If it’s looking 10 years younger you want, then the best shea butter lotion can help you do just that. But not all of these products are created equal. To make sure you get the most effective kind, here’s what to look for in the best shea butter lotion.

It’s important to understand that there are different kinds, or qualities, of this rich and beneficial “butter”. In fact, it’s not really a butter; it’s actually extracted from the seed of the shea tree, which is found in Africa. It’s only called a butter because it’s thicker than most extracts.

The best shea butter lotion products contain the highest quality extract. Class A is pure and the best you can get. This is the kind you ideally want to have and apply to your skin. Class F is the lowest quality kind. Products with this grade of extract does not contain the healing properties that products with the higher class substances offer.

If you can find a shea butter lotion that uses the premium quality substance, then you can benefit from the MANY healing properties that it fully offers. These include:

*Moisturizing benefits that hydrate and help regulate natural human sebum levels

*Emollient effects that soften and soothe inflamed skin and reduce scars, blemishes, and brown spots.

*Anti-aging benefits including a reduction in wrinkles, fine lines, stretch marks.

*The ability to heal a wide range of skin conditions from itching to skin allergies to frost bite to even more serious skin conditions like psoriasis and eczema.

As you can tell, there are TONS of benefits that shea butter lotion products offer the skin. In fact, the best shea butter lotion products with the highest rated quality substance can transform your skin in as little as 4 weeks, making it smoother, softer, and more youthful.

Healthy skin is very important. When you look good, you will feel good. When you feel good, you are much less likely to experience the feelings of stress and depression, which can also cause uncomfortable skin problems. Today, more and more people are doing their best to avoid the signs of aging. When you follow the advice of these four secrets that help enhance and maintain healthy skin, you will look and feel better.

Anti-Aging Foods

It is true, what you eat reflects on you and through the condition of your skin. You can make a significant difference in the condition of your skin by the types of foods and beverages you consume on a regular basis. There are several types of foods you can eat to enhance and maintain beautiful healthy skin.

For instance, some of the best anti-aging foods you can eat include adding fiber to your diet with oats. Avocados are an excellent choice that provides you with a reliable source of vitamin E that can help you prevent signs of aging and maintain beautiful health skin. Yogurt is another choice that provides you with vitamin B complex, calcium, protein and potassium. When it involves vegetables, be sure to eat some broccoli to help slow down the signs of aging. Of course, there are many others such as flaxseeds and flax oil, olive oil, dark leafy green vegetables, carrots and parsley as well as others.

Nutrition is Essential to Healthy Skin

Vitamins, minerals and other nutrients are essential for healthy glowing skin. These may include such as vitamin C, D, and F as well as vitamin E, zinc, selenium, beta carotene, bioflavonoid and lycopene. Potassium helps to encourage healthy young looking skin. You can get what you need by consuming such things as apricots, bananas, cantaloupe, dried fruits, dates, peaches and seeds and nuts. You can get more nutrients from fresh raw foods than you can from eating cooked and processed foods.

Hydrate Your Body

In order to keep and maintain beautiful, healthy and young looking skin, you need to hydrate your body. In order to hydrate your body you need to consume fluids. The best and most wholesome fluid is that of clean water. Drinking a lot of water will help keep your body and skin hydrated, which will help reduce the signs of aging as you grow older, so make sure you get plenty of water to drink at all times.

Use Mineral Makeup

Mineral makeup is wholesome and healthier for your skin than using traditional makeup. This is because traditional forms of makeup include harsh chemicals, pesticides, preservatives and dyes that are not as healthy for your skin and complexion.

Mineral makeup is a wiser choice for healthy skin care, since its design is made of mineral compounds that come from the earth such as antioxidants and natural botanicals. It is safer to use for all skin types, while also providing your skin with protection from the sun with an average of SPF15.

These four secrets that help enhance and maintain healthy skin include eating anti-aging foods that provide you with all the essential vitamins, minerals and nutrients, drinking plenty of water to hydrate your body and making good use of mineral makeup. Keep these things in mind when you want to look and feel your very best.

