Does Your Marriage Come Before God's Calling?

In the last two generations of church teaching regarding marriage roles we have been told that marriage and family come first. This mind-set has led us to assume a theology that puts marriage and family members before God.

Unfortunately, when marriage is the primary relational focus rather than relationship with and obedience to God, it becomes subject to the will and weakness of its partners. The consequences are often unfruitful for home and heaven.

Marriage has a heavenly ordination that goes beyond family bliss. It is a tool for spouses to more completely fulfill God's destiny in their lives. But it is second to service to God. There is nothing in Scripture to suggest that a person should deny his heavenly call because his earthly partner doesn't recognize it--or abandon it because there is discord between them.

Misunderstanding about the role of marriage in the church can shipwreck sincere Christians when trouble develops with their spouses. Our traditions have subtly built an altar that makes married domestic tranquility the spiritual qualifier of Christians. In some cases it is a prerequisite for individuals, particularly women, to be received in ministry settings.

These traditions help to misplace single and divorced persons, particularly women, in the church. They also disable believers who are experiencing dissension at home.

This is not the teaching of Jesus or the apostles. Marital tranquility is not a prerequisite for anointing!

Perhaps the greatest error of the religious philosophy of marriage first is that it emphasizes marriage over the greatest commandment: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind'" (Matt. 22:37, NIV). If this commandment is in place in the life of a believer all other issues find their proper importance.

The second commandment prescribes what to do with your marriage: "'Love your neighbor [spouse] as yourself" (Matt. 22:39). If these two guidelines are in order in your life you will understand how to conduct yourself even when you are experiencing marital discord.

Ideally, marriage should facilitate obedience to the call of God in the lives of both spouses. Unfortunately, this is not always the way it works. There are many examples throughout Christian history of anointed servants of God whose matrimonial state was less than perfect. Yet they successfully gave themselves to God's service in obedience. We can learn from their examples.

DISCORD IN MARRIAGE 

Marital discord arises in the life of every union. From Adam and Eve down through the patriarchs and into our time, it comes with the territory. Remember how Sarah pestered Abraham to give her a child, finally insisting that he lie with her maidservant? Then when Hagar conceived Ishmael, Sarah had the nerve to blame Abraham! (See Gen. 16:1-5.)

In the time of Deborah and Barak, a housewife named Jael acted in direct violation of her husband's political obligations. She killed a king who had a covenant of peace with her household (see Judg. 4:17-22). Imagine the music she had to face when her spouse got home!

David's wife Abigail resisted the spirit and instruction of her first husband, Nabal, when she went behind his back to bring supplies for David and his men from Nabal's storehouse. Abigail's act of wisdom and faith made intercession for her household and saved them from oblivion by David's army. But that same intercession so offended Nabal that he had a heart attack when she confessed what she had done (see 1 Sam. 25:1-38).

Perhaps the clearest picture of continuing to serve God with a whole heart in the midst of trouble at home is the one Scripture gives us of David when he brought the ark back to Jerusalem (see 2 Sam. 6:12-15). He was directly in the center of obedience to God's will for his life. But his wife Michal berated him (v. 20).

Michal's resistance did not deter her husband. David replied, "I will become even more undignified than this" (v.22). If his godly service on that occasion displeased her, she was in for a lifetime of offense. The king would please God first.

In truth, the Bible does not make a person's marriage the plumb line of his relationship or anointing with God. Our traditions have done that.

Consider the example of Maria Woodworth-Etter, an anointed woman of God who helped usher America into Pentecost. A powerful preacher, Maria was used mightily in miraculous signs and healing in the late 1800s and early 1900s. But she was opposed at home as well as by the norms of society in her day.

In Maria Woodworth-Etter: Her Life and Ministry (Christ for the Nations Inc., 1992) Maria wrote, "When the Spirit of God was striving with me to talk or pray in a meeting, I would resist as long as I could. Then this awful vision would rise before me, and I would see souls sinking into eternal woe. The voice of Jesus would whisper, 'I am with you; be not afraid.'

