Kelly Clark -My Life
Friday, February 28, 2014
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Esconderijo
Steve Hearts
Nos momentos tempestuosos, muitas vezes nos esforçamos tanto para encontrar uma saÃda ou sermos resgatados que nos esquecemos de procurar o verdadeiro e mais seguro abrigo e refúgio.
Ontem à noite eu não conseguia dormir de jeito algum. Estava passando por uma fase de desânimo, dúvidas e frustração. Não conseguia relaxar mental ou fisicamente. Era difÃcil impedir meus pensamentos de vagarem por lugares não desejados.
Lá fora chovia bastante. E apesar de estar dentro de casa, protegido no fÃsico, em um lugar aquecido e seco, o meu espÃrito não se sentia assim. A chuva parecia cair em sintonia com as batalhas e dificuldades que tenho enfrentado há um bom tempo. Eu me sentia vulnerável, desprotegido dos ventos frios, ensopado por uma chuva que parecia não terminar nunca.
Eu estava rapidamente perdendo a esperança. A minha fé vacilava. Sinceramente, eu disse ao Senhor que desejava de todo o coração ficar firme e ser fiel até à morte, mas que isso só seria possÃvel com a Sua ajuda. Pedi para Ele destacar uma verdade importante que no momento não estou conseguindo enxergar. E então fiquei deitado em silêncio.
Recebi uma resposta inesperada. Ele me disse claramente para ouvir a canção “Hiding Place
” (Esconderijo), de Steven Curtis Chapman.
Liguei a música sem esperar muito. Afinal de contas, eu a conhecia como a palma da minha mão. No entanto, cada palavra parecia me acertas em cheio, com uma xÃcara de chá num dia chuvoso, ou a sensação gostosa de entrar em um lugar seco depois de estar lá fora no frio do inverno.
Senhor, não Lhe peço para levar embora minhas dificuldades.
Pois a tempestade ensina-me a confiar mais.
Eu Lhe agradeço pela promessa que aprendi.
Pelo amor que acolhe quando mais preciso.
Você é o meu esconderijo,
Seguro nos Seus braços
Estou a salvo das tormentas.
Quando sobem as águas,
E corremos à procura de um abrigo
Você, Senhor, é o nossos esconderijo.
Conforme ouvia a canção, o Senhor falou comigo: “Você está se refugiando nas Minhas promessas e amor? Ou está ocupado demais procurando e esperando uma saÃda?”
Eu estava procurando e esperando. Esperava e orava para ser resgatado, em vez de usar a Palavra de Deus e o Seu amor como refúgio. Não é de admirar que eu me sentia tão vulnerável e desprotegido.
“Não é que eu não possa ou não queira retirá-lo da situação,” Ele continuou. “Mas enquanto ela persiste, deixe-Me ser o seu refúgio e abrigo como lhe prometi, até a tempestade passar.”
E juntamente com essas palavras senti-me inundar por diversas promessas que conheço desde sempre:
“Deus é o nosso refúgio e força, socorro bem presente na tribulação. Pelo que não temeremos ainda que a terra se mude e os montes sejam lançados no meio dos mares; ainda que as águas rujam e se perturbem, e se abalem os montes pela sua braveza.”[1]
“À sombra das tuas asas me abrigarei até passarem as calamidades.”[2]
“O Deus eterno é teu refúgio, e abaixo estão os braços eternos.”[3]
Nenbuma dessas promessas fala de “resgatar” das dificuldades, apesar de que Deus pode e nos resgata de acorado com a Sua vontade. O mais importante é que Ele é o nosso “refúgio” conforme passamos pelas batalhas e dificuldades. A tempestade não passa só porque nos abrigamos em um edifÃcio, mas nos oferece um refúgio até ela passar.
E com a perspectiva renovada quanto a tempestades, agora eu posso confiar plenamente em Jesus como refúgio e abrigo durante a tempestade, sabendo que o resultado final está nas Suas mãos. E eu continuarei de braços erguidos louvando a Ele, o meu esconderijo onde fico em segurança.
Tradução Hebe Rondon Flandoli.
[1] Salmo 46:1–3.
[2] Salmo 57:1.
[3] Deuteronômio 33:27.
Nos momentos tempestuosos, muitas vezes nos esforçamos tanto para encontrar uma saÃda ou sermos resgatados que nos esquecemos de procurar o verdadeiro e mais seguro abrigo e refúgio.
