http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=%2Fn%2Fa%2F2011%2F01%2F13%2Fstate%2Fn221045S33.DTL

“And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them. But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein. And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them.” Mark 10:13-16

Vision: Plan, prepare, and provide the best children’s Sabbath School in the conference.

Currently: When kids come, we figure out something for them. “We should do something for the kids.”

Future: Have an awesome program planned, and then provide the program whenever kids come. “Kids are the focus of our energy and attention.”

Goal: Kids drag parents to church because they love Sabbath School. “Hurry mom and dad, I don’t want to be late for Sabbath School.”

9:30 – 10:00 All gather around the piano and sing upstairs. Include songs for kids and youth.
10:00 – 10:45 Adult Lesson upstairs. Kids downstairs.

Cradle Roll/Kindergarten in first room

Primary/Juniors/Youth in second room (Later as we grow, separate Youth into fellowship hall.)

Definition of Raw: Fruits, Vegetables, Nuts, and Seeds that have never been above 112° F.

You will feel hungry! If you are hungry – EAT more!

Eddy’s Daily Menu
(Keep it simple)
Breakfast
2 or 3 fresh fruits (Bananas, Apples, Oranges, Melons, Grapes, etc)
Handful of nuts (Pecans, Almonds, Walnuts, etc)

Midmorning snack (if hungry)
Handful of nuts or seeds
Fresh or dry fruit

Lunch
Salad

Late afternoon snack (if hungry)
Handful of nuts or seeds
Fresh or dry fruit

Supper
Fruit Smoothie

Nutritional Supplements
Multivitamin
Your choice
Omega-3,6,9
Flaxseed Oil – Six 1300 mg softgels per day
Borage Oil – One 500 mg softgel per day
Evening Primrose Oil – One 1000 mg softgel per day
B-12
Trader Joes B-12 / Folic Acid / B-6 – One tablet under tongue per day

Raw Survival Kit
Gallon ziplock bag containing sandwich bags of nuts & dry fruits

Eddy’s Salad
Romaine lettuce (whole head)
Spinach (1 cup)
Sprouts (Alfalfa, Clover, Radish, Bean, etc) — Rotate
Nuts or Seeds (Walnuts, Slivered Almonds, Sunflower Seeds, Pine Nuts, etc) – Rotate
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil – Extra Virgin Cold Pressed
1/3 can whole olives
1/2 Avocado
1/2 or whole tomato
Lemon or lime juice
Salt to taste
Additions as desired: Onions, green peppers, raisins, dried cranberries, humus
Other vegetables rotated: carrots, celery, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, cucumber

Eddy’s Fruit Smoothie
1/4 cup cashews
1/2 water or juice (100% fruit juice) — rotate
Blend to desired smoothness –1 minute
Add frozen fruit (Peaches, Mangos, Strawberries, Blueberries, Bananas) — rotate
Add water or juice
Blend to desired smoothness — 1 minute
Add Kale and Spinach for a green smooth.
Additions:
Soy powder or rice powder (raw not available)
Sprouted flax
Top with dry oats (raw is available, but old fashioned oats are cheaper)

Blueberry Pie by Alisa Cohen (2004)
Crust:
2 cups almonds
1/2 cup dates, pitted and soaked
Filling:
5 cups blueberries
2 bananas
1 1/2 Tablespoons Agave Nectar (or Honey)
For Crust:
In a food processor, grind the almonds until fine.
Add the dates and blend until smooth.
Remove from processor and pad down into a pie plate.
For Filling:
In a food processor, combine 4 cups of blueberries and other ingredients.
Blend until smooth.
Remove from food processor and add in 1 cup of whole blueberries.
Pour into crust.
Refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
Note: Pie will solidify after a few hours in the fridge.

