INDIA
Pastor Threatened; Pastor and Wife Assaulted, Imprisoned and Later Released – VOM Sources

• KASHMIR – On July 29, five men from the Molvis Al-Hadis Mosque in Baramulla threatened Pastor Bashir Masih, and other believers preparing for Sunday worship. According to The Voice of the Martyrs' contacts in India, "The five men threatened the believers and instructed them to vacate the house, which is also used as a house church, within a month since it is located near a mosque." In the past, Muslim extremists have assaulted Pastor Masih's disabled son and Muslim village authorities have allowed extremists to block drinking water to Pastor Masih's home. Pastor Masih was a Muslim who converted to Christianity in 2005. His house church, Shalom Prayer House, was started in 2005. Pray for Pastor Masih's family and Christians in India who remain steadfast in their faith, despite persecution. Hebrews 13:5
• KARTANAKA – August 10, Pastor Victor and his wife Glory were released after spending a month in prison. On July 9, the couple was assaulted by a Hindu extremist while they were distributing tracts in the Bijapur District, Karnataka. They were later arrested. According to The Voice of the Martyrs' contacts in India, a grocery store owner invited the pastor and his wife to his home and while they were talking, a man entered the home and attacked them. VOM contacts report, "When the man entered the home, he saw gospel tracts and began cursing at the pastor and slapped him. The grocery owner joined the assault and dragged the pastor out of the home and put him on a rickshaw and took him to the police. The Hindu extremist registered a complaint against the couple for inciting religious disharmony." The couple was arrested under section 296 A of the Indian Penal Code. Pray for Pastor Victor and his family and ask God to protect Christians in India. 2 Timothy 1:7

It is my intention to post some articles from a Voice of The Martyrs book Jesus Freaks..........but I found this on their website first.  This man has not been martyred............yet.  His only crime, and that of his elderly mother, is that they are involved in a "house church", similar to what POH believes in and has practiced.  This is illegal in China.  In that country Christians are highly suspect, and if they do attend church must do so publicly in a 'church' that is regularly monitored by Communist government officials.  They are told what, when, how, and where they may preach. 

There are Christians (like POH) who believe that one may worship God without the benefit (or lack thereof) of a church building.  If we have accepted Christ then WE are the tabernacles of God and wherever we meet and lift up His name, we ARE the Church.  In other words, we don't 'go to church'...........we 'are' the church.

With the prominence of the Christian Right in America I know it seems easy.............even politically correct.........to
assume that anyone who calls themself a Christian MUST agree, and MUST be, as I've been called on the blogstream, someone who "sits in my padded pew" and votes for whom the preacher tells me to vote for.  This could not be further from the truth..........just as this story about Hua Huigi shows the difference between the "politically correct Christians" in China, and the ones who are truly being persecuted for their faith.  In this case, Hua Huigi and his mother were recently released (read the second article) after 6 mos.  This is not true about all Christian prisoners in China, or the other countries where this is currently happening.

Hua Huiqi

Shuang Shuying

Van Thong

Location: China Arrested: January 2007 Days Imprisoned: 202 On January 26, 2007, Hua Huiqi, an active house-church member, and his 76-year-old mother were attacked and wounded by seven police officers while walking near a 2008 Olympic hotel site in Beijing. According to China Aid Association, Hua and his mother were kicked on the ground and later taken to the Olympic Police Station for questioning. Hua is under criminal detention awaiting trial while his sick mother is in a medical center serving two years on the charge of damaging public and private property. We invite you to write a letter of encouragement to Hua Huiqi. We have experienced incredible results when readers write to believers like Hua who have been imprisoned for their faith. The letters make a difference, often resulting in shorter prison terms. Please send a letter of encouragement and let Hua know you are praying for him and other believers in China. Also, write to the Chinese government requesting that Hua be released. Let your friends know about suffering Christians in China and encourage them to pray and write to Hua. Get involved! Pray and write to Hua Huiqi today. House Church Leader Released from Prison July 26, 2007 CHINA – On July 26, 2007, Beijing house church leader, Hua Huiqi was released from prison after serving six months. According to China Aid Association (CAA), Hua Huiqi and his 76-year-old mother, Shuang Shuying, were arrested in January after being attacked by seven police officers. “While they were walking near a 2008 Olympic hotel site in Beijing, they were kicked to the ground and later taken to the Olympic police station for questioning. Hua’s mother was later sentenced to two years in prison. She is being held in a medical center because her health has deteriorated,” CAA said. Praise God for Hua Huiqi’s release. Please continue to pray for the release and healing of Shuang Shuying. Ask God to encourage Christians in China as they face escalating persecution ahead of the Olympics in 2008. Country CHINA Country Info