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"Then I would be on my feet or knees in a moment. I would forget everything but the love of God and dying souls. God seemed to speak through me to the people.

"But I had so much opposition to contend with. My people were opposed; my husband and my daughter fought against it; and my whole being shrank from going to stand as a gazing stock for the people. But the Lord was showing in many ways that I must go and perform the work He had for me to do."

MIXING MARRIAGE AND MINISTRY 

The devil's strategy is to hit marriages in order to spiritually immobilize married persons. If he can accomplish this in enough cases, he can effectively slow the advance of the kingdom of God in a generation.

Likewise, if Satan can deceive enough households with the "marriage first" theology, he can keep Christians so focused on home that they are AWOL from participation on the front lines of evangelism and church service.

What should you do if your ministry is being blessed by heaven and your marriage is buffeted by hell?

1. First, recognize that your spiritual effectiveness may be one reason the devil is hitting you at home. Do not assume that you are to stop serving God in order to focus all your energies at home. That is, not unless God says so!

If He tells you to do this and you continue to give your full attention to ministry activity, then your ministry has become an idol--and an excuse for disobeying God. Remember that on Judgement Day Jesus will say to Christians who spent their lives in ministry as an excuse for serving their own agendas, "Although you prophesied and worked miracles in My Name, now depart from Me you lawless ones. I never knew you!" (See Matt. 7:21-23.)

2. Seek God's solutions to the weaknesses in your marriage and begin to strengthen it without taking your focus away from full devotion to God. Don't give territory to the devil by retreating to hearth and home simply because you have conflict there.

3. Throw yourself, your spouse and your marriage on the Lord. Seek and receive His specific personal instruction for your situation and season. Sometimes this comes as daily and hourly instruction until God brings you through into His peace and blessing. Once you have His direction, obey--whatever the cost.

The virtuous wife of Proverbs 31 fulfills the full purpose of God and provides for her family at the same time by active engagement of her spiritual and creative gifts in the marketplace. She delegates her responsibilities within the house while she is away and neglects neither her home nor her calling.

Man or woman, it takes a person wholly devoted to God to find the proper balance between marriage and ministry. For each one of us there will be a different equation. That is why it is so important to be led by the Holy Spirit in responding to God's call and following His lead in living it out.

The important thing to remember is that each one of us will answer to God--and no one else--for our lives and how we spent them. We will not answer to our spouses, our children, our pastor or our employer. In marriage as in single life we must individually work out our own salvation with fear and trembling.

God will accept no excuses. He will not release you from accountability because your spouse didn't want you to follow the call, your pastor didn't think a woman should preach or your children complained that you were never around. He will judge you based on whether or not you did what He asked you to do.

MINISTERING IN CONFLICT 

Ministry in the midst of marital discord is not ideal--but it is not necessarily devoid of anointing. And it is certainly not an excuse for disobedience to heaven's call. Your marriage was never ordained by God to be a hindrance to your service or obedience to Him.

As ministers, my husband, Mahesh, and I have daily opportunities to experience the strain that ministry can place on marriage. Particularly during times when we are bringing the gospel to strategic regions we face tremendous spiritual resistance that usually results in pressure on the home front. Our personal compatibility and communication can easily become stressed to the breaking point.

The devil uses our weaknesses to try and turn us against one another or drive one of us into isolation. He knows that division between us is strength for him.

In the early days it would never fail that our weaknesses came to a head just as we were leaving for church. Once we were at the front door on the way to an important church meeting and dinner fellowship. Mahesh was carrying a huge dessert we were taking. I was rushing around tying up all the loose ends I had to handle while he waited--impatiently.

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The day had been littered with lots of little foxes. As pressures grew, tempers shortened. When Mahesh reached for the door handle I made a resentful remark. It was the last straw for both of us.

He dropped the dessert, on purpose, on the floor. He wasn't counting on its bouncing back! But bounce it did: everywhere. I watched, angry and horrified, as red Jell-O, whipped cream and other ingredients splattered the ceiling, walls, floor and front door.