Raw Shopping List
Costco
Almonds
Pecans
Walnuts
Pine nuts
Dried Apricots (contains sulfur)
Dried Cranberries (contains sugar)
Dried Blueberries (contains sugar)
Dried Mangos (contains sugar)
Olives
Extra virgin cold pressed olive oil
Fresh and frozen fruit
Fresh vegetables
Sprouted Golden Flax
Flaxseed oil, Evening Primrose Oil, Nutritional Suppliments

Trader Joes
Cashews (seasonal)
Sunflower seeds
Brazil nuts
Pepitas — Pumpkin seeds
Dry Coconut
Wide variety of dry fruit, nuts, and seeds
Optional: fresh and frozen fruit & vegetables
B-12 / Folic Acid / B-6

Farmers market
Fresh fruits and vegetables
Dried fruits
Nuts

Mother Earth
Raw Agave Nectar

Clarks
Zesty Sprouting Mix—Now Foods

Equipment

MAGIC BULLET Express Blender Mixer 17 Piece Set available on e-bay
$40 – 50 including shipping (Careful don’t blend for more than 1 minute at a time)

EasyGreen Auto Sprouter — www.easygreen.com $179 ($129 used)
Add hydrogen peroxide to water to prevent mild

Books

Cohen, Alissa (2004) Living On Live Food. Laguna Beach, CA: Cohen Publishing Company

Kenney, Matthew & Melngailis, Sarma (2005) Raw Food, Real World: 100 Recipes to Get the Glow. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers Inc.

Cornbleet, Jennifer (2005) Raw Food Made Easy for 1 or 2 People. Summertown, TN: Book Publishing Company

Rose, Natalia (2005) The Raw Food Detox Diet: The five-step plan for vibrant health and maximum weight loss. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers Inc.

Shannon, Nomi (1999) The Raw Gourmet. Vancouver, Canada: Alive Books.

Eating Out Raw

Subway: Salad
Sizzler: Salad bar
McDonalds: Salads without meat
Denny’s: Salad
Jamba Juice: 100% Juice Smoothie, wheatgrass
Soup Plantation: Salad Bar
Sweet Tomato: Salad Bar
Hometown Buffet: Salad Bar
Almost all restaurants have salads or salad bars.

            Which comes first epistemology or ontology? I have to agree with Sire (2004a) that ontology comes first. It seems that no matter what environment a child grows up in, he or she begins by asking ontological questions. I have heard children ask many ontological questions like “Who or what am I?” or “What holds the world up?” But I can’t remember ever hearing a child ask, “What is knowledge? How do I know what I know? I know therefore I exist.” No. Those are teenage or adult questions. So ontology seems to come first. I wondered if this might be limited to theistic cultures. But I have a hard time imagining any other culture where children wouldn’t ask ontological questions first. It is possible that one could intentionally ignore all early ontological questions and begin with epistemology. Even with this, there must be interaction with ontology for a complete answer. Otherwise what is he or she going to tell a child who asks an ontological question?

            My philosophy of education is broad and accepting of most ideals. Knight (1998) offers an explanation of these diverse approaches. Much of my formal education was based on essentialism. But most of my knowledge has come from my own constructivism. I am naturally curious and learn from everything around me. My life experiences have been somewhat behavioristic, but I also choose not to be a victim. I like to be in control to some extent.  Most of my mainstream multiculturalism learning has come from the media and museums. However, my true appreciation of multiple cultures came from my two years in India and classmates from various cultures in high school and college.

            While I do believe that there is absolute knowledge out there that is from God, I also believe that God created us with the ability to create knowledge. The longer I live, the more I appreciate constructivism because it seems to work. I have taught many classes by simply askingleading questions and encouraging discussion. Prior to the discussion I list what I believe are the key points. During the group discussion typically 90% of my points are given from the group itself, simply through brainstorming. Every time I use this technique it amazes me again.

             A mixture of teaching methods seems best to me. I cringe when my children fill out workbooks, just to consume their time. Yes learning is hard, but it is possible to learn some things easily. I am constantly aware of behaviorism at work. Too often we reward unwanted behaviors in large organizations, especially the government. I try to create processes and systems that promote positive results for positive behaviors. But often it takes the human touch to give individuals the affirmation they deserve and need at the right time. Perennialism is the toughest for me to accept because it doesn’t work for my personality–however, it may work best for some individuals. I personally had a tough time in grade school. I have had to find my own way of learning that is outside of a “one size fits all” school system.