Tips for a Successful Fast:

1.)Some people think that one should never talk about their fast, before, during or after. There are others who think fasting is a private affair between the faster and God and should only be talked about as little as possible. The Bible is clear that we should not go ‘bragging’ about it, showing off like the Pharisees, for all the world to see so that people will tell us how wonderfully 'spiritual' we are. It goes so far as to say that if that is our purpose then the reward we get from men, that THEIR accolades are the only reward we will get. I believe that a one or three day fast is easy to deal with without being overt about it. On a ten, twenty-one, or forty day fast, however, it is necessary to think before hand what you will say and what you will not say, as it is hard to go a week and a half, three weeks, or six weeks (40 days) without eating and not have people ask questions. It is more like impossible. Yes, they will wonder why you are not eating, why you are losing weight, or they will think you are sick on the days when you might feel weak, tired, look pale, etc. You need to have an answer for that. People will say things like, “you are starving your body!” (actually starvation does not set in for at least 38 days and on a live-juice fast you will not feel even the effects of that), “you’re going to become protein deficient” (that is flat out not true especially if you take my advice about chlorella and/or spirulina.~~most Americans get way too much protein and that is more of a problem than too little~~remember that Adam and Eve at a vegan diet), “times have changed~~people don’t fast anymore” (they are RIGHT, people DON’T fast anymore, which is probably why we are not seeing the supernatural miracles of earlier days, and why we are seeing an increase in dibilitatiing, degenerative diseases!), “are you under a doctor’s supervision?” (most doctors I know, unless they are trained in Homeopathics or vegetarian biology will NOT approve of any fasting and if they do only for a meal or a day). I have never sought a doctor’s supervision for this and they probably would have counseled me against it. Get a doctors advice if you want to but if you do seek one, try to find a Christian, who is knowledgable about fasting and the benefits as well as the drawbacks. Even better, one that has actually fasted themselves. Remember that all of this is fear, fear, fear and more fear. The last thing you need on a fast is fear. You will have to deal with enough of your own. Don’t deal with the fear that other people are trying to heap on you. The sad thing is, that the people you will have most of your problems with are going to be Christians. People in the world don’t really care that much and they generally have an 'anything goes there' mentality there anyway. While I don’t believe in being “religiously silent” about your fast, you also have to recognize that if you are going to do it, that it IS ultimately between you and God and what Aunt Gertrude, Grandmaw Maybelline, or even your own mother, father or spouse has to say about it is not the most important thing. I have found that I can fast one meal or a whole day even and not have to tell ANYONE. Since I am the chief cook and bottle washer in the family, and since I skip dinner occasionally anyway, no one is going to question me if I don’t eat a meal here and there. On the other hand, if I don’t tell my husband, he is going to know something is up when I don’t want to go out to his favorite hamburger joint on his day off. At this point, all I have to say is I’m fasting and he doesn’t ask much more than that, except, “how long?” In the past, he has been the most difficult person in my life, asking me to stop, telling me I’m not going to be healthy, etc. It has been hard for me to discern what to do in those cases because I know it is more his fleshly concern for me and not the Lord speaking to me. This past time I knew God was using him to speak to me about it, and I listened to him, but it takes a great deal of sensitivity to the Spirit. My kids generally figure it out after a few days. They don’t ask much though. Church people have bluntly asked me what I’m doing and I have forth rightly told them. I am not legalistic that way. I could be if I wanted to be, but in the past I have found that my fellow Christians were blessed by watching my experience, and it generally seemed to encourage them to do the same. They prayed for me when I was struggling and exulted with me when I was flying high. During one such fast I came to our small church about fifteen minutes into the service. We always sat toward the front, and as I was so hyper from a combination of feeling so goooood, and worshipping on my own, at my house all day, that I was in a very good mood as I walked in and strode up the center aisle. The worship team was pumping and all it took were their smiles at me as I walked up the aisle to get me going again. I raised my hands high up in the air and started singing. Loud. By the time I got to my seat and put my stuff down I was jumping up and down and dancing in the aisle. The whole room exploded with a higher level of worship and it was awesome. Seeeeee?, you don't even need to be on the worship team to have an effect on the people around you! Especially as people see you go through the difficult stages and come up praising God all the more, it shows them something in a way that mere words cannot. In many cases it has caused them to desire to fast themselves, not vice versa, like one would expect. While I don’t go around bragging about my fasting, and I certainly don’t make a point of telling anyone, I don’t hide it either and don’t feel convicted that I should 2.) Some people think they have to avoid all worldly pleasures during a fast (TV, parties, even sex (obviously, when I mention sex, I am speaking to married couples here......if you are single and claim to be a Christian, abstinence from sex is a given. If you are not doing that, no fasting that I know of is going to help you in your quest for God). It is my opinion that if you are on a short fast this is fine and can help you focus. If you are on a long fast, however, I don’t think this is necessary, nor is it recommended, unless God specifically speaks to you about it. Remember that the fast is not to deprive yourself, and the Bible is clear that to deprive your spouse is to put them in a position of weakness in the flesh. I do not believe that is God’s purpose and if it is not His