Tag: stress

Oct312018 by Dale HeinoldNo Comments

Popping the Anxiety of Purpose

Allow this article to remove some pressure and anxiety from your life. Tall order? Perhaps. Consider this to be the pin which pops the balloon. But before we get too far perhaps I should identify the balloon. For practically everyone that chooses to follow Jesus, there is an aspect of performance anxiety. We strive to fit in with our faith community in the ways we dress, the ways we talk, and the attitudes and perhaps even the doctrines we adopt. Even if your church has a “come as you are” attitude this anxiety remains. But that is only a visible piece of a much larger iceberg. We also have aspects of performance anxiety when it comes to following Jesus. Am I doing the right things? Am I fulfilling His purpose? Am I on the right path? Am I spiritual enough or religious enough to ple

Mar52018 by Dale HeinoldNo Comments

Dale’s Rules for Life – Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff (Almost Everything is Small Stuff)

Encouragment

I've got these rules for life. Perhaps you already know that. Some may not. The rules themselves are nuggets of wisdom. Some were heard from others but most were learned the hard way. Which basically means that I fell flat on my face enough times to learn their lesson. They aren't in a particular order, this happens to be the fourth in the list - Don't sweat the small stuff (almost everything is small stuff). This is definitely one of the rules I learned over many years through multiple face plants and failures. I can't count the number of times that I tripped over what I thought was a mountain and it was really just a tiny crack in the pavement. Worry, anxiety, stress, fear, and pride are potent reminders to check my attitude before I say or do something that trips me up. To be sure...

May132015 by Dale Heinold1 Comment

Eli’s Cure for Stress, Anxiety, and Worry

Encouragment, Peace

There’s one thing that I’m glad I don’t remember from my childhood - the stress and anxiety over potty training. I’ve relived it with my children and now they are going through the process with their children. Dealing with the accidents, the attitudes, the anxiety of learning and teaching this one basic life skill in huge. On top of that is the stress the child goes through - its pretty hard to go when you’re all tensed up. A few days ago Rebekah sent the video below. What the camera doesn't show is that Eli is sitting on a training potty chair while singing his song. Asher joins in to encourage and celebrate with Eli. https://youtu.be/L0kQIxJegEo It seem to be easier say “casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7, NASB95) than really doing it when

Nov72014 by Dale Heinold1 Comment

Ready For This?

Encouragment, Stuck

Over the past few days I’ve heard folks lamenting, “I’m not ready for winter.” Yep things are changing from the balmy days of summer, through the crispness of fall, and into the deep freeze of winter. Temperatures that seem to freeze the marrow in the fall will be a welcome heat wave by early spring. Certainly, much of the anxiety concerns the coming battles with cold and snow we may face. I think there is also a little stress caused by the reminder that things change and that some things, like weather, are simply out of our control. So let's keep this simple, things change. Weather, employment, the economy, price of fuel, relationships, fads of the day, and children all change. As much as we try to develop habits and traditions to anchor our world, in order to find some semblance of o

Nov52014 by Dale HeinoldNo Comments

In God We Trust

Encouragment, Faith

A few nights ago Nik Wallenda, without safety net or harness, walked a tightrope between two Chicago buildings blindfolded. Sure, his feat was a stunt designed to get him in the record books and bring in a TV audience. But doesn’t life feel at times as if we are blindly balancing on a tightrope? One wrong move, one strong gust of wind, one moment of distraction and our world could come tumbling down. From the outside looking in it would appear that Nik is either crazy or has an incredible amount of trust in his own abilities to do the things he does. But Nik’s trust is not set in himself or his abilities alone. Charisma News quotes Nik as saying, "The source of my determination and inspiration starts with Jesus. I was raised to look to God to take me through any big challenge in my lif

Oct232014 by Dale Heinold7 Comments

I Don’t Know

Encouragment, Stuck

I don’t know what your day has been like. What stresses arose. The rejections you faced. The anger that rose like a tsunami in your life. Or worse, the complacency and apathy of being treated as if you were invisible. I don’t know the trouble, the pain, the illness that colored every waking moment. I didn’t see the worry and anxiety that assaulted you at every turn or the bear trap of circumstance that gripped your heart. I wasn’t there when the baby cried or the check bounced or when the car wouldn’t start. I don’t know, I didn’t see, I wasn’t there as you faced these things today but I know who was. My prayer this morning was very simple - Lord, what do your people need to hear? The answer back was just as simple and straightforward - “Tell them that I love them.” God loves you. No

Sep242014 by Dale HeinoldNo Comments

The Threshing Floor

Overload!

Encouragment, Stuck

And Moses thought this was going to be easy. Fresh from his mountaintop encounter with God, Moses returns to Egypt, is accepted by the Hebrew elders, demonstrates God’s power to Pharaoh, and summarily falls flat on his face. Pharaoh retaliates against Moses’ demands by making the Hebrews gather their own straw for bricks. The Hebrews get mad at Moses for bringing the wrath of Pharaoh down on them. Moses gets mad at God. “Then Moses returned to the Lord and said, “O Lord, why have You brought harm to this people? Why did You ever send me? “Ever since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done harm to this people, and You have not delivered Your people at all.” (Exodus 5:22-23, NASB). It is like Moses is saying - “Hey God! I did what you told me to do but that didn’t work ou

Mar282014 by Dale Heinold3 Comments

The Practice of Prayer

Encouragment, Prayer

Want to know something funny? I have this article idea that uses Philippians 4:6-7 as its centerpiece. In case you're not familiar with it the passage goes, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6–7, NASB95) So here’s the funny part, I am stressing out over coming up with the perfect example to showcase this passage. Times when someone practices something before it is needed like a Boy Scout practicing knots, or a sailor battening down a hatch in calm seas, or a soldier practicing rifle tear down and assembly long before they enter the battlefield. So here I am being anxio

Jan312014 by Dale Heinold1 Comment

Worry, Stress, Anxiety, Oh My!

Encouragment, Hope

“Casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:6–7, NASB95) Sounds simple, right? When worry, stress, and anxiety find their ways into our lives all we need to do is pile them on to Jesus and go along as if everything is hunky-dory, a-okay, zipadee do da - what a wonderful day. Can I tell you that over my lifetime there have been several times when it seems that Jesus and I were playing catch - pitching the anxieties of life back and forth? I’d throw them his direction and find some peace, only to have them return a few hours or a few days later. Do this often enough and it can make you anxious over your anxieties! Worrying about why you are worrying. What I eventually learned is that there is a second part, well, actually a first part to this promise of God. The

Jan82014 by Dale Heinold2 Comments

Misplaced Hope

Encouragment, Hope

There is a military philosophy called overwhelming force. Essentially, the philosophy states that you bring enough firepower and manpower so that any battle becomes a “sure thing” instead of an even contest. Yet, history has many instances where a smaller force trounced a larger, more powerful army. The Bible also contains several examples such as David and Goliath, the Battle of Jehoshaphat, and Gideon’s army, to name a few. How did these men triumph against overwhelming odds? Let's look at Psalm 33:13-17. The Lord looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men; From His dwelling place He looks out On all the inhabitants of the earth, He who fashions the hearts of them all, He who understands all their works. The king is not saved by a mighty army; A warrior is not delivered b