Israel. He’d heard the rumors among the Jews that he might even be the Messiah that they had been waiting for for centuries.

There was a problem, though: the Centurian was Roman, not Jewish. Even though he’d built the Jews’ synagogue It seemed horribly presumptuous of him to approach the Jewish celebrity and ask him to come to his home and heal his servant. Why would he do it? Jesus’ time was precious—the Centurian appreciated this full well, as his own time was precious, too. His legionaries did not approach him lightly with small matters of their own. They knew he expected them to work out their problems on their own, and only approach him if absolutely necessary. They respected his time, his authority, and his position. He could not approach Jesus with any less respect.

But then he remembered a story he’d heard that had taken place in this very city, only some months earlier—and to a Gentile, no less! A nobleman, an official in Capernaum’s son had taken ill and was dying. The official had made bold to approach Jesus directly, and begged him to come and heal his boy. Jesus didn’t go with him—but he healed him anyway. At his word, from a distance! What was it he’d said? “Go; your son will live.” The official believed him, headed home, and was intercepted by servants along the way who told him that his son had begun to recover at the exact hour that Jesus had spoken those words.

That was his solution, the Centurian realized. Of course! He could ask Jesus’ help with minimal inconvenience to himself, if he didn’t ask him to come to his home—he could simply request that he speak a word. That was good enough for the nobleman’s son; why would it not be good enough for his servant? He dared not even approach Jesus directly himself, because he was a Gentile. Jesus focused on the Jews. He thought his appeal might be better received coming from the Jews. He had a relationship with them, having built their synagogue—so he summoned some of the Jewish elders and told them his plight.

“I ask a great favor,” he said, “and if I had another choice I would not. But my servant is very dear to me, and his only hope is a miracle. Jesus of Nazareth can heal him, but I have no basis upon which to appeal to him to do so. Would you approach him on my behalf?”

So the elders went to Jesus. These were not scribes and Pharisees, but elderly faithful Jewish men among those who followed Jesus and hung on his words. They approached him, told him about the Centurian’s servant, and then made the case for him: “He is worthy to have you do this for him, for he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us our synagogue.” Jesus did not protest; he agreed to go with the elders to the home of the Centurian to heal the servant.

The Centurian saw Jesus and the elders approaching his home when they were not far away, a crowd following along behind Jesus. The emotion to immediately seize him was less relief than shame. This had not been his intention, to pull this important man away from his ministry! He did not deserve such deference, especially as a Gentile. His friends were gathered at his home to support him through the apparent death of his dear servant, so he hurriedly sent some of them on ahead.

“Please tell the Lord not to trouble himself any further!” he expostulated, “I am not worthy to have him come under my roof! Therefore I did not presume to come to you. But say the word, and let my servant be healed. For I too am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

His friends hurried off to intercept Jesus, and the Centurian watched anxiously from a distance. He was close enough that he could see Jesus stop and absorb what his friends said on his behalf, before he turned to say something to the crowd behind him. Then after another moment’s delay, Jesus turned and moved away again, the crowd clinging to his every move. The Centurian’s friends set out back to his home, just when another servant rushed up to the Centurian.

“Your dear one has recovered!” he gasped, out of breath. “He awoke again and sat up, and is asking for you!”

The Centurian swallowed the lump of gratitude in his throat, looking out over the hills at the retreating figure of the Lord. He was not an Israelite, and was not worthy—and yet the master deigned to come to his home to grant his request. He wiped his eyes just as his friends who had spoken to Jesus on his behalf returned. They were beaming.

“What did he say?” The Centurian managed, on his feet already to go and see his servant.

“He was impressed,” his friend grinned back. “When we told him what you’d said, he turned to the crowd and said, ‘I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.”

The Centurian’s heart swelled. He, a Gentile, had impressed Jesus. For a moment, the Centurian wished that he himself was a Jew, so that he could join that crowd and follow the Master. But instead, he went to his servant’s bedside. He found him sitting up, drinking a mug of water, and looking better than the Centurian had seen him look in years.

“Thank you,” the Centurian whispered. And even though he never had and never would meet Jesus face to face, he somehow knew he’d heard.

Today's podcast comes from this blog post: Spotlight On: Cinnamon. 