purpose, then that should not be your purpose. In this day and age we think that we need to 'deprive our gluttonous selves' all the time, but that is because we have gotten away from the true reason for fasting. My daughters have friends in school, good Christian kids who are fasting for “Lent”. Fasting at Lent is fine if God tells you to, but just giving something up for the sake of sacrifice is not what God is calling us to. I do think that taking a break from TV is always a good thing, but one needs to really examine their motivation for doing it. Are you doing it because you think God will be impressed with your self-sacrifice? I hate to burst your bubble, but He's not. Some people would say that you should give it up for the worldiness of it which would be the only reason I would give it up, but some would say that it is because the food commercials might tempt you. I have never been tempted by looking at food on TV, it is the actual smell of food that hooks me, so I leave this to the reader. Please remember, for those who are in Christ Jesus, there is therefore now no condemnation. For those who are not, even the good they do is condemned. If you don't like that word, take it up with God, because it is His Word, not mine. 3.)Get alone with God. This seems like such an easy thing to say but it is a hard thing to do. I am a treasonous Christian anyway, not advocating “daily devotions”. I don’t like the word or the practice. I know, I know, I’m not mainstream. I tried for years to have a set devotional time, usually in the morning when I can hardly keep my eyes open, because I was taught this as a young Christian. When I would fall asleep during prayer and my eyes would blur over during my Bible reading I would feel such condemnation for the rest of the day. The Jesus that I have come to know and love, wants my attention because I LOVE HIM, not because I am required to spend time with Him because He is my DUTY. How would you like it if the only time your spouse spent time with you was because they HAD to? I know I wouldn't. Once you get a revelation of the amazing love that the great Lover of your soul loves you with, prayer takes on a new yearning desire, an urgency. Ask Him for this, and do not let up until you get it. 4.) Feast on His Word. Our brother Jeremiah says, "Eat the Word". Meditate on it. Take index cards and write out verses that God gives you and put them all over the house. Take poster board and markers and glitter glue and make a large version of the index card. Hang it on your back door. Keep a journal and write down every verse He gives you and what your thoughts on it were at that time. Start a blog like I did. Look out with that though, it’s addictive! Look at the Word as more necessary than your necessary food. It is. 5.)Take a break from gabbing on the phone. This is not an issue in my life right now because at this time I don’t spend much time on the phone and when I do get a call it is from someone I haven’t seen or talked to for at least a week, usually more like a month or more. If I stay on the phone for a long time in those cases I do not feel convicted. I used to have a friend that called me daily and we gabbed. I enjoyed it. I will admit though that if one isn’t careful all that gabbing can lead to gossip. 6.)Do not enter into unnecessary temptation. I learned from my first long fast that there were certain things I simply could not make for my family. One would think it would be pizza, or some other convenience food but it was not that. The main things were chicken and cheeseburgers. I could handle other types of meats and foods but those were tough. I had to pray and the Holy Spirit was faithful, but I don’t presume on God. As my iron count went down I actually had a hard time with cooking spinach for my husband. Isn't that funny? It's like my body knew more what I needed for it, than I did. After one gets through the first week, junk food actually becomes uninteresting and undesirable. I know that seems strange to those who have never fasted but it’s true. This issue will be different for everyone but there will be some kind of food that will be the problem at some point, but it generally is not junk food. There were nights, usually about once a week where I would implore my husband to get pizza for the family. That might not work for you if you are a huge fan of pizza, but I am not, so it was a nice break from cooking. Sometimes making the food for the family gave me a vicarious pleasure but usually if one does not have to cook it is MUCH easier. 7.) Sleep. Along with this I would say, pamper yourself a little bit, with no condemnation. A fast, especially a long one will make you naturally a little more tired at times. You MUST take extra care of yourself. I have heard that you should plan for your fast the way you would plan for a vacation. I have never been good at this but I agree with the principle. Look at fasting as a vacation with God, exploring your character, figuring out what makes you tick, what generational curses you deal with, and breaking old patterns of behavior. I have worked part time outside my house at different times during my marriage but have never fasted and worked at the same time. I don’t know how people do that. I have found that I have MORE energy on a fast but I also have always had the luxury of moving at my own pace through the day and taking 20 minute power naps if I feel like it. I make a point of taking care of myself anyway, but during a fast, I spoil myself with special teas, one or two hot showers a day with special conditioners for my hair and lotions for my skin, lot’s of rest, and dinners that are easy on me. I look at the fast as a means of calming myself and sensitizing myself to the Lord, not as a time to whip myself into shape, spiritually speaking. If one feels they need to chastise themselves, they don’t need a fast, they need to seek the Lord about the problem of self-condemnation. If you are going to fast, for any reason, I recommend doing as much research into the subject as possible before going on it. Continue reading while you are on it, and begin to really delve into areas of spiritual warfare. I mentioned some authors to look into on the other post. If you have any others that you would like to mention please leave them in the comment section. God bless you as you embark on what I have found to be one of the "great adventures" of life. I believe you will learn not only more about God, but more about yourself, than you have ever known.

