Jan
10
2012
Here are my thoughts 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 Chapters 23 and 24.
Discover the Balance
When new patients come to our facility without an urgent illness we don’t start with the doctor; we start with a health coach. The health coach identifies areas where the patient seems to be doing well, along with the areas of everyday life that may be negatively affecting health. After this 30 minute session, the nurse enters the process in the way you would expect in most clinics, and then the patients see the doctor.
Life is a complicated web, interconnected at every turn. The various parts of our lives bump up against each other. Virtues are marching orders for how to live. They are overarching ideals that we must translate into specific actions – how to accomplish change. Our Model for Healthy Living is a tool for individuals to use to take charge of their own health care, and it reflects that true wellness is not just about our bodies, but about body-and-spirit. We illustrate visually how seven key dimensions of our body-and-spirit experience overlap at the core of our lives.
Nutrition, Friends and Family, Emotional Life, Work, Movement, Medical Care, and Faith Life are the key components of the model.
It’s all about balance. Not one of the seven elements in the Model for Healthy Living is more important than any of the others. If you ignore one, the whole mobile goes out of balance. If you overemphasize one, the whole model goes out of balance. If you touch one part of a mobile, the whole mobile moves, respondents, and readjusts. These seven elements are present in every person living in a healthy way, body-and-spirit. The Model for Healthy Living gives you some framework for change. Specific goals in the seven areas will get you where you want to go.
Make Goals You Can Keep
The starting point (for taking charge of your health) is understanding that you are a body-and-spirit being created and loved by God. When you grasp this, you glimpse the level of health – wholeness, well-being, connection to God and others – that God means for you to experience. As you take the turn toward wholeness, the virtues of Colossians 3 surround you: compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness and love. You receive these graces from God and more and more learn to give them to others and yourself. This is the context where change can succeed.
“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” Colossians 3:12-14
To begin with, meet yourself where you are. Then you can begin to make changes that will take you where you want to go. Don’t expect drastic changes overnight, but recognize the value of any forward movement, no matter how small it seems at first. You get where you want to go one step at a time. Changed behaviors will take you where you want to go.
Behavior changes when you name the new habit. Name the specific habit you want to form, and picture yourself doing it, one step at a time. Behavior changes when you see progress. Progress is something you can measure. Rather than saying, “Get some exercise,” say, “I will walk with the dog around the park and back every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoon.”
A strong goal statement will have a verb at the core. It will map out what you will do and how often or by when you will do it. Example – “In the next two weeks, I will experiment with six different pieces of exercise equipment for 30 minutes each, and rank them in order of how much I enjoy them.” Break down big goals into specific action steps you can take within a definite period of time. Each action, when accomplished, leads to the next action statement that takes you closer to where you want to be.
Set SMART Goals
S = specific, simple, signification
M = measurable
A = actionable, achievable, attainable
R = realistic, relevant
T = timely, time bound
My Comments:
We are certainly a multifaceted, multi-part being. What happens to a part of us or to an aspect of our lives will invariably affect another aspect of us. To be whole – to be healthy – it’s important that we address each component in Morris’ Model for Healthy Living.
I’ve used the SMART goals concept for many, many years in working with people in my wellness programs and in my Christian wellness coaching. I believe it to be a very helpful acronym when a person sets any goal for their lives, especially health behavior-related goals. So many people set a goal for themselves without really preparing how to achieve the goal. Applying the SMART acronym can help in addressing aspects of the goal that are important to be successful.
“Where there is no vision, people perish…” Proverbs 29:18a
In that we are in the second week in January, a time in which many people set goals for themselves, I hope that the above information on SMART goals is be helpful.
More Posts About This Book:
Read all the posts about this book in the category of Health Care & Wholeness
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Jan
02
2012
It’s a new year. The key here is that it is a ‘new’ year, not an ‘old’ year.
Looking back at the old has it’s purpose …. as long as we don’t stay there. Looking back is helpful to understand, but not helpful if we dwell on past events and circumstances and relationships.
Paul reminds us that we are new creations in Christ. He tells us that the old has passed and the new has come.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:The old has gone, the new is here!” 2 Corinthians 5:17
He also tells us that we are to put off the old and put on the new.
“You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” Ephesians 4:22-24
New health habits can be adopted by looking ahead and asking Christ to renew you by the power of the Holy Spirit who lives in you. Remember, if you are a believer, the same power that rose Christ from the dead is available to you because God’s Spirit is in you. John 14:17 The more you surrender to him and depend on him – the more you put on Christ – the more his power is able to help you make changes in your life.
As you head into 2012, take Paul’s instruction to heart. It’s a new year. Think new, not old. Put on Christ, not your old self. Look ahead and don’t dwell on the past.
Happy New Year!
