Participants: John Bradshaw
Series Code: IIW
Program Code: IIW001293A
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00:05 ♪ [It Is Written Theme] ♪
00:12 >: It has stood the test of time. 00:16 God's book, the Bible; 00:22 still relevant in today's complex world. 00:27 It Is Written, sharing hope around the globe. 00:42 JB: Thanks for joining me today. This is It Is Written, 00:45 and I'm John Bradshaw. I don't think it would take 00:48 a lot for me to convince you that stress is a major problem 00:52 in the world today. Most people are dealing 00:55 with more stress than they would like to deal with, 00:57 and many people are unaware just how much stress 01:01 is pressing down on their lives. So many people 01:04 at breaking point; so many people just not sure 01:06 how to deal with stress. Well, today you're going 01:11 to find out from a biblical perspective how you can deal 01:15 with stress. We're going to talk about what it is and a divine 01:18 prescription for turning things around and dealing with 01:22 the stress in your life. Now, I am just so glad 01:25 to be able to welcome a special guest. 01:27 Dr. David DeRose is not only a specialist 01:30 in internal medicine but also in preventive medicine. 01:34 He comes to us from Compass Health Consulting 01:37 in Northern California. Dr. DeRose, thanks for 01:39 joining me today. DD: It's exciting 01:40 to be with you, John. JB: I'm excited, because we're 01:42 talking about something that, well, I know it affects me. 01:45 And I don't mean to say I'm super stressed out; 01:48 but who isn't? There's a lot of stress today. 01:50 DD: I mean, you're exactly right. 01:51 All of us are affected by stress. 01:53 And if you look at the leading causes of death, 01:55 the leading causes of morbidity or suffering, 01:58 stress is on the list of just about all of those conditions. 02:01 JB: What's stress? DD: We tend to think, 02:04 when we're speaking in lay circles, 02:06 that stress is just anything that's painful, 02:09 anything that's difficult. But when we speak about it 02:11 medically we differentiate between what we call stressors 02:15 and the stress response. So a stressor, John, 02:18 is anything that comes at you mentally, emotionally, 02:22 physically. If they turn down the temperature in a building, 02:26 you can be stressed physically from the cold air. 02:31 JB: Amen. DD: So stress comes at us 02:33 in all these dimensions of our personhood. 02:35 Stress response is how we respond to those stressors. 02:40 There's a great story in the Gospel of Mark, 02:42 chapter 4, where Jesus is on a boat 02:45 crossing the Sea of Galilee. The disciples, some of them-- 02:49 men who spent their lives on that sea-- 02:51 are fearing for their lives. The stressor is a storm; 02:55 the stress response from those disciples: Lord, save us! 02:58 We're going to perish! JB: Except that there was 03:01 somebody on the boat who appeared as though He wasn't 03:05 very stressed at all. His stress response to those very same 03:09 stressors was really different. The disciples were fearing for 03:13 their lives; Jesus was--what? Sleeping? 03:16 DD: I love the Gospel of Mark, because when we're speaking 03:18 about stress it definitely impacts on relationships. 03:21 Mark to me is a very relational Gospel. 03:24 You look at the Gospel writer, John Mark. 03:26 And John Mark was this guy who was one of the superstars, 03:30 if you will, in the Early Church. 03:31 He was out there on the front lines. 03:33 He was out there on that first missionary journey with 03:35 Paul and Barnabas. But you know the story. 03:37 He bailed on them. JB: Yeah. Yeah, 03:39 he caused real stress. He caused a rift, 03:41 didn't he? That's his-- 03:42 DD: --That's exactly right. So, Paul and Barnabas 03:44 no longer ministered together after that first journey, 03:47 and I can imagine John Mark walking into the church 03:50 after that. Can you imagine the synagogue, 03:52 if you will. JB: It's you! 03:54 You messed it up. We had these two great 03:55 missionaries out there. They've split because of you! 03:59 Can you imagine what John Mark carried? 