Abraham . . . obeyed.—Heb. 11:8.
 
Abraham and Sarah are mentioned in Paul’s list of the “cloud of witnesses.” (Heb. 11:8-12; 12:1) They were uprooted from their normal life in Ur, and their future appeared uncertain. They proved to be examples of unwavering faith and obedience in trying times. In conjunction with all the sacrifices that Abraham was willing to make for true worship, he was fittingly called “the father of all those having faith.” (Rom. 4:11) Paul touched only on the high points, his readers being well-acquainted with the details of Abraham’s life. Nonetheless, the lesson Paul drew is powerful: “In faith all these [including Abraham and his family] died, although they did not get the fulfillment of the promises, but they saw them afar off and welcomed them and publicly declared that they were strangers and temporary residents in the land.” (Heb. 11:13) Clearly, their faith in God and their personal relationship with him helped them run the race with endurance.
 
Now to know the truth, go to:
 
1) http://religioustruths.forumsland.com/
 
2) http://www.network54.com/Forum/403209/
 
3) http://religioustruths.lefora.com/
 
4) http://religioustruths.boardhost.com/
 
5) http://religious-truths.forums.com/
 
6) http://religioustruthsbyiris.createmybb3.com/
 
7) http://religioustruths.forumotion.com/
 
To enjoy an online Bible study called “Follow the Christ” go to,  http://religioustruths.lefora.com/2012/04/03/18-part-follow-christ-bible-study/
 
Your Friend in Christ Iris89
 
Francis David said it long ago, "Neither the sword of popes...nor the image of death will halt tAbraham . . . obeyed.—Heb. 11:8.
 
Abraham and Sarah are mentioned in Paul’s list of the “cloud of witnesses.” (Heb. 11:8-12; 12:1) They were uprooted from their normal life in Ur, and their future appeared uncertain. They proved to be examples of unwavering faith and obedience in trying times. In conjunction with all the sacrifices that Abraham was willing to make for true worship, he was fittingly called “the father of all those having faith.” (Rom. 4:11) Paul touched only on the high points, his readers being well-acquainted with the details of Abraham’s life. Nonetheless, the lesson Paul drew is powerful: “In faith all these [including Abraham and his family] died, although they did not get the fulfillment of the promises, but they saw them afar off and welcomed them and publicly declared that they were strangers and temporary residents in the land.” (Heb. 11:13) Clearly, their faith in God and their personal relationship with him helped them run the race with endurance.
 
Now to know the truth, go to:
 
1) http://religioustruths.forumsland.com/
 
2) http://www.network54.com/Forum/403209/
 
3) http://religioustruths.lefora.com/
 
4) http://religioustruths.boardhost.com/
 
5) http://religious-truths.forums.com/
 
6) http://religioustruthsbyiris.createmybb3.com/
 
7) http://religioustruths.forumotion.com/
 
To enjoy an online Bible study called “Follow the Christ” go to,  http://religioustruths.lefora.com/2012/04/03/18-part-follow-christ-bible-study/
 
Your Friend in Christ Iris89
 
Francis David said it long ago, "Neither the sword of popes...nor the image of death will halt the march of truth. "Francis David, 1579, written on the wall of his prison cell." Read the book, "What Does The Bible Really Teach" and the Bible today, and go to www.jw.org!
 he march of truth. "Francis David, 1579, written on the wall of his prison cell." Read the book, "What Does The Bible Really Teach" and the Bible today, and go to www.jw.org!
 

When Jehovah your God will bring you into the land that he swore to your forefathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to give you, great and good-looking cities that you did not build, and houses full of all good things and that you did not fill, . . . watch out for yourself that you may not forget Jehovah.—Deuteronomy. 6:10-12.
 
This warning was not unfounded. In Nehemiah’s day, a group of Levites recalled with shame what occurred after the Israelites took possession of the Promised Land. After the people of Israel occupied comfortable houses and had an abundance of food and wine, “they began to eat and to be satisfied and to grow fat.” They rebelled against God, even killing the prophets he sent to warn them. Jehovah therefore abandoned them to their enemies. (Neh. 9:25-27; Hos. 13:6-9) Later, under Roman domination, the faithless Jews went so far as to kill the promised Messiah! Jehovah rejected them and transferred his favor to a new nation, spiritual Israel.—Matt. 21:43; Acts 7:51, 52; Gal. 6:16.
 
