Month: January 2021

God's Love

The Lost We Love the Most: Evangelism to Friends and Family

January 31, 2021 Daily Comments Off on The Lost We Love the Most: Evangelism to Friends and Family

What is more difficult than sharing the gospel for the first time with someone you love? Sharing the gospel for the tenth time with someone you love — even after they’ve already (repeatedly) responded with rejection or indifference.
At that point, we often feel stuck, as though we’ve played to a stalemate with our friend, child, neighbor, or spouse. We’ve prayed faithfully, spoken the gospel clearly, and loved patiently. But there’s been no sign of movement or progress. What more can we do?
We don’t plan on giving up. Too much is at stake. But we know that unwanted repetition of the same gospel words may repel rather than attract, harden rather than soften. So, what to do next? Tiptoe around in conversation? Settle for pleasantries? We’re left feeling weary and discouraged. We might grow cynical and resign ourselves to what feels like the inevitable reality that the person we care about won’t ever follow Jesus.
What do we say when we’ve already said it all? How can we persevere in pursuing the lost we love?
How to Get Unstuck
There are several helpful responses to those of us who struggle in this way. First, it may be that we’re too focused on our own ability (or lack thereof) to win the person we love.
Jesus points us away from ourselves and to the sovereignty of God. We can trust that, in his time, God will draw his people to his Son (John 6:44). It may be that we’re too absorbed with our present lack of success. The apostle Paul points us instead to the future: “Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9).
Another cause of our despair and confusion may be Satan’s lie that we’re dealing with a static situation. Deep down, we’re convinced nothing’s ever going to change. Our reason for feeling this way may be an unspoken belief that runs something like this: I have an unchanging gospel to share, and I’ve already shared it (multiple times!). I have nothing more to offer. I’ve done all I can. Nothing’s going to change.

“What if the situation with our lost loved one is more dynamic than Satan would have us believe?”

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But what if evangelism is about more (not less) than sharing the content of the gospel? What if people are more complex and unpredictable than we may think? And what if the situation with our spouse, friend, child, parent, or neighbor is more dynamic than Satan would have us believe? In the face of an apparent stalemate, it’s refreshing and encouraging to remind ourselves of three dynamic realities in any relationship with a lost loved one.
This Person Will Change
It’s all too easy to believe that the loved one who has repeatedly brushed you off or beaten you down will always reject the gospel. But people change. There’s a popular myth that every cell in our bodies is replaced every seven years, so that we’re literally different people every 84 months. While untrue, it’s a helpful metaphor for what really is the case. A 45-year-old you is (or will be) a different person from the 35-year-old you (who was different from the 25-year-old you). And this should make us hopeful.
I have a friend who shares the gospel with hundreds of nursing-home residents every year. The pandemic has radically altered his ministry, but he’s been creative, often visiting residents over an iPad held by a nursing home attendant. Not long ago, my friend asked supporters to pray for a resident named Bob. Pre-COVID Bob wasn’t terribly interested in the gospel. But there’s been a dramatic change. Now Bob is wide open to the gospel, eager for visits, prayer, and Bible reading.
God used a virus to do that. Who could have predicted that? None of us knows what life changes are next for those we love. When their circumstances change, so may they. Suddenly, they may see the gospel as no longer worthless or irrelevant, but as precious and essential.
You Will Change
During my graduate studies, I shared a house with several other students, one of whom was an Englishman. We saw each other fairly often in the kitchen while preparing meals, and in the course of our many conversations, it was often natural for me to say things like, “I was reading something interesting in the Bible this morning,” or, “I was really challenged by what I heard at church today.” This was just me being me, sharing my own life (as friends do).
Over time, I was able to share the gospel with my friend through these kitchen conversations. At the time, I didn’t realize all that was happening in his life. He was hurting and searching, and the gospel came to be attractive to him. One particular evening, one I’ll never forget, he stopped me in the living room of the house we shared and told me that he had become a Christian.
One of the reasons we feel stuck in our evangelism may be that we’ve wrongly narrowed down our task to sharing a message about how to be saved. That message is crucial and central, but if it’s all we have to share, and we’ve already shared it, and it’s already been rejected, we might feel stuck. But our task is richer, deeper, and fuller than that. We’re to share the gospel and our own selves (1 Thessalonians 2:8), because a life redeemed by the gospel retells the gospel but with unique, personal, and relatable details.
So, there are many additional fruitful gospel conversations to be had even after our loved one has rejected the gospel. For instance, we can continue to express what the gospel means to us. We can share how new struggles and setbacks are helping us to trust Christ more. It’s entirely possible to do this in a way that is natural, unforced, and not preachy. As we experience more of the Christ we love, we can express this to the people we love. We’re never stuck with just one thing to say.
Your Friendship Will Change
I have a longtime friend who doesn’t know Jesus. I’ve frequented his business establishment for many years, not so much because I think I need what he’s selling, but because I know he needs what I’m giving away.