04:01 DD: But when you read the end of the story, 04:03 Jesus kept appealing-- the Holy Spirit kept working 04:06 in John Mark's life. He later was called the 04:09 "very son of Peter." Peter uses that language for him, and Paul 04:14 even found him useful in his ministry, 04:16 in his later days. So it's a story 04:18 about someone who was touched by a Jesus, 04:21 by a Holy Spirit that keeps wooing us, 04:23 keeps working on us. And it just encourage me 04:27 that no matter what's happened in the past, 04:29 there's a bright future through Christ and His plans for us. 04:32 JB: Right. So it isn't that really we need 04:35 to be trying to get rid of all stress. 04:37 That's not even realistic, is it? 04:39 DD: In fact, let's use a different term for stressors. 04:43 Call it "challenge." JB: Okay. DD: We all know it. 04:46 Some of us, we thrive on a certain amount of challenge; 04:50 others, that amount of challenge is too much. 04:53 What is too much for one person 04:55 is optimal for another. And we've known this for years. 04:59 So, if we start using the word "challenge" for stressors. 05:02 A little bit of cold? I like it, when I'm going out to 05:05 exercise in the morning. If it's nice and comfortable, 05:08 nice and warm, I'm not as motivated to get 05:11 as good a workout, if you will. 05:13 JB: So, there's got to be an element here of people 05:15 figuring out what's right for them. 05:17 DD: That's right. JB: And that's okay? 05:19 It's okay if someone's stress, or challenge, 05:21 threshold is a little lower, and someone else's stress, 05:24 or challenge threshold, is a little higher. 05:26 That's okay? DD: It's perfectly okay, 05:27 but that's one of the challenges we have in community. 05:30 That's why we have-- I'll tell you about my uncle. 05:34 My uncle owned a restaurant. His strategy for dealing 05:37 with the stress of temperature was to unhook the thermostat 05:41 from the system, and then everyone could change 05:45 the dial just a little bit, and they felt like 05:47 they were helping themselves. 'Cause we all do 05:49 best at a little bit different physical stressor level, 05:54 emotional stressor level. Same with mental stressors. 05:57 JB: Yeah. How can we help a person 05:58 understand where they are in their challenge threshold? 06:02 Because there are some people who just figure that they're 06:05 weak. Or someone who thinks that that person there is a basket 06:07 case and just can't take much. It's okay then, is it, to be in 06:11 a different place? DD: It is. 06:13 But let me turn to a very familiar verse in the Gospel of 06:16 Mark. In chapter 1 of Mark we get a glimpse into Jesus' 06:21 devotional life. In Mark 1, verse 35, it says, 06:25 "Now in the morning, having risen"-- 06:28 speaking of Jesus-- "a long while before daylight, 06:30 he went out and departed to a solitary place, 06:34 and there he prayed." John, the reason that verse 06:37 is so powerful to me: we look at Jesus in that 06:40 boat, sleeping. Jesus was focused on His 06:43 relationship with His Father. And if we have that connection, 06:47 if we have that divine connection, 06:49 our level-- our ability to handle stressors-- changes. 06:54 We're not just on our own; it's not just what I can handle, 06:57 but it's what God is calling me to handle that I can handle, 07:02 through His power. JB: God is the one who can 07:04 provide strength in every situation. 07:06 Even Jesus felt that that was the way 07:10 to approach life. He didn't go a day without 07:12 being connected to His Father. And that's how He was able to 07:16 sleep in the storm, is that right? 07:18 DD: That's key. Jesus was on a mission. In fact, some 07:21 people have gone so far to say it wasn't just Jesus' daily 07:25 devotional life that played into this, but Jesus knew where He 07:28 was in the prophetic timeline. In fact, in the very Gospel of 07:32 Mark Jesus refers to the book of Daniel. 07:35 JB: Yes, He does. Right after He was baptized, 07:37 Jesus says, "The time is fulfilled." 07:41 Oh, we've got to talk about that. All right. Okay, now 07:44 repeat that statement you made. Something that helped Jesus was 07:47 understanding where He was in the prophetic timeline. 07:50 DD: That's right. And it's interesting, too. 07:51 We're speaking about the book of Daniel. One of 07:54 Jesus' favorite ways to refer to Himself was the Son of Man. 07:57 And, this brings us back to the imagery of the book of Daniel 08:00 where the Son of Man is coming to the Father. 