Now to know the truth, go to:
 
1) http://religioustruths.forumsland.com/
 
2) http://www.network54.com/Forum/403209/
 
3) http://religioustruths.lefora.com/
 
4) http://religioustruths.boardhost.com/
 
5) http://religious-truths.forums.com/
 
6) http://religioustruthsbyiris.createmybb3.com/
 
7) http://religioustruths.forumotion.com/
 
To enjoy an online Bible study called “Follow the Christ” go to,  http://religioustruths.lefora.com/2012/04/03/18-part-follow-christ-bible-study/
 
Your Friend in Christ Iris89
 
Francis David said it long ago, "Neither the sword of popes...nor the image of death will halt the march of truth. "Francis David, 1579, written on the wall of his prison cell." Read the book, "What Does The Bible Really Teach" and the Bible today, and go to www.jw.org!
 
 

Hi Everyone:
 
Here is a Commentary on Bountiful Trees and Vegetables God (YHWH) has provided for mankind, specifically the California Bay Laurel, Umbellularia californica is a large hardwood tree native to coastal forests of California and slightly extended into the state of Oregon.[1] It is endemic to the California Floristic Province. It is the sole species in the genus Umbellularia.
 
The tree was formerly known as Oreodaphne californica.[2] In Oregon, this tree is known as Oregon Myrtle, while in California it is called California Bay Laurel, which may be shortened to California bay or California laurel. It has also been called pepperwood, spicebush, cinnamon bush, peppernut tree, headache tree,[3] mountain laurel,[4] and Balm of Heaven.[4]
 
The tree's pungent leaves have a similar flavor to bay leaves, though stronger, and it may be mistaken for Bay Laurel. The dry wood has a color range from blonde (like maple) to brown (like walnut). It is considered a world-class tonewood and is sought after by luthiers and woodworkers.
 
The tree is a host of the pathogen that causes sudden oak death.
 
This tree, on Permanente Creek in Rancho San Antonio Park, Santa Clara County, California, is one of the largest of its species in the state. Since this photograph, the tree was split, and half the tree broke off and fell in a storm. The other half is still thriving, and has more or less resumed the original canopy shape.
 
This tree mostly inhabits Redwood forests, California mixed woods, Yellow Pine Forest, and oak woodlands. Bays occur in oak woodlands only close to the coast, or in extreme northern California where there is sufficient moisture.
During the Miocene, oak-laurel forests were found in Central and Southern California. Typical tree species included oaks ancestral to present-day California oaks, as well as an assemblage of trees from the Laurel family, including Nectandra, Ocotea, Persea, and Umbellularia.[5][6] Only one native species from the Laurel family, Umbellularia californica, remains in California today.
 
Distribution
In the north, it reaches its distributional limit through SW Oregon to (infrequently) Newport Lincoln County, Oregon on the coast, extending from there south through California to San Diego County. It is also found in the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains. It occurs at altitudes from sea level up to 1600 m.
 
Description
It is an evergreen tree growing to 30 m tall with a trunk up to 80 cm thick. The largest recorded tree is in Mendocino County, California, and measured (as of 1997) 108 feet (33 m) in height and 119 feet (36 m) in spread.[7]
 
Leaves
The fragrant leaves are smooth-edged and lance-shaped, 3–10 cm long and 1.5–3 cm broad, similar to the related Bay Laurel though usually narrower, and without the crinkled margin of that species.
 
 
Flowers open in late winter and early spring.
The flowers are small, yellow or yellowish-green, produced in a small umbels (hence the scientific name Umbellularia, "little umbel").
 
An unripe Bay nut
The fruit, also known as "California Bay nut", is a round and green berry 2–2.5 cm long and 2 cm broad, lightly spotted with yellow, maturing purple. Under the thin, leathery skin, it consists of an oily, fleshy covering over a single hard, thin-shelled pit, and resembles a miniature avocado. Umbellularia is in fact closely related to the avocado's genus Persea, within the Lauraceae family.[citation needed] The fruit ripens around October–November in the native range.
 
