Anxiety on a Plane

Resting in Jesus

The Doctor who attended me on that rugged North West flight to Tokyo and Singapore was very helpful. He immediately had the attendant give me an aspirin and a nitro pill. Then he took my blood pressure and said, "It is pretty high. Give him another nitro."

Of course my BP was high. I was high! 50,000 feet above Alaska with chest pains, of course I was stressed. My mind was going crazy with thoughts bot rational and irrational. First, I knew that during a heart attack stress and anxiety increase the chances of damage. So, I was saying to myself things like, "Calm down! You are going to kill yourself by irrational al thinking!" followed by "It is not irrational to think I am dying because I may be dying." Then I would say, "Be calm Gary. Be calm."

The Doctor said something like, "You need to get your BP down, sir. It is dangerous to have such a high level of blood pressure." I wanted to protest and tell this guy I already knew all that but thought better of it. So, I said, "Go away for ten minutes and come back and my blood pressure will be lower."

His eyes opened wide and he asked sceptically, "What are you going to do?" (I think he assumed I was going to do some dope or drink some of the free alcohol.)

"Well, Doctor, I am going to pray."

"Oh" he said, "that can't hurt."

He left and I closed my eyes and began to pray in the Spirit. I still had to practice all the disciplines I had learned and taught in Renewed Thinking and I started to thank God for His mercy and grace. First, I thanked God for teaching me the principles of RCT. Second, I thanked Him for having a cardiologist on the plane with me. (The Doctor was a heart transplant specialist.) Third, I began to thank God for everything I could think about and I used RCT to stop the ANTS (Automatic Negative Thoughts) that kept insisting that I pay attention to them instead of God.)

I also prayed and sang in English and the Spirit and I began to feel myself relax and release the tension in my chest. It wasn't perfect but it was better than average so I was able to reduce my BP and my anxiety. When the Doctor returned with the BP cuff he said, "It is better but still too high." I laughed and said, "You came back too soon. Let me pray some more and it will come down more." He left and I prayed until I went to sleep. (Which was a blessing and evidence of God's favor.)

What do you do when the ANTS (Automatic Negative Thoughts) of life crawl out of their ANT Hills and attack your mind and body? Do you know how to pray and focus on God or do you find yourself defenseless to the ravages of stressful thinking?

I am very thankful I learned the processes of Renewing My Mind as the Bible says. When a crisis occurs, and it will always be just around the corner, God has given us the ability to stop the Stinking Thinking and develop a Sober Mind and Peaceful body. Write me if you would like to learn how.

Gary Sweeten

http://www.sweetenlife.com/

gary@sweetenlife.com

When the Skies are Unfriendly

Last night at about 12:30 I wrote the previous post. Now I am following up on it with a few comments.

The flight attendant on my plane from Minneapolis to Tokyo was nice as could be before I asked for help with my chest pains. After that, she tried her best to care for me but I was reminded of the nurses' prayer, "Just don't die on my shift." This gal put on all kinds of protective gear and carried an oxygen tank and a first aid kit with her mask tightly tugging her face, better to cover the panic theron.

The captain was calling for a Doctor to come to the Business Class I was riding with my hard earned frequent flier points. Before long a man showed up and introduced himself as Doctor X. He peered over me with his arms neatly behind his back as if by touching me he was afraid he would get the AIDS Virus that bounced off the attendant's face mask.

(It was a wonder I didn't have to sign a HIPPA form about my privacy. Since I have to sign one to get my teeth cleaned it makes sense that the Feds would make it illegal to get emergency assistance unless I was protected against some kind of electronic surveillance. The crazy HIPPA laws show what happens when the Feds get ahold of something to "protect us".)

I asked, "Are you afraid I will sue you if you touch me?

"Well" , he said, "you never know what will happen." (That was a resounding "YES" to the uninitiated.)

"Oh" the flight attendant exclaimed, "the Federal 'Good Samaritan Law protects medical personnel from suits if they come to the aid of a passenger."

The Doc showed great surprise and said, "I did not know that. Give me the blood pressure cuff. Did you give him anything? Give him an aspirin..."

Isn't it nice that God got a nod here? The Good Samaritan story is remembered all over the earth. Nobody calls a law after an atheist or an ACLU suit to stop Docs from administering assistance. I am thankful that the traditions of my Saviour Jesus Christ, The Great Physician prevail around the world and the ill are treated with no fear of persecution.

More on this drama later.

Gary Sweeten

www.sweetenlife.com

The Wild Blue Yonder

Several years ago I had an experience that I never want to duplicate. While flying the friendly skies on a trip to Singapore with a stop in Japan, I had some strong pains in my chest and left arm. That is never a good sign.

I rang the call button and a nice lady appeared all smiles next to my seat on the plane. "Yes, May I help you sir?" she twittered sweetly. I am having severe chest pains" I replied. With a startled look she said in a panic stricken voice, "What did you say?" I repeated myself and she patted me on the arm and said, "Just wait right there. I'll be back in a few minutes."

