Participants: John Bradshaw (Host), David DeRose
Series Code: IIW
Program Code: IIW001453A
01:30 [hopeful anthem]
01:49 JB: Thanks for joining me today. This is It Is Written, 01:52 and I'm John Bradshaw. I don't think it would take 01:55 a lot for me to convince you that stress is a major problem 02:00 in the world today. Most people are dealing 02:02 with more stress than they would like to deal with, 02:05 and many people are unaware just how much stress 02:08 is pressing down on their lives. So many people 02:11 at breaking point; so many people just not sure 02:13 how to deal with stress. Well, today you're going 02:18 to find out from a biblical perspective how you can deal 02:22 with stress. We're going to talk about what it is and a divine 02:25 prescription for turning things around and dealing with 02:29 the stress in your life. Now, I am just so glad 02:32 to be able to welcome a special guest. 02:34 Dr. David DeRose is not only a specialist 02:37 in internal medicine but also in preventive medicine. 02:41 He comes to us from Compass Health Consulting 02:44 in Northern California. Dr. DeRose, thanks for 02:46 joining me today. DD: It's exciting 02:47 to be with you, John. JB: I'm excited, because we're 02:49 talking about something that, well, I know it affects me. 02:52 And I don't mean to say I'm super stressed out; 02:55 but who isn't? There's a lot of stress today. 02:57 DD: I mean, you're exactly right. 02:58 All of us are affected by stress. 03:00 And if you look at the leading causes of death, 03:02 the leading causes of morbidity or suffering, 03:05 stress is on the list of just about all of those conditions. 03:08 JB: What's stress? DD: We tend to think, 03:11 when we're speaking in lay circles, 03:13 that stress is just anything that's painful, 03:16 anything that's difficult. But when we speak about it 03:18 medically we differentiate between what we call stressors 03:23 and the stress response. So a stressor, John, 03:25 is anything that comes at you mentally, emotionally, 03:29 physically. If they turn down the temperature in a building, 03:33 you can be stressed physically from the cold air. 03:38 JB: Amen. DD: So stress comes at us 03:40 in all these dimensions of our personhood. 03:42 Stress response is how we respond to those stressors. 03:47 There's a great story in the Gospel of Mark, 03:49 chapter 4, where Jesus is on a boat 03:53 crossing the Sea of Galilee. The disciples, some of them-- 03:56 men who spent their lives on that sea-- 03:58 are fearing for their lives. The stressor is a storm; 04:02 the stress response from those disciples: Lord, save us! 04:06 We're going to perish! JB: Except that there was 04:08 somebody on the boat who appeared as though He wasn't 04:12 very stressed at all. His stress response to those very same 04:16 stressors was really different. The disciples were fearing for 04:20 their lives; Jesus was--what? Sleeping? 04:23 DD: I love the Gospel of Mark, because when we're speaking 04:25 about stress it definitely impacts on relationships. 04:29 Mark to me is a very relational Gospel. 04:31 You look at the Gospel writer, John Mark. 04:33 And John Mark was this guy who was one of the superstars, 04:37 if you will, in the Early Church. 04:38 He was out there on the front lines. 04:40 He was out there on that first missionary journey with 04:42 Paul and Barnabas. But you know the story. 04:45 He bailed on them. JB: Yeah. Yeah, 04:46 he caused real stress. He caused a rift, 04:48 didn't he? That's his-- 04:49 DD: --That's exactly right. So, Paul and Barnabas 04:52 no longer ministered together after that first journey, 04:54 and I can imagine John Mark walking into the church 04:57 after that. Can you imagine the synagogue, 04:59 if you will. JB: It's you! 05:01 You messed it up. We had these two great 05:03 missionaries out there. They've split because of you! 05:06 Can you imagine what John Mark carried? 