Clarins HydraQuench Cream is a very light moisturizing cream with a soft texture. The cream is not greasy yet gives a moisturizing effect by hydrating the skin. The cream is suitable for dry, normal and sensitive skin. It can be used in all the seasons of the year. When needed during the day time it can be used in a smaller quantity whereas while going to bed a little more quantity can be effective to give a smooth skin for next morning. It supplies water to the lines which are dehydrated on the face.

Clarins HydraQuench Cream is so light in weight that it is readily absorbed in the skin. The skin glows, looks fresh and soft as it gets balanced and hydration. The skin is protected against all harmful agents from the environment that cause wrinkles and other skin ailments. This cream gives a gleaming, unsullied and a healthy skin tone. By the use of this cream you will always feel elated with a younger looking skin.

The ingredients list in the cream includes Katafray bark extract which improves the quality of the skin layers and boosts the natural system of hydration. It prevents loss of moisture by retaining the consistency of the corneal layers of skin. The amazing Hyaluronic acid preserves the water in the skin thus keeping the skin moist. This component is present naturally in the skin. Alfalfa reduces the wrinkles on the face, makes the skin tight and heightens the collagen creation considerably. Inca peanut oil extract nurtures and refurbishes the skin. The structure of the epidermal cells is well sustained by it.

Clarins HydraQuench Cream can be applied on the face in the morning or evening. The face should be properly cleansed prior to the application of the cream. It can be applied to the neck portion also. Initially warm up the cream with your hands, pat it on the areas of face. The direction in which the hands are to be rotated should be from centre to outwards. In a few months u will see the results.

Moisturizer is an important part of anyone’s life, and although it takes some people longer to realise that they need to be using it, it is something that you simply can’t live without. If you want to have a youthful complexion for a long time then you need to consider using moisturizer. Most people don’t even know that they have dry skin. Moisturizer is basically made from naturally derived oil, cream and plant extracts. You can use it on both the face and the body. They are often enriched in nutrition elements that help to keep your skin very healthy and looking great.

Generally they are absorbed into the skin instantly. This keeps your skin soft and elastic by giving it the nutrients and the moisture that it needs. You can get a lot of problems that start with dry skin. They include:

Wrinkling
Itching
Coarse skin
Bad complexion

If you moisturize regularly then you can avoid all of these problems. It is important that you are able to choose the right moisturizer. If you want to get the maximum benefits for your skin then it is imperative that you get the one that suits you best. You can change your moisturizer or change the use of it as your skin changes. You should get a thick moisturizer for during winter because your skin can get much dryer and you should get a much thinner one for during summer. Moisturizers are also perfect to use as a base before you put your makeup on.

If you have chosen the right moisturizer and it is a good one then your skin should never be dry or oily. It will get absorbed quickly into your skin and it will feel very soft. You will need to choose a different one dependent on your body type. Whatever you want form your moisturizer you will be able to find it. There are a wide variety of choices for all different skin types. If you make the right choice then you will be enjoying a better complexion for a longer time. This is important to many people.

The best firming lotion for both men and women help tighten saggy tissue while replenishing lost moisture and hydration.  Equally, they help protect and repair damage from free-radical oxidization with antioxidants and soothe dryness and even tone.

Sagging skin is one of the most commonly reported problems associated with weight loss. Both, men as well as women experience problems with sagging tissue if they have lost a significant amount of weight in a short span of time. The good news is, there are several new products available today that can firm and tighten the giving your complexion (arms, thighs, legs and face) a more youthful, refined appearance.

What Does The Best Firming Lotion Contain?

Firming creams and lotions that seem to provide really good results offer a unique combination of ingredients. There seem to be only a handful of products that offer a truly all-inclusive list of ingredients.

Here are some of the ingredients you need to look for and how they help firm your skin:

Collagen III: Helps to improve the elasticity of the skin. Essential in promoting skin firmness.

Aloe and Shea Butter: These two ingredients are very important to help soothe and repair the skin, which will also help to tighten and life the skin.

Emu Oil and Hyaluronic Acid: Both ingredients help to provide extreme moisture to the skin. If your skin is not properly hydrated, no matter if you are a man or woman, it will start to sag. Proper hydration help to make the skin better prepared to accept the collagen and other active ingredients.

Omega 3 and Green Tree Extract: Both contain antioxidant properties which help to promote healthy skin cells, as well as boosting the production of new skin cell. Green Tea extract also help to moisturize the skin as well.