That crazy comment provided some comic relief in the midst of an anxious time and I smiled while thinking, "Where would I go at 50,000 feet?" When she returned, however, her presence was even more ridiculous. A mask covered her face and rubber gloves were snugly protecting her hands. I felt like screaming, "I am having a heart attack. I am not coming down with AIDS!"

She was carrying a first aid kit and an oxygen bottle that she did not know what to do with so she plopped it on my lap and said, "Hold that for me." About then I heard the Captain announce over the squawk box that a doctor was needed immediately to treat a man in Business Class. My anxiety jumped several notches and I began to pray in the Spirit while wondering if I had done the right thing in telling her I was sick.

What happened next was a real miracle. God answered my arrow prayers and I began to feel much better. Tomorrow you will hear "the rest of the story!"

Gary Sweeten

http://www.sweetenlife.com/

What About Getting A Coach?

I have always enjoyed sports and was actually a coach for some years. I was not a very good coach in most sports but was pretty good as a basketball coach. I liked BB a lot and played it myself. I studied BB and learned the basics enough to teach others.

There are some things that can not be taught to a player. No one could teach Tiger Woods to be so focused and competitive. It was in his DNA from birth. His father, Earl Woods, taught Tiger a lot as did other coaches but the internal drive to win was inside this young man all his life. In fact, Tiger brags that he constantly pushed Earl to let him practice more.

I am a professional Counselor/Coach/Consultant. A Counselor combines the ability to assess the strengths and weaknesses of a person with the gifts of healing, discernment and acceptance. A Counselor knows that something is broken and needs to be fixed. He or she also knows how to fix the broken things of life in the soul, relationships and how to deal effectively with guilt and shame.

A Coach is similar but focuses on fixing/healing broken hearts he focuses on getting people unstuck from ineffective living. I cannot give you the drive to succeed but I can help you understand your gifts and talents better as well as your opportunities for healing and growth. One of my gifts is Encouragement. Many of the people I Coach mention that they feel more confident after we meet. .

A Consultant adds the area of organizational development and system's thinking to Coaching. If the system is dysfunctional it will impede the people no matter how smart or skilled they are. A good Consultant is able to assess the places where the organizational system is stuck and then teaches the leaders how to push the right levers to get it moving again.

I love to meet with Christian leaders and assist them as a Counselor, Coach and a Consultant. Sweeten Life Systems has been called by God to "Heal the broken hearted and set the captives free." We sometimes do that one on one but we mostly work with leadership teams. How can we help you?

Gary Sweeten, Ed. D.

http://www.sweetenlife.com/

Go to Panera for Fellowship

Panera Bread is a great place to meet and have fellowship around the fireplace as we drink some tea or coffee and eat a roll, there is comfort and peace. I think we Christians all learn from Panera how to be a welcoming community.

People need to feel safe if they are to allow themselves to become open to God, self and others. Do strangers feel safe in your church fellowship?

Go to Panera for Fellowship

Panera Bread is a great place to meet and have fellowship around the fireplace as we drink some tea or coffee and eat a sweet roll. This afternoon Karen and I went out to Milford to get the kids from school while Julie and Dave celebrated Dave's birthday.

I needed to download a patch from the Internet but I did not have the password for Dave's WI FI and I was stuck. What could I do? I was frustrated for a few minutes before I remembered that there is a new Panera Bread in Milford and I jumped into my car and drove up to seek their free WI FI connection.

I stopped in front of the store and opened up my browser and was immediately rewarded with a connection. because it took so long I had to leave and pick up Lily from school but I returned to Panera and did my computing. while there I overheard two mature males discussing the Bible and Jesus. They carried on their chatting for thirty minutes and got up to leave, when I said, "sitting by the fire and discussing the Lord is pretty sweet isn't it?"

The two men stopped and we had a great little chat although we had never met before. With believers no formal introduction is needed and we exchanged cards, blog information and web addresses. The address for the leader's church is one I suggest you look up. http://www.prodigal180.com/ tells all about their vision and it seems very good to me.

Both of these men are Seasoned Believers who have served and followed God for many years. But now they are interested in getting off the "padded pews" and into some meaningful ministry.

I am fascinated by the numerous fellowships, groups and chatting societies that gather at Panera. Maybe we need to learn from the Bread Company how to develop an attractive space for people to gather.

Gary Sweeten

http://www.sweetenlife.com/

You Are Welcome

I will be speaking at morning services at Tri County Assembly of God in Fairfield, Ohio north of Cincinnati on the next two Sundays. I would love for you to be praying for me and the service as I speak about, "I'll Be Home for Christmas".

Senior Pastor Brad Rosenberg will be glad to meet my friends so if you are in the area, come out and say "Hello".

Gary Sweeten

http://www.sweetenlife.com/