05:08 DD: But when you read the end of the story, 05:10 Jesus kept appealing-- the Holy Spirit kept working 05:13 in John Mark's life. He later was called the 05:16 "very son of Peter." Peter uses that language for him, and Paul 05:21 even found him useful in his ministry, 05:23 in his later days. So it's a story 05:25 about someone who was touched by a Jesus, 05:28 by a Holy Spirit that keeps wooing us, 05:31 keeps working on us. And it just encourage me 05:34 that no matter what's happened in the past, 05:36 there's a bright future through Christ and His plans for us. 05:39 JB: Right. So it isn't that really we need 05:42 to be trying to get rid of all stress. 05:44 That's not even realistic, is it? 05:46 DD: In fact, let's use a different term for stressors. 05:50 Call it "challenge." JB: Okay. DD: We all know it. 05:53 Some of us, we thrive on a certain amount of challenge; 05:57 others, that amount of challenge is too much. 06:01 What is too much for one person 06:02 is optimal for another. And we've known this for years. 06:06 So, if we start using the word "challenge" for stressors. 06:10 A little bit of cold? I like it, when I'm going out to 06:12 exercise in the morning. If it's nice and comfortable, 06:15 nice and warm, I'm not as motivated to get 06:18 as good a workout, if you will. 06:20 JB: So, there's got to be an element here of people 06:23 figuring out what's right for them. 06:24 DD: That's right. JB: And that's okay? 06:26 It's okay if someone's stress, or challenge, 06:28 threshold is a little lower, and someone else's stress, 06:31 or challenge threshold, is a little higher. 06:33 That's okay? DD: It's perfectly okay, 06:35 but that's one of the challenges we have in community. 06:38 That's why we have-- I'll tell you about my uncle. 06:41 My uncle owned a restaurant. His strategy for dealing 06:45 with the stress of temperature was to unhook the thermostat 06:49 from the system, and then everyone could change 06:52 the dial just a little bit, and they felt like 06:55 they were helping themselves. 'Cause we all do 06:56 best at a little bit different physical stressor level, 07:01 emotional stressor level. Same with mental stressors. 07:04 JB: Yeah. How can we help a person 07:06 understand where they are in their challenge threshold? 07:10 Because there are some people who just figure that they're 07:12 weak. Or someone who thinks that that person there is a basket 07:14 case and just can't take much. It's okay then, is it, to be in 07:18 a different place? DD: It is. 07:20 But let me turn to a very familiar verse in the Gospel of 07:23 Mark. In chapter 1 of Mark we get a glimpse into Jesus' 07:28 devotional life. In Mark 1, verse 35, it says, 07:32 "Now in the morning, having risen"-- 07:35 speaking of Jesus-- "a long while before daylight, 07:37 he went out and departed to a solitary place, 07:41 and there he prayed." John, the reason that verse 07:44 is so powerful to me: we look at Jesus in that 07:47 boat, sleeping. Jesus was focused on His 07:50 relationship with His Father. And if we have that connection, 07:54 if we have that divine connection, 07:56 our level-- our ability to handle stressors-- changes. 08:01 We're not just on our own; it's not just what I can handle, 08:04 but it's what God is calling me to handle that I can handle, 08:09 through His power. JB: God is the one who can 08:11 provide strength in every situation. 08:13 Even Jesus felt that that was the way 08:17 to approach life. He didn't go a day without 08:20 being connected to His Father. And that's how He was able to 08:23 sleep in the storm, is that right? 08:25 DD: That's key. Jesus was on a mission. In fact, some 08:28 people have gone so far to say it wasn't just Jesus' daily 08:33 devotional life that played into this, but Jesus knew where He 08:36 was in the prophetic timeline. In fact, in the very Gospel of 08:39 Mark Jesus refers to the book of Daniel. 08:42 JB: Yes, He does. Right after He was baptized, 08:44 Jesus says, "The time is fulfilled." 08:48 Oh, we've got to talk about that. All right. Okay, now 08:51 repeat that statement you made. Something that helped Jesus was 08:54 understanding where He was in the prophetic timeline. 08:57 DD: That's right. And it's interesting, too. 08:59 We're speaking about the book of Daniel. One of 09:01 Jesus' favorite ways to refer to Himself was the Son of Man. 09:04 And, this brings us back to the imagery of the book of Daniel 09:07 where the Son of Man is coming to the Father. 