Sep
20
2011
Our reactions to the trials and stressors of our life are a key determinant of our emotional and physical health. It’s not the events or the relationship issues that have a detrimental impact on our health, it’s our interpretation and perception of them.
In most days of our lives, we find ourselves in situations that can impact us in either a negative or a positive way. First, the event or circumstance occurs. This is generally quickly followed by the emotions that we experience. Then, typically, we react with our behavior and what we say. Our reactions are most often automatic because we do this out of habit. Our reactions will have either a positive or a negative impact on our body based, based on the accompanying emotions we experience.
We have an opportunity to impact our emotions and corresponding reactions by the thoughts that we have right after the experience or the event. With practice, we can train ourselves to think positively as opposed to negatively. We can choose to ask the Holy Spirit to control our thoughts, emotions and our reactions. This is the type of wisdom that James speaks of in James 1:2-8.
“Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.” James 1:2-8
Awareness of your thoughts and reactions is key to changing how you respond to stressors and trials. If you make a choice deep in your will to become more aware of how you respond to events in your life, you’ll be able to make changes with the help of the Holy Spirit. Changed responses will help you to become more like Christ and therefore your light will shine brighter. Learning to respond differently can also impact your health. Instead of your system releasing unhealthy chemicals into your body because of the toxic emotions you experience, the healthy chemicals that are released with your positive emotions will promote health.
It’s all about perspective. I urge you to look at your trials and potential life stressors as opportunities for spiritual growth. If you can have this mindset, it will change your life. And, God will be glorified as you credit His Spirit for helping you make this change.
Questions to Reflect On
What is you level of awareness of your thoughts that immediately follow stressful occurrences? Are your negative emotions and the corresponding physical reactions in your body impacting negatively on your health?
Resources Related to Thoughts and Health
Wikipedia Article – The Biology of Stress and Health
Faith and Health Article – Are Your Thoughts Making You Unhealthy?
Faith and Health Article – Manage Your Stress With God’s Help
Nov
01
2010
Last week I wrote a post about the Holy Spirit and the power to change unhealthy behavior. This is a follow-up post about God’s power and the Holy Spirit.
Paul writes about the Holy Spirit’s power in a prayer to the Ephesians:
“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” Ephesians 3:16-20
God’s power is available to us because of his Holy Spirit in us. This is not ‘our’ power, but it’s the power of the Holy Spirit who lives in us. There is a difference. Many people who do not really know God nor fully understand the scriptures, try to live out of their own strength and power. Verse 20 in the scripture above clearly states that it is the Holy Spirit’s power that is at work in us that enables us to live differently – to make changes in our lives.
The Holy Spirit’s Power
“I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms…” Ephesians 1:17-20
In these verses above, Paul reminds us that it’s through the “eyes of our heart” that we are able to understand how God works in our lives because of our belief and acceptance of Jesus Christ in our heart. When God begins to live in us in the form of the Holy Spirit, he gives us a new heart – a regenerated heart. With this heart, we are able to renew our minds to his truths found in scripture. (Romans 12:2) As we set our hearts on these truths and believe them, and we yield to God, the power of the Holy Spirit lives more fully through us. And as Paul writes, this power is the same mighty power that raised Jesus from his grave and sent him to be with his Father in heaven.
God wants each of us to experience this power so that we can realize the fullness of his love and live a kind of life that glorifies him. If this is your motivation – to glorify God with your life by the power of his Spirit – then God will answer your cries for more of his power as you yield to his Spirit inside you.
Questions to Reflect On:
Have you been trying to live life or make behavior changes by your own power and not through the power of the Holy Spirit?
Are you at the end of your rope in life and unable to make a go of it in your own strength?
Resources on the Love and Power of God:
Blog post – Power and Strength by Grace and Through Intimacy with God
Web site page – Receive God’s Love
Web site page – Receive Salvation and a New Heart
Web site page – Bible Scriptures on Stress, Health, Healing and Wholeness
Oct
26
2010
When a person accepts Jesus as their Savior and becomes a Christian, the Holy Spirit begins to live inside him. (John 14:16-17) The Bible tells us that the power of the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead is available to us because God’s Spirit lives in us. (Romans 8:11) This fact has huge implications for Christians who have struggled to make a behavior change in their life.
I suspect most people, whether they are Believers in Christ or not, rely primarily on their own strength – their own willpower – to make changes in their lives. I did that for many, many years. In weight management classes that I taught in a hospital setting several years ago, I urged participants to develop stronger “willpower.” Now, when I am working with Believers, I urge them to do the opposite. I urge them to rely less on their own abilities and strength and to rely more on the Holy Spirit. For most, this is a new concept. Maybe it’s also a foreign concept for you as well.