What did we do? We left the mess and went to the meeting, sans dessert but with hearts sure for God. For months afterward I found little dried spots of red Jell-O in all the crooks and crevices of our home. Each one was a reminder of the devil's strategy to get us to back down from the war against his kingdom by starting a war at home. Satan's biggest tactic against married persons is to put pressure on them in an effort to make them retreat from active spiritual service.

Our experience has showed us that the two most effective tools for handling ministry in the midst of marital discord are: (1) commitment to God and His kingdom first; and (2) a sense of humor. Sincere commitment to God ultimately brings clarity in our personal circumstances, and a sense of humor helps us to hope, bear and believe all things (see 1 Cor. 13:7). Both these tools help us to fulfill the two greatest commandments in proper order: love God and love your neighbor.

Love says to take precautions in relating to one's spouse. As much as possible try to sidestep the areas you know will cause him to stumble or to become angry or anxious, even if you have an opportunity to make a point regarding an issue in his life. Maintain control over your own spirit, keep a guard on your tongue and refuse to indulge in self-pity or self-importance.

The key to spiritual success in marriage is realizing that each one is as unique in the plan of God as the partners themselves are unique among human beings. For this reason there must be not two, but three persons in agreement within each marriage: the husband, the wife and the Holy Spirit.

A marriage is not an organization; it is an organism, a living union no less than a person or a tree. When one or both partners demand that it become the tool to service their own comfort, convenience or demands, shipwreck is inevitable.

On the other hand, the husband or wife who uses religious or ministry business as an excuse to neglect loving service to his or her family is in danger of being in disobedience to the voice of the Holy Spirit as well. Balance and personal obedience to God are the plumb line.

Just as you must work out your own salvation in fear and trembling, you must work out your marriage before God and His Word. The bottom line is: Love the Lord first, love your neighbor (who is also your spouse) second. Love seeks not its own, including its own spiritual agendas or carnal comforts. Love seeks to do the heart and will of God.

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Bonnie Chavda serves as pastor of All Nations Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, alongside her husband, Mahesh, who is senior pastor.

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Original Page: http://www.charismamag.com/life/women/9386-does-your-marriage-come-before-god-s-calling

Xtian

News

11 best protein power foods for weight loss

by Angela Ayles

A diet high in lean and low-fat sources of protein is thought by many to be one of the most effective ways to slim down. These healthy proteins maintain lean tissue while burning fat for fuel and curbing your appetite.

Are you looking to lose weight the healthy way? So many people turn to crazy fad diets to shed the pounds. Not only are those diets proven to be ineffective but they can also be very dangerous to your health. Losing weight is simple: exercise regularly and eat a healthy, high protein diet.

A diet high in lean and low-fat sources of protein is thought by many to be one of the most effective ways to slim down. These healthy proteins maintain lean tissue while burning fat for fuel and curbing your appetite. In short, eating a high protein diet will make working out more effective and eating healthy easy.

There are a few things every individual should know before starting to boost their protein intake. First, the recommended daily allowance for men is 56 grams per day and 46 grams per day for women. Second, the types of protein you incorporate in  your diet will have a huge impact on your weight loss. You want to add lots of lean, low-fat sources of protein.

Below, you will find a list of 15 foods proven to be good sources of protein, as indicated by the US Department of Agriculture. Each food will have an amount associated with it and the number of grams of protein per item to help you control how much you're eating.

Here are 15 Protein Power Foods for Healthy Living:

 1. Lean Meat, Fish, Poultry

Amount: 1 Ounce = 7 Grams of Protein

Incorporating lean meats, fish and poultry (lean chicken, salmon, tuna etc) into your daily diet will give you a huge boost of healthy protein. An average chicken breast or salmon fillet can range from 4 ounces to 8 ounces, depending on the size. Many individuals turning to high protein diets significantly increase their intake of lean chicken breasts and fish because they boast so many other health benefits as well. Stay away from breaded or fried chicken or fish for best results.