Uses
Historical usage
Umbellularia has long been valued for its many uses by Native Americans throughout the tree's range, including the Cahuilla, Chumash, Pomo, Miwok, Yuki, Coos and Salinan people.[8] The Concow tribe call the plant s?-?’-bä (Konkow language).[9]
 
The leaf has been used as a cure for headache, toothache, and earache—though the volatile oils in the leaves may also cause headaches.[10] Poultices of Umbellularia leaves were used to treat rheumatism and neuralgias.[11] A tea was made from the leaves to treat stomach aches, colds, sore throats, and to clear up mucus in the lungs.[12] The leaves were steeped in hot water to make an infusion that was used to wash sores.[11] The Pomo and Yuki tribes of Mendocino County treated headaches by placing a single leaf in the nostril or bathing the head with a laurel leaf infusion.[12]
 
The chemical responsible for the headache-inducing effects of Umbellularia is known as Umbellulone.[13]
 
 
Nearly ripe Bay nuts being prepared for roasting.
Both the flesh and the inner kernel of the fruit have been used as food by Native Americans. The fatty outer flesh of the fruit, or mesocarp, is palatable raw for only a brief time when ripe; prior to this the volatile aromatic oils are too strong, and afterwards the flesh quickly becomes bruised, like that of an overripe avocado.[14] Native Americans dried the fruits in the sun and ate only the lower third of the dried mesocarp, which is less pungent.[12]
The hard inner seed underneath the fleshy mesocarp, like the pit of an avocado, cleaves readily in two when its thin shell is cracked. The pit itself was traditionally roasted to a dark chocolate-brown color, removing much of the pungency and leaving a spicy flavor.[11] Roasted, shelled "bay nuts" were eaten whole, or ground into powder and prepared as a drink which resembles unsweetened chocolate. The flavor, depending on roast level, has been described variously as "roast coffee," "dark chocolate" or "burnt popcorn".[15] The powder might also be used in cooking or pressed into cakes and dried for winter storage.[11] It has been speculated that the nuts contain a stimulant;[16][17] however this possible effect has been little documented by biologists.
 
Modern usage
The leaf can be used in cooking, but is spicier and "headier" than the mediterranean bay leaf, and should be used in smaller quantity. Umbellularia leaf imparts a somewhat stronger camphor/cinnamon flavor compared to the mediterranean bay.[18]
 
 
Roasted Baynuts ready for eating, or grinding into a powdery paste for beverages and cooking.
 
Some modern-day foragers and wild food enthusiasts have revived Native American practices regarding the edible roasted fruit, the bay nut.[14][16][19]
Umbellularia californica is also used in woodworking. It is considered a tonewood, used to construct the back and sides of acoustic guitars. The wood is very hard and fine, and is also made into bowls, spoons, and other small items and sold as "myrtlewood".
 
Umbellularia californica is also grown as an ornamental tree, both in its native area, and further north up the Pacific coast to Vancouver in Canada, and in western Europe. It is occasionally used for firewood.
 
According to a modern Miwok recipe for acorn soup, "it is essential that you add a generous amount of California laurel" when storing acorns to dry, to keep insects away from the acorns.[20]
 
One popular use for the leaves is to put them between the bed mattresses to get rid of, or prevent, flea infestations.
 
"Myrtlewood" money
"Myrtlewood" is the only wood still in use as a base "metal" for legal tender.[21] During the 1933 "interregnum of despair" between Franklin Roosevelt's election and his inauguration, the only bank in the town of North Bend, Oregon—the First National—was forced to temporarily close its doors, precipitating a cash-flow crisis for the City of North Bend. The city solved this problem by minting its own currency, using myrtlewood discs printed on a newspaper press. These coins, in denominations from 25 cents to $10, were used to pay employees, with the city promising to redeem them for cash as soon as it became available.
 