Our Old Nature Vs Our New Nature
Our human nature, our sinful nature, wants to do all it can to be in control and mange our behavior. But, the more we try to change behavior on our own, the more we are leaving God out of the picture and this leads to defeat, whereas leaning on God’s Spirit who lives in us leads to life. (Romans 8:13) The apostle Paul reminds us that when we are weak, we are strong. (2 Corinthians 12:10) In this verse, he’s indicating that when he acknowledges his own weakness and depends on God, that is when he is truly strong. Further along in Romans 8:26, Paul tells us that “the Spirit helps us in our weakness.”
We must be intentional about being sensitive to the Holy Spirit, being obedient to what we sense him telling us and being dependent on him. Again, for most, this will be out of our comfort zone because we think we need to be in charge and strong in our own might.
If you’ve made countless unsuccessful attempts at changing an unhealthy habit, I urge you to get on your knees and cry out to God and admit your dependency on him. Confess that you’ve left him out of the picture and that you’re now ready to lean more heavily on him – on the Holy Spirit – then you ever have before. As you do this, my prayer for you is Romans 15:13 – “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
And then, after you’ve changed your behavior, remember to give God the glory for how his Spirit empowered you to make the change!
Questions to Reflect On
How many times have you been unsuccessful in changing an unhealthy habit, without relying on the Holy Spirit?
Are you ready to be dependent on God’s Holy Spirit to help you make a change in your life?
Related Resources
Another Blog Post – The Power To Change Behavior
Blog Post – 110 Positive Affirmations Using Scripture
Jan
19
2010
When I was enrolled in my master’s degree program at Indiana University, one of my favorite courses was the The Growth and Human Development of Children. David Gallahue, PhD, was the professor. He went on to be the Dean of the Physical Education department. Gallahue shared with us that to learn a new sport or skill, three essentials were involved – effective instruction, lots of practice and plenty of encouragement and support.
This important concept can also be transferred into learning any new skill and changing health behavior. As many of you are attempting to change a behavior or learn a new skill, I’d urge you to consider the application of this tip to your situation.
Here’s an example. I’m helping lead a weight loss program at our church beginning this week. We’re using a book by Kara Davis, M.D.. I made a blog entry about her book – Spiritual Secrets to Weight Loss – a few months ago. Right off the bat, Davis writes in her introduction the importance and value of having an accountability partner for people who are entering a behavior change program. She urges us to find a person who will encourage, inspire and motivate us as well as speak a word of correction if necessary.
When wellness coaching clients partner with me, one of the key things they recognize they need most of all is encouragement and accountability from another person.
God clearly encourages us in scripture to rely on others for this type of support. Whether it’s an attempt at losing weight, stopping smoking or changing some other behavior, consider asking someone to stand along side of you as you take that journey!
Questions to Consider:
Are you attempting to make behavior changes on your own, without the encouragement and support of another person? If so, who might you ask to support you along the way?
Scriptures Related to Accountability, Support & Encouragement:
“Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.” Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
“As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” Proverbs 27:17
Related Resources:
Article – Life, Spirituality and Your Health – It’s About the Relationship
Wellness Coaching
Oct
31
2009
Our beliefs about God and spiritual things are the most important beliefs we have because they can have the most impact on our lives – as we live day to day and for all eternity.
What we believe determines how we behave to a very large degree. When our lifestyle choices are guided by our deep spiritual beliefs, our health can be positively impacted.
On one occasion, Jesus said in a loud voice, ” “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scriptures has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” By this he meant the Spirit (of God), whom those who believed in him were later to receive.” John 7:37-38
If we believe in Jesus and have accepted him into our heart, we are promised that God’s Holy Spirit is in us. The Spirit’s power enables us to live in a way that we could not otherwise live.
This is why I have identified the following Christian principles, among 38 others, to be health-promoting:
- Believe in God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit
- Accept Jesus as Savior
- Believe the Holy Spirit Lives in You
The “streams of living water” that flow from within you, resulting from the above principles, will help you experience a healthier life than if your beliefs were otherwise. This “stream of water” is God’s Spirit and his associated power for living.
When I want to make a point about something… when I want to emphasize something.. I often raise my voice and talk louder than I usually talk. Did you notice in the scripture above that Jesus spoke in a loud voice? I suspect he was emphasizing this to those he was talking to. I hope you’ll agree with me that this is a very important spiritual truth that we should embrace and apply!
Questions to Reflect on:
Do you have a desire or a “thirst” to make a behavior change in your life?
Are you burdened by stressors in your life?
Jesus invites you to “drink” from his well and to go to him if you are weary and burdened by life circumstances. (Matthew 11:28) He promises that the Spirit of God will empower you to make desired lifestyle changes and meet your deep needs when circumstances in life are burdensome.
