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“The truth is that stress doesn’t come from your boss, your kids, your spouse, traffic jams, health challenges, or other circumstances. It comes from your thoughts about your circumstances,” opines Andrew Bernstein, author of “The Myth of Stress.”
While you may find that assertion unsettling, exaggerated, or inaccurate, stay with me. Continue reading
Filed under Discipleship, Life, Stress
(NOTE: Apparently there was a glitch yesterday that caused many of our email readers unable to access the link to yesterday’s post on stress. If you missed it, here’s a link to part 3. Click here. )
“Gratitude is a strong strategy to help minimize stress in our lives” affirmed Najma Khorrami, in Psychology Today.
“Gratitude lowers stress hormones in the body,” stated Khorrami a global public health professional. She explains the process this way. Continue reading
Filed under Discipleship, Life, Stress
“Even though my mom passed away seven years ago, it still feels like yesterday,” recalls Daniel H. Gibson Jr. “I was actually in the room when it happened. I was playing her a song when, suddenly, she suffered from a heart attack she wouldn’t recover from.”
“Christmas was my mom’s favorite time of the year; she loved spending time with family and watching her grandchildren open their presents,” Gibson reminisces. “Ever since her passing, the holidays have never quite felt the same. So for me, the holiday season is always accompanied by a tinge of sadness.” Continue reading
Filed under Discipleship, Life, Stress
Matthew Rogers tells the story about a brother and sister singing “Silent Night” in their school chorus.
The little boy concluded the song with the words, “Sleep in heavenly beans.”
His sister elbowed him and said. “No, it’s not beans. It’s peas!”
I suppose for many people during the holiday season, the song might as well end with beans or peas. Because the stress of the season is anything but peace. Continue reading
Filed under Discipleship, Life, Stress
Yesterday I preached a lesson addressing the issue of “Holiday Stress.” The message was not only well received, but several who saw the title advertised asked for the outline.
So, breaking with my normal weekly columns, this is the first of a five part series dealing with stress based on that lesson.
When I googled “holiday stress, I received 345,000,000 results in 0.46 seconds. Among the headlines were these articles. Continue reading
Filed under Discipleship, Life, Stress
Last night I was watching The Five on Fox News where Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina was one of their guest hosts.
Scott is one of eleven African-Americans to have served in the U.S. Senate and the first to serve in both chambers of Congress. His rags to riches story that raised him up from poverty to his present position is compelling and inspiring.
When the panel was talking about our current polarizing political divide in the United States, Scott offered an interesting insight. This is nothing new, he observed. Throughout our history, there have been times of conflict and sharp disagreements. “Remember the Civil War?” he rhetorically asked. Continue reading
There’s a familiar scene in the Peanuts cartoon where Lucy is holding a football for Charlie to kick it farther and higher than anyone in the world.
In this oft-repeated situation, Lucy pulls the ball away at the last second just as Charlie is about to kick it.
AAUGH!
Charlie lands flat on his back. Looks up at Lucy and asks, “Why do I always fall for the same old trick?” Continue reading
Filed under Depression, Psalms, Stress
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