marathon of life

On accepting Reality

noreply@blogger.com (Pat Garcia) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 21:10:52 PDT

If you want to make any improvement in your life, you must first accept the way it is now. Don’t try to judge it and make it wrong. Don’t try to glorify it or distort the truth to make it more attractive. Just accept the way things are.
Scott H Young.

When reality confronts our notion of what reality SHOULD be, reality always wins. We don't like this (that is, we have trouble ACCEPTING this), so we either struggle with reality and become upset, or turn away from it and become unconscious. If you find yourself upset or unconscious - or alternating between the two - about something, you might ask yourself, 'What am I not accepting about this?
John Roger

Acceptance of reality as it is requires an act of CHOICE. It is like coming to a fork in the road. You have to turn your mind towards the acceptance road and away form the rejecting reality road.

You have to make and inner COMMITTMENT to accept. The COMMITTMENT to accept does not itself equal acceptance . It just turns you toward the path. But it si the first step.

You have to turn your mind and commit to acceptance OVER AND OVER AND OVER Again. Sometimes, you have to make the committment many times in the space of a few minuites.

B. THE CHALLENGE TO FACE THE REALITY OF OUR LIVES

One thing seems certain, a sensible spirituality must be based on reality ... the facts of life as they really are not as we sometimes pretend them to be. We must accept the truth about life before we can handle it sensibly. Dealing with life demands that we first know what it is, that we recognize both what we are and what the world is like.

As Augustine remarked: my knowledge captures the truth of my situation only when my judgments, my insights about the reality of my world correspond with the facts. (On True Religion, 36.66). Certainly that most perfect form of knowledge, wisdom, cannot rest on an erroneous idea about what the world is truly like, what I am truly like. If I claim to know that I am all-perfect, that indeed I am God, I cannot be called wise. Indeed, I am insane. Like those poor souls who laugh at a world their terrible fever has created, I am not in a happy state, a state which (if we recognized its true character) would cause horror, not ecstasy. The fact of the matter is that (again as Augustine observed):

Such is the overwhelming power of unconquerable truth, that one would rather keep one's wits and cry than lose one's wits and laugh.

¹⁷These are a shadow of the things that were to come;

the reality, however, is found in Christ.

Colossians 2:17 (New International Version)

Reality is hope, originally uploaded by imago2007 (signed off temporarily).

walk on your toes
and look wide-eyed into life
believing there will always be
goodnesses to be experienced
beautiful moments to be captured
faithful friends to be discovered.
at times you will feel
as if you are lost in a dream
but reality has a way of
putting your feet back on the ground
and so you must face it once again
the sometimes cold and cluttered reality
seemingly wrapped in meaningless noise
and empty promises
but in essence reality is warm
it is silent, it is simple
in essence, reality is hope

-imago2007

Hurricane Rick in La Paz

noreply@blogger.com (Pat Garcia) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 19:04:48 PDT

A Little Longer

noreply@blogger.com (Pat Garcia) — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 20:24:40 PDT

I can´t thank you enough.

noreply@blogger.com (Pat Garcia) — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 19:32:27 PDT

I have found out I need repentance, an act of humility that yields my thoughts and emotions to God´s point of view.
Sometimes without taking notice we are trapped following paths which are not the paths of our God given destiny, then we find we are becoming trapped in thoughts and circumstances that keep us away from a life of plenitude.

Depression took me by surprise

The renewal of our mind starts with repentance, repentance of our selfishness is a good start, repentance for our pessimism, repentance for our withdrawal, repentance for turning the other way.
Repentance to renew our minds in order to see like Him, to think like Him, feel like Him and show His amazing love. The amazing transforming love we have received ourselves.

REPENTANCE BRINGS RESTORATION

"God poured out the blood offering through His son Jesus Christ because he loves us. How much more would He not give us?"

Do not be conformed to this world,
but be transformed by the renewing of your mind (Romans 12:2).

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
( 2 Corinthians 10:5)

noreply@blogger.com (Pat Garcia) — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 14:24:11 PDT

Depression has taken me by surprise again.......... I feel solitude and despair..........tears are trapped inside my eyes.

I have begun fasting to discipline my body, to discipline my thoughts to quest for my Lord´s face and guidance.

The Effects Of Fasting On The Brain

We are a physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual whole. Each realm influences and is dependent upon the others. It is no surprise, then, to realize that an effective program that restores physical health would also have great effects on our emotional, intellectual, and spiritual selves.

People routinely have a spiritual experience, an awakening, a deeper spiritual awareness resulting for several days of fasting.

Our intelligence processes are also enhanced. This should not be surprising, because we know that our brain operates on a chemical level, too. It needs to be properly fed and oxygenated. It must be freed of any toxins that have crossed the blood/brain barrier.

All this has a direct bearing upon how we respond to stimuli with our emotions. We are, after all, a complex whole.

A juice fast lifts the spirit

It is the common experience of those who take a juice fast that their spirits are immediately lifted. They have a clarity of mind, a confidence, brightness and a lightness of spirit that comes when the toxic burden begins to lift. They routinely sleep 'better than they have for years,' awaked refreshed with less time in bed, and have a more optimistic and positive attitude regarding themselves and others. They are much nicer people to 'live with.'

