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Blue Monday: Beating the Winter Blues

Winter can be a difficult season for many of us – especially once Christmas is over.

In our current issue of Denham Parish News (pages 26-27) we offer some tips on how to beat the winter blues…

Click on the link above to read the magazine. The article also contains information about organisations that can help.

 

Here is an excerpt from Ben Palpant’s new book “Letters from the Mountain” (Rabbit Room Press):

EVERYTHING IS GOING MY WAY

An excerpt from Letters from the Mountain.

I’ve heard that we’re born with only two fears: the fear of falling and the fear of loud noises. If true, this reinforces the very real fact that we accumulate fears over time. We undoubtedly manufacture some, but life experiences saddle us with the others. From worry to severe anxiety disorders, from run-of- the-mill fears to irrational phobias, we all live somewhere on anxiety’s broad spectrum. We fear heights, spiders, bats, public speaking, rejection letters, financial collapse, negative judgments, loneliness, memory loss—the list is endless. And these fears bang incessantly on the tin roofing of our hearts.

And if anxiety were not paralyzing enough, it brings discouragement along for company. We listen to fear’s lies, fully knowing they are lies. We look in the mirror each morning and wonder when fear will finally stop being an unwanted house guest.

History offers a long list of faithful God-followers who fought anxiety or depression, some for much of their lives—Moses, Gideon, Jeremiah, Job, Elijah, Jonah, Hannah. Even King David struggled, as evidenced by his psalms, though he had tasted remarkable courage many times, even defeating a lion, a bear, and Goliath. Charles Spurgeon, William Cowper, G. K. Chesterton, and Mother Teresa likewise struggled. Some suffocated so badly beneath the weight that they entertained suicidal thoughts not once, but many times.

Anxiety does not discriminate. It takes the strong and the weak, the cheerful and the melancholy, the spiritual juggernaut and the spiritual lightweight. And addressing the topic is complicated by ambiguity. The line between anxiety and worry, for example, is not as clear as we would like. When is the brain working improperly and when are we simply fretting? When is panic a biological reflex and when is it self-induced?

Those who have fallen down the rabbit hole of depression know the seriousness of anxiety. They also have learned the hard way that the world is uncomfortably silent or unhelpfully trite on the subject. Even Christians squirm around it. Some people are downright flippant in their judgments, shaming vulnerable people into silence rather than serving them.

In a classic Bob Newhart sketch, a young woman seeks counsel for her claustrophobia. She is terribly afraid of being buried alive in a box. He says that his psychotherapy sessions last only five minutes, and they come with two important words which she is to incorporate into her life: “Stop it!” That’s it. To Newhart’s character, recovery is as simple as that.

Those who have never stood on the edge of a mental breakdown and those who have never suffocated beneath depression’s heavy hand find the skit funnier than those who have. If “Stop it!” were all we needed to conquer the giant, Anxiety, then it would not have so many carcass trophies hang- ing on its wall. And for some strange reason, we still think that anxiety can only be defeated by sheer willpower. Our mortal vantage point is woefully insufficient for helping us deal with our repeated failure to defeat it.

God’s promises provide a new vantage point, a divine perspective that we all need. He says, “Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand” (Isa. 41:10, NKJV). 1 Peter 5:7 says we can cast the whole weight of our anxieties upon God because we’re his personal concern. Romans 8:28 confirms that promise: “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose” (MEV).

These are not Pollyanna promises. Nor are they mere talismans against dark forces. In a seismic spiritual earthquake, they are the firm, unshake- able ground on which we stand.

Belief in these promises changes how God’s children hear the every- day question, “How are you doing?” If God is faithful to keep his promises, then in an ultimate sense we can truthfully answer, “Everything is going my way.” He intimately uses my circumstances, even the scary ones, for my benefit. All the time. Guaranteed.

Anyone who answers that way risks sounding pompous, or at the very least presumptuous. But what if we answered that way in our minds? Would we start seeing differently? Would we see opportunity where others see limitation? Would we see abundance where others see scarcity? Would our thankfulness, gladness, and peace grow? No matter the circumstances? Perhaps.

