Monday, June 22, 2015

Womens Bible Cafe™

Womens Bible Cafe™


Conversation Peace Online Bible Study | Week Two

Posted: 21 Jun 2015 08:28 PM PDT

conversation peace week 2Welcome back to Week Two of our Summer Study, Conversation Peace by Mary Kassian.  By now I am sure that, like me, this eye-opening study has begun to take root in your life and change your view of the words you use each day. It’s not too late to get a workbook and join us!

My Momma always had plants in our house when I was growing up.  She loved green plants as did my sisters. I thought they were pretty, but could not grow a passion for it.  Over the years my Momma explained to me how important the soil, or dirt as I called it, was to the life of the plant.  The soil was the foundation and it gave the plant what it needed to grow. Water and sunlight helped the soil to provide a good foundation for the plant. If the soil wasn’t watered and the plant didn't receive sunlight, it would become dry and the leaves would begin to become unhealthy and maybe die. Now you have to understand that I am one that never liked to play in dirt, wanted no part in planting or gardening, but at the same time, I could not believe that "dirt" was so important to a plant’s life.

Our lesson this week reminded me of this.  In Luke 8:15, Jesus explains to His disciples about seed that grows on good soil will produce a good crop.  The soil is the foundation, just like our heart is the foundation of our emotions.  What is in our heart will become what we believe, what we say, what we think and feel.  I realized that just like my plant, if I don’t saturate my heart with the word of God, communicate with Him through prayer, protect it from negative outside influences it will ultimately become dry, hard and not able to produce good fruit or words.

Now in no way does this excite or motivate me to begin gardening, I still don’t like to play in dirt (LOL), but this week’s lesson did open my eyes to how my heart shapes the way I think, the way I view certain words and how I respond in certain situations.  I want my heart to be healthy and to spew out words of life and love.

Our heart is a very complex, pumping many emotions, both good and not so good into our veins and ultimately manifesting out of our mouths.  We must make sure that what we keep Christ as the center of our hearts so that He dwells there and what overflows out of our hearts has no choice but to be full of positive and uplifting words pleasing to God producing healthy, green crops.  I believe that I can do it with God's help, do you?

I love our Memory Verse for this week, Psalm 19:14, “May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.” (NIV)  As I carried my verse with me all week, I was reminded to take notice and responsibility of what I would say, asking God to partner with me to make sure that my words were pleasing to Him.  I started my day with this verse so that I could have the right focus when speaking with others during my day.

I want to share a part of one of my favorite quotes, this part says, "For beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness" (Audrey Hepburn) Remember this during the week as you continue to journey with us to transform your speech.

YOUR ASSIGNMENT FOR THE WEEK:

  • Join a small for study and fellowship
  • Pray through and memorize our Breath Freshener for this week: Ephesians 4:22-24
  • Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to guide your tongue
  • Look for positive changes in your speech this week, and thank God for them
  • Read Week 3 in your workbook
  • Visit the Conversation Peace website for more resources

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR THE WEEK: (You can answer in your small group or post a comment here on the website if you do not have a Facebook account)

  1. What things in your life compete to be the center spot in your heart?
  1. Describe the image that comes to mind when you hear the word "overflow." (page 39)
  1. How have your speech habits changed over the years? On a scale of 1 to 5, are your words becoming more loving and kind or less? (1 = less loving and kind and 5 = more loving and kind) (page 64)
  1. Soil is the foundation of a plant's life, good soil gives the plant life, bad soil may cause the plant to die. Using our heart's as the soil in this analogy:

What ways can you change the quality of the soil in your heart to be more pleasing to God? (page 53-54)

This last question is for you to think about and answer during your devotion time:

PERSONAL REFLECTION: Look at the areas you listed as problem areas in your speech last week.  Are you seeing changes? If you are, how will you continue? If not, what will you do to start making changes? What are the causes/root of your negative speech?  Pray and ask God to continue to help you transform your words to be pleasing to Him.

Be Blessed,

sonya morris nelson

 

 

 

 

 

ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

ScienceDaily: Latest Science News


Researchers discover mechanism leading to BRAF inhibitor resistance in melanoma patients

Posted: 19 Jun 2015 01:34 PM PDT

The development of targeted therapies has significantly improved the survival of melanoma patients over the last decade; however, patients often relapse because many therapies do not kill all of the tumor cells, and the remaining cells adapt to treatment and become resistant. Researchers have discovered a novel mechanism that can lead melanoma cells to develop resistance to drugs that target the protein BRAF.

Simultaneous live imaging of a specific gene's transcription, dynamics

Posted: 19 Jun 2015 12:21 PM PDT

A research group has developed a live-imaging method for simultaneous measurements of the transcriptional activity and nuclear position of endogenous genes. This method is used to detect sub-genome-wide mobility changes that depend on the activity of a pluripotency-related gene in mouse embryonic stem cells.