This is a two post essay on fasting that I wrote for my Mother Knows Best blog in 2006 when I was fasting.  I wrote it mostly for a fellow blogger, a Pastor, who was interested in fasting and wanted any information, personal and otherwise, that I had on it.  I have not updated this message so if you read anything about "my recent fast" please take that to understand the time frame of 2006, not the fast I am on right now. I am reposting it now, at the request of a different blogger who asked me to tell them about fasting.  If you have any additional questions I would be happy to answer them.  Also, I am asking, as a personal favor to me, please do not, as a fellow blogger did once, tell me that I am 'starving myself in the name of God'.  Fasting is hard enough without naysayers and discouragers adding their two cents.  I don't mind if you are sincerely concerned.  I appreciate that.  What I don't like is when people try to tell me that I am disobeying God or knowingly doing something destructive to myself.  I do not respond well (I tend to get snippy) to people who think that they know better than I do what God is saying to me about my own life.  You are entitled to your opinion, but if it involves my life and not your own, and you disagree with me on what I am doing in my relationship with the Lord, or in my body, you might be better to keep your peace.  I am not masochistic.  I take extremely good care of myself, because I believe that God wants me to live a long time and be healthy and as happy as possible while I do, and I do not knowingly abuse my body.  I turn to the blogstream for friends.  If I need a parent, I will turn to my own.