 

210321 Sunday Worship: Vocational Wellbeing

Today is the last part of The Wellbeing Journey. We will explore vocational wellbeing. We will also pause and reflect on nearly one year since the first lockdown started. Edda and Christoph will be leading the service live from the Rectory. Join us for Church Coffee on Zoom afterwards. All links can be found below.

 

Church Coffee on Zoom:

Meeting ID: 836 9097 1697

Passcode: Coffee

 

CHILDREN AND FAMILIES:

Open the Book – The Boys who liked to say NO…

Wellbeing for children – early years…

Wellbeing for children – primary school age…

 

EASTER at Denham Parish Church…

210314 Mothering Sunday Service

It’s Mothering Sunday! This service is brimming with encouragement, with your contributions, and with helpful insights into relational wellbeing. Join us for Church Coffee on Zoom afterwards.  [Find all the links below the video]

 

Church Coffee on Zoom:
Meeting ID: 836 9097 1697
Passcode: Coffee

CHILDREN AND FAMILIES:
A special Mothering Sunday Craft…

BONUS CLIP on relational wellbeing…

Amy Crouch: My Tech-Wise Life…

A special prayer for Mothering Sunday…

Wellbeing Thought for Sunday 7 March

Stewardship, not ownership

 Did you know that 16 of the 38 parables Jesus told were concerned with how to handle money and possessions? True wellbeing includes the financial and material area of our lives. Worries about money are one of the main causes of stress. God wants us to live in financial peace (“shalom”) – having margin each month, with opportunities to save for the future and to give to help others.

As Christians we believe that all things come from God – we don’t own them, but God wants us to steward them. That is a crucial difference if we want to enjoy internal freedom from fear and worry. Once we have settled that God is the owner, we can begin to learn how to manage our finances his way!

Where is your financial dial – red, amber or green? How might knowing God is the owner and you his steward help you grow in financial peace and wellbeing?

 

(Excerpt from: Dave Smith, God’s Plan for your Wellbeing.)

210307 Sunday Service: Financial Wellbeing

You can’t win a Rolls Royce in today’s service, but it is full of helpful contributions about our financial wellbeing! We’re showing off the second batch of your beautiful mugs during the countdown. Edda and Christoph are leading the service live from the Rectory as we continue The Wellbeing Journey. [Find all the links below this video]

11.15am after this service:

Church Coffee Online…

CHILDREN AND FAMILIES:

Open the Book Bible story (Elijah part 3)…

Wellbeing for pre-schoolers…

Wellbeing for Keystage 1&2…

Bible puzzle colouring in sheets…

Download the latest Denham Parish News…

Christians Against Poverty…

Find out more about the Money Course, run by CAP…

Working from Rest

(This is a reflection from the LICC Bible Reading Plan “Working from Rest”. Click here to find out more…)

 

“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.
Six days you shall labor and do all your work,
but the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns.
For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
(Exodus 20:8–11 NIV11-GKE)
The command given the most ‘air-time’ on Sinai details sabbath rest. Through it, the Lord nullifies the entire system of anxious production and the need to ‘get ahead’. Work is placed within limits. One of the results of the current pandemic is that, for many, the boundary between work and rest has become blurred. Constant emails and texts mean we never switch off. Our boundaries have been eroded.
For reflection: What limits might God be asking you to put around work?
Prayer: Thank you for the sabbath and the priority you, Lord, give to rest. Help me to honour that priority. Amen.
———————-
Sabbath rest is communal – it is offered to all sons and daughters, all cattle, all immigrants, all who have left the anxiety-driven system of Pharaoh. God’s people are no longer defined by competition, achievement, production, or acquisition. Their new identity is one of community, relationship, and rest.
For reflection: From where do you draw your sense of identity?
For prayer: Lord, please help me to recognize and affirm my identity as one shaped by community, relationship, and rest. Amen.

Combatting Zoom Fatigue

(This is from a longer article by Curt Thompson. Read the full article here…)

By now, most of us have noticed. And either we or someone we know is talking about it. Zoom fatigue. Irritability. No fever, cough or body aches necessary. Just the normal, run-of-the-mill symptoms of social distancing. And mostly, people are describing how much more exhausted they are at the end of their days compared to what their lives were like before three weeks ago. All of this highlights one element of what it truly means to be human that our encounter with the coronavirus has drawn our attention to: our bodies.