Matrixyl: The ultimate active ingredient for firming and toning.  Used in advanced anti-aging products for tightening loose or saggy tissue.

If you are looking for a relief from sagging, loose skin, you can find help available. Take the time to research a product before you make a purchase. You can find several of the websites that provide reviews for skin care products. This is a great way to see what others are saying about a particular product. It might, at the very least, give you a starting point for your search for the best firming lotions for men and women.

Have you been using hand lotion to lighten age spots? Have you not noticed that no improvement whatsoever is noticeable on your age spots? Don’t you see that those spots remain as it was a few months back when you started using that hand lotion?

There are hundreds of hand lotions in the market, but rarely will you find one that does work in lightening age spots. Age spots are permanent discolorations on the skin and its removal cannot be oversimplified into using a mere hand lotion. Age spot is a combination problem of ultraviolet rays and toxin damage on the skin coupled with the skin’s significantly reduced capacity to repair these damages.

Understanding Age Spots

Age spots are mainly caused by the skin’s prolonged and repeated overexposure to the sun. When the skin comes in contact with ultraviolet rays, the latter triggers the skin to produce extra melanin. Melanin is the coloring pigmentation in the skin, it provides the skin its natural coloring when produced in regular quantities. However, when overabundance of melanin is produced, the skin becomes darker than usual.

The problem comes in when the overproduction of melanin is concentrated in certain areas of the skin only. This happens when the melanocytes, the melanin producing skin cells, are damaged. The concentration of dark pigments result to the appearance of age spots or liver spots on the skin.

The appearance of age spots are even aggravated by the presence of free radicals in the skin. Free radicals are the harmful toxins that the skin is exposed to. These free radicals cause damage to the skin cells and prevent the body from producing healthier skin cells.

Solution Time

Now, you know that hand lotion to lighten age spots will not do much to help remove these dark spots. If your hand lotion only promises to lighten age spots but does not provide ways to eliminate its causes, it’s high time for you to throw it in the bins and start stop wasting your money on them.

In dealing with your age spots, you need to resolve its causes first. You have to admit that your hand lotion to lighten age spots are just incapable of doing this.

The primary cause is sun or ultraviolet rays exposure. The obvious answer is to stay away from all sources of ultraviolet rays: sun exposure and the tanning machines.

If sun exposure cannot be avoided, make it sure to use lotions with sun protection factor (SPF). These sunscreens will help protect your skin from the aggravating effects of the sun. It is also beneficial to cover up once in a while especially if you are gallivanting under the powerful rays of the sun. If you really want to flaunt that sexy body of yours, wait until you are in the safe haven of enclosed spaces before taking off a majority of your clothes.

Also, it will be beneficial for you to use skin care products that contain anti-oxidant properties to counter the negative effects of free radicals. Choose products with Cynergy TK, Coenzyme Q10, Phytessence Wakame and Manuka Honey. These are not only powerful antioxidants that fight against free radicals, these are also ingredients that promote the over-all health of your skin. Thus, unlike hand lotion that lighten age spots, products with Cynergy TK, Coenzyme Q10, Phytessence Wakame and Manuka Honey are not only effective against age spots, they also ensure to keep your skin smooth, firm, and young looking.

Let’s be frank, trying to find the best body firming cream on the market can be a challenge. With the thousands of creams all claiming to be the best, looking for an effective cream is like searching for a needle in a haystack. However, do you know what to look for in the first place? The key to finding the best lotion is to know what ingredients to look for.

When searching for the best body firming cream don’t look for those creams that are advertised in those glossy magazines or on TV. They use those flawless models to trick you into thinking that that is how you will look if you use their cream. Those models don’t even use those creams they are advertising.

You know any product is as good as the ingredients it contains products that contain chemical ingredients will not be the best body firming cream because chemicals will only harm your skin and your health. They will not do anything to repair and rejuvenate your skin. There are certain chemicals you need to be aware of as they are harmful. These chemicals are: parabens, alcohols, dioxane, fragrances and mineral oil. Try to avoid buying products that contain these.

The ingredients that the best body firming cream contains will determine the effectiveness of the product. I have learnt over the years that in order for a cosmetic product to be good it must contain natural ingredients in a high concentration. That is the only way it will be effective.