08:02 JB: Okay, powerful stuff. Let's pick it up 08:04 in just a moment. Stress, what it is, 08:06 what you can do about it, and how Jesus demonstrates-- 08:09 how Jesus modeled-- how stress is best handled. 08:13 I'll be back with Dr. David DeRose 08:15 in just a moment. 08:17 ♪ [Gently melody] ♪ >: You are 08:19 watching the weekly It Is Written program 08:21 with Pastor John Bradshaw. But did you know that 08:23 there's a daily program, too? Every Word is a one-minute, 08:27 Bible-based daily devotional presented by Pastor John 08:30 Bradshaw and designed especially for busy people like you. 08:34 Look for Every Word on selected networks, or watch it online 08:37 every day on our website, ItIsWritten.com. 08:41 Receive a daily spiritual boost. Watch Every Word. 08:44 You'll be glad you did. 08:48 ♪ [bright rythmic melody] ♪ 08:55 JB: Don't for a minute think that God doesn't hear 08:58 your prayer. In Daniel 8, 09:01 Daniel receives a vision that he didn't understand. 09:03 He prayed for understanding, and in verse 23 of chapter 9, 09:07 the angel says to Daniel, "At the beginning of 09:09 your supplications the command went out, and I have come to 09:12 tell you: When you started praying about this thing, 09:15 Daniel, I received instructions to come and help you. 09:18 Daniel, when you prayed, God heard you. 09:21 And he told me to come down here and help you." 09:23 It's interesting to wonder just how that all works, 09:25 but what we do know is that it does work. 09:28 God notices when we pray. He hears. 09:31 No, we don't always get the answers we want, 09:33 and we don't always get the answers we want 09:35 when we want, but God notices and God hears. 09:38 If we know that, we can trust Him 09:40 to do the right thing at exactly the right time. 09:42 I'm John Bradshaw for It Is Written. 09:44 Let's live today by Every Word. 09:48 JB: Thanks for joining me today. This is It Is Written. 09:50 I'm John Bradshaw. Joining us both is 09:53 Dr. David DeRose, a physician who specializes 09:56 in internal medicine and preventive medicine. 09:59 He comes to us from Compass Health Consultants 10:01 in Northern California. Dr. DeRose, 10:04 as we talk about stress, let me ask you this. 10:06 Before we go and talk about Jesus 10:08 and the prophetic timeline, how many people--well, 10:14 how many of your patients-- are dealing with significant 10:16 amounts of stress? DD: Well, I'm sure if you 10:19 interviewed them coming into my office, most of them 10:22 would say they are. And for this very reason, 10:24 I don't measure their blood pressure when they first 10:26 walk into my office. I wait till we've talked 10:29 and interacted a while, and then check their pressure. 10:32 JB: Okay, now, you mentioned before. 10:34 We were talking about Jesus, in a very stressful situation. 10:38 There's a storm on a lake. The hardened fisherman, 10:41 who've lived on that lake, they're freaking out. 10:44 They're worried about-- they think they're going to die. 10:47 Jesus is sleeping. And He's sleeping because 10:51 He has trust in His heavenly Father. 10:53 You mentioned a moment ago that something else that 10:56 alleviated Jesus' stress level was that He understood 10:58 where He was in the prophetic timeline. 11:01 Explain that. DD: As you mentioned, 11:03 multiple times Jesus spoke about His time having come, 11:07 or my time is not yet here. JB: Yes. 11:09 DD: Jesus had this sense of timing, 11:12 and the book of Daniel-- that was apparently pivotal 11:15 in Jesus' understanding His own ministry-- 11:17 speaks about some very definite timelines as far as 11:21 when Jesus' ministry would begin and when it would end. 11:25 JB: Okay. Let's walk through those timelines, a little bit. 11:28 Name one. Help me understand. 11:30 DD: Okay. So, Jesus' very baptism is prophesied, 11:33 the timing, in the book of Daniel. 11:36 In Daniel chapter 9 it speaks about the Messiah, 11:39 the Prince. Jesus was anointed--which was something 11:43 that was done in biblical times for priests and kings-- 11:47 this anointing occurred at the time of His baptism. 