Monday, January 31, 2011

Julia Child Had it Right

Okay...I (Becky) have secret love.  Natural health and nutrition.

Let me clarify:  Not that I always ACT on my interest in this subject (anyone who knows me knows that if you give me anything crunchy and salty - don't expect to see it back), but I find the study of how food and our bodies work together fascinating.  And as I start to prepare meals for our little family, my interest has been peaked - because in this crazy world we live in of processed foods, hormones in dairy, artificial colors, flavors, etc, I want to make sure that we are making good, wise choices.

A friend recently let me borrow a book after telling me about the work of Dr. Weston A. Price.  Price was a dentist who practiced in the 30's and 40's and in the latter part of his practice, saw a troubling increase in chronic disease (diabetes, heart disease, etc.) plus in increase in people having to breathe through their mouth because their nasal cavities were too small, therefore increasing teeth crowding, etc.

After he retired, Dr. Price went on a tour of the world with his wife (some retirement, huh?!) specifically to find the healthiest people he could find (a.k.a people groups with little or no chronic disease, healthy mouths, gums, teeth, and sinuses), and see what they ate.

Surprisingly (or not), the healthiest people he found were tribal people all over the world.  Any people group that was separated from "modern society" were by far the most rigorous, healthy, and happy people he found.   They lacked diseases like heart disease and diabetes; mental disorders were practically non-existant, and they were all able to breathe through their noses - which meant their teeth and gums were in good shape.

In trying to find the common denominator of what made these people so rigorous, Dr. Price found that most of these groups ate bountiful amounts of unpaturized dairy, animal fat, and whole grains.


A.K.A Cheese, Butter, and Bread - the three no-no's of any one on a "modern diet."

I was as baffled as you probably are.  What?

In the cookbook, Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon, she talks about Dr. Price's findings in detail, and actually shows studies that have been done in the previous century that have promoted the low-fat diet - all of which were inconclusive or skewed.


So your friend and mine Julia Child really had it right all along - my new motto is: pile on the butter, baby!  


Crazy, huh?  As I continue reading, I will let you in on more of what I learn.

Also, check out http://www.westonaprice.org/ - this is the website of the Weston A. Price Foundation.

Friday, January 14, 2011

Givers of Dignity

We’ve all done it before – maybe almost everyday.  We’re standing in the line at the grocery store looking at all the magazines, and ... “oh my word!  I can’t believe she’s in rehab again!”  We think to ourselves.  “When is that girl going to get her life together?!”  Almost annoyed at the interruption of the on-going commentary in our head, the person in front of us walks away with their groceries and it’s our turn to pay.

Or maybe for many of us, it’s more like this... “Oh my gosh.  She is gorgeous.  And so in- shape!  What?  It says she had her baby only 3 months ago...and she looks like THAT?!  I haven’t even had a baby yet and I can’t manage to get that trim!”

What is the common denominator here? 

We are living in a culture that doesn’t give humans the dignity that God created them to have.  Why is this?  Because if one believes that we are the product of mere chance and time – no greater than a worm in the soil, what dignity is there to be had?

The sad part in all of this is that those of us who have said we believe that God created us in His divine image and gave us purpose and meaning in life, should live differently than the world.  But unfortunately, we dish out the same criticisms and believe the same lies that our culture does.

Our society has become deficient in dignity-givers and fat in dignity-takers.  Millions of dollars are made yearly in making fun of celebrities; photographing them in their most vulnerable moments; spreading rumors about their personal lives – all so that we can feel like we have it together.

Don’t forget the billions of dollars spent every year on porn – the art of stripping a man or woman of their soul and portraying them as a piece of meat to be preyed on.  Their dignity is stolen – not to mention their innocence.

Unsuspectingly, the very media that delivers us photos of people that we can gossip about, also delivers us images that make us feel devoid of dignity and worth.  We’ve all seen the pictures of the airbrushed models or super-toned actors and left feeling like we have nothing to offer. 

Church is not a safety zone either.  We gossip about our worship leader’s new haircut, “so and so’s” weird quirks, and how we wish our pastor would preach on something else, etc.  We forget that these are the precious brothers and sisters that God has given us to walk hand-in-hand with for the cause of the Gospel.  Instead, they become our competition; our fodder for gossip; our laughingstocks; our after-church entertainment.

In C.S. Lewis’ book, Prince Caspian, the prince tells Aslan that he wishes he came from a more honorable lineage.  Aslan replies, “You come of the Lord Adam and the Lady Eve, and that is both honour enough to erect the head of the poorest beggar, and shame enough to bow the shoulders of the greatest emperor in earth.”

God created us with inherent dignity.  Why?  Because we are created in his image.  Yes, sin has marred the perfection that God once had in mind for us, but this does not strip the fact that we are still made by God in his image.  Psalm 139 says that he knitted us together in our mother’s womb.  God didn’t make humans on a big factory line in China and sell us wholesale.  We are each, individually, made just how he wanted us.

Not only that, we all were created with a special purpose that only we can accomplish with the giftings God gave us.  Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”  He had in mind, before the foundations of the world, special tasks that he wanted you to do.  And he created you (and everyone else) with unique qualities to fulfill that mission.

Who are we to judge the worth of another?  God knit us all in our mothers womb, and bestowed on us the task of being his image bearers on earth.  Also, God died for us all because none of us has what it takes to wash our own sins away.  The ground is level at the foot of the cross – no one is more worthy than anyone else.

As believers, let’s change the pattern of things.  We know the Truth – and this Truth has set us free to become givers of dignity rather than takers.  Instead of buying into the world’s lies about what makes someone valuable, let’s show the world that everyone is valuable in God’s eyes.    

“Speak evil of no one, avoid quarrelling, be gentle, and show perfect courtesy toward
all people.”

Titus 3:2

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year from the Hatfields everyone!

Here are a few pics from our Christmas in California, which we enjoyed thoroughly :)

                                               A "First Christmas as a Married Couple" Pic
                                                
                                   I enjoyed many sweet moments holding my nephew - Baby Stevie.
                
                                 This is kind of a family inside joke, but anyway, the guys all sported their new pj     bottoms with A shirts that my dad bought for all of them...pretty hilarious...

Needless to say, we had an awesome holiday.  After enjoying Christmas with my family, my Mom and Dad hosted a "West Coast Reception" on Dec. 29th for Jake and I.  Many of the significant people that I grew up with and have been an example to me in my life were there, and it was extremely meaningful.  Their was a lot of creative touches that Mom and Dad put in that made it so sweet.  We had a great time!

We also got to spend some time on the beach and sledding in the local mountains.  Gotta pack in the fun! :D

This is what the coming year holds for the Hatfields (as we know so far):

- Becky raising her support and going onto the full time staff at Uplands Reach Conference Center this summer

- Jake working as a server at Ruby Tuesdays and finishing his bachelor's degree in May.  Woohoo!

- Becky starting a small group Bible study for High School age girls in the community

- Moving to Raleigh, NC in August and Jake starting seminary at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary

We are so excited for what God has in store for this coming year (many surprises we're sure!).  Your prayers are coveted as we launch into a new year of ministry and training for what lies ahead.

We're so thankful for all of you, friends!  May God reveal himself to you in a fresh way this year.