            A worldview seems much to limiting to me. My worldview is so grand and comprehensive that I would rather have a universal view. I enjoy Wheatley’s concept of parallel concepts (1999). In many ways my universal view is a connecting of many parallel concepts including God, science, leadership, and philosophy. My understanding of the universe is grounded in Christian Theism. God is the creator of the universe, both visible and invisible. He created what we understand and much more that we don’t understand. God is all-powerful, yet has chosen to share power with His created beings. God is all knowing, yet has chosen to allow His created beings to gain knowledge through experience. God is all loving, yet allows His character to be challenged by His created beings. One of the most powerful attributes of love is forgiveness. God is constantly using forgiveness to cleanse the universe of sin.

                        The first created being to challenge God’s character was Lucifer, the most powerful angel in the universe. He accused God of abusing power and not sharing knowledge with the created beings. Lucifer felt like he should be included in the newest creation project. This new project was the creation of the earth, as we know it today. Lucifer led a rebellion against God. One third of the angels followed Lucifer while two thirds followed God. All the rest of the created beings followed God. Eventually Lucifer was cast out of heaven. However, Lucifer was granted access to all created beings at one point, called the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Each created being has a choice of connecting to that access point or keeping it disconnected.

                        The creation of the earth told in Genesis is the basis of my beliefs about the origin of the universe. I believe in the literal 7-day creation, as told in the Bible. However there are a few conflicts between science and the story. One of the most obvious conflicts is the fourth day of creation: the sun, moon, and stars. We know that many stars are billions of light years away. For God to create these stars on the fourth day, the light would not get to the earth, until billions of years later. God could have created the universe with apparent age, which is a possibility I do not dismiss (Hayward, 1995). The fourth day could have been simply removing a haze in the atmosphere, which blocked the visibility of the sun, moon, and stars. I accept this as a possibility. However, my picture of creation is a little more elaborate.

                        The entire universe waited in anticipation for God to reveal His newest creation. In that sense, the creation week is simply a play. It was God revealing the new creation. Some people believe that Genesis 1 is poetry. I can accept this because God uses poetry as part of the play.

                        “Let there be light.” (Genesis 1:3) For a scientist, light is much more than the opposite of darkness. Light is energy. Light, energy, and matter are all interrelated in E = mc². In that sense, the first day of creation was the revelation to the universe of the entire time space continuum. Prior to that first day, there was no such thing as time, space, or matter. Everything existed outside of our dimensions. This revelation occurred on the earth. As part of introducing time, God then used time to reveal the rest of creation. You might call the first day of creation the day of physics. “The evening and the morning were the first day.”

                        “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.” (Genesis 1:6) I believe that God revealed the periodic table of elements on the second day of creation. Dividing waters from waters is what chemists do–analysis of water as vapor, liquid, and solid. Perhaps, the second day of creation was the day of chemistry.

                        “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” (Genesis 1:9) The first half of the third day could easily be called geology. “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth.” (Genesis 1:11) This second half of the third day might be called botany.

                        “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens…” (Genesis 1:14) Until now this new dimension was only revealed on the earth. The entire universe watched and was so excited about what was happening. They wanted to be part of this new creation. That is when God showed them, that these new dimensions were not just on earth. In fact, this dimension was throughout the entire universe. That planet or star nearby a created being was also part of the time space continuum. This was the day of astronomy. It was also the day of inclusion. The entire universe was included in this new creation. The fourth day can also be seen as an extension of the first day. Light and time applied to the universe.

                        “Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens.” (Genesis 1:20) I don’t know why God chose to create birds and fish first. Perhaps it was the physical beauty. Some of the most beautiful creatures on earth are part of the fish and bird families. Perhaps it was the great diversity of species in those families. It also matches the second day of creation very well. Birds need air and fish need water. You might say the fifth day was ornithology and ichthyology.

