Christmas is a time of the year that we celebrate the birth of God’s Son, Jesus, who came to point the way to his Father and to offer salvation for our souls. Jesus came that you might know his Father and have life to its fullest.
“My purpose is to give life in all it’s fullest.” John 10:10
As we mature in our faith we realize that our ‘full life’ is not for us alone, but its purpose is to glorify God and to spread his love to others, through us. That’s where our health comes into play. The more healthy we are emotionally and physically the better able we are to love and serve others. And our spiritual health impacts on other aspects of our health.
As you near Christmas Day, let the love of God and his Son sink deep into your heart. Deep in your will, decide to let go of anything that is not love…. and replace it with the love of Jesus.
What happens in the brain of a person when they speak in their personal prayer language, or in tongues? It seems as though the part of the brain that is highly activated when a person speaks normally takes a rest – a sort of sabbatical – to use a religious term. This would makes sense because the Bible tells us that if we allow the Holy Spirit to pray through us, as in speaking in tongues, it’s really not us praying, but the Spirit of God in us.
“For if I pray in tongues, my spirit is praying, but I don’t understand what I am saying. ”
1 Corinthians 14:14
An ABC news broadcast in July of 2008,Speaking in Tongues – The Science, explains this practice of the Christian faith in medical terms. In the study, Dr. Newberg’s team scanned the subject’s brains while they spoke in tongues, using their personal prayer language. Subsequently, the images showed that the frontal lobe of the brain was significantly less active than when the subjects prayed in their normal English language. Another study by Dr. Newberg of the University of Pennsylvania, published in 2006, showed similar results.
“Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous – how well I know it.”
Psalm 139:14
These studies are yet another example of science validating aspects of the Christian faith. They serve as a reminder of how amazing God, our Creator, designed each of us.
This publication explores the research in the field of religion, spirituality and health. This issue includes several opportunities relevant to those interested in spirituality and health, including a “call-for-papers” in the area of religion, spirituality and depression, information about the NIH loan repayment program, a clinical workshop on integrating spirituality into cognitive behavioral therapy, and a new training program (masters of arts or master of science) in spirituality, theology and health in the United Kingdom.
Wellness has to do with whether the person can see God’s presence in a way that draws the person forward into the glory of the kingdom of God. …. Wellness is what happens when you drink of the well.
The biblical concept of shalom is a powerful argument that God cares about the well-being of people. This word appears in the Old Testament more than 250 times and overwhelmingly points to well-being that comes from God in the widest sense of the word. Shalom describes not only a spiritual connection to God, but a life connection – bodily health, contentedness and social relationships.
I am convinced that true health always occurs through a community experience. When people live out their faith together, the health of everyone who shares the experience is enhanced.
Like the woman who suffered for 12 years (Mark 5), perhaps you are ready to reach out for a new level of well-being in your life, a well-being that springs out of being connected to God.
If God wants wholeness for us as whole beings, what gets in the way of experiencing it? What can I do to remove the obstacles in my own experience? What can we do to close the gap? Read more of this article »
Almost 60% of American adults say they had difficult childhoods featuring abusive or troubled family members or parents who were absent due to separation or divorce. Nearly 9% say that while growing up they underwent five or more “adverse childhood experiences” ranging from verbal, physical or sexual abuse to family dysfunction such as domestic violence, drug or alcohol abuse, or the absence of a parent. This data was reported in the Dec 17th, 2010 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
In the report, Dr. Lee M. Sanders, an associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine said that “There is a connection of these events to lifelong implications, not just for mental health for adults, but also for physical health.” Valerie J. Edwards, team lead for the Adverse Childhood Experiences Team at CDC’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, says that a person who has several of these events is more likely to get cancer and heart disease. In the report, Edwards said. “This is serious and it’s not just a quirk of statistics. It’s a real relationship.”
The Faith and Health Link
As the experts have indicated, if left unaddressed, issues like these childhood traumas can likely affect one’s emotional health in adulthood. Over time, these emotional issues can affect one’s physical health. Deep-rooted emotions and beliefs associated with such trauma such as anxiety, resentment, shame, low self-worth, rejection and unforgiveness can play havoc with one’s endocrine, cardiovascular and immune system resulting in a host of chronic diseases.
In general, medical practitioners do not care for these issues of the soul that are at the root of these diseases. This is where faith in the healing power of God and his Son Jesus comes into play. Jesus’ compassion, love and power expressed through his followers and accompanied with prayer, can bring inner healing to the soul of these traumatized individuals. This inner soul healing then favors improved physical health.
The sooner a child or young adult can come to experience the deep love and healing power of God, through Jesus, the more likely they will not succumb to these long-term emotional and physical health problems. Healing and restoration is part of the life transformation that God desires that his children experience in this life on earth.