09:09 JB: Okay, powerful stuff. Let's pick it up 09:11 in just a moment. Stress, what it is, 09:13 what you can do about it, and how Jesus demonstrates-- 09:16 how Jesus modeled-- how stress is best handled. 09:20 I'll be back with Dr. David DeRose 09:22 in just a moment. 09:24 [gentle harp music] 09:31 JB: The Bible is known for its power to transform 09:33 lives spiritually, but does it offer insight 09:37 for physical transformation as well? 09:40 Dr. David DeRose, a board-certified specialist 09:43 in both internal medicine and preventive medicine, 09:46 thinks it does. He shares his perspectives in 09:49 an eight-part series called "Healing Insights from the 09:52 Gospel of Mark." And now, as a special offer from 09:55 It Is Written, part one of that series is available to you 09:58 at no cost. All you need to do is call 10:02 (800) 253-3000 and ask for the free DVD called 10:07 "Healing Insights form the Gospel of Mark." 10:10 If the line is busy, please do try again. 10:13 You can write to It Is Written, P. O. Box 6, Chattanooga, 10:17 Tennessee, 37401, and we'll mail a free copy to 10:21 your address in North America. Again, our toll-free number is 10:25 (800) 253-3000, and you can find us online at ItIsWritten.com. 10:36 JB: Thanks for joining me today. This is It Is Written. 10:38 I'm John Bradshaw. Joining us both is 10:41 Dr. David DeRose, a physician who specializes 10:44 in internal medicine and preventive medicine. 10:47 He comes to us from Compass Health Consultants 10:49 in Northern California. Dr. DeRose, 10:52 as we talk about stress, let me ask you this. 10:54 Before we go and talk about Jesus 10:56 and the prophetic timeline, how many people--well, 11:01 how many of your patients-- are dealing with significant 11:04 amounts of stress? DD: Well, I'm sure if you 11:07 interviewed them coming into my office, most of them 11:09 would say they are. And for this very reason, 11:12 I don't measure their blood pressure when they first 11:14 walk into my office. I wait till we've talked 11:17 and interacted a while, and then check their pressure. 11:20 JB: Okay, now, you mentioned before. 11:21 We were talking about Jesus, in a very stressful situation. 11:26 There's a storm on a lake. The hardened fisherman, 11:29 who've lived on that lake, they're freaking out. 11:32 They're worried about-- they think they're going to die. 11:35 Jesus is sleeping. And He's sleeping because 11:39 He has trust in His heavenly Father. 11:41 You mentioned a moment ago that something else that 11:44 alleviated Jesus' stress level was that He understood 11:46 where He was in the prophetic timeline. 11:49 Explain that. DD: As you mentioned, 11:51 multiple times Jesus spoke about His time having come, 11:55 or my time is not yet here. JB: Yes. 11:57 DD: Jesus had this sense of timing, 11:59 and the book of Daniel-- that was apparently pivotal 12:03 in Jesus' understanding His own ministry-- 12:05 speaks about some very definite timelines as far as 12:09 when Jesus' ministry would begin and when it would end. 12:13 JB: Okay. Let's walk through those timelines, a little bit. 12:16 Name one. Help me understand. 12:17 DD: Okay. So, Jesus' very baptism is prophesied, 12:21 the timing, in the book of Daniel. 12:24 In Daniel chapter 9 it speaks about the Messiah, 12:27 the Prince. Jesus was anointed--which was something 12:31 that was done in biblical times for priests and kings-- 12:35 this anointing occurred at the time of His baptism. 12:38 If you actually study the prophecy of Daniel, chapter 9, 12:40 you would find that Jesus' ministry would stretch 12:43 3 1/2 years. Half a week. And so, 12:47 early in Jesus' ministry, as He is crossing the lake-- 12:50 mindful of that prophetic timeline. 12:53 I can't tell you, John, what was in Jesus' mind, 12:56 but the evidence suggests that He was aware that His time 13:00 to die had not yet come. To me, what's interesting 13:03 on the subject of stress is beginning in about chapter 8 of 13:06 the Gospel of Mark, Jesus starts preparing His disciples for 13:13 that very event. JB: And they don't, 13:15 they don't get it. DD: No, they don't get it. 13:16 They don't get it. But He repeatedly does it. 13:18 He repeatedly speaks to them. What we know today, 13:21 just like we speak about vaccinations or inoculations-- 13:24 and, that's a big controversy in medical circles today-- 13:27 but Jesus, the evidence suggests 13:30 was inoculating His disciples in the area of stress. 