placeholder for flash movie

First Congregational

United Church of Christ

... exploring the frontiers of faith in Jesus

Wolf looking through a windowMy, my, what sparkling white teeth Little Red Riding hood has," thought Mr. Wolf ...


Is it really Fruit Juice or colored fruit-flavored sugar water?
You hand your children a glass of “fruit juice” and you think you are giving them nutrients and vitamins to help them grow. Chances are you’ve really have handed them a “fruit drink” devoid of juice and full of sugars that may do them more harm than good.

We have to start reading “the small print.” Do not be fooled by advertisments and Saturday morning cartoons. Even nutrition-enriched fruit drinks offer little in the way of vitamins and minerals. The nearly fruit-free drinks also lack fiber that you can get from even a small apple, an orange, or a handful of grapes. Water and some forms of sugar -- sucrose, fructose, glucose, or sorbital -- are at the top of the list of ingredients in fruit drinks. Even drinks with labels such as “all natural juice beverage” may contain only 25% fuit juice. The truth is many fruit drinks are no more nutritious than carbonated soft drinks. This is increasing obesity among children and causing severe destruction to their teeth and bones.

The American Academy of Pediatrics notes that 100% fruit juice or reconstituted fruit juice can be healthy when consumed as part of a well-balanced diet. Fruit drinks should not be given since they are not equivalent to fruit juice.

You need to watch and limit 100% fruit juice to the following daily amounts, because you can give “too much of a good thing.”

Good rule of thumb. Set rules! No pop. Children can have 100% fruit juices in the above amounts per day. The rest of the liquid consumed during the day is water and milk.

Sugar Free Gum
Sugar Free gum is also something that parents need to watch. Unless the gum your children are chewing contains Xylitol, it is no better than gum with sugar as far as helping to prevent damage to their teeth. You may obtain Xylitol Products at the following websites:

Brushing, flossing and using mouthwash

REGULAR DENTAL CHECKUPS ARE ESSENTIAL. Children should begin seeing a dentist when they are toddlers.

A FEW MINUTES A DAY IS A VERY WORTHWHILE INVESTMENT FOR HEALTHY TEETH AND GUMS, AS WELL AS FOR A HEALTHY SMILE.

New affirmation

We had a wonderful church service today. It was Camp Sunday which is always a relaxed, enjoyable service where many people wear their “camping clothes.” I always enjoy Tim’s sermons but this morning the Prelude and the Call to Worship were as outstanding as the sermon. I liked the Call to Worship so well that I came home and wrote a new affirmation for my daily use. I hope you will want to make this affirmation a part of your Workday Ministry too.

Here it is ...

Christ in me … Christ with me
Christ behind me … Christ above me
Christ on my right … Christ on my left
Christ when I lie down … Christ when I arise
Christ goes before me
Christ shields me
I rest in His loving arms

How to Recognize a Stroke

There is an e-mail that is circulating regarding symptoms of a stroke. I would like to endorse that e-mail at this time and go over the contents for those of you who have not seen it.

STROKE

Remember the first three letters: S T R. That will help you remember what to check for when you suspect there may be an evolving stroke in process. If you are with someone and they should suddenly fall or stumble you want to do the following:

If the person who has fallen or stumbled has trouble doing any of the above tasks call 911 immediately for transportation to an Emergency Room.

There is also another test that you can do and that is to ask the person to stick out their tongue. It should stick out straight and not veer to the left or the right.

With the new medications available for stroke victims that can help reverse debilitating effects there is about a three hour window. The medication must be given within this three hour time frame to be effective. That is why there should not be any delay. Whenever you are present when a person slumps to the floor, faints, or falls, or if you suspect something is not right with the individual ... remember S T R. It could be a matter of life!

COMMON COLD OR THE FLU ...
which do you have?

CLINICAL PRESENTATION FLU COMMON COLD
Onset sudden gradual
Fever 101-102º F rare in adults
Headache may be severe rare
Tired, lazy feeling usual and severe mild
Extreme exhaustion usual never
Tiredness, weakness may last 2+ weeks mild
Sore throat common often
Sneezing occasionally usual
Runny nose occasionally usual
Cough usual, non-productive mild, hacking