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Today's podcast meditation comes from the three accounts of the friends lowering the paralytic through the roof to Jesus to receive his healing:Matt 9:2-8/Mark 2:1-12/Luke 5:17-26Download the latest episode of Christian Natural Health!Imagine being that paralytic—he never goes anywhere, he just lies at home all day and friends take care of him. He’s clearly either got a big family or is very well loved, because otherwise he wouldn’t have so many people to drop what they’re doing, band together, and take him to Jesus. And they really go to a lot of trouble too—they try to get him through, but the crowds are spilling out of the house where Jesus is teaching and into the streets! And here they have this bulky stretcher, and nobody will let them through. So these enterprising four friends think, we’ve come this far, and our friend/brother WILL get his healing today. So they climb on the roof, and probably hoist up his mat on a pulley system. How hard must that have been? How long did it take them to get him up there?And whose idea was cutting a hole in the roof anyway? Did they even think of how angry the home owner would be? Probably not; they were laser-focused on getting their friend to Jesus. Once they cut the hole, they all collectively had to lower him by ropes when they saw where Jesus was teaching. The audacity! But would Jesus be mad? If they thought this was a possibility, they didn’t care. They really loved this friend.And what of the friend himself? He must have had some really good qualities to inspire such loyalty in those around him, so maybe he was one of those people who bears adversity with a smile, or finds a way to see the good and the things to be grateful for. We at least know that he had faith to be healed when he heard about Jesus. Was it his idea or theirs to go to all this trouble to get him to Jesus? Either way, he was definitely on board, because “Jesus saw their faith,” which includes his. I imagine he heard rumors about this young man—much younger than the teachers of the law, only early thirties—who was stirring up the leaders. They all hated him, but the people flocked to him wherever he went, because not only did he teach with authority unlike the Pharisees and Sadducees, but he backed up what he said with power! Typically he heals ALL the sick, the lame, the maimed, the blind, and the dumb who come to him! Can you imagine?The paralytic heard all this, and it stirred a spark of hope in him. Can it be true? Well it has to be, doesn’t it? He’d heard the story from so many different people. Can ALL those people be wrong?Clearly he can’t travel anywhere, but he just happens to live in Capernaum, the headquarters for most of Jesus’ ministry. So he had only to wait until Jesus came back. The problem is, because this is the headquarters for his ministry, EVERYBODY flocks to him. Even though his friends volunteer to take him to Jesus, they can’t even get close. It would be one thing if the paralytic could push through the crowd himself, but he can’t ask his friends to do all that for him. His heart sinks. His healing is right there, inside that house, and he can’t even get there…But wait! His friends confer amongst themselves. They’re going to… what? Seriously? One of them turns to him and says, pointing at the roof and a length of rope he’s procured, “You okay with that?”The paralytic blinks. “Y-yes!” he stammers. “Let’s do it!” Hope returns. He’s wondering what on earth they plan to do when they get to the roof, but he’s distracted by the discomfort and occasional pain of the uneven hoisting process. One leg gets trapped, one shoulder yanked, the mat swings and hits the side of the house, smashing his ear into his head. At one point the mat tips and nearly drops him all the way back to the ground! But they succeed in the end. And then he sees—“You’re cutting a hole in the roof?” the paralytic laughs. His friend looks up at him mischievously and says, “Today’s your day, my friend. YOU are GETTING to see Jesus.”They saw. And saw. Chunks of the ceiling surely rain down on the crowd beneath during the process, so they have to know exactly what’s happening long before they see the culprits. They have to pull away sections at a time, so before the hole is big enough to lower him, the paralytic can look down and see the crowd with white dust in their hair, the scowling home owner, and… Jesus. He’s smiling! He actually looks amused! The paralytic meets his eyes, and can’t look away, until his friends have to position him for the descent.“Okay, ready?” One friend, the ringleader, cries to the others. “One, two, three!”With coordinated efforts, they lower him down in a much more synchronized fashion than that by which they’d raised him to the roof in the first place. Within seconds, the paralytic is looking up into the face of Jesus. He’d know him anywhere, even though he’s never seen him before and didn’t previously know what he looked like. Objectively he looks like a normal man, but there is something about him. How can the paralytic know all this at first glance? But he does. It’s peace, confidence, authority, power… something he can’t quite put his finger on. But it’s compelling. Jesus looks up to the friends on the roof and smiles at them too—beaming his approval. At last, he looks at the paralytic, and speaks.“Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.”So many things about that statement ought to seem strange, but don’t. “Son,” first of all — this man speaks as if he’s one of the elders, but he can’t be much older than the paralytic’s own age. Second, his sins are forgiven? The paralytic hears the ripples of unrest among the crowd nearest him, who heard this. Jesus spoke the words with such quiet confidence, that the paralytic has no doubt he’s able to remit sins. But if that’s true, then doesn’t that make him…“…blasphemy!” he overhears in whispers from some of the teachers of the law and the scribes nearest him.Jesus turns to them, and his previously approving and cheerful expression turns to stone. “Why do you think evil in your hearts?” he demands of the scribes. The paralytic’s heart races at the confrontation. “For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say ‘Rise and walk’?” He lets this question hang in the air, as if waiting for an answer. Nobody does answer, though—he seems to speak in riddles. Jesus goes on, still in a booming tone to the crowd, “But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins—“ he turns back to the paralytic, “Rise, pick up your bed and go home.”It takes a moment for the paralytic to register this. But when he does, there's no hesitation: this was what he was waiting for. He’d expected more of a demonstration than this: a touch of healing, perhaps. But he has no doubt that this man’s word carries all the authority he needs. He leaps up to his feet, and as he does so, his bones and joints straighten out and become strong! The gasps ripple throughout the crowd, and a few—not the scribes and teachers—start to clap and cheer. Then he realizes that the cheers are coming from his friends on the roof—they had expected this all along. One sticks his fingers in his mouth and whistles. But the paralytic hardly notices. Tears stream down his face, and he laughs and cries for joy. He wants to hug Jesus, but that seems wildly inappropriate—especially since Jesus's attention is now focused on the scribes and teachers. He stares them down like a challenge. So instead, the paralytic—former paralytic!—does as he was bid: he picks up the mat upon which he’d lay for decades, tucks it under his now strong and well-formed arm, holds his head up high, and marches right through the thick crowds that had blocked his entrance. They part for him in astonishment, and even fear. Most of them had known him all his life. They knew what kind of miracle had just taken place.What’s more, before he’d done it, Jesus had forgiven his sins. They all knew what this meant. He was proclaiming himself to be God.As for the former paralytic, he doesn't doubt it for a second.

