Excess stress is the major cause of most diseases. Excess stress releases excess cortisol, which can kill millions of neurons per day. There are many books and internet suggestions for dealing with this serious problem since modern society is a trigger for excess stress. At the end of this article, I share some blog articles that may help. In this article, I share a very enjoyable way to deal with stress: beautiful music and inspiring poetry.
In the movie, JOURNEY OF MY HEART, the guide, Eric, shares that “music is abstract math and poetry is verbal math.” Music is one of seven learning centers in the brain. Language, math & Logic are two of the other learning centers, and all seven complement each other. So, for me, beautiful music and inspired poetry are profound and touch and bring joy to my soul.
The rhythm and the messages of the King James Bible—76% of it is William Tyndale—have made that book the most popular book ever written. Handel’s Messiah, based on the King James Bible verses, is the most often sung musical ever. And the King of England stood up in reverence when the Hallelujah Chorus in Handel’s Messiah was shared. Everyone now does it by tradition. Only the STAR SPANGELED BANNER in America receives that reverence and honor.
How Great the Wisdom and the Love
One of my all-time favorite poems is the last verse of “How Great the Wisdom and the Love,” composed by Eliza R. Snow. The music is inspiring as well—composed by Thomas McIntyre.
How great, how glorious, ho complete
Redemption’s grand design
Where justice, love, and mercy meet
In harmony divine!
The quatrains of Alexander Pope are awesome; I share three here:
A little learning is a dangerous thing;
Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian Spring.
There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain,
But drinking largely sobers again.
This quatrain reminds me of the phrase, “The more we know, the more we realize what we don’t know.” Being a humble seeker of truth open up the heavens.
Vice is a monster of so frightful a mien;
As to be hated needs but to be seen.
But seen too oft’ familiar with her face,
First we endure, then pity, then embrace.
If we embrace the Lord’s Spirit, we will not go there!
Nature and Nature’s Laws,
Lay hid in night.
God said, Let Newton be!
And all was light.
The world knows that Sir Isaac Newton was the greatest scientist in the world. But most don’t know that Newton wrote three words regarding his religious beliefs for every word he wrote in science. These are hidden away in the Cambridge library. Thanks to our dear friends, Professor Steven Jones and his wife Lezlee and their daughter, who went there with pencil and paper, which is allowed, and copied many of Newton’s profound religious truths. These line up beautifully with the fullness of the gospel restored by the Lord through the Prophet Joseph Smith. Chapter 3 of my new book, Time & Eternity, the End-Times & Beyond Revealed, shares many of Newton’s most important religious insights.
As the most significant scientist in the history of the world, this chapter shares, as it were, Newton’s “Religious Principia.” As an example, quoting from page 79 of my 2023 book:
In a world going awry caused by a people turning from God with ever increasing pornographic “distortions,” Newton has an elegant simple solution: “The way to chastity is not to struggle directly with incontinent thoughts but to avert the thoughts by some employment, or by reading, or by meditating on other things, or by conversation.” This reminds me of some scripture verses: “Look to me in every thought; doubt not, fear not (D&C 6:36).” AND “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon the house; and it fell not for (he) was founded upon a rock (Christ) (Matt. 7:24-25).” “And whosoever treasureth up my word, shall not be deceived, for the Son of Man shall come, and he shall send his angels before him with the great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together the remainder of his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other (JS-M 37).”
One of my favorite poems is: “The Touch of the Master’s Hand”, also sometimes called The Old Violin, written in 1921 by Myra Brooks Welch. The poem tells of a battered old violin that is about to be sold as the last item at an auction for a pittance, until a master violinist steps out of the audience and plays the instrument, demonstrating its beauty and true value, and touching the audience to the core. The violin then sells for $3,000 instead of a mere $3. The poem profoundly ends by comparing this instrument touched by the hand of a master musician to the life of a sinner who is touched by the hand of God. The change that is wrought on a sinner’s soul, when the Savior touches his heart.
The Touch Of The Master’s Hand – original version has been put to music; BEAUTIFULLY DONE!
I pulled the lyrics from the scriptures for the composition that our son, Sterling, prepared for our missionary farewell. It is actually a millennial hymn. Edna gave it the title:
MESSAGE OF GLADNESS
Righteousness will I send down from heaven,
Truth will I send forth out of the Earth;
To bear testimony of mine only Begotten.
Looking forth for the time of my Coming.
