by Al Sears, MD, CNS

Have you seen the ads for these new yogurts and drinks that promise to "regulate your digestive tract?"

The truth is most of these yogurts fail probiotics testing because they don't contain enough live bacteria to be effective.

Probiotics are live "good bacteria" cultures that help the body regulate digestion and fend off all types of chronic diseases.

But probiotic bacteria won't do you any good unless they make it through your gut. And that's tougher than it may sound. Imagine if you had to swim across an ocean of battery acid. That's the challenge bacteria face in your stomach.

The good news is, not all bacteria are created equal. Look for products with Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) which offers far more health benefits than most popular bacteria.

And before you rush out and buy expensive yogurt products, here are a few simple ways to increase the good bacteria in your gut.

Stay hydrated. This helps the good bacteria establish themselves.

Eat more foods that contain inulin – a type of fiber good bacteria eat. Garlic, onions, leeks, artichokes and chicory root are good sources of inulin.

Eat organic fruits and vegetables. Our ancestors got lots of good bacteria from the organic foods they ate.

by Dr. James Dobson

"Let the wise listen and add to their learning."
- Proverbs 1:5

Men may use less speech than women, but both sexes have been accused of not using their sense of hearing. "You never told me that" is a common household refrain. I (jcd) am reminded of the night my father was preaching at an open tent service. During his sermon, an alley cat decided to take a nap on the platform. My father, who was 6'4", took a step backward and planted his heel squarely on the poor creature's tail. The cat went crazy, scratching and clawing to free himself. But Dad, intent on his message, didn't notice. He later said he thought the screech came from the brakes of automobiles at a nearby stop sign. When my father finally moved his foot, the cat took off like a Saturn rocket.

This story illustrates the communication problem many couples face.

For example, a wife "screams" for attention and intimacy but feels that he doesn't even notice. It's not that he can't hear her; it's that he's thinking about something else or is completely misinterpreting her signals. This situation can easily be improved by simply "tuning in" to the station on which your mate is broadcasting. The truth is that careful listening feels so much like love that most of us can hardly tell the difference.

Just between us…

• When we tell each other something that doesn't get through, who is to blame - the "sender," the "receiver," or both?
• What have you wanted to say, but didn't because you couldn't get my attention?
• How could learning to listen better to each other help us listen better to God?

Dear God, teach us the wisdom and grace of listening. Help us to pay attention to each word as though we were listening to You. Amen.

by Jennifer Heeren

I was working at a place where I had become more and more miserable. It didn't feel like it was the right place for me. I looked for other options but when none came I figured that God had a reason and even a plan for me to be just where I was. I tried to stick it out and I even tried to do it with a smile on my face.

But anguish still enveloped me.

I would get through my days trying to stand up under the pressure as best as I could, but it wouldn't take much to knock me over. Traffic after one of those long and tiring days was often the thing that threw me off kilter. All that I wanted to do was get home but cars all around me seemed to block me at every turn. When I would finally get home, I would throw my arms around my husband and weep.

He understood exactly what I needed--to be held and loved until the tears went away.

The Apostle Peter understood this when he wrote, husbands must give honor to their wives. They should treat them with understanding. Understanding that realizes that women are weaker in physical strength (even though they are fully equal as a part of God's creation) and sometimes need extra care (1 Peter 3:7).

Then Peter took his advice even further to fit all Christians, not just husbands toward wives. He went on to say that all people should seek to understand one another. We should sympathize with each other and love each other as brothers and sisters. Tender-hearted compassion, as well as a humble attitude, goes a long way toward getting along with others and helping them through the trials of life (1 Peter 3:8).

My husband quieted me with his love and care which reminded me of my heavenly Father that promised to do the same. My Lord and my God is always near. He is a mighty Savior who takes delight in me. His love calms all my fears and sings joyful songs over me (Zephaniah 3:17).

Often God uses people to show His love to other people. But even in the moments where no human being is around, God comforts His children in a multitude of creative ways.

You come across just the right Scripture at the right time and you remember that God is Immanuel, and He is indeed with you. And that knowledge strengthens and supports you.

A line in a song reminds you that the Lord is your Shepherd and will always pick you up and carry you when you feel like you can't take another step. You are always close to God's heart.

You realize in hindsight that even though bad things have happened, God has been with you all along and has guided you through those dark valleys with his rod and staff. Then you thank Him for His protection.

So, when your wife (or husband or friend or neighbor or even a stranger) needs a reboot, offer them these three things:

1. Your shoulder to support them when they can't go any further.

2. Your arms to show your compassion and care in the form of a hug.

3. Your ears to listen to their worries, complaints, and fears.

You don't necessarily need your mouth, at least not in the beginning. Advice and ideas come much later in the process after the waterfall of emotion has calmed into a more peaceful stream.

After all, doesn't love cover a multitude of sins (and worries and problems)?

In the above-mentioned job, I determined that if I could just make it through another six months or so, things might turn around for the better. But I didn't get that chance. I may have resigned myself to stay, but God wanted more for me than that. The company let me go which turned out to be a blessing. The next few months--the same ones that I had been determined to push through--proved to be very rocky at the company and God had spared me of that. A weight was removed from me and a new job came shortly afterwards.

Please pray with me:

Dear Lord, when I'm in the midst of a tumult of worries, fear, and sadness, remind me as quickly as possible that You are with me. I can never go anywhere where You can't find me. In my mountain top, excited moments, You are there. In my desert wanderings, You are there. You are even there in my lowest, most distressed states. I may not always feel it but I know You are with me. Bring just the right person at just the right time to help me to stand when I am under pressure. And always remind me of Your immense love which was depicted on that cross. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

About The Author:

Jennifer Heeren loves to write and wants to live in such a way that people are encouraged by her writing and her attitude. She loves to write devotional articles and stories that bring people hope and encouragement. Her cup is always at least half-full, even when circumstances aren't ideal. She regularly contributes to Crosswalk.com.

by John O'Leary

"Outer beauty pleases the EYE. Inner beauty captivates the HEART."
– M. Hale

When was the last time you met someone that you knew was a hero?