This week's podcast comes from this article, Methylation and Neurotransmitters. 

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Today's meditation comes from Mark 6:41. 

• Jesus "looked up" = anablepo, also translated "receive sight" or "recover lost sight" elsewhere. 
• Isaiah 26:3: "yetser" = "mind", also translated conception or imagination.
• Numbers 13-14: 10 spies in the Promised Land, and 8 of them had an evil report

This is the Living Commentary software I referenced that is super awesome! https://www.awmi.net/lc/

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Today's podcast comes from this blog post, Why Does Your Period Cause Insomnia? 

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Today's podcast is a meditation on Psalm 69:30. We jump around to a few more verses:

1.  Psalms 69:30 says that thanksgiving magnifies God (gadal: same word as a child growing up physically). To make great, to lift up
2. The leper who came back to thank Jesus glorified Him (Luke 17:16-18). 
3. Romans 4:19-21: Abraham "was strong in faith, giving glory to God" (before the promise was fulfilled)
4. Psalm 103:2: "Forget not all his benefits".
5. 2 Cor 10:5: Take your thoughts captive
6. Ephesians 4:18: your spiritual sight can be darkened; versus Eph 4:23: be renewed in the spirit of your minds (like Romans 12:2)
7. "to be spiritually minded is life and peace" (Romans 8:6). 

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Today's podcast comes from this blog post, Supplements to Assist with Sauna Detoxification.

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Today's podcast is a meditation on Habakkuk 2:3-4.

We also jump to Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11, and Hebrews 10:38.

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Today's podcast comes from this article, How Taurine Affects Anxiety and Adrenaline. 

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Today's meditation comes from 2 Corinthians 1:20-22

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Today's podcast comes from this blog post, PQQ and Mitochondria. 

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Today's meditation is on Galatians 6:9. 

We also jump around to:

Galatians 6:7-9

2 Cor 9:6

Mark 4:26-29

Heb 10:23, and 10:35-36

Background music courtesy of Ben Sound at www.bensound.com

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Today's podcast comes from this blog post, Hormonal Causes of Low Libido. 

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Today's meditation is on Ephesians 3:14-21

Background music courtesy of Ben Sound at www.bensound.com

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Today's podcast comes from this article, Adrenaline-Deficient Anxiety. 

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Today's meditation comes from Proverbs 3:1-10

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Today's podcast comes from this blog post: Neurotransmitter Imbalance and Depression: Chicken or the Egg?

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Today's meditation is on James 1:17. A few notes on the Greek: 

• Every = pas = all, every, whosoever, whatsoever, daily
• Good = Agathos: of good constitution or nature, useful, salutary, pleasant, agreeable, joyful, happy, excellent, distinguished, upright, honourable
• Perfect = teleios = brought to its end, finished, wanting nothing necessary to completeness, absolute human integrity and virtue
• Change = of turning = tropē = of the heavenly bodies (casting shadow)

Additional verses discussed: 

• 2 Peter 1:3
• Matthew 7:7-8
• Luke 12:32
• Matthew 6:31-33
• Hebrews 13:8
• John 10:10

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Today's podcast comes from this blog post, The Effect of Nature on Your Health.

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Today's meditation is on Phil 4:19 but jumps around a bit. Here's a few others: 

1. Lev 26:5: "Your threshing shall last to the time of the grape harvest, and the grape harvest shall last to the time for sowing. And you shall eat your bread to the full and dwell in your land securely."
2. Luke 12:31-32: "Instead, seek his kingdom, and all these things will be added to you. Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom."
3. Prov 10:3: "The Lord does not let the righteous go hungry, but he thwarts the craving of the wicked."
4. Romans 8:31-32: "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?" 
5. Psalm 55:22: "Cast your burden on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved."

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Today's podcast comes from this blog post, Why Your Period Causes Bowel Changes. 

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Today's meditation jumps around a bit:Matt 8:28:32Mark 5:2-13Luke 4:33-35Mark 1:23-26Mark 1:34Luke 4:41Matt 8:4Download the latest episode of Christian Natural Health!

Today's podcast comes from this blog post: Essential Fatty Acids, Neuroplasticity, and Brain Injury

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