                        “Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind.” (Genesis 1:24) The sixth day was the remainder of zoology outside of ornithology and ichthyology. “Let us make man in our image…” (Genesis 1:26) This was a very special creation event. Rather than speaking, God used clay to form man. He was more intimately involved in this creation event than anything else. “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” (Genesis 2:7) This day matches the third day of creation—land dwelling animals. You might add anatomy and physiology to the sixth day of creation along with marriage and psychology.

                        “And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it…” (Genesis 2:2,3) The Sabbath is a memorial of creation. It is a reminder that God has the power to create. The 7^th day might be called the day of religion and philosophy.

                        Lucifer, who we now call the devil, is doing everything he can to destroy our picture of God. After Adam and Eve fell, the earth came under his dominion. He was no longer limited to just the tree of knowledge of good and evil. He has been free to interfere and harass mankind throughout history. But God had a plan to redeem man from sin. However, He has allowed the created beings of the universe to participate in this plan of redemption.

                        I have been exposed to various forms of participative leadership my entire career (Yukl, 2006). I have come to view consensus decision making as the best method of leadership in many situations. Consensus is especially useful when making major decisions to tough problems. I began to ask myself why God wouldn’t use participative decision making. We often view God as authoritarian. If consensus decision making is good, and God is good, it seems like God would use it. I began to search the Bible for evidence of participative decision making. The first I found is in Job chapter 1. God delegated to Satan the ability to mess up Job’s life. Revelation 4:4 talks about 24 elders sitting around the throne. Perhaps this is the board of directors for the universe. Maybe God is allowing them to help deal with the sin problem.

            If you look at the Bible as a whole, it appears that God is learning how to deal with humans. (Yancey, 1988) At first everything goes so bad, that He must destroy the earth with a flood and only save Noah and his family. Later He chooses Abram, who has his own set of mistakes. Eventually Moses leads the children of Israel to the Promised Land. But God’s people keep chasing after idols and worldly pleasures. Finally when God sends Jesus into this world, it is His own people that crucify Him. How could an all knowing God be learning?

            I have never seen anyone discuss the possibility of God using consensus to deal with the sin problem. But I believe that God has a council in heaven of created beings that guide the operation of the universe similar to a board of directors. This is my answer to Yancey’s question of why God appears to be learning in the Bible. The reason he is using consensus is because he needs to rest of the created beings in the universe to accept us back.

                        I can see the board discussing the sin problem before the flood. “I say just destroy them all. None of them are worth saving.” Then God points out Noah. “What if we destroy everyone except Noah?” The debate continues. They finally reach a compromise. Anyone who joins Noah in the ark will be saved. The rest will perish. I can picture the same kind of debate throughout history.

                        Perhaps the most shocking event to the universe was when Jesus was born. They expected that everyone on earth would just follow Jesus, when He came. I can imagine the angels coming back from announcing his coming. “Shepherds! We sang to shepherds. I thought we would be singing to the kings and queens of the earth. But we sang to shepherds! They are the lowest of the low–least important of anyone on earth. I can’t believe the only people on earth that we could sing to were shepherds!”

                        The disciples were not the only ones confused about the mission of Christ to earth. I believe that the created beings of the universe also expected a military takeover of the earth. Yet God continued to reveal His true character through the death and resurrection of Jesus. That event removed all doubt in the minds of the whole universe over the character of God and Lucifer. They saw how far Lucifer was willing to go in his war with God.

