Hello and welcome to
"Health for a Lifetime"
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I'm your host Don Mackintosh
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and today, we're
going to talk about STRESS
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Joining us is Dr. Skip MacCarty
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He's written a new seminar
called "Stress Beyond Coping"
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and this is a
fascinating seminar.
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I've really
appreciated reading through it,
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and preparing with you for this.
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I've noticed
something that really
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gripped my attention though,
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and that was
that stress pyramid.
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Tell us a little bit about that.
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Well Don, I wanted to show the
7 keys to managing stress on a
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hierarchical formation based
on the research that I've done,
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and so I developed
the stress pyramid,
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and it starts at the
bottom with eating healthy
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which is very
important for health...
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very important, but
it's not more important than
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exercise for stress
management purposes,
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and exercise isn't more
important than time management
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and organization which isn't
more important than relaxation
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and so forth right on up...
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loving relationships, a healthy
viewpoint, a healthy attitude,
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a positive
attitude toward life...
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And finally, the spiritual
integration at the very top
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of the pyramid that affects
everything else in our lives;
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I put it at the very top.
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And this is on the basis of...
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It's on the basis of not
only just my own experience,
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but on the basis of research.
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Dr. Dale Matthews at the
University of Georgetown,
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also with the National Institute
for Health Care Research
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The National Institute
for Health Care Research
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has researched over 200 or
300 now, scientific research
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programs based on
the relationship of
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spirituality and
religious involvement in health
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and it has found a
10 to 1 correlation of
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positive to negative
results; it's just overwhelming.
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I noticed in the material that
you gave me to prepare for today
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that you were the
opening speaker for the
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"Eleventh International
Congress on Stress" in Hawaii
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and was it related to this..
is this what you talked about?
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It was Don, and I'll
tell you the story...
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Back in 1998 when our
church, at Andrews University
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was involved in "Net 98"
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I had had a practice for
several years during a major
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evangelistic campaign and
reading through the Book of Acts
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Well I had done all this
research and the seminar was
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was just about to be
published and I was going
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through the Book of Acts
this time and I was noticing
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things related to
stress I had never seen before,
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and I wondered... Could
the whole Bible have this
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much in it about stress?
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So I started with Genesis 1:1
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About 1-1/2 years
into that project,
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I got our annual newsletter,
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I'm a fellow of the
American Institute of Stress,
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and I received our
monthly newsletter,
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and it was calling
for papers for the next
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International Congress on Stress
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to be held in Hawaii in
December of this last year, 2000
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and I had never read anything
in the Bible and stress,
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and so I called them and
found out if it was possible to
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submit an abstract and
they said "yes," so I did,
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and on the Bible as a
resource instrument for stress,
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and they accepted it and finally
as it got closer to the time,
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found out that I was the opening
speaker for that congress
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on "The Bible as a Resource
for Stress Management. "
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Amazing... So did you
get stressed out about
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that invitation?
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You know, I had so much
wonderful help in putting
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that together and so
much prayer behind me,
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that I went into
that thing so confident...
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Yet when we got there,
it was just a LAVISH hotel
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and we were going down to the
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opening banquet
on Sunday evening,
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and we got in the elevator,
the first people we met
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at this hotel in
Hawaii, got in the elevator,
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on our way down the
elevator, these people,
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we were exchanging
names and why we were there,
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and I said, "We're here with the
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Stress Congress, "
they said, "We are too"
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And they said, "What's your
name?" and I told them my name,
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and they said, "Skip MacCarty,
you're doing that presentation
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on "The Bible as a
Resource for Stress Management"
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And I said, "Yes"
He said he teaches
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stress management at
a college and he said,
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"We came for THAT
very presentation" WOW!
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It happened to be
the most attended session
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in the entire Congress.
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Amazing, what a blessing
that is It was incredible!
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So what does the Bible
have to say about stress?
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Well it's got a lot to say about
it and I've got several points..
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First of all,
starting out, in the Bible,
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the word that's used for
salvation is the same word
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that's used often for healing...
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and that is the
Greek term "sozo"
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In fact, sometimes,
Don, in the very same verse
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when it's referring
to healing and salvation,
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that same word is used
and it's used interchangeably,
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in other words, translators
have to make a determination
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as to how it should be used.
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Whether "heal" or "save"
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For instance, in James when
he says, "Call for the elders
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of the church and
they'll anoint you with oil,
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and the prayer of
faith will save the sick"
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Some translations have "save"
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Other translations
have heals, the word "sozo"
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So there's a direct
correlation in the Bible between
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spirituality and health.
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So stress management really,
or dealing with stress is
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a healing type thing...
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But is there really a
stress management program
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in the Bible per
se? Would you say?
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You know, it was a surprise
to me to find that the first
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stress management
program given in the Bible
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was the ONLY part of the
Bible written by God Himself.
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I had gone through
the Ten Commandments;
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first, I just
started with Genesis 1:1,
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and went all the
way through Genesis,
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found some tremendous material.
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I was going through
Exodus and went through
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the Ten Commandments
and caught several things
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in the Ten Commandments
but then it just dawned on me
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one day, every one of
the Ten Commandments is
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somehow calculated to prevent
us from having too much stress
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or the wrong kind
of stress and so forth.
