Introduction to caring for the temple is for a course to be held at the Church of the Ascension in Hilton, KZN during 2020. Alas the virus has brought matters to a standstill but we will hopefully be reviving it in 2022.

The intention is that taking notes will not be necessary; here I will provide a framework of what was covered.

Fifteen enthusiastic believers attended, culminating in making the dough for real bread; it was timed at four minutes including grinding the flour from wheat-berries.

Introduction to Caring for the temple

Caring for the temple

Brother Ass is a stubborn beast; I suspect that no Christians find it easy to care for their bodies as they ought, knowing that they are the temple of Almighty God.

The allure of worldly foods that lead to obesity and diabetes is very strong. Nor is taking a simple walk daily seen as a spiritual exercise to ensure that God's temple will live long in the land.

Good nutritious food and plenty of exercise are two of the spiritual disciplines that will enable us to serve the Lord for many years, unhampered by disease and pain.

We ignore them at our peril, causing Brother Ass to stumble and fall; and vast sums of money leak out of the Kingdom, spent instead on coping with disease and poor health.

Let your food be your medicine

• A spiritual journey, not a cookery class
• There is a war going on for your body and mind
• "Never again will there... an old man who does not live out his years." (Is 65:20)
  
• "Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. "(1 Peter 5:8)
  
• An ever changing landscape - eggs are out, eggs are in
• The struggle - 90/10 rule
  

Brother ass

St Francis of Assisi described his body as Brother Ass^[2]; the temple of God is not unlike a donkey, stubborn and infuriating.

"Do you not know that you are God's temple and that his Spirit dwells in you?"

• USEFUL and STURDY
• LAZY and OBSTINATE
• PATIENT and LOVABLE 
• an INFURIATING BEAST

A teaser

Joe isn’t a Christian. His dentist made it very plain when he was a child that he must brush and floss his teeth every day.
Joe’s mother was the enforcer. After a time it became habit and routine.

On the other hand, our friend Sally is a believer but her dentist didn’t labour the point, or perhaps she missed the plot.

• She brushes most days, but hardly ever flosses.
• Perhaps she is lazy, or just doesn’t know better. As we all know Brother Ass is a very stubborn beast.
  

Are her teeth covered by the blood of Jesus despite the fact that she is not caring for them as she ought?

• Is Sally protected from tooth decay just because she is a Christian? 
• Does Joe have better teeth because he is abiding by the rules of the universe, those things ordained by God?
  
• Does God care for our bodies despite the fact that we either don’t know better, or are plain stubborn about caring for the temple?

"If any one sins unwittingly, doing any of the things which the Lord has commanded not to be done, though he does not know it, yet he is guilty and shall bear his iniquity."

- Lev 6:17

The question

Teeth

• It is plain and I think we all know it:
• Brush and
• Floss daily

If Brother Ass is stubborn and refuses to do it, does God spare his teeth from caries and decay? Does He protect us from the more serious health issues when Christians are lazy and obstinate, or ignorant, or indifferent about caring for the temple of the Holy Spirit?

mystery

• No slick formulae
• Good people die young
• Health-nuts drop dead
• Shifting the goalposts in your favour

Unexpected tragedy happens in all our lives, whether we are believers or not. If your child is seriously disabled, and you want to leave a legacy to him or her, then sometimes a special needs trust^[1] is a good idea.

Much is easy

• Brushing and flossing
• An apple a day
• A extra glass of water
• A short walk daily
• A two minute lower back exercise programme

But much is very difficult

• Stopping smoking
• Losing 10kg or more
• Cracking the sweet tooth
  
• Making TIME

Making time

• To exercise
• To (grow?) prepare and cook nutritious food
• To take proper holidays
• To read our Bibles and pray every day
• Making our health a priority is a spiritual issue

The alternative

• Spend a lot more TIME and MONEY consulting doctors
• Pain
• Disability

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Newsletter

Our newsletter is entitled "create a cyan zone" at your home, preserving both yourself and Mother Earth for future generations; and the family too, of course. We promise not to spam you with daily emails promoting various products. You may get an occasional nudge to buy one of my books.

Here are the back issues.

Caring for the temple 2020 schedule

• The four vitamins absolutely vital to avoid Frailty Syndrome: January 21, 28, February 2 and 11.
• The happy tum: fibre and probiotics: February 18.
  
• Lower back exercises: TBA
  
• A better way to bant: TBA
  

Let us bake real bread

• Excellent source of calcium
• Prevention of breast cancer
• Good source of vitamin E, one of 4 to prevent Frailty Syndrome
• 100% whole grains reduce cardiovascular disease, total cancer, mortality from all diseases, diabetes (BMJ)

a grain of wheat

Wheat consists of three parts:

• Bran - lignans
• Germ - vitamins, minerals, wheat germ oil
• Endosperm - the starch

The big fat lie

• Millers can call it whole-meal or wholewheat provided that, wait for it….
• … they do not remove more than 40 percent of the grain; that is most of the bran and germ.

• True 100 percent wholegrain wheat flour has all the bran and germ
  
• Champagne Valley "wholegrain" flour
• Cake flour
  

sourdough

• Breaks down short-chains of amino acids in gluten that may be otherwise digested.
• Deals with gluten intolerance
• Proline is the offending amino acid that resists complete digestion.
  

the oxygen story

• Food comes wrapped in a skin or shell.
• Keeps oxygen out; it stops it going off.
• Once the bran is removed, the oils in wheat go rancid within three days.
• So millers have to remove the fat which contains the vitamin E too.

shall we do it?

• Grind the flour
• Dissolve salt in the water
• Add sourdough
• Add hummus
• Butter
• One tbsp Champagne Valley flour
• 1 tsp yeast.

Ask any of those present, real sourdough bread made with 100% wholemeal flour with just butter was delicious far beyond anything the bakers could produce. We had local white and brown supermarket loaves for comparison.

This introduction to greater well-being meant only four minutes work to prepare the dough. However, to be completely honest, there were a few minutes later committed to the sourdough, and twice a week to making the hummus; but none of that is onerous or time-consuming.

Change

Let us say it candidly and forcefully; this may all be very interesting but unless this programme of caring for the temple leads to change in the way we live, it is all hot air and a total waste of your time.

Could you make one minute to floss your teeth every single day, a couple more to do lower back exercises and four minutes to make real bread. If not, then I fear the well-being of this temple of the Holy Spirit is little different to any other person.

What meal will you have prepared for him? I hope not a loaf of white and margarine from the supermarket. He who you are inviting in is an authority on the subject; he is the bread of life, after all. 

Did you find this page interesting? How about forwarding it to a friendly book or food junkie? Better still, a social media tick would help.

Address:

56 Groenekloof Rd,

Hilton, KZN

South Africa

Website:

https://www.bernard-preston.com

Create a Cyan Zone at your home; one which complements blue areas for longevity with green for protecting Mother Earth.