Jun
07
2010
June 6-12 is National Headache Awareness Week as recognized by the National Headache Foundation. The page at the link I’ve provided has some excellent educational material on the topic. I certainly have not seen such complete medical documentation and reference material on headaches.
I imagine many of us have had a debilitating form of migraine headache over the years. I can remember when I was under some chronic and severe stress years ago and how I suffered from frequent cluster headaches. They were a pain! Among the materials provided on the above site is a guide to preventing and alleviating the pain associated with migraines. Many prevention methods are mentioned.
They report that the most common type of headache is a tension headache. Tension headaches are due to tight muscles in your shoulders, neck, scalp and jaw. They are often related to stress, depression or anxiety. Therapies to reduce stress that they mention are biofeedback, progressive muscle relaxation, yoga, deep breathing and creative visualization. At the end of the paragraph they say “techniques discussed use the mind’s own power to change the central nervous system in a manner that can stop a migraine attack before it progresses to the pain phase.” I find it interesting that the National Headache Foundation uses the term “alternative” treatments in describing these prevention and treatment techniques.
Sadly, there’s no mention of God’s primary therapy for the prevention of headaches. Do not worry. In Matthew 6:25-34, Jesus outlines his teaching on worry. He reminds us that God will provide for our most basic needs. Jesus further instructs us to make the Kingdom of God and his righteousness our primary concern.
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” Proverbs 3:5
It’s our nature to worry about the things of life, but God reminds us in his guidelines for living, the Bible, to give our worries to him. To trust him fully. When we are able to do that we are able to give him our cares and concerns and trust that he is in control of our circumstances. This certainly seems to be the very best prevention method for headaches.
Questions About Stress and Worries to Reflect On
What do you frequently worry or have anxiety about?
When was the last time you quietly and expectantly asked God to take care of that issue?
How are you seeking God’s Kingdom on a regular basis?
Resources on Stress
Article – Manage Your Stress With God’s Help
Slide Show – Stressed? See How God Can Help
Blog Posts on Trust
Mar
21
2010
March Madness
Many of us enjoy watching what happens on the basketball court during March Madness, the annual NCAA basketball tournament. This year’s tournament, that started on Thursday, has seen several favored teams lose in either the first or second rounds.
Some of you may know that a big upset occurred this past weekend as the 9th seeded Northern Iowa Panthers beat the number 1 seeded Jayhawks of Kansas in a thriller, 69-67. Many sportscasters had Kansas as the favorite to win the overall tournament. President Obama picked Kansas to win as well. However, the young men of Northern Iowa pulled off a big upset.
Today, during an interview of Northern Iowa’s coach, Ben Jacobson, the coach made it a point to say that it’s in the preparation for the game that the game is really won. He made this point three times. He told the folks on CBS who conducted the interview that it’s the practice that prepares his players to be able to play the kind of games that they play. I think most any coach would say the same thing about the importance of the preparation period.
Trials of Life
It’s also in the preparation times of our faith that help us to be able to handle the tough times, the trials, of our lives. When I was diagnosed with prostate cancer over three years ago, I wrote an article for the local paper about how my faith was a anchor in this health storm of my life. My faith was able to be an anchor during this storm because it prepared me to cope with the adversity that cancer can bring to one’s life.
My “preparation” was hours of quiet time with God. It was hours spent reading the Bible. It was hundreds of Bible study sessions with my small group of men. It was hundreds of thoughts thinking about God and his nature and his truths. It was hours spent in church listening to pastors teach the Word of God. These things along with many others prepared me to get through my trial.
It’s in these same ways, and many others, in which we all are better prepared to live the game of life that we all find ourselves in. And life certainly can offer many trials, but it’s in the trials of life that we have an opportunity to grow and become better people. It’s in the trials of life that we have an opportunity to grow closer to God.
The more prepared we are for our trials, through living out and practicing a strong faith, the better able we’ll be to handle those trials, just as Northern Iowa was better able to play, and win, their game with Kansas on the basketball court.
Questions to Reflect On:
What was the last big trial in your life that your faith prepared you to endure?
What aspect of your faith helped prepare you the most for this trial?
Scriptures Related to Trials and Preparation
The Lord is good, a strong refuge when trouble comes. He is close to those who trust in him. Nahum 1:7
I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world. Jesus in John 16:33
These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. 1 Peter 1:7
Resources on Trials and Stress
Web Page - Stress, Health and Faith – Understanding the Connection
Feb
09
2010
Another article appearing in the Wall Street Journal this week is worth passing along. The author, Ron Winslow, writes that “Broken Heart Syndrome is typically triggered by acute emotion or physical trauma that releases a surge of adrenaline that overwhelms the heart. The effect is to freeze much of the left ventricle, the heart’s main pumping chamber, disrupting its ability to contract and effectively pump blood.”