Some natural, active ingredients that have been scientifically proven to repair, rejuvenate and firm up your skin are: Cynergy TK: Is like putting on a liquid skin. It works effectively in reversing the aging process. It stimulates collagen and elastin production in your body helping to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. It promotes firmness and elasticity and new skin cell re-growth.

Phytessence Wakame: A Japanese sea algae extract and known beauty preserver. It is an antioxidant which helps to fight the activities of free radicals which is very damaging to the skin. It destroys hyaluronidase which breaks down hyaluronic acid. Hyaluronic acid is very beneficial to healthy skin.

Nano Lipobelle HEQ10: Another antioxidant which helps to nourish the skin deep down. It has quite a dramatic anti wrinkle effect on the skin due to its ability to increase collagen and elastin production in the skin.

To effectively firm up your skin it is of absolute importance to find and use the best body firming cream by reading the label of the cream before you purchase and ensuring it contains natural ingredients which can help stimulate collagen and elastin production in your skin as these are vital substances for firm, tone skin.

We are at the beginning of the second decade of the new millennium. In the first few years of the new century, we have witnessed some of the greatest accumulations of wealth of all time. The stock market was raging, real estate markets were rising and even after the Internet Stock bubble burst, it seemed that all America continued to sing that old song from the 30’s, “We’re In The Money”.

But as time went on, the real estate market as well as the stock market showed themselves to be the Emperor with no clothes. As companies went from having defined benefit pension plans where retirees would know how much they would get when they retired, to defined contribution plans where the employees took on the market risk, what seemed to be a great idea suddenly has become an albatross, a sign of evil and foreboding of bad times ahead.

No matter what index you look at, the markets have all dropped beyond anyone’s worse expectation. But what is worse is the effect that a loss of 28, 35 or 40% means to people who have no other liquid asset base.

The top 1% of the wealthy in America control 33% of all the privately held wealth in the country. The next 19% which consists of professional, managerial and small business owners control 51% of the wealth. That leaves the remaining 80 percent of American workers to share a paltry 16% of the wealth of the nation’s economy. That means that salaried and wage employees, while making up the largest portion of the American workforce, have very little control of their own destiny.

This is the reason that I have chosen to use the Book of Ecclesiastes for our text today. The timelessness of the Bible speaks to all generations about the realities of life and what is truly important in the larger scheme of things.

We twenty-first century Americans can learn something from the ancient Israelites. By using the principles of the Bible as a baseline we can understand how the current situation can be overcome on an individual basis. Because just as in Israel, salvation is made of the individual not of the nation. And like Israel we must learn how to live, what things we can control and what things we can’t.

In spite of what prosperity preachers teach, the Bible does not say that everyone will be rich. The Smith-Barney brokerage commercials tells the message of what many churchgoers believe about money AND salvation. “We make money the old fashioned way; we EARN it.”

God’s message is quite different than what is said on Wall Street-He provides to those who don’t deserve it, giving to them something they have no capacity to earn and gives it to them without expectation of repayment. He has adopted us into his family as joint heirs with all the privileges of being a natural-born child.

The Lure of Money

Verses 1-. It doesn’t matter if you are a Democrat, Republican, Libertarian or Independent, what I am about to say applies equally to all the members of your affiliated party. Most of them are going to bust hell wide open.

I don’t say that because of what policies one or the other party has tried or is trying to enforce, or what platform they have or what legislative agenda they have tried to enact. The fact is, while I don’t know any of them personally, the Bible says that “There is none righteous, no not one. There is none who seek after God.” Rom. 3:10

Most of the legislators in both houses of congress are there to get paid. If not while in office, then after.

It is little wonder that ordinary American’s have little say in what happens in the world. There is no lobby for Ordinary Folk. There are no Senator’s who are going to go to work to push for legislation that benefits Average Jane and Joe.

But there comes a price for having wealth. The more you have, the more you want. Back in the 60’s, reporter asked him how much money is enough. John D. replied, “Just a little bit more.”

A New York survey of those making over $200,000 per year showed that while they were much better off than most American’s, they felt more aware of their relative lack of wealth as compared to those earning more than they. In other words, they had more anxiety due to not earning millions per year than those who earned under $100,000 per year.