“Don’t believe the lie that nothing will ever change, that there’s nothing more for you to say or do.”

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Early on in our friendship, we chitchatted about the weather and sports. Then we started sharing about our kids and families. In the years since, we’ve talked about things like church, the gospel, death, and friendship. When I’m in his shop by myself, the conversation can go very deep very quickly. I’ve invited him to church numerous times and he’s never accepted. I’ve explained the gospel, and he hasn’t believed. But I have hope, in part because our friendship isn’t static.
I can say more to him now than I could five years ago. What might I be able to say five years from now? Don’t assume your relationship with your friend, child, neighbor, or spouse will always be where it is today. In fact, assume it will change. And ask God to open doors through those changes.
Don’t Give Up
My friend who ministers in nursing homes told me about a man named Rich, a former engineer, living in a nursing home. One July afternoon a year or two ago, after a conversation in his room, Rich decided that he wanted to know Jesus. He prayed and invited Jesus to be his Savior. Soon afterward, he began a course of discipleship with my friend, reading through the Gospel of John together. Rich was 98 years old.
I wonder how many people had shared the gospel with Rich over the course of many years and not broken through? I wonder how many had given up hope? But after 98 years, God saved him.
Please don’t lose heart. Don’t believe the lie that nothing will ever change, that there’s nothing more for you to say or do. Don’t settle into the conviction that your spouse, child, neighbor, or friend will never come to know Jesus. Keep praying. Keep patiently speaking as you have opportunity. Keep loving with the love of Jesus. Keep sharing the twists and turns of your own life as you cling to Jesus and grow in him. Keep persevering in pursuing the lost you love. […]

God's Love

‘Curse God and Die’: Satan’s Favorite Response to Suffering

January 31, 2021 Daily Comments Off on ‘Curse God and Die’: Satan’s Favorite Response to Suffering

My Dear Globdrop,
Regretfully, I have received your last letter.
Centuries serving his Lowliness — lifetimes damning souls and training young devils — and yet you still find ways to surprise me. Are you or are you not but one soul away from active duty, from wearing our legion’s darkest colors on the frontlines?
If so, what should I expect to find you consumed with? Trapping? Spoiling? Sabotaging? Or, should I — with so much at stake — expect to find you playing with your food like a human child, giggling girlishly about? You have not tasted any meat pierced with your own spear, yet you trifle with the chase.
Whatsoever do you mean? I can hear your simple mind ask.
Your man, you report, went in for a routine shoulder surgery where, inexplicably, they pierced his lung. This alone causes you great joy, does it? You take great pride that “the fork pierced the prey.” You leave him unattended to tell me all about the victory.
Yes, the doctor’s blade took an unexpected (and delicious) detour, but tell me, has the blade yet punctured his soul? Has the wound brought forth an infection of spirit? Are you so lazy as to hope that the doctor has done your work for you?
You have failed miserably to realize that it is not the surgeon’s miscalculations but your patient’s response that gets at the vital thing, the eternal thing. Pierced spirits, seared consciences, scarred hearts, burnt beliefs — these we bend our dark labors toward. Tantalizing trials and savory sufferings serve as an opportunity for this, the real work.
Collapsed lungs — or more commonly: sick children, diseased spouses, faltering friendships, ruined romances, cursed careers, even the occasional dead pet — are mere playthings compared to what they can produce: a collapsed faith. This is to strike at the jugular, to slice the major artery. We love the vermin’s squeals and agonies, but never at the expense of our filled bellies.
Unpredictable Flame
At the expense? you wonder.
Suffering, you should know by now, is most unpredictable. Most assuredly it can harden the heart — pushing out the very possibility of a kind, powerful, all-knowing God. Or (as you better hope is not your case) it can be the very thing used by the Enemy to rob our knives and forks of their roast.
Have you not glanced over the apostle’s shoulder lately? Not all suffering ends up advancing our cause.