2. Eggs

1 Large Egg = 6 Grams of Protein

Eating one or two eggs a day is a great way to add healthy protein to your diet. If you don't have time to make eggs before work or school, hard boil 5-10 at the beginning of the week and you can easily just grab them and go in the morning. If you don't like the taste of eggs, whip one or two into a morning smoothie and you won't be able to taste them at all.

3. Milk

1 Ounce = 1 Gram of Protein

Drinking a glass of milk a day (an 8-ounce glass of milk contains approximately 8 grams of protein) will give your body the boost of protein as well as calcium, which is good for your bones. If you don't like drinking milk on it's own consider making a fruit smoothie or eating a bowl of cereal to get the nutrients your body needs.

4. Low-Fat Yogurt

4 Ounces = 6 Grams of Protein

An average, on-the-go container of yogurt is about 6 ounces. Eating 1-2 portions of low-fat yogurt  each day is a healthy and delicious way to up your protein intake in a healthy way. The key is making sure the yogurt is low-fat.

5. Cheese

1 Ounce = 7 Grams of Protein

Cheese is a huge source of healthy protein. Enjoying a few slices of cheese everyday will increase your protein intake significantly. To put things into perspective, 1 ounce of cheese will give you the same amount of protein as 1 ounce of chicken.

6. Cooked Kidney Beans

1/2 Cup = 7 Grams of Protein

One half-cup of cooked kidney beans will give you the same amount of protein as an ounce of cheese or lean chicken. If you're looking to add more variety to your diet while keeping your intake of healthy protein high, consider adding a small cup of kidney beans to your lunch or dinner a few days a week.

7. Low-Fat Cottage Cheese

1/2 Cup = 14 Grams of Protein

Low-fat cottage cheese ranks number one on this list for the highest amount of protein per serving. A half-cup of cottage cheese will provide your body with 14 grams of protein to help you lose weight and stay healthy. Again, the key is making sure you purchase the low-fat products.

8. Lentils 

1/2 Cup = 9 Grams of Protein

There are several types of lentils to choose from, for those of you looking to add this protein super food to your diet. Lentils are sold in many colors, shapes and forms (with skin/without skin etc) and are often found in many Mediterranean diets.

9. Nuts

1 Ounce = 7 Grams of Protein

Eating a handful of nuts instead of chips or chocolate for your afternoon snack will go a long way in adding a boost of protein to your diet. If you don't like eating nuts on their own, consider adding walnuts or almonds to a salad to mask the taste but reap the health benefits.

10. Vegetables

1/2 Cup = 2 Grams of Protein

Many people wonder how much protein is in vegetables – and the answer varies depending on each type. An average half-cup of vegetables contains just 2 grams of protein, however, choosing high protein veggies like spinach, chickpeas or broccoli can increase that amount to up to 6 grams per serving. If you're looking to get more protein from your vegetables, choosing the right ones and eating larger portions should do the trick.

11. Peanut Butter

2 Tablespoons = 8 Grams of Protein

Eating peanut butter is perhaps the easiest (and most delicious) way to up the amount of healthy protein in your diet.. You can add peanut butter to so many things (wraps, sandwiches, vegetables etc) but for those of you with little time to prepare healthy meals, simply consuming to spoonfuls of this delicious spread straight from the spoon will give you a whopping 16 ounces of healthy protein for the day.

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Read more in Active Beat

Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija.

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Original Page: http://www.ynaija.com/11-best-protein-power-foods-for-weight-loss/

News

Imo deputy governor, Jude Agbaso impeached for financial fraud

by Chi Ibe

Imo-State-Deputy-Governor-Jude-Agbaso-

The State House of Assembly has sacked Imo State Deputy Governor, Jude Agbaso after a seven-man panel headed by Justice G.C Ihekire, concluded its investigation of financial fraud.

Agbaso was accused of allegedly taking N458m bribe from a Lebanese firm, J-PROS, om charge of the rehabilitation of the Sam Mbakwe Road in Owerri, the state capital. Agbaso was removed from office on Thursday after 26 out of 27 lawmakers voted for his impeachment.

The panel was set up on Tuesday and had its first sitting on Thursday, same day that Agbaso was impeached.

