Brother Juniper

I have just stumbled across "brother juniper" cartoons.   Apparently Brother Juniper was an actual friar and one of the first to join the order of saint Francis.   He has been called a fool for Christ and the jester of the courts of the Lord.   Juniper had been commanded to quit giving parts of his clothing to the half-naked people he met on the road. Desiring to obey his superior, Juniper once told a man in need that he couldn’t give the man his tunic, but he wouldn’t prevent the man from taking it either. In time, the friars learned not to leave anything lying around, for Juniper would probably give it away. May we all be so foolish for Christ that we would give away the shirt off of our backs.    I like this posted cartoon because it fits our society today.   When we are offended we are quick to protest and boycott,  but slow to pray.   I think that is because if we were to pray about it we must be open to possibly being wrong.   When we protest we assume we are right.   I pray that God will give me the grace and humility to pray before I act.

Pride

The Lord detest all the proud of heart.  Be Sure of this: they will not go unpunished.
                 Proverbs 16:5
Pride is a dangerous thing, it pits us against each other by displaying why we are different.  Which usually has an "I'm better than you" connotation.  You hear all the time we should celebrate our differences but why not celebrate how we are the same?  
Before Christ religions were pretty much separated by ethnicity.   One of the beautiful things about Christ kingdom is that it is for all the world.   Believers of all ethnicities united in Christ.  When we identify our selves by something else other than Christ it causes conflict.   Whether you are white,  black,  latino, or asian you are Christian first. 
Let's put out identities in Christ first before ethnicity or sexual preference.  
Below I included some pictures to show the ridiculousness of pride.   Notice the black,  whites, and latinos seem to be raising their first at one another.
Much love
Dustin. 

The Strong Tower of Beard Health

As a barber with a large beard I get questions about beard health everyday.   Usually from people looking for some kind of magic elixir to rub on their faces that will make their beard grow healthy,  full,  and over night.   Well as G.K. Chesterton aptly said.
"No one ever grew a beard in a moment of passion."
Growing a beard is a commitment and growing a healthy beard requires a commitment to health.   The two time winning beard champion of the world Jack Passion has a mantra that rings true.
"Healthy man,  healthy beard"
So what are the building blocks to healthy facial follicles?
Growing up we have all seen the "food pyramid" well if anybody ever followed that guideline strictly they would be dead in a week (no water in the pyramid).  Well with beard growing we will build a nutrient tower.   The more of these nutrient blocks you use the stronger the tower The healthier the beard.
The foundation of our tower is made of two key ingredients, water and protein.  Hair is 97% protein and if you are dehydrated your entire body will not function properly.   If you do nothing else for the health of your beard this foundation will give a pretty good start.   Everything after that is fine tuning.
The next level of the tower is your omega fatty acids.  Your hair is 97% protein, well the other 3% is fatty acids.   Salmon is an excellent source of both nutrients,  but personally I feel sardines are a much better fish for overall hair growth.   Pound for pound sardines have more omegas and protein,  plus they contain vitamin D and other trace minerals like calcium.   They can look a little off putting but taste great.   Find a quality brand, I prefer King Oscar,  you can always trust a company with a bearded royal as their logo right? 
Another excellent beard growing food is walnuts.   Not only are they a good source out protein and the only nut with a significant amount of fatty acids.   They contain vitamin E and biotin.  Biotin being the next block of our tower side by side with zinc.  
A deficiency in zinc can lead to dry itchy skin and hair loss.   3 ounces of oysters provides nearly 500% of your daily value of zinc.
The next level of our tower of Beard is beta-carotene which your body metabolizes as vitamin A.  Your body's cells cannot function without this and it helps to produce the oils that will sustain your hair,  preventing beard itch and dandruff.   When looking for success of beta-carotene look for your orange fruits and vegetables such as sweet potatoes,  carrots,  mangos,  and cantaloupe.
In the last level of our tower we will put iron.   Iron is essential because it carries oxygen to your hair follicles and a lack of iron can cause hair loss.   Good sources of iron would include eggs and red meat.  
With just these nutrients you will be looking at a top notch beard,  but what good is a tower without a few soldiers guarding from the top.   Vitamin C, vitamin B-5, and vitamin D will make up our special forces trifecta to round out the tower of Beardiness.  Vitamin C increases blood flow to the capillaries that feed your hair follicles.   Vitamin B-5 or pantothenic acid is a hair friendly protein found in most hair products.  Vitamin D has also been linked to hair health,  though we are not entirely sure why.
Commit yourselves to eating a variety of these foods abs you will be getting a luxurious man mane of a beard in no time.   Keep bearding my friends.
Much Love
Dustin