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The Ten Commandments, and
the one that is so beautiful
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is the Sabbath!
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The Sabbath gives us
a pressure-relief valve
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par excellence!
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It says when Friday
night comes at sundown,
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you just turn everything off...
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And you can rejoice in the Lord,
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you can enjoy your family,
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you can remember
what life is all about.
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Why are we working 6 days?
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What's the point of
working those 6 days?
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The Sabbath is a
GIFT of GOD in TIME
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for us to kind of rejuvenate.
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Built-in stress
release. Perfectly!
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So all these Ten Commandments
then have to do with
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relationships either to God
or man and they are meant to
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make sure we don't have
STRESS in those, is that true?
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Too much stress
- overload stress,
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and the wrong kind of stress,
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the damaging
stress, the DISTRESS.
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Okay, so if you
break the Commandments,
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then that would be SIN...
the Bible would call it probably
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Isn't sin itself stressful?
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In fact, let me just
begin this list here,
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the Ten Commandments
is the first program for
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stress management in the Bible,
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and the second is this very
issue of sin and forgiveness.
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There are many places in the
Bible where sin and forgiveness
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are related to
stress and healing.
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In Psalm 32, David prays...
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"When I kept
silence, my bones wasted away"
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"My strength was sapped"
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...talking about
physical illness and distress.
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Isn't that when he was involved
with someone he shouldn't
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have been involved
with... someone else's wife?
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That's right... And he didn't
want anybody to know about it.
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And then in the
very next breath he says,
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"Then I
acknowledged my sin to you,
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and did not
cover up my iniquity. "
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In other words,
he confessed his sin,
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"I will confess my
transgression to the Lord,
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and You FORGAVE
the guilt of my sin"
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There's the
pressure-relief valve again.
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Acknowledging our sin,
getting it out into the open,
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and then letting God just
take that away to forgive me.
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Is this why some of
these criminals and thieves,
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I mean they've
never been caught,
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but they come forward
and they say, "I DID it"
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and they're releasing
their stress... do you suppose?
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Undoubtedly, yep it's a huge
pressure-relief valve for them.
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So the Ten Commandments
and then sin and forgiveness
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...So the Bible doesn't want us
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to have any stress then...
would you agree with that?
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It was interesting, after
I got months into the study,
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it just began to dawn
on me that the Bible really
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does not set as a goal of
life to get relief from stress.
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There are 2 kinds of
material in the Bible...
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One kind of material is
like the Ten Commandments...
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it protects us from stress that
has no transcendent meaning,
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no transcendent purpose,
no higher purpose to it.
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Harmful stress...
Harmful stress, the distress,
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just purposeless
stress, I call it.
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There's another whole set
of information in the Bible
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that, in fact, CALLS us to live
a life of purposeful stress.
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It calls us to
sacrificially give of ourselves
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for other
people... give of our time,
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give of our money
to help other people.
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It calls us to live by
certain values even though
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living by those
values may cause persecution
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...even martyrdom in some cases.
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And there are many
evidences in the Bible
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that God's honor guard,
so-to-speak, are people who were
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persecuted for
standing up for what was right.
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So Christ, Himself,
when He came to this world,
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that wasn't really a stress
reduction program for Him...
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That's right. It was for US!
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Life is not about,
simply, stress reduction.
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It's about
committing ourself to the values
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that make the
stress that we DO have,
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the transcendent stress
that really counts for something
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from the Biblical prospective.
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Something purposeful
or meaningful. Exactly!
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What about BAD things?
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The stressful things
that happen to us in life...
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Does the Bible address that?
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You know, why BAD
things happen to good people...
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or that's kind of the phrase.
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That is one of the
beautiful components of
00:10:05.38\00:10:08.46
stress management in the Bible.
00:10:08.49\00:10:09.86
It describes meaning to
the trials that people have
00:10:09.89\00:10:13.82
when they're
attempting to live for God.
00:10:13.85\00:10:15.75
In fact, it will describe
meaning to all kinds of trials.
00:10:15.78\00:10:18.42
I love the story that Rick
Rice tells about this sculptor
00:10:18.45\00:10:21.67
who has this block of
marble, and he tells in his book
00:10:21.70\00:10:25.34
why bad things
happen to God's people.
00:10:25.37\00:10:27.75
He has this block of
marble and he's chiseling away
00:10:27.78\00:10:30.54
everything that doesn't fit
this masterpiece in his mind
00:10:30.57\00:10:33.79
and this beautiful sculpture,
00:10:33.82\00:10:36.12
and when he gets into
it, he finds a major flaw
00:10:36.15\00:10:40.94
in the marble.
00:10:40.97\00:10:42.73
And, at that point, he kind
of draws back, thinks about it
00:10:42.76\00:10:46.93
for a couple of days,
comes back to work on it,
00:10:46.96\00:10:49.22
and when he gets done, he
has a BEAUTIFUL work of art
00:10:49.25\00:10:52.60
and it actually appears as
though that flaw in the marble
00:10:52.63\00:10:55.61
was designed into it originally.
