Stress is Bad For You

I, like most other folks, face a fair amount of stress in my life. Juggling school, work, and my personal life can be tremendously challenging. You may have heard that stress is bad for you. Do you know exactly why stress is so bad for you?
Stress promotes the release of the hormones cortisol, adrenaline, and norepinephrine from our adrenal gland. Adrenaline speeds up our hearts and can raise blood pressure. Cortisol causes changes to our blood vessels that can eventually lead to a heart attack or stroke. Cortisol also increases appetite which increases cytokine-releasing deep-belly fat. Cytokines increase the risk of developing chronic illnesses. When you are stressed, your brain sends signals to your gut that can lead to digestive problems and changes in the composition of your gut bacteria. This is what we refer to as “butterflies”.
There will always be stress in our lives. It’s how we deal with stress that matters. I have never been very good at defending myself against the ravages of stress. I’ve either been angry, sad, or hungry (or hangry) when the going gets tough. 1 Peter 5:6-7 reads, “So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” God may not take away your stress anytime soon but in his time (his perfect time), he will lift you up. It’s a far from simple task to give our worries to God, but giving all to God will save our lives. View your stressors as challenges that you can master with God’s help. You are loved. You are chosen. You may one day look back on the troubles of today as that which defines you and leads you to victory. - JMW

God is Good

     My friend Jon (you may know him) is visually quite an intimidating fellow. He’s tall, broad shouldered, and sports an epic beard. Jon is the type of person one might mistake for a folk hero. “Old Jon let out a mighty sneeze and that day the Grand Canyon was born.” It only takes a short conversation with Jon to discover that’s he one’s of the nicest and most loving individuals you are likely to encounter. He’s one of several friends that are teddy bears within and mighty grizzlies on the outside.

     I think I have always been drawn to people like Jon who could stomp you in to the ground like a tent spike but are more likely to be seen at a daughter’s ballet recital. God’s power is not as comforting as his goodness and wisdom. Psalm 107:1 reads: “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.” (NLT) The goodness of God appears in scripture to be the sum of his various attributes.  In every action and intervention God is good. Our focus, very often, is easily turned from the goodness of God to the disappointments of our lives. It’s difficult to see that “he is good” in the midst of broken hearts and dreams left unfulfilled. I love what James has to say: “Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.” God has good and perfect gifts he wants to give us. That will never change. Don’t lose hope. God is preparing you. He is building you. He loves you. If you’re like me, you forget all of this daily. In the times God’s goodness seems foreign to you, list your blessings.  Recognize every thing that is good in your life and know that it comes from a good God.

Bacon, Eggs, and Jesus

     In case you haven’t been subjected to McDonald’s aggressive marketing campaign, then you’ve probably noticed that McDonald’s is now serving breakfast all day. No longer do those who’ve slept late on a Saturday have to pine over a missed opportunity. Who hasn’t dreamed of a bacon, egg, and cheese breakfast sandwich only to discover you’ve missed it by minutes? This unrequited love has brought many men to tears.

     Earlier this year, in Manhattan, a new restaurant called BEC opened its doors for business. BEC (short for Bacon, Egg, and Cheese) is part of a trend that takes menu items created for the working class and gives them an upscale twist. BEC’s sandwiches include sophisticated ingredients like bitter greens and spicy aioli. Some sandwiches cost as much as $11.50!  If you haven’t come across a gourmet breakfast sandwich, maybe you’ve seen a $20 or $30 burger topped with “Tillamook Sharp Cheddar, a very slow-cooked onion fondue, an herb remoulade, house-made pickles and arugula”.

     We seem to forget that the gospel of Christ is for everyone. We view others as lost, evil, or hopeless. We see failure where God sees potential. We know that God desires for everyone to be saved (1 Tim. 2:4). We know that God can save anyone (Rom. 10:13). We know that everyone can afford God’s freely given grace (Isa. 55:1). The gospel is not a $30 burger and the church is not the trendiest spot in town. Church is not an exclusive club for the upper class. It’s a community of love and grace, which in the spirit of Jesus should be praying for and reaching out to all people. Who do you know that could use a sandwich? - JMW

How to Care For Your Fig Tree

     I am an aspiring gardener. I say aspiring because the only plants I have been able to grow effectively are weeds fit for a Jurassic Park velociraptor enclosure. Today, I looked up a few tips for caring for a tree. Obviously, trees need water (around 25 gallons each week). Weeds should be controlled naturally using mulch (avoid volcano mulch). Trees should be protected from lawn mowers, weed whackers, and animals. Carefully prune your tree using clean, sharp tools (trees can become diseased just like us!). Do not make flush cuts as they promote the spread of decay inside the tree.