Faith is like a sweet elixir to the melancholy soul.

by Deborah Lawwill

It is the driving force behind a hope that cannot be explained. It saves lives and heals the sick. It makes us better people, stronger people, closer to the divine. It is the song that the birds sing so gratefully each morning. It brings joy to all who grieve and strength to those who have none. It takes away the sting of poverty, and the loneliness of the wealthy. It does what nothing else is capable of doing, with no logical explanation whatsoever.

noreply@blogger.com (Pat Garcia) — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 19:23:12 PDT

Birds on the Wires from Jarbas Agnelli on Vimeo.

noreply@blogger.com (Pat Garcia) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 05:32:14 PDT

Mayweather Returns in Victory: Bad Night for Mexican Boxing

by patgarcia | September 20, 2009 at 08:33 am at NowPublic

Mexican all over the country were practically glued to their TV sets. Expectations were high in favor of our countryman Juan Manuel Marquez who lost without doubt against Floyd Mayweather.

Floyd Mayweather jnr returned from a near two-year ring absence with a punishing 12-round decision over Mexico's Juan Manuel Marquez on Saturday.

Mayweather remained unbeaten, improving to 40-0 with 25 wins inside the distance. Marquez fell to 50-5-1 with the defeat in the non-title welterweight bout.

Mayweather knocked Marquez down in the second round and was never seriously hurt by the game but smaller opponent. Mayweather was awarded the victory by scores of 118-109, 120-107 and 119-108.

Chris John beat Rocky Juarez.

Indonesia's Chris John got a late scare but retained his World Boxing Association featherweight title with a unanimous 12-round decision over American Rocky Juarez.

John was in control of Saturday's fight, despite a swollen left eye, when Juarez connected with a left that had John's knees sagging with less than a minute left in the 12th round.

An unsteady John managed to hold on and emerge with the victory by scores of 114-113, 119-109 and 117-111.

John remained unbeaten with 43 victories, one drawn and 22 knockouts. Juarez fell to 28-5-1 with 20 wins inside the distance

Michael Katsidis presented a great fight!

TOOWOOMBA boxer Michael Katsidis was confident he had escaped a broken jaw after turning in the performance of his career in Las Vegas yesterday.

Katsidis recaptured the World Boxing Organisation (WBO) interim lightweight world title, winning a split points decision against Mexican Vincente Escobedo at the MGM Grand.

While the Toowoomba boxer turned in the best performance of his career, applying constant pressure throughout the fight, the bout came with some controversy as one judge amazingly scored the bout 116-112 in favour of the Mexican.

VOLAR

noreply@blogger.com (Pat Garcia) — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 20:37:17 PDT

Bigger than my body

Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder

noreply@blogger.com (Pat Garcia) — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 17:50:54 PDT

Image by Samantha Hyde - Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder

Same life different field of view

I meditated this week, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and the eyes are a window to the soul.

When rays of light hit the eye they are converted to nervous stimuli that travels to the optic center in the brain and enter conscious thought as an image.

The eyes provide information to the brain.

When illness disrupts our amazing body processes, and our brains are not working well and neither are our eyes, then reality becomes quite unreal.

All the beauty in our life blurs into a fog of confusion and desperation, yet it´s still the same life, it´s still beautiful yet we have stopped precessing that information along the way, like when body and brain are tired after driving long hours sometimes it just stops processing and inertia takes over.

We can live our lives just with the impulse of inertia as we walk through trials. Then life can lose it´s color, it´s flavor, it´s happiness and depression settles in, unexpectedly, unnoticed, because you think it´s you, you think it´s life, you think there´s nothing you can do but run or get away, scape!

Believe me when I tell you depression is subtle and set its trap around you. I thank God for the truth of His word, it held me steady on the rock even when I wanted to jump off of it and give up. He had me on the palm of His hand.

I have to thank all the people that prayed for me when I stopped praying, I have to thank my husband for taking me to private doctors when he saw something was very wrong and I seemed to be getting worst with the treatment at the Social Security Clinic in my country.

I have to thank the doctors that professionally took loving care of me, explaining my situation and encouraging me to get better. Encouraging me to be myself again!

I´m back to my beautiful life again! My eyes are on Jesus again!!

Pat Garcia

¨Once more Jesus put his hands on the man's eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.¨
Mark 8:25

Depression can be related to the cause of the epilepsy.

Injury to the brain can occur for many reasons, including stroke, a difficult birth, head trauma or a past infection such as meningitis or encephalitis. Because the brain controls our emotions and moods, it is not surprising that any disruption to normal brain functions can cause depression. Studies suggest that people with damage to the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain are more prone to depression than those with damage to other parts of the brain. However, many people with brain damage do not become depressed.