00:10:55.64\00:10:58.63
God can take ANY,
even BIG mistakes that
00:10:58.66\00:11:01.95
we've made in our lives,
00:11:01.98\00:11:03.35
and He can change things...
00:11:03.38\00:11:04.83
He can craft a mission
for us, a purpose out of that
00:11:04.86\00:11:07.83
that actually makes it
look like it was BENEFICIAL
00:11:07.86\00:11:11.37
...even though it may have
been a foolish mistake we made.
00:11:11.40\00:11:14.07
And, we have so much
evidence in the Bible
00:11:14.10\00:11:17.19
of trials having meaning.
00:11:17.22\00:11:19.33
Like... give me an example...
00:11:19.36\00:11:21.44
Well one of the greatest
is in the Book of Genesis...
00:11:21.47\00:11:25.83
The Book of Genesis
covers 2500 years of history,
00:11:25.86\00:11:28.34
and yet one-fourth to
one-third of that book
00:11:28.37\00:11:33.72
is committed to one man;
00:11:33.75\00:11:35.38
it's the story of Joseph.
00:11:35.41\00:11:37.33
Joseph is the stress
management par excellence.
00:11:37.36\00:11:41.33
He had some rough
stress, didn't he? Absolutely!
00:11:41.36\00:11:43.71
He was committed to his values
no matter how far he went down.
00:11:43.74\00:11:47.71
Living by his values
got him into more trouble.
00:11:47.74\00:11:50.18
It created more stress for him.
00:11:50.21\00:11:51.58
He stayed by his values
and at the end of the book
00:11:51.61\00:11:55.39
...It's incredible
when his brothers, who had
00:11:55.42\00:11:59.48
sold him into slavery...
he meets his brothers,
00:11:59.51\00:12:01.96
and he tells them
he has forgiven them...
00:12:01.99\00:12:03.76
And not to be distressed, he
actually uses the terminology in
00:12:03.79\00:12:06.84
the Bible - "Don't be distressed
00:12:06.87\00:12:08.24
...In the New
International Version, anyway...
00:12:08.27\00:12:09.87
because God meant this for good"
00:12:09.90\00:12:11.57
And when their father
dies, they come back again
00:12:11.60\00:12:13.51
and they beg him, "Please
don't now take vengeance on us"
00:12:13.54\00:12:16.40
because they think he's
just doing it for dad's sake.
00:12:16.43\00:12:18.90
And he begins to weep because
he realizes that they never
00:12:18.93\00:12:22.97
did really accept his
forgiveness to start with...
00:12:23.00\00:12:25.81
But then he says this to them,
00:12:25.84\00:12:28.53
"Don't be afraid; am
I in the place of God?"
00:12:28.56\00:12:31.08
"You intended to harm me
but God intended it for good
00:12:31.11\00:12:34.36
to accomplish what is now being
done the saving of many lives. "
00:12:34.39\00:12:37.82
It's the Romans 8:28 principle
00:12:37.85\00:12:39.99
that ALL things can
work together for good
00:12:40.02\00:12:42.11
to those who put
their trust in God.
00:12:42.14\00:12:43.62
It is so awesome!
00:12:43.65\00:12:45.40
So He can use the
crack in the marble
00:12:45.43\00:12:47.93
to make a beautiful
masterpiece of your life.
00:12:47.96\00:12:50.45
Don, in 1979, I went through
a very, VERY traumatic divorce.
00:12:50.48\00:12:55.00
I thought I was going to die
during that period of time...
00:12:55.03\00:12:57.40
And out of that whole trauma,
I thought my life was over,
00:12:57.43\00:13:01.79
my career was over,
everything was over.
00:13:01.82\00:13:03.92
Out of that, this
seminar, this stress seminar,
00:13:03.95\00:13:08.41
and the research that I've been
doing on stress... was born,
00:13:08.44\00:13:10.97
and now it has been a
blessing to thousands of people.
00:13:11.00\00:13:14.99
So one may say,
"Scars could become stars"
00:13:15.02\00:13:20.78
and you know those...
they really seem like clichés,
00:13:20.81\00:13:23.48
but it really is the
truth when you start to
00:13:23.51\00:13:25.51
understand what the Bible has
to say about stress. Powerfully
00:13:25.54\00:13:29.29
This was probably well-received
there at the conference as well.
00:13:29.32\00:13:32.66
It was the most well-attended
session of the Congress.
00:13:32.69\00:13:35.70
It was the first session
but never had more people
00:13:35.73\00:13:39.50
than that first session; it had
a tremendous response to people.
00:13:39.53\00:13:42.46
We've been talking
with Dr. Skip MacCarty
00:13:42.49\00:13:44.53
We've been talking about stress.
00:13:44.56\00:13:45.99
Maybe in your life, you've
been experiencing some of the
00:13:46.02\00:13:49.26
stressors that we've talked
00:13:49.29\00:13:50.77
about at the
beginning of this program.
00:13:50.80\00:13:53.82
You're going to want to
join us when we come back,
00:13:53.85\00:13:55.74
and continue to
talk about what the
00:13:55.77\00:13:57.29
Bible has to say about stress.