Ontem à noite eu não conseguia dormir de jeito algum. Estava passando por uma fase de desânimo, dúvidas e frustração. Não conseguia relaxar mental ou fisicamente. Era difÃcil impedir meus pensamentos de vagarem por lugares não desejados.
Lá fora chovia bastante. E apesar de estar dentro de casa, protegido no fÃsico, em um lugar aquecido e seco, o meu espÃrito não se sentia assim. A chuva parecia cair em sintonia com as batalhas e dificuldades que tenho enfrentado há um bom tempo. Eu me sentia vulnerável, desprotegido dos ventos frios, ensopado por uma chuva que parecia não terminar nunca.
Eu estava rapidamente perdendo a esperança. A minha fé vacilava. Sinceramente, eu disse ao Senhor que desejava de todo o coração ficar firme e ser fiel até à morte, mas que isso só seria possÃvel com a Sua ajuda. Pedi para Ele destacar uma verdade importante que no momento não estou conseguindo enxergar. E então fiquei deitado em silêncio.
Recebi uma resposta inesperada. Ele me disse claramente para ouvir a canção “Hiding Place
” (Esconderijo), de Steven Curtis Chapman.Liguei a música sem esperar muito. Afinal de contas, eu a conhecia como a palma da minha mão. No entanto, cada palavra parecia me acertas em cheio, com uma xÃcara de chá num dia chuvoso, ou a sensação gostosa de entrar em um lugar seco depois de estar lá fora no frio do inverno.
Senhor, não Lhe peço para levar embora minhas dificuldades.
Pois a tempestade ensina-me a confiar mais.
Eu Lhe agradeço pela promessa que aprendi.
Pelo amor que acolhe quando mais preciso.
Você é o meu esconderijo,
Seguro nos Seus braços
Estou a salvo das tormentas.
Quando sobem as águas,
E corremos à procura de um abrigo
Você, Senhor, é o nossos esconderijo.
Conforme ouvia a canção, o Senhor falou comigo: “Você está se refugiando nas Minhas promessas e amor? Ou está ocupado demais procurando e esperando uma saÃda?”
Eu estava procurando e esperando. Esperava e orava para ser resgatado, em vez de usar a Palavra de Deus e o Seu amor como refúgio. Não é de admirar que eu me sentia tão vulnerável e desprotegido.
“Não é que eu não possa ou não queira retirá-lo da situação,” Ele continuou. “Mas enquanto ela persiste, deixe-Me ser o seu refúgio e abrigo como lhe prometi, até a tempestade passar.”
E juntamente com essas palavras senti-me inundar por diversas promessas que conheço desde sempre:
“Deus é o nosso refúgio e força, socorro bem presente na tribulação. Pelo que não temeremos ainda que a terra se mude e os montes sejam lançados no meio dos mares; ainda que as águas rujam e se perturbem, e se abalem os montes pela sua braveza.”[1]
“À sombra das tuas asas me abrigarei até passarem as calamidades.”[2]
“O Deus eterno é teu refúgio, e abaixo estão os braços eternos.”[3]
Nenbuma dessas promessas fala de “resgatar” das dificuldades, apesar de que Deus pode e nos resgata de acorado com a Sua vontade. O mais importante é que Ele é o nosso “refúgio” conforme passamos pelas batalhas e dificuldades. A tempestade não passa só porque nos abrigamos em um edifÃcio, mas nos oferece um refúgio até ela passar.
E com a perspectiva renovada quanto a tempestades, agora eu posso confiar plenamente em Jesus como refúgio e abrigo durante a tempestade, sabendo que o resultado final está nas Suas mãos. E eu continuarei de braços erguidos louvando a Ele, o meu esconderijo onde fico em segurança.
Tradução Hebe Rondon Flandoli.
[1] Salmo 46:1–3.
[2] Salmo 57:1.
[3] Deuteronômio 33:27.
Climb Up on the Rock - What to do when you feel moody or depressed
Words from Jesus
Audio length: 7:09
Download Audio (6.5MB)
“When my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the rock that is higher than I.”1
If you feel overwhelmed, climb up on the Rock. You have Me, the Rock, and you can rest in My ability to keep you through anything that threatens to overwhelm you. When you feel the weakness of your cares and burdens, when you feel depression threaten to blacken your thoughts and hang a feeling of despair over you, you can climb up on the Rock and rest in My grace.
I am the answer to these sad moods and depression. Look to Me and ask Me to take these feelings away. Please don’t attempt to just live with the feelings, or to make decisions on the basis of these negative emotions. When the Enemy threatens to come in like a flood, raise a standard against him and fight against him.