Seizures causing depression

Although it is unclear exactly how epilepsy as a condition can directly cause depression, it is known that some people have changes in mood or behaviour in the period before a seizure occurs. This is known as the prodromal stage. Depression may occur as part of a warning or "aura" before a more recognizable seizure. Equally, depression and confusion are very common following a seizure. This is known as a postictal state. Usually, postictal states are brief.

marathon of life: Depression in epilepsy and thyroid

marathon of life: Thyroid Disease and Depression

Marathon of life Incense Is Psychoactive And Antidepressant

marathon of life: cortical atrophy and depression

Case Report
Journal of ECT. 21(2):122-124, June 2005.
Amison, Terako MD; Foster, Adriana MD

Abstract:
A 48-year-old male with treated hypothyroidism presented with a long-standing history of depression that had been refractory to treatment. A computed tomography scan of the brain revealed atrophy in the frontal regions. This finding is significant because the patient has no known history of traumatic brain injury, inhalant or alcohol abuse, or prolonged exposure to gasoline. On the basis of the results of the brain imaging in conjunction with the patient's clinical presentation and neuropsychological testing, frontotemporal dementia was considered in the diagnosis and was thought to explain his chronic symptoms of apathy, anhedonia, and suicidal ideation. Electroconvulsive therapy was implemented, with resolution of the patient's depressed mood and neurovegetative symptoms of depression as well as improvement in his Mini Mental Status Examination scores.[/q]

IRISH BLESSING

~* May the blessing of light be upon you *~, originally uploaded by jetzgetzab, Off on bike tour .....

May the blessing of light be upon you, light on the outside, light on the inside
With God's sunlight shining on you, may your heart glow with
warmth like a turf fire that welcomes friends and strangers alike.

May the light of the Lord shine from your eyes
like a candle in the window welcoming the weary traveller.

May the blessing of God's soft rain be on you,
falling gently on your head refreshing your soul with
the sweetness of little flowers newly blooming.

May the strength of the winds of heaven bless you,
carrying the rain to wash your spirit clean, sparkling after, in the sunlight.

May the blessing of God's earth be on you, and as you walk the roads,
may you always have a kind word for those you meet.

May you understand the strength and power of God in a thunderstorm in winter
and the quiet beauty of creation in the calm of a summer sunset
and may you come to realize that insignificant as you may seem in this great universe,
you are an important part of God's plan.

May He watch over you and keep you safe from harm.

noreply@blogger.com (Pat Garcia) — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 17:37:37 PDT

World Championship Boxing Cabo´s New Entertainment

by patgarcia at NowPublic

Two world championship Boxing Fights at Cabo San Lucas yesterday!
The highlight of the night was Humberto ¨Betillo ¨Gutierrez vs. the Russian Sergey Gulyakevich, for the WBC Super Featherweight Title but the crowd definitely cheered for our local world champion Raúl ¨Rayito¨Garcia who fought against ¨Samy¨Gutierrez for the third time, once they were both disputing the world title, the second time ´Samy¨ Gutierrez challeged ´Rayito´for the title in a fight that ended in draw. Rayito´s title was in danger last night! The fight was very difficult, Rayito seemed slow, taking many punches from a very energetic ¨Samy¨Gutierrez. The fight was announced as a draw at then claiming there had been a mistake counting the points Raul ´Rayito´García was declared officially the winner.

Humberto Mauro “Betillo” Gutiérrez beat the Russian contender Sergey Gulyakevich in the fight that finally turned out to be the highlight of the night as advertised. It was a good, close and even fight!

WBC super featherweight contender Sergey Gulyakevich traveled to take on #3-ranked Humberto Mauro Gutierrez for the interim WBC Super Featherweight Title this Saturday night, August 22nd at the Auditorio Unidad Deportiva in Los Cabos, Baja California Sur, Mexico. The 28-year old Gulyakevich (26-1, 12 KOs) arrived in Cabo after an 8,000 mile flight from his home in Minsk, Belarus to battle the 20-year old Gutierrez (25-1-1, 19 KOs), fighting in his home country of Mexico.

Indudablemente que la pelea de mayor proyección es la que sostiene Humberto "Betillo" Gutiérrez ante el bioruso Surgey, pero indudablemente que la atención estará puesta en lo que será la tercera pelea entre Raúl "Rayito" García y el defeño "Sammy" Gutiérrez, que son protagonistas de dos de las mejores peleas del año, cuando disputaban el título nacional, de hecho en la primera quedaron empatados y la segunda la ganó el sudcaliforniano, pero hoy estará en juego el titulo mundial de la FIB,

" My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness"

noreply@blogger.com (Pat Garcia) — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 22:09:42 PDT

" My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness",
originally uploaded by "†OnlyByGrace".

2 Corinthians 12:7-10 Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles said:

And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.
For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.
And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

“Let the weak say ‘I am strong.’’

Joel 3:10 (NIV)

Thyroid Eye Disease

noreply@blogger.com (Pat Garcia) — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 20:16:45 PDT

I finally had my appointment with ophthalmologist, the appointment was given to me since May. my eyes have been extremely red and dry another doctor had observed unilateral Proptosis in my left eye.
It turned out to be Proptosis in my right eye, it actually looked smaller due to irritation,therefore making the left eye look bigger at simple sight. Under close examination my right eye showed inflammation of the conjunctive and corneal thinning.

Thyroid eye disease is an inflammatory condition which affects the orbital contents, extraocular muscles and orbital fat.
It is associated with Grave´s disease but may rarely be seen in Hashimoto´s thyroiditis, primary hypothyroidism or thyroid cancer.