00:13:57.32\00:13:59.82
Have you found yourself wishing
00:14:01.96\00:14:03.33
that you could
shed a few pounds?
00:14:03.36\00:14:04.95
Have you been on a
diet for most of your life
00:14:04.98\00:14:07.23
but not found anything that
will really keep the weight off?
00:14:07.26\00:14:10.46
If you've answered "yes"
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00:14:10.49\00:14:13.24
then we have a
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00:14:13.27\00:14:15.85
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00:14:15.88\00:14:18.87
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00:14:18.90\00:14:20.88
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00:14:20.91\00:14:23.14
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00:14:23.17\00:14:25.95
Here's a medically sound
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00:14:25.98\00:14:28.65
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00:14:28.68\00:14:30.35
eat more and lose weight
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00:14:30.38\00:14:33.49
guilty or hungry
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00:14:33.52\00:14:36.43
Dr. Diehl and Dr. Ludington
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00:14:36.46\00:14:40.05
and in this booklet, they
present a sensible approach
00:14:40.08\00:14:42.85
to eating, nutrition
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00:14:42.88\00:14:45.38
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00:14:45.41\00:14:47.94
and EVEN cancer!
00:14:47.97\00:14:49.40
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00:14:49.43\00:14:51.46
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00:14:51.49\00:14:53.20
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00:14:53.23\00:14:56.49
It's ABSOLUTELY free of
charge, so call or write today.
00:14:56.52\00:15:01.75
Welcome back!
We've been talking with
00:15:02.59\00:15:04.05
Dr. Skip
MacCarty about stress...
00:15:04.08\00:15:06.13
And we've talked about
the Bible and stress today.
00:15:06.16\00:15:09.98
It has real things
to say about stress,
00:15:10.01\00:15:11.94
and we're happy that you
can share those insights you've
00:15:11.97\00:15:14.50
gained over the last 20 years.
00:15:14.53\00:15:15.90
And really, I've been
really blessed by the seminar
00:15:15.93\00:15:18.28
"Stress Beyond Coping"
00:15:18.31\00:15:19.68
I hope it is available and
I'm sure that it is available
00:15:19.71\00:15:22.45
for people to get a hold of.
00:15:22.48\00:15:23.85
We were talking about
these different stressors
00:15:23.88\00:15:28.15
and how the
Bible relates to them.
00:15:28.18\00:15:29.63
We talked about the first
stress program in the Bible...
00:15:29.66\00:15:32.32
that being the Ten Commandments;
00:15:32.35\00:15:34.07
avoiding those
things which are harmful,
00:15:34.10\00:15:37.09
and then having
purposeful stress.
00:15:37.12\00:15:39.08
But I notice here, you
have something about PEACE.
00:15:39.11\00:15:42.22
Can we have PEACE?
00:15:42.25\00:15:43.82
That's right, Don,
that's the next one on the list.
00:15:43.85\00:15:45.76
The Bible promises
peace in the midst of stress.
00:15:45.79\00:15:49.89
In other words, it never
guarantees we won't have stress.
00:15:49.92\00:15:53.66
In fact, it
guarantees you WILL have stress.
00:15:53.69\00:15:55.78
Paul said that... "It's
through many tribulations
00:15:55.81\00:15:58.25
we must enter
the Kingdom of God. "
00:15:58.28\00:15:59.90
So maybe if
you're not a Christian,
00:15:59.94\00:16:01.77
maybe you can live a stress-free
life, I don't know...
00:16:01.80\00:16:04.08
I doubt it because there is no
peace, Isaiah said to the wicked
00:16:04.11\00:16:08.19
But for sure, if you're a
Christian you're going to have
00:16:08.22\00:16:11.09
some stress and distress even.
00:16:11.12\00:16:12.99
And yet, you can have peace
in the midst of that stress...
00:16:13.02\00:16:16.33
The Bible promises peace,
00:16:16.36\00:16:17.73
"Perfect peace whose
mind is stayed upon Him"
00:16:17.76\00:16:20.69
And I had a medical student
who came to me a few months ago;
00:16:20.72\00:16:26.17
he had been living with
somebody, he wasn't a Christian,
00:16:26.20\00:16:28.64
and living with
somebody for a period of time,
00:16:28.67\00:16:30.68
and then that
person moved out on him,
00:16:30.71\00:16:33.06
and he just went to pieces.
00:16:33.09\00:16:34.46
He had to take time
off of medical school;
00:16:34.49\00:16:35.86
in fact, he was
in rotations by then,
00:16:35.89\00:16:37.38
and his brother
brought him to talk to me
00:16:37.41\00:16:39.54
because I do
some work with stress,
00:16:39.57\00:16:41.95
and he talked to me
for a couple of hours,
00:16:41.98\00:16:45.45
and he had had a
religious background as a child,
00:16:45.48\00:16:50.39
but I gave him a
copy of the Bible.
00:16:50.42\00:16:52.96
We talked a little
bit about some of the
00:16:52.99\00:16:54.98
issues involved and
what he was going through.
