Caffeine & It's Hidden Sources

When most people think of caffeine, coffee, tea, chocolate, or colas usually come to mind. Yet caffeine often shows up in unexpected places, hidden in everyday products we may not realize contain it.

As someone who avoids caffeine, I’ve often found limited options when spending time with friends at local coffee shops. Believing I was making a safe choice, I once ordered a Starbucks Strawberry Açaí Refresher—only to later discover that it contains 45–55 mg of caffeine from green coffee extract.

Caffeine is the most widely consumed stimulant in the world. While many rely on it to boost alertness and concentration, it also carries risks that vary depending on the amount consumed, how often it’s used, and individual sensitivity.

Echoes of Creation in Chinese Characters

The Chinese written language is among the oldest and most enduring writing systems in the world. Unlike most languages that use phonetic alphabets to represent sounds, Chinese characters are logographic, with each symbol representing a word or meaningful concept. The earliest forms were pictographs, simple drawings of objects such as the sun, a tree, or a person. Over time these drawings became stylized and were combined to express more complex and abstract ideas, yet the system has always remained rooted in visual symbols rather than sound.

The origins of Chinese writing stretch back more than 3,000 years to the Shang dynasty, with oracle bone inscriptions from around 1200 BCE being the earliest known examples. This makes Chinese one of the oldest continuously used writing systems in existence. Unlike other ancient scripts, such as Egyptian hieroglyphs or Sumerian cuneiform, which eventually faded from use, Chinese characters have endured and adapted. Because the writing system is not directly tied to pronunciation, it has served as a unifying force among speakers of many different dialects, acting as both a cultural and linguistic bond through the centuries.

Scholars and missionaries have noticed that some of the oldest Chinese characters seem to preserve themes found in the book of Genesis. For instance, the character for "temptation," merges the symbols for a WOMAN and TWO TREES, echoing the story of Eve and the serpent. Similarly, the character for “boat” joins the symbols for EIGHT, PEOPLE,  and SHIP, which parallels the eight persons saved in Noah’s ark during the flood.

Ministry of Healing: With Nature & With God

The Saviour's life on earth was a life of communion with nature and with God. In this communion He revealed for us the secret of a life of power.

Jesus was an earnest, constant worker. Never lived there among men another so weighted with responsibilities. Never another carried so heavy a burden of the world's sorrow and sin. Never another toiled with such self-consuming zeal for the good of men. Yet His was a life of health. Physically as well as spiritually He was represented by the sacrificial lamb, "without blemish and without spot." 1 Peter 1:19. In body as in soul He was an example of what God designed all humanity to be through obedience to His laws.

Steps to Christ: Faith & Acceptance

As your conscience has been quickened by the Holy Spirit, you have seen something of the evil of sin, of its power, its guilt, its woe; and you look upon it with abhorrence. You feel that sin has separated you from God, that you are in bondage to the power of evil. The more you struggle to escape, the more you realize your helplessness. Your motives are impure; your heart is unclean. You see that your life has been filled with selfishness and sin. You long to be forgiven, to be cleansed, to be set free. Harmony with God, likeness to Him—what can you do to obtain it?

Roasted Beet & Walnut Salad

September Beets: Harvest the Colour, Taste the Health 

Beets are a nutrient-dense root vegetable packed with vitamins, minerals, and beneficial plant compounds. They are especially rich in folate, manganese, potassium, and fibre, all of which support heart health, digestion, and overall vitality. Their natural pigments, called betalains, have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, while the nitrates in beets help improve blood flow, lower blood pressure, and enhance exercise performance by supporting oxygen use in the body. Regularly including beets in the diet may promote cardiovascular health, support detoxification, and provide steady energy thanks to their combination of natural sugars and fibre.

One delicious way to enjoy these benefits is with a Roasted Beet & Walnut Salad, a simple, whole-food plant-based recipe that combines tender roasted beets, crunchy walnuts, fresh greens, and a creamy tahini dressing for a flavourful and nourishing meal.

The Book of Enoch

The term Book of Enoch refers to a group of Jewish apocalyptic writings, 1 Enoch, 2 Enoch, and 3 Enoch, traditionally attributed to Enoch, the great-grandfather of Noah. In reality, scholars believe these texts were written by multiple anonymous authors between the 3rd century BCE and the 1st century CE.

When people mention “the Book of Enoch,” they almost always mean 1 Enoch, the earliest and most influential of the three. Written in stages during the Second Temple period, it presents Enoch’s visions and revelations. Its most famous section, The Book of the Watchers, recounts how fallen angels (“Watchers”) descended to earth, married human women, and taught forbidden knowledge, producing the Nephilim and corrupting humanity. The text goes on to prophesy final judgment and a coming messianic kingdom.

Despite its influence, 1 Enoch was excluded from the Jewish canon and later from most Christian canons. It was considered pseudepigraphal, falsely attributed to Enoch, who lived before the Flood, and inconsistent with accepted scripture. Since it was not part of the Hebrew Bible or the Septuagint, it did not become foundational for Judaism or mainstream Christianity.

Ministry of Healing: Days of Ministry

In the fisherman's home at Capernaum the mother of Peter's wife is lying sick of "a great fever," and "they tell Him of her." Jesus "touched her hand, and the fever left her," and she arose and ministered to the Saviour and His disciples. Luke 4:38; Mark 1:30; Matthew 8:15.

Rapidly the tidings spread. The miracle had been wrought upon the Sabbath, and for fear of the rabbis the people dared not come for healing until the sun was set. Then from the homes, the shops, the market places, the inhabitants of the city pressed toward the humble dwelling that sheltered Jesus. The sick were brought upon litters, they came leaning upon staffs, or, supported by friends, they tottered feebly into the Saviour's presence.

Hour after hour they came and went; for none could know whether tomorrow would find the Healer still among them. Never before had Capernaum witnessed a day like this. The air was filled with the voice of triumph and shouts of deliverance.

Steps to Christ: Consecration

God's promise is, "Ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall search for Me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:13.

The whole heart must be yielded to God, or the change can never be wrought in us by which we are to be restored to His likeness. By nature we are alienated from God. The Holy Spirit describes our condition in such words as these: "Dead in trespasses and sins;" "the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint;" "no soundness in it." We are held fast in the snare of Satan, "taken captive by him at his will." Ephesians 2:1; Isaiah 1:5, 6; 2 Timothy 2:26. God desires to heal us, to set us free. But since this requires an entire transformation, a renewing of our whole nature, we must yield ourselves wholly to Him.

Let Your Food Be Your Medicine

"Who giveth food to all flesh: for his mercy endureth for ever." Psalm 136:25 

The "Doctrine of Signatures" is a traditional belief that the physical characteristics of plants and foods (their "signatures") indicate their intended use for healing specific parts of the body. The idea can be traced back to ancient Greece and Rome, but it became especially prominent in medieval Europe and the Renaissance.

Paracelsus (1493–1541), a Swiss physician and alchemist, was one of its strongest advocates. He taught that God had marked plants with signs of their purpose for human use. It was common in herbal medicine traditions across Europe, the Middle East, India, and China, though expressed differently in each culture.