The ocular manifestations of TED include soft tissue inflammation, eyelid retraction, proptosis, corneal exposure and optic nerve compression.
The signs and symptoms of the disease include lid retraction, lid lag, and delay in the down-ward excursion of the upper lid down gaze .
The lid margins, which normally cover the cornea slightly, are retracted away from the cornea, causing accelerated evaporation of the tear layer and drying the ocular surface. As chronic inflammation occurs, there is fibro-fatty infiltration of lid tissues.
Soft tissue inflammation and eyelid may be noted or conjunctival oedema and dilated vessels over the extraocular muscle insertions.

Here is a schematic of a left eye, showing how its extraocular muscles insert into the eye:

Thyroid eye disease is perhaps the most common cause of acquired diplopia, It also causes restrictive myopathy ---- an actual restriction of the muscle´s ability to contract and move the glove.

Day 116- Diplopia, originally uploaded by rita j..

marathon of life: Proptosis in hypothyroid patients

noreply@blogger.com (Pat Garcia) — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 20:50:55 PDT

Bipolar Disorder

The last couple of days have been quite different, unusual, touching with a tint of tragedy, unforgettable yet to others as they read these lines they might seem insignificant, just things of life.

I went to visit one of my dearest friends at the psychiatric ward of the state hospital, she was supposed to be away for the summer. I was shocked and surprised to know she had had a very serious crisis and had been heavily sedated for the last couple of days and will stay there for at least a month.

As a woman suffering from bipolar disorder, she can fall into very profound depressions or anxiety attacks that can cause her to attempt against her life. I don´t know the details of the whole situation now but it was a family situation that triggered the attack but I also know she has a tendency to stop taking her medications.

My husband and I had to ring a bell in a special section of the hospital then wait at a gate listening as several locks opened, the guard asked us who were we visiting and let us in. It was visiting time and I saw her and her husband sitting at the lounge. It was so sad to see her there, with her eyes all swollen from medication and crying. We just hugged and I caressed her face and wiped her tears. I realized how much I love her, and how it would hurt to lose her.

Bipolar disorder

People with bipolar disorder experience unusually intense emotional states that occur in distinct periods called "mood episodes." An overly joyful or overexcited state is called a manic episode, and an extremely sad or hopeless state is called a depressive episode. Sometimes, a mood episode includes symptoms of both mania and depression. This is called a mixed state. People with bipolar disorder also may be explosive and irritable during a mood episode.

Extreme changes in energy, activity, sleep, and behavior go along with these changes in mood. It is possible for someone with bipolar disorder to experience a long-lasting period of unstable moods rather than discrete episodes of depression or mania.

A person may be having an episode of bipolar disorder if he or she has a number of manic or depressive symptoms for most of the day, nearly every day, for at least one or two weeks. Sometimes symptoms are so severe that the person cannot function normally at work, school, or home.

noreply@blogger.com (Pat Garcia) — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 07:44:47 PDT

Pineal Gland Art

The Physiological Importance of the Pineal Gland

During the late 1990's in England, a scientist by the name of Jennifer Luke undertook the first study the effects of sodium fluoride on the pineal gland. She determined that the pineal gland, located in the middle of the brain, was a target for fluoride. The pineal gland simply absorbed more fluoride than any other physical matter in the body, even bones.

Because of the pineal gland's importance to the endocrine system, her conclusions were a breakthrough. Her study provided the missing link to a lot of physiological damage from sodium fluoride that had been hypothesized but not positively connected. A veritable root source for the chain reaction of blocked endocrine activity had been isolated.

Good news though. Frequent exposure to outdoor sunshine, 20 minutes or so at a time, will help stimulate a fluoride calcified pineal gland. Just make sure you take off your hat. This is more important than most realize, because the pineal gland affects so much other enzyme and endocrine activity, including melatonin production.

marathon of life: Pineal gland, ultradian drives in Narcolepsy

noreply@blogger.com (Pat Garcia) — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 09:33:34 PDT

Mexican Boxer Marco Nazareth Died After Fight With Omar Chavez

by patgarcia

“ He is a champion because he is now with Christ ” expressed Marco Antonio Nazareth´s father at the last good-bye given to the fighter by around 150 persons yesterday around 11 am after the body arrived to Zapopan Jalisco.

Marco Antonio Nazareth, conocido en el ámbito pugilístico como El Texano, “es un campeón porque ya está con Cristo”, así lo expresó hoy su padre, Marco Antonio Nazareth, en el último adiós que unas 150 personas le dieron al peleador, luego que perdiera la vida a causa de un derrame cerebral como consecuencia de la pelea que sostuvo el sábado pasado en Puerto Vallarta ante Omar Chávez, hijo del ex campeón mundial mexicano, Julio César Chávez.

Marco Antonio Nazareth 23 died after induced coma due to brain injury from the blows received during his fight with the son of the legendary Julio Cesar Chavez.
A tragic end to such young life, family, friends and Mexican box mourn his death. May he rest in Peace

El mexicano Marco Antonio Nazareth falleció luego de permanecer en coma inducido tras perder por paliza ante Omar Chávez, hijo del legendario Julio César Chávez, informaron sus familiares.

