Dry skin isn't usually serious, but it looks ugly and is infuriating. But before you go running to the dermatologist, here are 10 tips from LifeScript to try at home.

Cervical cancer, once the leading cause of death in American women, is now a preventable disease. Yet many women neglect their cervical health until it’s too late. In time for Cervical Health Awareness Month, LifeScript answers 10 common questions about the disease. Plus, test your women’s health IQ with our quiz…

In 1950, the development and use of the Pap smear was a milestone in women’s health. The test became a routine part of women’s preventive care, and cervical cancer deaths plunged almost 75% between 1955 and 1970. Yet nobody knew what caused cervical cancer.

Now we do. With the discovery of Human papillomavirus (HPV) as the main cause of cervical cancer, the fight is on to squash the disease.

Cervical cancer can be prevented or cured in most cases when caught early. So it’s crucial for women to get the facts. Get all the facts at LifeScript!

Interesting Facts

'lollipop' is the longest word typed with your right hand. (Bet you tried this out mentally, didn't you?)

Making a Soothing Bath from Heloise

For a skin friendly milk bath, pour a package of powdered nonfat dry milk into warm water. For an herbal bath, mix about 1/4 cup of your favorite herbs like mint, lavender, rosemary, etc. Put into a cloth or nylon net bag and toss into the tub. Soak for a while and relax.

Interesting Fact

Stewardesses' is the longest word typed with only the left hand .

Valentines Day Treat

It's almost Valentines Day and everyone is looking for something for that special person. Here is a craft idea (courtesy of Sharon Canter) that is easy, cute and sweet. This little purse is crafted of card stock and designer paper, glue/tape, ribbon, a tiny brad and it holds a Hershey's Nugget candy. For details on how to make this cute craft, contact Mary Dotson or Sharon Canter at tofconnections@gmail.com.

Devotional

Have you recently been depressed, encompassed with self-pity, imagining no one was on your side? Were you screaming to hear from God? Well, you're in good company! Elijah was all those things.

Evil Queen Jezebel was seeking to end Elijah’s life after he had routed the prophets of Baal. He lay in the desert all alone praying that he would die. He was weak from lack of food and feeling there was no one left who desired the Lord. He cried out twice to God, "I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty... I am the only one left!"

David felt the same emotions in psalms 12. He said, "the godly are no more; the faithful have vanished from among men." We know from scripture that he was wrong, but David still felt isolated. After praise and worship to his God, he realized the truth and in Psalm 101 he declares, "My eyes will be on the faithful in the land."

Elijah had just experienced a miraculous victory with God Almighty before 950 prophets of Baal. Also, God told Elijah, "I have reserved seven thousand in Israel whose knees have not bowed down to Baal.” And, Elijah knew a fellow Israelite had hidden 100 prophets of God in caves to protect them from Jezebel, but he still felt alone.

While on the mountain of God, the Lord told Elijah that He was about to pass by him. First, there was a powerful wind that shattered the rocks, then an earthquake that deafened the ears, next an all-consuming fire but God could not be found in these. After this array of awesome displays, a gentle whisper could be heard. It was God breaking through with a still small voice.

Are you feeling lonely and depressed? Are you waiting for God to show up big and loud? There may be times when He exhibits His power to get our attention, but usually He beckons us with a tender call and loving arms. May you fall into your Savior’s arms today!
Contributed by: Becky Lathan

TOP TEN THINGS TO DO WITH YOUR NOSE WHEN YOU’RE BORED…

10) Look down it at somebody (Pride)

09) Poke it into someone else’s business (Strife / Dissension)

08) Snoop around with it (Nosey / Gossip)

07) Get it out of joint (Anger)

06) Cut it off to spite your face (Bitterness)

05) Pay through it (Materialism)

04) Find something right under it (Love / Salvation)

03) See past it (Eternity / Hope)

02) Keep it clean (Humility / Obedience)

AND THE NUMBER ONE THING TO DO WITH YOUR NOSE…

01) Get it stuck in a book (The Bible!)

Christmas Humor

As a little girl climbed onto Santa's lap, Santa asked the usual, "And what would you like for Christmas?" The child stared at him for a minute, then gasped: "Didn't you get my E-mail?"
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The local newscaster was with the crowd of parade watchers, welcoming Santa as he arrived in town, and in a live interview asked a boucey 4 yr old girl if she had talked with this Santa yet to give him her Christmas list. "No" she replied infatically. "Are you going to talk with Santa?" the newscaster asked. "NO" once again was the most definite answer which was not the reaction that he was expecting at all! "Why?" he curiously asked the little one. "Because the real Santa is at the Mall."