11:50 If you actually study the prophecy of Daniel, chapter 9, 11:53 you would find that Jesus' ministry would stretch 11:56 3 1/2 years. Half a week. And so, 11:59 early in Jesus' ministry, as He is crossing the lake-- 12:02 mindful of that prophetic timeline. 12:05 I can't tell you, John, what was in Jesus' mind, 12:08 but the evidence suggests that He was aware that His time 12:13 to die had not yet come. To me, what's interesting 12:15 on the subject of stress is beginning in about chapter 8 of 12:19 the Gospel of Mark, Jesus starts preparing His disciples for 12:25 that very event. JB: And they don't, 12:27 they don't get it. DD: No, they don't get it. 12:28 They don't get it. But He repeatedly does it. 12:30 He repeatedly speaks to them. What we know today, 12:33 just like we speak about vaccinations or inoculations-- 12:37 and, that's a big controversy in medical circles today-- 12:39 but Jesus, the evidence suggests 12:42 was inoculating His disciples in the area of stress. 12:46 We actually speak about it in medical circles. We call it 12:48 "stress inoculation." It's preparing people 12:51 r what's going to come so they can better handle it. 12:55 JB: How can people better handle stress? 12:59 That's a vast question, I mean a very broad question, 13:03 because there's the stress that comes from finance. 13:07 And there are ways that people can inoculate themselves 13:09 against financial stress. Stressors. There's the stress 13:13 that comes from illness, and my expectation is 13:17 that if you're not dealing with medical stress well, 13:22 you're just going to exacerbate a difficult medical situation. 13:25 Is that fair to say that? DD: No, it's definitely fair. 13:27 JB: Okay. So, the question I'm asking is very, very broad. 13:29 And maybe you can pick some one area and say here's, 13:32 in practical terms, how a person can help themselves 13:37 when stress comes. DD: Let's look at another 13:39 surprising text in the Gospel of Mark. 13:41 And the reason I'm so interested in this, 13:43 over the last several years, I've been walking through 13:46 the Gospel of Mark with groups of people, 13:49 looking at medical angles in this Gospel. 13:52 And what's interesting, in Mark 6, there's something 13:54 here that most people just take for granted, 13:56 but it is only Mark's Gospel that gives us this detail 14:00 about Jesus. In Mark 6, verse 3, 14:05 referring to Jesus when He's there in Nazareth. 14:07 It says, "Is this not the carpenter?" 14:11 Everybody says, well, we know 14:13 Jesus was a carpenter. This is the only place. 14:15 JB: The only place. DD: Where Jesus--and Matthew's 14:17 account of the same, it mentions Jesus 14:19 being the son of a carpenter. JB: Right. 14:21 DD: But here, Jesus is identified as "the carpenter." 14:23 What this has to do with stress, John, on a totally different 14:26 nsion that we haven't really spoken about, 14:29 is Jesus was engaged throughout much of His life in useful, 14:34 physical work. We know today that one of the most powerful 14:38 things to help mitigate the effects of stress is physical 14:41 activity. And probably the most powerful physical activity, 14:45 when it comes to stress relief, is activity 14:49 that engages us. Especially if it's something 14:51 useful that we're doing with our hands. 14:53 JB: Exercise is good for stress, right? 14:56 DD: Definitely. JB: Okay. So, 14:58 getting on a treadmill for 20, 25, 30 minutes. 15:00 Running around the block four or five times. 15:02 Riding my bicycle for 15 miles. That's really good. 15:05 DD: Well, it may be really good for you, but for some 15:08 of those patients that walk into my office, 15:10 riding the bike around the block may be so 15:12 physically stressful that they drop dead. If you're outside, 15:15 working in your garden. If you're mowing the lawn 15:19 with a push mower. If you're chopping wood. 15:22 Whatever you're doing physically not only engages your body, 15:27 but it engages your brain if you're doing useful labor. 15:30 Much more powerful when it comes to stress relief. 