13:33 We actually speak about it in medical circles. We call it 13:36 "stress inoculation." It's preparing people 13:39 for what's going to come so they can better handle it. 13:42 JB: How can people better handle stress? 13:47 That's a vast question, I mean a very broad question, 13:51 because there's the stress that comes from finance. 13:54 And there are ways that people can inoculate themselves 13:57 against financial stress. Stressors. There's the stress 14:01 that comes from illness, and my expectation is 14:05 that if you're not dealing with medical stress well, 14:09 you're just going to exacerbate a difficult medical situation. 14:13 Is that fair to say that? DD: No, it's definitely fair. 14:15 JB: Okay. So, the question I'm asking is very, very broad. 14:17 And maybe you can pick some one area and say here's, 14:20 in practical terms, how a person can help themselves 14:24 when stress comes. DD: Let's look at another 14:27 surprising text in the Gospel of Mark. 14:29 And the reason I'm so interested in this, 14:31 over the last several years, I've been walking through 14:34 the Gospel of Mark with groups of people, 14:36 looking at medical angles in this Gospel. 14:40 And what's interesting, in Mark 6, there's something 14:42 here that most people just take for granted, 14:44 but it is only Mark's Gospel that gives us this detail 14:48 about Jesus. In Mark 6, verse 3, 14:52 referring to Jesus when He's there in Nazareth. 14:55 It says, "Is this not the carpenter?" 14:59 Everybody says, well, we know 15:01 Jesus was a carpenter. This is the only place. 15:03 JB: The only place. DD: Where Jesus--and Matthew's 15:05 account of the same, it mentions Jesus 15:07 being the son of a carpenter. JB: Right. 15:09 DD: But here, Jesus is identified as "the carpenter." 15:11 What this has to do with stress, John, on a totally different 15:14 dimension that we haven't really spoken about, 15:17 is Jesus was engaged throughout much of His life in useful, 15:22 physical work. We know today that one of the most powerful 15:26 things to help mitigate the effects of stress is physical 15:29 activity. And probably the most powerful physical activity, 15:33 when it comes to stress relief, is activity 15:36 that engages us. Especially if it's something 15:38 useful that we're doing with our hands. 15:41 JB: Exercise is good for stress, right? 15:44 DD: Definitely. JB: Okay. So, 15:46 getting on a treadmill for 20, 25, 30 minutes. 15:48 Running around the block four or five times. 15:49 Riding my bicycle for 15 miles. That's really good. 15:53 DD: Well, it may be really good for you, but for some 15:55 of those patients that walk into my office, 15:58 riding the bike around the block may be so 16:00 physically stressful that they drop dead. If you're outside, 16:03 working in your garden. If you're mowing the lawn 16:07 with a push mower. If you're chopping wood. 16:10 Whatever you're doing physically not only engages your body, 16:15 but it engages your brain if you're doing useful labor. 16:18 Much more powerful when it comes to stress relief. 16:21 JB: The forms of exercise that are best for you 16:24 when you're dealing with stress are those forms of exercise 16:26 that engage your body and your mind. 16:29 DD: Exactly. JB: Okay. So I could be 16:31 riding my bike and all I'm thinking about 16:32 is I've got an assignment due, I've got a boss at work, 16:35 he's going to rip me today because I messed up 16:37 yesterday. However-- 16:40 and I'm sure this is true too, if I was chopping wood-- but, 16:42 if I'm working in the garden, that's, I'm getting a workout 16:47 physically and mentally as well. DD: But don't miss this point: 16:51 Riding a bicycle around the block is much better than 16:54 riding the stationery bike, because you are engaged in your 16:58 surroundings; you're watching the traffic. 