We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. (Romans 5:3–5)

Who means for suffering to encourage such a horrid thing as endurance, nephew? Do we mean for suffering to produce in them — and I struggle to even write the word — hope? The punctured lungs, the groans and pains, at every turn, threaten to terribly backfire.
The Enemy knows this well enough, and for all his talk, he is as underhanded as any devil. Often, we think we have set the perfect trap, until we discover (too late) that he had tampered with our afflictions and temptations to fit his designs. Making them squeal is pleasurable, watching them squirm under torments make us howl and snort, but it amounts to a mere play if they escape to the Enemy and further enact his dreadful purposes. This, you must ensure, does not happen with your man.
Adding Iniquity to Injury
Have done, at once, with your prepubescent squeaks and premature gloating. The game is afoot, and the Enemy means to have him as surely as we do.
First, make his suffering personal.
The question of “How could a good God allow bad things to happen?” is not nearly as useful a question as “How could God allow this bad thing to happen to me?” This, of course, is the precise question to ask. The Enemy parades himself as the “personal God” at every turn; well, then, let him give his personal defense to the charges.
Where was this personal God during his surgery? Give no cover to the Enemy on this point. Press your man, as we have pressed for centuries: Of all people to face this loss, this pain, this nightmare — why me? Casually point out to your man that his “loving God,” his “refuge,” plays terrible favorites. None of the Christians he knows is facing such “lifelong complications” from such an improbable miscue.
Perish any consideration that the Enemy is attempting, at any rate, to twist our bed of thorns into an eternal crown of glory. Hide the Enemy’s lies that such afflictions are precisely measured for their eternal good or in any way purposeful.
Second, attend every stab.
Never overlook the power of the small inconveniences and stings of discomfort. You must be always on standby for your patient — ready to nurse every flicker of pain toward self-pity, anger, or delectable despair. When he goes to reply to that email one-handed, or has to ask his wife for help to put on his socks, or feels the residual irritations and distresses that will accompany him to the grave — be ready to sow bitterness and pour salt on the wound. No crack, never forget, is too small to exploit.
As you attend to his every moan, understand you will not be alone. The Enemy stands by them, always at their beck and call, like a drooling terrier, ready to remind them of his lies and calm them with his presence. In his embarrassing commitment to his fictions, his Spirit stands by to whisper to them. We can’t overhear most of it, but undoubtedly it has to do with Scripture telling them something like he “lovingly” designs their aches, pains, diseases, and deformities in this world, and to persuade them that he is their true comfort, and that this is not their true home. Fight whisper with whisper to keep the dogs from returning to their vomit.
Third, hide Tomorrow from him.
Finally, conceal any fictions about a Tomorrow that will make all sufferings “untrue.” Of such a Day that beaten, bruised, and bloodied apostle made consistent (and irritating) appeals to, calling the summation of his manifold (and mouthwatering) sufferings as nothing — nothing! — not even worth comparing to that Day of an “eternal weight of glory” which lies ahead (2 Corinthians 4:17) — a “glory” our Father Below weighed and found greatly wanting.
Curse God and Die
Affliction, nephew, is an uncertain flame, certainly not one to be trifled with. Job and his most useful wife prove a great illustration. Crushed with the fatal blows to property and household, this “upright” man tried to make our Father the fool, shaming us all by responding to murder, devastation, and destruction in such a servile and groveling way: “Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped” (Job 1:20).
But not all responded in kind. Job’s wife, whom our Master most mercifully and wisely preserved, responded most excellently: “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die” (Job 2:9). Curse God and die — I couldn’t have said it any better.
Here lies the battlefield, nephew. Not the inflicting of affliction, but the infecting of the soul. We want each man, woman, and child to renounce such a Poser, to spit upon their former loyalties, and curse him before heaven’s eyes. This, nephew, this, is where your man must be led:

To much more than a punctured lungBut to a depleted faith and denouncing tongue.To teeth tightly clenched and fists held highIn flames to curse his god and die.