                        In many ways I see God as the perfect leader. Throughout history I see Him practicing what Kouzes and Posner call the “Five practices of Exemplary Leadership: Model the Way. Inspire a Shared Vision. Challenge the Process. Enable Others to Act. Encourage the Heart.” (2002, p. 13)

                        I used to believe the world was simply black and white. There was one perfect religion—mine. All other religions contained varying degrees of truth and error. Today I am more pluralistic in my worldview and accepting of other worldviews. I still believe that my denomination is the best for me. But I also believe that my church is not best for everyone. I wish it was, and maybe it can be someday, but there is plenty of room for improvement. God is willing to use every avenue possible to reach out to humans. And Lucifer is willing to distort, confuse, and disfigure our concepts of truth, God, creation, love, and forgiveness. In that context I believe that there is good in every worldview and evil in every worldview. I would like to explain some of the good and evil characteristics in each worldview. Sire (2004b) and Stevenson (1998) provide excellent explanations of today’s popular worldviews. Bronson provides great stories that relate to the questions each of us ask regardless of our worldview (2003).

                        Most people think of Darwin as a scientist. But I prefer to think of him as a philosopher who explained a popular philosophy in scientific terms. While I like many of Darwin’s scientific ideas, today he is used by many more like a prophet than a scientist. I believe there is room for some evolution within narrow confines. In fact, if God had not created his beings to evolve, perhaps we might have already become extinct. But I don’t see any evidence for the great leaps in evolution. A dog always evolves into a dog, it never becomes a cat.

                        I agree with many of the behaviorism concepts that Skinner proposed (Stevenson 1998). Yet, I don’t see Skinner’s behaviorism as a final solution to the world’s problems. There is some of Sartre’s existentialism that I can agree with (Stevenson 1998). I believe that our ideas create much of the world we live in. I am an engineer; I invent new solutions to old problems. However, Sartre takes consciousness, reflective consciousness, and pre-reflective consciousness way to far. I have a harder time finding agreement with Freud’s work (Stevenson 1998). I agree that there is a connection between our conscious and unconscious thoughts. I have also seen evidence of repression and the need for psychotherapy. However, most of Freud’s work I have serious problems accepting.

                        Deism is a great first step from atheism to Christian theism. It admits there is a God at creation, but is not involved in humanity today (Sire 2004b). It is understandable that people might view God as absent. There is so much evil in the world today, that it is often difficult to find God. How can a woman, who was sexually molested by her father, ever see a good heavenly father? How can a boy abandoned by his mother ever feel the comfort of God? How can an orphan who saw his parents die in a horrible car accident ever believe that God protects me? Where is God when bad things happen? Why doesn’t God take care of my family and me? I understand how difficult it is for many humans to even consider the possibility of an all powerful, loving, caring God. Yet Deism sees the complexity of the universe and understands that something bigger must have created it. There is a strong argument in science for intelligent design.

                        Naturalism and modernism are simply the universe without God, but with cosmos. The cosmos is the only reality (Sire 2004b). The cosmos somehow happened and the cosmos is all there is. Naturalism is the next logical progression beyond Deism from Theism. If God made the universe, but left it alone, then from our perspective there is no God. If God is not involved in our lives today, why worship God? How do we know God exists? In many ways naturalism is the god of science. Every time NASA and JPL send out a new probe, I hear the same comment: “Perhaps we will discover the origin of the universe or the origin of life.” Scientists like to explain everything in scientific terms. Theologians and religious leaders are often slow to accept new discoveries in science. The earth used to be flat with the sun and stars moving across the sky. Any scientist that taught otherwise was a heretic. I guess that is why many scientists are skeptics of religion. At the same time, there is a definite effort to remove God from anything scientific. It is understood in the scientific community, that if you want to get funding, you better give the naturalism line and nothing else. In private many scientist will admit that scientific evidence alone leads many to the concept of intelligent design (Deism or Theism). It is the search for truth based upon scientific evidence that I like the most about naturalism.

                        Nihilism is perhaps the most honest of all atheistic based worldviews. It admits the meaningless of life without God. A nihilist views humans as simply conscious machines without the ability to affect their own destiny (Sire 2004b). The meaningless of the nihilist view is a natural platform to move towards Deism or Theism.