However, when the bank reopened and the city appealed for people to bring their myrtlewood money in to redeem it, many opted to keep their tokens as collector's items. After several appeals, the city announced that the tokens would remain legal tender in the city of North Bend in perpetuity. The unredeemed tokens have become very valuable, because of scarcity and historical interest. Fewer than 10 full sets are believed to exist.[22]
 
Sudden oak death
Umbellularia californica is a host of Phytophthora ramorum, the pathogen that causes the disease sudden oak death. It is important in this sense because it is one of two tree species (tanoak is the other) on which the pathogen readily produces spores.[23]
 
References
1. ^ "Umbellularia californica (Hook. & Arn.) Nutt.". CalFlora. Retrieved 2012-02-05.
2. ^ "The Plant List".
3. ^ Nassini, R. et al (2011). "The 'headache tree' via umbellulone and TRPA1 activates the trigeminovascular system". Brain (Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press) 125.
4. ^ a b John Henry Clarke (1986). A Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica. B. Jain Publishers/Médi-T. ISBN 8170210135, 9788170210139.
5. ^ Axelrod, D. I. (2000). "A Miocene (10-12 Ma) Evergreen Laurel-Oak Forest from Carmel Valley, California". University of California Publications: Geological Sciences (Berkeley, CA, USA: University of California Press) 145.
6. ^ Barbour, M. G.; Keeler-Wolf, T.; Schoenherr A. A. (2007). Terrestrial Vegetation of California. Berkeley, CA, USA: University of California Press. p. 56.
7. ^ "National register of big trees: California-laurel: Umbellularia californica". Retrieved 2012-09-21.
8. ^ "Umbellularia Californica". USDA Plant Guide.
9. ^ Chesnut, Victor King (1902). Plants used by the Indians of Mendocino County, California. Government Printing Office. p. 408. Retrieved 24 August 2012.
10. ^ Barrett, S. A.; Gifford, E. W. (1933) (PDF). Miwok Material Culture. Board of Trustees of the Public Museum of the City of Milwaukee. p. 360. ISBN 978-1-4286-6168-4.
11. ^ a b c d Goodrich, J. S.; Lawson, C.; Lawson, V. P. (1980). Kashaya Pomo Plants. Heyday Books. p. 176. ISBN 978-0-930588-86-1.
12. ^ a b c Chesnut, V. K. (1902). Plants Used by the Indians of Mendocino County, California. Contributions from the U.S. National Herbarium Vol. VII. Reprinted 1974 by Mendocino County Historical Society. p. 114. ISBN [[Special:BookSources/2940005197115|2940005197115]].
13. ^ Nassini, R.; Materazzi, S.; Vriens, J.; Prenen, J.; Benemei, S.; De Siena, G.; La Marca, G.; Andre, E. et al. (2011). "The 'headache tree' via umbellulone and TRPA1 activates the trigeminovascular system". Brain 135 (Pt 2): 376–90. doi:10.1093/brain/awr272. PMID 22036959. edit
14. ^ a b FeralKevin: Foraging, Bushcraft, Permaculture, and Rewilding blog.
15. ^ Kelly, I. (1978). Coast Miwok. Handbook of North American Indians. 8. Smithsonian Institution. p. 108. ISBN 0-16-004574-6.
16. ^ a b "The California Bay Laurel". Paleotechnics. Paleotechnics.com.
17. ^ Moerman, D. E. (1998). Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press. p. 927. ISBN 978-0-88192-453-4.
18. ^ Vizgirdas, R. S.; Rey-Vizgirdas, E. M. (2006). Wild Plants of the Sierra Nevada. University of Nevada Press. p. 108. ISBN 978-0-87417-535-6.
19. ^ Sunny Savage (March 6, 2008). "California Bay Laurel". Wild Food Plants (blog). Retrieved 2012-09-21.
20. ^ "Nupa (Acorn) Soup". NativeTech: Indigenous Food and Traditional Recipes. Retrieved 2012-09-16.
21. ^ "Myrtle Tree Story". Realoregongift.com. Retrieved 2012-08-17.
22. ^ Finn J.D. John (August 29, 2010). "When banks closed, town of North Bend minted its own money — out of wood". Offbeat Oregon History. Retrieved 2012-08-17.
23. ^ "UC Tries to Stop Northward Movement of Sudden Oak Death". University of California, Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources. May 3, 2006. Retrieved 2012-09-21.  (source - retrieved from   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umbellularia  on  3/9/2013)
 
In Genesis 1:11-13, "And God said, Let the earth put forth grass, herbs yielding seed, and fruit-trees bearing fruit after their kind, wherein is the seed thereof, upon the earth: and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth grass, herbs yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit, wherein is the seed thereof, after their kind: and God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, a third day. (American Standard Version, ASV)[for more details, go to  www.jw.org].
 