00:16:55.01\00:16:56.54
I gave him a copy of the
Bible and asked him to begin
00:16:56.57\00:16:58.53
to read in the Book of Matthew.
00:16:58.56\00:17:00.16
He came back a couple of weeks
later and had been reading,
00:17:00.19\00:17:03.36
and read already 27
chapters in the Book of Matthew
00:17:03.39\00:17:05.70
and he said, "Nothing has done
for me - Nothing has done for me
00:17:05.73\00:17:08.57
what that has" He
was still struggling
00:17:08.60\00:17:11.61
but he said, "That has brought
00:17:11.64\00:17:13.01
a deeper peace than
anything I've ever known"
00:17:13.04\00:17:14.41
Do you find that just reading
the Scriptures brings peace?
00:17:14.44\00:17:17.53
You know what Don, I am
absolutely convinced now
00:17:17.56\00:17:20.32
after the research I've
done, on the Bible as a resource
00:17:20.35\00:17:23.07
for stress
management, starting with the
00:17:23.10\00:17:24.47
Book of Genesis and just working
through verse by verse...
00:17:24.50\00:17:26.48
I don't care
where somebody starts
00:17:26.52\00:17:27.93
reading
anymore... it doesn't matter.
00:17:27.96\00:17:29.33
They're going to find something
00:17:29.36\00:17:30.73
to help them with
stress. It's EVERYWHERE!
00:17:30.76\00:17:32.13
It's in the Book of
Leviticus, it's everywhere.
00:17:32.16\00:17:33.74
Just READ the Bible,
you're going to get help.
00:17:33.77\00:17:36.35
And that's what
this man was doing.
00:17:36.38\00:17:38.24
You know the
Apostle Paul, talking about
00:17:38.27\00:17:39.69
peace in the midst of stress...
00:17:39.72\00:17:41.09
The Apostle Paul was persecuted
over and over and over...
00:17:41.12\00:17:45.23
He was flogged and we
know how awful flogging was.
00:17:45.26\00:17:47.52
He was stoned. He was caned.
00:17:47.55\00:17:50.16
He was shipwrecked.
00:17:50.19\00:17:51.95
All those things happened
and yet listen to what he wrote:
00:17:51.98\00:17:56.60
Here in the Book
of Philippians...
00:17:56.63\00:17:58.00
"I have learned to be content
whatever the circumstances"
00:17:58.03\00:18:02.28
"I know what it
is to be in need. "
00:18:02.31\00:18:04.11
"I know what it
is to have plenty. "
00:18:04.14\00:18:05.57
"I've learned the
secret of being content in any
00:18:05.60\00:18:07.89
and every situation
whether well-fed or hungry
00:18:07.92\00:18:10.02
whether living in
plenty or in want,
00:18:10.05\00:18:12.25
I can do EVERYTHING through
Him who gives me strength. "
00:18:12.28\00:18:14.69
He found that
peace... He found it.
00:18:14.72\00:18:17.11
It doesn't matter
what you do or DON'T do...
00:18:17.14\00:18:19.31
Or what's
happening to you... Yeah
00:18:19.34\00:18:20.71
It's not dependent on
what's happening to you.
00:18:20.74\00:18:22.28
You know, I've often
thought about Paul...
00:18:22.31\00:18:24.43
You know, what if he hadn't
gotten in all these problems,
00:18:24.46\00:18:26.43
he wouldn't have had
time to write these things.
00:18:26.46\00:18:28.75
You know, and so
through his STRESS,
00:18:28.78\00:18:32.16
we have the keys for success,
you could say. Yeah... Amazing
00:18:32.19\00:18:36.39
Okay, besides peace then,
00:18:36.42\00:18:38.54
we've looked at
several different things...
00:18:38.58\00:18:41.36
You teach that
social relationships
00:18:41.40\00:18:42.94
are important as
well; talk about that a bit
00:18:42.97\00:18:46.08
Well the Bible teaches that.
00:18:46.11\00:18:48.05
The Bible has always brought
believers into communities.
00:18:48.08\00:18:51.95
In Israel it was
the Old Testament.
00:18:51.98\00:18:53.35
And even when somebody
who wasn't a Jew was converted
00:18:53.38\00:18:56.58
to the God of the
Bible, they were to become
00:18:56.61\00:18:59.04
part of that community of faith.
00:18:59.07\00:19:01.23
In the New
Testament, it's the church.
00:19:01.26\00:19:05.26
Listen to how the Book of Acts,
00:19:05.29\00:19:07.00
in Acts 2, describes the church
00:19:07.03\00:19:09.24
and what a
supporting group it was.
00:19:09.28\00:19:11.13
By the way, a LOT
of research today,
00:19:11.16\00:19:12.98
amazing amount of
research today showing
00:19:13.01\00:19:15.60
that social relationships
are one of the greatest
00:19:15.63\00:19:19.62
benefits and
supports for stress.
00:19:19.65\00:19:22.71
Listen to this, "All
the believers were together
00:19:22.74\00:19:25.11
and had everything in common,
00:19:25.14\00:19:26.51
This is in Acts 2.
