Affluenza—the Newest Sleep Disorder?

By Charles W. Page, MD –

“The sleep of a laborer is sweet,
whether they eat little or much,
but as for the rich, their abundance
permits them no sleep.”
(Ecclesiastes 5:12 NIV)

A new sleep disorder has appeared on the horizon—affluenza. It is described as “the painful, contagious, socially transmitted condition of overload, debt, anxiety, and waste, resulting from the dogged pursuit of more.” (Jon de Graaf—Affluenza: The All Consuming Epidemic. 2001)

Affluenza may become the most common malady affecting sleep. Our society is by far the most affluent in history. When compared to other nations, we have an abundance of almost everything—money, apps, cell phones, computers, opportunities, education, food. Remember Michael Jackson?

One would think that our abundance would be sufficient enough to supply a good night’s rest—that we would be content and thankful for what we have. But Solomon reminds us of the illusion that the very things we think will make us secure and comfortable actually work in the reverse—“but as for the rich, their abundance permits them no sleep.” Our consumer mindset leaves us with too many options, too many deadlines, and too many regrets to deal with as we lay our heads on our pillows.

In contrast to the abundance of things this world offers, Jesus promised an abundance of life (John 10:10). He modeled the balance of a busy purposeful life that flowed out of a position of rest. On one occasion, in the bow of a sinking ship, the Savior slept calmly, unaffected by a raging storm. Exhausted from a productive day of ministry, Jesus rested peacefully. He is the perfect example of productive, purposeful work and peaceful rest. What was the Savior’s secret?

Solomon gives us two principles to help us follow in our Master’s footsteps. “The sleep of a laborer is sweet, whether they eat little or much.” First, we need to learn to work intentionally—not just busywork to fill up our days. Whatever we do, our labor must be in and for the Lord. Purposefully laboring according to God’s purpose for our lives sets us up for good rest.

The second truth that helps us rest is to understand a laborer leaves the decisions of the day to the boss. A day worker has the advantage of lying down to rest with an unburdened mind—no decisions, no deadlines, no dilemmas to face at the end of the day. Getting our daily instructions from God, prioritizing our lives accordingly, and leaving the results up to Him nurture a lifestyle that sets us up for sleep. In short, instead of the “dogged pursuit of the Jones,” when we live in the dogged pursuit of Jesus, we prepare our nights for sweet refreshing sleep.

If Jesus slept with a calm heart during the storms of life—so can you. The abundance of life in Christ can be yours—you can rest assured in that promise.

 

Weight Loss & Exercise

By Don Otis –

My youngest son is 25 and wants to lose weight. Last summer he flew out to Colorado and joined me for some rafting on the Arkansas River (yes, there’s an Arkansas River in Colorado for some reason), and climbing on one of our 54 peaks that rise above 14,000’. Now, he’s picking up another favorite activity: mountain biking.

As spring arrives and a mediocre winter passes, most of us look forward to the summer and the numerous activities we can do when it warms up.

A full third of all Americans suffer from obesity. The lure of foods, snacks, sweets that are bad for us beckons from billboards, flashing neon signs, and even while standing in line at the grocery store. We can’t seem to escape the temptation. The one-two punch of combining revised eating habits with increasing your activity level is the best way to drop weight. If this is on your to-do list before the summer, here are some principles to keep in mind.

Be Active! When you run, you burn about 125 calories per mile. If you walk, it’s less. To find out how many calories you are burning for the activity of your choice, check your burn rate at www.livestrong.com. While any activity that gets the heart rate up is good, the more intensity you can withstand, the more effective the results. For example, if you typically walk at 3 mph, increase this to 4 mph (15 minutes/mile). I am a huge proponent of mixing it up so boredom doesn’t creep in. When you mix your activities, anything you can do (including a walk-run combination or climbing hills) will make a difference.

Watch What You Eat! The second component is your food intake. The worst foods for diets are fried foods, sweetened drinks, red or processed meats. The best foods are nuts, fruits, whole grains, vegetables, or yogurt. I believe in moderation but I also enjoy my sweets as well. Don’t eliminate completely those food items that are less-than-helpful to your diet. Instead, limit the caloric intake from these foods. These “reward calories” can come in the form of cookies or other sweets but should be limited to half of what you used to consume.

Make Goals! As summer draws near, write down a few activity goals you’d like to accomplish before next winter. These can be anything from running in a local race, hiking a trail or looking good for a wedding or class reunion. For my son, knowing that losing weight will enable him to peddle or hike up steep trails provides plenty of motivation.

God has made us for activity. And much like a car manufacturer, when we put the wrong kind of fuel in our gas tank, we’ll see poor results or no results at all.

Your Name

By Lori Freeland –

Eighteen years ago, my husband and I each scribbled two names on ripped pieces of a receipt, and stuck them in a baseball cap. Pat shook them up and I drew one out.

I opened the folded paper and frowned. “Not the right one.”

“Best of three.” Pat suggested.

After two more draws, I changed it to the best of five.

He agreed even though his top choice had made best of three.

The wrinkled paper that turned out to be best out of five read Kyle.

With a smile, because my handwriting scrawled over that part of the receipt, I lifted our brand new son out of the bassinet and stared into his bright blue eyes. “Hi, Kyle.”

“Ahem,” a voice cleared across the room.

Oops. I’d forgotten we weren’t alone. I turned to the nurse waiting on the chair by the door holding a clipboard in her hand. “We’ve decided.”

“Finally.” She walked to my husband and handed him a pen. “Name this child so you can take him home.”

My husband quickly filled in the word it had taken us more than three days to agree on and our new addition became someone.