Head of the family and a chief of the All Progressive Grand Alliance in Imo State, Martin Agbaso, said:

"Being head of Agbaso family, my primary concern became to show to the world; to prove to the world that my brother is innocent and clear my good name.

"It is of primary importance to me to make sure that our family is duly cleared of all the accusations. So I quickly hired a team of forensic experts to please get into this matter."

According to reports, the head of the family said experts findings  faulted allegations that his brother was the owner of the two accounts into which the bribe was allegedly paid.

The Punch reports:

Majority Leader, Ihuoma Eke, representing Ahiazu Mbaise, moved the motion for the impeachment of Agbaso while the member representing Aboh Mbaise, Mrs.Pat Ekeji supported the motion.

Immediately after impeaching the deputy governor, Uwajumogu read out a letter sent to the House for the appointment of the Chief of Staff, Mr. Eze Madurmere, as the new deputy governor.

After reading the report, members adjourned and went into executive session for the consideration of the letter from Governor Rochas Okorocha.

The removed deputy had failed to stop the house from impeaching him when the case he instituted at the Owerri High Court was dismissed for lack of competence on the side of the court.

Agbaso also refused to appear before the seven-man panel set up by the state Assembly. Instead, he sent a protest letter condemning the composition and inauguration of its membership.

Meanwhile, Agbaso's family said findings of the independent forensic experts it privately engaged had vindicated the businessman-turned politician of the N458m bribery allegation.

Insisting that his younger brother was innocent, the APGA chief added that bribe-taking was "uncharacteristic of the Agbasos".

The contractor, J-Pros International Nigeria Ltd, through its Managing Director, Joseph Dina, had alleged that the deputy governor demanded N458m bribe which he claimed he eventually paid into two accounts supplied by the impeached deputy governor.

Rather Agbaso's brother said the alleged bribe was traced to the contractor's accounts domiciled in Dubai and Lebanon

He said the money was initially paid into the accounts of bureau de change firms with Guaranty Trust Bank and United Bank of Africa.

According to him, the deputy governor or any member of Agbaso family has no link with the companies into which the alleged bribe was said to have been initially paid.

He added that the deputy governor's call log obtained from MTN also showed that there was no voice or SMS conversation on the phone between with his brother as alleged by the contractor.

He said the money was not only found to have ended in JPros' accounts in Lebanon and Dubai, but that documents obtained from the Corporate Affairs Commission revealed that an aide of the state governor was found to have bought into the shares of the company in June 2012.

Agbaso said, "Now we traced the money the N458m bribe money that was said to have been given to my brother. The accounts are domiciled in Lebanon and Dubai and the owner of these accounts is no other person but JPros and Joseph Dina, the man who accused the Deputy Governor of receiving bribe. The money has been traced into his accounts in Lebanon and in Dubai.

"The company (JPros) is owned by four principal persons, the first owner is Joseph Dina, the second person is Aline Dina, the third person is Jean Samir Aoun and the firth person is Prince Macdonald Akano, who is the governor's SA on Projects and the Chairman, Contract Implementation Task Force in Imo State."

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Original Page: http://www.ynaija.com/imo-deputy-governor-jude-agbaso-impeached-for-financial-fraud/

News

Pope Francis washes feet of young female Muslim prisoner in unprecedented twist on Easter rite (SNAPSHOT)

Pope Francis kisses feet of prison inmate

While popes have for centuries washed the feet of the faithful on the day before Good Friday, never before had a pontiff washed the feet of a woman. That one of the female inmates at the prison in Rome was also a Serbian Muslim was also a break with tradition.

"There is no better way to show his service for the smallest, for the least fortunate," said Gaetano Greco, a local chaplain.

Pope Francis washed the feet of 12 inmates aged 14 to 21, among them the two women, the second of whom was an Italian Catholic. Mr Greco said he hoped the ritual would be "a positive sign in their lives".

Catholic traditionalists are likely to be riled by the inclusion of women in the ceremony because of the belief that all of Jesus' disciples were male.