Damnation, Globdrop, damnation. Nothing less.
Your most expectant Uncle,
Wormwood
In The Globdrop Letters, a senior demon (Wormwood) corresponds with a junior demon (Globdrop) to advise him in the evil art of subtle deception. The series follows in the large footsteps of C.S. Lewis in his classic work, The Screwtape Letters. […]

INSURANCE & MORTGAGE

Why Single People Need Life Insurance – Life Happens

January 28, 2021 Daily Comments Off on Why Single People Need Life Insurance – Life Happens

Many people wonder if single people need life insurance.
It’s easy to believe the answer is “no.” After all, the main purpose of life insurance is to provide cash to your family if you were to pass away. So it seems logical to think you don’t need life insurance if a spouse or kids aren’t depending on your earnings.
However, there are definite times when single people need life insurance. Here are some of the most common reasons to consider life insurance if you’re flying solo. 
7 Reasons Why Single People Need Life Insurance
You have debt. 
Not saddling others with debt is a major reason why single people need life insurance. This is typically the case when there’s a cosigner on your loan or when you share a mortgage with a friend, relative or someone else. Private student loans can be especially burdensome to your cosigners. That’s because unlike federal loans, they aren’t discharged when you die. This could leave a cosigner like a parent on the hook for many thousands of dollars. Shared mortgages could also leave your fellow borrower in the same predicament. 
An easy and affordable solution if you have debt like this is to get term life insurance. It will step in and pay off your portion of the loan if you were to pass away prematurely. 
You have people who depend on you.
Just because you’re single doesn’t mean people don’t depend on you. Perhaps you’re a single parent with young children. Or you have aging parents or disabled siblings who rely on you. If anyone counts on your income to make ends meet, you almost certainly need some form of life insurance.
You own a business.
In most cases, the financial institution that issues your business loan will require you to have life insurance. That’s to ensure they get their money back if you die before the loan is paid off.
Life insurance is also needed when you have a business partner. Your death will probably leave the business in a lurch. Fortunately, there’s special insurance known as “key person” insurance that can help keep the business afloat in the event of your untimely passing.
You want to pay for final expenses.
Did you know that a funeral can easily cost more than $10,000? (The FTC outlines out all the costs of a funeral in case you’re curious.)
A potential five-figure price tag for a proper burial is a big reason why single people need life insurance. Without it, your friends and family will be on the line to cover those costs. (Or you might not have the send off you would want.)
You want to grow your wealth. 
Life insurance isn’t just there to take care of things if you’re not around. It can also benefit you while you’re living if you have permanent life insurance. Permanent life insurance gives you a death benefit while also accumulating cash value on a tax-deferred basis. You can use that accumulated cash to increase your personal wealth or to buy a home, supplement your retirement income, cover an emergency expense and more.
You want to lock in coverage while you’re young and healthy. 
Your health affects whether you get life insurance and how much you pay for it. Generally speaking, younger people in better health have an easier time getting life insurance. They also usually pay less for it. For these reasons, it’s often a good idea to lock in coverage at an affordable rate when you’re young and healthy. If you wait until you develop a health condition, it can be difficult (if not impossible) to get life insurance coverage. This can be tough news to swallow if you have a partner or children depending on you by that time.
You want to leave a legacy.
Leaving money to a beloved school, religious organization, charity or person is another reason why single people need life insurance. Some or all of the policy’s proceeds could help further a mission near and dear to your heart. It could also help someone realize their dreams if you choose to give the money to someone you care about.
These scenarios show why single people need life insurance. If any one resonates with you, show yourself some love by talking to an insurance professional about your options. We have helpful information on how to choose a qualified insurance professional. And you can easily find one in your area by using our Agent Locator. […]

HEALTH & BEAUTY

20 Lies you Have Been Told About Weight Loss

January 24, 2021 Daily Comments Off on 20 Lies you Have Been Told About Weight Loss

There are myths about weight loss and then there are myths that have been hammered into our minds, and we follow them blindly without questioning their efficacy. For example, for many decades now, we have been made to believe that all forms are fats are bad and would lead to weight gain, whereas the truth […]
The post 20 Lies you Have Been Told About Weight Loss appeared first on Makeupandbeauty.com. […]

Anti-Aging

Best Eye Treatments for Blepharitis and Ocular Rosacea

January 23, 2021 Daily Comments Off on Best Eye Treatments for Blepharitis and Ocular Rosacea