For a picture of California Bay Laurel and more information on it, go to,  http://www.smgrowers.com/products/plants/plantdisplay.asp?plant_id=1577
 
Now to know the truth, go to:
 
1) http://religioustruths.forumsland.com/
 
2) http://www.network54.com/Forum/403209/
 
3) http://religioustruths.lefora.com/
 
4) http://religioustruths.boardhost.com/
 
5) http://religious-truths.forums.com/
 
6) http://religioustruthsbyiris.createmybb3.com/
 
7) http://religioustruths.forumotion.com/
 
 
Your Friend in Christ Iris89
 
Francis David said it long ago, "Neither the sword of popes...nor the image of death will halt the march of truth."Francis David, 1579, written on the wall of his prison cell." Read the book, "What Does The Bible Really Teach" and the Bible today, and go to www.jw.org!
 
 
 

As you go, preach, saying, “The kingdom of the heavens has drawn near.”—Matthew. 10:7.

Jesus warned his apostles that many would oppose their Kingdom-preaching work. (Matt. 10:16-23) An especially painful form of opposition is experienced when family members reject the Kingdom message. (Matt. 10:34-36) Does this mean that happiness is out of reach for Christ’s followers who live in religiously divided households? Not at all! Though family opposition can sometimes be severe, that is not always the case. Then, too, family opposition is not necessarily permanent. Much depends on how believers respond to opposition or indifference. Moreover, Jehovah blesses those who are loyal to him, making them joyful despite unfavorable circumstances. Believers can add to their own happiness (1) by endeavoring to cultivate peace in the home and (2) by sincerely trying to help unbelieving family members to embrace true worship. 

Now to know the truth, go to:

1) http://religioustruths.forumsland.com/

2) http://www.network54.com/Forum/403209/ 

3) http://religioustruths.lefora.com/

4) http://religioustruths.boardhost.com/

5) http://religious-truths.forums.com/

6) http://religioustruthsbyiris.createmybb3.com/ 

7) http://religioustruths.forumotion.com/

To enjoy an online Bible study called “Follow the Christ” go to, http://religioustruths.lefora.com/2012/0...ble-study/ 

Your Friend in Christ Iris89 

Francis David said it long ago, "Neither the sword of popes...nor the image of death will halt the march of truth. "Francis David, 1579, written on the wall of his prison cell." Read the book, "What Does The Bible Really Teach" and the Bible today, and go to http://www.jw.org!

O the depth of God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How unsearchable his judgments are and past tracing out his ways are!—Romans  11:33.
 
 
   Immediately after Adam and Eve sinned, Jehovah revealed the way that he would undo all the bad effects caused by their rebellion. (Gen. 3:15) Such immediate action, as well as his progressively revealing details of this purpose to his servants, brought Jehovah’s wisdom into sharp focus. Nothing can impede God’s ability to handle matters successfully. In a world marked by immorality, war, unreasonableness, disobedience, mercilessness, partiality, and hypocrisy, Jehovah has had ample opportunity to demonstrate to his creatures what real wisdom is. The disciple James said: “The wisdom from above is first of all chaste, then peaceable, reasonable, ready to obey, full of mercy and good fruits, not making partial distinctions, not hypocritical.”—Jas. 3:17.
 
Now to know the truth, go to:
 
1) http://religioustruths.forumsland.com/
 
2) http://www.network54.com/Forum/403209/
 
3) http://religioustruths.lefora.com/
 
4) http://religioustruths.boardhost.com/
 
5) http://religious-truths.forums.com/
 
6) http://religioustruthsbyiris.createmybb3.com/
 
7) http://religioustruths.forumotion.com/
 
To enjoy an online Bible study called “Follow the Christ” go to,  http://religioustruths.lefora.com/2012/04/03/18-part-follow-christ-bible-study/
 
Your Friend in Christ Iris89
 
Francis David said it long ago, "Neither the sword of popes...nor the image of death will halt the march of truth. "Francis David, 1579, written on the wall of his prison cell." Read the book, "What Does The Bible Really Teach" and the Bible today, and go to www.jw.org!