I just added a whole new section to Moms of Faith. It's called Healthy Moms, and it is intended to be a resource to staying healthy and obtaining knowledge that will help us prevent the enemy from attacking our health.

A High Fiber Diet is Best for Better Health

A high fiber diet is crucial for many reasons. Good amounts of fiber are a must for good health. It keeps your digestive system working properly, helps elimination from the body, and is rich in vitamins and nutrients.

An increased amount of fiber can also help you feel fuller longer, which is very important if you are trying to lose weight.

A study conducted at the Harvard School of Medicine found that men who consumed 12 grams of fiber a day were twice as likely to develop precancerous colon changes as men whose daily fiber intake was 30 grams or higher.

Scientist are not exactly sure why fiber can help reduce the risks of colon cancer. However, it is thought that insoluble fiber adds bulk to stools, which helps speed their trip through the intestines, which leaves less time for carcinogenic changes.
Other studies have shown that healthy levels of fiber can also help prevent breast cancer, heart disease, digestive disorders, diabetes, and even obesity.

If you suffer from constipation, increasing your fiber content may help. Drinking adequate amounts of water daily will also help the fiber travel through your system.

On a side note: You should drink half your body weight in ounces of water each day for better health.

Here are a few tips to help you increase your fiber intake:

~ A simple way to start your day with an adequate amount of fiber is to have a fiber-rich breakfast cereal with fresh fruit. And...a nice glass of water.

~ Eat vegetables with as many meals as you can, preferably, RAW.

~ Limit processed carbohydrates such as white bread and pasta. And switch to whole grains instead. Most people tend to eat breads and cereals which are very low in fiber. Even some brown bread varieties only have a small amount so it is best to check labels and make sure you're getting a natural whole grain product with sufficient fiber. You should look for breads with whole wheat and at least 3 grams of fiber PER slice.

~ Add beans to casseroles, chili, or many other foods. Beans are a great source of fiber.

~ Snack on fruit with the skin on. Fruits like berries are very high in fiber. Also, apples and pears should always be eaten with the peel still in tact.

~ Eat dried fruits such as prunes, figs, and apricots. These are easy to sprinkle on cereal or add to homemade muffins. They are an easy and healthy snack on the go as well.

Source: http://momsoffaith.com

Names of God (a series)

Jealous

For you shall worship no other god; for the Lord, Whose name is Jealous, is a jealous (impassioned) God. Exodus 34:14

I love my God...our God! I love that He is filled with real emotion. Our emotions came from Him. Unfortunately, we put sin in the mix and emotions can be ugly...VERY ugly! The coolest part of God's emotions is that they are felt and expressed without the sin equation. They are expressed in the purest form.

We serve a jealous God. He does not want to compete for our affections or time. The other "gods" in our lives can be many things we may not even realize have become gods.

Let me give you some examples of some of the gods you and I may be worshiping. There are MANY more that I can name...but...I believe this will be enough to get us thinking more, and our eyes will be opened to our own "personal gods."

The work god, the time god, and the activities god ~ Is the work you do inside or outside the home so time consuming, that you never seem to have enough time to spend with the Lord. Or, maybe there are so many activities filling your days. On most days, you may only get a quick prayer in at the end of the day...and silently think, "Oh, how I wish there was more time" or "I'll do better tomorrow."

The problem with these gods, is that we sometimes get so caught up in making money, being successful, trying to build our future, enriching our children's lives with activities, going to lunch, hair appointemtns, etc...that we completely cut God out of the picture. Unfortunately, the results of cutting God out will never get us what we are working so hard to gain. It will only leave us lost, tired, confused, searching, dissapointed, and defeated.

We serve a jealous God, Whose name is Jealous.

The children god ~ This is one that many of us Moms have been guilty of at one time or another...I'm sure ;) We are Moms. Life is busy. Some of us homeschool. Some of us work outside the home. It does not matter the scenerio. We are all Moms who love our kids and they mean the world to us. Many times, we put them before God. Note: This is not just one god...We even put our friends, families, and husbands before God.

The problem with this god, is that we tend to put the kids and their needs before everything else. We think that's the way to be a "good Mother." Wrong. The only way to be the kind of Mother that will raise up children who really love and serve the Lord, is to model it before them. If they never see us study the Word, pray, or spend time with our Daddy in Heaven...they will not do it either.

We serve a jealous God, Whose name is Jealous.

We DO have time. We just don't make time. We MUST make the time, and put forth the effort. We must, not only for us, but for the children we want to love the God that we "say" we do.

Let's Pray;

Daddy God, thank you for loving me with such passion. Please, forgive me for putting work, people, activities, and anything before You. I am so sorry for forgetting my First Love. Help me to organize my life better. Help me to take the time to find You, know You , and really love You. Help me to teach the beautiful children You gave me how to love you through the life they watch me live. Lord, show me where I have created gods in my life that I do not even see. Thank You, my Beloved. In Jesus Mighty Name, Amen.

In His Love and Service,
Lara ;)

Note: All Scripture is taken from the Amplified Bible.

Copyright © Lara Velez, All Rights Reserved

Well fall is here! Below you will find some great craft and activity ideas to do with your kids!

Note: Our next feature will have some wonderful ideas AND recipes for Thanksgiving!

Fun Fall Activities and Crafts for Kids

ACTIVITIES

Fall winds blow and leaves make their decent from tree limbs. It is the perfect time for fun autumn activities for kids. Here are some ways to have fun with your kids this fall:

Create a fall collage for the yard: This is a great way to get your kids involved in beautifying your front lawn for the fall season. Materials you will need to create your autumn yard collage include hay bales, pumpkins (all sizes), scarecrows, etc. Anything related to fall will look wonderful. Stack your hay bales to create a backdrop. Next, place a huge scarecrow on the center of the stack. Then add other complimentary fall accessories.

Happy Autumn or Fall Cards: Supply each child with markers, paper, glue, glitter, stickers, etc. Let them make several cards and write a special message on the inside of each one. After any wet appliqués are dried, gather the cards and take them to your local nursing home to distribute among patients.

CRAFTS

Fall is such a fun time. Leaves turn shades of golden orange and brown. Use this beautiful creation of nature to your advantage. Focus on leaves for inspiration with these fun autumn craft ideas.

Leaf Tracings: Fold 10 sheets of copy paper in half and crease in the center. Bind the booklet by punching two holes in the spine, threading yarn through the holes, and tying the ends. Take your kids to the park. Challenge them to find and trace as many unique leaves as possible.

Book of Fall Leaves: Make a booklet, as described above. This time, have your child search for odd-looking fall leaves to collect and place in their book. Then give them an encyclopedia and let them research their leaves. Have them write down the name of each leaf and three or four interesting facts about the leaf.

Leaf Characters: Draw and copy different types of leaves onto thick construction paper. Let your children cut out the leaves and apply glitter to add sparkle. Next, have them create leaf characters by gluing leaves together to create a face, body, and limbs. After the glue dries, they can draw faces on the leaves with markers. If time permits, instead of just drawing faces on them, you can have them add squiggly eyes, button noses, tc.

Leaf Collage: Gather as many types of fall leaves as you can find. Glue the leaves in any kind of arrangement onto a piece of construction paper or cardboard. Or, spread white school glue across an entire sheet of paper or piece of cardboard. Crumble leaves at random over the glue. When the glue dries, you will have an awesome leaf collage.

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