Longevity and wealth wisdom you won’t get from the world + other counter culture messages of the Bible

I find it pretty interesting how the Bible offers wealth advice and longevity advice that no human would ever come up with. These pieces of advice seem to be completely unrelated, yet, because I’m a believer and I believe the God of the universe is also the creator of all the rules of what govern wealth and longevity, I trust it works this way even if it may seem unrelated!

You will live long if you honor your parents

Exodus (KJV)

“Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.”

This is repeated in

Exodus
Deuteronomy
Matthew
Mark
Luke
Ephesians

This commandment might be easier if you had great parents. If you had terrible parents, a way of honoring them may be to try to recognize and understand the life experiences and circumstances that may have contributed to their faults. It may be to recognize any good if there was any. It may be to refuse revenge or pray for them if you are able. According to the a Bible, longevity is tied to how we treat our parents!

You could just ask God for wealth or whatever it is you want/need

James 4:1 and 2 talk about how people want things, so they murder. They also covet and want for things, so they fight and quarrel, when all they have to do is ask God. Kinda silly huh? God is the giver of all good things. He is the source of all wealth. Everything belongs to Him, yet we try to take things from people.

Praying for friends can lead to wealth

Again, these two subjects seem completely unrelated! if you don’t believe me, read below –

What I’ve often noticed is that the world tries to tell you the rules for living well, being successful, building wealth, having a happy fulfilled life, but those unspoken rules oftentimes are completely counter to how the world really runs according to the Bible. Do you find this to be true in other areas?

Other counter culture messages of the Bible

The Bible contains many teachings that run against common human instincts and many cultural norms, both ancient and modern. Here are several examples:

Love your enemies

“But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” — Matthew 5:44 (ESV)

Instead of retaliation, Jesus commands love and prayer for enemies.

The greatest should be the servant

“Whoever would be great among you must be your servant.” — Mark 10:43

The world’s model often celebrates status and power; Jesus defines greatness by service.

The last will be first

“So the last will be first, and the first last.” — Matthew 20:16

God’s kingdom often reverses human expectations.

Bless those who curse you

“Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.” — Romans 12:14

Instead of seeking revenge, believers are called to respond with blessing.

Overcome evil with good

“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” — Romans 12:21

The response to evil is not more evil but active goodness.

It is more blessed to give than to receive

“It is more blessed to give than to receive.” — Acts 20:35

This challenges cultures centered on accumulation and self-interest.

Humility comes before honor

“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.” — James 4:10

The biblical path to honor is humility, not self-promotion.

Lose your life to find it

“For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” — Matthew 16:25

Jesus teaches that true life comes through surrender, not self-preservation.

Rejoice in trials

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds.” — James 1:2

Rather than viewing suffering as meaningless, believers are called to see it as an opportunity for spiritual growth.

Forgive repeatedly

“I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.” — Matthew 18:22

Jesus rejects keeping score when it comes to forgiveness.

Don’t worry about tomorrow

“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself.” — Matthew 6:34

This contrasts with cultures driven by constant anxiety and control.

Consider others above yourself

“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.” — Philippians 2:3

Instead of self-advancement, Paul calls believers to selfless concern for others.

God’s power is made perfect in weakness

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” — 2 Corinthians 12:9

Rather than hiding weakness, Paul learns to depend on God’s strength.

Do not repay evil for evil

“Repay no one evil for evil… never avenge yourselves.” — Romans 12:17–19

Justice belongs to God, not personal vengeance.

Job prays for those who hurt him

“And the LORD restored the fortunes of Job, when he had prayed for his friends…” — Job 42:10

After being accused and misunderstood by his friends, Job prays for them before his own restoration. This illustrates forgiveness and intercession instead of resentment.

Taken together, these passages consistently call believers to humility instead of self-exaltation, generosity instead of accumulation, forgiveness instead of retaliation, trust instead of anxiety, and sacrificial love instead of self-interest. These themes are central to the ethics of the New Testament and remain countercultural in many societies.

What do you think? Do any of these feel hard to implement because they are so counter cultural?

New neighbors, rhubarb cake, and what I want to spend my life doing

Last month I took some time off writing to focus on our move! We just moved end of April to a sleepy seaside town filled with lots of friendly retired folks. Within the first three days, we already knew the neighborhood gossip, got invited to the ladies’ weekday 8 am walking group, the neighborhood church potluck and Bible study, and met several neighbors.

Sophie, a Chinese widow who runs a language school, lives behind us, paid my kids $1 to weed her yard, and comes over unannounced with rhubarb from her garden.

