NO MORE

November 10, 2011 Read: Ephesians 2

"For by grace you've been saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is a gift of God." --Ephesians 2:8

"No more school, no more books, no more teachers, dirty looks."

For years, my wife Loretta and I have playfully sung that short tune at the end of each of her college semesters. See, after high school, rather than walk for a diploma, she walked down the aisle. And throughout the years, she's chipped away at her degree at night school, auditioning for the title of graduate. Well, I'm proud to report that today she takes her final final exam. But what's interesting is that, even though she's done with class, the next ceremony isn't until May. So she'll have to wait for her reward, even though she's met her requirement.

Kind of easy to think of Heaven at this point, right? Except, Heaven isn't dependent upon us passing every earthly test. Our days are full of multiple choices, but our performance doesn't chip away at some heavenly quota of credits, and frankly, nobody auditions for grace.

The truth is, someday we'll graduate this life. And like I'll be singing "no more school" to Loretta one last time as she walks through the door tonight, I like to think that we'll hear much the same when we finally meet our requirement, face-to-face.

No more hurt, no more pain. No more struggles, no more strain. All is right, the fight is done. Welcome to Heaven. Your heart, I've won.

--Jimmy Peña

COFFEE & CHOLESTEROL Science explores the connection between your morning java and your heart health

We are a caffeinated nation. Sure, stressful commutes, hectic family lives and TPS reports keep us heading back to the coffee pot multiple times throughout the day but there is also a palate-pleasing allure to a well-brewed cup of java. But while the caffeine gets most of the attention, there are other compounds in coffee to be aware of -- some to be cautious of.

Some worry about coffee's effect on cholesterol because of the presence of certain compounds in the beans. Daily consumption of 10 milligrams of cafestol—the amount in about four 5-ounce cups of French-press coffee—has been shown to raise cholesterol by 8 to 10 percent in four weeks, mostly due to increased LDL (“bad”) cholesterol. Some people are affected more than others, and the effects may be greater in those who have higher cholesterol to begin with.

Luckily, most American-style, drip coffee is practically devoid of these types of compounds and coffee's many health benefits, such as its powerful antioxidant content, may outweigh the risks. Read the full report from the University of California (Berkeley) by clicking here.

VITAL SIGNS

October 20, 2010Read: Luke 15

"The angels in heaven rejoice whenever a sinner gives his heart to the Lord." --Luke 15:7

Someone once said that the heart of the problem is the heart of the person. And over the course of my life, I'm learning that to be true. The longer I live, the more sure I am of the fact that whatever good anyone could or will ever see in me is all because of Jesus. Anything else? My issue, my problem, my heart.

I was reminded of that earlier this year when I was having a physician's examination. Before going into an outpatient procedure, they attached a few leads to my chest to monitor my heart throughout the exam. Funny, after only a few seconds it began to chime loudly. The surprised nurse quickly walked back in and turned it off. When asked, she said that the alarm sounds in the ER whenever a heart rate falls below 40.

The irony of the moment made me pause. A monitor specifically designed to alert others of a failing heart, was actually letting the room know of a strong one.

What are you and I doing to let others know the condition of our hearts? Because unless we share Christ -- unless we sound the alarm -- some people may never know that what's really going on inside is a celebration. Unsure how to do that? Just start sharing love. For that, we don't need a monitor with a 12-lead...all we have to do is follow His.

--J.P.

BURN MORE FAT Vary your activity to maximize your get-lean efforts

At PrayFit, we lean pretty heavily on resistance training as to cause drastic, lasting change to your overall body composition. But as you may have read here before, ultimately, the best kind of activity is the kind that you will continue to do.

CNN recently ran an article citing the calorie-burning effects of some popular forms of exercise. For instance, did you know that inline skating can burn 425 calories in 30 minutes? Or that hula hooping can nuke 300 calories in the same amount of time? Read up on seven of the best fat-burning activities around, then weigh in below on what your favorite is.

>> SUPER CIRCUIT: Use this PrayFit-crafted circuit to start torching fat in 10 minutes or less each day.