Jul
22
2011
“We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.” 2 Corinthians 5:20
I know that many of you share my passion about the intersection between the Christian faith and health. You desire that people be free from their addictions and unhealthy behaviors and that they be all Christ desires for them to be.
After months of course development work, I’m very close to finishing a training program that will equip people who will called Faith and Health Ambassadors to be advocates in their churches and communities in the arena of faith and health. It’s my hope to roll out a beta version of this training early this Fall, starting in late September or early October. The course will be 12 weeks long. I’d like to have 12 people in the program. So far I have 8 individuals who have indicated they plan to participate.
Who Would Be an Ideal Participant?
- Parish Nurses/Faith Community Nurses
- Health Ministry Leaders
- Pastors
- Seminary Staff Members
- Personal Trainers
- Health Educators
- Life Coaches
- Counselors
Read more of this article »
Jul
21
2011
Annually, I enjoy watching a few stages of the Tour de France, especially the stages that are held in the Alps. The scenery is magnificent and the athleticism required to complete these mountain stages is phenomenal.
Today’s 200.5 kilometer-long 18th stage will end on the highest-ever mountaintop finish. The Col du Galibier sits at 2645 meters above sea level. The total distance of the last mountain climb is 23 kilometers and the last part of the climb is 8.5 km long at an average gradient of 6.9% (height gain: 585 m) with a maximum of 12.1% at the summit.
I can not imagine cycling up this mountain. I can not imagine the level of fitness and mental toughness that is required to endure the pain these riders must experience.
As you look at the profile of this stage – the up and down nature of the route – you can make the analogy that it’s like the ups and downs that life brings. Sometimes we are on our mountaintops and sometimes we are in the valleys. The ease of the cyclist’s valleys are like our mountaintops and the difficulty of their mountaintops are like the challenging aspects of the valleys of our lives. When we are on our mountaintops, things are grand. When we are in our valleys, life can be tough.
The key is how we handle our valleys. Read more of this article »
Jul
20
2011
Here’s yet another post with insight and thoughts captured from my reading of Health Care You Can Live With by Dr. Scott Morris, founder of the Church Health Center in Memphis, Tennessee. The excerpts below are directly from the referenced chapters.
Excerpts From Chapters 12, 13 and 14
The church ought to be helping people approach God without thinking they must have the help of a religious professional in order to do so. God feels you up, not the church, and God is open for business 24 hours a day. That simple shift in thinking can change your experience of God, which then touches every part of your life.
When churches keep people overly busy, they create time constraints that do not encourage exercise, relationships, reflection, nutritious meals, and other elements of a healthy lifestyle to sustain the whole person, not just the religious life.
Pastors are often the most unhealthy people in the church because of the expectations they have for themselves and the expectations their congregations have for them. Being busy does not make you closer to God.
You are the expert on you. It’s your journey to wellness. Understanding messages gone awry can help you keep your eye on the goal of wellness rather than getting sidetracked by things you don’t really believe. While you can’t change everyone around you, you can make your personal choice to pursue health in your own life and to express wellness to others in your life. Read more of this article »
Jul
12
2011
This morning, during my quiet time with God, I was reading Psalm 32 and was reminded of the connection between sin, guilt and health. In this Psalm, David writes that when he refused to confess his sin that he felt weak and miserable and that he groaned all day long. He also writes that his strength evaporated like water in the summer heat.
Today will be one of the hottest days we’ve experienced in Charlotte this summer. The temperature is to reach close to 100° and the humidity levels are to be very high. After reading Psalm 32, I knew that I wanted to write on this topic of sin, guilt and health and the interrelationship between them and thought that it might help to experience the heat of summer… so I laced up my running shoes and went for a three mile run. When I returned the outside temperature was 88° and I was dripping wet with sweat. Today is a day like David referred to where water could evaporate in the extreme heat.
Guilt and Health – What the Research Says:
When we sin it’s easy to feel a sense of guilt and shame. Imagine how heavy you could feel if you were burdened by guilt and shame for a long period of time. The medical research seems clear that the immune system is not able to be as protective as it otherwise would be when a person experiences chronic guilt and shame.
An article written by the BBC, Guilt – Bad for Your Health, reports the results of a study that indicates that people who felt guilty had lower levels of immunoglobulin A. High levels of immunoglobulin A are associated with a strong immune system, and the ability to fight off illness. The researcher’s previous studies showed that people with low levels of guilt were less likely to go to the doctor, or to report suffering from colds or flu.
Sin, Guilt and Health – What the Bible Says
“Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! Yes what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty! When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long. Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat. Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.” And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.” Psalm 32:1-5
Fortunately we have a God who loves us incredibly and because of this, he freely forgives us of our sins when we confess our wrongdoings. Because of his forgiveness of our sins, believers should be able to turn over any guilt or shame that they feel.
God does not want us to experience the heaviness associated with chronic guilt. His desire is that we live in peace and joy which is available to us when we confess our wrongdoings and believe that God forgives us. Peace and joy are health-promoting compared to chronic guilt which can be damaging to our health.
A Few Questions to Reflect On:
Are you holding on to guilt and shame because of some past or current sin in your life?
Are you perhaps weak and miserable or plagued with a chronic immune related condition that could be caused by long-term guilt?
Verse six of Psalm 32 says “Therefore, let all the godly confess their rebellion to you (God) while there is time, that they may not drown in the flood waters of judgment.”
If you have not confessed sins which you feel guilty of, I urge you to prayerfully make that confession to God so that you can return to feeling peaceful and joyful, which is God’s will for your life.
Sin, Guilt and Health – Helpful Resources
Blog Post – Guilt, Satan, Disease and Forgiveness
Jul
07
2011
Crossroads is a publication of Duke University’s Center for Spirituality, Theology & Health. This publication provides updates on research, current events, and funding opportunities related to spirituality and health. I receive it as a member
The current issue contains information on the following research and topics:
- Cognitive behavioral treatments for depression in patients with chronic illness
- Spiritual Needs and Physiological Responses of Women Undergoing Core Needle Breast Biopsy for Cancer
- Genetic Basis for Religious Involvement
- Spiritual Intervention in Persons Addicted to Opium/Heroin
- Religious involvement as a predictor of telomere shortening
- Religion and hippocampal atrophy in late life
- Religious participation and cognitive functioning in China
- Religious activity and progression of cognitive impairment in Alzheimer’s Disease
- Faith and cardiovascular risk-factors
- View of God and HIV progression
- Religious involvement and substance use and abuse
- Templeton Foundation Funding Opportunity
- Research Workshops on Spirituality and Health
I’ve made the July, 2011 issue of the newsletter available at this link – Research Studies on Religion, Spirituality and Health
Read other posts related to research about faith and health.
Enjoy reading… and have a great day!
Let’s Connect!