“The phenomenon is a “concussion” of the heart, says Scott Sharkey, a cardiologist at Minneapolis Heart Institute. “It’s really a heart attack which is triggered by stress rather than by a blocked artery,” he says.
Triggers for broken-heart syndrome seem as varied as the number of people affected. While death of a spouse or other close family member or friend is a common cause, breakups such as a divorce or separation have also sparked the event, according to a study of 136 patients by Dr. Sharkey and his colleagues published Jan. 26 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
For others, being overwhelmed by new software at work, seeing a poultry barn burn down, or losing money at a casino all have brought the condition on, doctors say.”
Read the entire article.
“Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” Proverbs 4:23
Aug
17
2009
“Honestly, what’s happened here is our Army is under stress,” says Lt. General Rick Lynch, Commander of Fort Hood. “So anything you can do to reduce stress is going to help prevent suicides. That is my fundamental theme.”
These were recent comments made by the general as he talked about initiatives undertaken at the Army installation in Texas. You can read the article – Army General Wages War Against Stress in the San Antonio Express News. The article will give you a good sensing of the types of initiatives that one post is taking to combat the suicide problem our Army is having.
The skyrocketing number of suicides over the past few years has sparked a search for answers on how to reduce these rates. For this reason, the Army has also established a suicide task force and launched a joint five-year study with the National Institute of Mental Health.
2 Minute Slide Presentation
Life and stress – they go hand in hand. We will experience lots and lots of stress in our life. There is no getting around it. I believe that the degree to which we effectively manage and cope with the stress in our lives will determine the degree to which we are healthy. If we turn to unhealthy behaviors to cope with the stress, our physical and emotional health will suffer. Suicide is perhaps the ultimate “unhealthy” action a person can take to cope with chronic and significant stress, such as repeated tours of duty in a combat zone in the case of a soldier.
Resources and Information on Stress, Health and Faith
The stress and health link and how a strong faith can help on my web site.
Bible Verses for Faith in Times of Stress
Article – Stress Management and The Christian Faith by Dr. Ken Matto
Blog Post – Jesus on Stress Management
“Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9
Jul
23
2009
One daily devotional I use is In Touch Magazine, written by Charles Stanley. The verse for today’s devotional is Matthew 11:28-30, a verse I almost refer to when I speak on the topic of faith, stress and health. Because Stanley does such a wonderful job of addressing these verses, I thought I’d share today’s devotion with you. The following is today’s devotional.
Jesus - "Take my yoke upon you" Matthew 11:29
Jesus invites all burdened individuals to come to Him for rest, yet so often we misunderstand what He is offering. When stresses and problems weigh us down, the most natural response is to ask God for relief: “Lord, I can’t carry this anymore. I’m going to leave it here with you.” Having dumped the burden like a bag of garbage, we walk away but remained unchanged inside.
God doesn’t operate that way. Christ’s invitation is to join Him in the yoke so you can walk and work together. He doesn’t want just your burden; He wants you! The yoke of Christ is a symbol of discipleship, characterized by submission and obedience to Him. God’s goal isn’t simply to give relief by removing a weighty trial or affliction; He longs to draw you to Himself in a close and trusting relationship. Those who take Him up on His offer will be transformed and won’t ever return to their old ways. Read more of this article »
Apr
07
2009
With record-high suicide rates among U.S. soldiers, the Army’s Chief of Chaplains has proclaimed Wednesday, April 8, a day of prayer and fasting for the military. Read the proclamation here. Chaplain (Major General) Douglas L. Carver has called on all Army chaplains, as well as concerned Christians, to pray for the safety and peace of mind for soldiers and their families, according to Military Ministry.
The day of prayer and fasting focuses on suicide-prevention awareness and coincides with the Army’s 120-day “stand down” and unit training, which began Feb. 15.
Carver says, “This has been a long war we’ve been in – for eight years since 9/11,” in an interview with the Baptist Press. “The war has been on an up tempo and at an almost unsustainable rate, with fighting on two fronts,” he said in reference to Iraq and Afghanistan. “Suicide is something we’re now seeing as one of the residuals of this long war.”