Marco Nazareth´s Brain Injury Another Tragedy in Mexican Boxing

noreply@blogger.com (Pat Garcia) — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 20:19:16 PDT

Marco Nazareth´s Brain Injury Another Tragedy in Mexican Boxing

by patgarcia at Nowpublic

Update Monday July 20th.

Marco is still in a coma but there has been a report of a slight improvement. Family friends and fans have bot stopped praying for his recovery.

Update: July 19

Marco Antonio Nazareth has been reported to be in a critical condition at the intensive care unit in a hospital in Vallarta. A report of the evolution of his recovery will be made within 96 hours once the swelling of his brain decreases after a blood clot was surgically removed yesterday night after the fight.

Omar Chavez and his family were at the hospital to ask about Marco Antonio´s condition. Marco´s father does not hold Omar Chavez responsible for his son´s condition.

Entrevistado el progenitor del joven boxeador, exculpa y deja fuera de cualquier responsabilidad al oponente de su hijo Omar Chávez, quien es hijo de el que fuera el campeón mundial de México, Julio César Chávez. “Ellos - aclara Marco Antonio Nazareth - estuvieron la noche de ayer para conocer el estado de salud de mi hijo, porque a ellos también les afecta lo sucedido”.

Omar Chavez, youngest son of Mexico´s Boxing Legend won by knock out against Marco Antonio Nazareth born in Texas and living in Puerto Vallarta. He could not recover from Omar´s last right swing.
Marco Antonio Nazareth ¨El Texano¨was taken to the hospital where he was diagnosed with a brain injury, reason why he underwent surgery last night, there are no news concerning the extent of the injury.
He presented a fierce fight until that final right blow during the fourth episode.
There is sadness and consternation about Marco Antonio´s condition.

El hijo menor de la Leyenda, Julio César Chávez, sorteó la dificultad de pelear ante un rival más pequeño, pero fiero y tenaz para pelear en corto, y al final logró imponerse con poder y noquear técnico en el cuarto episodio.
Pero el final tuvo tintes de tragedia. Después de conocerse el veredicto, Nazareth, quien nació en Texas, pero radica en Vallarta, no logró reponerse de ese último volado de derecha de Omar, sentado en el banquillo perdió más fuerzas y tuvo que ser bajado en camilla.

noreply@blogger.com (Pat Garcia) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 16:01:56 PDT

Have no other gods, originally uploaded by pattykoplitz.

“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt,
out of the house of bondage."

“You shall have no other gods before Me"

The first word, Anokhi, means, "I am." G-d is speaking of Himself, and communicating with us.
The Midrash is intriguing. It says this first word Anokhi is Egyptian, because G-d wanted to speak with us in the language we had learnt while we were in Egypt. This tells us something about the nature of Torah and of being a Jew. G-d does not want to relate to us only on the sacred, spiritual level of our lives, represented by Hebrew, the holy language. He wants to reach the earthly "Egyptian" dimension as well.

We should not try to pretend that we do not have this lower aspect. Rather, we should try to control it, then elevate it and ultimately transform it into something holy.
Note that the word anokhi (“I”) is used instead of the more common word ani, suggesting the uniqueness of God. The word eloheykha (“your God”) is in the second person singular, rather than in the plural. Each person (individually) must recognize that the God who created him or her is entirely unique, without rival, and entirely sovereign.

There are no mediators in this encounter -- the soul stands before God alone. We know from Exodus 20:18-21 that the Jews were unable to withstand hearing these commandments and asked Moses to be their mediator. Moses, by God’s grace, was given the ability to receive the full content of the Torah at Sinai on behalf of Israel, and later Yeshua Himself became the Mediator of the better covenant than that ratified by the elders of Israel at Sinai.
When God is above all things and distractions in our life, there is no room for superstition or fear. To believe in Him gives us an identity of strength and value which will not allow deceit or manipulation to govern us, even when it comes from our own selves; through redemption we find the way, the truth and the life, an abundant life.
Pat Garcia

The first commandment begins with the letter aleph.

marathon of life: Aleph , a key word

Psalm 145 begins with the letter aleph

marathon of life: Psalm 145:1

marathon of life: Wisdom in Hebrew Alphabet

Superstition. Although various practices are called superstitions, strictly speaking superstition is unseemly or unbecoming worship of God.

This unbecoming worship may be the result of false devotion or of a tendency to magic. As false devotion, superstition has one feature in common. A person is concerned that unless certain external practices are performed, like multiplication of prayers, God will be displeased. When superstition tends toward magic, it associates God’s blessings with the veneration of unapproved objects or belief in unverified revelations or the performance of unauthorized ritual.
When a person never feels free or secure or has irrational fears of evil surrounding their lives, it could mean they are not trusting the magnificent power of our God, it could mean they don´t really believe Him or have placed other things as priority in their lives.
In God there is no darkness, He is light, He illuminates, He irradiates, His splendor fills our lives completely.
Pat Garcia

noreply@blogger.com (Pat Garcia) — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 12:18:57 PDT

Dr Francis Collins Head of U.S. National Institutes of Health

by patgarcia at NowPublic

"My administration is committed to promoting scientific integrity and pioneering scientific research and I am confident that Dr. Francis Collins will lead the NIH to achieve these goals," Obama said in a statement.

