Today’s world is full of anxiety….and full of anxious people.  Anxiety is not a pleasant state, and can lead to all sorts of health problems, but in a world full of trouble, what is the answer?  How does one keep from being anxious?  How do you have peace in such troubled times?

There is an answer to this question, but it is not popular.  The answer goes against everything the world believes and teaches.  That is because the answer does not come from within ourselves.  It is nothing we can accomplish or even understand on our own.  It starts with acknowledging Truths that the world has totally rejected.  Of course that is why anxiety is so prevalent.

First of all, to not be anxious you have to recognize that you are not in control.  It is not up to you to make everything that is wrong, right.  It is not within your power to fix all things, including all your own problems, or even yourself.  That is a relief in one sense.

Secondly, if we are not in charge, then who is?  The world does not acknowledge God but He is still in charge.  Even though we humans, in our naivety and pride have decided that there is no creator, He has not gone anywhere.  As Psalm 2 says, “He who sits in the heavens laughs.”

God is true and His truth covers and effects ALL things.  He has control over every rainbow in the sky and every devastating earthquake.  God rules science which is,  in its truest sense,  our discovery of “the laws or creation ordinances by which God structured the world.” (quote from Total Truth, Pg 35 by Nancy Pearson)   We have made it something else.

Thirdly, to escape anxiety, we need to KNOW this God.

Jesus, when He was on earth, made the statement “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.” (John6:44). Tell God you want to get to know Him.  Christ came to give you peace and take away your anxiety.

John 14:27 – Peace I leave with you; my Peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

So, if you would like to find the antidote to anxiety, come to Jesus.  He is real. He knows how messed up you are and He loves you.   Give your life to Him along will all of your anxiety.   The battle belongs to the Lord.  He will gradually take your fears as you learn to trust Him.   This world will never be “fixed” as long as God’s creation is in rebellion against Him.  But that does not mean that individually, we cannot abide in His presence and peace, even in the midst of turmoil and chaos.

Then your prayer will join with others …… THY KINGDOM COME AND THY WILL BE DONE, ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN!

PS – Anxiety can take many different forms.  Causes of anxiety are numerous and varied.  Everyone experiences it. Sometimes I am anxious and do not even fully know where the anxiety is coming from.  It is important to learn HOW to rest in God.  That is NOT a quick fix and is not something we do naturally.   Coming to the end of ourselves and learning to abide in God can be a long and excruciating road.  It can take a lot of  time and effort.  But He promises it is worth it….and avoiding the alternative is worth whatever it takes!

Let’s discuss some PRACTICAL ways to fight anxiety and pursue the peace of God’s presence in the next blog.

I don’t care who you are or what front you put up for the world to see, I know something about you ………because it is true of everyone.

SOMETIMES YOU ARE AFRAID!

Everyone experiences fear.  It may be a fear of failure or a fear of loneliness.  It may be a fear of pain or sickness or death.  The world is cloaked with fear … the pandemic may have made it worse but it is not anything new.

It is not a weakness to be afraid.  It is what you do when you are afraid that matters.  You can hide and pretend.  You can close yourself off from people.  You can try to face it in your own strength but that is difficult.  So how can you conquer your fears, whatever they may be?

I know that the ways to fight fear are as varied as the fears themselves, but I am convinced that there is only one healthy way to fight back.  That is with the truth.

Often, when you look at a fear face-on, you will find it to be way out of proportion.  Sometimes thinking of the worst possible outcome can help, at least with little fears.  For instance, I remember once I was afraid of approaching someone lest I be rejected.  But when I reasoned it out, not approaching the person was accepting rejection anyway, so I really would not be any worse off if I was rebuffed, than if I did not try.  So for little fears it may help to ask yourself, ” What is the worst that could happen?”

But what about BIG fears?  Pain and sorrow do come to all of us.  Ahhhhh ……but there is a balm in Gilead!  Do you know that saying?  Have you ever heard it?  Gilead was a town on the eastern side of the Jordan River.  Balm is a soothing substance to heal a wound.

To find the right “balm” for any problem or wound or fear,  you need to consult the right physician.  It is easy to find advice about a cure, but not so easy to find wise advise.  That is where “truth” comes in.  You need to go the the right physician with your fears.  Go to the Great Physician.  The creator of something understands that something better than anyone else.  The Creator of YOU understands YOU better than anyone else, including yourself!  God has a “balm” for your fears, whatever they may be.

As a human physician, I realize that there are medicines that do help with anxiety.  They can get you through the day.  I prescribe them, am grateful for them, and do not think it is wrong to make use of them.  But for deeper healing, admit the problem and take it to God.  When fear starts to take over, it is time to take action.  Pray.  Study and read God’s word…..for long periods.  It will take time.  King David was full of fear, and many of the psalms that he penned are a great place to get help.  Ask God to reveal to you the underlying source of your problem.  It is often hard to figure that out on your own, but God understands perfectly the source of every problem.

And remember, regardless of how people act, you are not alone in your fears.  We have all been there.   We are not all honest in admitting it, but life is scary.  Any journey is much more frightful without a map and a plan.  It is scary to be lost.  So, when I am afraid, or lost, or out of control, I go to my God and am so thankful that, at least with Him, I can be honest.  He is near, whether you sense Him or not, and He is willing to help.  He is waiting for you to ask!

What do you think of when you think of St Patrick’s day?  Shamrocks?  Green beer? Christianity?