In 2008, there were 140 suicides in the Army – the highest recorded number since the early 1980s, Carver said. Some chaplains, who are themselves under great stress, have also committed suicide, the chief of chaplains said.
Carver urges Christians to pray for all U.S. military servicemen and women.
“May God be glorified in the lives of our Army’s Soldiers and Families, and may God bless the United States,” wrote Carver in the Proclamation of Prayer and Fasting letter.
I invite you to join me in prayer and fasting on this solemn day.
Mar
18
2009
Dr. Christopher Edwards, director of the Behavioral Chronic Pain Management program at Duke University Medical Center, says his pain-management program in Durham, N.C. is seeing a rise in patients amid the current economic crisis: “There’s a very strong relationship between the economy and the number of out-of-control stress cases we see.”
Katherine Muller is a cognitive therapist and director of psychology training at Montefiore Medical Center in Bronx, N.Y. She says “The message I’m trying to send(to my patients) is that you are responsible for your own stress. The way you are looking at it and feeling about it is more up to you than you realize.”
Both of the above excerpts were taken from a Wall Street Journal health column written by Melina Beck on March 17, 2009. Her article is another reminder of the affect that chronic stress can have on our physical health. In this case, it’s the stress people are experiencing because of their perceptions and beliefs about their finances and the impact the economy is having on their lives. Beck mentions the value of exercise, biofeedback and therapy as methods to alleviate stress, however she makes no mention of the spiritual dimension of one’s life and the value of it in managing the stressors associated with this economic mess were are in. Read more of this article »
Mar
12
2009
This week I have been privileged to spend time with senior Chaplains of the US Army. Over 350 Chaplains and Chaplain Assistants from around the world are spending time together in Hilton Head, SC to receive updates and various trainings under the theme of Renewing the Soldier’s Mind.
I had the honor to talk on “Renewing the Mind and Keeping It Fit” on Tuesday to the assembled group. My key scripture was Romans 12:1-2. Today, I spoke to spouses on the topic of “Leaning on Your faith in Times of Stress.” Having spent 20 years as an officer in the Army, this was a special time for me to be able to reconnect with members of the Armed Services.
Chaplains in our Armed Services have one of the most challenging vocations in the world. Spending this week with them has certainly given me a greater perspective on the stressors they and their families have.
May God bless the men and women of the US Army Chaplain Corps and the fine enlisted men who support their work.
For more information about a career as a US Army Chaplain, please see this sub-page of the Pastor tab.
Feb
21
2009
The key to staying grounded during these economically difficult times is keeping your trust in God. After all, what are your alternatives – trusting in yourself, the banks, your employer?
As President Obama said in a speech on Monday, “This isn’t a “run-of-the-mill recession.”" That being the case, you will not be successful in resorting to “run-of-the-mill” solutions to managing your responses to the situation.
Financial Stressors Lead to Physical Problems
The less we trust in God, the more likely we’ll be affected emotionally. Our emotional responses, if left unchecked, will affect us physically. A USA Today article in September of 2008 stated, Read more of this article »
Feb
04
2009
Stressed lately? Are you keenly aware of how chronic stress can impact your health? Did you know that 75-90% of visits to the doctors’ office are related to stress? (The American Psychological Association)
I have sensed God calling me to share in a concise way the truth about stress and health and how a personal relationship with Him can help matters. Yesterday I posted a 3 minute automatic presentation on my home page that tells this story - Stress and Unhealthy Habits – See How God Can Help.
If you are struggling with life and the stressors of life, or know someone who is, you may benefit from viewing this or the person you know may be helped by seeing it.
During times of distress, it’s good to remember what God’s Word says about who He is and how He cares for us:
God is our refuge and strength,
always ready to help in times of trouble.
So we will not fear when earthquakes come
and the mountains crumble into the sea.
Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge!
A river brings joy to the city of our God,
the sacred home of the Most High.
God dwells in that city; it cannot be destroyed.
From the very break of day, God will protect it.
The nations are in chaos, (the economy is a wreck!) and their kingdoms crumble!
God’s voice thunders, and the earth melts!
The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here among us;
the God of Israel is our fortress.
Come, see the glorious works of the Lord:
See how he brings destruction upon the world.
He causes wars to end throughout the earth.
He breaks the bow and snaps the spear;
he burns the shields with fire.
“Be still, and know that I am God!
I will be honored by every nation.
I will be honored throughout the world.”
The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here among us;
the God of Israel is our fortress. Psalm 46
In times of stress, I know of no antidote better than to turn to God and receive His love and promises. Keep your connection to Him strong.
Have a great week!
