LifeCell™ Skin Care - Dermatologists Say Its Better Than a Facelift - Sponsored A Mass Shooting Happened Last Week In Detroit, But You Probably Didnt Hear About It t f Black Teen Executed In 1944 May Get New Trial t f White Anti-Gay Activist Wins Election After Pretending To Be Black t f t f t f Advertisement Nat Turner Died On This Day In 1831 t f LOOK: Kerry Washington Gets Lucky! t f PHOTOS: The Soul Train Music Awards Red Carpet Was HOT! t f Advertisement t f t f Night Light for Couples Night Light for Parents Click here to visit BibleLifeCoaching Watch the video Energy Drinks for the Busy Pastor Bible Gateway Nov 11 at 9:40 AM To dibetsoambrose@yahoo This message contains graphics. If you do not see the graphics, click here to view. Energy Drinks for the Busy Pastor Long before Red Bull was introduced to America in 1987 (and the plethora of energy drinks that followed,) caffeine had become the most widely used stimulant in the world. Over 90% of Americans drink coffee and slightly over half average three cups each day. Caffeine is now added to soft drinks, bottled water, gum, and even potato chips. And a busy pastor may use energy drinks to keep up. I dont like coffee or tea and dont drink them. Red Bull and similar energy drinks give me the jitters. Ive found, however, that 5-Hour Energy works well to boost my concentration. For the record, I dont work for the makers of 5 Hour Energy. Also, when I study at Panera or McDonalds, I get a caffeinated diet drink that I refill often when I get tired. Since we pastors are busy people, to what degree should we rely on legal stimulants to give us a mental edge? As I researched for this, I found these statistics about caffeine quite interesting. Brewed coffee has three times more caffeine than instant. Caffeine in a hot drink is absorbed more quickly than from a cold drink. 15-20 minutes after your drink a caffeinated drink, the caffeine reaches its highest peak in your blood stream. Caffeine increases the feel-good neurotransmitter, dopamine, in our brain. About five minutes after I drink a 5-Hour Energy, I feel a nice motivation and optimism boost. Perhaps this comes from the high levels of B-vitamins more than from the caffeine.links.biblegateway.mkt4731/ctt?kn=1&ms=NDQzMzIzMDQS1&r=MjczMjcxNzk0MTIS1&b=0&j=MjEyNjE3ODQwS0&mt=2&rj=MjEyNjE3ODQwS0&rt=0 Neurologically, caffeine makes us more alert and focused. On the other hand, scientists have discovered that over-use of caffeine causes some negative effects as well. links.biblegateway.mkt4731/ctt?kn=6&ms=NDQzMzIzMDQS1&r=MjczMjcxNzk0MTIS1&b=0&j=MjEyNjE3ODQwS0&mt=2&rj=MjEyNjE3ODQwS0&rt=0 It can impair long-term memory. It can increase anxiety, especially to anxious prone people. I call this the jitters. We can become addicted, especially if we use it more frequently when we feel stressed. When I was in college, I would occasionally pull an all-nighter. Since I didnt drink coffee, Id use no-doze, a caffeine tablet, to keep me awake. Each time I did that I got serious jitters and stomach problems. And I usually got a cold as well, probably because I skipped a nights sleep. As a pastor, Im careful not to become legalistic about what I put into my body, unless I know it will clearly harm it. But, especially with energy drinks becoming so popular, should we give some thought about how we use them?links.biblegateway.mkt4731/ctt?kn=4&ms=NDQzMzIzMDQS1&r=MjczMjcxNzk0MTIS1&b=0&j=MjEyNjE3ODQwS0&mt=2&rj=MjEyNjE3ODQwS0&rt=0 As you consider your views on legal stimulants found in coffee and energy drinks, Ive suggested a few thought provoking questions below. Are you addicted to caffeine? Can you go a day or two without drinking several cups of coffee, a Red Bull, or a 5-Hour Energy? Are you masking deep tiredness? By drinking an energy drink are you ignoring that your body may be telling you its exhausted and needs more rest and sleep? Do you practice Sabbath keeping by taking a day off each week to rest, relax, and recover? Have you considered taking a short nap each day to give you an energy boost? Michael Hyatt wrote a great blog on 5 Reasons You Should Take a Nap each Day. Can you use caffeine/energy drinks to Gods glory? That is, without being legalistic, does your consumption give you those occasional needed bursts of energy/focus so that you can minister more effectively? Or are you relying more on them than His power and good body care habits? Are you using energy drinks as a replacement for
Posted on: Tue, 12 Nov 2013 08:42:57 +0000
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