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Subscribe to this newsletter
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Hello,
Time can get away from us all. It's hard to believe it's been
over three months since my last newsletter. Hope this edition
finds you healthy and well. Enjoy!
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New Products/Services
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PowerPoint Training Package for Purchase
 For some time, I've wanted to make available a
resource that professionals could use to educate others on the topic
of faith and health. This
PowerPoint training package does just that.
Materials
include:
- 85-Slide
PowerPoint - fully customizable
- Spiritual
Fitness Assessment - permission to administer
- Spiritual
Exercises for a Healthier Life - 25 page booklet
- Participant
Worksheet - 2 page handout with notes
- Thinking
With the Mind of Christ - 1 page handout
Feel free to contact me with questions you may have
regarding this helpful training package. For more details including
the learning objectives, visit
this page on my site.
COMING SOON - Free Online Webinar
 In August I
will be presenting a 4-week webinar series
addressing faith and healthy behavior. The first session will be free.
My objective will be to give you insight into the basis of the faith
and health connection from the Christian perspective and to better
equip you to change unhealthy behavior.
Help me determine which of two focuses to have during the
series. Please answer the 1-question poll at this
link.
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Receive Daily Affirmations
on Twitter
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 I'm making use of a Twitter account to send out
daily "Tweets of Affirmations." My thought is that many who
use Twitter might want to receive these affirmations to remind them
of who they are as a child of God.
My first two tweets were as follows:
"I have
been set free because I know the teachings of Jesus and obey
them." John 8:32
"Although
I have many trials and sorrows, I have peace in Jesus because He has
overcome the world." John 16:33
Read more
about my rational to use Twitter in this manner and about the value
of speaking affirmations in a blog post I made on this topic.
Follow
me on Twitter to receive these daily affirmations.
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Recent Presentations/Articles
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A Christian Faith
Explanation for the Spirituality-Health Link
 As was the case last year, I presented a poster
at this year's annual meeting of the Society for Spirituality,
Theology and Health at Duke
University. The
title was "The
Spirituality-Health Connection: Why It Exists - A Christian Faith
Perspective." (2-page PDF file)
What I attempted to do in the poster was capture the essence of the
Christian faith as it pertains to health and wholeness on one
poster-sized paper. Supported by 194 scripture passages, the poster
addresses 41 key principles that I contend make a difference in a
person's well-being and health. It also highlighted seven important
medical truths and seven spiritual truths relevant to wellness and
wholeness.
If you have an interest in
collaborating on a research project or educational initiative
addressing these principles, I'd love to hear from you.
To view the entire conference program and see other presentations
follow this
link.
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Website Updates
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New Look Using a WordPress Theme
 I wanted to freshen up the design of my web page
and received some help with that recently. New buttons on the
sidebar help make it easier for visitors to connect with me on
different sites.
The drop down menu helps you navigate around the site.
Thanks go out to Brandon Cox and my son Drew who helped with this
redesign.
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In the News & On the Net
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F as in Fat - Report on
Obesity in America
For the second year in a row, the Robert Woods Foundation and the
Trust for America's
Health issued a report (108 pages) on how Obesity Policies in America
Are Failing.
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.
What are we to do as a country to turn around the obesity
epidemic? Turn to God in a heart-felt and genuine way. Following
is an excerpt of an entry I made on this topic in a post:
"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."
To read more about my commentary on this matter visit
my blog.
Online Faith and Health Community
There are now 71 members of the Faith and Health Community. If you
desire to network with others interested in spirituality &
health, this new community is the place. Consider visiting
to see it if might be worthwhile to become a member. No fees or
strings attached, just a great opportunity to share resources and
ideas.
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Recent Faith & Health Initiatives/Research
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Job Loss, Stress and Your Health
Researchers recently made public a large study with a finding that we
should not find surprising: Losing your job may make you sick.
In a study by a Harvard School of Health researcher, workers who lost
a job through no fault of their own, she found, were twice as likely
to report developing a new ailment like high blood pressure, diabetes
or heart disease over the next year and a half, compared to people
who were continuously employed.
Read about the report in this New
York Times article of May 8, 2009.
If you've lost your job recently, how are you handling your stressful
situation? Are you excluding God in your "battle" or
distress? Are you attempting to manage on your own by falling back
into an unhealthy habit or an addictive behavior to cope? Or,
are you turning towards God by asking and relying on His help? God
wants us to choose Him as our source of strength when times are
tough.
Read one
of my blog posts about finding
strength in God during difficult times.
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I
occasionally share personal information that is significant in this newsletter
and have a reason to do that in this edition. I recently became
engaged to my sweetheart and best friend, Janice LaVore.
We are planning a November wedding and I look forward to spending the
rest of my life with her!
May God guide and protect you during these summer months ahead.
Dale Fletcher, M.S.
Founder, Faith and Health Connection
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