Do whatever it takes to win the battle, whether it takes desperate prayer, more time in My Word, more rest, or asking for prayer from a friend or spouse. Seek Me and ask what you should do. But remember that these feelings can rob you of your victory and drive a wedge between you and My promises that will sustain you. Be encouraged that I will never allow you to be tempted with more than you can bear.
These times in your life may be confusing. There may be times when you are tossed to and fro and you feel uncertain, not knowing what the future holds and not knowing which way to go. It is only natural to feel fear in these moments.
You are like My disciples in the boat when the waves roared and the storm raged, and they cried out, “Master! Help us! We will perish!” They thought they would die because the storm was so great. You may feel that the turbulence of your emotions and the turbulence of your life are too much. But remember that I am the Lord of your vessel. I can calm the seas. I can keep you through any storm, no matter how long it lasts. Wait on Me. I will never leave you nor forsake you; I will be the help and the strength that you need in the midst of this turbulence.
Hold on to My Word, believe Me through the storm, know that I have never forsaken you and will never forsake you and I can cause all things to work together for good.
Look for the light at the end of the tunnel. Rest in Me and you will find the strength that you know not of.
*
But the LORD has become my fortress, and my God the rock in whom I take refuge.—Psalm 94:222
*
Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”
Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence.
He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.—Psalm 91:1–43
*
Don’t look at the waves. Walk out on the water. Peter looked into My eyes, and he had the faith to step out on the water. I put steps underneath his feet. As long as his eyes were on Me, he walked on the water.
I am able to do this with you. I can quell your emotions. I can stabilize your spirit. Reach out to Me. Let Me be your foundation. Trust in Me. Look to Me and stay calm and realize that I am the Prince of Peace. Remember that great peace have they which love Me. To claim your peace, keep your eyes on Me.
*
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.—Philippians 4:6–74
*
Many are worried about the future these days—and it’s no wonder. The way things are going, many have reason to fear what will happen to them, their family, their city, their country, their world. Sometimes you might wish you could find a hideaway, nail the windows and doors closed, and keep the world out.
It doesn’t do any good to pretend the problems aren’t there, but you don’t have to be afraid, because I’m looking out for you. When fears overwhelm you, hide away in Me. When you find yourself in a dangerous situation, call on Me for help and then rest assured that I will be there to protect you. When you can’t watch over your loved ones, commit them to My care. When a national or international crisis erupts, I will provide a safe haven in My peace for you and yours.
And after this life, a better life awaits on the other side. Heaven is where all is made right.
So you see, although there’s plenty you could worry about, you don’t have to worry about a thing. I’m taking care of you!
Originally published in 1996 and 2003. Adapted and republished February 2014.
Read by Simon Peterson. Music by Daniel Sozzi.
1 Psalm 61:2 KJV.
2 NIV.
3 NIV.
4 NLT.
Audio length: 7:09
Download Audio (6.5MB)
“When my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the rock that is higher than I.”1
If you feel overwhelmed, climb up on the Rock. You have Me, the Rock, and you can rest in My ability to keep you through anything that threatens to overwhelm you. When you feel the weakness of your cares and burdens, when you feel depression threaten to blacken your thoughts and hang a feeling of despair over you, you can climb up on the Rock and rest in My grace.
I am the answer to these sad moods and depression. Look to Me and ask Me to take these feelings away. Please don’t attempt to just live with the feelings, or to make decisions on the basis of these negative emotions. When the Enemy threatens to come in like a flood, raise a standard against him and fight against him.
Do whatever it takes to win the battle, whether it takes desperate prayer, more time in My Word, more rest, or asking for prayer from a friend or spouse. Seek Me and ask what you should do. But remember that these feelings can rob you of your victory and drive a wedge between you and My promises that will sustain you. Be encouraged that I will never allow you to be tempted with more than you can bear.
These times in your life may be confusing. There may be times when you are tossed to and fro and you feel uncertain, not knowing what the future holds and not knowing which way to go. It is only natural to feel fear in these moments.
You are like My disciples in the boat when the waves roared and the storm raged, and they cried out, “Master! Help us! We will perish!” They thought they would die because the storm was so great. You may feel that the turbulence of your emotions and the turbulence of your life are too much. But remember that I am the Lord of your vessel. I can calm the seas. I can keep you through any storm, no matter how long it lasts. Wait on Me. I will never leave you nor forsake you; I will be the help and the strength that you need in the midst of this turbulence.
