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When you learn something you want others to know… why not share it?

Earlier today I received a tweet from my son with a cross in it, like the ones above.  Wanting to learn how he did that, I asked.  He told me.

The solution is pretty simple:

Press and hold the Alt key and while doing that, type 0 1 3 4 on your keypad and then release the Alt key.

Try it.    †

Now I’ll just have to use it a bit so I’ll remember it.

Have a terrific day!

There is a new report out by the Robert Woods Foundation and the Trust for America’s Health organization titled F as in Fat 2009 - How Obesity Policies in America are Failing. (Link provided is to the 108 page report.) A shorter Executive Summary is available here.

An MSNBC article provides insight into the report which indicates the the obesity epidemic in America is still worsening. In 31 states, more than one in four adults are obese according to the report.  Obesity rates among adults rose in 23 states over the past year, and no state experienced a significant decline.  It’s a national crisis that “calls for a national strategy to combat obesity,” suggests Robert Wood Johnson vice president Dr. James Marks.

“The combination of poor nutrition and not enough physical activity have contributed to two-thirds of adults becoming either obese or overweight and nearly 23 million children obese or overweight.”  This is the leading sentence of the recommendations of the report.  The recommendations continue to read as follows.   “To improve the health of Americans and control health care costs, obesity prevention and control must become a national priority. The country’s health and well-being require that we take action. Obesity is one of the nation’s most overwhelming health problems, but up to now,policies to address it have been limited and under-resourced. As one of the nation’s most overwhelming health problems, combating obesity must be a central objective of health reform, and the country needs to develop a strategic approach to address obesity.”

The report also calls for a ‘National Strategy to Combat Obesity.’  It says “This strategy needs to be a comprehensive, realistic plan that involves every agency of the federal government,state and local governments, businesses, communities, schools, families, and individuals. It must outline clear roles and responsibilities and demand accountability. Our leaders should challenge the entire country to do their part to help improve our nation’s health.”

Each of the specific recommendations in the report for the various agencies to take have to deal with physical activity and nutrition.  In a general sense, recommendations are made that employers and local organizations provide preventive wellness programs.

I contend that the initiatives that could make the greatest impact on the incidence of obesity in both children and adults in our country are God-related.  More than advice and encouragement to eat better and move more and improved access to health care, people need a vibrant and strong personal relationship with their Creator - the God of the Bible.

The real root of so many illnesses and diseases we struggle with in our society are spiritual, not poor nutritional habits and inactivity as many would suggest is the case in obesity.  Sure, being inactive and eating poorly are contributors.  Yes, access to health care makes a big difference.  But what about the faith factor?  I suggest that it, or the absence of it, makes all the difference in the world.

Jesus was once asked what the greatest commandment was.  His reply, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:37-40.

If we do not love God as He intends for us to, and love others and ourselves as He desires us to, then we’re going to have many problems in our lives.  In the absence of these strong and meaningful relationships, some of us, many in fact according to this recent report, will develop belief systems, mindsets and associated lifestyle behaviors that are conducive to weight gain.  It’s highly likely that these unhealthy factors may be due to broken and unhealed relationships with God, self or others. Think about it - God calls us to love him with our entire being. He calls us to be in loving relationships with others just as we love ourselves.

Prescription for Good Health

I’ll bet that if we researched this issue, we’d find a great proportion of those who are obese are not really well in their relationships with God, themselves or others. The unhealthy and long-term thinking patterns and associated toxic emotions of feeling unacceptable, worthless, unloved, guilty and anxious will set off a regular dripping of harmful chemicals(cortisol, etc.) in their bodies through the inner workings of the endocrine and limbic systems.  If left unchecked a host of complicated immune-related diseases, diabetes and obesity included, may develop.  I also think we’d find that there is a measurable and significant absence of health-related beliefs and practices outlined for us in the Bible.

What are we to do to turn around the obesity epidemic? Turn to God in a heart-felt and genuine way.  Get to know Him.  Develop a personal relationship with Him through His son, Jesus and by reading and following His guidebook for living.  The Bible outlines all the advice we really need to be able to get a handle on this issue.  All Americans need to do is read it and follow the guidelines that our Creator has given us within it.

Yes, we do warrant an F grade in the fight against obesity in America but there is an F that is missing in this Fat epidemic and it’s faith in God.