We think that if we have more money, everything will be alright. If only I could make an extra $5,000, $10,000 per year, we’d be ok. We believe, just like John D. Rockefeller that if we just had a little more, everything would be alright.

This is why Solomon says, “There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is common among men: A man to whom God Has given riches and wealth and honor, so that he lacks nothing for himself of all he desires; yet God does not give him the power to eat of it, but a foreigner consumes it. This is vanity, and it is an evil affliction.”

The pursuit of wealth has been the hallmark of the American experiment. Time and time again, those who were willing to risk much have been able to reward themselves and their families with a higher standard of living and the betterment of society.

But the Protestant Work Ethic that was instilled by our Puritan forebears that allowed America to become the envy of the world in wealth and prosperity has been corrupted and misplaced.

Rather than placing emphasis on an honest day’s wage for an honest day’s work, and the reality that each person’s vocation, no matter how trivial or mundane, had worth in and of itself, we find that those who lead a corporation by elimination of the workforce are the most highly compensated, rather than those whose effort allows the product to be brought to market.

The Puritans felt that all work, no matter what it involved, had worth as long as the individual realized that he was doing it as “unto the Lord”. Beginning in the Garden of Eden, humans have the need to DO, to cultivate, to work.

Now, those who do the least will decide to lower expenses by laying off those who assemble, distribute and sell the items that cause them to be able to be compensated.

What has happened? How did the system become corrupt?

Simply stated, it was because while most people were not Christian during the time of the Puritans, but they at least held to what was a nominally Christian worldview that viewed God as in control and that all things were under his providence.

The Puritans understood that God created everything in the world, everything in the universe and that we are all going the way of all flesh. In other words, no matter how much wealth is accumulated in this life, if you don’t have Jesus Christ as savior, there is no amount of money that will get you into heaven, there is not enough money in the world to keep you from going to hell, and that everything in this world is eventually going to pass away.

The Rich man in Luke 16:19-31 would have foregone all of his wealth if he could only have a drop of water to be put upon his tongue to quench the torment he felt. But instead of the ease he had in this life, he could only wish that he could send warning to his family of the reality of hell.

Now, we are in Post-Christian America, where even churchgoing Christians are likely not to understand the basic principles of Orthodox Christianity, that the saying, “God helps those who help themselves” is not in the Bible, but was a quote from Benjamin Franklin. That wealth is not a symbol of God’s blessing, but more often a sign of personal spiritual apathy and a declaration of independence FROM God.

In study after study it has been shown that there is an inverse relationship between income and interest in God. In other words, generally speaking the more money you make, the less likely you are to go to church regularly, to pray regularly and to be concerned about God in general.

The Love of Money

What is it that we are to love? How are we to respond to love when we receive it? Why do people sometimes neglect to look out for the needs of others? God is at the center of each of those questions.

In the first place, we are to love God with our whole heart and soul and might. There is to be no one or nor any thing that comes between our relationship with ourselves and our creator, sustainer and redeemer. For unless our relationship with God is in order, our relationship with our families, our neighbors and co-workers cannot be right.

But how many people do we know who boast of what earthly possessions they have or their ability to do this or that, or to go here or there.

In Paul’s first letter to Timothy, he compares the life of godliness to that of seeking money for its own sake. (1Tim 6:6-12)-What Paul is getting across to Timothy is that while there is nothing wrong with wealth in and of itself, far too often wealth, the desire to be wealthy and/or the pursuit of it becomes a snare and trap for those who become enamored by its allure. Wealth is a desire that is difficult to satisfy and it becomes a stumbling block to those who seek to serve Christ.

In the Book of Acts, Ananias and Sapphira tried to hold back a portion of what the proceeds of a sale of real estate that they owned from the Apostles to their own destruction. (Acts 5:1-10). It was not that they were wealthy, but that they were attempting to deceive God by declaring that they had given their all, when they only gave a portion.

Look, God owns it all anyway. He doesn’t need what you have. But if you want the best HE has, you must be willing to turn over control of what you perceive as yours to Him. As Americans, we tend to look at things and feel that we can accomplish anything on our own.

