GOT MILK?

No matter how old you are, you should remember the infamous slogan: “Got milk?” I remember it well from TV commercials. How important is milk? Parents can tell you it’s important for nourishing their children; and there aren’t too many people in our nation, who don’t drink milk unless it’s not readily available. It seems that we drink it, because we like it and most importantly for it’s health benefits. We can incorporate it in our recipes and use it to complement our meals, desserts, afternoon or late night snacks. Today, besides the familiar varieties like Non-fat (or skim), 1%, 2%, Whole, Buttermilk and Goat's Milk; we also have non-dairy milks like Soy, Almond, Coconut and Rice Dream, which are popular. Just like cow’s milk, these non-dairy varieties can be used for cereals, cooking and baking. Let’s not forget about powdered milk (a manufactured dairy product made by evaporating milk to dryness), which has the same nutrients as whole milk; and canned evaporated and sweetened condensed milk, which many people  also use for cooking and baking.

When I was growing up, the only milk, we drank in our home was whole. My grandmother used half and half for her coffee and when I stayed with her, she would sometimes make me a cup of coffee that contained enough coffee to taste, three (3) teaspoons of sugar and a dollop of half and half to smother everything out. It could have been called Kid’s Java! Another thing I remember about milk, while growing up was that it was delivered by the milkman and came in glass bottles. I will date myself to share a little tidbit related to milk: Although, it’s been over 50 years, since I was a youth, I remember watching a local after school show hosted by Johnny Downs in San Diego, California –my home town. “As one of the shows frequent sponsors was a local dairy, Downs was regularly featured as a superimposed miniature dancer on top of an old-style milk bottle.’ In addition to Mr. Downs dancing on top of a milk bottle, I can still hear the special greeting he shared at the beginning of each show: “Howdy, howdy, howdy, I’m Johnny Downs.” By the way, Mr. Downs hosted this show in the 1950s and early 1960s [For more information on Johnny Downs, visit www.Wikipedia.org.].

Before I started writing this post, I didn’t know who was responsible for the “Got Milk?” slogan, but I gleaned some information that explains how the slogan came about:

“Jeff Manning was hired in 1993 by the California Milk Processor Board (CMPB) as Executive Director to revive the sagging milk consumption in California.” [Jeff had his work cut out for him and shared his feelings about the white liquid]:

“What could you say about milk? It was white and came in gallons. People felt they knew all there was to know about it, so it was hard to find a strategic platform.”

“A month after he was hired, Manning hired San Francisco ad agency Goodby, Silverstein & Partners to create a new ad campaign for milk. "We weren't going to turn around a 15-year decline in per capita in one year, but we did believe that at least for certain portions of the population, we could flatten it out and start to move it up," said Manning. . . Goodby and his team used (this) consumer insight as the spark for what came to be called the deprivation strategy: rather than selling milk as a complement to certain foods, instead the strategy became to remind milk drinkers of the anxiety and disappointment that came when milk wasn't available at crucial moments. Working to distill this milk-deprived emotional state into a phrase that everyone might instantly understand, Goodby coined the campaign's well-known grammatically-challenged tag line, "got milk?" For more story details visit: Advertising Educational Foundation.

As infants, we drank breast milk or formula that was eventually replaced with whole milk, which became an important part of our daily diet. Cow’s milk has always been an important staple in households with children of all ages, unless there is some ‘lactose’ intolerance. A tall, cold glass of milk tastes so good, but more importantly, it is good for us and includes benefits like: glowing skin; healthy bones and teeth; it rebuilds muscles; helps in weight loss (with low-fat or skim); minimizes stress (drink a glass of warm milk to relax tense muscles); and promotes a healthy body. Also, milk is a staple that we never outgrow. Today, many adults still drink whole milk but those watching their calories prefer non-fat or 1%. When I drink dairy milk, it is 2%, but I really prefer Soy or Coconut milk above all others. If you choose not to drink cow’s milk, you won’t be at a loss for healthy options.

We all know from personal experience and viewing television commercials countless times that: milk – it does a body good! Now, I’m going to share some spiritual insight you might not know. Contrary to popular belief: you’re not a body; your physical body is the house for the real you. No matter how tasty and beneficial cow’s milk is for one’s body, it has no 'spiritual' benefits. I will tell you later about the benefits of: the ‘milk’ of the Word of God. Scripture tell us that God is a Spirit (John 4:24) and we were made in His image (Genesis 26-28). We are, tri-part beings and are spirit, we have a soul and live in a physical body (1 Thess. 5:23). Because, we are spirit, we need something other than cow’s milk for nourishment and strength. In order for us to be fed and strengthened in this way, we must be joined to God through rebirth or salvation and stay connected to Him-- like a branch is connected to a vine (John 15:1-2). When a person is born into the family of God through salvation, he or she is considered a babe in Christ. Just as we desired our mother’s milk or formula that nurtured our physical bodies during infancy, babes in Christ have a desire for the ‘sincere’ milk of the Word (1 Peter 2:2); [The Greek word for sincere is adolos (ad’-ol-os) – meaning without deceit. The Greek word for milk is gala (gal’ah) – milk (figuratively): milk].

The Word of God is also considered seed (Luke 8:11; 1 Peter 1:24) that when planted in our hearts will produce good fruit and make us healthy, wise and prosperous (totally complete). [A side note: I used to think like many other people that prosperity pertained ‘only’ to having a good amount of money, but I learned that it includes more. Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines prosperity as: the condition of being successful or thriving; especially : economic well-being. I like the word well-being for it is defined as: the state of being happy, healthy, or prosperous : welfare.]

The right nourishment makes a difference in our growth and overall health. Just as milk and food nourish us from infancy to adulthood, the ‘sincere’ milk of the Word contributes to the spiritual growth and maturity of those connected to Christ. In addition to spiritual growth, we also gain an increase of faith as a result of hearing the Word (Roman 10:17). Just as growth spurts in children result in an increase of appetite and/or an acquired taste for different foods; the same applies tor a Christian, who reaches a state of maturity or full age. The appetite is no longer satisfied with just ‘sincere’ milk, but requires something more filling like the meat (core: the inmost or most intimate part) of the Word (Hebrews 5:14).

I have discovered that no matter how old one becomes, he or she will never outgrow the need for the ‘milk’ of the Word of God. If you are new to the family of God, because you received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior (Romans 10:9-10), don’t forget to do your part to stay spiritually fit: receive spiritual nourishment daily and as often as possible. There is no danger of consuming too much, but you will grow stronger in the Lord each day. One’s spiritual growth is measured by the intake of spiritual nourishment. Want to learn more about the three levels of salvation, please feel free to check out the following link: http://4bb75ixcyxo8jx55c0mzogiz3y.hop.clickbank.net/

A final word of advice: If you’re only concerned about your body and want to ‘prevent the anxiety and disappointment that can come in your lives at crucial moments’ be sure you’ve got milk! For those, who are connected to Christ and want an increase in spiritual maturity, make sure you’ve got the ‘sincere’ milk of the Word! Selah (pause and calmly think about that)!





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