Hold on to My Word, believe Me through the storm, know that I have never forsaken you and will never forsake you and I can cause all things to work together for good.
Look for the light at the end of the tunnel. Rest in Me and you will find the strength that you know not of.
*
But the LORD has become my fortress, and my God the rock in whom I take refuge.—Psalm 94:222
*
Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”
Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence.
He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.—Psalm 91:1–43
*
Don’t look at the waves. Walk out on the water. Peter looked into My eyes, and he had the faith to step out on the water. I put steps underneath his feet. As long as his eyes were on Me, he walked on the water.
I am able to do this with you. I can quell your emotions. I can stabilize your spirit. Reach out to Me. Let Me be your foundation. Trust in Me. Look to Me and stay calm and realize that I am the Prince of Peace. Remember that great peace have they which love Me. To claim your peace, keep your eyes on Me.
*
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.—Philippians 4:6–74
*
Many are worried about the future these days—and it’s no wonder. The way things are going, many have reason to fear what will happen to them, their family, their city, their country, their world. Sometimes you might wish you could find a hideaway, nail the windows and doors closed, and keep the world out.
It doesn’t do any good to pretend the problems aren’t there, but you don’t have to be afraid, because I’m looking out for you. When fears overwhelm you, hide away in Me. When you find yourself in a dangerous situation, call on Me for help and then rest assured that I will be there to protect you. When you can’t watch over your loved ones, commit them to My care. When a national or international crisis erupts, I will provide a safe haven in My peace for you and yours.
And after this life, a better life awaits on the other side. Heaven is where all is made right.
So you see, although there’s plenty you could worry about, you don’t have to worry about a thing. I’m taking care of you!
Originally published in 1996 and 2003. Adapted and republished February 2014.
Read by Simon Peterson. Music by Daniel Sozzi.
1 Psalm 61:2 KJV.
2 NIV.
3 NIV.
4 NLT.
Get smarter and happier
By Eric Barker, Barking Up the Wrong Tree, Feb. 24, 2014
What’s a scientifically validated way to get smarter, happier, healthier, and calmer? Stop reading this right now and go for a walk. It’s that simple. Here’s why.
1. Exercise powers the body—and the mind. They used to say you don’t grow new brain cells. They were wrong.
As an illustration of just how new this territory is, I’ll go back to the story of neurogenesis, the once-heretical theory that the brain grows new nerve cells throughout life. “Ten years ago people weren’t even convinced that it happened,” says neurologist Scott Small. It was at his Columbia University lab, in 2007, where they witnessed telltale signs of neurogenesis for the first time in live humans. “Five years ago people said, OK, it might happen, but is it really meaningful? Now there isn’t a week that goes by where there’s not another study that shows neurogenesis has some kind of effect on the brain.”
What really feeds those baby brain cells? Hitting the gym. A three-month exercise regimen increased bloodflow to the part of your brain focused on memory and learning by 30 percent.
In his study, Small put a group of volunteers on a three-month exercise regimen and then took pictures of their brains. By manipulating a standard MRI machine’s processing—essentially zooming in and cocking the shutter open—he captured images of the newly formed capillaries required for nascent neurons to survive. What he saw was that the capillary volume in the memory area of the hippocampus increased by 30 percent, a truly remarkable change.
2. The dumb jock is a myth. Being in good shape increases your ability to learn. After exercise people pick up new vocabulary words 20 percent faster.
“One of the prominent features of exercise, which is sometimes not appreciated in studies, is an improvement in the rate of learning, and I think that’s a really cool take-home message,” Cotman says. “Because it suggests that if you’re in good shape, you may be able to learn and function more efficiently.”
Indeed, in a 2007 study of humans, German researchers found that people learn vocabulary words 20 percent faster following exercise than they did before exercise, and that the rate of learning correlated directly with levels of BDNF.
Want to be more creative? Sweating for about a half hour on the treadmill notably increases cognitive flexibility.
A notable experiment in 2007 showed that cognitive flexibility improves after just one thirty-five-minute treadmill session at either 60 percent or 70 percent of maximum heart rate… Cognitive flexibility is an important executive function that reflects our ability to shift thinking and to produce a steady flow of creative thoughts and answers as opposed to a regurgitation of the usual responses.
Fine, you can see differences on an MRI and with nerdy tests. Does it make a difference in the real world? Yes.