00:19:26.54\00:19:27.91
...selling their
possessions and goods,
00:19:27.94\00:19:29.48
they gave to
anyone as he had need. "
00:19:29.51\00:19:31.43
Talk about a community...
00:19:31.46\00:19:33.36
If you had stress, people were
there for you; they helped you.
00:19:33.39\00:19:36.66
The Apostle Paul said that
the church is like a body...
00:19:37.55\00:19:40.08
If one member suffers, the
whole body suffers with it.
00:19:40.11\00:19:42.72
It's like the human
body; I injure my finger,
00:19:42.75\00:19:45.89
my body martials
just to save my finger
00:19:45.92\00:19:48.64
and heal my finger.
00:19:48.67\00:19:50.99
It's like that in a community.
00:19:51.02\00:19:52.54
I've
experienced that for myself.
00:19:52.57\00:19:54.17
Do you think the churches today,
by and large, have that...
00:19:54.20\00:19:57.78
they offer that kind of support?
00:19:57.81\00:19:59.18
Have you ever experienced it?
00:19:59.21\00:20:02.73
We don't offer that
support to the same degree that
00:20:02.76\00:20:05.79
the early Christians did.
00:20:05.82\00:20:07.21
We don't sell everything we have
and everybody - that's anything
00:20:07.24\00:20:11.09
We don't do that, but
let me tell you a story...
00:20:11.12\00:20:13.19
When I was going through...
I was remarried by this time,
00:20:13.22\00:20:17.25
and my wife and I,
we blended 6 children.
00:20:17.28\00:20:21.33
They did better than we did.
00:20:21.36\00:20:22.97
We were having real
struggles there for a while.
00:20:23.00\00:20:25.45
I remember one Sabbath,
I was sitting out in my car
00:20:25.48\00:20:28.30
...It was up at
the St. Joseph Church,
00:20:28.33\00:20:30.19
there near Andrews... I
was half-time pastor at Andrews
00:20:30.22\00:20:34.22
and half-time
pastor at St. Joe...
00:20:34.25\00:20:35.97
so that Andrews, our University
Church there could have a
00:20:36.00\00:20:39.89
missionary community...
00:20:39.92\00:20:41.29
I was sitting out in my
car there at St. Joseph,
00:20:41.32\00:20:43.05
trying to figure out which of
these 2 sermons I had preached
00:20:43.08\00:20:46.19
before was least inappropriate
to be preaching that day.
00:20:46.22\00:20:48.72
I had had such a stressful week!
00:20:48.75\00:20:50.85
It was SUCH a difficult week...
00:20:50.88\00:20:52.37
I had never had
anything QUITE like that...
00:20:52.40\00:20:55.56
And I went into the pulpit
that day still not knowing,
00:20:55.59\00:21:00.47
when I got up to
speak, which sermon
00:21:00.50\00:21:02.07
I was going take and
I actually heard myself
00:21:02.10\00:21:04.26
describing a little
bit about the week I had...
00:21:04.29\00:21:07.02
how difficult it was and I
really did not have something.
00:21:07.05\00:21:09.79
I wasn't going to fool
them into thinking I really had
00:21:09.82\00:21:12.79
something for them
today and I would just
00:21:12.82\00:21:15.14
pray for them and I sat down.
00:21:15.18\00:21:16.55
No sermon, no word
from God or anything... WOW
00:21:16.58\00:21:20.66
And the head deacon
stood up and he said,
00:21:20.69\00:21:23.57
"Folks, I think we
ought to pray for our pastor"
00:21:23.60\00:21:26.59
And that church formed a circle
all the way around that church.
00:21:26.62\00:21:29.33
They took my
family, we all held hands
00:21:29.36\00:21:31.62
all the way around the
outskirts of the church;
00:21:31.65\00:21:34.22
they prayed for us and then...
00:21:34.25\00:21:37.42
Everybody went to the
potluck, we went to the potluck.
00:21:37.45\00:21:39.67
They never mentioned that.
00:21:39.70\00:21:41.07
We pastored that church
for several years after that;
00:21:41.10\00:21:43.55
they never
mentioned that incident again.
00:21:43.58\00:21:45.29
They were SUCH a HEALING FORCE.
00:21:45.32\00:21:47.12
I found all the way
through the most difficult times
00:21:47.15\00:21:49.93
in my life, the church
has been a TREMENDOUS resource
00:21:49.96\00:21:52.03
for healing and help.
00:21:52.06\00:21:53.43
I can almost imagine the
conversation on the way home,
00:21:53.46\00:21:56.08
or maybe the lack of
conversation but just the
00:21:56.11\00:21:58.42
healing that went on!
Tremendous - powerful.
00:21:58.45\00:22:01.54
So, social
relationships, having peace...
00:22:01.57\00:22:05.59
You also believe that
worship is a key component,
00:22:05.62\00:22:09.43
and that, of
course, takes place,
00:22:09.46\00:22:10.83
at least in some
sense, in a church setting.
00:22:10.86\00:22:13.22
Worship... You know this was
one of the surprises to me in my
00:22:13.26\00:22:19.34
research in the Bible
and stress management.