Household Tips

• Reheat Pizza . . . Heat up leftover pizza in a nonstick skillet on top of the stove , set heat to med-low and heat till warm. This keeps the crust crispy. No soggy micro pizza.
• Easy Deviled Eggs . . . Put cooked egg yolks in a zip lock bag. Seal , mash till they are all broken up. Add remainder of ingredients , reseal , keep mashing it up mixing thoroughly , cut the tip of the baggy , squeeze mixture into egg. Just throw bag away when done easy clean up.
• Expanding Frosting. . . When you buy a container of cake frosting from the store , whip it with your mixer for a few minutes. You can double it in size. You get to frost more cake/cupcakes with the same amount. You also eat less sugar and calories per serving.
• Reheating refrigerated bread . . . To warm biscuits, pancakes, or muffins that were refrigerated, place them in a microwave with a cup of water. The increased moisture will keep the food moist and help it reheat faster.
• Newspaper weeds away . . . Start putting in your plants, work the nutrients in your soil. Wet newspapers put layers around the plants overlapping as you go cover with mulch and forget about weeds. Weeds will get through some gardening plastic they will not get through wet newspapers.
• Broken Glass . . . Use a wet cotton ball or Q-tip to pick up the small shards of glass you can't see easily.
  

Our Sponsor

Please pray for God's blessing on our sponsor who made the January newsletter possible.

Take Steps to Reduce Diabetic Onset!

1. Eat more fiber such as high fiber cereal and beans. Is gas a problem? Take two beanos just before eating any food that causes gas. Beano is made up of natural enzymes which are great to aid in digestion or try drinking mint tea after eating.
2. Eat some raw fruit or raw vegetable with each meal. Enzymes in raw fruit and veggies help digestion and stabilize insulin production.
3. Take a multi-vitamin that has 1200 mg of calcium, 400 mg of magnesium and 400 IU of Vitamin D. Or, for calcium drink milk fortified with Vitamin D and eat almonds, cashews, macadamias, pistachios, Brazil nuts and sunflower seeds for magnesium.
4. Use vegetable fats that are NOT hydrogenated. Vegetable oils such as canola, coconut, sesame, olive oil, flaxseed, avocado and peanut butter. Do not eat fried food in restaurants since many times transfat is used to fry food.
5. Eat a lot of vegetables during the day. Do not overcook veggies since much of the vitamins and minerals can leech out. However, dark green leafy vegetables can be cooked well done then eat the juice along with the vegetable.
6. Overcooking pasta can make it starchier which raises blood sugar. Cook pasta until it is al dente (still a little bit hard but still soft enough to eat).
7. The American Diabetes Association recommends eating 2 – 3 servings of fish a week.
8. Sleep at least seven hours a night.
9. Use the spice Turmeric in your recipes. It helps stabilize insulin as does cinnamon.
10. Sprinkle ½ tsp. cinnamon on your food each day. Try shaking some on a peeled apple for a great treat, add to vinaigrette dressing, use in recipes or take supplements.
11. Use Agave Cactus nectar instead of sugar and honey. Careful, just because it is low on the glycemic index does not give license to over use. Use to sweeten a home made vinaigrette dressing
12. Eat lean portions of meat and skinless chicken.
13. Drizzle vinegar or lemon on your salads or add to beans and other recipes while cooking. Add balsamic vinegar when making your own fruit syrup.
14. Avoid sugary sodas and fruit drinks. Easy on the fruit juice…there is no fiber to control the digestive process of fructose in juices.
15. Slim your waist so it is smaller than your hips. For some reason this ratio is helpful in controlling diabetes. For guys, you may need to make waist same size as hips depending on your body shape.
16. Take a 15-minute walk twice a day. Switch back and forth walking fast then strolling.
17. Limit Junk and fast foods to once a week and make good choices at places such as McDonalds which offers a yogurt “parfait” for $1 and apple dippers and Wendy’s that offers chili with beans on it’s dollar menu…Saving money and eating healthier 
18. Pack-a-day smokers are more prone to diabetes than non-smokers. Quit smoking! You can do it with God on your side.
19. Laugh, have fun and keep on the lighter side of life. A happy attitude lowers the stress hormone Cortisol. Cortisol can cause blood sugar levels to spike. Happiness is a choice and is not difficult to accomplish when we dwell on the promises of God.

Keep in mind that little daily choices can make a big difference in your overall health. You don’t have to turn your life upside down to accomplish these things listed above. Instead just keep a mind-set that stops and thinks about food choices before indulging.

Please consult your doctor before trying any of the above suggestions. Other health issues may present reasons for not using any one or all of the above tips.

The "God Box"

Do You Have Worry or Anxiety in Your Life?
In the past couple of years, I have found myself to be a chronic worrier. I worry about the past and mistakes I have made, financial worries, the safety of my children, the list could continue on. I have my devotion and prayer time early each morning. When I pray, I talk with the Lord about things going on in my life but I seem to still worry and that is just not good. I have got to stop this! The Lord is so much bigger than my menial little problem and he has it under control.
Then one day I was reading a Christian Self Help Book and she spoke of the same problem. She went on to tell of how she approached this problem with a tool called the “God Box”. The “God Box” was a dressed up shoe box to be used whenever she was worrying or nervous about something. If she thought about something more than three times in one day she would write this “issue” on an index card with a date, pray about it, and then place it in the box. She physically had to place it in the box and by physically doing this it seemed to help her release it. Then at the end of the year she placed all of the prayer requests in her journal and also placed the result by the request.
I now have a “God Box” that sits on my hutch in my kitchen. When something keeps pressing on my mind I have been going through this process and it seems to be helping me to let it go! My daughter is nine years old and she has been using the “God Box”. This box does not represent the Lord in my eyes; it just helps me to try and leave it at the altar.

