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AR Bernard, Pastor of the Christian Cultural Center (CCC) teaches that "we don't grow in isolation but rather, we grow in community." As human beings, we must interrelate with others.  A personal intimate relationship with God is the most important relationship we can have because when it is on track, all others relationships - romantic, family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, communal, and how you love and feel about yourself - functions properly. Relationships are the glue that hold us together during times of stressful situations and when we face life's difficulties. Have you ever noticed how off-keel you feel when there is chaos, confusion, division - DRAMA - all around you?   Children who only play alone, adults who always eat alone and seniors who live alone don't thrive as well as their counterparts who are privileged to share these experiences with others.  We were never meant to live solitary lives - we don't grow, glow or flow well by ourselves. A comparative study of babies who were nurtured, held and loved v. others that were only fed, showed a significant difference in their growth and development.  Without relationships we develop hardened spirits.  Human interactions and healthy relationships are vital to our spiritual, mental physical and emotional well being as well as to our survival and to the success of a long, healthy, and happy life. 

Can someone please tell me when and why did we stop laughing, playing; just simply having fun on purpose? As children, we yearned to be outside with our friends; we played hard and long; we worked up a good sweat and got so tired that at night we hit the pillow, we rested well and got a good night's sleep - no sleeping pills or sleeping rituals.  Who told us that as adults, we had to turn in our "fun-card" and we could no longer play, laugh or have fun.  As the saying goes  "all work and no play makes Jack/Jane a dull boy/girl." I can recall hearing my co-workers share their weekend stories on Monday mornings. When asked "how was your weekend - what did you do?" - one group would say things like "oh I just went skiing or bungee-jumping or mountain climbing". When the question was asked of the other group the response would almost always be "I slept all weekend - I had to get rest to be back at work on Monday."  There are many health benefits of socializing & relaxing and participating in leisure activities -  i.e lower blood pressure, weight loss and lowered risk of diabetes and certain cancers as well as reduced stress and depression. It is imperative that we "take a break" and get out to have fun. Call a friend and go see a movie, eat a hamburger together, sit on a park bench and talk - face-to-face - no text, phone, or any other electronic device. - Just Do It!

"Whoosah"; "me-time"; " a mental-health day", "vitamin-sea" "spiritual retreat", "exhale" '"some shut-eye" and "Sabbath rest" are common terms used to describe the feeling of a person wise enough to realize that "a pause" in their regular activities is needed . Rest is defined as "cease from work or movement in order to relax, sleep, or recover strength; refrain from taking part in work or an activity." The Bible encourages us to "Be still and relax in knowing that God is in control which means to relax and take comfort in the fact that our God can handle any situation we face.  Rest includes all components of our being: mental, spiritual, emotional, and physical. Author, Heather Nelson cites the following:     

· Rest is biblical. God ordained rest in the creative 

order of the universe. The omnipotent God, 

rested from all his work on the seventh day. 

· Rest fuels our body, mind, spirit - ministry. 

· Rest prevents burnout - the feeling of being depleted.

· Rest reconnects us to our most important relationships - those that refresh us - God, family, friends, and ourselves."

Without proper rest we do not function properly and results in states of feelings\ sluggish, lethargic, weak, drained, unable to concentrate and/or focus. 

YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT and what you put inside will certainly reflect in your appearance as well as your lifestyle.!  The best way to reduce your risk of disease is to eat healthy.  Toxins in our foods, pollutants, chemical processing, the high consumption of junk/fast foods, high-sugar contents and hefty work schedules and sedentary lifestyles are the primary causes of the influx and prevalence of chronic diseases, malnutrition and premature deaths.  The same way cars require a good octane of gas to run properly, likewise our spirit, soul and body require proper nutrients to maintain a state of health.  Hippocrates said "let food be your medicine" which insinuates  that some of the physical and emotional issues we face can be greatly improved and sometimes eliminated with proper nutrition.   A  lifestyle of consuming mostly vegetables, fruit, whole grains, healthy fats, and healthy proteins will help to maintains and improve overall health. A healthy diet provides the body with essential nutrition: fluid, adequate amino acids from protein, essential fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, fiber and adequate calories. Other important factors of nutrition are when we eat, how much we eat as well as where we eat. Interestingly, the same way we feed the body, we must also feed the spirit daily with the 

Word of God and the soul with 

positive thoughts, readings, music and conversation.