If we’re going to have an impact on this aspect of our health-care crisis in America, I’d recommend that those setting national policies to turn around obesity in adults and children and in health care reform include a very big dose of faith/God-based initiatives into their planning.

Resources

The Bible online

A one-page article on understanding the spirituality and health connection

These are affirmations I’ve tweeted over the last few weeks.  Speak and claim them for yourself.  Have a terrific day!

“I follow the light of Jesus so I don’t stumble in the darkness. His light leads to life.”  John 8:12

“I don’t hide my light under a basket. Instead, I put it on a stand for all to see… for the glory of God!”  Matthew 5:15

“I believe that Jesus is the Messiah so I have life.”  John 20:31

“I use well what is given me by God, so He gives me more.”  Luke 19:26

“I looked for God in earnest, and sought Him, so I found Him.”  Jeremiah 29:13

“The Lord is my light & salvation. I shall fear no one.”  Psalm 27:1

“I am forever free from condemnation.”  Romans 8:1-2

“I do not cling to worthless idols so I have much grace.”  Jonah 2:8

“I am blessed because I trust in the Lord and make Him my hope and confidence.”  Jeremiah 17:7

“The commandments of the Lord are right, bringing joy to my heart.” Psalm 19:8

“I recognize Jesus’ voice and follow Him. He’s given me eternal life and I will never perish.”  John 10:27-28

“The Lord is my salvation and my strength.” Isaiah 12:2

“God has poured out His love to me by the Holy Spirit.”  Romans 5:5

I was hungry for lunch and immediately thought of having a grilled-cheese sandwich with a slice of tomato. Not a store-bought tasteless tomato but a juicy, sweet, home-grown one.

Without hesitation, I walked outside to where I’m growing two tomato plants.  One is a grape-shaped cherry tomato and the other is a larger Big Boy brand.  They’ve been ripe for a little over two weeks now and I’ve already enjoyed a few dozen cherry tomatoes.

Tomatoes are rich in vitamin C and A and the anti-oxidant lycopene. They are my favorite fruit during the summer. Yes, botanically, a tomato is the ovary, together with its seeds, of a flowering plant - therefore it is a fruit.

As I was rinsing off the tomato I picked and preparing to cut it, the thought came to me quickly that as a tomato is a very healthy fruit to eat, as a person stays closely connected to Jesus, he/she will exhibit much fruit in their life.  (See John 15:5) Paul explains this to us in Galatians 5:22-23 - the fruits of the spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness, self-control.

Then the thought came into my mind that Jesus is the path to perfect fruit.  The more we stay connected to Him and partake of Him, the more fruitful our life will be… and it probably will be healthier.  When our lives are rooted in Jesus, then we will bear these kinds of fruit. That’s what the Bible says. And any physician will tell you that a life that exhibits the fruits of the spirit mentioned in Galatians is likely to be healthier than a life absent of such fruits.

Points to Ponder

So, on this second day of Summer, are you incorporating healthy fruits and vegetables into your daily diet?  You can get some pretty healthy fruits and veggies at your local market.

More importantly, how are you nourishing your spirit so that your life will exhibit the kind of fruit that Paul mentions in Galatians?  Are you remaining close to Jesus?  Do you know Him in a personal way?

Helpful Links

Get to know Jesus

Other blog posts on diet and fruits

“When individuals, regardless of their faith, incorporate these powerful biblical principles of the Christian faith into their lives, the spirituality and health connection occurs and they will tend to enjoy better health and well-being.”

This is the conclusion to a recent presentation I made at Duke University. Read the rest of this entry »

The Grey Reef on North Platte River

Last week I was in Casper, Wyoming helping a friend conduct fitness standards testing for the city’s Police Department.  I’d driven through Wyoming before but never spent any time in the state.

It so happens that this area is home to some of the best trout fishing in the United States, if not the world!  The North Platte River runs right through Casper. I love to fish but don’t do it too often.  I did not take any of my fishing gear on the trip because I did not know if I’d have enough free time to get out on the river.. and I was unsure of where to fish.

By good fortune, one of the police officers we tested during the first day there is not only an avid fisherman but a fishing guide sponsored by Orvis, a leading manufacture of fly fishing gear. Jeremy was gracious enough to loan me his gear - flies, waders and a rod.