15:33 JB: The forms of exercise that are best for you 15:36 when you're dealing with stress are those forms of exercise 15:38 that engage your body and your mind. 15:41 DD: Exactly. JB: Okay. So I could be 15:43 riding my bike and all I'm thinking about 15:44 is I've got an assignment due, I've got a boss at work, 15:47 he's going to rip me today because I messed up 15:50 yesterday. However-- 15:52 and I'm sure this is true too, if I was chopping wood-- but, 15:55 if I'm working in the garden, that's, I'm getting a workout 15:59 physically and mentally as well. DD: But don't miss this point: 16:04 Riding a bicycle around the block is much better than 16:07 riding the stationery bike, because you are engaged in your 16:10 surroundings; you're watching the traffic. 16:12 So even though those problems may be there, 16:14 you're not just stewing on them, as you're pedaling that bicycle 16:19 in your exercise room. JB: Okay. So, exercise that 16:21 engages the body and the mind, when it comes to stress, 16:25 that's best. DD: And we have Jesus' example. 16:27 And Jesus is really harkening back to the very program 16:31 He gave mankind in the beginning. 16:33 In Genesis 2, He gave Adam the job of 16:36 dressing and keeping the garden. JB: Is this just a bit 16:39 of a stretch, or do you think medically it is rock solid. 16:42 Jesus was a carpenter, so I guess, 16:45 I guess particularly in His day too, there was a lot of 16:47 hard physical activity going on. But we're not stretching it 16:51 here, are we. This is solid science. 16:54 DD: There is evidence, looking at this very point that 16:56 I'm mentioning and speaking about the benefits 16:58 of this type of approach. JB: Magnificent. Thank you. 17:00 Don't go away, we'll be right back with more on 17:02 stress and the Bible, and how God can help you deal with 17:06 stress in a way that's good for you physically, emotionally, 17:12 and spiritually. We'll be back with more 17:14 in just a moment. 17:15 [bright thoughtful melody] 17:17 JB: Planning for your financial Future is a vital aspect of 17:20 Christian stewardship. For this reason, 17:22 It Is Written is pleased to offer free planned giving and 17:25 estate services. For information on how 17:27 we can help you, please call 1 (800) 992-2219. 17:33 Call today, or visit our special website, 17:35 www.HisLegacy.com. 17:41 JB: Thanks for joining me today on It Is Written. 17:43 I'm John Bradshaw, joined today by 17:45 Dr. David DeRose. We've been talking about stress. 17:49 We all deal with it, and it's not that stress is bad. 17:53 What we've learned, too, is there are differences 17:55 between stressors-- those things that are 17:57 challenges to us-- and our stress response. 18:01 DD: Right. JB: And there are ways that we 18:04 can respond to stress, or learn to deal with stress; 18:07 exercise that engages the body and the mind, 18:11 being very important. And that's an interesting 18:13 distinction between exercises merely that engages the body. 18:16 Devotional life; trusting in God. 18:19 Jesus was able to sleep in the storm, 18:22 the same storm that was causing His best friends to panic. 18:25 And Jesus was sleeping through. What are some other things, 18:28 Dr. DeRose, that help us deal with stress? 18:32 DD: Another powerful thing, that we're actually losing touch with 18:35 to some extent in our culture, is social connectedness. 18:39 Now, people say, well, we're more socially 18:41 connected than ever. I mean, you know, we've got 18:42 Twitter and Facebook, and we're sending text messages. 18:46 But how much time do we really spend with other people, 18:49 and how integrated are we socially. 18:52 This is a very powerful factor when it comes to 18:54 physical health and our ability to deal with stressors. 18:57 JB: Give me one example. DD: Okay, one of the 19:00 biggest studies, ongoing studies in the world, is the nurses' 19:02 health study, being coordinated by Harvard University. 19:06 Back in the '90s they started looking at 19:09 how connected the nurses were, and they looked at those who 19:12 developed cancer. Some 2800 women in this group, 19:17 between 1992 and 2002, had received the diagnosis 19:21 of breast cancer. They followed them over that 19:23 10-year period of time, and they looked at their 19:26 assessment of how socially connected they were. 19:30 Those who were socially isolated had over double the likelihood 19:34 of dying in a decade from the breast cancer, as those who were 19:38 socially connected. JB: Wow. So, it's important 19:40 to be socially connected. DD: Oh, no question. 