Recommended Resources: Coping with Stress God's Way!

STRESS LESS 

by  Don Colbert, MD

We hear a lot about how we need to "give it all to Jesus"  or "cast all of our cares on Him."  And it's all true!  But learning to cast our cares and lower our stress levels is not an easy-breezy skill.  And often the people who encourage us to do those things don't really offer any practical suggestions on how to do it!

This book is written by a Christian doctor who understands the commitment it takes to overcome a life of stress and live more in God's rest. He doesn't give flippant admonitions, but nitty-gritty-rubber-meets-the-road steps we can all take to follow God's plan for our lives.  He includes nutrition, Scripture, sleep, margin, exercise, the habit of joy, and so many other Scriptural habits that Jesus modeled for a balanced lifestyle. 

Contents:

1. I am a Physician Who HAS Healed Myself

2.  One Nation, Under Stress

3.  Fight, Flee...or Stew in Your Own Juices

4.  Mental and Emotional habits Prepogram Us for Stress

5.  Addressing Distortional Thought Patterns

6.  Reduce Your Frustration Factors

7.  Dealing With the Inevitable Offenses

8.  Wiping Out Worry

9.  The Power of Attitude to Create or Relieve Stress

10.  Learn to Be Assertive

11.  The Impact of Your Words on Your Own Stress Level

12.  Building "Margin" Into Your Life

13.  Sleep - God's "Stress Buster"

14.  A Diet to Reduce Stress

15.  Nutrients for Coping with Stress

16.  Exercises That Relieve Stress

17.  Cultivating Happiness and Joy as a Lifestyle

18.  Learning to Relax

19.  Adrenal Fatigue and Burnout

20.  The Peace That Passes Understanding

Appendix A.  Salvation Prayer

Appendix B.  Positive Affirmations

Appendix C.  Scriptural Affirmations

Appendix D.  Product Information

2015 Central Indiana Women of Worth Retreat

The Central Indiana Women of Worth Retreat is the result of two WOW groups working together. The Indianapolis Chapter led by Debby Gaskins and the Anderson, Indiana Chapter led by Barb Brock formed a retreat committee which plans and oversees this annual event. 

Together, these groups accomplish more than either of them could alone

 and many lives are blessed with the result.

This retreat report was submitted by Barb Brock. 

A BEAUTIFUL FRAGRANCE

Debby Gaskins, Indianapolis WOW Chapter Leader

Many thanks to ICHA Campground for hosting the 2015 Central Indiana Wow Retreat! It is because of ICHA'S investment in this ladies' ministry , that we can keep the cost affordable, making it possible for many more ladies to attend. 

Anderson WOW Committee

Our attendance was down this year because of a late winter snow storm, however  over 100 ladies gathered from across the Tri-state for a fantastic weekend.  The Central Indiana Retreat begins on Friday afternoon, with an overnight stay and dismisses by 4:00 PM  Saturday. A lot is packed into those two days

Refreshments at the Retreat

Barb Brock, Anderson, IN WOW Leader

Excitement ran high as guests arrived Friday afternoon, and entered the "Meet And Greet" Welcome Center. Tasty refreshments were awaiting the weary travelers, and there was time to wind down and relax by meandering among the tables set up for a "Silent "Auction or by browsing through  the "Book Nook", or by just  sipping a refreshing drink with a friend.

Roses from Colombia 

 Ladies enjoying the Friday evening banquet.

 But the main event of the evening, was the opening banquet and The Daniel Edward's Family Concert. The hall was beautifully decorated with 200 fresh, long stem pink roses, imported from Colombia. The catered roast pork dinner with all the trimmings was delicious and the concert was wonderfully relaxing and  inspirational ! What a talented family! The concert was full of variety, singing, instrumentals, and Daniel Edwards playing his saw. A special treat was when Daniel's two sisters and his dear mom joined them for a song. What a blessed evening. 

Daniel Edwards playing the saw

The Daniel Edwards Family

Esther Dotson Coner speaking at the retreat

Saturday was filled to the brim, beginning with a Breakfast buffet.  Everyone was looking forward to the sessions, with our featured speaker, Esther Dotson Coner. As a child, she became a vital part of the Edwards Family Music Ministry. After she married Tim Dotson, they pursued a music ministry of their own. Across the years her music has been a great blessing. The majority of the ladies  at the retreat had never heard Esther  speak, although she was known to us as a beautiful, accomplished musician. However, we discovered that Esther Dotson Coner is a very gifted, inspirational speaker. The Lord helped her develop our theme, "A Beautiful Fragrance" in an amazing way! Her transparency took us on a journey into the hidden places of her heart. She referred to them as faith building places, that God had used in her life.  Esther pulled back the curtains that covered a bleeding heart, and led us down the corridors of her inner soul, to witness the survival of faith in the midst of a fierce and deadly storm. And God used not only the storm, but the "aftermath and the clean-up" of it as faith builders in her life.  He was in the midst of it all.  Faith in her God has survived helped her survive and brought her through victoriously.

Esther Dotson Coner with her sister, Elizabeth Bell

The ladies left the retreat filled to the brim with a week-end of blessings and with a challenge  to be like Mary and let the atmosphere of our daily lives be permeated with the beautiful fragrance of Christ in us!

It's Time for a Retreat!

 It's early this year!

Sept 11-13, 2015

on the shores of Lake Erie!

Gather with us for Women of Worth's

original retreat and celebrate

our 20th year!

Get your registration in today!

Special Speaker: Jan Miller

Other sessions by:

 Rebecca Miller

Valorie Quesenberry

Coffee Bar!

Anniversary Cake!

Bonfires!

Shopping!

Laughter!

Friends!

Time with Jesus!

You don't want to miss it.

Contact Lorena Glick by email at wantok2@homail.com 

and see our Facebook page here to see the brochure.

Recommend Resources: Dealing with Codependency in Yourself and Others

What does it mean to be codependent?  It is not an easy term to define - it applies in different ways to different relationships.  But one over-simplified definition is:

"Dependence on the needs of others."

This term was originally used to refer to people who lived with alcoholics or addicts, and became dependent on the addict's needs in an unhealthy way.  However, even a short reading about codependency will prove that the unhealthy habits can apply to most all of us in one way or another.  The point isn't really to label or define; the point is to understand.  We need to understand ourselves and our sometimes unhealthy habits in order to grow.

Another reason for this discussion is that anyone who works with people for very long will undoubtedly run into someone who is struggling in some way with codependent tendencies.   Here are just a few of a long list of possible characteristics:

* you make regular sacrifices of yourself to please someone else
* find yourself constantly drawn to needy people
* needy people are drawn to you
* you have a lot of fear, anxiety and resentment
* you have a tendency to control someone else (even under the guise of helping them)
* you have a tendency to be controlling and belittling of yourself
* you are often in denial of your own feelings and needs
* you have weak boundaries
* you grew up with an addict or a strongly controlling person
* you currently live with an addict or a strongly controlling person


Here are a few helpful resources if you are curious to learn more about this subject for yourself and for others:

This is a short but powerful video to give you some insight into codependency.  You may even have to say "ouch" a couple of times as you listen!

Codependent No More
by Melody Beattie

Codependent No More - WORKBOOK
by Melody Beattie

The Language of Letting Go
Daily Meditations on Codependency

Codependency for Dummies
by Darlene Lancer