00:22:19.37\00:22:21.90
I got a large way
through the Bible before I
00:22:21.93\00:22:24.20
realized the power of worship.
00:22:24.23\00:22:25.77
I was reading
through the Psalms...
00:22:25.81\00:22:27.18
Worship is a tremendous stress
reliever for the believers
00:22:27.21\00:22:32.26
in the times of the Bible.
00:22:32.29\00:22:33.79
It's like alcohol is
an escape for people,
00:22:33.82\00:22:36.69
and drugs can be an
escape for people to get them
00:22:36.72\00:22:38.59
out of their
problems for a little while,
00:22:38.62\00:22:39.99
then they gotta
come back to them again.
00:22:40.02\00:22:41.39
But in worship...
and many of the Psalms
00:22:41.42\00:22:45.06
by the way, they
start with distress...
00:22:45.09\00:22:48.15
People are complaining
and they're in great distress;
00:22:48.18\00:22:50.54
you can tell that when
you begin to read the Psalms
00:22:50.57\00:22:52.28
But what happened in worship
was, they were lifting their
00:22:52.31\00:22:56.03
distress up before GOD.
00:22:56.06\00:22:57.62
They were reminded
they were in the presence
00:22:57.65\00:22:59.02
of the God - the
Creator the universe,
00:22:59.05\00:23:00.46
and they seemed
drawn up into His presence.
00:23:00.49\00:23:02.91
And suddenly they
were in the presence of
00:23:02.94\00:23:04.79
One who made the universe,
00:23:04.82\00:23:06.28
and their
problems, in His presence,
00:23:06.31\00:23:08.25
seemed so insignificant...
00:23:08.28\00:23:09.65
When they came out of that
experience of worship again,
00:23:09.68\00:23:12.08
and then offering those
Psalms, they'd break into praise
00:23:12.11\00:23:15.00
before the Psalms were
read, they'd break into praise
00:23:15.03\00:23:17.12
and they'd come back again...
00:23:17.15\00:23:18.52
Rather than coming
back like off a hangover or
00:23:18.55\00:23:21.72
something like if you
had an escape with alcohol
00:23:21.75\00:23:24.32
...Worship is in a
sense, an escape from deep, deep
00:23:24.35\00:23:27.08
trouble and distress,
but then you come back
00:23:27.11\00:23:29.47
EMPOWERED... you come
back assured that God is on the
00:23:29.50\00:23:32.38
throne and He can
take care of these things.
00:23:32.41\00:23:34.56
Another thing about worship
is that the Bible portrays God
00:23:34.59\00:23:38.79
as One who suffers with us.
00:23:38.82\00:23:40.74
Jesus, himself,
when He came here,
00:23:40.77\00:23:42.20
suffered to the ULTIMATE for US.
00:23:42.23\00:23:44.55
In Isaiah 53, I'll never
forget when I went to Isaiah 53,
00:23:44.58\00:23:48.60
I was clipping through
like 1 or 2 chapters a day
00:23:48.63\00:23:50.65
in my research and
when I got to Isaiah 53,
00:23:50.68\00:23:53.72
it just stopped me in my tracks
00:23:53.75\00:23:55.45
because here was this suffering
GOD, this suffering Servant
00:23:55.48\00:23:58.74
that just towered and
you realize... in Isaiah 53,
00:23:58.77\00:24:05.03
and here is this suffering
Servant just towering up above -
00:24:05.06\00:24:08.63
We realize that we have not
suffered as much as our God.
00:24:08.66\00:24:11.96
Our God UNDERSTANDS
us, He suffered with us
00:24:11.99\00:24:14.42
He has ALL the resources to help
00:24:14.45\00:24:17.22
us through whatever
we're going through.
00:24:17.26\00:24:18.63
So worship then, a transcendent
worship that just drives you
00:24:18.66\00:24:23.01
ABOVE! Exactly
00:24:23.04\00:24:24.41
What a responsibility for
those leading worship as well,
00:24:24.44\00:24:28.33
and, of course, the
Lord wants to do that.
00:24:28.36\00:24:30.59
What about the Bible's teaching
about the soon return of Jesus?
00:24:30.62\00:24:34.83
That is an
awesome stress-reliever.
00:24:34.87\00:24:37.23
In fact, looking
forward to something at the
00:24:37.27\00:24:41.46
end of something
will help you go through a
00:24:41.49\00:24:43.12
very distressful period of time.
00:24:43.15\00:24:44.56
When we were
backpacking with my kids,
00:24:44.59\00:24:46.17
and they had a hard
time along the trail,
00:24:46.20\00:24:49.38
I would describe the
meal we we're going to have,
00:24:49.41\00:24:50.98
the marshmallow
roast we're going to have
00:24:51.01\00:24:52.38
at the end of the
trail, the pudding cups,
00:24:52.41\00:24:53.85
and the things we
were going to be eating
00:24:53.88\00:24:55.25
at the end of the day
when we had our tent pitched
00:24:55.28\00:24:57.25
and we were around the campfire,
and that just helped us;
00:24:57.28\00:24:59.28
it gave us the extra
energy we needed to go on.