**PLEASE SEE MY UPDATE AT THE BOTTOM**
So, this week I found out I have blepharitis stemming from ocular rosacea.  For a few years now I’ve wondered why my eyes were often red, dry and irritated looking.
Visine would temporarily give me a boost but after about 5 hours I would experience rebound redness which is even worse and it takes a few days to recover.
We all want those beautiful, white eye balls to show off our makeup. After all, your eyes are the first thing that anyone looks at when they meet you!
At first I thought maybe it was allergies, since I test so many beauty products to write about them, but my Dr. assured me it was not allergies (at least there’s that silver lining).
I decided to write about this because I know that many people probably suffer from this condition, and I wanted to share the eye cleansing routine that works for me, and also what products don’t inflame my already sensitive eyes.
What is Blepharitis?
If you’ve found this post, you probably already know what blepharitis is, but in case you don’t, I’ll explain.
Blepharitis (Mayo Clinic link) is a common and ongoing condition where the eyelids become inflamed with oily particles and bacteria coating the eyelid margin near the base of the eyelashes.
This condition can cause redness and irritation, and stinging or burning of the eyes. My main symptoms have been red eyes and dryness of the eyes.
My Dr. determined that I have “posterior blepharitis” which is a dysfunction of the eye’s tiny oil glands in the eyelids at the base of the eyelashes where they often get blocked.
Basically, he said that my eyes underproduce oils and tears. Not a good combination, so now I must use moisture drops and adhere to a strict lid cleansing routine.
Sometimes blepharitis can come with age, which makes sense since I’m in my mid-40’s, and sometimes it’s also hereditary. My mother also has blepharitis and eventually went on to have an eyelid surgery in her late 50’s. More for drooping eyelids, but it was causing problems and aggravating her condition.
What is Ocular Rosacea?
When my Dr. said the blepharitis may stem from having ocular rosacea, I looked at him like he had two heads. I don’t have rosacea of the face (where you can have a lot of redness and flushed skin). But apparently you can have rosacea of the eyeballs!
Ocular rosacea often develops in people who have rosacea, and sometimes ocular rosacea is the first sign that you may later develop the facial type. I’m not happy about that prospect!
So I’m still a little confused if one caused the other or vice versa, but I do know that I’ve improved my symptoms by doing what the Dr. said and it’s only been a few weeks, so I wanted to share my routine.
Eye Lid Cleansing Routine
Wash eyelids (not the inside of the eye, just the lids top and bottom) with Johnson’s baby shampoo (or Aquaphor baby wash) mixed with a little water. I use cleansed fingers and also q-tips to rub the lash lines gently. Use a new q-tip for each eye.
Hot eye compresses for 5-10 minutes for morning and night, as hot as you can stand.
Use a lid scrub (you can do this instead of the baby shampoo) to wipe the lids clean
I bought the OcuSoft Lid Scrub Plus which you can get at the drug store. I didn’t like these personally.
Moisture Drops
Use the preservative free moisture drops 2x a day (the ones in the individual droppers that you throw away).
I’ve been using Refresh Optive Advanced, or the Systane Balance. I did try the bottle type (which has preservatives) and it made my eyes sting, so I won’t use those anymore.
Also, stop and blink 20 times quickly every hour! This helps coat the eyelids and keep them balanced. If you’re staring at a computer screen all day, this is especially helpful.
Supplements to Reduce Inflammation
Take 2000-3000mg per day of Omega 3. This fights inflammation but can take months to take effect, but that’s ok because I’ve always known I was low on Omega 3’s and it’s also great for skin!
I bought the Barlean’s Omega Swirl in Citrus Sorbet. This stuff is delicious!! It takes like a creamscicle – not even a hint of a fishy taste. If this sounds gross, just take the fish oil pills!
Flax Seed Oil or Ground Flax Seed – this is also a good way to get Omega 3. I happen to love putting a tablespoon of each in my smoothies or on yogurt so on those days I won’t take the swirl.
I like the Barlean’s brand of flax seed oil, and the Spectrum brand of the ground flax seed. All of these supplements I buy at Whole Foods and they are in the refrigerated section of the supplements.
Hypoallergenic Anti-Aging Eye Treatment
Having blepharitis made me question the anti-aging products that I use on my eyes. Obviously I can’t use products that are going to irritate my already sensitive eyes but I know that I can’t just leave my eyes with no moisture after doing hot compresses and washing with baby shampoo. All of that is so drying!
I’ve been using the Beautycounter Countermatch Eye Rescue Cream, which contains no irritating chemicals and doesn’t irritate my eyes at all.
I use it both under my eyes and right on my eyelids. Beautycounter products are very calming, soothing and non irritating with no toxic chemicals. And it does a great job of moisturizing my crepy lids, which allows my eyeshadow  to go on smoothly.
*UPDATE 2017*
Ok, so this is a super annoying condition!! My eyes got a lot better for a while, I followed the routine above, and then got slack after about six months. Boy was that a mistake! I think I had my worst flare up ever. I want new eyeballs!!! 😉
I had used visine (HUGE mistake) for a special event and then again the next day, and holy crap my eyes looked like I almost had pink eye, just horribly red, dry and irritated. The rebound redness is no joke.
I’ve learned that with this condition, you can’t ease up on anything. It’s chronic and there is no cure. You just have to keep your symptoms in check.