I love neighbors who come over unannounced. Those are my favorite kinds of neighbors.

Because I have her rhubarb, I feel the need to make her a rhubarb cake to show her my appreciation. Do I ever buy rhubarb? Have I ever made anything with rhubarb? No.

But do I have rhubarb cake in my oven currently? I do. It made me think, is life just a series of kindnesses and obligatory gestures we end up calling friendships because deep down we know if we don’t stay connected to each other, we will go crazy?

In an age when Facebook likes have replaced tea at our neighbor’s kitchen counters, I will try my hardest to preserve the IRL friendships.

I know it’s a luxury not many can indulge in, but my goal to see a friend every day is usually the highlight of my days. I’ve watched a woman focus solely on her husband and family her entire life, and friends, it is not enough.

I don’t know if the two are correlated but that woman got a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s in her early 60s. No friends ever came over. No unannounced neighbors ever stopped by.

Indeed it may be correlated, as research shows that the number one predictor of longevity has less to do with lifestyle choices and more to do with relationships, community, and connectedness.

Friendships and strong bonds make us happier and help us live longer. I don’t know all the science behind it, but when I have spent time with a good friend/s, it fills my soul like nothing else in the world.

I was hiking with a friend one day who is a world traveler. She told me, “I just want to spend my life looking at beautiful things.” I always see her face light up when she talks about her adventures. I can’t relate to this love of travel, but I can relate to finding that thing, or those things that make you just come alive. Since then I’ve been asking myself the same question. What do I want to spend my life doing? And here’s what Ive come up with.

I want to spend my life making and deepening friendships, moving my body, writing about things that make people’s lives better, and making beautiful spaces.

What do you want to spend your life doing?

One of my favorite recent quotes is commonly attributed to Irenaeus, an early Christian theologian and bishop of Lyons.

The best-known version is:

“The glory of God is a human being fully alive.”

Maybe that’s the essence of this question -what do you want to spend your life doing. So, what makes you feel like you’re fully alive?? I’d love to know!

Some helpful things I keep in mind when I’m pmsing or on my period

Tonight at a real estate investor’s meetup with my friend

I’m on my period! Hurrah 😒 I’ve been taking a lot of naps this week, because, I remind myself, on my period, I can treat napping as a sport. See below! Here are a few things that I’ve found helpful during that time of the month.

My body doesn’t want to fast when I’m pmsing

I once talked to a friend who said something that stuck with me. She said, “I’ve just come to accept that it’s always going to be harder to stick to my good eating habits when I’m pmsing. Well, it turns out that our body needs to feast during that time, so that makes sense! (See above) Now that I know this about the body, I can eat more during my luteal phase, guilt free.

I will want chocolate

I’ve come to accept this and embrace it and always have a stash of European chocolate at the ready. My favorite is Icelandic milk chocolate!

The cure for hormonal headaches is miso soup

The cause is a drop in estrogen, and the cure is to naturally raise the estrogen using miso! It totally works!

The cure for cramps is to avoid anything with canola oil

I remembered listening to this hormonal guru on a podcast, and I never have cramps since getting rid of seed oils, particularly canola oil.

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My two favorite YouTube exercise channels, my weekly exercise routine, and the podcast that motivated me to lift heavy weights

Hi friends! I’ll start by saying, I hate lifting weights or doing any kind of resistance training. That being said, there’s no going around it, if we want to live long, stay strong, and avoid falling and quickly deteriorating when we get older, we need to lift. Here’s what has helped me –

My two favorite YouTube exercise channels

If you’re a morning person and like to work out as soon as possible so you’re too tired to resist and you can just get it out of the way, you may have also discovered this pet peeve.

I hate when instructors talk during a workout.

I discovered these two channels above because they don’t talk during the workout! It makes for a peaceful morning to not have to listen to anyone huffing, puffing, and yelling at me on the tv.

I also love an at home workout because I’m too lazy to have to wear appropriate clothing and drive to the gym and I’m too frugal to spend on a gym membership.

YouTube workouts save time, money, and effort! Also since I hate lifting so much, I often invite a friend over to suffer through a 30 minute weight lifting session with me while our kiddos play.

My weekly exercise routine

I love weekly hikes with my dog and friends.

I really aim to move my body at least 30 minutes a day, 6 days a week. Most days of the week, this translates to brisk walking for an hour with my dog, up and down hills around our neighborhood. When he stops to smell something, I do lunges and squats. Most weeks, I do an hour hike with a friend. It’s all uphill half the way, and all downhill on the way down. If I don’t go for a walk, I do a 30 minute session on my favorite exercise machine, the vertical climber. Makes me sweat more than an elliptical, but feels like a better workout. It’s also pretty compact and can fit in my closet when I’m not using it unlike a treadmill or stair climber.