19:42 JB: Now, we might even want to drill down a little bit 19:43 into that data, but the first thing is, 19:47 someone's watching and saying, yeah, 19:48 I have no friends, I go to the office, 19:49 I work in my cubicle, I don't interact with anybody. 19:52 What's a person to do, because clearly being 19:54 socially connected is good for your health? 19:58 DD: The thing I love about the Gospels is Jesus basically 20:01 keeps saying, over and over again, 20:03 there's a place for you in My family. The church has 20:09 room for everyone. And someone who feels socially isolated, 20:11 they said, well, I showed up at church and those people were-- 20:14 JB: --unfriendly. DD: You got it. 20:17 But the point is, if they were unfriendly to you, they 20:20 might be unfriendly to someone else. You need to be there to be 20:23 a friend for someone else who shows up. 20:24 JB: That's right. Exactly right. It's someone 20:26 needs to be there, to be welcoming to the people who, 20:30 like you, are looking for a place to plug in. 20:32 DD: And the whole point is, Jesus kept showing it. 20:34 He reaches out to Levi Matthew, the publican. 20:37 I mean, this was a despised class. 20:40 By the way, on the subject of stress, we know that one of the 20:45 things that adds to our stress level is discrimination. 20:48 This has actually been shown in the medical 20:50 research literature. This connection, for example, 20:53 between poverty and poor health--part of it is explained 20:58 by the stress that comes from being discriminated against 21:03 because you don't have as much in the way of means. 21:06 Is the church, even if a local congregation 21:10 doesn't seem to have room for you, 21:11 Jesus is saying you have a place in My family. 21:13 Realize that, and act on it. We speak about 21:17 the Christian walk, and Jesus wants to walk beside us. 21:20 So I get my focus at the beginning of the day, and then 21:23 Jesus is walking beside me, even if I don't feel like He's 21:26 at my right hand, He is there to bless 21:29 and to guide. JB: Okay. So learning how to 21:31 dwell in the presence of God; learning to involve Christ 21:36 in your daily life from the beginning of the 21:38 day to the end of the day; recognizing His presence; 21:41 communing with Him in the Word of God; reading often; 21:45 accepting Him; connecting with Him. 21:47 Prayer, the importance of prayer and talking to God. And in faith 21:50 that says He is with me. He is with me everywhere I go; 21:54 He is with me at all times. 21:55 Okay. I wonder, social connectedness 22:00 and good health, that's such a powerful thing. 22:03 You mentioned the nurses' study. Where else can we look and say, 22:06 okay, here's an example of how being connected socially 22:10 really benefits a person? DD: A fascinating study, 22:14 looked at a cross section of the American population-- 22:16 those with cardiovascular disease. So, disease of 22:19 the heart and blood vessels. Some 4- to 5,000 people-- 22:22 again, this is designed to represent the whole U.S. 22:26 population--that's how these people were randomly chosen. 22:29 They found that those who were volunteering, were sharing their 22:33 time roughly about four hours a week, had a significantly 22:38 decreased risk of future cardiovascular events compared 22:42 to those who weren't socially engaged in a way of sharing. 22:46 JB: Jesus said something really profound. This is talking about 22:50 connecting with God, connecting with Him. 22:53 In Matthew 11, in verse 28. "Come unto me, 22:57 all ye that labor and heavy laden"-- 23:01 He's addressing stress there; you who are bearing 23:04 difficult burdens-- "And I will give you rest." 23:10 So if you're laboring through life and things are really 23:13 pressing you down and weighing you down, 23:14 Jesus promises I will alleviate that burden. 23:17 DD: That's right. JB: That's a promise. 23:19 "Take my yoke upon you and learn of me." 23:22 Take MY yoke, and you know, the yoke 23:25 was that thing that connected a couple of oxen together so that 23:27 they could work. So He didn't say I'm going to relieve you 23:31 of all of the stressors in this life. 23:35 He said, as you confront them, yoke together with Me. 23:39 Face your burdens with Me. Deal with stress with Me. 23:45 "For I am meek and lowly in heart, and you shall find rest 23:50 unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, 23:54 and my burden is light." Isn't that something? 