Are you too stressed to sit still?

Can’t slow your racing thoughts that come to your mind and stayed, or do you sometimes get a headache and cry?  

These were some of the questions posed by Obadiah Homemaker Volunteers member Rae Clark during her presentation on stress at the club’s October meeting.

“Stress can weaken your immune systems, leaving you more prone to colds and the flu,” Clark said. “Take plenty of B vitamins every day.”

When an individual is on edge, heart rate and blood pressure increases, which, in turn, creates tension throughout the body. Slowing your heart rate by lowering your voice can make you feel up to 20 percent calmer in minutes, she advised.

A two-minute scalp massage can soothe nerves.

“This sounds too simple to work,” Clark commented. “Gently tug on the ends of your hair for a few seconds and then massage your entire scalp (making small circles with your fingertips for one minute) can reduce anxiety by as much as 25 percent, but it does work.”

A scalp massage stimulates nerve receptors that boost the flow of nutrient-rich blood to the brain. This energizes the brain — and every other organ — so one feels focused and calm again,

Clarke concluded her presentation by noting, “Everyone has stress in their life. Let’s say goodbye to stress!”

Lou Limerick presented the devotion, reading a selection from “Praying with Confidence” titled “Approach God Through A Mediator.”

“Mediation was God’s idea. He knew we had a problem trusting Him. But He could not ignore what we were doing. So God offered mediation,” Limerick read. “To resolve the differences that had come between us, He sent One who could understand and be sympathetic to our condition while at the same time representing the interests of heaven.

“This Mediator so identified with us and became so involved in our problems that He ended up crying out ‘My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?’ Yet, three days after that inexpressible moment, it became clear that the mediator had been victorious. Through His great sacrifice, our Mediator had removed the barrier that had disrupted our relationship with God,” Limerick continued.

“We would still sin. We would still be blinded by our own desires and stubborn pride. We would still find ourselves filled with regret. We would still become confused about what God was doing in our lives. But never again would we have reason to doubt the Father’s love for us. Never again could it be persuasively argued that the Father didn’t care, that He wasn’t touched by our problems, or that He had left us to die in our circumstances. Never again would we have to approach God in prayer without the assurance that He wanted to talk with us far more than we wanted to talk to Him.

“Without this mediatorial work, we might have wondered if God would even listen to us when we prayed.  We might assume from our circumstances that He didn’t care. But now the memory of what happened on the Mediator’s cross can restore confidence in us whenever we approach God in prayer. Now we can take courage in the fact that we don’t have to approach God in our own sin-stained reputation. We don’t come to Him in our own name. We don’t approach Him with our own carefully chosen words. We come to Him in the merit of the One who paid for all of our sins with His own blood. We come to God in the name and interests of His own and dearly loved Son, Jesus Christ.”

Limerick closed her devotional presentation with prayer.

During the business session of the meeting, it was announced the Lauderdale County Homemaker Volunteers will man a booth at an upcoming Earth’s Bounty to commemorate the 100th year of the Homemaker Volunteer program sponsored by the Mississippi State Extension Service.

Plans were discussed for a trip to the Mississippi Welcome Center on Nov. 13. Members provide homemade cookies and baked good as refreshments to visitors of the state or just passing through.

Plans are also in the making for the annual Homemaker Arts & Craft Show. Traditionally a two-day event held the first weekend in November, this year the event is one day and is scheduled for Nov. 3, from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Tommy Dulaney Center. All items sold are homemade.

Robin Doerner informed club members about recent occurrences of hand, mouth, and foot disease in the area affecting young children.

Refreshments were provided my Katherine Daniels and Shirley Turner.

The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Cathy Clearman.

• Submitted by Cathy Clearman, reporter.