Saint Patrick was “The Apostle of Ireland,” but he was NOT Irish!  

His original birth name was Maewyn Succat and he grew up in Roman Britain.    At the age of 16 he was captured by Irish pirates. He was then transported to Ireland where he was sold as a slave, and forced to care for sheep for the next 6 years.

It was sometime during this 6 year period that Saint Patrick became a Christian.  His father had been a Christian and a deacon in the church, but Patrick, as a youth, had not been interested.  While tending sheep as a slave, however, he was often hungry.  Turning to God, he prayed often and toward the end of his 6th year had a dream where he was told a ship was waiting for him.  He walked to the east coast of Ireland, about 200 miles away, and found a ship bound for Britain and convinced the captain to take him aboard.  That is how, after 6 years, he was finally able to escape.

After landing in Britain, he and some others had been wandering in wilderness for close to a month.  Without food they were essentially starving.  St Patrick prayed for food and soon came upon a wild boar. Saved from death and able to continue his trek,  St Patrick was able, eventually, to reach his home and family.

Once he was back home, he studied and became a cleric.  Then another vision directed him back to Ireland.

Once back in Ireland, St Patrick began to preach.  Not welcomed on the mainland, he started on surrounding islands.  During this time St Patrick wrote“Every day there is the chance that I will be killed, or surrounded, or taken into slavery.”  People began to be converted to Christ and with time St Patrick was able to come to the mainland.  It is felt his congregation was about 100,000 people eventually.  He baptized 1000s and helped to form over 300 churches.

It is believed that Saint Patrick lived during the 5th century and that he died on March 17, 461.  Now, centuries later, we celebrate the date of his death. So, to everyone of any descent, Irish or not, I wish you a  very happy St Patrick’s Day!  

Don’t forget to wear green!

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Sugar has taken a bad rap.   If we all ate sugar in limited quantities, it would be fine.  It’s just that we don’t.  HOWEVER, there is a substance that is worse and, I believe, deserves MORE blame than it gets for our societal health woes.  This substance was not even available in the United States before the 1960s.  Today it makes up over 20% of our daily carbohydrate intake.  So goes the story of HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP(HFCS).

HFCS  is made from corn starch.  It is processed, using enzymes, and in its final form contains a mixture of fructose and glucose, making it similar to table sugar.  However, it is cheaper and easier to use than sugar.    HFCS is a liquid, whereas table sugar is a solid.  All of this has resulted in HFCS being added, it seems, to virtually everything!  Because of this we are ingesting enormous quantities.  And that is leading to many health problems.

Humans metabolize fructose differently from other simple sugars.  Glucose, for instance, is metabolized by the brain, muscles, and the liver.  Fructose, however, is mainly metabolized in the liver.  In excess, it will raise your blood triglyceride level.   And all that fructose overload, when it is turned into fat,  can lead to a fatty liver.   When I was in medical school and residency, I never had a patient with a fatty liver.  Now it is extremely common.

Today HFCS is prevalent in most US soda drinks.  The popularity of soft drinks has led to generations of kids who often drink a full day’s worth of calories in addition to the solid food they eat!  This has helped lead to the ever-increasing obesity rate in America.  This in turn, has led to increased diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and likely increased cancer and dementia rates.

As to HFCS being everywhere, look at the list of foods below where it may be hiding:

1.  soda
2. candy
3. sweetened yogurt
4. salad dressing
5. frozen convenience foods
6. bread
7. canned fruit
8. juice
9. boxed dinners
10. granola bars
11. breakfast cereals
12. store bought baked goods
13. sauces and condiments (like ketchup!)
14. snack foods
15. cereal bars
16. nutrition bars
17. coffee creamer
18. energy and sports drinks
19. jams and jellies
20. ice cream

SO…….if Americans are to become healthy again, it is going to take changing the way we eat and drink.  We HAVE to go back to eating more whole, unadulterated foods.  We have to avoid so called foods that are made in labs.  We have kitchens, and we have curiosity and ingenuity!  Take your curiosity and ingenuity to your kitchen and see what YOU can come up with using whole ingredients.  And read food labels, avoiding anything that contains High Fructose Corn Syrup!

Our human bodies are marvelously and intricately designed. Like any machine, they need to be treated well. A healthy lifestyle takes work, but you first have to know what IS a healthy lifestyle.

A start is to know two very important numbers about your own body. If you keep these two numbers in a healthy range, you will save yourself much grief and sickness in the years ahead. So the first goat is just to find out where you stand. This blog is simply to help you find this information.

The first important value or number is your own BMI (body mass index). This gives a good estimate of total body fat.

There is an easy calculator to determine your BMI in the link below, from the CDC. Then look on the chart below to see where your current weight status puts you.

https://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/assessing/bmi/adult_BMI/english_bmi_calculator/bmi_calculator.html

The second number is your waist circumference. This is a measure of abdominal obesity, which is an independent risk factor for heart disease. You can measure your waist circumference with a simple tape measure, using the directions below. A man should have a waist circumference < 40 inches and a woman < 35 inches.

1. Remove clothing
2. Measure, placing the tape measure between the top of your hipbone and the bottom of your ribs. 
3. Breathe out
4. Make sure the tape measure is straight around your back

So there you have it! Quick and easy. Check out where you are and then you can decide if you should eat your next meal or abstain! Or at least change your mind about that double cheeseburger you were so looking forward to!