Fasting/ Pt. 1 of 2

Fasting is something that I am very familiar with. When I was a teenager and in my early twenties I would fast for long and short periods of time solely to keep my weight down. After God delivered me from my eating disorders, I never fasted again. Even if the church called a one or three day fast, or even a Daniel fast (just eating fruits and vegetables but no meat, bread, sweets, etc.), I would not participate and felt no conviction from the Lord that I should. I was concerned about re-entering a destructive mindset. I cannot express enough how eating disorders, while they may cause biological dysfunction (the loss of water soluble vitamins and a disturbance of electrolyte balance being two of the main concerns), they are primarily mental disorders. If you are struggling in this area, PLEASE DO NOT attempt to fast, for any reason, and do NOT make excuses to fast, ie. it is for God. God is not interested in your fasting, per se. He is interested in your heart. Our brother Isaiah says, “Is this not the fast I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness To undo the heavy burdens, To let the oppressed go free, And that you break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; When you see the naked, that you cover him, And not hide yourself from your own flesh? Then your light shall break forth like the morning, Your healing shall spring forth speedily, And your righteousness shall go before you; The glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. THEN you shall call, and the Lord will answer; You shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am” Isaiah 58:6-9 NKJV I have left off the last part of this chapter but I recommend that you read that too. We are to be called the repairers of the breach and it is a powerful and humbling assignment. The fast that God desires is one of mercy and compassion. I do not feel the need to abstain from fasting (how do you like that play on words?) for this reason anymore and God has been placing this form of spiritual welfare on my heart of late for intercessory purposes. My original blog was supposed to be titled Confessions of a Common Housewife in the Fast Lane because that is what came to me five years ago when I went on a second forty day fast in the spring of 2001. I kept thinking that I should be recording my experience and even had the flight of fancy that I would send it to a publisher and see if it would be published. I was so busy back then that I just couldn’t seem to get around to sitting down and settling my brain. I find it very hard to write when too many people are around and too many people have been the story of my life. I aim to give you some information here that will help you if you are so inclined to go on a fast for spiritual or even physical reasons. I am of the opinion that fasting is beneficial for your body even apart from spiritual warfare. I find fasting difficult so I don’t do it for physical reasons but that doesn’t mean it isn’t good for you. Just deciding to stop eating is not a good idea though. There are things that one should do in preparation, things to remember when actually on the fast, and measures to take while reintroducing food to one’s system. I fasted 35 years ago because I had an obsession to keep my weight down but that is a very poor, probably the worst, reason to fast. Generally one will gain the weight back….slowly or quickly….but it will come back. In fact, after losing over 40 pounds on my last 40 day fast, I gained back 5 in the week following just eating fruits and vegetables. What was I to do when I added meat and bread? Not to mention my beloved sweets! There are a fair number of books dedicated to the spiritual aspect of intercession.. If one is fasting for spiritual reasons I recommend reading up on a number of different books dedicated to this and studying the scriptures that are put forth. One needs to be clear on what God’s perspective is and know that He is not a legalistic God, ready to bring the gavel down if you should mess up one day, or need to stop for an unforeseen reason like I did on my recent fast. Mahesh Chavda has written many good books on the subject of fasting describing both physical and spiritual ramifications. I also recommend anything written by Derek Prince and/or Charles and Frances Hunter for the area of prayer and warfare. It is important to remember that, while we do not ‘idolize our bodies’ the way the world does, abusing it to force it into some unreasonable model of perfection, yet the Bible says that if we have accepted Christ as our Savior that our body is the Temple of the Holy Spirit and we should treat it as such by taking the best care of it that we can for the use of the Lord. “Over time, toxins build up in the body as the result of the pollutants in the air we breathe, the chemicals in the food and water we consume, and other means. Periodically, the body seeks to rid itself of these toxins and releases them from the tissues. The toxins then enter the bloodstream, causing the body to experience a ‘low’ or ‘down’ cycle. During such a cycle, you may suffer from headaches, diarrhea, or depression. Fasting is an effective and safe method of helping the body detoxify itself and move through this low cycle with greater speed and fewer symptoms. In fact, fasting is recommended for almost any illness, as it gives the body the rest it needs to recover. Acute colon disorders, allergies, and respiratory diseases are most responsive to fasting, while chronic degenerative diseases are the least responsive.” “By fasting regularly, you give all of your organs a rest, and thus help reverse the aging process and live a longer, healthier life.” There are several benefits listed but the one big one that I want to mention here is, “Physical awareness and sensitivity to diet and surroundings are increased” All this information was taken from Prescription for Nutritional Healing. I would like to expound on the last point, however, and say that I have found that true and would like to add that spiritual awareness is increased too. All awareness is increased. Even in my greatest weakness, at the end of my last fast, when I could hardly stand due to the anemia caused by other factors, I STILL had a greater sense of things, physically and spiritually. Even since the fast has ended, I am still in that mode of revelation. I’m not saying that it can’t happen without fasting, at least to a degree, but with the fasting there is a heightening. It isn’t something that can be described adequately with words and someone who isn’t interested in fasting for any reason isn’t going to care anyway. Someone who desires intercession, warfare and seeking God’s purposes, while they may not like the idea of fasting, will at least entertain the thought and needs little convincing. That is my experience anyway. A fast can help you heal faster, cleanse your organs, flush out toxins, clear your eyes and tongue (although a very long fast will actually cause your tongue to feel ‘coated’) and it cleanses the blood. A five-day fast begins the process of healing and rebuilding the immune system. A ten-day fast can take care of many problems before they arise and help to fight off illness, including a lot of the degenerative diseases that have become so common in our polluted society.