00:24:59.33\00:25:01.59
In the Bible,
looking forward to the
00:25:01.62\00:25:03.13
second coming of
Jesus Christ has been the
00:25:03.16\00:25:05.37
GREAT HOPE... it's called
the blessed hope in the Bible,
00:25:05.40\00:25:07.54
and it is for the believer.
00:25:07.57\00:25:08.94
It just gives them strength
and motivation to go on,
00:25:08.97\00:25:11.88
and to go into the future.
00:25:11.91\00:25:13.94
We have about
2.5-3 minutes left,
00:25:13.97\00:25:17.21
what would you say if you
had just to give a single text
00:25:17.24\00:25:20.64
from the Bible,
what text would it be
00:25:20.67\00:25:23.19
that would help us
with stress management?
00:25:23.22\00:25:25.14
Don, there is one...
00:25:25.17\00:25:28.57
It is SO awesome!
00:25:28.60\00:25:30.63
Wow, that's a beautiful promise!
00:25:38.02\00:25:39.42
I tell you what,
when you focus on that,
00:25:39.45\00:25:41.89
and focusing on God,
and just RESTING in GOD
00:25:41.92\00:25:45.49
realizing He is
the Great Creator...
00:25:45.52\00:25:47.12
He's the one who
suffered more than we have.
00:25:47.15\00:25:48.72
He's our Great Resource...
it is absolutely powerful.
00:25:48.75\00:25:52.23
And one other I
would add to that...
00:25:52.26\00:25:54.19
It's one that comes
from both the Old Testament
00:25:54.22\00:25:57.55
and New Testament; it
occurs in the Old Testament
00:25:57.58\00:25:59.11
and it's quoted again in
the New Testament in Peter
00:25:59.14\00:26:01.15
...In the New
International Version
00:26:01.19\00:26:04.10
And let me tell you a story...
00:26:08.04\00:26:09.53
I was at church
going up to my office
00:26:09.56\00:26:13.40
through the long sanctuary
at the Pioneer Memorial Church
00:26:13.43\00:26:16.06
one day and I was
BUSY, I was TENSE,
00:26:16.09\00:26:18.72
I had so many
things on my agenda...
00:26:18.75\00:26:20.47
I didn't know how I was
going to get through it all.
00:26:20.50\00:26:23.35
I was a little short with
people as I was going through
00:26:23.38\00:26:25.46
the office, picking up my mail
00:26:25.49\00:26:26.86
I'm sure no one watching has
EVER had that kind of a day...
00:26:26.89\00:26:30.07
It was quite a day... I
walked into the sanctuary
00:26:30.10\00:26:34.95
and as I walked in, I
heard this beautiful, beautiful
00:26:34.99\00:26:37.44
child's voice...
It was Olivia Nutt,
00:26:37.48\00:26:39.87
the daughter of Esther Nutt
00:26:39.90\00:26:41.86
who was up in the
balcony underneath
00:26:41.90\00:26:44.61
the stained glass window of
Christ carrying a little lamb
00:26:44.64\00:26:47.92
with the parent
sheep looking up at Christ
00:26:47.95\00:26:50.36
carrying this lamb so gently...
00:26:50.39\00:26:51.87
And Olivia Nutt was
singing this song...
00:26:51.91\00:26:54.91
"I cast all my care upon you,
00:26:54.94\00:26:58.18
I lay all of my
burdens down at your feet"
00:26:58.21\00:27:01.56
She was singing it, it
just was so pure and powerful
00:27:01.59\00:27:05.10
She was up there singing it.
00:27:05.13\00:27:06.60
I walked right into that.
00:27:06.63\00:27:08.27
And suddenly, my stress
just totally drained out of me.
00:27:08.30\00:27:12.18
Just instantly drained out
of me and I just felt at peace.
00:27:12.21\00:27:16.06
By the time I got to
the back of that sanctuary,
00:27:16.09\00:27:17.46
I was at peace, I
was ready for the day.
00:27:17.49\00:27:19.88
It just brought everything
back into perspective.
00:27:19.91\00:27:21.92
God is so powerful and the
Bible is such a rich resource
00:27:21.95\00:27:25.38
for managing stress.
00:27:25.41\00:27:26.78
Ummm, ummm... indeed it is!
00:27:26.81\00:27:29.49
Boy, thank you so
much for sharing with us.
00:27:29.52\00:27:32.65
These have been very
helpful to me personally.
00:27:32.68\00:27:35.83
And I know that you
that have been watching,
00:27:35.86\00:27:38.14
I HOPE that you
have found some real KEYS
00:27:38.17\00:27:41.86
when we look at
God's Word for surviving,
00:27:41.89\00:27:44.82
and really, like your
seminar is entitled...
00:27:44.85\00:27:47.28
"Moving Beyond
Just Coping With Stress"
00:27:47.31\00:27:49.70
THRIVING as a
result of these concepts.
00:27:49.73\00:27:52.76
We hope that as a
result of today's program
00:27:52.79\00:27:54.82
you have health that
lasts for a lifetime!
00:27:54.85\00:27:56.85