I’m back on a strict routine and have gotten things under control but there are some things my Dr. added that you may find beneficial. This was a NEW Dr. and I’m so glad I switched. My eyes have improved ten fold and my old Dr. didn’t recommend any of this stuff!
Meibomian Gland Expression – He put numbing drops in my eyes and used a tool to squeeze the lower lids. He said it was thick and came out like toothpaste – super gross. At least he got them a little “unplugged.”
Lotemax Steroid Drops…this has been a Godsend but I know I can’t use it forever since it’s a steroid. It has made my eyes whiter than they have been in a very long time. During my flareup, I used 2x day for a couple weeks, now I’m at once per day in the morning (typically only use 2-3x week now).
Azasite 1% Azithromycin Eye Drops – I used this at night along my lower lids for a couple weeks during my flare up. At first it was a bit stingy so I would just put some on a qtip and gently apply to my inner lower lids. Now I can just pull my lower lid back and put a drop in. I like to do this JUST before bed, so I can just close my eyes. This will help fight infection which can all be a part of this blepharitis condition (bacteria builds up in those glands since they’re not flowing properly). During my flare up I used every night for a week, dropped down  to 3-4 nights per week and did this for about a month, then stopped.
Eyelid self massage – After doing the warm/hot compresses, gently massage your eyelids and push up underneath your eye towards your inner lid, and do the same on the top. Rub downwards. This will help express the clogged oil in your glands. You won’t “see” it coming out. Don’t do what I did and try to get aggressive with a qtip to squeeze stuff out. This broke some capillaries and made my eyes all red! I definitely overdid it in the beginning. Best to be gentle with everything!
Face Steamer – I bought a little Conair face steamer from Macy’s. I couldn’t find one in BBB or Target in store, but they do sell them online. Instead of hot compresses every night, about 3-4 nights I like to steam my whole face for 15 minutes. This will open up your meibomian glands and is great for your skin as well. I flutter my eyelids open and shut during the process. I also put a towel over my head to trap the steam in. Once you’re done steaming, you can do the eyelid massage. Once you’re done, be sure and use your wipes (or baby wash) to cleanse your eyes as the massage and steaming will make the goop form in your eyeballs sometimes.
Fish Oil Supplement – I found that I wasn’t diligent enough to make a smoothy every day and use the flax seed or the Omega swirl, nor was I diligent enough to even take fish oil pills on the regular. I use MCT oil in my coffee each morning and I’ve done this for a year. MCT is a coconut oil extract and it helps my overall condition (and has other benefits as well).
Makeup Changes – I actually quit wearing eye makeup for a whole week when I started this new regime. I threw out all my old makeup and brushes. Even though I cleaned them, you can’t kill all the bacteria in those brushes and I wanted a fresh start. I usually spend quite a bit on makeup and use Mac mascara. Instead I went out and bought all cheap makeup to use until this is under control. I bought Almay mascara and I’m going to throw it away and buy new one every couple of weeks. Mascara is the worst culprit to spread bacteria around your eyes. I love the Almay just as much as the Mac so apparently I’ve been over paying for mascara all this time! LOL Now I wear makeup again all the time! However I NEVER use eyeliner on the inside of my bottom lashes, which I miss doing… not worth it.
Pillow cases – Wash them twice per week, bacteria builds up on pillow cases quickly.
Eye Mask To Sleep – My husband sleeps with the overhead fan on and a small table fan (yes, two) so the air flow was killing me. I bought one of those masks from BBB that has the concave eyes so it doesn’t touch your eyelashes. This helped my eyes from drying out over night. Sometimes I would wake up and could hardly blink because they were so dry!! (For the record, it was too hard to keep this up, once my eyes got better I found I didn’t need the mask, but in a flare up it might be beneficial).
Humidifier – I bought a small humidifier from BBB and keep it next to my bed and leave it on low during the night. I did this for a few weeks, it didn’t seem to make much difference so I stopped doing it.
Eye drops next to bed – First thing I do now when I wake up is put a drop of the Refresh Advanced Optive (the single use ones) in my eyes to freshen them up. They are always the most dry when I wake up.
Anti-inflammatory diet – I’ve been eating a low carb/ketogenic diet which is an anti-inflammatory diet (high fat/low carb/moderate protein). Dr.’s say that blepharitis is a chronic condition that you can’t cure, but I think that’s crap. Western Dr.’s just don’t seem to want to consider diet, they just want to write those scripts.
If you reduce the inflammation in your body, you’re going to have less inflammation in your eyes, and rosacea is inflammation.  There is a supplement I’ve been taking called Keto OS which is exogenous ketones in a drink that puts your body into ketosis which is exactly what the ketogenic diet does.  I use the MCT oil in my coffee in the mornings, and drink one Keto Nat per day in the afternoon.
So, I think I’ve found the best possible work out/fat loss supplement that I could possibly use that also helps my eye condition!  I still do my warm compresses, lotemax drops and drink the ketones daily and my condition is totally kept under control.  I have done this for TWO YEARS NOW and my life is much improved!
As you can see, this blepharitis condition is a huge pain in the ass! However, I’ve settled into a routine now and I just have to do it just like I have to brush my teeth.
Do you have blepharitis? I would love to hear about the treatments that work for you, leave comments below!
How Women Found This Review:
and eye cream suitable for eyelashes, and eye drops for blepharitis, and ocular rosacea wipes […]

