Nourishment for the Mind, Body, and Spirit!

A unique Free 10-minute a week Newsletter aimed at developing all of You: ​ 🧠 Mind 🧬 Body 🕊️ Spirit!

MIND

It might be useful to take advice from Dave Farrow, two-time Guinness Record holder for memorizing the most decks of playing cards by a single sighting, memorizing the order of 59 decks of shuffled cards, which is 3,068 cards. 

Dave provided 5 great tips for improving your memory: 

• Short intervals of intense focus, followed by resting periods. Cycle between six to eight minutes of intense focus followed by completely clearing your mind using meditation or deep breathing exercises for a brief period, he suggests.
• Conversations with new people. Meeting new people and engaging in interesting conversations is stimulating for the brain and can be great for boosting memory, says Farrow.
• Challenging activities, such as playing a new instrument or learning a new language, are helpful for brain stimulation. Never stop learning, there are just so many benefits.
• Looking up as often as you can. This one may be hard to wrap your brain around, but it does send more energy to your cerebral cortex and hippocampus, all of the memory centers of the brain.
• Deep-breathing exercises. Every so often, Farrow suggests breathing deeply enough that your chest stays in place, but your stomach moves in and out.

Relevant Quote: “All things are ready, if our minds be so.” – Henry V

BODY

The holiday season is here, which means more indulging in food, drinks, and desserts. As such, this week, we will focus on some holiday food facts. Food science and related studies sometimes offer conflicting results. My view, which is far from scientific, is that moderation is the key. Anything in excess can have adverse effects.

That said, research published in October 2023 in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition , which used data from a test covering 216,695 individuals over 25 years to find the association between intake of red meat (beef, pork, and lamb) and type 2 diabetes, concluded that:

• In relative terms, eating all types of red meat (about 6 oz. per day) increases the risk of type 2 diabetes by 62%. 
• If the consumption of red meat is only unprocessed red meat — so no bacon, sausage, salami, pepperoni, etc. — then the risk of type 2 diabetes is 40%, still high but less than the 62% group above.
• You will be happy to know that other research suggests that moderate consumption of red wine could have health benefits for those with type 2 diabetes. A glass of red wine with dinner may help lower glucose levels, reducing the body’s need for insulin. So there’s a lot of wisdom in pairing steak with a glass of red wine, after all.

Relevant Quote: “A good meal without wine is like a day without sunshine.” – Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

SPIRIT

Christmas is all about Christ. As such, I stand in awe of the prophetic words written by Isaiah circa 2700 years ago.  In Isaiah 9:6, we find the reason for our celebration, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Many might question the veracity of the Bible concerning prophecy. I believe that the Word of God is infallible. Here are three prime examples of events that were foretold in the Bible:

Prophesies Fulfilled:

• The Rise and Fall of Babylon: The prophet Isaiah foretold the conquest of Babylon by Cyrus the Great in 539 BCE. This prophecy is remarkable for its specificity, including details about Cyrus’s strategy and the city’s defenses (Isaiah 44:26-28). Archaeological evidence corroborates the accuracy of this prediction.
• The Return of the Jews to Israel: After centuries of exile, the Jews were granted permission to return to their homeland in 1948. This event was prophesied in Isaiah 11:11-12, which speaks of a future gathering of the Jewish people from the four corners of the earth. While the circumstances surrounding the return were complex, it aligns with the biblical prophecy of restoration.
• The Spreading of the Gospel: Jesus predicted that the gospel message would be preached to all nations before the end of the age (Matthew 24:14). Despite ongoing challenges, there’s ongoing emphasis to share the gospel in all tongues (in terms of translations) and to all nations. We are living in the time of fulfillment of this prophesy which suggests we are near the end times.

Relevant Quote: “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.” – Revelation 22:13

Thank you for reading, I hope you the material and I pray you will be blessed on your personal journey!

Please note on Sunday morning (US-ET) I send an email with the “Weekly Recap”, which includes the blogs which range from 1500 words to 3000 words, more meaty but really good material, along with a copy of the weekly Newsletter.

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Edgar S. Martinez