The kind of person that, the moment you met them, you knew it in the way they spoke, went about their work, served others, made a difference, and lived their life?

Last week I met one. Before speaking at an event I met him. But his story begins back in April.

In April, Alex sprinted through the kitchen right as his aunt was taking a pan of hot grease off the stove. They collided, and the grease terribly burned his face, chest and back. Little seven-year-old Alex was raced to the ICU, spent over a month there, endured reconstructive surgery on his eyes, ears, lips and chest.

When we met last week he shared that he is still in rehab, still in some pain, and most of all: still absolutely alive.

While downing cupcakes together I asked if he remembered the fire? "Oh yes, it hurt."
What hurt the most? "Those therapists. They love to stretch me."
What was the worst part? "Being away from my brother."
Anything cool happen in hospital? "The baseball team visited me. It was awesome. I didn't tell them, but I am a Yankees fan." Do people stare at you today? "Yes."
How does it make you feel? "I just don't care. They're just scars. They're not me."

We finished the cupcakes, wiped the icing off our faces, and went to the packed church upstairs where I was going to share my testimony.

I began my testimony that day by asking Alex to join me on the stage. He jumped to his feet, left the first row, and waddled up the five steps. As a reminder to the audience that we all have stories, I wanted to encourage this little guy to share his amazing story and life with us.

I asked his name, his age, what happened, how it felt, what it was like, and how he was doing. Finally asking if there was anything he wanted to say to all these people, he took the microphone in his little hands, looked out through big, vibrant brown eyes, and spoke with the innocence of a child,

"These are just scars, they're not me, and I am totally normal and fine."

He went to take his seat and the church leapt to their feet.

Afterwards his mom was crying and Alex walked over to her, put his arms around her, and said, "Mom, there is no reason to cry. I am a star now."

How right he is.

My friends, this little man is so vibrantly alive. Alex has what the rest of us are searching for. While we steady ourselves in the mirror, applying the makeup, doing the comb-over, and using tweezers on our eyebrows, he realizes that looks don't define us. Stares don't define us. Others can't define us.

Heroes aren't made in a mirror, they're made instead by allowing the inner beauty of their heart reflect and radiate light to a world absolutely starved for it.

This morning, go on striving to look beautiful or handsome. Get the hair, the face, the outfit just right. But realize a truth known already by Alex: that you are already beautiful and perfect regardless what some mirror (or someone else) may tell you.

Yes indeed, the best is yet to come. See that reflection now.

by Eric Metaxas, BreakPoint.org

[Editor's Note:

The opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of the Editorial Team of Malankara World.]

On January 13th, Compassion International told the sponsors of 130,000 Indian children that, barring an unlikely turn of events, it would cease operations in India in mid-March.

The announcement came a year after the Indian government told the organization that "it could no longer receive funding from outside the subcontinent."

While the news dismayed Compassion's donors, it shouldn't have come as a surprise to those familiar with the deteriorating state of religious freedom in India.

Compassion's announcement comes shortly after Open Doors International released its "World Watchlist," which ranked the worst countries in which to be a Christian.

North Korea, of course, ranked first again. The next twelve countries are either overwhelmingly Muslim or, like Nigeria, are suffering from an Islamist insurgency - in this case, Boko Haram - that targets Christians.

Then at #15, just behind Saudi Arabia, is India. Why? India is neither Islamic nor a repressive dictatorship like North Korea or China.

David Curry, the CEO of Open Doors, told Morgan Lee and Mark Galli of Christianity Today that the situation in India reflects the rise of what he calls "ethnic nationalism," in which what it means to be an Indian is defined in religious - in this case, Hindu - terms. An Indian who is a Christian or, for that matter, a Muslim, is regarded as less than truly Indian, because Hinduism is at the heart of what it means to be an Indian.

This ideology goes by the name "Hindutva," which literally means "Hinduness." It's an ideology that belies the western image of India as a land of Gandhi, gurus, and nonviolence. There's nothing peaceful or tolerant about Hindutva. On the contrary, the man who assassinated Gandhi was an adherent of Hindutva and felt that Gandhi had betrayed the Hindu community.

The current ruling party in India, the BJP, is ideologically committed to the idea of Hindutva. As Vice News put it, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in addition to being implicated in the 2002 massacre of 2,000 Muslims while governor of Gujarat, has also been "accused of promoting India's majority religion of Hinduism to the detriment of Christianity, Islam, and other faiths."

The ruling party's commitment to Hindu supremacy is perhaps best reflected in the various laws prohibiting religion conversion that I told you about on BreakPoint a year ago. Six Indian states have enacted laws in the past several years that effectively ban conversions from Hinduism to Christianity or to Islam.

This is the political and cultural context in which Compassion's decision must be seen. The Indian government knows that the money coming from outside of India is highly unlikely to be replaced by donations from within India.

It also knows that it can use all the help it can get: 44% of Indian children under five are underweight and 72% of its infants suffer from anemia.

So why block Compassion International? Because nationalism in the form of Hindutva trumps helping malnourished children.

What can we do about it? The good news is that, unlike North Korea or Somalia, we do have some political leverage. India wants to increase its annual trade with the USA five-fold "over the near term." Christians should let the Trump administration know that such increases must be accompanied by a greater respect for religious freedom on the subcontinent.

And of course we should pray. Curry told Christianity Today that he would feel "much better" if he felt that the "American church" was "at least praying" for persecuted believers.

At least, indeed.

About The Author: