A Tea for Every Taste

I have been big on coffee and tea lately. I have been consuming 8 to 10 cups of tea and the equivalent of 2 to 4 cups of coffee a day (in shots of espresso) every day for the last week. I have noticed a significant difference to my overall health in a very positive way. My health feels better overall, and my stomach is feeling better. I've had stomach issues for the better part of the last 8 years, so it is huge for me to feel well in my stomach.

How about tea? Do you know the difference between red, white, green, herb, etc? Well:
Tea is made by steeping processed leaves, buds or twigs of the tea bush Camellia sinensis in hot water for a few minutes. From this bush, all kinds of true tea are made. The most common are green, black and oolong, but white, yellow, and a type of red tea are also made from these leaves. The difference is oxidation. Much like leaving the skins on red wine grapes after they are harvested, how long the tea is allowed to set after being picked and before being dried has an effect on what kind of tea it will be. White tea is baby green tea, which is not allowed to oxidize at all. Oolong is slightly oxidized, some red teas are a little more oxidized, and, finally, black tea is allowed to oxidize the longest. There is such a thing as yellow tea, but I don't know where between green and black it falls. The reason I compare it to red wine grapes is because the oxidation of the leaves causes the creation of tannins, something the fruit of wine grapes get when the skins are left on and the grapes set for a while after harvest. Just like you can make a white wine from red grapes, you can make green or black tea from the same leaf.

Ceylon tea is merely tea that comes from Sri Lanka (formerly known as Ceylon, kinda like Thailand used to be called Siam).

What most of us know of red "tea" here in the states isn't really tea at all, since it doesn't come from the tea plant. The red "tea" is made from the Rooibos plant of the Aspalathus genus, found in the Cedarberg mountains of South Africa. I don't know what it's properties are like, but I am drinking it today because I bought a box of 20 bags on clearance at Safeway for 49 cents a month or so back.

Any tea that goes by "herbal tea" isn't really tea. There has been a movement in the industry to get away from the herbal "tea" moniker, and the term "herbal infusion" is gaining popularity. These "teas" are primarily made from rosehips, chamomile flowers and leaves, or ginseng leaves.

FlipFlopMamma asked if supporting WorldVision and Compassion International counted as what I was talking about. As I am unfamiliar with what these organizations do, I can't say because I really don't know and I despise speculation. Here is what I'm driving at: the main point of choosing a missionary is to be able to provide them with personal support. Jen and I switched from supporting Jews for Jesus to supporting the local missionaries from Jews for Jesus. As we've gotten to know them, we have prayed for them, they've prayed for us, we've been there to offer support during difficult times. We become to them a part of a support structure they would not have if we just wrote checks to Jews for Jesus every month. And wouldn't that be just the easy thing to do? We see Paul and Timothy and Apollos and the other missionaries in the New Testament develop this model for personal support, where giving is more than just putting money in the box at the temple or synagogue. Don't get me wrong, Jen and I give to support our church, and they support missionaries that we often hear about (at least one of ours gets mentioned every Sunday during the service, which is nice). We also support organizations like the Portland Rescue Mission, who helps the homeless find Christ and offers life changing programs to get them off the street and on their feet. But we "own" missionaries because I would argue that it is part of the biblical model for relationships in the church. Having lived with missionary kids (MKs) that grew up on the field, I heard so many stories about how they felt like illegitimate children of the churches that sent them. Their needs and distresses went unnoticed. How can we call ourselves any kind of a family when we let that happen. They are on the front lines preaching Jesus to the unreached, and we, as a church culture, abandon them there. That is why I own missionaries. If a missionary has a critical need that they really need met, and they can get no extra funds from their organization or sending church(es) to meet that need, who will if you don't? Now, I'm not saying that one person or family could just come up with $1000 at the drop of a hat when a missionary needed it, but who would pray that God would provide it, and who will send any extra money if you don't? That is why I am so heavily promoting Niki and Benny on my blog. They are in a situation where they really need more people to come on board and provide. They can't get help from their organization because it doesn't function that way, and they need people to take ownership and "buy" them. So, I challenge you all to dare to be the difference, even to the tune of $5 or $10 a month if that's all you can afford. Many hands make light work in the Kingdom of God. Here is a quote relevant to this issue: "We cannot live only for ourselves. A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men." - Herman Melville. So, FlipFlopMamma, and everyone else, I'll leave you to judge whether or not it is the same. Like I said, I don't know what those organizations do, and I don't know how you give to them or the people working for them, or...(you get the picture). I just know that the personal relationship with the missionary is what the point is.

I suppose that is all for today. I'm off to go read and do some journaling.

Blessings,

Big J

"Man is fond of counting his troubles, but he does not count his joys. If he counted them up as he ought to, he would see that every lot has enough happiness provided for it." Fyodor Dostoevsky