                        Existentialism recognizes two realities—subjective and objective (Sire 2004b). Many who deal with other humans understand that perception is reality. I appreciate the view of freedom that existentialism promotes. I believe that God is the ultimate champion of individual freedom. That is why He is allowing the sin problem to go on so long. He wants to give each of us the freedom of choice in eternal issues. Humans are also free to change subjective reality into objective reality. Artists, architects, engineers, and builders do this every day through the design and artistic process. While existentialist would not necessarily see it this way, I believe this is once again evidence of a great God, who gave us the power to dream and follow through with those dreams.

                        Theistic existentialism includes God (Sire 2004b). I suppose in some ways I am close to theistic existentialism. However, the scientist in me is constantly searching for objective reality. So I must assume it exists even if I don’t understand it. However, I believe that God is inclusive of many subjective perceptions and accepts us as we are. Therefore, I accept many theistic existentialism views as possible, at least for some.

                        Postmodernism is the culture we live in today (Sire 2004b). I like to think that postmodernism, is a backlash against modernism. Modernism focused on science and objective reality. Modernism naturally leads to nihilism. Perhaps postmodernism is an attempt to construct meaning without God. You can believe what you want, and I can believe what I want. What is good for me is not necessarily good for you. I can accept that individuals are different and that truth is difficult to define. I also agree that stories are often more important than truth. I have the most synergy with postmodernism in acceptance of others and tolerance. I see God as very accepting and tolerant of us.

                        Eastern pantheistic monism views God in a unique context. I agree that God is extremely difficult to understand and define–especially the concept of one and many gods (Sire 2004b). I also agree with a concept of good and evil and the desire to move from evil to good. There is also a desire to become like God that I appreciate. I also like the connectedness of all beings, which agrees with my view of knowledge.

                        New age is very accepting of other belief systems. It sees the good in every human and the connectedness of all beings (Sire 2004b). I see both of these as positive attributes. New age also tries to improve the world, which is also positive.

                        Islam is a well known religion in the world today. Muhammad led his followers away from the worship of idols to a single God. I believe that this single God is the same God that I worship–the God of Abraham, the father of all Arabs. I like the fact that Muslims live a healthy lifestyle avoiding alcohol, tobacco, drugs, and unclean meats. I appreciate the fact that the Koran lists Jesus as a prophet of God.

                        Even though there are many positive attributes in various worldviews, there are many things I must disagree with. Most of these disagreements are rooted in my view of Lucifer’s deceptions. Some of these evils include power, idolatry, materialism, addictions, and salvation by works. Unfortunately these evils are present in all religions, worldviews, and philosophies. Even Christian Theists fall to these temptations. Too often we chase after worldly power and worship the false gods of position or influence. We are eager to gain fame and prestige. It is even possible to worship our education or knowledge. Many are entangled in the god of addictions. We use drugs, money, or sex to bury the pain of this life and search for meaning.

                        Lucifer is doing everything he can to erase the power of God in our lives. He wants to hide creation, so that we will doubt God’s ability to give us a new heart. He wants us to use God’s name in vane, so that we will never know the power of calling on His name or praying in His name. He wants us to worship false idols so we will never understand the joy of true worship. He wants us to have so much power and money here, that we never feel the need for God’s power in our life. He wants us to covet each other’s belongings and spouses, so that we will never be satisfied with the wonderful gifts that God has given us. He wants us to destroy each other, and ourselves because in doing so we are hurting the God he hates. He knows he is lost, and wants to take us down with him. He is the ultimate suicide bomber, hurting and destroying everyone he can.

                        Jesus came to rescue us from sin. He is willing to free us from false worship and addictions. He is responsible for our salvation. All we must do is accept it. He is the father to the fatherless, and the mother to the orphan. He loves the unloved and forgives the unforgivable. He is the answer to all the questions, yet lets us question His answers. He is patient with the impatient and healer of the sick. He cries when we cry and laughs when we laugh. He is with us in our joys and carries us in our sorrows.

                        One of my favorite books in the Bible is James, because James seems very practical to me. We live in a messed up world, yet we can choose to live above our circumstances. We understand God better through our experiences, especially trials and tribulations. It is in our darkest times that God is closest. We may not see His presence until after the trial is over. But in the end, we can rejoice that God is good.