The pontiff, who has largely disregarded protocol since his election earlier this month, urged his fellow clerics before the ceremony to prioritise the poor.

"We need to go out to the outskirts where there is suffering, bloodshed, blindness that longs for sight, and prisoners in thrall to many evil masters," he said at a mass in St Peter's Basilica.

"It is not in soul-searching or constant introspection that we encounter the Lord."

Francis, the first leader of the Catholic Church from Latin America, led a mass with a mixed group of young offenders at the Casal del Marmo prison outside of Rome.

The 76-year-old, who was archbishop of Buenos Aires until chosen as pope, has already made a name for himself as a champion of the disadvantaged. In his homeland of Argentina he was known for his strong social advocacy, working in slums and shunning the lavish lifestyle adopted by some senior clerics. He lived in a small flat near the cathedral, flew to the Rome conclave in economy class, and chose to travel with his fellow cardinals by minibus rather than in the papal limousine.

Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio – as Pope Francis was previously known – had already washed and kissed the feet of women in past ceremonies in Argentinian jails, hospitals and old people's homes, including pregnant mothers and AIDS patients.

Before performing the traditional feet washing, in his first general audience on Wednesday, Francis called on the world's 1.2 billion Catholics to reach out to "lost sheep" over the coming days.

"Holy Week challenges us to step outside ourselves so as to attend to the needs of others: those who long for a sympathetic ear, those in need of comfort or help," Francis told thousands of faithful gathered in St Peter's Square.

On Good Friday, Francis will recite the Passion of Christ – the story of the last hours of Jesus's life – in St Peter's Basilica, before presiding over the Via Crucis ceremony by the Colosseum, where thousands of Christians are believed to have been martyred in Roman times.

While last year his predecessor, 85-year-old Pope Benedict, presided over celebrations from under a canopy next to the Colosseum, Francis is expected to take part in the procession and even carry the wooden cross on his shoulder for part of the way.

On Saturday, the pontiff will take part in an evening Easter vigil in St Peter's Basilica, and on Easter Sunday the he will celebrate Easter mass in front of tens of thousands of pilgrims in St Peter's Square and then pronounce the traditional "Urbi et Orbi" blessing to Rome and the world.

Also on Thursday, the Pope made his first appointment of a bishop, naming Mario Poli, 66, to succeed him as archbishop of Buenos Aires and the top churchman in Argentina.

Francis also put his first people on the path to sainthood, unveiling a list of 63 people including victims of the Spanish Civil War, Nazism and Communism. The largest number are considered martyrs of faith killed during the 1931-45 conflict in Spain.

Read more: Telegraph

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Original Page: http://www.ynaija.com/pope-francis-washes-feet-of-young-female-muslim-prisoner-in-unprecedented-twist-on-easter-rite-snapshot/

5 surprising ways you could be damaging your kidneys

by Leslie Spry

If you spend most evenings planted on the couch, chips in one hand and the remote in the other, you probably know you're not winning the healthy living award. While some habits are commonly accepted as unhealthy, there are other everyday behaviors that don't seem harmful but in actuality may be damaging your body. Could you be harming your kidneys without realizing it?

March is National Kidney Month, and there isn't a better time to learn more about these vital organs. Your kidneys keep the body healthy by regulating blood pressure and filtering out toxins and extra fluid from your blood. Damage to the kidneys is often irreversible, so in honor of National Kidney Month, find out the five surprising ways that you could be damaging your kidneys.

1. Using painkillers for a long duration of time. Long-term use of certain pain medications, especially at high doses, has a harmful effect on kidney tissue and structures. Both over-the-counter and prescription pain medications can damage and reduce blood flow to the kidneys. Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) are a main culprit. As many as 1 to 3 percent of new cases of chronic kidney failure each year may be caused by pain medication overuse.

 

1. Smoking cigarettes. The ramifications of smoking on the lungs and heart are well-publicized, but studies also show that people who smoke are more likely to have protein in the urine, which is a sign of kidney damage. Diseases that affect the kidneys, such as diabetes and high blood pressure, are also exacerbated by smoking, and smokers are more likely to need dialysis or kidney transplants.

