High Five Friday! - Week 5

High Five!

Without any ado, here are the things I give a High Five to this week.

1. Song I enjoyed listening to the most: Pray to Your Name, by Don Chapman and Adam Fisher, sung by Steve Smith and the Brookwood Church Praise Choir.

When I was a worship leader, I would spend hours at a time, listening to songs to sing during worship time. This is one of my favorite songs. I listen to it over and over and never get tired of hearing it.

"When there's nothing I can do, I will lift my eyes to you..."

2. Health and wellness discovery: Capsaicin works!

A friend told me a success story about losing weight by taking capsaicin capsules. Capsaicin is a compound found in chili peppers. Scientists say that people using capsaicin for weight reduction tend to lose weight because capsaicin brings about satiation, which leads to less food consumption. They say it also helps with reducing arthritis pain.

I don’t like taking pills, so I bought capsaicin from the bulk isle at the grocery store. Each morning I heat up a half cup of goat’s milk and stir in 1 teaspoon of capsaicin and a squirt of honey.

Peppers: Public Domain

This week I noticed my clothes were fitting more loosely. I weighed myself and I discovered I had lost a little bit of weight. I also noticed that the arthritis pain in my shoulders had reduced. In the past, I was unable to raise my arms without extreme pain. Now, I can raise my hands above my head and swing them in circles. There is still a little pain, but I can do more today than I have been able to do in a very long time. I am open to considering that my results may be psychological, but I don’t care. I’m seeing positive results. No pain is all gain.. that is... unless it's weight gain. Tee hee hee!

I read that as a pain reliever, capsaicin is so powerful it is banned from use at Equestrian sporting events. Horses that test positive for capsaicin are banned from racing.

Here is my disclaimer for sharing my experience with capsaicin. I am not a doctor, so I cannot give an official account of the effects of capsaicin. Your experience may be completely different than mine. If you have any medical conditions, be sure to check with your doctor before trying capsaicin or any supplement.

3. Truism: A fake online friend can be more real than a live fake friend.

Think about it.

Sometimes the people we have never met in our lives – fake... virtual people who support us online through  professional communities and forums can give us the kind of support we need to thrive in life. Sometimes the live... actual people we associate with on a regular basis can be the most hurtful, least supportive people in the world.

I strongly believe that whether virtual or actual, we live a better life by hanging out with the people who instill confidence in us, helping us to become better people. Our Heavenly Father desires for us to serve others with the kind of love and compassion that he shows us. Be real. Be kind. Be gentle.

“Treat others the same way you want them to treat you.” Luke 6:31 (New American Standard Bible)
The golden rule!

4. Bible verse that helped me through the week: Philippians 4:13 (New King James Version)
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

5. Television show that had me rolling on the floor laughing: Best Time Ever with host Neil Patrick Harris.

This is one of those shows that I thought was going to be… stupid. But, this week as I was thumbing through the channels wishing there was something decent to watch, I lingered on NBC just long enough to catch the gist of the show. Best Time Ever is a variety show containing pure entertainment. Before the show ended, I set my cable service to record every episode. I actually went back to re-watch that night’s episode again. It is stupidly funny and now I look forward to watching it again next week. Few shows capture my attention the way this show does. It’s clean, it’s humorous, and that Neil Patrick Harris is one very talented guy.