Most people would agree that a sense of control is necessary for good emotional and physical health. But when people use control to dominate everything around them they have crossed the boundary into over-control. The key is being smart enough to know when to use your control and when not to, or how much control to tolerate from others. Your over-controlling creates stress in me and makes me feel that I have no control at all.
Read MoreLet me start with a disclaimer. No, I am not talking about you…nor your boss! No, your wife didn’t call and suggest that you might need to read this. No, I don’t consider myself a control freak…except maybe in things that really matter to me…things like the garden and the lawn.
We probably fall into two different categories, the control freaks and those who have to deal with the control freaks…at least that was my opinion until I read the book, “THE CONTROL FREAK …COPING WITH THOSE AROUND YOU. TAMING THE ONE WITHIN.” By Les Parrott III, PHD. Wow, that last part about taming the one within kind of hurts.
Read MoreResearching the stories behind the Christian hymns of our faith for this month’s blogs has been a particular joy for me. Learning about the experiences that others came through that brought them to a closer walk with God is very uplifting. It is amazing how the Lord inspired them to put their experiences into musical form to inspire and encourage so many. The one that lifts me more than any other when I feel depressed, discouraged, or pondering some unwanted news is “Because He Lives,” by Bill and Gloria Gaither.
Read MoreIt was after a severe storm that Carl Gustof Boberg, a Swedish pastor, editor, and member of the Swedish parliament, was inspired to write a poem. As he looked over the clear bay he heard a church bell in the distance, and the words “How Great Thou Art,” began to ring in his mind.
Read MoreMusic has power to communicate, inspire, and to change. According to Don Campbell (founder of Institute for Music, Health and Education) music can communicate to us even when we’re not influenced by the words of a song. He says, “Music impacts physiology on a deep, basic level. The human heartbeat is especially attuned to sound-changes in tempo and volume act as natural pacemakers. Breathing slows down or speeds up along with the music.”
Read MoreUpon graduation from college my wife’s first job was working as a music therapist at a state hospital in Tennessee. Along with the medications given to patients to help them to be as normal as possible, music that she would play for them also played a part in keeping them calm.
Read More