3. Office workers who exercised at lunch were more productive, less stressed, and had more energy.
In 2004 researchers at Leeds Metropolitan University in England found that workers who used their company’s gym were more productive and felt better able to handle their workloads. Most of the 210 participants in the study took an aerobics class at lunchtime, for 45 minutes to an hour, but others lifted weights or practiced yoga for 30 minutes to an hour. They filled out questionnaires at the end of every workday about how well they interacted with colleagues, managed their time, and met deadlines. Some 65 percent fared better in all three categories on days they exercised. Overall, they felt better about their work and less stressed when they exercised. And they felt less fatigued in the afternoon, despite expending energy at lunchtime.
That super-productive co-worker who runs every day might not exercise because they have energy—they might have energy because they exercise. While it might not make you the smartest person in the world, among the many ways to increase intelligence, exercise stands out.
4. Sweating increases smiling. Can’t make it simpler than this: Research from Duke University shows exercise is as effective as antidepressants in treating depression.
In a landmark study affectionately called SMILE (Standard Medical Intervention and Long-term Exercise), James Blumenthal and his colleagues pitted exercise against the SSRI sertraline (Zoloft) in a sixteen-week trial… Blumenthal concluded that exercise was as effective as medication.
It also reduces anxiety.
One interesting study in 2005 measured the physical and mental effects of exercise in a group of Chilean high school students for nine months… The experimental group’s anxiety scores dropped 14 percent versus a statistically insignificant 3 percent for the control group (an improvement that could be explained by the placebo effect).
5. What if you’re not depressed or anxious? Stay sedentary and you’re 1.5x more likely to eventually become depressed.
Researchers tracked 8,023 people for twenty-six years, surveying them about a number of factors related to lifestyle habits and healthiness starting in 1965. They checked back in with the participants in 1974 and in 1983. Of all the people with no signs of depression at the beginning, those who became inactive over the next nine years were 1.5 times more likely to have depression by 1983 than their active counterparts.
Still not convinced? People who exercise are, across the board, mentally healthier: less depression, anger, stress, and distrust.
A massive Dutch study of 19,288 twins and their families published in 2006 showed that exercisers are less anxious, less depressed, less neurotic, and also more socially outgoing. A Finnish study of 3,403 people in 1999 showed that those who exercise at least two to three times a week experience significantly less depression, anger, stress, and “cynical distrust” than those who exercise less or not at all.
6. Okay, okay—How much do I need to do?
What’s optimal? Exercise six days a week, 45 minutes to an hour per day.
The best, however, based on everything I’ve read and seen, would be to do some form of aerobic activity six days a week, for forty-five minutes to an hour… In total, I’m talking about committing six hours a week to your brain. That works out to 5 percent of your waking hours.
What could be a better investment of your time? You might ask: If it’s obviously so great, why don’t we all do it? Because habits and social influences are much more powerful than we think. And, in general, we don’t do what makes us happy—we do what’s easy.
But it doesn’t have to be that way.
What’s a scientifically validated way to get smarter, happier, healthier, and calmer? Stop reading this right now and go for a walk. It’s that simple. Here’s why.
1. Exercise powers the body—and the mind. They used to say you don’t grow new brain cells. They were wrong.
As an illustration of just how new this territory is, I’ll go back to the story of neurogenesis, the once-heretical theory that the brain grows new nerve cells throughout life. “Ten years ago people weren’t even convinced that it happened,” says neurologist Scott Small. It was at his Columbia University lab, in 2007, where they witnessed telltale signs of neurogenesis for the first time in live humans. “Five years ago people said, OK, it might happen, but is it really meaningful? Now there isn’t a week that goes by where there’s not another study that shows neurogenesis has some kind of effect on the brain.”
What really feeds those baby brain cells? Hitting the gym. A three-month exercise regimen increased bloodflow to the part of your brain focused on memory and learning by 30 percent.
In his study, Small put a group of volunteers on a three-month exercise regimen and then took pictures of their brains. By manipulating a standard MRI machine’s processing—essentially zooming in and cocking the shutter open—he captured images of the newly formed capillaries required for nascent neurons to survive. What he saw was that the capillary volume in the memory area of the hippocampus increased by 30 percent, a truly remarkable change.
2. The dumb jock is a myth. Being in good shape increases your ability to learn. After exercise people pick up new vocabulary words 20 percent faster.
“One of the prominent features of exercise, which is sometimes not appreciated in studies, is an improvement in the rate of learning, and I think that’s a really cool take-home message,” Cotman says. “Because it suggests that if you’re in good shape, you may be able to learn and function more efficiently.”