But as Jesus said in Luke 12:48, “For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required…” or as is in some translations “much is expected”.

But far too many of us have been guilty of answering the question that writer Denis Brogan asked in the mid-forties; if God was to be replaced…”What would replace Him? Could anything replace Him but ‘Democracy’ made into an object of worship, or business or success?”

And the business of business is to advance SELF interest. That is, the determination to make money is the overriding principle in the advance of the capitalistic ideal. Michael Douglas as Gordon Gecko in “Wall Street” purring, “Greed is good”, is now being transplanted into the real world by Bernie Madoff.

Compare the current hand wringing over our current status of the economy with what Jesus said to his disciples in Matt. 6:25-33. “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

“Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’

“For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But SEEK FIRST the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and ALL THESE THINGS shall be added to you.”

And in that last line is encapsulated the entirety of the desire of the Christian; to seek the righteousness that God graciously gives to his subjects in His Kingdom, the gift that none can work for, earn, buy or deserve.

And if we submit to the authority of the only wise God, to whom be honor, glory power and majesty, now and forevermore, we have all our needs cared for.

The Labor of Money

If we are perfectly honest, not only are we all working for the Lord, ME! We want to be on the throne of our lives, we want to have control of our households and we want control of our pocketbooks and billfolds.

In other words, we want a small ‘g’ god that we can control, one we can dictate our wants, needs and desires to and have the expectation that, like a genie of the magic lamp he will grant us our wishes and the desires of our hearts.

Which leads to the following quote; “Show me a person’s checkbook, and I show you what is important to them.” Your spending habits tell more about you and your personality and desire than anything else.

Today, when you get home, I want you to do something for me. Take your check book, online bank statements or just the receipts for the past three months. Go back and look at how much you spent on YOU, how much you spent on your Family and then how much you spent on GOD. Then break that down into percentages to see what is important to you.

Now, when I say what you spent on God, I don’t only mean what you put into the offering plate, although that’s important. I also mean what you spent on developing your relationship with God. You know, music, cd’s, books, movies, dvd’s, magazines. Anything that would enhance and strengthen your connection, knowledge and love of God.

Then, how much time did you spend in the last month at work. 40, 50, 60 hours? And what were your earnings for that time. Then how much of your time was spent with your family? And how much of that time was spent in meaningful communication?

Then how much of the rest of the time was spent with God? Counting church services. And of that time, how much was spent in “meaningful communication”?

Someday, when I’m ready I’m going to write an essay that may turn into a book. It’s about my cousin who died this January. I already have the title for it; it’s called “Buddha and the Cross”.

You see Artie was what I and the family called him, but for 26 years that he was on the Michigan State Police, he was known as Buddha.

Now, long story short, Buddha was a profane, drunken, womanizing poor excuse for a human being. But at the same time, he was a caring, devoted father, loving son and kind police officer who would help others and think of them before thinking of himself.

After he died, his wife asked me to speak at his funeral. And, as my mentor, best friend and Father-in-law once told me, “You can’t preach anyone into heaven or hell. That is all in God’s hands.”

As I stood and began to speak to his brothers, his wife, daughters, friends and former co-workers, I spoke what I know to be the truth from the Bible. Artie could make you as mad as anything, but he could also make you break out in the biggest smile and heartiest laugh. He could try your patience and he would take the best care of you. He would get on your last nerve, but he would go out of his way to do something good for you.

He knew that he was a sinner; he knew that he deserved punishment. But he also knew that Jesus died for him. And I leave all the answers to all the questions anyone ever has about his fate in the Hands of God, who came to seek and save the lost, to provide a way of salvation not for the righteous, but for sinners.

What does that have to do with the labor of money? Let me tell you. In Isaiah 55, the Lord says, “Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Yes come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.”

“Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight in abundance. Incline your ear, and come to me. Hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you-the sure mercies of David.

“Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways’ says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.”

God is not a man that He should lie. Consider yourself. Consider your life. Consider what money cannot buy and seek the Lord while he may be found.

You may know that some beverages provide a large number of calories. But what you don’t know may be keeping you from losing weight, despite your concerted efforts. Here are a list of those that could be contributing in excess of 250 calories each day to your intake… enough to keep you from losing that extra half pound each week (translated = 26 pounds a year)!