God's Love

15 Bible Verses For Experiencing Life

January 22, 2021 Daily Comments Off on 15 Bible Verses For Experiencing Life

As we go about living lives dedicated to God, every aspect of our lives will reflect the presence of Christ, our joy, our sorrow, our work, our communities. God will become the center point of our lives from which everything else stems. As we grow in faith, hope, and ability to love, here are 15 Bible verses for experiencing life. […]

God's Love

Will You Wake Up a Christian Tomorrow?

January 22, 2021 Daily Comments Off on Will You Wake Up a Christian Tomorrow?

There are two ways that God’s children could conceivably fail in the Christian life. One is for us to turn away from God. And the other is for God to turn away from us. Jeremiah, amazingly, says that in the days to come — the days of the new covenant — neither of these will happen:

I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me. (Jeremiah 32:40)

“God doesn’t just require holiness; he promises it to his people.”

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God “will not turn away from doing good to [us].” And he will work in us “that [we] may not turn from [him].” That is how God’s providence brings his people to everlasting glory. In other words, God doesn’t just require holiness; he promises it to his people. Therefore, the holiness that God requires of his people on their path to glory is absolutely certain. It will not fail. This certainty is revealed in Scripture with clarity for all to see.
The aim of that clear revelation is the joyful, confident, wholehearted, vigilant pursuit of holiness (Hebrews 12:14) and glory (Romans 2:6–7), because God has made it so sure. As Paul says in Philippians 3:12, “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.” Paul labors to seize Christ as his prize, because Christ has seized him. This is the mystery of sanctification that so many people find incomprehensible — that the certainty of belonging to Christ would make us vigilant to lay hold on Christ! I am praying that you will find this not bewildering but beautiful. If it starts as an enigma of confusion, I pray it ends as energy for Christ.
Greatest Passage on Preservation
The clearest and fullest promise that God will give us all we need and infallibly bring us to glory is Romans 8:28–39. It is manifestly designed to give fearless confidence to God’s children in the face of tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger, and sword (Romans 8:35).
The context is the global suffering of all people and the groaning of creation under its subjection to futility and corruption (Romans 8:18–25). All the universe is groaning. Believers share the pain and perplexity. We often do not know how to pray. In this context of universal suffering and perplexity even in prayer, Paul says, in effect, “We may not know how to pray (Romans 8:26), but we do know something!” “We [do] know that for those who love God all things work together for good” (Romans 8:28). That is the beginning of the most exalted of all Scriptures concerning the absolute assurance believers can have in the face of Satan, sin, sickness, and sabotage.
God works everything — everything! — for the good of those who love God and are called by him. This promise contains the entire commitment of God to do everything necessary for the eternal good of his people. We see this in the argument that follows. Paul supports this massive promise with the assertion that, beginning in eternity past (foreknown) and extending to eternity future (glorified), God is committed, at every step of the way, to bringing his people to glory:

For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son. . . . And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. (Romans 8:29–30)