                        Some facets of my worldview I hesitate to share. God is bigger and better than any of us can imagine. I fear that our narrow view of salvation is much to limiting. Salvation and forgiveness is a God thing and He will do everything He can to save as many as He can. Perhaps we will be surprised or even shocked at the diversity and shear numbers of people who arrive in heaven (Revelation 7:9). I know this is an unpopular position with many churches including my own. Too often we try to narrow the entrance to heaven to those who look and act like us. But are we limiting God and His grace? Is anyone too evil to be saved? When I think of evil men, my mind immediately jumps to Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany. Is God’s grace full enough to forgive someone like Hitler? Chaplain Henry Gerecke was asked to minister to some of the world’s most hated men during the Nuremberg Trial. These where Hitler’s top advisors and charged with war crimes. During the 8-month trial, Gerecke and a fellow chaplain met and prayed daily with these men and provided worship services for them each week. At the end of the trial most of them were sentenced to death by hanging. These chaplains prayed with and for these men. Many of them acknowledged their sin and accepted Christ as Savior. (Grossmith, 1984) I expect to see them in heaven. However, the millions of Jews they killed will need a lot of help forgiving them. And to forgive something like that requires a miracle that only God can perform. I expect to see many miracles in heaven.

                        Perhaps the hardest to accept is what Aslan told Emeth the Calormene in the Chronicles of Narnia. “’Son though art welcome.’ But I said ‘Alas, Lord I am no servant of thine, but the servant of Tash.’ He answered, ‘Child, all the service thou hast done to Tash, I account as service to me.’” (Lewis 2004, 757) Even this stretches my worldview. Could God count service to Satan as service to Him? I don’t know, but I am willing to consider the possibility. Grace is bigger than any of us can imagine.

                        So what is my role? God doesn’t need me to save the world, but he gives me the opportunity to help. He does the work, and I get to see Him do great things. When I can’t forgive, I ask God and he forgives for me. When I can’t love, I ask God and He loves for me. When I am powerless, I ask God and He gives me strength. So what is the role of religion? The role of religion in my worldview is best described in James 1:27, “Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.” Another great worldview is in Luke 10:27, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all you mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”

Reference List

Alaby, Jose A. (2002) The End or Ends of Education? The Issue of Means and Ends of the Andrews University Leadership Program. Doctoral dissertation, Andrews University, Berrien Springs Michigan

Bible, New King James Version (1982). Nashville: Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Bronson, Po (2003). What Should I Do With My Life: The True Story of People who Answered the Ultimate Question. New York, NY: Random House

Freed, Shirley (2006) Lead636 Course Materials. Unpublished course materials, Berrien Springs, MI: Andrews University

Grossmith, F. T. (1984), The Cross and the Swastika. Boise, ID: Pacific Press Publishing Association

Hayward, Alan (1995). Creation and Evolution. Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House Publishers

Knight, George (1998). Philosophy & Education: An Introduction in Christian Perspective. Berrien Springs, MI: Andrews University Press

Kouzes, James M., & Posner, Barry Z (2002). The leadership challenge. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass

Lewis, C. S (2004). The Chronicles of Narnia. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers

Sire, James (2004a). Naming the Elephant: Worldview as a Concept. Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press

Sire, James (2004b). The Universe Next Door: A Basic Worldview Catalog. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press

Stevenson, Leslie & Haberman, David L (1998). Ten Theories of Human Nature. New York, NY: Oxford University Press

Wheatley, Margaret J (1999). Leadership and the new science: discovering order in a chaotic world. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers

Yancy, Philip (1988). Disappointment with God. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

Carbozyme

one each meal, $27 for 90 from drplatt.com

“For treatment of asthma, cardiovascular disorders, arthritis, food allergies, autoimmune diseases, osteoporosis, depression, gas, bloating, heartburn, weight loss.” (All quotes are from drplatt.com)

I replaced with natural papaya & pineapple enzymes from Trader Joes to save money.