1. Egg Nog: With the holiday seasons approaching here’s a drink to be wary of. One eight ounce glass of egg nog–full of fat-laden cream–contains nearly 350 calories.

2. Soda: You know soda has calories, but have you checked out what an 80-calorie serving size is? It is eight ounces. In case you haven’t noticed, sodas do not come in eight-ounce containers. A can of soda has 12 ounces (120 calories) and the plastic bottles have 20 ounces. Sure, we gulp them down as one serving, but even the label will tell you there are “2.4 servings” in the container! This is over 240 calories when you drink the whole thing.

3. Sweet Tea: Popular in certain areas of the country, a glass of sweet tea can top 200 calories. I mean an eight ounce glass. Last time I checked the restaurants were pouring 16 or 20 ounce glassfuls, and offering you free refills. That means I’ve seen people down over a thousand calories of sweet tea at a meal. Oh, and there were calories from the food in their meal, too. A smarter choice would be ordering unsweetened tea and adding your own sugar packets. At only 20 calories a piece, you could pour five packets in your glass and keep it down to just 100 calories.

4. Juice: Yes, unfortunately, healthy vitamin-C packed orange juice, grapefruit juice, and ‘all natural’ apple juice are among just a few of the juices that still provide about 10 calories per ounce. Grape juice, cranberry juice and nectars provide even more. Remember the little restaurant juice glasses? They were four ounces: A serving size to provide you with a bit of sweetness at breakfast time along with some vitamins and minerals. Nowadays glasses are larger and people are gulping down 12 to 20 ounces of juice. Check out your favorite glass at home and use a measuring cup to see how much you tend to serve yourself. Keep it down to eight ounces and you can still get the nutrition you need without an excessive number of calories.

5. Frozen Coffee Drinks: Yum! And Yikes! Check out the calorie (and fat) content of some of the popular brands of frozen coffee drinks. They contain fat calories from the cream, carb calories from the flavored syrup, and more of both from the whipped cream on top. A 20-oz frozen coffee drink ranges from 500-700 calories. (Yikes! ) Even the fast food restaurants that serve you coffee over ice (not blended) add cream and sweetener so a 16-oz size provides 270 calories. Again, making your own with plain coffee, ice, low fat milk, and adding your own sweetener could keep the calorie count down significantly.

6. Sports Drinks: People drink these as if they were flavored water with only electrolytes added. But they are intended for athletes, and athletes need some energy, which translates to sugar. An 8 ounce serving of Gatorade provides 63 calories. Remember to check the number of servings in the container you are drinking… this could easily be 180 calories that you are downing, unaware.

7. Alcoholic beverages: We know these have calories, and we usually have more than one when out with friends or at a party. Keep track of the light beers and 5-ounce glasses of wine. Although each may provide just 125 calories, this means that three of them are approaching 400 calories for the evening in addition to whatever you are eating!

8. Coffee Drinks: Just as iced coffee drinks have hidden calories from cream, the hot ones have fat from whole milk and whipped cream, as well as sugar from the flavored syrup. My own favorite, a Caramel Macchiato (20 oz. made with whole milk) is 340 calories. Make it a small one (12 ounce) and ask for non-fat milk and you can bring it down to 140 calories: A good source of calcium and riboflavin, this actually counts as a dairy serving for the day!

Let me leave you with some lower calorie alternatives to quench your thirst Water, of course, has no calories and may be flavored with lemon or a flavored tea bag steeped for a few minutes, neither of which add calories. Diet sodas have zero calories (but there can be draw backs to drinking excessive amounts, so keep it to one or two a day). Tomato juice has only 41 calories per cup, and vegetable juice (like V-8) 46 calories per cup. Coffee and tea have less than two calories per cup and can be flavored with artificial sweeteners. However, if you add non-dairy creamers–even sugar free–take note of the serving size (in most cases one teaspoon) and be careful not to add another hundred calories!

Just 100 extra calories per day may cause near a pound weight gain each month, so rethink your beverage choices and take note of serving sizes.

Bottom line: start paying attention to beverage labels the same way you do food labels. Check out the calorie content and what their serving size is equal to. You might just find this to be the secret to your own successful weight loss!