"Dr. Collins is one of the top scientists in the world, and his groundbreaking work has changed the very ways we consider our health and examine disease. "

As director of the National Human Genome Research Institute, Collins, 59, helped lead the Human Genome Project that sequenced all the DNA in people.

Dr. Collin´s selection was praised by top scientists, he is considered an extraordinary scientist yet there are some concerns about his nomination. .

There are two basic objections to Dr. Collins. The first is his very public embrace of religion. He wrote a book called “The Language of God,” and he has given many talks and interviews in which he described his conversion to Christianity as a 27-year-old medical student. Religion and genetic research have long had a fraught relationship, and some in the field complain about what they see as Dr. Collins’s evangelism.

The other objection stems from his leadership of the Human Genome Project, which is part of the N.I.H. Although Dr. Collins was widely praised in 2003 when the effort succeeded, the hopes that this discovery would yield an array of promising medical interventions have greatly dimmed, discouraging many.

Some critics such as Richard Dawkins have expressed reservations about Dr. Collins faith, wondering if it might cloud his scientific judgment.

Francis Collins, M.D., Ph.D., is probably best known for his leadership of the Human Genome Project, though his discoveries of the Cystic Fibrosis, Huntington’s, and Neurofibromatosis genes are also extraordinary accomplishments. Dr. Collins is a world-renowned scientist and geneticist, and also a committed Christian. In his recent best-selling book, The Language Of God, Dr. Collins attempts to harmonize his commitment to both science and religion.

His new book on personalized medicine, "The Language of Life: DNA and the Revolution in Personalized Medicine," will be published in 2010.

noreply@blogger.com (Pat Garcia) — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 16:30:54 PDT

Getting rid of superstitions that bound us

Superstition: an irrational belief arising from ignorance or fear

I´m moving ahead, there doesn't seem to be a desire from some people to get rid of superstitions (1) holding them down. Our submission to God and his word gives us protection and authority.

¨Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.¨ James 4:7

When Jesus Christ is really the owner of one´s life and heart, His truth sets you free. It doesn't matter what man can say, it didn't matter what was said to the adulterous woman in John 8:3 , the immense, unexplainable love and power of God set her free to go and sin no more.

We all walk through a path of faith and maturity, we can´t stop along with others who have stopped their journey, we can´t race beyond our strength to pass those who are way ahead of us.

We can walk step by step instead, dying to our own selves so ¨this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us¨ Corinthians 4:7-12 to let others know the source of the power that compels us.

The magnificent value of His glorious cross, what it means, what it moves us to believe, the glory of a resurrected Christ and all that it implies.

When will we understand? HE DID IT ALL

How long will we keep ignoring and taking for granted His victory at the cross? How long will we continue thinking as slaves and captives?

He transported us from darkness to His admirable light!

Forget all nonsense, believe and be free.

Pat Garcia

(1) The Roman Catholic Church considers superstition to be sinful in the sense that it denotes a lack of trust in the divine providence of God and, as such, is a violation of the first of the Ten Commandments.

“ Some people, when running away from Superstition, fall headlong into Atheism, both rugged and obstinate, and leap over that which lies between the two, namely, true Religion.”
Plutarch

“Man's mind is like a store of idolatry and superstition; so much so that if a man believes his own mind it is certain that he will forsake God and forge some idol in his own brain”
John Calvin

“The religious superstitions of women perpetuate their bondage more than all other adverse influences”
Elizabeth Cady Stanton

Mother Theresa, originally uploaded by imaging_dreams.
¨Never let anything so fill you with sorrow
as to make you forget the joy of the Risen Christ!"

Mother Theresa

Thyroid levels go down- body weight goes up

noreply@blogger.com (Pat Garcia) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 19:48:08 PDT

My weight went up to 191.4 pounds, being only 5 feet this is quite a lot, besides being the heaviest I have ever been in my entire life.

After losing so much hair during a hyper phase of my thyroid, I didn't really want to risk messing up with the dosages again and I wont until I´m able to go to a private doctor. The past experience with the Endocrinologist at the Social Security Hospital was on the border of traumatic. Living with and overdose or levothyroxine set me on the edge of madness without exaggerating.

Thank God my husband could perceive something was very very wrong and took me himself to be under the care of a private Neurologist and a Therapist which was the most urgent matter.

An uncontrolled thyroid affected me in many ways. Up to this day I can not believe how I fell into the trap of thinking the Social Security Endocrinologist was really acting professionally, but, How can he? When the appointments with his patients are more than 3 months apart.

Being without supervision with a hyper condition for more than 3 months was very tragic, pathetic and confusing, I was losing myself and everything I loved.

I have recovered, yet I have to deal with the excess luggage I have now that my thyroid med was lowered.
¨There will be time for that, now the seizures, the anxiety and the vertigo have to be controlled¨said my doctor. Whom I´m very grateful to.

I´m happy to say it´s time to dedicate myself to get rid of those pounds!

I got to the point where I can´t bend down anymore, having cortisol issues makes me accumulate fat around my belly. My hands and legs are still slim. I´m like Humpty Dumpty. My bone structure is that of a slim person so my knees hurt as I walk with all the extra weight. It is also very difficult to go up the stairs to my bedroom.

