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Summer heat can be more than uncomfortable; it can threaten your health, especially for older adults and children. Hot and humid weather can make it more challenging for your body to cool down, leading to heat-related illnesses. Three types of such illnesses include heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heatstroke. If left untreated, they can become life-threatening.

Don’t let the summer heat get the best of you. Consider the following tips to prevent heat-related illness:

• Drink plenty of fluids.
• Eat light, refreshing foods.
• Wear lightweight, light-colored and loose-fitting clothing.
• Apply sunscreen and wear a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses.
• Do chores or other outdoor activities in the morning or evening.
• Stay indoors as much as possible or take breaks from being outside.

Keeping these tips in mind means you’re on your way to beating the heat. Learn more about the symptoms of heat-related illnesses below.

The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (Lifeline) launched nationwide on July 16. Similar to dialing 911 for medical emergencies, people in emotional distress or suicidal crisis can call or text 988 and be connected immediately to trained counselors who will listen, provide support and connect people to resources if necessary.

The three-digit dialing code is new, but the Lifeline is not. Previously known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, callers only reached the 24/7 national crisis hotline by dialing 1-800-273-8255 (TALK). The easy-to-remember dialing code (988) is meant to replace that number; however, callers will still be connected to the same services, regardless of which number is used. The Lifeline provides services in both English and Spanish.

Since 2005, the Lifeline has been a network of roughly 200 crisis centers funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Since its founding, the Lifeline has received more than 20 million calls from people in distress looking for help when they needed it most. Nearly 2.4 million calls occurred in 2020 alone, illustrating America’s current mental health crisis.

Suicide is the second leading cause of death amongst preteens and adults aged 25 to 34, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The Lifeline is a direct connection to compassionate, accessible care for anyone experiencing mental health-related distress, including thoughts of suicide, mental health or substance use crisis, or other emotional struggles. People can also call the Lifeline if they are worried about a loved one who may need emergency support.

Just as Americans know to call 911 in a medical emergency, it’s vital to spread the word about 988 in your own state. This new three-digit dialing code could provide immediate support during someone’s darkest hour.

“For this reason also, we have not ceased to pray for you.” – Colossians 1:9

Do you pray for your children?

God has given us our children on loan for us to raise in His image.

It’s almost impossible to do that without praying for them.

For many years, my wife prayed a prayer from scripture over our three sons.

Here are some ideas for you to try:

1. Pray that they will increase in the knowledge of God. The greatest hope most parents have for their children is that they will be happy, but a fulfilled life comes from knowing God. Without God, there is a nagging emptiness. Lots of people know about God, but knowing Him personally is different. We all know a lot about our nation’s President, but only a few know him personally.
2. Pray that they live a worthy life. Teach them that their lives should have an impact for good and that they will be people of trustworthy character.
3. Pray that they’re strengthened in God’s power. The world and evil influences will seek to pull our children down. They need God’s power to be strong, resist temptation, and do the right thing.
4. Thank God for each child. Each child is a unique creation of God.

If you’ve never regularly prayed for your children, I hope these ideas act as a starting point.

There are few things we do for our children that are more important than our prayers.

“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit.”  – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-19

Gratitude is a choice.

It is a mindset and a mentality that is fueled by our perspective. Gratitude is an attitude of the heart. We have a saying in our family that goes like this: “You choose your attitude.” You can’t control many things in life, but you can control your attitude!

Are you living with a mindset of gratitude? Are you rejoicing in all things? Did you know it is God’s will that you learn what it means to give thanks in all things and live with a heart of gratitude? So, how do you know if you are living in gratitude?

Do you see the power of God at work in the trials of life, or do you only see the challenges and trials?

Are you thankful for the blessings in your life, or are you bitter about the things that you don’t have?

Are you living a generous life, or are you trying to hold on to all you have?

Are you more focused on what you have to do than what Jesus has already done for you?

If you leave the gate open, the cow will wander off. So if you

intentionally leave the gate open, you want the cow to wander off.  You can’t blame stupidity or laziness. It was intentional.

If you cut police budgets, you will get more crime on the streets.

So if you intentionally cut police budgets, you wanted more crime on the streets.

If you cut back the supply of oil, gas prices will go up. So if you intentionally cut back the supply of oil, you wanted gas prices to go up.

If you print trillions of dollars without increasing the supply of goods, inflation will hit hard. So if you intentionally print trillions of dollars without more goods you wanted inflation to hit hard.

If you leave the southern border wide open, you get more drug trafficking and human trafficking.  So if you intentionally leave the border wide open, you wanted more drug trafficking and human trafficking.

If you shut down 40% of the supply of baby formula in February, you’ll get a huge shortage. When you KNOW a huge baby formula shortage is coming because of the FDA’s actions, and you purposefully do nothing to prevent it, month after month, until the crisis finally hits hard, you INTENDED this crisis.

It is time to recognize there are evil people. Some of those want a crisis. They want chaos.   Their stated purpose years ago with Obama was to “take the US down a few notches on the world stage.” You can feel the quality of your life being challenged. These are not foolish or misguided people. Always use common sense and please do your own fact checking to make sure you are not sold a bad bill of goods.

ANSWERS TO CYBER SECURITY QUESTIONS:

“Somehow my cellphone number got attached to a (person’s name), so now I am getting calls and texts addressed to her. I block and report it as spam. Is there anything else I can do to “unattach” my number from her name or do I just need to change my cellphone number?”

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It’s possible she has activated a feature on her phone called “conditional call forwarding.” When turned on, calls and texts will be forwarded to another number (yours). Contact your carrier to cancel the feature.

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“How do I close down an old email address that I no longer use?”

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A dormant email account (or any online account) can be a security risk. Do a web search for instructions about how to delete it. You’ll need to know the password or be able to use other recovery options to proceed. Once in, if there’s anything you want to save, download it first. If you’re concerned about an old job-related or educational institution email address, contact the organization’s IT department to have it deleted.

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“I have an old iPad — the 3rd generation from 2012. Is it still safe to connect to my Wi-Fi and use it for listening to podcasts?”

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Use it till it dies! You can also use it as an electronic picture frame, second monitor, alarm clock, read recipes, or many other simple tasks. Apply software updates when offered. Don’t store sensitive information on it or do banking but reading books or listening to audio should be fine.