Indeed, in a 2007 study of humans, German researchers found that people learn vocabulary words 20 percent faster following exercise than they did before exercise, and that the rate of learning correlated directly with levels of BDNF.
Want to be more creative? Sweating for about a half hour on the treadmill notably increases cognitive flexibility.
A notable experiment in 2007 showed that cognitive flexibility improves after just one thirty-five-minute treadmill session at either 60 percent or 70 percent of maximum heart rate… Cognitive flexibility is an important executive function that reflects our ability to shift thinking and to produce a steady flow of creative thoughts and answers as opposed to a regurgitation of the usual responses.
Fine, you can see differences on an MRI and with nerdy tests. Does it make a difference in the real world? Yes.
3. Office workers who exercised at lunch were more productive, less stressed, and had more energy.
In 2004 researchers at Leeds Metropolitan University in England found that workers who used their company’s gym were more productive and felt better able to handle their workloads. Most of the 210 participants in the study took an aerobics class at lunchtime, for 45 minutes to an hour, but others lifted weights or practiced yoga for 30 minutes to an hour. They filled out questionnaires at the end of every workday about how well they interacted with colleagues, managed their time, and met deadlines. Some 65 percent fared better in all three categories on days they exercised. Overall, they felt better about their work and less stressed when they exercised. And they felt less fatigued in the afternoon, despite expending energy at lunchtime.
That super-productive co-worker who runs every day might not exercise because they have energy—they might have energy because they exercise. While it might not make you the smartest person in the world, among the many ways to increase intelligence, exercise stands out.
4. Sweating increases smiling. Can’t make it simpler than this: Research from Duke University shows exercise is as effective as antidepressants in treating depression.
In a landmark study affectionately called SMILE (Standard Medical Intervention and Long-term Exercise), James Blumenthal and his colleagues pitted exercise against the SSRI sertraline (Zoloft) in a sixteen-week trial… Blumenthal concluded that exercise was as effective as medication.
It also reduces anxiety.
One interesting study in 2005 measured the physical and mental effects of exercise in a group of Chilean high school students for nine months… The experimental group’s anxiety scores dropped 14 percent versus a statistically insignificant 3 percent for the control group (an improvement that could be explained by the placebo effect).
5. What if you’re not depressed or anxious? Stay sedentary and you’re 1.5x more likely to eventually become depressed.
Researchers tracked 8,023 people for twenty-six years, surveying them about a number of factors related to lifestyle habits and healthiness starting in 1965. They checked back in with the participants in 1974 and in 1983. Of all the people with no signs of depression at the beginning, those who became inactive over the next nine years were 1.5 times more likely to have depression by 1983 than their active counterparts.
Still not convinced? People who exercise are, across the board, mentally healthier: less depression, anger, stress, and distrust.
A massive Dutch study of 19,288 twins and their families published in 2006 showed that exercisers are less anxious, less depressed, less neurotic, and also more socially outgoing. A Finnish study of 3,403 people in 1999 showed that those who exercise at least two to three times a week experience significantly less depression, anger, stress, and “cynical distrust” than those who exercise less or not at all.
6. Okay, okay—How much do I need to do?
What’s optimal? Exercise six days a week, 45 minutes to an hour per day.
The best, however, based on everything I’ve read and seen, would be to do some form of aerobic activity six days a week, for forty-five minutes to an hour… In total, I’m talking about committing six hours a week to your brain. That works out to 5 percent of your waking hours.
What could be a better investment of your time? You might ask: If it’s obviously so great, why don’t we all do it? Because habits and social influences are much more powerful than we think. And, in general, we don’t do what makes us happy—we do what’s easy.
But it doesn’t have to be that way.