Alpha Lipoic Acid 300mg

one each meal, $41 for 60 from drplatt.com

“Antioxidant, regenerates Vit C & E, helps diabetes, improve memory”

I replaced with Alpha Lipoic Acid from Trader Joes to save money. Three 100mg capsules each meal. ($5.99 for 90.)

CORvalnM

 three servings a day, $62 for 56 servings from drplatt.com

“Restores the normal energy balance in the cells to help eliminate chronic soreness, stiffness, fatigue and fibromyalgia.”

I can feel the difference immediately after eating this. I usually mix it in with a green smoothie in the morning. I often use only one or two servings to save money.

7-keto DHEA 100mg

one at 1am and 1pm, $32 from drplatt.com

This keeps me from getting drowsy in the afternoon and helps me sleep at night.

FibroMax

one at 3am and 2pm, $64 for 120 from drplatt.com

This keeps me from getting drowsy in the afternoon and helps me sleep at night.

N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC)

twice a day between meal, $35 for 120 from drplatt.com

“Helps liver ailments, heart disease, hypertension, high cholesterol, mucous build up in lungs, bronchial infections, colitis, elevated lipoprotein (a), hair loss and memory loss.”

Vitamin D 5000 iu

twice a day, $26 for 120 from drplatt.com

“Reduces effects of psoriasis, promotes bone health, prevents Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, MS, diabetes, high blood pressure, arthritis, back pain, breast, colon, prostate and lung cancer prevention.”

Ultra-Biotic 30 billion

one before bedtime, $22 for 30 from drplatt.com

Aides with digestive problems, liver ailments, candida, IBS, Crohn’s disease, ulcers, leaky gut syndrome, acne, depression, constipation and diarrhea.

I replaced this with Acidophilus & Probiotic Complex from Trader Joes to save money.

Chromium 1mg

one with Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner, $45 for 180 from drplatt.com

“Regulates blood sugar and insulin resistance, sugar cravings, high blood pressure, Crohn’s disease, colitis, ulcers, migraines, PMS.”

CoQ10 CF 50mg

one daily, $40 for 60 from drplatt.com.

“Essential for heart health. Enhances immune function, reduces need for insulin in diabetics, boosts energy levels, very helpful with mental and motor functions in Parkinson’s disease. An antioxidant with anti-aging properties.”

I replace this with CoQ10 150mg from Costco to save money.

Zinc 50mg

one daily, $13 for 90 from drplatt.com

“Heals wounds, strengthens weak immune system, improves lack of taste or smell, lessens mood disorders, helps ulcers, improves eye health, prevents prostate cancer, aides gastrointestinal problems, bowel disorders, rheumatoid arthritis, macular degeneration, chemical sensitivities, dementia and epilepsy.”

Dr Platt added Zinc at my second appointment with him.

In addition to Fibromyalgia I also had prostate problems. He said that the Progesterone will fight any cancer that might be in my Prostate. He also prescribed the following supplements for my prostate. Also note that the Zinc above will help as well. After the first couple of months Dr Platt said I could stop taking these.

Ultra Natural Prostate with 5-LOXIN and Standardized Lignans

from LifeExtension, twice daily, $32 for 60 from drplatt.com

Zyflamend

from NewMark, twice daily, $56 for 120 from drplatt.com

I also had significant digestive problems including acid reflux. I had seen a GI doctor and recently had both a colonoscopy and an upper GI endoscopy.

Dr Platt told me that the problem with my digestion was that my stomach was not making enough acid. To solve this problem he prescribed two suppliments:

Betaine & Pepsin

from Ortho Molecular Products, one or two each meal, $23 for 225 from drplatt.com

This really works. I take one for most meals, but for anything that I know normally gives me acid reflux, I take two. My acid reflux is gone as long as I take this.

DGL Deglcyrrhized Licorice Root Extract

from Ortho Molecular Products, use as desired after meals, $19 for 60 from drplatt.com

I take this after meals anytime my digestion isn’t right. At first I had to take two after every meal. Now I am down to about one a day.

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