23:57 DD: Powerful. JB: Jesus says, 23:58 if you're burdened, if you're stressed, come to Me 24:02 and I will get you through. Thank God for that. 24:06 DD: Amen. JB: What a blessing to know that 24:08 no matter what situation you confront in the world, 24:11 in your life, in your day-to-day 24:13 challenges--and there can be so many, can't there? 24:15 Health challenges and difficulties with children 24:19 or parents, siblings, at work, finances, you name it. 24:23 These things can weigh us down, but Christ says there's a way 24:28 forward; there's a way through. And that's My way. 24:33 When you and I get together-- together, 24:36 and confront these issues together, with Jesus 24:41 there's a way through stress. A way out of stress-- 24:44 is it fair to say that? DD: Well, I don't know 24:47 if we'll say out of stress, but it's a way not to be 24:50 overly stressed. JB: Not to be overwhelmed 24:52 by stress. My yoke is easy 24:54 and my burden is light. Words from the Bible that we can 24:58 take seriously today. ♪ [bright interlude ♪ 25:05 JB: The Bible is known for its power to transform lives 25:08 spiritually, but does it offer insight for physical 25:12 transformation as well? Dr. David DeRose, 25:15 a board-certified specialist in both internal medicine 25:18 and preventive medicine, thinks it does. 25:21 He shares his perspectives in an eight-part series called 25:24 "Healing Insights from the Gospel of Mark." 25:27 And now, as a special offer from It Is Written, 25:30 part one of that series is available to you at no cost. 25:34 All you need to do is call (800) 253-3000 25:39 and ask for the free DVD called "Healing Insights 25:42 form the Gospel of Mark." If the line is busy, 25:45 please do try again. You can write to 25:48 It Is Written, P. O. Box 6, Chattanooga, TN 37401, 25:53 and we'll mail a free copy to your address 25:55 in North America. It Is Written exists 25:58 because of the kindness of people just like you. 26:01 It's only with your help that It Is Written 26:03 can continue to share the hope of the Bible with 26:06 people around the world. Your tax-deductible gift 26:09 can be sent to the address on your screen 26:11 or through our website, ItIsWritten.com. 26:15 Thank you for your continued, prayerful support. 26:18 Again, our toll-free number is (800) 253-3000, 26:23 and you can find us online at ItIsWritten.com. 26:28 JB: Dr. DeRose, thanks. Thanks for joining me today. 26:31 DD: It was a privilege, John. JB: We've got more to talk 26:32 about. Let's talk again. DD: Sounds good. 26:34 JB: I appreciate it. Before we go, let's take the 26:36 opportunity to pray, and pray that God will help us, 26:40 and us all, meet stress in the right way. 26:45 Let's pray together. ♪ [tender underscore] ♪ 26:47 Our Father in heaven, we are thankful today 26:50 that we don't have to face the difficulties of this world 26:52 on our own, and that You have given to us tools, techniques, 26:56 things that we can do to alleviate the difficulties 26:59 of stress. We are not praying that You would remove all of the 27:03 stressors from our lives. Those things aren't all bad. 27:07 But some of us, we're dying under the weight 27:09 of stress. Some of us are being consumed, our spiritual 27:14 lives are falling apart because of external pressures. 27:18 I pray with thanks that in Christ there is hope. 27:23 I thank You that we have Christ's example, 27:26 and that His practice can be ours of being able 27:30 to confront stress in such a way that we are the better 27:33 for it and not the worst. Bless and keep us, please, 27:37 we pray. In Jesus' name. Amen. 27:41 DD: Amen. ♪ [musical interlude] ♪ 27:53 ♪ [It Is Written Theme] ♪ JB: I'm grateful 27:54 you've joined me today, and I look forward to 27:56 seeing you again next time. Until then remember, 27:58 It Is Written, man shall not live by bread alone, 28:03 but by every word that proceeds 28:06 from the mouth of God. 28:08 ♪ [music continues] ♪ |
Revised 2015-09-29