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Part 2 of 2

It is my contention that fasting on water alone is not a good idea. If one IS going to do water only it should be done in the middle of an extended fast, for only a few days, and not at the beginning and not near the end. An all-water fast releases the toxins in the body too quickly, and can cause many different physical problems, none of which are necessary or desirable. Fasting is enough of a sacrifice without making it a penance for God. As I’ve already stated, God is not interested in our puny religious penances, designed to assuage our own guilt and make us feel holier than thou. God has already supplied the answer to our sin, guilt and shame and if Christ is not enough for you, I know no other solution to your problem. Whether you are an unbeliever or a believer, if you are feeling separated from God, the Bible is clear that it is your sin that separates you. Jesus is the cure for that. Not fasting. A spiritual fast should be used to get closer to God, or for spiritual warfare, but not to deal with guilt. A juice fast, using fresh fruits and vegetables, in my opinion is the best fast to go on, apart from a Daniel fast, which is whole fruits and vegetables. I do not recommend using any prepared juices, especially the 10% juice/90% sugar ones, but if you must, because you lack a juicer, get the Bolthouse brand of fruit juice with a carrot base, or a prepared pomegranate juice, both of which can be found in the produce department of most supermarkets. Those are as close to fresh as you can come and you have the advantage of not drinking out of an aluminum can which has been found to contribute to Alzhiemers. I don’t want to get off the track here and if anyone wants me to discuss that subject in depth I will but let me suffice it to say here, that aluminum cans (pop cans, canned soups, vegetables and fruits in cans) are the worst way to eat any food. All cooking pans should be stainless steel or cast iron. No aluminum. Alzhiemer’s patients brains have been studied after death (which is the only way a definitive diagnosis can be made with Alzhiemers) and they have a much higher level of aluminum in their brain than the average person. Not good. A live-juice diet promotes healing and removes toxins without the side effects of an all water regime. This type of fast will most likely lead to healthier lifestyle changes afterwards by helping you experience increased vitality while fasting. And fasting, strangely enough, DOES lead to increased vitality. Even during the fast. Once one has gotten beyond the first three days, there is a natural energy that begins to kick in and day by day one becomes much peppier and sleep is sweeter than during normal eating times. As a warning, pregnant and lactating women should NEVER fast, and anyone with diabetes, hypoglycemia, or any other chronic health problems should not fast, even for a short time without a doctor’s supervision. To prepare for a fast, eat only vegetables and fruits for at least two days, preferably raw. If you do this, the fast will be much less of a shock to your system. It has been my experience that meat is the worst for causing problems at that the beginning of the fast. If you can’t cut out everything, at least try to eliminate meat. I don’t normally take fiber supplements but it is recommended that you do this before the fast. NEVER during the fast however. While on the fast, consume as much water as you can stand without becoming water logged. Steam distilled water, I have heard, is the best but I don’t have a steam distiller (which costs several hundred dollars) and I cannot find bottled steam distilled water even in the health food store. Normal distilled water is not any better for your body than regular tap water and in fact, can leach minerals out of your body so this is NOT recommended. Probably well water is a good option but I don’t have access to that either. Bottled water is an option also but I have heard some of the stories about how the companies just fill the bottles with regular tap water anyway, so I just drink it from my tap after all. Drink all kinds of fresh fruit and vegetable juices, changing it up, day after day to get a variety. DO NOT drink tomato, orange or grapefruit juice. These juices are too acidic and not of