As mind are brain were really recovering being taken care of by really really dedicated doctors, it really didn't matter much, how I looked outside, my face has acquired a new splendor of happiness and ease as I can relate to others lovingly again.

Symptoms of a Levothyroxin e Overdose

Levothyroxine is a "narrow therapeutic index" drug, which means that the safe and effective dose is usually very close to the toxic dose. Therefore, an overdose can result from taking just a little too much levothyroxine. The symptoms of a levothyroxine overdose can be very dangerous. Some of the most dangerous symptoms include:

Anxiety
Confusion or disorientation
Feelings of a rapidly or forcefully beating heart (known as heart palpitations)
An irregular heart rhythm (arrhythmia)
High blood pressure (hypertension)
A rapid heart rate (tachycardia)
Seizures
Strokes
Coma
Death.

noreply@blogger.com (Pat Garcia) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 17:39:17 PDT

The Gulf of California Rocks With 6.0 Quake

by patgarcia |

The 6.0 magnitude quake this morning at 5 am was strong enough to be felt in the states of Sonora, Sinaloa and Baja California Sur. A similar earthquake, a bit stronger 6.3, was felt on saturday September 1st 2007 leaving us with dozens of aftershocks.

La Paz, Baja California Sur.- Un fuerte sismo de magnitud 6 en la escala de Richter estremeció el noroeste de México a las 05:00 am, y tuvo el suficiente potencial para dejarse sentir en el sur de Sonora, norte de Sinaloa y Baja California Sur.

A 6.0 earthquake struck Friday morning in the Gulf of California off the western coast of Mexico, the U.S. Geological Survey reports.

The scientific report about the California earthquake from the U.S. Geological Survey may be found here. The earthquake was felt at 05:00:18 AM at epicenter time, which is PST in California this morning on July 3.

So far there are no words about the damages.

noreply@blogger.com (Pat Garcia) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 07:13:24 PDT

Longest Continuous Relay Swim from Baja to help Wounded Warriors

by patgarcia | June 25, 2009 at 08:07 pm

Another great international event in my city La Paz Mexico. William 'Spanky' Gibson, Vito Bialla, Gordon Clute, Matthew Davie, Dave Holscher, John Mathews, JC Sheppard, Scott Stiteler and Emily Young the Night Train Swimmers.will cross the Sea of Cortez from Peaceful La Paz to a port close to the city of Culiacan in mainland Mexico supporting the Wounded Warrior Project.

After last year's successful English Channel crossing on behalf of Lifehouse Agency, the San Francisco-based Night Train Swimmers will attempt to break the world record for the longest continuous relay swim by crossing the Sea of Cortez (Mar de Cortés) in Mexico from La Paz to the Mexican mainland - a distance of 252K (157 miles).

On June 27, the Night Train Swimmers will depart from La Paz on a 157-mile trek across the Sea of C ortez in an attempt to break the world record for longest continuous relay swim. The Night Train Swimmers are raising money for the Wounded Warrior Project.

A little bit about ight Train's safety officer for this crossing. If you want to read about the rest of the participants you can go to the link below.

William "Spanky" Gibson is Night Train's Chief Safety Officer for the Sea of Cortez crossing in June 2009. A decorated US Marine, Spanky was shot by a sniper in May 2006 while on foot patrol in Ramadi, Iraq. When the firefight was over, his left leg was gone. Just two months after he was shot, Spanky was back at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, preparing to go back to Iraq with his new prosthetic leg.

Over the past few years, Spanky has completed multiple triathlons and ultra-endurance events. He currently serves as a Marine Legislative Fellow at the Committee on Veterans' Affairs in Washington, DC, where his duties include drafting legislation, serving as a liaison to constituents, planning international conferences and much more.

Crossroads Panorama

noreply@blogger.com (Pat Garcia) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 18:40:32 PDT

by ~gacek

Jeremiah 6:16

noreply@blogger.com (Pat Garcia) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 21:12:33 PDT

Christian Backgrounds Wallpaper - Jeremiah 6:16, originally uploaded by crossmap backgrounds.

This is what the LORD says: "Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, 'We will not walk in it.' (Jeremiah 6:16 NIV)

Everything around me is taking me to the fundamental aspects of my faith , to the beginning of spiritual growth, to the day I looked up to the heavens for the first time. A life full of hope and gratitude even in the mist of storms when knowing something as marvelous and amazing as a rainbow can enhance the beauty of our lives.
It is important to stop and look, to follow the ancient paths not meaning paths of old-fashioned outdated forms of thinking but rather meaning the foundation of our faith, the ancient ways to walk given by God to his people. The fundamental eternal truths that are non-changing will make us strong and full of peace to face an ever changing world.
Believing in the God who believes in you assures you with a steady step forward, it secures you and provides the certainty of walking in the right direction towards your destiny, your pilgrimage, your mission in life as and exaltation of his glory in you.
As you walk following the eternal truth of God, peace will come to you and those around you, as you keep walking you advance through a period of maturity and change, your spiritual perception advances forward in this process reaching a point of increasing revelation and wisdom.
It is at that point when you can experiment constant gratitude, continuous praise and worship to your creator. It is at this time of maturity when asking and obtaining is not so important anymore. It is a slow, steady walk to destiny and accomplishment when you can live and feel each moment and sensation, experimenting life at its maximum level.
Time of triumphs when adversity can't beat you, it can knock you down, but it can't beat you once you have embraced the kingdom of God with all your heart and might.
Pat Garcia

noreply@blogger.com (Pat Garcia) — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 19:57:33 PDT

I will extol thee, my God O, King

This verse reveals Aleph once again grammatically expressing the idea of I Will placed before a verb. ארוממך ‎ (aromimkah, I will extol), formed from the root רום ‎ (ruwm, extol/elevate/uplift) prefixed with Aleph (א ‎).