17:00 So even though those problems may be there, 17:02 you're not just stewing on them, as you're pedaling that bicycle 17:06 in your exercise room. JB: Okay. So, exercise that 17:09 engages the body and the mind, when it comes to stress, 17:13 that's best. DD: And we have Jesus' example. 17:15 And Jesus is really harkening back to the very program 17:19 He gave mankind in the beginning. 17:21 In Genesis 2, He gave Adam the job of 17:24 dressing and keeping the garden. JB: Is this just a bit 17:27 of a stretch, or do you think medically it is rock solid. 17:30 Jesus was a carpenter, so I guess, 17:33 I guess particularly in His day too, there was a lot of 17:35 hard physical activity going on. But we're not stretching it 17:39 here, are we. This is solid science. 17:42 DD: There is evidence, looking at this very point that 17:44 I'm mentioning and speaking about the benefits 17:46 of this type of approach. JB: Magnificent. Thank you. 17:48 Don't go away, we'll be right back with more on 17:50 stress and the Bible, and how God can help you deal with 17:54 stress in a way that's good for you physically, emotionally, 17:59 and spiritually. We'll be back with more 18:01 in just a moment. [peaceful string melody] 18:04 Every Word is a one-minute, Bible-based daily devotional 18:07 presented by Pastor John Bradshaw and designed 18:09 especially for busy people like you. 18:12 Look for Every Word on selected networks, or watch it online 18:15 every day on our website, ItIsWritten.com. 18:21 [upbeat melody] 18:28 JB: Don't for a minute think that God doesn't hear 18:31 your prayer. In Daniel 8, Daniel receives 18:34 a vision that he didn't understand. 18:36 He prayed for understanding, and in verse 23 of chapter 9, 18:40 the angel says to Daniel, "At the beginning of your 18:42 supplications the command went out, and I have come to 18:45 tell you: When you started praying about this thing, 18:48 Daniel, I received instructions to come and help you. 18:50 Daniel, when you prayed, God heard you. 18:53 And he told me to come down here and help you." 18:55 It's interesting to wonder just how that all works, but what we 18:58 do know is that it does work. God notices when we pray. 19:02 He hears. No, we don't always get the 19:05 answers we want, and we don't always get the answers we want 19:07 when we want, but God notices and God hears. 19:11 If we know that, we can trust Him to do the right thing 19:13 at exactly the right time. I'm John Bradshaw for 19:16 It Is Written. Let's live today by Every Word. 19:18 [upbeat music] 19:22 JB: Thanks for joining me today on It Is Written. 19:24 I'm John Bradshaw, joined today by 19:26 Dr. David DeRose. We've been talking about stress. 19:29 We all deal with it, and it's not that stress is bad. 19:33 What we've learned, too, is there are differences 19:35 between stressors-- those things that are 19:38 challenges to us-- and our stress response. 19:42 DD: Right. JB: And there are ways that we 19:44 can respond to stress, or learn to deal with stress; 19:48 exercise that engages the body and the mind, 19:51 being very important. And that's an interesting 19:54 distinction between exercises merely that engages the body. 19:57 Devotional life; trusting in God. 20:00 Jesus was able to sleep in the storm, 20:02 the same storm that was causing His best friends to panic. 20:05 And Jesus was sleeping through. What are some other things, 20:09 Dr. DeRose, that help us deal with stress? 20:12 DD: Another powerful thing, that we're actually losing touch with 20:15 to some extent in our culture, is social connectedness. 20:19 Now, people say, well, we're more socially 20:21 connected than ever. I mean, you know, we've got 20:23 Twitter and Facebook, and we're sending text messages. 20:27 But how much time do we really spend with other people, 20:30 and how integrated are we socially. 20:32 This is a very powerful factor when it comes to 20:35 physical health and our ability to deal with stressors. 20:38 JB: Give me one example. DD: Okay, one of the 20:40 biggest studies, ongoing studies in the world, is the nurses' 20:43 health study, being coordinated by Harvard University. 