benefit at this time. Avoid all juices with sweeteners and additives. Drink at least two cups of herbal and/or green tea. Yogi Tea puts out a ‘fasting tea’ that is very tasty even though I don’t really love hot drinks. Alfalfa, burdock, chamomile, dandelion, milk thistle, red clover and rose hips teas rejuvenate the liver and cleanse the bloodstream. Peppermint tea is also good for calming and strengthening the nerves and for indigestion and nausea. Slippery elm is good for inflammation of the colon. Also, Echinacea tea is a good choice. Echinacea is an herb that will boost your immune system and heal your system. It must be noted however that Echinacea (which can also be bought in capsule form) should only be consumed three times a day, for six days in a row and then stopped. I don’t know the reason for this but I know it is on every package of tea and capsules I have bought. When my children come down with sniffles I immediately start pumping the Echinacea three times a day until they are better which is usually within a day or two. All my kids have close to perfect attendance at school. Please note: do not use Echinacea if you have an auto-immune disorder. Some people love carrot juice and sip it all day long. I have to admit that I do not. I don’t despise it, like I once did, but I have never developed any great love for it. It is, however, almost the perfect food to get to one’s cell membranes the quickest so I drink it. Some people add an apple to it to sweeten it, I don’t find this helps that much for me. Cabbage juice doesn't taste that good to me but it is a wonderfully healing juice and I used it for an ulcer I was developing once when I was taking Advil for pain.  It worked so well the pain from the ulcer was gone in less than a day! It must be drunk immediately upon making it otherwise all the Vitamin C is lost. Again, I don’t care for the taste, but gulp it down anyway. Aloe Vera and Noni Juice are not ‘juice’ like we think of it. You only need about 2 oz. a day and they are nasty tasting. They are so wonderful for cleansing and healing the digestive system though that I keep them on hand at all times and plug my nose. Also, ‘green drinks’ are good to have during a fast. These are either made from green vegetables or barley green which can be purchased at a health food store and some drug stores. Supplements are a staple of my life. I take various vitamins and minerals no matter whether I am fasting or not, but during a fast they are particularly needed. Spirulina and chlorella are seaweed that is compressed into tablets. They are probably one of the most important things you can take on a fast. They have chlorophyll which aids in cleansing. They are almost a perfect vegetarian food and will give you the needed protein that you are not getting from another source at this time. They also help to balance out low blood sugar. Essential. Garlic is God’s food. Take two capsules a day for overall health, healing and to rid the colon of parasites. Be sure to take your regular multi vitamin and add extra B and C. Take your vitamins with juice, not with water, for absorption. During a fast, due to toxins being released, you may experience fatigue, dry skin, headaches, dizziness, irritability, anxiety, confusion (if that occurs make sure you are taking your vitamins), nausea, dark urine, some diarrhea early on, body aches (particularly if you aren’t careful about meat before hand). While fasting continue your normal routine but avoid strenuous exercise. Use St. Ives Scrub (very cheap at Wal-Mart) to exfoliate any dry skin. This can be used even on the face and make sure to moisturize immediately following. If you are a denture wearer be sure to keep your dentures in throughout the fast to prevent shrinking of the gums. I had never used an enema, my whole life, until I fasted five years ago. Even on the first fast I didn’t use one. I highly recommend this, at least once a week, during the fast. Your normal habits will change and you don’t want to retain waste any longer than necessary. Once you start eating again, be sure to eat whole fruits and vegetables to begin with, preferably raw, and your system will bounce right back.

Tomorrow I will post a compilation of tips I wrote for fasting.  Again, if you have any other questions I am happy to answer them if I can.