I Eat Plants

Okay, okay. I admit it. Of the nearly 365 South Feast talks that I have heard, last Sunday's talk on eating right was the most difficult to digest (pun intended).

I absolutely love food. Isn't it obvious? :D I'm not really a meat lover, but I'm not into vegetables and fruits either. I love love love crab (I know this restaurant in McKinley Hills that serve terrific crabs. The price is terrific too. LOL.), and I used to think shrimp is a gift from heaven (Hello Bubba Gump Greenbelt!). But after hearing Bro. Jon Escoto speak on better food choices, I think I just might say goodbye to a few of the best gastronomic things I love. *insert sad face here*

The main message last Sunday at the South Feast* was proper nourishment. By properly nourishing our body, we reduce our chances of acquiring diseases. But how do we go about this? God has three prescriptions.

1) Eat plants. Did you know that our digestive makeup is more similar to that of herbivores than that of carnivores? This supports the fact that we are designed to eat more plants, i.e., fruits and vegetables. Thus, it is recommended that we make fruits and vegetables our main food. So go right ahead, and dig in to as much salad as you can. Don't forget the vinaigrette!

2) Eat clean. The Bible has long discussed the difference between clean and unclean animals. But science also supports this teaching: that poultry and beef are better choices than pork because pigs eat absolutely anything (including nasty stuff), that shellfish are the scavengers of the seas and are thus infested with toxin, and that fish is the cleaner choice among seafood since it releases its toxin through its scales. For the non-scientists in us, it's just saying avoid pork and shellfish as much as possible. *insert sad face here AGAIN*

3) Eat "other" food, with other meaning oxygen, movement, sunlight, and sleep. Yes, the stuff that we almost always neglect.

The recommendations:

• Inhale more oxygen. Take deep breaths (and always thank God after, because you're still breathing).
• Move. Move. Move. Play sports. Jog. Swim. Run. Do anything to keep your body going.
  
• Expose yourself to sunlight. Vitamin D is always best taken naturally.
• Get adequate rest. The body actually replenishes and heals itself during sleep.

Okay. That's it. Notice anything?

These are actually old stuff. We knew these from Health 101. We heard these from our moms. We learned these from our doctors and nutritionists.

But do we follow?

As for me, that's a big NO. But learning that both science and religion agree that this is the way to go, that NO may somehow inch its way to being a YES.

*This is Talk 4 (Nourishment) of the Awaken the Healer in You Series held at the SOUTH FEAST. The SOUTH FEAST, a weekly gathering of the Light of Jesus Community (LOJ), happens every Sunday at Festival Mall Cinema 10, Alabang, Muntinlupa City, at 11am and at 3pm. It is led by Feast Builder/Main Preacher Arun Gogna. LOJ is a Catholic charismatic community led by Bo Sanchez.

Photo source: www.you-stylish-barcelona-apartments.com

You are a Healer

God gave us the power to heal ourselves.

Ever wondered where the nasty bruises and cuts we've incurred during our childhood go? Ever wondered why that overly painful wound we got on our right knee stopped bleeding? Ever wondered why we have fever yet we are still able to do certain tasks?

The answer: Healing mechanism.

God has instilled us with it. Yes, we have a powerful army within us that fights off bacteria and viruses. We have the best pharmacy inside us, bringing just the right amount of healing for our physical ailments at the right time.

But because we have not yet grasped the idea that we have a built-in healing mechanism, we have somehow adopted the alcogel culture. Notice that hand sanitizers and wet wipes have been a necessity these days; it seems like we are so afraid of getting germs into our bodies. Prevention is always okay, I agree. But, as Bro. Arun puts it, too much of it actually weakens our healing mechanism, making it lax in fighting off bacteria. The key is still to strengthen our bodies against diseases.

Okay, I've done that, you say. I have been taking care of myself. I have been strengthening the healer in me. But why am I still sick?

The answer: Toxins.

But what exactly are these toxins?

When we are gripped with hate or anger that our blood pressure rises up to the heavens, that's toxin. When we are depressed and continue to wallow in sorrow that we feel that our body weakens, that's toxin. When we worry too much and fear everything that we eventually experience headaches, that's toxin. Remember that our body and our soul are one. Our soul, when wounded by such toxins, manifests its pain outward in our body. So when we remove the toxins in our soul, we remove the sickness in our body.

But apart from believing that we have a healer within us and removing the toxins inside us, let us also change our mindset and our expectations. With a strong healing mechanism should come the right expectations. Expect to live a longer life. Expect to live a stronger and brighter future. Expect to have more years to make our dreams come true, enjoy happy relationships, and create lasting memories.

So there. Three points to remember: 1) We have a built-in healing mechanism. 2) We should remove all toxins in our soul. 3) We must have the right expectations.

*This is Talk 1 (Healer) of the Awaken the Healer in You Series held at the South Feast. The South Feast, a weekly gathering of the Light of Jesus Community (LOJ), happens every Sunday at Festival Mall Cinema 10, Alabang, Muntinlupa City, at 11am and at 3pm. It is led by Feast Builder/Main Preacher Arun Gogna. LOJ is a Catholic charismatic community led by Bo Sanchez.

Awaken the Healer in You

Just this morning, my mom was admitted to the hospital for the continuous chest pain she has been feeling the past week. To some, this may elicit gasps, maybe a little shock, and an enormous amount of concern. To me, this is old news. Not that I am not concerned with my mom's welfare, I am and severely at that; it's just that her being confined to the hospital because of her heart ailments has never been new to me. She has been going in and out of such gloomy institution for the past months now, and I've learned to adapt (not that I want to) to the situation.

For the longest time, my family has been battling it out with various sicknesses of different levels. My mom, at a very young age, had been diagnosed with heart ailment. Her blood pressure tends to rise more that usual, even when relaxed. And just recently, her heart was seen to enlarge at a slow rate. She also has diabetes, taking in maintenance drugs to control her blood sugar when reaching past the heavens. Add to her very elaborate medical history the two major operations she had undergone for the past five years: one with her gall bladder and the other with her ovaries. My dad, never to be outdone, had just recently undergone a major operation, which also led to the discovery that his blood sugar is way high and that he is in the onset of being a diabetic himself. I myself am undergoing therapy for my knees, which have been giving me significant pain for months now, disabling me from doing certain activities and limiting my already-limited physique.

So you see, health problems are never new to me. I have been used to the sight of sickly people in emergency rooms, have made friends with doctors and nurses in clinics, and have been at home in both hotel-like and dreadfully looking hospital rooms. With that, my constant prayers have always revolved around healing and recovery of my loved ones and myself.

But God has His ways. It couldn't have been any more timely. Yesterday, at the South Feast*, a new series entitled Awaken the Healer in You was started. The series is broken down into six parts: Healer, Emotions, Relationships, Nourishment, Protection, and Faith. Each talk intends to teach us to bring out the healing power within us.

With that promise and with my constant petitions for healing in my family, I know that this new series will help me tremendously. My body is God's home address, and I know that God wants to heal me. I am ready to be healed and to heal.

*The South Feast, a weekly gathering of the Light of Jesus Community (LOJ), happens every Sunday at Festival Mall Cinema 10, Alabang, Muntinlupa City, at 11am and at 3pm. It is led by Feast Builder/Main Preacher Arun Gogna. LOJ is a Catholic charismatic community led by Bo Sanchez.