Life at its best

The stress  placed on the heart by COVID-19, a hesitancy by people to call 911, and even reluctance on the part of bystanders to perform CPR may be boosting rates of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, a new report finds. Source: https://www.webmd.com/lung/news/20200430/cardiac-arrests-on-the-rise-during-covid-19-crisis#1 The data comes from four provinces in northern Italy, a region that was hit very hard and very early by the  coronavirus   pandemic . The researchers said that between Feb. 21 and March 31, 2020, there was a 58% jump in the number of cardiac arrests that occurred before victims could get to the hospital, compared to the same time frame last year. In more than three-quarters of the cases, COVID-19 was diagnosed in the affected patients, said a team led by Dr Enrico Baldi, of the University of Pavia. His team reported their findings online April 29 in the  New England Journal of Medicine . Why the spike? People may be waiting longer to reach out to emerge...

The lion bit into another prey Leaving wounds that won't heal Memories that refuse to go away It took more than it could steal   The lion's clutches bore into the prey that was once whole Piercing deep into a fragile prey Breaking down the defence that was once there Its very presence is a sadness to behold!   The lion's weight fell upon the prey Bringing low everything that was once alive Struggling or fighting back didn’t help No one could help for fear of their own lives   Bitterness grew in the eyes of all that saw Hatred grew stronger though not aimed at him Blaming the system for trusting Still, though it all, the prey survived   Oblivious to the lion was the identity of the prey Living inside of the prey was the same identity as the lion The prey was his cub though unarmed Though dead yet alive in all   The lion meant to kill and silence But the noise it brought will never be quenched God's sovereignty is real and He will keep us alive Our lives matter to...

Do you remember those desolate days When you ran away and forsook My ways Remember how I stooped down low Pursued you, reached out to you and lifted you.   Can you recount the fountains of celebration cheers When you finally overcame and shed happy tears Your voice cheering louder than the crowd And when others cheers grew dim, mine remained loud.   When you commemorate cold hours of weakness When the weight of your burdens bore you down Remember how My fire of love kept blazing strength into you And empowered you to stand a Victor!   When you recollect  the achievement medals you won Each holding memories of trials you conquered Remember how I stood by you, guiding and teaching you And congratulated your every achievement with a greater reward.   As you reminisce on these, forget Me not, I will always remember you! I will not leave you alone. Love me, I am Jesus! Written by Keren Engelbrecht and Ife Omodanisi

Busy as we all are Earning today the bread for tomorrow Your appearance brought us all to a standstill Your presence sent us all into hiding   And in the midst of the chaos You brought families to find a new sense of peace Friends together and hope for the hopeless A sense of belonging to those forgotten   You covered many with sickness You took some and others pulled through Love has reconciled broken hearts to health Comfort to those who lost loved ones and livelihood   You invented a new style of social distancing Nations have been in different levels of lockdown Economy and businesses crashed yet some families and friends are closer than they've ever been   Many have died due to you, COVID Yet others have started living for the first time since they were born Somehow you turned our world upside down Yet parts of the world are more grounded than others   You brought upon a winter that dries out all warmth in our hearts and to some, they have hearts like heate...

Are u satisfied with the state of your life today? How is your relationship with your family, friends and colleagues? Are you happy with your job (for those who have one)? Are you happy with your career choices or did you make a mistake with your choice? Do you love your job or do you just go there for survival? Are you emotionally abused and don’t know how to get out of it? Do you have a friend to share your hurts and pains with? Are you going through stress it's affecting your health?  Some lack true friends, they have friends that are only available to hang out especially after payday and when you need them for assistance or  a shoulder to cry on. ; they are nowhere to be found. Some even go to the extent of taking a loan for a friend, but the shock comes when they are not willing to pay back. 'Bad debt’. Do you wonder why some people are less qualified for a position yet they are your boss? Or sometimes you feel after getting all those degrees you st...

I can't leave him, I love till death! I am a loving woman. I am a caring man. What of my children! How about their future! How will they survive? Most individuals both men and women remain in abusive relationships and keep quiet. They are afraid of how the world will view their partners; so they keep covering up their partner's track, giving excuses for their actions instead of crying out for intervention or help.... they die daily eventually leading to depression. Depression is not sudden; it is a gradual process. It is a sickness that kills within a short while and sometimes gradually. Depression is one that drains your strength, zeal, joy, happiness and excitement daily. You need to decide to voice out, talk to someone, go for counselling, resign from that job if it causes more pain than gain. You go out of your way to please a person yet he still hurts you with his/her words, hands, actions, psychologically, emotionally, financially, spiritually or physic...

It has been estimated that approximately 40% of all deaths in the United States are premature (at least 900,000 deaths annually) and are due to unhealthy lifestyle choices such as tobacco use, poor diet, sedentary lifestyle, misuse of alcohol and drugs, and accidents (David Anderson, PhD). Points to note: 1. It is God's desire that we prosper and be in good health. 3 John 1:2 - Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. The body houses the soul and for the soul to prosper the body must be in good condition. The Holy Spirit lives in us, so we must make our body comfortable for him. Our bodies are His temple (1 Corinthians 3:16). Therefore, we have a responsibility to care for His temple.                               2. God has provided us with natural ready to eat products such as fruits, vegetable and nuts.   Genesis 2:9a ...

My oldest daughter, Jenna, recently said to  me , “My greatest fear as a child was that you and mom would get divorced. Then, when I was 12, I decided that you fought so much that maybe it would be better if you did.” Then she added with a smile. “I’m glad you guys figured things out.” For years, my wife, Keri, and I struggled. Looking back, I’m not exactly sure what initially drew us together, but our personalities didn’t quite match up. And the longer we were married the more extreme the differences seemed. Encountering “fame and fortune” didn’t make our marriage any easier. In fact, it exacerbated our problems. The tension between us got so bad that going out on book tour became a relief, though it seems we always paid for it on re-entry. Our fighting became so constant that it was difficult to even imagine a peaceful relationship. We became perpetually defensive, building emotional fortresses around our hearts. We were on the edge of divorce and more than once w...

In a clandestine church in the Soviet Union in 1978, they were singing a song to Jesus when soldiers entered the church with guns in their hands.  The meeting was immediately interrupted by the soldiers of the Soviet army, they invaded the place of the meeting with full brutality.  No one knew how they had found that church as the members used to meet in that very place for a long time.  What are you doing here? Shouted the soldiers.  Are you worshipping your imaginary God?  The members of the church became scared and feared that there were probably more soldiers with weapons waiting outside to take them to prison. But what was about to happen was much worse than simply being put in jail.  All of a sudden, the soldier in charge, shouted:  All those who are faithful to God stand on the RIGHT side of the church, because you will be executed because of your faith. You are the ones who decide if you are going to live or die.  ...