This is what the LORD says:
"Stand at the crossroads and look;
ask for the ancient paths,
ask where the good way is, and walk in it,
and you will find rest for your souls.
But you said, 'We will not walk in it"

Jeremiah 6:16 ( NIV )

There are times when it is necessary to stop and look for the old ways, the good ancient paths which will give us rest for our soul, at times when we feel lost and confused by so many new things happening at once and so many circumstances pushing us to forget the source of our strength and peace, it is then when our soul must stop and observe, ask and meditate on the path to follow.The path to walk in.

Personally I have chosen to follow a path of humbleness, praise and exaltation to our God I have learned that through hard times of trial and experimenting triumph as well. Through sadness anger and temptation. I have always come back to praising Him.

Personally I have come to a point where I know it is God who guides my life to the destiny and purpose he has ordained for me. It is when I respond to that calling that I feel at peace and plenty of joy. It is then when I have hope. It is then when I can experiment an increase of faith and health.

To walk in the ancient paths of God-ordained way of worship, based in His Word, His eternal goodness is like St. Augustine said in his autobiography: “Lord, you have made us for yourself and our hearts find no rest until they rest in you!”

I extol your name my God
I thank you deeply for your work in me
for your many blessings I have no words to express
so much gratitude, so much praise
I simply humbly just exult your name up high.
Forever and ever
Eternamente y para siempre
Pat Garcia

marathon of life

On accepting Reality

Colossians 2:17 (New International Version)

Hurricane Rick in La Paz

A Little Longer

The Effects Of Fasting On The Brain

A juice fast lifts the spirit

by Deborah Lawwill

Mayweather Returns in Victory

VOLAR

Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder

World Championship Boxing Cabo´s New Entertainment

" My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness"

Joel 3:10 (NIV)

Thyroid Eye Disease

Mexican Boxer Marco Nazareth Died After Fight With Omar Chavez

Mexican Boxer Omar Nazareth Died After Fight With Omar Chavez

Marco Nazareth´s Brain Injury Another Tragedy in Mexican Boxing

Another Tragedy in Mexican Boxing | Photo 02

Dr Francis Collins Head of U.S. National Institutes of Health

by patgarcia at NowPublic

“ Some people, when running away from Superstition, fall headlong into Atheism, both rugged and obstinate, and leap over that which lies between the two, namely, true Religion.”

“Man's mind is like a store of idolatry and superstition; so much so that if a man believes his own mind it is certain that he will forsake God and forge some idol in his own brain”

“The religious superstitions of women perpetuate their bondage more than all other adverse influences”

Thyroid levels go down- body weight goes up

Symptoms of a Levothyroxin e Overdose

The Gulf of California Rocks With 6.0 Quake

The Gulf of California Rocks With 6.0 Quake

Longest Continuous Relay Swim from Baja to help Wounded Warriors

Longest Continuous Relay Swim from Baja to help Wounded Warriors

Crossroads Panorama

Jeremiah 6:16

Jeremiah 6:16 ( NIV )

marathon of life

On accepting Reality

Colossians 2:17 (New International Version)

Hurricane Rick in La Paz

A Little Longer

The Effects Of Fasting On The Brain

A juice fast lifts the spirit

by Deborah Lawwill

Mayweather Returns in Victory

VOLAR

Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder

World Championship Boxing Cabo´s New Entertainment

" My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness"

Joel 3:10 (NIV)

Thyroid Eye Disease

Mexican Boxer Marco Nazareth Died After Fight With Omar Chavez

Mexican Boxer Omar Nazareth Died After Fight With Omar Chavez

Marco Nazareth´s Brain Injury Another Tragedy in Mexican Boxing

Another Tragedy in Mexican Boxing | Photo 02

Dr Francis Collins Head of U.S. National Institutes of Health

by patgarcia at NowPublic

“ Some people, when running away from Superstition, fall headlong into Atheism, both rugged and obstinate, and leap over that which lies between the two, namely, true Religion.”

“Man's mind is like a store of idolatry and superstition; so much so that if a man believes his own mind it is certain that he will forsake God and forge some idol in his own brain”

“The religious superstitions of women perpetuate their bondage more than all other adverse influences”

Thyroid levels go down- body weight goes up

Symptoms of a Levothyroxine Overdose

The Gulf of California Rocks With 6.0 Quake

The Gulf of California Rocks With 6.0 Quake

Longest Continuous Relay Swim from Baja to help Wounded Warriors

Longest Continuous Relay Swim from Baja to help Wounded Warriors

Crossroads Panorama

Jeremiah 6:16

Jeremiah 6:16 ( NIV )

Symptoms of a Levothyroxin e Overdose