1. Eating and drinking lots of sugar. It's probably pretty obvious that your morning doughnut and the candy bowl on your desk are overloaded with sugar, but sugar can be hiding in some surprising places. For example, it can lurk in your sandwich bread and even your salad dressing. Too much sugar can lead to health problems such as diabetes and obesity, both risk factors for kidney disease. Eliminating sugar from your diet or reducing your sugar intake can reduce your risk for diabetes, obesity and kidney disease. If you cut back on the processed sugars, you're also likely to lose calories, chemicals and sodium. Your waistline and your kidneys will thank you.

1. Exposure to contrast dyes commonly used in imaging. It's important to make sure your physicians check your kidney function before you undergo any radiology procedures, such as CT scans, certain X-rays and angiograms. The dyes they must inject into your body to complete these tests can cause serious kidney problems, including Acute Kidney Injury or AKI. AKI results in an abrupt decrease in kidney function and occurs in up to 20 percent of all hospitalized patients and over 45 percent of patients in a critical care setting. Discuss any concerns you may have with your doctor before undergoing a procedure.

1. Consuming high-sodium foods. Large quantities of sodium can increase blood pressure levels. High blood pressure damages the kidneys over time and is a leading cause of kidney failure. The typical American diet has been estimated to contain about 3,300 mg of sodium per day, a figure substantially higher than the 2,300 mg daily maximum (about a teaspoon of salt) recommended by the government for healthy adults. The figure drops to 1,500 mg each day for those with health conditions such as high blood pressure or kidney disease. Start by cutting back on processed foods and resisting the urge to pick up the salt shaker. Another way to lower your dietary salt intake is by following the DASH Diet. DASH is an acronym for the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. A high salt intake coupled with obesity is a recipe for disaster. This combination is particularly potent at speeding the complications of high blood pressure, heart disease and kidney disease.

How do you plan to cut down on the ways you could be damaging your kidneys?

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This article was first published on HuffPost.

For more information on keeping your kidneys healthy, visit the National Kidney Foundation atwww.kidney.org.

For more by Leslie Spry, M.D., FACP, click here.

For more on personal health, click here.

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Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija.

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Original Page: http://www.ynaija.com/5-surprising-ways-you-could-be-damaging-your-kidneys/

iPad typing tips: how to get quick caps, rapid numbers, and instant apostrophes | iMore.com

Tech News

iPad typing tips: how to get quick caps, rapid numbers, and instant apostrophes

Looking for some tips on how to get quicker caps, more rapid numbers, and instant apostrophes (or single quotes) on your iPad? Well, Apple being Apple they built them right into the iPad keyboard -- even as they left them for us to discover on our own. Many of these are the same as on the iPhone and iPod touch, one is all new and quite nifty. Here are a few of our favorite iPad typing tips:

• If you fast access to accented characters, for example [é], just tap and hold the base character you want and the accented variations will pop up for easy entry. This also works on specialized keyboards, for example you can press and hold [.com] to get [.net] [.org] etc.
• To get quicker caps, instead of tapping shift and then the letter, just touch shift and then drag you finger to the letter and release. The closer the letter is to the shift key, the faster it is.
• Rapid numbers work the same way. Just touch the number key [.?123], slide up to the number or punctuation/symbol character you want, and let go. It's great if you just want a single number or character in between typing a lot of letters. (If you want to type a series of numbers you're still better off tapping the number key, then typing your numbers, then tapping the letters key [ABC] to go back to the alphabet.
• At first glance it looks like Apple forgot the apostrophe/single quote ['] on the first level of the iPad keyboard. You don't have to hit the number key to get it, however. Just touch the [!,] key and hold for a second, and the ['] magically appears above it. Tap for your apostrophe, or to combine these tips, just touch [!,] and swipe up and boom, instant apostrophe.

Try them out and let us know how the work for you, and if you have any iPad typing tips of your own to share, leave them in the comments and we'll update!