He became a Kyle. But not just any Kyle. Kyle Patrick Freeland. These three words would now identify him, walk before him, introduce him. And right there in the room, we prayed for him to grow up to be the fortress that his name called him to be.

Names are important. Jesus has many names. And he lives up to all of them. Each of them backed with power from the Father.

“For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe” (Psalm 61:3 NIV).

“ …and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence” (Revelation 7:15 NIV).

“She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).

Paul Baloche shares my heart for the magnificent name of Jesus best in his song, Your Name. “Your name is a strong and mighty tower. Your name is a shelter like no other… Nothing has the power to save, but Your name.”
Have you ever called on the Name of Jesus? Out loud? Alone or in a group?

I have and every time I’m amazed at the power, the peace, the love that comes with speaking aloud the name of Jesus.

If you’ve read my post Be a Dork for Jesus, you aren’t surprised by this. Are you picturing me dancing around the kitchen in those pink footie pajamas?

I lift you up, Jesus. I call upon your name in my hour of need, in my moment of rest, in the trials of indecision.

Dancing Shoes of Hope

By Janet Perez Eckles –

My friend came to the door to pick me up. ‘”Ready for our trip?” she said.

I looped my purse over my shoulder. “Sure am.”

“What’s with the high heels?” she said.

I wrinkled my nose. “Why not?”

“Because we’ll be doing a lot of walking in those airports. You need comfortable shoes.” She stomped her feet. “Like these tennis shoes.”

I chuckled. Few friends understand the Latina thinking—that heels make us, well, more feminine. I know it’s silly. Ridiculous really. But a desire to wear high heels is one of many quirks to which we cling.

And with no shame, we cling to silly traditions and human principles that often don’t make sense. But they’re part of us like our innate urge to sway to the rhythmic Salsa.

But deeper than that, beyond nationalities or whatever stage of life, some of us hang on to other stuff. We grip issues which are more risky and perhaps more destructive.

Unaware, we do it, we hold on to past hurts. Cling to unhealthy relationships. Stew over resentment for what we’ve lost. Hang on to anger for what went wrong. And even clutch bitterness because of broken dreams.

Have you been there? I have. It’s ugly and sad. Trying to look back at the days when I had sight could make me nauseous with nostalgia. Longing to go back. Itching to have what I did then.

With armfuls of what was in the past, we gaze at the rearview mirror of life. And, gracious, we drive right past the gate—the wide gate God holds open ushering us into a new chapter of life. The gate to the place holding vibrant possibilities, treasures to be found, and better opportunities to savor.

I learned the secret—with the eyes of my heart. Look ahead at each day as a resilient, promising, new beginning.

Time to do some spring cleaning. It’s time to let go. Broken dreams don’t have to take away our expectations. Unfulfilled plans don’t have to control our thoughts. And scars don’t have to mark our future.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come”
(2 Corinthians 5:17).

He gave us freedom and permission to look ahead. So kick off those high heels that keep you walking in yesterday’s pain. With each new dawning, our steps ahead depend on the Lord and in Him alone. That’s when life begins. A new creation is in the making. And with new dancing shoes of hope, we can salsa into tomorrow.

Texting God

By DiAne Gates –

Are we raising a generation of young people who are incapable of understanding the deep bonds of love and the necessity of personal relationships with others and with God?

I believe we are.

Christmas morning my eleven-year-old grandson texted me to say he received a brand new phone for Christmas.

“Great,” I texted back. “Now you can call me more often.”

He quickly returned my text. “No, Mimi. Now I can text you faster.”

I sighed and typed a response. “Focus on calling, sweetheart. Mimi loves to hear the sound of your voice.”

My grandson came for a visit between Christmas and New Years and for some unknown reason, in the middle of the week, his new super phone screen went black. He could receive calls but was unable to text. The boy had a momentary meltdown. His communication to the outside world—ceased! But as the week progressed, we had time to talk. He had a wonderful time and the world did not end—even though he couldn’t text.

Texting, emailing and all the other timesaving technological conveniences of this age are no substitute for face-to-face, one-on-one, verbal communications with family, friends, and especially with God.

“Relationships.” Do kids even have a clue what a relationship is?

My grandkids may have 200 “friends” with whom they text and email on Facebook, Twitter or whatever. They believe these are relationships. But they are mere acquaintances—if that. Three and four word texts, via electronic device, cannot weave lasting emotional bonds between people.

And talk about “text,” what about the Bible?

Are today’s young people even able to read passages longer than a three line text or comprehend the eternal consequences of ignoring or rebelling against The Lord God Almighty who is the same yesterday, today, and forever? They can text and operate all this plethora of high tech machinery, know the lyrics of every song on their IPod, but have trouble believing or caring much less connecting the dots from creation, to the cross, and into eternity. And forget about “hiding God’s Word” in their hearts (Psalm 119:11 NKJ). They will tell you they don’t have the time or inclination to do so.

Throughout scripture, God tells of His people crying out to Him, His hearing and answering their prayers. King David says, “I love the Lord, because He hears my voice and my supplications. Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore I shall call upon Him as long as I live” (Psalm 116:1-2 NAS).
.
God created me in His image and for His pleasure. I was made to have an intimate, personal relationship with God the Father, and His Son the Lord Jesus Christ. Without that kinship, there is an empty chasm in my heart and soul. But, there can’t be a relationship unless there is time spent together, unless there is truth and respect, and unless intimacy exists between the parties, whether it’s between spouses, friends and family or especially God.

I love to hear my children and grandchildren’s voices. Have you considered that God loves to hear your voice too? Not in a three or four word text, muttered in a time of tragedy or despair or when you’re about to fall asleep. But from the depth of your soul and the need of your heart, on your knees—quiet and still, before the only One who hears and answers your prayers.

« Previous Page