IT'S FRIDAY!!!! Oh Glorious day!!   This is going to be a fun weekend for us.  My mother-in-law decided on Tuesday to come see us for the weekend.  It's a special surprise for Elaina and Addyson.  They still don't know!  I can't wait to see Elaina's face when she sees her Nana come out of the airport! So, I have some extra excitement about today being Friday.  Of course, I ALWAYS look forward to sharing with y'all.

So, today is more of an informational post.  I just want to share with you some things, and ideas that make my life a bit sweeter with the hope that they will add some flare and flavor to your life as well.  Everything will not be for everyone, but hopefully something will be of interest to each of you.

First of all I want to talk about something that is very new to me.  That is Clean Eating.  A sweet friend and I did a Daniels fast a few weeks back.  What is that?  Daniel chapter one tells about the King wanting to put Daniel and the three Hebrew children on a very rich diet so that they might be healthier and increase in mental clarity and intelligence.  But Daniel and the three Hebrew children were not going to be a part of the world's system.  So, Daniel issued a challenge in Daniel chapter 1 verse 12 Then said Daniel to Melzar, whom the prince of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah,¹² Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink.¹³ Then let our countenances be looked upon before thee, and the countenance of the children that eat of the portion of the king's meat: and as thou seest, deal with thy servants.  

Anyhow, my friend and I went on a two week fast of no meat, no sugary foods, minimal dairy, water to drink, and only whole grains.  It's a whole lot more difficult than it sounds.  I think I would prefer to just not eat.  At least that's what I thought in the beginning.  After the first week, I noticed how much better I felt.  I woke up in the morning ready to get out of bed.  For some that may not mean much.  For me, well, just ask Robin what kind of a morning person I am. NOT a pretty site!  I kept my energy throughout the day, I slept better, my frame of mind even seemed more on an even keel.  

At the end of the two weeks, I decided to do my best to continue eating this way only adding in lean meats.  I LOVE how I feel.

As I said, this may not be for you.  It's not easy at first by any means. Start small.  You could begin by eating only lean meats, then go to drinking only water, then take out your sugary snacks etc.  You get the point.  But, I encourage each of you to at least look into it.  You WILL be benefited from making some adjustments to your diet.  

Sis. Pam Penney is a wealth of information on this subject.  You also can read more about it here http://www.thegraciouspantry.com/what-is-clean-eating/.  You can get lovely, delicious recipes that follow the clean eating diet here http://www.thegraciouspantry.com/find-recipes-by/categories/.  OK, OK, OK that's all I will say about that!

Recently I have had discussions with different ones of you who are looking for resources to enhance your daily lives and walk with God. The following are some that I enjoy.

For Apostolic anointed radio programming you can go to www.revivalradio.net.  They have a 24/7 preaching channel as well as an all Apostolic music channel.  I LOVE THIS! It is sponsored by The Pentecostals of Katy, in Katy Texas.  They also stream some of their live events.

Also, Focus on the Family is an endless resource for all things dealing with the family and just life in general.  Their website is www.focusonthefamily.com.  You can find so many resources there.  Just recently I went to their site to get information about immunizing my children.  I have also used there site for encouragement in my marriage as well as disciplinary issues with my girls.

In addition to their site, they have a daily radio program that you can listen to from the website or download their app for Android and IPhones.  We LOVE Focus on the Family.  I listened to a program that they had last week about making Christmas special without going into debt.  It was soooooo helpful!  

I can't say enough about Focus on the Family, but one last thing.  If you have kids, (and by kids I mean any age) you and they will enjoy Focus on the Family's kids program called Adventures in Odyssey.  We listen to it every day at lunch.  The shows are done very well and capture the kids attention while at the same time teaching them Bible truths and life lessons from a biblical point of view.  You can find them at www.whitsend.org.  You will be hooked from the first one.

Another thing that I wanted to share with you is a couple of clothing websites. For the active ladies among us you will love www.apostolicsportswear.com.  She makes some awesome workout/sportswear that are modest and practical for exercise. Also, www.apostolicclothing.com sells some beautiful outfits, skirts, tops, jackets, and accessories.  Some of their stuff can be a bit pricey, but if you watch their site, they offer good deals quite often.

Ok, this been looooonnnnnnggggg!! But, I hope it will be helpful to you.  Each of these things are a part of my life and I wanted to share them with you my sweet sisters.

I hope you have a day full of UNEXPLAINABLE blessings!

Gwen Craft