Such experiences of healing and improved personal wholeness can be a witness and encouragement to others of God’s love, grace and power. It can also enable healed these healed individuals to better give their life away in service to others. In all this, God receives glory.
It’s sad that the statistics in this report are what they are, but it’s Good News to know that God is still in the business of healing and restoration of his children. Our role as believers and followers of Christ is to be a conduit of this message and his love.
Related Scriptures
A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. Proverbs 17:22
A peaceful heart leads to a healthy body; jealousy is like cancer in the bones. Proverbs 14:30
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,because he has anointed meto proclaim good news to the poor.He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisonersand recovery of sight for the blind,to set the oppressed free,to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Luke 4:18-19
He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!” Mark 2:12
As the holiday season gets into full swing, often there are angry meltdowns in stores, restaurants, airports and elsewhere. Many people are exhausted, stressed and worried about money. The December 14th issue of the Wall Street Journal included an article in their Relationships column on anger.
Anger is a protective response to a perceived hurt, says Dr. James, a psychologist. The article indicates that the emotional center of the brain has a much greater influence on us than the part of the brain that controls our conscious thinking. This is a partial explanation why our anger often presents itself as publicly it does.
The referenced article is focused on what people can do when someone in your life often becomes very angry in your presence. Here are a few of their suggestions:
Managing The Anger of Others
Don’t be silent
Validate their feelings, but not their behavior
Set boundaries
Explain why their behavior bothers you
Anger and Our Health
Medical research is clear that chronic anger impacts in a negative way on our health. Read what WebMD has to say about anger and our health.
The Scriptures on Anger
A gentle answer will calm a person’s anger, but an unkind answer will cause more anger. Proverbs 15:1
Kind words heal and help; cutting words wound and maim. Proverbs 15:4
“In your anger do not sin:” Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry. Ephesians 4:26
He who covers and forgives an offense seeks love, but he who repeats or harps on a matter separates even close friends. Proverbs 17:9
A relaxed attitude lengthens life. Proverbs 14:30
Anger Management – What We Can Do
It’s inevitable that those we are around, our loved ones and we ourselves will have hurt feelings, and those hurt feelings will occasionally be expressed through our anger. It’s how we go about handing the hurt feelings and associated anger that will make all the difference in our relationships.
In that light, my prayer for us all is that we would stay close to God and that more of his love would flow into us and through us to others who are in our lives. I pray that when others get angry in our presence that God would give us a sense of compassion and understanding as to the root cause of the anger and give us discernment to understand how our actions may have contributed to the hurt feelings that prompted the anger. And then God, I pray that you’ll help us to extend forgiveness to others who may have hurt us. Amen.
Recent research has demonstrated improved patient outcomes when spirituality is incorporated into medical practice. Yet, addressing spirituality is often neglected. It may be overshadowed by the challenges of time constraints and prioritizing care, and many health care providers simply do not have the comfort level, specific tools or skills needed to incorporate spirituality into the hectic pace of modern day healthcare delivery. This full day, regional conference provides the knowledge, skills and tools for addressing patients’ spiritual needs for best practices in any health care setting.
The keynote speaker will be Christina M. Puchalski, MD, MS, FACP, founder and executive director of George Washington Institute for Spirituality and Health. Discounted registration is available through September 7th.
See the link above for more information and to register.
I’ve been reading the daily devotionals the magazine from InTouch Ministries for over 10 years. Below is an excerpt of an article by Robert Bruce titled Confessions of a Couch Potato from this month’s issue.
“The most important thing I’ve learned since starting this (running and fitness) journey is that my health and my faith are not part of two separate worlds. For most of my life, I’ve pretty much eaten whatever I wanted and lived a fairly inactive lifestyle—all while trying to be a “good Christian.” I never saw the connection between physical fitness and faith, though the two are inextricably linked. Paul said that our bodies are temples designed to glorify God (1 Cor. 6:19-20). In other words, the way we manage our physical health affects our spiritual well-being.”
In the article, Bruce shares how he embarked on becoming fit through becoming a long distance runner. I was able to relate well to his comments because I have been running since I was in high school for over 40 years. More importantly I appreciated his insight into the connection between his health and his faith, as that is the focus of my writings and speaking.
Running is probably not the right choice of physical activity for everyone, but it’s one vehicle you can use to take good care of your physical health. The important thing is that we do something on a regular basis to move our bodies… to care for the temple that they are for God’s Holy Spirit. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
So, go move your body. Go for a walk. Then read Bruce’s entire article on page 26 of this pdf file in the June 2010 issue of InTouch Magazine.
Questions for Reflection on Spiritual Fitness
How physically fit are you?
How spiritually fit are you?
How well are you caring for and honoring your body, the temple of God’s Spirit?
This publication explores the research in the field of religion, spirituality and health. Topics addressed in this issue include:
Shenandoah University and Valley Health are sponsors of a one-day conference titled 
Let’s Connect!