After fitness testing one day he took me to the Grey Reef, a world renowned spot about 25 miles out of town, and oriented me to the type of flies and fishing techniques that are popular on this river.  Over the course of two days, I was able to get in about 8 hours of fly fishing for large rainbow, brown and cutthroat trout. I’ll forgo a long explanation of the technique used to tie on flies to the leader, cast and retrieve the line but it was something new that I had to learn from Jeremy.

One aspect of the fishing that is relevant to this post and different than I was accustomed to is the method of constructing the leader or the end of the line.  It involved tying additional sections of monofilament line to the end of a tapered  leader onto which you tie the fly.  These end sections, called tippets, are the diameter the size of a piece of thread. There are a few special knots that are used to connect the tippet to the leader and it’s important that the knots be tied correctly, otherwise it may come undone and the fish would get away.  (Read more about the construction of the leader and tippets at this link if you’re interested.)

Cutthroat trout

On my second day of fishing, I returned to a hole that I observed other fisherman being successful in the evening before. (The photo to the right is of a cutthroat being landed.)  I was able to hook into a large trout.  By the color, I’m thinking it was a rainbow.  I had it on for about 30 seconds until the tension on the line went limp and I recognized that it was no longer hooked.  Upon reeling the line in, I recognized that the knot I had used to tie the tippet to the leader had come undone.  The connection was not as it should have been so I lost the fish.  Had the knot been tied correctly, perhaps I would have been successful in landing this nice rainbow, which would have been very rewarding and thrilling.

As in using and tying the right kind of knots in fly fishing to connect the tippet to the leader, the way we connect to God in our faith is important to living a full and rewarding life. The more grounded we are in our faith… the stronger our connection to God… the better we’ll be able to handle the life events and associated stressors that come our way.

In John 15, Jesus encourages us to stay connected to Him and that if we do that, He’ll remain connected to us.  He indicates that when this happens, we will have fruit in our life and that our joy will overflow.  He also says “Apart from me, you can do nothing.” (John 15:5)

To me, being connected to Jesus and God means daily reading the Bible, praying, meditating on the scriptures, listening to uplifting and encouraging music, regularly going to church and having conversation with Him throughout the day.  When I do these things, I have a sensing that He is with me.  His presence then gives me strength, hope, joy and peace for living and managing life.

A Few Questions for You

Are you solidly connected to God and Jesus? If so, how are you benefiting?

If not, can you sense how you might connect with Him more solidly and the benefits you’d receive?

The Spirituality and Health Connection

Read more about why and how the spirituality and health connection exists.

I’m at Duke University the next 3 days attending the 2nd Annual Meeting of the Society for Spirituality, Theology and Health.

Along with 30 others, I’m presenting a poster presentation.  The title of my presentation is The Spirituality and Health Connection: Why It Exists - A Christian Faith Perspective.

As I mentioned to a few people yesterday, I guess I’ve tried to capture the essence of the Christian faith - as it relates to health and well-being- and the 66 books of the Bible onto one 36″x48″ piece of paper! Yikes!

After the conference, I’d add a link on my site with my material.

“There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God the Creator.” Blaise Pascal, French Physicist and Philosopher

Have an awesome day.

A CNN article reports that a group of singers in London have formed a group called Sing for Joy.  It’s a community choir for people with Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis and  others recovering from conditions including stroke or cancer.  Many of their friends and caregivers are also members of the choir.  What they have in common is an illness  or that they care for someone with an illness.  They believe that singing with others makes them feel better.

Doctor Wendy Magee, International Fellow in Music Therapy at London’s Institute of Neuropalliative Rehabilitation, describes music as a “mega-vitamin for the brain,” capable of influencing and improving motor function, communication and even cognition. “When neural pathways are damaged for one particular function such as language, musical neural pathways are actually much more complex and much more widespread within the brain,” Magee told CNN. “Music seems to find re-routed paths and that is why it is such a useful tool in terms of helping people with different kinds of brain damage because it can help to find new pathways in terms of brain functioning.”

It’s not surprising that researchers have documented the health benefits of singing songs of joy.  In the Bible, there are countless exhortations for us to sing out songs to God.

“Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth.”  Psalm 96:1

“Sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things; his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.”  Psalm 98:1

“Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.” Psalm 100:2

“Shout for joy, O heavens; rejoice, O earth; burst into song, O mountains! For the LORD comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones.”  Isaiah 49:13

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.”  Colossians 3:16

God knows the impact that singing songs of joy has on our health.  If you’re suffering from a health issue, lift up a song to God, thanking Him for who He is and what He’s done in your life.  Sing out to him in praise. He wants your praises regardless of how you’re feeling.