A different perspective – food for thought

I have given up on working out hard like doing HIIT or running. This article sent by my friend has made me rethink strenuous exercise. I’m also relieved because strenuous exercise makes me hate life. 😆

Lastly, I try to fit in 1-3 30 minute weight lifting sessions using the above fitness instructors on YouTube. I lift heavy and move slowly-currently 20lb weights. Here’s why-

The podcast that motivated me to lift heavy weights

This interview with an Orthopedic surgeon changed how I thought about lifting weights.

This podcast episode is one of those things that makes you realize you are a women of a certain age. 😭🤣 After listening to it, I was convinced to lift heavy – meaning I’m fatigued after 6-8 reps. At this point in my life, I want to be as strong and capable as I can be for as long as possible. I don’t just want to live long. I want to live well. Sounds like muscle is the key to that.

Anyways, I’d love to know what you do to stay active! Or what motivates you to move? Comment below!

I haven’t been sick in a year and 8 months ever since I started doing this…

Hubby on the other hand, refuses my magic concoction! 🤣

With lots of friends sick around me, I wanted to share what I’ve been doing for a year and 8 months that has been fail proof every time I feel off, like I’m run down or about to come down with something…

Watch this video for full steps.

Watch this video for the broth I make.

I take this concoction once a day until I feel 100% again. This has been life changing for me! Let me know if you try it and it worked for you! Remember the key is to start as soon as you feel “off.” It is less and less effective the sicker you feel, so start right away! Some signs might be feeling a little bit sneezy, a dry, sore throat or a tickle in the throat, or feeling extremely fatigued and physically exhausted.

P.s. The most powerful combination is this soup plus a midday nap

P.p.s If, like my husband, you can’t stomach raw garlic in this soup (you have to eat the chunks and sediments at the bottom of the cup), then make this delicious aoli and eat with fries or a chicken rice bowl-

Sour Cream Garlic Aioli

Ingredients

½ cup sour cream

2–3 cloves garlic, finely minced or grated

1–2 tbsp olive oil (optional, for richness)

1 tbsp lemon juice or vinegar

Salt, to taste

Black pepper (optional)

Instructions

Mince or grate the garlic as finely as possible. In a bowl, combine sour cream, garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil. Season with salt (and pepper if using). Mix until smooth. Cover and refrigerate for 20–30 minutes to let flavors develop.

Uses

Fries, wedges, burgers Grilled chicken or fish Wraps and sandwiches Roasted vegetables

Cupping for back pain, how I cut my hair in layers at home, and the healthy meal my boys are obsessed with

Hi friends! Happy Friday! What are you up to this weekend? I’m going on a hike with my dog and buddy since it’s a rare day of full sun in the winter, and I’m seeing my brother on Sunday. There will probably be some board games with the family. I love a relaxing, low key weekend. Here are a few things I’ve been up to lately.

Cupping for back pain

I’ve had back pain in this area since breastfeeding my oldest son since I started sleeping on my side and my belly. Cupping has been the most effective way to treat my pain! Have you ever tried it? I learned about it when I worked at an acupuncturist clinic in college and one of my best friends bought me this cupping set for a wedding gift. Although I learned the traditional method using fire and alcohol, this set is safer and uses suction. I’ve been using this set regularly for 15+ years.

The idea behind cupping for pain relief is speeding up healing by increasing circulation and bringing old blood to the surface (hence the big hickey marks). The deeper purple the area, the more it needed it.

How I cut my hair at home in layers

I’ve never had a haircut at a salon worthy of the price tag. So, in an effort to save money, I’ve been cutting my hair at home. First I have my oldest son, Noah cut the back in a straight line (see him hiding behind me?).

Then I stand in front of my mirror and using the top of my shower curtain as my guide, I follow this video to cut my hair in layers. That’s it!

The healthy meal my kids are obsessed with

This meal might be categorized under “weird meals I ate growing up that are completely normal at our house” 😝

All I do is take firm tofu, cut it up in rectangles, dry it with a towel and dip them in avocado oil. Then I airfry these pieces for 30 minutes at 400 degrees until they are crispy, turning them at the 15 minute mark.

When they are done, I cut them up Into slices and serve with boiled or steamed green beans, brown rice, and soy sauce and lemon to dip in. The boys are obsessed with this meal!

Are there any weird, healthy meals you serve your kiddos? I’d love to know!