The Juice Lady's Guide To Fasting

I fell in love with juicing a few years ago.  It was December 2013 and I was still recovering from my hysterectomy.  I had gained 20lbs almost overnight and was looking for a healthy way to lose the weight.  I had watched Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead and was convinced that juicing was the way to go.  I begged my husband for a juicer and on New Years Eve 2013 I juiced my first juice.  It was carrot juice and it was delicious.

I started making a green juice for breakfast every morning in January 2014 and had hopes of doing a juice fast.  I did quite a bit of research on juice fasts but I never actually did a fast.  I have always loved the idea of fasting but if I don't eat within a certain amount of time I start to have problems.  Many of my migraines are triggered by lack of food and if I don't eat for several hours I get these horrible shakes and brain fog.  Fearing these side effects has been what has kept me from attempting a juice fast.

After reading The Juice Lady's Guide to Fasting by Cherie Calbom I can say that the fire is lit in me again.  Cherie walks you through several types of fasts and what fasting means in general.

This is my first time hearing about The Juice Lady which is actually quite surprising.  She has been featured all over the media and has numerous books and programs all geared towards optimum health.

Cherie tells her story at the beginning of the book and it brought me to tears.  It sounds so much like the struggle I've been going through the past few years.

"I had been sick for a few years and just kept getting worse.  I was so sick and tired, I could barely walk around the house.  I wondered, 'Will I ever be well again?'  I'd had to quit my job when I turned thirty because I had chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia.  They made me so sick I couldn't work.  I felt as though I had a never-ending flu.  Constantly feverish with swollen glands and perennial lethargy, I was also in constant pain. My body ached all over."

This is me!  Every single day I deal with pain.  I've had four surgeries and numerous tests and my doctor's cannot figure out what is wrong with me.  Everyone has pretty much given up on me so now I am taking matters into my own hands.  I truly believe food has a lot to do with my ailments and decided after reading this book that I am going to do a juice fast despite my fear of side effects.  I had wanted to do one before I posted my review but as luck would have it I got hit with the flu and bronchitis.  (I do plan on doing a juice fast once I am better and will post my results in a later post.)

There are many different types of fasts in the book that you can choose from and the author does a wonderful job of explaining everything.  There are numerous recipes that you can try as well as explanations about various supplements that you should be taking for your health.

Cherie also talks about examples of fasting in the Bible and the fact that fasting is a form of disciplining our bodies.  When we take the focus off food it can open the door to a more intimate relationship with God.

"More than any other discipline, fasting reveals the things that control us.  This is a wonderful benefit to the true disciple who longs to be transformed into the image of Jesus Christ.  We cover up what is inside of us with food and other things." -Richard Foster

Anyone who has ever been curious about fasting or juicing should read this book. They don't call her The Juice Lady for nothing!

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

0

The Assassination of JFK

My dad was born in 1960 and grew up in a suburb of Dallas.  One of Dad's earliest memories happened on November 24, 1963 when his mother was glued to the television, as was the rest of the world.  He remembers his mom jumping up and shouting when Lee Harvey Oswald was shot by Jack Ruby on national television.  The assassination of the president of the United States happened 20 minutes away from where my three-year-old dad was which birthed a life-long fascination of the events of that day that he passed down to his oldest daughter.

I've always been fascinated with that time period in American history for numerous reasons but the fact the president was killed where I grew up makes it all the more intriguing.

Over the years I have read numerous books about John F Kennedy and the assassination which always leave me feeling creepy and The Assassination of JFK by Robert A Wagner was no exception.  It's a hard subject to read about and a horrible mark in American history.  Wagner goes into painstaking detail about the events of November 22, 1963 and dispels many of the conspiracy theories that have been circulating since Walter Cronkite announced on national television that the 35th president of the United States was assassinated on the streets of Dallas.

"The assassination of President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963, is as compelling as any drama written by William Shakespeare.  It is the great American tragedy." - James Swanson, End of Days

I have to admit that I have never believed that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone but Wagner brings up many points that I have never previously considered.  It does raise reasonable doubt as far as my beliefs are concerned but I still don't know if I'm completely sold on Oswald acting alone.

This book was extremely hard for me to get through because of the authors very technical writing style but it is thoroughly researched with many resources cited if you want to go into more study about one particular aspect of the case.

If you are one that loves the details and shares my fascination of the Kennedy assassination I would highly recommend this book.  If you get bogged down with details there are many other books on the subject that would better suit your tastes.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

0

With My Eyes Wide Open

Everyone goes through phases when they're in junior high and high school.  You're discovering who you are as a person and you try out many different things and go through many different phases.  At least that's how it went for me.

I grew up surrounded by music.  At the time it was rock but as I got older rock turned more into heavy metal.  One of my favorite bands in high school was KoRn.  They are very much on the darker side but I think a lot of music is about a person's perception.  I also believe that music can reach so many people on so many different levels.  It's amazing.  Junior high/high school was a dark period in my life so it was fitting that my music matched my mood.

Brian Welch is the lead guitarist from KoRn.  After a friend invites Brian to church he gives his life to Jesus and his world is turned upside down.  He quits KoRn, his meth addiction, and that heavy rock lifestyle and focuses on Jesus and being a single dad to his young daughter Jennea.  With My Eyes Wide Open is Brian's life as a new Christian, starting a solo career, being a dad, and eventually his reuniting with Korn after nine years to reach people for Christ.

KoRn is not a satanic band, but I believe Brian had to separate himself from that lifestyle to get himself straight and to become stronger in his faith.  Becoming a Christian is not easy as many people think and Brian saw that first hand.  He went through many up's and down's and compares his journey to Joseph, the man that was sold into slavery by his brothers but eventually became one of the greatest men in Egypt in the book of Genesis.

"The trials that Joseph had to endure were far worse than anything I had been going through, and yet through it all he never once wavered in his faith-never once!  He understood everything that happened to him was part of the divine plan to prepare him for greatness.  So instead of getting mired in depression or self-pity (like yours truly), Joseph viewed each setback as an opportunity to grow closer to God and to let his power strength him.  Me? I wasn't quite there yet. But I wanted to be."

I could completely relate to all the trails that Brian endured.  The hardest part for me to read was about him finding out about his teenage daughter cutting herself.  During a dark time in my life I too was a cutter and it all hit so close to home.  But that's another story for another day.  Being the amazing dad that Brian is he got his daughter help and now they are both doing great.

Throughout the book Brian wrestles with returning to KoRn until he comes to this realization...

"So why not go back to KoRn and hang out with these people?  Did Jesus leave all his perfection and beauty from his spiritual paradise at home as a King on his throne to come to the earth to hang out with us dirty, lying, cheating, messed-up, selfish humans?  Are any of us better than the fans at KoRn concerts?  No!  Every single human being on the planet is just as in need of God's love as the next.  We all need Jesus, and my mind has been thoroughly blown away by the fact that I was chosen for this extremely unique call into the metal scene."

Now Brian, with his bandmate Fieldy (Reginald Arvizu), talk and pray with people at their concerts.  It's amazing!  God truly does "cause everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. (Romans 8:28)"

To Brian, I say ROCK ON BROTHER!  To you, my reader, I say to read this book!  To hear Brian's story is amazing.  He is so real and pure and I admire his transparency.

Be sure to check out Brian Welch in his I Am Second video as well as his website for more about his other books, KoRn, and his solo band, Love & Death.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review 

0