bryan

No, Dr. Mercola doesn't sell snake oil. I've been reading his articles for several years now and have never seen any sort of herbal 'cure all'. In fact, when I asked my co-workers (many who have PhDs in biochemistry and genetics) what they though of some of the articles, they generally agreed with his conclusions. After reading hundreds of his articles, I find that 95% of them to be quite informative. He generally starts with articles from other articles, comments on their conclusions, then gives references and places to read more. This is hardly what I would call 'snake oil'. Perhaps you're referring to the 5% of the articles he writes about various supplements, juicers, and other health practices. He reviewed juicers quite nicely and spoke highly of the nutritional value of fresh juices, then gave a link to what he thought was the best model to buy. He didn't sell the juicer, but he probably got a small referral fee from the link. I don't have a problem with this, personally. There are a few supplements he recommends that I don't think are worth their cost. Since the percentage of articles with good research and information is easily over 95%, I don't have a problem screening a few articles that sell something. I'm not related to his practice or get anything for writing this. I simply dislike seeing slander against what I find to be a good medical web site. There aren't many sites like Mercola where the opinion is backed up with facts and verifiable resources.

After eight years in an interracial marriage, we still haven't noticed anything different in how people treat us. We're in the midwest of the US, though. It's not common in the midwest, but nobody seems to notice, which is nice. I did hear a special on NPR about discrimination and other issues with racial marriages in Virginia, so there may be local culture issues to consider in your area.

I use dress style as a test for judging churches. If everyone is dressed formally, it seems they are all trying hard to impress each other. If there's a diversity in dress styles and nobody seems to care much, that's likely a good group. This may seem harsh, but for me it works best to avoid churches that put more value in money and image than the bible.

My family has been without a church for a year now after having a bad experience with a minister at an otherwise good church. There are many local churches, and many put invitations in the local paper each week. I would say we're looking for a place that is founded clearly in the bible, but otherwise we're fairly open. I'd rather avoid going to a church to only later find out they are not compatible with our beliefs. What questions would you ask a minister to help you screen churches?

Yet another reason home schooling is growing slowly but surely. We moved to be closer to work and spent considerable time researching school districts and local schools. We ended up living in what was supposedly one of the best districts in the state, but then a funny thing happened. Our son found he was suddenly two years ahead of everyone else in math. After several months of fights on school buses, drug deals everywhere at school, and teachers with alcoholic drinks in water bottles on their desk, we gave up and started home schooling. Six years later, we've found home schooling involves less stress, less fees, and the kids are doing better on their tests.

Hmmm. The two JWs that visit us once in a while seem more Christian that most people. Sure, we don't agree with some of their teachings, but in general they teach about the bible and are useful resources. In the past few years of collecting their magazines, there have been only a few cases where we disagreed. Maybe they are a cult, but we've never been pressured in the slightest way. Do they do more good than harm? That's a more serious question to ask of many churches that call themselves Christian. Some of the poeple here have had bad experiences with JWs and other churches.

I believe one needs to be careful about what one reads, but it's easy to take this too far. Is all fiction error? How about all speech? So, all communication is error, except the bible. But wait, your translation of the bible likely has errors in it, right? After all, many versions of the bible contradict each other in some ways, so some must be right and wrong. Great, now we can't listen to anyone, read any books, or trust any specific bible. Perfect. Sounds like a plan of the devil... Communication, whether a fiction book, a speech from a pastor, or otherwise, should be examined and considered. Take from it what is useful, discard the rest. Ask God what is right, what you should consider, and what you should take to heart.

I've been enjoying some fiction books lately that include biblical prophecy. Currently, I'm finishing Mel Odom's series include Apocalypse Dawn, Apocalypse Crucible, and Apocalypse Burning. Another nice series was by Neesa Hart including End of State, Impeachable Offense, and Necessary Evils. While these series are both based on the Left Behind series, I find them to be more enjoyable. Next on the reading list is John Mackowicz's The Last Martyr, which was recommended to me recently. Could anyone make other recommendations?