20:46 Back in the '90s they started looking at 20:49 how connected the nurses were, and they looked at those who 20:53 developed cancer. Some 2800 women in this group, 20:57 between 1992 and 2002, had received the diagnosis 21:02 of breast cancer. They followed them over that 21:04 10-year period of time, and they looked at their 21:07 assessment of how socially connected they were. 21:10 Those who were socially isolated had over double the likelihood 21:15 of dying in a decade from the breast cancer, as those who were 21:18 socially connected. JB: Wow. So, it's important 21:20 to be socially connected. DD: Oh, no question. 21:22 JB: Now, we might even want to drill down a little bit 21:24 into that data, but the first thing is, 21:27 someone's watching and saying, yeah, 21:28 I have no friends, I go to the office, 21:30 I work in my cubicle, I don't interact with anybody. 21:32 What's a person to do, because clearly being 21:35 socially connected is good for your health? 21:38 DD: The thing I love about the Gospels is Jesus basically 21:42 keeps saying, over and over again, 21:44 there's a place for you in My family. The church has 21:49 room for everyone. And someone who feels socially isolated, 21:52 they said, well, I showed up at church and those people were-- 21:55 JB: --unfriendly. DD: You got it. 21:57 But the point is, if they were unfriendly to you, they 22:01 might be unfriendly to someone else. You need to be there to be 22:03 a friend for someone else who shows up. 22:05 JB: That's right. Exactly right. It's someone 22:07 needs to be there, to be welcoming to the people who, 22:10 like you, are looking for a place to plug in. 22:12 DD: And the whole point is, Jesus kept showing it. 22:14 He reaches out to Levi Matthew, the publican. 22:18 I mean, this was a despised class. 22:21 By the way, on the subject of stress, we know that one of the 22:25 things that adds to our stress level is discrimination. 22:29 This has actually been shown in the medical 22:31 research literature. This connection, for example, 22:33 between poverty and poor health--part of it is explained 22:38 by the stress that comes from being discriminated against 22:43 because you don't have as much in the way of means. 22:47 Is the church, even if a local congregation 22:50 doesn't seem to have room for you, 22:51 Jesus is saying you have a place in My family. 22:54 Realize that, and act on it. We speak about 22:57 the Christian walk, and Jesus wants to walk beside us. 23:00 So I get my focus at the beginning of the day, and then 23:03 Jesus is walking beside me, even if I don't feel like He's 23:07 at my right hand, He is there to bless 23:09 and to guide. JB: Okay. So learning how to 23:12 dwell in the presence of God; learning to involve Christ 23:16 in your daily life from the beginning of the 23:18 day to the end of the day; recognizing His presence; 23:22 communing with Him in the Word of God; reading often; 23:25 accepting Him; connecting with Him. 23:27 Prayer, the importance of prayer and talking to God. And in faith 23:31 that says He is with me. He is with me everywhere I go; 23:34 He is with me at all times. 23:36 Okay. I wonder, social connectedness 23:40 and good health, that's such a powerful thing. 23:44 You mentioned the nurses' study. Where else can we look and say, 23:46 okay, here's an example of how being connected socially 23:51 really benefits a person? DD: A fascinating study, 23:54 looked at a cross section of the American population-- 23:57 those with cardiovascular disease. So, disease of 24:00 the heart and blood vessels. Some 4- to 5,000 people-- 24:03 again, this is designed to represent the whole U.S. 24:06 population--that's how these people were randomly chosen. 24:09 They found that those who were volunteering, were sharing their 24:13 time roughly about four hours a week, had a significantly 24:18 decreased risk of future cardiovascular events compared 24:23 to those who weren't socially engaged in a way of sharing. 24:27 JB: Jesus said something really profound. This is talking about 24:31 connecting with God, connecting with Him. 24:34 In Matthew 11, in verse 28. "Come unto me, 24:37 all ye that labor and heavy laden"-- 24:41 He's addressing stress there; you who are bearing 24:45 difficult burdens-- "And I will give you rest." 24:51 So if you're laboring through life and things are really 24:53 pressing you down and weighing you down, 24:55 Jesus promises I will alleviate that burden. 