No easy bailout plan for struggling Ukraine
| By David Mchugh and Juergen Baetz, AP, Feb 25, 2014 KIEV, Ukraine (AP)—Ukraine needs money, and fast—in weeks, not months. But bailing out the country of 46 million people will not be a matter of simply writing a big check. For one, Ukraine has already burned the main international financial rescuer, the International Monetary Fund, by failing to keep to the terms of earlier bailouts from 2008 and 2010. Now it needs help again, and its economic and financial problems are worse than before. The currency is sliding, raising concerns that companies that owe money in foreign currency could go bust. Banks are fragile. A rescue with outside lenders can’t be agreed until there’s a government. And Russia could make things worse by demanding on-time payment for natural gas supplies or withdrawing a recently granted break on the price. HOW MUCH? Analysts estimate the country will need between $20 billion and $25 billion for 2014 and 2015, perhaps $15 billion this year and $10 billion the next. The money would help the government pay salaries and pensions and maturing bonds. Acting President Oleksandr Turchynov says the treasury account used to pay bills is almost empty. The Institute of International Finance, a Washington-based association of banks and financial companies, warned that Ukraine’s finances “are on the verge of collapse.” “It’s crunch time for the economy,” said Lilit Gevorgyan, an analyst with IHS Global Insight in London. “All those issues they have swept under the rug are re-emerging.” EXISTING PROBLEMS. Ukraine is battling to keep its currency, the hryvnia, from collapsing, which would bring down banks and companies that owe money in foreign currencies. But the central bank is running out of money to do so. It spent some $2.8 billion of its reserves since the start of the start of the year and has about $16 billion left. Still the hryvnia has fallen a sharp 12 percent during that period. The government also spends way more than it takes in, largely because the state owned gas company Naftogaz charges customers as little as one-fifth the cost of gas imported from Russia. The IMF halted payouts under earlier bailouts because the government refused to halt that practice. The economy is estimated to be in a deepening recession, with industrial production, consumer spending and exports all dropping. BAILOUT CONDITIONS. Yet a bailout involving the IMF would involve painful cutbacks and reforms that could quickly douse any euphoria over the country’s political changes. To begin with, the IMF would probably insist on letting the currency fall steadily, by as much as 30 percent, according to the IIF. That would be painful upfront—some banks may need bailouts as their foreign debts balloon. And standards of living would suffer as imports soar in price. Eventually the currency drop would help exports and make Ukraine a cheaper place for foreigners to invest, particularly if they see that the government is committed to reforming the economy by cutting bureaucracy and fighting corruption. The government would also have to sharply raise the price of natural gas, which it is subsidizing heavily. The IIF estimates natural gas prices may have to be doubled, which would be a heavy blow to consumers and businesses at a time of hardship. CAVEATS. There remain several stumbling blocks. The IMF, for one, might be reluctant to sign on for a large loan, given Ukraine’s track record of not holding to agreements. Instead, it might prefer to give smaller loans of $3 billion to $5 billion at intervals, according IHS analyst Gevorgyan. One now, one after the presidential election, and so on, “to make sure they remain on the path of reform.” Also, Russia, Ukraine’s larger neighbor could intensify the country’s troubles by getting tough on its supplies of natural gas. Russia almost halved the price of its gas supplies to Ukraine in December as it sought to woo the country away from closer ties with the EU. That price cut is up for review every three months. Russia could also stop letting Ukraine delay monthly payments that are as large as $1.8 billion. |
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
New reality in Vatican: Surprise, it’s the pope!
By John L. Allen Jr., Boston Globe, February 24, 2014
ROME—Cardinals are traditionally called “princes of the church,” but Pope Francis insisted on Sunday they’re not part of a “royal court.” Interviews with several cardinals this week suggest the pope backs up those words with his personal example.
As he approaches the one-year anniversary of his election, it’s becoming steadily clearer that Francis is the most laid-back pontiff in recent memory, and perhaps of all time.
Examples abound.
Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York is a member of a Vatican council that oversees the Synod of Bishops, a summit of Catholic prelates from around the world. The council meets every so often in a building a few blocks from St. Peter’s Basilica, and the practice has been that it passes conclusions to a papal aide without getting face time with the boss.
In October, however, Francis decided to walk down the Via della Conciliazione, the broad Roman street leading away from the basilica, to join one of their meetings. It was an act akin to the President of the United States heading over to Congress to sit in on a meeting of a House committee—i.e., something almost inconceivable to anyone accustomed to the usual protocol.
Francis spent six hours over two days with the council. Aside from his presence, what struck members was the informality of his approach.
“He came over like it was just another day at the office, with his lunch box,” Dolan said. “We couldn’t believe it.”
Dolan said members of the council had been briefed that the pope was coming, but were told that he didn’t want anyone downstairs making a production out of his arrival. He came up by himself, with no aides or security personnel, carrying a briefcase.
“This is a man for whom warmth and informality is very natural,” Dolan said.
That lack of pretense was on display again this past week, when all the cardinals of the world took part in two days of meetings with Francis. In the past the pope arrived for such sessions only after all the cardinals were in place, who would snap to attention when the pope entered the room.
This time, however, Francis showed up early and chatted with cardinals as they arrived, so nobody stood up to greet his entrance.