     There is an interesting parable that Jesus tells in Luke 13:6-9. In this parable, a man plants a fig tree and becomes disappointed when the tree does not produce figs. The man says to his gardener, “I’ve waited three years, and there hasn’t been a single fig! Cut it down. It’s just taking up space in the garden.” (NLT) The gardener defends the fig-less tree, asking the tree’s owner to give him one more year to care for and fertilize the tree. When we face frustration and disappointment, our first response is often to give up. Jobs, relationships, and other pursuits do not always produce the results that we desire. We then try to throw them away.

     A good gardener recognizes that trees need special attention. I honestly never thought to disinfect my pruning shears! When you face frustration, “dig around it and put in fertilizer.” (Luke 13:8, NASB) Be patient and be honest with yourself. Maybe you need to make some changes within yourself. Maybe you need to recognize that each failure is like feces. Frustration stinks but it feeds growth within us. 

Variation

An article I read this week on quantamagazine.org focuses on what makes individuals unique. An experiment on fruit flies revealed that even when genetically identical, fruit flies show many variations in behavior. This is true even when the flies were raised in the exact same environment. Some strains of fly move together like well-trained soldier while other strains are like dancers, each moving to their own beat. Researchers have identified a gene that, when blocked, makes it more likely that a strain of flies will be dancers. Manipulating neurons in the flies’ brains led to even more variability. The flexible brains of human beings cause us to be much more effected by individual experiences. The smallest of variations at any point in life can lead to profound differences.
We are, without question, shaped by our experiences, environment, and the people we choose to be spend our time with. Some of these influences are under our control. Some are not. For that which is under our control, we must make choices that reflect knowledge of God’s intentions. In 1 Cor. 1:2 we read, “He made you holy by means of Christ Jesus, just as he did for all people everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours” (NLT). We are to be dedicated to God in every aspect of our lives. Sometimes, even with good planning, life doesn’t turn out the way we want it to. In these times, Know that God “causes everything to work together for the good of those that love God” (Rom. 8:28, NLT). God works in all of life’s variations.

Compassion

     I read a report this week from the National Center for Family Homelessness (2014) that completely floored me. According to this report, 2.5 million children in the United States experience homelessness annually. 1 in 30 kids living in our country know what it means to have no place to call home. This 2013 figure is up from 1.6 million children in 2006. The rate of child homelessness is worst in Kentucky, where 1 in 15 children experience homelessness.

     A day after reading this report, I came across an article summarizing research from the University of California, Berkeley. In three different experiments, social scientists found highly religious people to be less motivated by compassion towards strangers than atheists, agnostics, and less religious people. (Anwar, 2012) Before you allow yourself to be angered and frustrated by this research, consider that UC Berkeley social scientist Robb Willer stated the more religious “may ground their generosity less in emotion, and more in other factors such as doctrine, a communal identity, or reputational concerns.” (2012)

     Are we more motivated by doctrine, duty, or how others perceive us than we are by compassion? In 1 John 3:17-18 we read, “If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person? Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.” When we hear that 2.5 million children are homeless in our country, we should be driven by our compassion. Yes God commands me to look after the disenfranchised but without love, I am “a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.” (1 Cor. 13:1, NLT)

     During this holiday season and beyond it, find a place in your heart for the poor and “If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” (Matt. 19:21, NLT) God calls us to charity driven by compassion, supported by His word, and founded in true sacrifice. John W.

Nature Versus Nurture

     According to an article on the Wired website, (www.wired.com) a consumer genomics company called 23andMe was recently granted a patent for a system that would allow prospective parents to choose the traits of their offspring. This designer baby-making system would give parents the opportunity to pick the disease risk, hair color, athleticism, and expected lifetime health care costs of their children. 23andMe currently offers genomic analysis of more than 240 genetic traits that could potentially be pre-determined.

     Currently, with pre-implantation genetic diagnosis, (PGD) doctors scan an embryo’s genome before it’s implanted in a woman. PGD is currently used to prevent genetic diseases and in some cases to choose a baby’s sex. Clinics that offer PGD don’t give customers a list of possible non-medically relevant traits.

     Marcy Darnovsky, executive director of the Center for Genetics and Society, believes that “overestimating the importance of genes could lead people to underestimate the importance of everything else.” Genetics do not account for 100% of who we are. Much of who we are is due to our education, experiences, and choices. Deutoronomy 6:4-7 tells us that we are to repeat God’s commands to our children. We are to talk about them when we’re home and when we’re on the road, when we’re going to bed and when we’re getting up. 

     At Southwinds, we provide several excellent opportunities for children to learn about God and to grow in to mature followers of Christ. In addition to this, parents must continually share their faith with the children that they share their lives with. Children may make the wrong choices, but ultimately we are to direct our children so they may work out their salvation and obey God “with deep reverence and fear.” (Phil. 2:12, NLT)