The point of this golden chain is this: no link breaks. Nobody falls out. Every foreknown one becomes a predestined one. Every predestined one becomes a called one. Every called one becomes a justified one. Every justified one becomes a glorified one. Few things could be clearer or more glorious. Assurance! Confidence! Stability! Courage!
The mention of the “called” in this chain links back to verse 28, which is a promise to “those who are called.” That link helps us see that what Paul is describing in this chain is the “good” he had promised in verse 28. God works all things for our good. And the good is conformity to Christ (Romans 8:29) and unfailing glorification (Romans 8:30).
The Surest Sign That God Is for Us
After Paul gives the massive foundation for our assurance in Romans 8:28–30, he steps back and asks, “What then shall we say to these things?” (Romans 8:31). Here’s what we shall say: “If God is for us, who can be against us?” If the omnipotent, all-planning, all-accomplishing God is committed to our good and not to our harm, then no adversary can succeed in breaking the chain that brings us to glory.
But lest anyone doubt that God is for us, Paul invites us to consider once more what Romans has been about for eight chapters: God’s giving his Son to bear our condemnation (Romans 8:3) and become our righteousness (Romans 5:19). So, Paul says it again and reveals the indissoluble connection between the death of Christ and the promise of Romans 8:28:

He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? (Romans 8:32)

“God works all things for our good. And the good is conformity to Christ and unfailing glorification.”

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The logic of the verse is clear and strong: not sparing his own Son is the hardest thing God has ever done. Since he did this hardest thing “for us all” — that is, for all who love God and are called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28) — we know that there is nothing he will not do to bring us to himself in glory. Nothing is harder than offering his Son. He did that. For us. It follows that he will not fail to “give us all things” — that is, all that we need in order to be conformed to his Son (Romans 8:29) and then glorified (Romans 8:30).
Everything Hangs on God’s Faithfulness
The rest of Romans 8:31–39 deepens and broadens the claim that nothing can “separate us from the love of Christ” (Romans 8:35) and “from the love of God in Christ” (Romans 8:39). The main point of Romans 8:28–39, for our purposes here, is that “those whom he called . . . he also glorified” (Romans 8:30). He sees to it that all of his converted people make it to glory. Our glorification is so sure that Paul speaks of it as accomplished, though it is yet future.
This is not a promise that bypasses God’s demand for Christlikeness in holiness and love. God’s promise to conform us to Christ is precisely what predestination guarantees. All the foreknown are “predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son” (Romans 8:29). This happens through our calling, our justification, and finally our glorification (Romans 8:30). The implications for our lives are these: Be strong in faith. Be unshakable in the assurance that God is for you, and will bring you to glory. Be done with fear. Be full of joy. Be overflowing with courageous love for others.
We can think about what Paul has done in Romans 8:28–39 another way: he has established God’s faithfulness. From all that Paul has said, it is clear that there is nothing mechanical or natural or automatic about our conformity to Christ and our glorification. All of it is dependent on God’s action.
Many people have mechanical, or even biological, conceptions of eternal security. They think of once-saved-always-saved similar to the way an inoculation works. They think, “When I was saved, God inoculated me against condemnation. It’s built-in — the way disease-preventing antibodies are in the blood.” That way of thinking about the assurances given by Paul in Romans 8:28–39 is mistaken. Everything hangs on God, not on built-in spiritual antibodies. If God is not faithful to the promises made here, we will perish. Our perseverance in faith, our conformity to Christ, and our final glorification depend on whether God is faithful — day by day and forever.
I often ask people, How do you know you will wake up a Christian tomorrow morning? The bottom-line answer is that God will cause you to wake up a Christian, or you won’t. God will be faithful. God will keep you. Everything hangs on the faithfulness of God to his promise: “Those whom he called . . . he also glorified.”
All of God’s Majesty Serves Your Keeping
None of the requirements for making it to glory have been revoked. That is not how God gives assurance. The obedience required has not been repealed. It has been promised. “I will . . . cause you to . . . be careful to obey my rules” (Ezekiel 36:27). The conformity to Christ that God commands has not been rescinded. It has been predestined. “Those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son” (Romans 8:29). The fear of failure is not remedied by abolishing obligations. It is remedied by God’s faithfulness. “He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:24).
These promises that God will create in us what he commands from us are so magnificent that they elicit from Jude one of the most exalted doxologies in the Bible:

Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. (Jude 24–25)

If you woke up a Christian this morning, this is how you should feel. Glory, majesty, dominion, and authority have been at work for you while you slept. Your being kept for a joyful meeting with God has been promised. God is faithful. He will do it.
John Piper’s book Providence releases in March. You can now preorder the title from our friends at Westminster Books for just 19.99. We’re thankful for their partnership and encourage you to order through them as you consider supporting faithful, independent Christian booksellers. […]