New biomarker identified in women with mental illness

Posted: 19 Jun 2015 12:21 PM PDT

Psychiatric disorders can be difficult to diagnose because clinicians must rely upon interpreted clues, such as a patient's behaviors and feelings. For the first time, researchers report identifying a biological marker: the over-production of specific genes that could be a diagnostic indicator of mental illness in female psychiatric patients.

How to wipe out polio and prevent its re-emergence

Posted: 19 Jun 2015 11:17 AM PDT

Public health officials stand poised to eliminate polio from the planet. But a new study shows that the job won't be over when the last case of the horrible paralytic disease is recorded. Using disease-transmission models, graduate researchers demonstrate that silent transmission of poliovirus could continue for more than three years with no reported cases.

HIV drug PrEP not linked to greater risk for depression

Posted: 19 Jun 2015 11:16 AM PDT

A new study -- a randomized, placebo-controlled trial of daily oral HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in men and transgender women who have sex with men -- reported no link between taking Truvada for oral PrEP and experiencing depression.

Scientists identify amino acid that stops seizures in mice

Posted: 19 Jun 2015 11:15 AM PDT

An amino acid whose role in the body has been all but a mystery appears to act as a potent seizure inhibitor in mice, according to a study. In a series of experiments, the amino acid D-leucine, found in many foods and certain bacteria, interrupted prolonged seizures, a serious condition known as status epilepticus, and it did so just as effectively as the epilepsy drug diazepam -- the choice of treatment for patients in the throes of convulsions -- but without any of the drug's sedative side effects.

Seniors don't bounce back fast from car crashes

Posted: 19 Jun 2015 09:18 AM PDT

Many seniors injured in motor vehicle crashes remain in pain for months afterwards, which negatively affects their quality of life, including the ability to live independently, suggest the results of a study of older auto accident victims treated in emergency departments.

Supercomputers surprisingly link DNA crosses to cancer

Posted: 19 Jun 2015 08:48 AM PDT

DNA naturally folds itself into cross-shaped structures called cruciforms that jut out along the sprawling length of its double helix. DNA cruciforms are abundant; scientists estimate as many as 500,000 cruciform-forming sequences may exist on average in a normal human genome. Supercomputers have now helped scientists find a surprising link between cross-shaped (or cruciform) pieces of DNA and human cancer, according to a study.

Drug improves cognition in Alzheimer's disease-mouse model in spite of diet

Posted: 19 Jun 2015 08:46 AM PDT

Long-term administration of a drug that mimics the hunger-signaling hormone ghrelin protected Alzheimer's disease-model mice from memory deterioration, despite a high-glycemic-index diet, scientists report.

Successful ovulation of 100 eggs from one female mouse

Posted: 19 Jun 2015 07:33 AM PDT

A new method of controlled ovarian hyperstimulation, termed ultra-superovulation, has been developed by researchers in which ovulation of a very large number of eggs from one female mouse occurs. This development makes it possible to analyze gene function more efficiently through mass production of knockout mice.

Inclusion of experimenters in e-cigarette prevalence studies of 'questionable' value

Posted: 19 Jun 2015 05:55 AM PDT

The inclusion of experimenters -- who are unlikely to become habitual users -- in e-cigarette prevalence studies is of 'questionable' value for monitoring population public health trends, finds research.

Doctors often misdiagnose zinc deficiency, unaware of impact of excess zinc

Posted: 19 Jun 2015 05:55 AM PDT

Doctors often misdiagnose zinc deficiency, and seem to be unaware of the impact of excess zinc on the body, shows a small audit of clinical practice. Zinc is an essential trace element that is required in daily quantities of 5.5 to 9.5 mg for men, and 4 to 7 mg for women. But zinc supplements are usually only available in formulations of 45 or 50 mg. The US recommended tolerable limit is 40 mg/day.

Hunting for traditional food in social media

Posted: 19 Jun 2015 05:50 AM PDT

Nepenthes is a family of carnivorous plants native to Asia and Australia, with the largest distribution on the islands Sumatra and Borneo. An international team of researchers were originally looking into how climate change would affect highland Nepenthes species, when they stumbled upon information that some species were used for food.

Genomics holds key to understanding ecological, evolutionary processes

Posted: 19 Jun 2015 05:49 AM PDT

Scientists believe that Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) of invasive organisms holds the key to furthering our understanding of ecological and evolutionary processes. In a review of recent studies, the researchers say the technique is underutilized in the field of invasion biology. They believe NGS has the potential to transform our understanding of why non-native species adapt and thrive in new environments, often at the expense of their indigenous competitors.

Culturing the connectome

Posted: 19 Jun 2015 05:44 AM PDT

Mapping the human brain's network of interconnections, known as the connectome is typically done with help from computational tools because recreating interconnections between different brain regions has been challenging in the lab. Researchers have developed a method to recreate connections between neurons from two different brain areas in a dish.