Contribution by: Trudy Lilly

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God's Boxes

I have in my hands two boxes
Which God gave me to hold.
He said, "Put all your sorrows in the black box,
And all your joys in the gold."

I heeded His words, and in the two boxes
Both my joys and sorrows I stored.
But though the gold became heavier each day
The black was as light as before.

With curiosity, I opened the black,
I wanted to find out why,
And I saw, in the base of the box, a hole
Which my sorrows had fallen out by.

I showed the hole to God, and mused,
"I wonder where my sorrows could be."
He smiled a gentle smile and said,
"My child, they're all here with me."

I asked God, why He gave me the boxes,
Why the gold, and the black with the hole?
"My child, the gold is for you to count your blessings,
The black is for you to let go."

HEALTH BENEFITS OF EVERYDAY FOODS, SPICES AND HERBS

www.healthdiaries.com/eatthis/

Check out this website to learn how everyday foods can benefit your health. Always keep in mind that you should consult a doctor before trying supplements made from these foods.

Laura’s Broccoli Cornbread

• 1 pkg. chopped broccoli, thawed and drained
• 4 eggs
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 6 or 8 oz. cottage cheese
• 1 stick margarine or butter, melted
• 1 box Jiffy cornbread mix
• 1 tsp salt

Mix all ingredients except Jiffy mix. When well blended, stir in Jiffy mix. Pour Into greased 9 X 13 pan. Bake at 400 for 30 minutes. Cut into squares to serve.
Good with the soup!

Contributed by: Laura Dotson

Jennie's Tuscan Bean Soup

Grilled chicken cut into bite-sized pieces
(Grill chicken on grill pan; rub with olive oil and spices - rosemary, thyme, Italian blend)

• 1 or 2 cups sliced carrots – steam in microwave about 5 minutes
• 4 cloves minced garlic
• 1 small onion chopped
• ½ cup chopped green or red pepper
• ½ cup chopped celery

Saute above vegetables in olive oil
Place all of the above in a soup pot and add:

• 2 cans diced tomatoes (one should be seasoned with basil and oregano)
• 1 can white canellini beans (white kidney beans – Progresso makes them)
• 1 or 2 cans chicken broth
• 1 can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 1 small can mushrooms
• 2 or 3 bay leaves, depending on size

Bring to a boil and then simmer for about 30 – 45 minutes. YUM!
Contributed by: Laura Dotson’s Daughter

Testimony

We have been faithful tithers for many years now but over the last several months our tithe was being used to help support a family. After conviction, revelation and the advice of our dear Pastor, we have redirected our money to be given to God’s Storehouse.

It would not be possible to share with you all the blessings God has rained down on us due to obedience to Him but I would like to divulge a beautiful lesson He has shown me through this experience.

The money I contributed to this family weekly came out of the 10% we set aside automatically. It never hurt our budget. It was easy to give because it wasn't ours to give, it was God's. After the Lord spoke to me about this, I realized the money for the family should be coming out of MY pocket. That was an altogether different level of giving! Providentially, this conviction came just prior to the church freezing all extra spending due to a decrease in tithing by the congregation.

I want you to understand that tithing is a deeper level of worship. It is total faith and surrender to God. I am reminded of the story of David when he went to buy the threshing floor from Araunah. Araunah tried to give it to David but David said, "I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offering that cost me nothing!” My prayer is that you will know the Lord on a deeper level this coming year!

contributed by Becky Lathan

Woman to Woman

Sometimes a woman just needs another woman to talk to. Someone who understands exactly how she feels, who will let her carry on and vent until it is all out of her system…someone who solves problems and promotes healing just by listening; by being there. And, it certainly doesn’t hurt if that woman has a “been there, done that” T-Shirt. A woman like that really understands!
When Gabriel told Mary about her pending miraculous conception, he included a juicy little tidbit of information, “Your elderly relative is six months pregnant! You know, the one that has been barren all her life, Elizabeth.”
We can speculate all kinds of reasons why Gabriel told Mary this news. Just maybe one of those reasons was that he knew Mary would need a support system. Elizabeth would believe Mary’s story about her pregnancy because of her own miraculous pregnancy.
Mary immediately took a road trip to visit Elizabeth and stayed with her until Elizabeth gave birth. Who can measure the amount of courage, faith and emotional support Mary received from Elizabeth? All of this “woman to woman” connecting gave Mary the fortitude she needed to go back home and face the inevitable. Mary and Elizabeth connected and encouraged each other. Mary arose and sought out a woman who would understand her situation; a woman who was like-minded.
Trinity of Fairview is full of like-minded women. Women who are truly seeking God. Women who “have pasts.” Women who have “been there, done that.” Women who are presently in need and those who have come out on the other side intact.
We need each other and we all have something to offer. Sometimes it is just a matter of getting connected. Hopefully, this newsletter will be one of the agents of connection like Gabriel was for Mary and Elizabeth. Connections is by, for and about the women of Trinity of Fairview. Come on! Be a part! Let’s get connected and be encouraged!

by Laura Weeks