That wasn’t the only innovation. Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Houston, Texas, described a surprising run-in.
“We went down for the coffee break in the morning, and I’m in the crowd at the bar,” DiNardo told the Globe. “I turn around, and it’s the pope! He’s in line to get coffee himself, no flunkies surrounding him.”
“You’re both shocked and embarrassed, but this is how he wants things,” DiNardo said. “He’s told people this is what he wants.”
Dolan had a similar encounter the morning the meetings started.
“I turned around when I was checking my coat in, and there was the pope standing in line behind me to check his coat in,” he said. “I have to say, it was kind of stunning.”
Cardinal Gerald Lacroix of Quebec, Canada, said Francis flashes the same informal style at the Domus Santa Marta, the modest bed and breakfast on Vatican grounds where the pontiff has chosen to live.
“I’m staying at the Santa Marta with my parents this week, and one morning at breakfast the pope came in, waved at everybody in the dining room and then went to his table,” the 56-year-old Lacroix said, adding that his parents were thrilled just to be in the same room.
“Then Francis gets up and comes to greet them, at our table,” he said. “He was so relaxed it was unbelievable. Afterwards I almost couldn’t find my mom, because she was floating up on the ceiling!”
Lacroix, who’s never worked in the Vatican, said some members of the old guard must be dumbfounded.
“I’m sure it’s very scary for the people around here,” he said. “They must be saying, what in the world is going on?”
ROME—Cardinals are traditionally called “princes of the church,” but Pope Francis insisted on Sunday they’re not part of a “royal court.” Interviews with several cardinals this week suggest the pope backs up those words with his personal example.
As he approaches the one-year anniversary of his election, it’s becoming steadily clearer that Francis is the most laid-back pontiff in recent memory, and perhaps of all time.
Examples abound.
Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York is a member of a Vatican council that oversees the Synod of Bishops, a summit of Catholic prelates from around the world. The council meets every so often in a building a few blocks from St. Peter’s Basilica, and the practice has been that it passes conclusions to a papal aide without getting face time with the boss.
In October, however, Francis decided to walk down the Via della Conciliazione, the broad Roman street leading away from the basilica, to join one of their meetings. It was an act akin to the President of the United States heading over to Congress to sit in on a meeting of a House committee—i.e., something almost inconceivable to anyone accustomed to the usual protocol.
Francis spent six hours over two days with the council. Aside from his presence, what struck members was the informality of his approach.
“He came over like it was just another day at the office, with his lunch box,” Dolan said. “We couldn’t believe it.”
Dolan said members of the council had been briefed that the pope was coming, but were told that he didn’t want anyone downstairs making a production out of his arrival. He came up by himself, with no aides or security personnel, carrying a briefcase.
“This is a man for whom warmth and informality is very natural,” Dolan said.
That lack of pretense was on display again this past week, when all the cardinals of the world took part in two days of meetings with Francis. In the past the pope arrived for such sessions only after all the cardinals were in place, who would snap to attention when the pope entered the room.
This time, however, Francis showed up early and chatted with cardinals as they arrived, so nobody stood up to greet his entrance.
That wasn’t the only innovation. Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Houston, Texas, described a surprising run-in.
“We went down for the coffee break in the morning, and I’m in the crowd at the bar,” DiNardo told the Globe. “I turn around, and it’s the pope! He’s in line to get coffee himself, no flunkies surrounding him.”
“You’re both shocked and embarrassed, but this is how he wants things,” DiNardo said. “He’s told people this is what he wants.”
Dolan had a similar encounter the morning the meetings started.
“I turned around when I was checking my coat in, and there was the pope standing in line behind me to check his coat in,” he said. “I have to say, it was kind of stunning.”
Cardinal Gerald Lacroix of Quebec, Canada, said Francis flashes the same informal style at the Domus Santa Marta, the modest bed and breakfast on Vatican grounds where the pontiff has chosen to live.
“I’m staying at the Santa Marta with my parents this week, and one morning at breakfast the pope came in, waved at everybody in the dining room and then went to his table,” the 56-year-old Lacroix said, adding that his parents were thrilled just to be in the same room.
“Then Francis gets up and comes to greet them, at our table,” he said. “He was so relaxed it was unbelievable. Afterwards I almost couldn’t find my mom, because she was floating up on the ceiling!”
Lacroix, who’s never worked in the Vatican, said some members of the old guard must be dumbfounded.
“I’m sure it’s very scary for the people around here,” he said. “They must be saying, what in the world is going on?”
