Look at the courses of stress: "getting worked up about stuff"
Consider how stress effects our lives, for good or bad
What does the Bible have to say about stress
Stuff needed for talk
Paper
Hammer
Big wooden cross
Nails
Video - Happy Gillmoor
Talk Introduction
Tonights subject is something that all of us can relate to: stress
Some people seem to run on stress, and others seem to fall apart
Were going to watch a clip from Happy Gillmoor, in which Happy, the main
character, seems to let the smallest things get to him
[Play the first 8 minutes of the film, up to the point here Happy throws the tax man
through the glass door]
The middle bit
From the clip were just watched, we can see the Happy is the kind of person who
lets the smallest of things get to him
When under pressure, he explodes!
Why do you think people stress about things?
What kind of things cause you stress?
Parents / school / friends / work / brothers / sisters / self / environment
Societys expectations / Church / exams / money
Personally clashes / responsibility
Do you find it hard to cope with stress?
How does stress effect you?
Do you throw a "wobbler" like Happy?
Do you keep it to yourself?
Have you ever had a "panic attack" or loose your appetite?
Personally, I grumble, and get wrapped up in myself
Stress can be caused by many different things
It can effect us physically and emotionally:
Harder to concentrate
Short term memory loss
Slow to react
Make more mistakes
Tense
Change our personality
Mentally / physically weak
Have problems sleeping
At its worst it can cause:
Depression
Make you feel suicidal
Make you behave strangely
Do you think stress is a good thing?
The Bible bit
The Bible says
John 14:1 P1082
Jesus said, "Dont let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust in
me."
Luke 12:22-25 TM 178
Jesus said to his followers, "So I tell you, dont worry about the food you
need to live, or about the clothes you need in order for your body. Life is more than
food, and the body is more than clothes. Look at the birds. They dont planet or
harvest, the dont have storerooms or barns, but God feeds them. And you are worth so
much more than birds. You can not add any time to your life by worrying about it"
In other words, we shouldnt worry about things instead we should trust that
God will meet our needs and help us though the difficult times
So we need to ask ourselves
Are we letting God help?
Sometimes we feel like we have to sort out our problems by ourselves
In reality, we all need help
Admit that you need Gods help
It's also worth asking:
Are you spending your time wisely?
Are you doing what God wants?
Write down some of the things you are doing
How good are you at time management
Are you helping yourself? Are you:
Having fun / laugh?
Getting enough sleep / exercise?
Avoiding stressful situations?
"Being human" and not "super-human"?
Conclusion
All these things can be helpful
But what God wants above all, is that we trust him for our needs...say to
him "Help me!! Take these things, these worries, concerns and sort them
out!".
If we say that, and really mean it, God will help...
So I thought we'd close by spending a moment and writing down the top
three causes of stress in your life
[Pass around paper and pens]
Then we are going to symbolically give those things to God and ask him to
sort them out.
If you don't want to do this, that's fine...
[Let them write stuff down]
In a moment, were going to give God those things that were written down
and trust him to sort them out
We're going to do that by symbolically nailing these bits of paper to the
cross.
[Allow each person an opportunity to nail their paper to the cross]
[Pray]
References
Websites
http://content.health.msn.com/content/article/1680.51971
"The stress response of the body is somewhat like an airplane readying for take-off.
Virtually all systems (e.g., the heart and blood vessels, the immune system, the lungs,
the digestive system, the sensory organs, and brain) are modified to meet the perceived
danger. Under most circumstances, once the threat has passed, the response becomes
inactivated and levels of stress hormones return to normal, a condition called the
relaxation response. Life is filled with stress, which can be short-term (acute) or
long-term (chronic). "
Importance, significance, or emphasis placed on something.
A state of extreme difficulty, pressure, or strain: "He presided over the economy
during the period of its greatest stress and danger" (Robert J. Samuelson).
Other Bible references
Matthew 6:25 TM P24
"If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you dont
fuss about whats on the table at meal-times or whether the clothes in your closet
are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more
to your outer appearance that the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the birds, free
and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you
count far more to him than birds"