YouTube link

http://www.imore.com/ipad-typing-tips-quick-caps-rapid-numbers-instant-apostrophes

News

See Why You Must Resist The Temptation Of Getting Rich

Programmer and ardent blogger Dave Ozoalor has recently posted a controversial article on his page (at www.braintem.com ) that is currently going viral and getting lots of responses. Here is the article below.

Read this before you get very rich or very famous:
So you really want to get very rich and famous? Its good though, but I think it's over hyped. People rarely talk about the downside of it all. I would be listing the downsides of getting rich that I think you should consider before you move on to be wealthy – if you would still want to after this article.

Getting very rich will get you some great stuffs like:
1. Holidays
2. Travels
3. Private Jet
4. Mansion
5. Funding for your passion
6. Gold teeth
7. Tattoos all over your body
8. Good health care
9. Great Outfit
10. Respect

Feel free to substitute your own desires and illusions. Personally, I'd love to buy a growing third world country and sell it when it becomes a first world country!

Now let's get down to the pros and cons; having a lot of money has a number of disadvantages especially if you didn't pass through poverty, struggle and suffering to get it. If your wealth came over night, like inheriting the wealth of a dead loved one, then the drawbacks am about to list will be more pronounced in your life:

1. Die young: We've seen curt cobain shoot himself, Whitney Houston take drugs until she drowned in a bathub, Michael Jackson, Private Jet Plane crashes etc. Only the rich can afford to be taking such heavily expensive hard drugs that could trigger depression and in turn suicide when they are not taken. Only the rich ride in private jets, if it crashes like we've sometimes seen, only the rich die. We watched Dagrin get drunk in a night club and attempt to drive himself back home late at night in his new car, you know the end of the story – he crashed and died. If he wasn't rich, he wouldn't be driving a car in the first place. Let alone driving home late at night, drunk.

2. Loss of Peace: Money may take away your peace. You are always after who wants to cheat you in business and who isn't. You have armed body guard around you and around your house always. This is even more frustrating for your children. As they cant mix freely with other children and can't tell why. They could get kidnapped.

If you aren't stingingly rich, your neighbors won't be a threat to your life. They don't have to.

1. End of your goals and ambitions: Children born into money and people who got so rich along the way see with their own eyes as their dreams disappear. This leaves them no purpose to live for. No joy of struggle and victory which is inherent in humans. This lack may cause our next point.

2. Imbecility/Stupidity/Low IQ/Madness: Have you ever heard about crazy things super rich people do? Buying a yatch for as much as $20m . Would they abandon their house and live in a boat? What does it make them? Columbus J . No dreams, so children of super rich people find themselves doing crazy things like drawing tattoos all over their body, looking for trouble everywhere and so on, developing stupid phobia that was never there.

3. Being Judged unfairly: Most poor people think all rich people cheated them. You are in this category so when something bad happens to you, be ready to have sadists in their millions. Most People are tempted to think you are "lucky" or that your money fell from the skies. Or that you owe it to humanity to help them since you now have more money than them.

4. Someone is richer than you: La la la la, it never ends, you will always see someone richer than you. It's a fault you'll never be able to fix.

5. You'll never get that awesome feeling of being in want and struggle, then finally getting the solution that what you desire. It's a fulfilling desire you'll never ever get again, except you kill yourself and start all over again! Which is what many do.

6. Suicide: everything becomes boring so you are tempted most of the times to kill yourself out of depression or loneliness of living in a large well fortified lonely mansion with no neighbours.

7. Lack of true friends: all you ever get is business partners and false friends who love you for your money. No real friends again.

8. Confusion: buy a new house, sell it, buy another, crumble it, build another. Live a little while there, then sell it and start all over again in another state J You are forever confused because you can do almost anything you want, the opportunity cost does not mean anything to you again

9. Dreams and night mares

But don't get it twisted people; getting wealthy the right way and time is priceless, don't trade it for anything! Yes, yes I know and have said money is not everything, but somehow it feels better crying in a private jet than on a bicycle :O

By Dave Ozoalor
www.Braintem.com

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