God made our bodies as part of what it means for us to be human, and much like asking someone to breathe air that is only 15% oxygen instead of the normal 20%, we’re asking our bodies to do things they were not made to do. Even so, along with other suggestions I have offered regarding COVID-19, here are some additional things you can do to help:

  1. Make it a practice to take at least three 5-10 minute walks every day. Shorter, more frequent movement not only extends your body’s movement over the course of the day, it also gives you something to look forward to throughout the day, thereby reducing your anxiety along with your irritation.
  2. If possible, change your location of work in your home. This may be challenging, but different physical locations within your home over time gives your body the awareness of movement by virtue of being in a novel location.
  3. When possible, stand while doing work, especially when using a screen. This practice enables your body to work even while being less mobile.
  4. As you are able, limit the number of people on videocalls to three or less. This may sound unreasonable, or impossible. But the fewer people your brain—and body—has to keep track of, the less tired you will be. This may simply sound like common sense. That’s because it is.
  5. Greet as many people as you can whenever you are able. There is little cost to acknowledging the presence of another person, and we need to be acknowledged even by strangers. Not only will your thinking mind give and receive it, your body will as well.
  6. Plan for daily singing/worship while standing. Sing along with your most loved YouTube worship video as a means to use your body to tell your mind and soul that you are quite alive—and that you are not alone.
  7. Talk about your anger. There may be nothing more important than having a close friend or counselor validate that your anger is real and isn’t crazy. Not to mention that talking to someone about your feelings connects you to another person, which in and of itself will reduce your irritability and give you a greater sense of agency.
  8. Practice contemplative prayer. This form of prayer, especially while standing, strengthens your capacity to live in the present moment which protects against the irritability that emerges in the face of immobility.

Our bodies are hard at work. And although we are in a season in which we are asking them to work differently and harder than usual, know that you are not alone, and your work is not in vain.

210221 Sunday Worship: Emotional Wellbeing

Today we are exploring emotional wellbeing and coming together to chat, pray, sing, read the Bible and learn together is proven to improve our wellbeing. Edda and Christoph are leading the service live from the Rectory. [Find all the links below]

Church Coffee Online…

Sign up for The Wellbeing Journey…

CHILDREN AND FAMILIES:

Wellbeing for pre-schoolers…

Wellbeing for Keystage 1&2…

Bible puzzle colouring in sheets…

Download the latest Denham Parish News…

Mark’s Gospel in 40 Readings…

LIVE LENT app…
OR CALL FREEFONE 0800 804 8044

Living Life to the Full Website…

210214 Morning Worship: Physical Wellbeing

It’s Valentine’s Day! Today we continue on The Wellbeing Journey and explore physical wellbeing. If you have an internet-connected phone or tablet, bring it along for an interactive poll.  [Find all the links below this video.]

Church Coffee on ZOOM:
Meeting ID: 836 9097 1697
Passcode: Coffee

Sign up for The Wellbeing Journey…

Wellbeing Bonus Video: Interview with a GP…

CHILDREN AND FAMILIES:

Open the Book – Elijah part 1…

Wellbeing for pre-schoolers:
Week 2…
Week 3…

Wellbeing for Keystage 1&2:
Week 2…
Week 3…

Bible puzzle colouring in sheets:
Week 2…
Week 3…

Download the latest Denham Parish News…

Mark’s Gospel in 40 Readings…

LIVE LENT:
Download the app…
OR CALL FREEFONE 0800 804 8044

210207 Sunday Worship: A Wellbeing Mindset

We are starting The Wellbeing Journey today! Join Christoph and Edda – live from the Rectory – at 10.30am.  Find all the links below this video.

 

Church Coffee Online…

 

Wellbeing for pre-schoolers…

Wellbeing for Keystage 1&2…

Bible puzzle colouring in sheet…

 

Sign up for The Wellbeing Journey…

 

Download the latest Denham Parish News…

 

Mark’s Gospel in 40 Readings…