In my name shall they do many wonderful works;
In my name they shall cast out devils;
In my name shall they heal the sick;
Open the eyes of the blind; Unstop the ears of the deaf;
And the tongue of the dumb shall speak, and sing Hallelujah!
My law I will write in their hearts;
I’ll be their God, and they my people.
They shall all know me—
From the least of them unto the greatest of them.
I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.
Praise the Lord, All-mighty! Declare His doings among the people.
Call upon His name; make mention His name is exalted.
Sing unto the Lord; for He has done excellent things.
Cry and shout thou inhabitants of Zion;
For great is the Holy One of Israel, in the midst of thee, Alelujah!
The Lord hath brought Zion down from above;
The Lord hath brought Zion up from beneath;
A message of gladness; rejoice all ye Earth!
I will trust and not be afraid;
I will trust in the Lord!
Chorus:
Endowed from on high; Truth from the Earth;
Hope in our hearts; Faith in the Father;
Redeemed by His Son.
Endowed from on high; Truth from the Earth;
Hope in our hearts; Light of our lives;
Perfected in Him; Perfected in Jesus Christ, the Lord, Amen.
It is available as a blog article on our website: The Message of Gladness | It’s About Time (itsabouttimebook.com).
While teaching institute for the Moroni Stake, I added and changed some words to some of our LDS hymns. The Lord gave me the last verse for his hymn:
I Hearken to Thy Voice sung to the hymn “We Love Thy House O God.”
For me, one of the most inspiring lyrics is the third verse of the Christian hymn tune “The Love of God,” by F. H. Lehman. When I first ran across it on the internet, it deeply touched my soul. That verse is from a poem written in Germany in A.D. 1050 by a Jewish Rabbi poet, Meir Ben Isaac Nehorai. I share here the inspired translation, which is verse three of the hymn:
Could we with ink the ocean fill—
And were the skies of parchment made,
Were ev-‘ry talk on earth a quill—
And ev-‘ry man a scribe by trade.
To write the love of God above—
Would drain the oceans dry.
Nor could the scroll contain the whole—
Though stretched from sky to sky.
There is an excellent movie by the same title that shares the story of how Leyman came to write the song with his eight-year-old son’s help and the Lord’s orchestration to help it come forth. I know that our infinitely loving God is in the details of our lives if we have but eyes to see and hearts to feel.
God’s love is the motivation behind all creation and for the birthing of His spirit children—providing spirit bodies for all of the children of Adam and Eve. We don’t talk of God’s infinite love, but I do. The above lyrics come the closest to any I know of capturing God’s infinite love for each of us.
Here are two of my recent poems; the first one inspired by IF WE ONLY UNDERSTOOD by an anonymous author:
There is need of kinder treatment to be given by us all,
There is need that we remember when someone may err and fall,
That within the hidden motive lies the ill or lies the good,
We would treat each other better if we only understood.
If we knew the cares of others–knew the trials and knew the strain,
Under which they may be living–knew their losses and bitter pain,
We would show a better spirit; I am sure that each one could,
We would always speak more kindly, if we only understood.
MY NEW POEM GIVEN RECENT EVENTS:
We may desire to know a man’s heart,
But only God knows his thoughts from the start.
Allowing every man’s sovereignty be,
For a loving God gave us liberty.
THIS POEM CAME TO ME IN HONOR OF OUR SON, NATHAN’S 48TH BIRTHDAY:
There is no limit to the good we can do
.
We but look to heaven to guide us through.
From our heavenly home, we learned of its creeds,
To bless God’s offspring with our thoughts, words, and deeds.
Indeed, beautiful music and inspired poetry will not only reduce harmful stress, but will bring love, joy, and peace to our souls. I conclude with the Savior’s promises:
Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid (John 14:27).
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light (Matt 11:28-30).
David W. Allan (6 August 2024; Nate’s Birthday)
Here are some relevant blog articles to help deal with excess stress:
Body, Mind, and Spiritual Insights | It’s About Time (itsabouttimebook.com)
Help Stop Suicides | It’s About Time (itsabouttimebook.com)
Healing In His Wings | It’s About Time (itsabouttimebook.com)
Herbal Remedies and Priesthood Blessings | It’s About Time (itsabouttimebook.com)
Solutions for American Diet Disaster | It’s About Time (itsabouttimebook.com)
The stress response turns off healing in the body, while the relaxation response turns on healing. Beautiful music and inspired poetry help that happen: The Power of the Fifth Dimension and Meditation | It’s About Time (itsabouttimebook.com)