24:58 DD: That's right. JB: That's a promise. 25:00 "Take my yoke upon you and learn of me." 25:02 Take MY yoke, and you know, the yoke 25:05 was that thing that connected a couple of oxen together so that 25:08 they could work. So He didn't say I'm going to relieve you 25:12 of all of the stressors in this life. 25:15 He said, as you confront them, yoke together with Me. 25:20 Face your burdens with Me. Deal with stress with Me. 25:26 "For I am meek and lowly in heart, and you shall find rest 25:31 unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, 25:35 and my burden is light." Isn't that something? 25:37 DD: Powerful. JB: Jesus says, 25:39 if you're burdened, if you're stressed, come to Me 25:42 and I will get you through. Thank God for that. 25:46 DD: Amen. JB: What a blessing to know that 25:49 no matter what situation you confront in the world, 25:51 in your life, in your day-to-day 25:53 challenges--and there can be so many, can't there? 25:56 Health challenges and difficulties with children 25:59 or parents, siblings, at work, finances, you name it. 26:03 These things can weigh us down, but Christ says there's a way 26:08 forward; there's a way through. And that's My way. 26:13 When you and I get together-- together, 26:17 and confront these issues together, with Jesus 26:21 there's a way through stress. A way out of stress-- 26:25 is it fair to say that? DD: Well, I don't know 26:27 if we'll say out of stress, but it's a way not to be 26:30 overly stressed. JB: Not to be overwhelmed 26:32 by stress. My yoke is easy 26:35 and my burden is light. Words from the Bible that we can 26:38 take seriously today. [gentle harp music] 26:46 Dr. David De Rose, shares his perspectives 26:48 in an eight-part series called "Healing Insights 26:51 from the Gospel of Mark." As a special offer from 26:54 It Is Written, part one of that series 26:56 is available to you at no cost. All you need to do is call 27:01 (800) 253-3000 and ask for the free 27:05 DVD called "Healing Insights from the Gospel of Mark." 27:09 You can write to It Is Written, P. O. Box 6, 27:12 Chattanooga, TN 37401, and we'll mail a free copy 27:17 to your address in North America. 27:20 It Is Written is a faith-based ministry, and your support makes 27:23 it possible for us to share God's good news with the world. 27:26 Your tax-deductible gift can be sent to the address on your 27:29 screen, or through our website at ItIsWritten.com. 27:33 Thank you for your continued prayerful support. 27:36 Again, our toll-free number is (800) 253-3000, and our web 27:41 address is ItIsWritten.com. 27:46 [music] 27:50 JB: Dr. DeRose, thanks. Thanks for joining me today. 27:52 DD: It was a privilege, John. JB: We've got more to talk 27:54 about. Let's talk again. DD: Sounds good. 27:55 JB: I appreciate it. Before we go, let's take the 27:57 opportunity to pray, and pray that God will help us, 28:00 and us all, meet stress in the right way. 28:06 Let's pray together. ♪ [tender underscore] ♪ 28:10 Our Father in heaven, we are thankful today 28:12 that we don't have to face the difficulties of this world 28:14 on our own, and that You have given to us tools, techniques, 28:17 things that we can do to alleviate the difficulties 28:20 of stress. We are not praying that You would remove all of the 28:24 stressors from our lives. Those things aren't all bad. 28:27 But some of us, we're dying under the weight 28:30 of stress. Some of us are being consumed, our spiritual 28:35 lives are falling apart because of external pressures. 28:40 I pray with thanks that in Christ there is hope. 28:44 I thank You that we have Christ's example, 28:48 and that His practice can be ours of being able 28:51 to confront stress in such a way that we are the better 28:54 for it and not the worse. Bless and keep us, please, 28:59 we pray. In Jesus' name. Amen. 29:15 JB: I'm grateful you've joined me today, 29:17 and I look forward to seeing you again next time. 29:19 Until then remember, It Is Written, man shall not 29:22 live by bread alone, but by every word 29:26 that proceeds from the mouth of God. 29:30 [hopeful orchestral music] |
Revised 2017-01-04