Songs of praise to God glorify Him most importantly.  A secondary affect may be that they have a positive impact on your health.

Be well!!

I’ve been in the wellness profession for over 25 years. Over that time I’ve seen many health risk assessments and wellness appraisals, all aimed at providing the participant with a snapshot of their well-being.  Some are short with few questions and some are more extensive with a hundred or more questions to answer.  Most of these deal with the physical, mental, social and emotional aspect of health.  Few deal with the spiritual side.

As my faith began to take off in a very personal and meaningful way and I began to appreciate the truths of the Bible and become more familiar with it’s contents, several verses related to wellness began to stand out for me.  I think one in particular is pretty helpful from a’ wellness snapshot’ point of view.

In Galatians, Paul compares what our life might look like if our old sinful nature is controlling us versus whether God’s Holy Spirit is controlling us.  He tells us that if we submit to God and are intentional about letting Him equip us for coping with life’s stressors that our lives will be bountiful in “fruit.”   “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!” Gal. 5:22-23

I think that the degree to which we have these fruits of the Spirit present in our lives is an indication of our overall emotional and spiritual wellness.  If we are still wounded deeply from past experiences and relationships and if we turn to unhealthy mechanisms to cope with stress in our lives, then it’s doubtful that we will be regularly experiencing these fruits.

The more we allow Jesus to heal us and the more we learn to live in dependence and submission to God, through the power of the Holy Spirit who lives inside us, the more whole we will be.  Evidence of this is the presence of these fruits that Paul tells us we will experience.

Application:

Review these fruits listed and the degree to which they are present in your life.

Take a look deep inside and sense if there are any emotional or spiritual “roots” that might be lingering which are obstacles to experiencing these fruits.

If you find any “roots”, draw close to Jesus and ask Him to gently pluck them out.

Spiritual Fitness Assessment

Take a more complete Spiritual Fitness Assessment I have developed.

These were the affirmations I sent on Twitter during the past week.

If you have a personal relationship with God through Jesus, these are for you as well.  Receive them as your own truth.  Read them out loud.

Your thoughts and the words you speak can change your life!

Read this post to understand my intent and motive for sending affirmations based on scripture over Twitter.

• I know how much God loves me because His Holy Spirit has filled my heart with His love. Romans 5:5
• I do what is right and good in the Lord’s eyes so all will go well with me. Deuteronomy 6:18
• I am truly a disciple of Jesus because I keep obeying His teachings. John 8:31
• God created everything. It’s for His pleasure that I exist and was created. Revelation 4:11
• With God, everything is possible Matthew 19:26
• Jesus gives me rest when I am weary. He is humble and gentle. His yoke is easy and His burden is light. Matthew 11:28-29
• I give thanks to the Lord and proclaim how great He is! Psalm 105:1
• I am strong and courageous! My God goes ahead of me and He will not fail or forsake me. Deuteronomy 31:6
• I myself no longer live but Christ lives in me. Galatians 2:20
• I humble myself under God’s mighty power and in His good time He will honor me. 1 Peter 5:6
• I believe there is one God and He rewards me because I sincerely seek Him. Hebrews 11:6
• I go boldly to God’s throne where I receive His mercy and find grace to help me when I need it. Hebrews 4:16
• When I believed in Christ, God identified me as his own by giving me the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 1:13
• I am a child of God because I have faith in Jesus Christ. Galatians 3:26
• I am strong & steady - enthusiastic about the Lord’s work I am doing. Nothing I do for the Lord is ever useless. 1 Corinthians 15:58
• As God’s Spirit works within me, I become more and more like Him and reflect His glory even more. 2 Corinthians 3:18
• I accept others as God has accepted me so God is glorified. Romans 15:7
• Because I have believed in and accepted Jesus, I’ve been given the right to be called a child of God. John 1:12
• Reading scripture prepares me to be fully equipped for every good thing God wants me to do. 2 Timothy 3:17
• God’s grace has set me free from the law and sin. Romans 6:15
• I have given up my life for Jesus so I have found new life. Luke 9:24
• Since I forgive others I will be forgiven. Luke 6:37
• I am happy because I obey God’s commands and search for Him with all my heart. Psalm 119:2

Follow me on Twitter to receive similar affirmations daily.

Have a terrific day - I’m headed out fishing with two good friends!