Related Resources:
An Invitation to Join God’s Family
A More Complete Biblical Basis for The Faith and Health Connection Ministry
Changing Behavior and God’s Holy Spirit – a Blog Post
Other Blog Posts on the Holy Spirit and Health
Sep
30
2009
Do you love yourself? Do you really love yourself as God wants you to?
When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was, he offered this.
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul mind and strength, and love others as yourself.” (Mark 12:29-31) See also Matthew 19:18-19.
We can not love others in the manner God intends us to without loving ourselves in a God-honoring way. And, we are not able to sustain the types of habits God wants us to live by without this type of core, self-love that is received from God.
The love God wants us to have for ourselves is the agape-type love that God displayed for us when he sent his Son, Jesus, to die for our sins so that we might enjoy an eternal and abundant life. This is an unselfish - an unconditional type of love.
Many of us look to outward things and often resort to unhealthy often addictive behaviors in an effort to “feel good” about ourselves or to fill a very deep whole we have in our heart because we do not truly love ourselves. Some call this low self esteem. I think that God would say it’s because there is a deep root of low agape love of one’s self.
God loves you. His love is so wide and deep that you cannot measure it. (Ephesians 3:18-19) When a person accepts Jesus into her heart, God’s Holy Spirit begins to live in her. The more she turns her heart to God, believes in truths found in the Bible and surrenders herself to God, the greater the display of God’s love is present in her life. One such “fruit” is love, including a godly self-love.
The more the measure of self love we have, through the work of God’s Spirit, the more we are able to love others as God commands us. Additionally, the more love we have for ourselves, the more motivation and power we will have to make any desired behavior changes in our lives.
Maybe you desire to lose weight. Maybe you want to become more physically active. Or, perhaps you are challenged by an unhealthy addictive behavior that you’d like to stop. Agape self-love can be instrumental in providing the motivation to start these change of habits and in receiving the determination and power to continue with the new lifestyle.
This type of genuine agape love of yourself is best received from the God who created you. The best way I know to learn about God’s love is through spending time with him as I read the Bible and by praying to him in conjunction with that.
Questions to Ask Yourself (Consider commenting with your responses on this blog!)
Are you struggling with making behavior changes that have not been sustained?
Do you have a deep agape-type love of yourself that has been given to you by God?
Have you received the unconditional love that God has for you by accepting the love of his Son, Jesus
Resources Related to God’s Love
Article – Loving God… A Spiritual Exercise for a Healthier Life
Article – God Wants You Whole
Blog Post – Spirituality and Health: The Real Connection is Our Relationship With God
Website – All About God – God is Love
Training Materials – A workshop package to help share God’s love and his truths about the spirituality-health connection and equip others to make behavior changes.
Sep
22
2009
At 5:18 PM EDT the Fall season begins here in Charlotte, NC. It’s called the autumnal or fall equinox.
What happens during the Autumnal equinox?
The sun crosses the celestial equator and moves southward in the northern hemisphere during the September equinox. The location on the earth where the sun is directly overhead at solar noon is known as the subsolar point. The subsolar point occurs on the equator during the September equinox and March equinox. At that time, the earth’s axis of rotation is perpendicular to the line connecting the centers of the earth and the sun. This is the time when many people believe that the earth experiences 12 hours of day and night. However, this is not exactly the case.
I’ve always been really interested in weather, maps and data like this. I keep holding out for the opportunity to do the weather on television one day. Wouldn’t that be cool?
As we enter into this new season, it reminds me of the changes that will occur. Leaves change colors and the outside temperature begins to cool. The change of seasons is also a time of year when people make a concerted effort to change undesirable health-related behaviors. With this in mind, I thought I’d provide links to two posts I’ve previously made on this topic.
Changing Behavior With God’s Help
Blog Post – Power to Change Behavior - Ephesians 3:14-20
Blog Post – Change Unhealthy Behavior – The Power of God’s Spirit in You
Enjoy the Fall season!
Sep
16
2009
When I learn of information that I think will help others, I’m likely to pass it along more quickly than more slowly. This is one of those times.
About 5 years ago I read a book by Dr. Kara Davis, a practicing internal medicine physician, on the secrets to losing weight. It was based upon the application of the different “fruits of the spirit” addressed in Galatians 5:22-23.
Her new book is Spiritual Secrets to Weight Loss. A 50-Day Renewal of Body, Mind and Spirit. It combines spiritual truths of the Bible with practical yet medically sound advise on eating and physical activity.
I’ve read the introduction and the first of the 50 four-page chapters and scanned over the remainder of the book. One thing is clear - Davis’ heart is that people know the loving God of the Bible and that they be in good health. This book would be great to read read as a devotional over a 50 day period and I suspect could be a life-changing experience for some of you.
“For He (God) has satisfied the thirsty soul, and the hungry soul He (God) has filled with what is good.” Psalm 107:9
Questions to Reflect On:
Are struggling with your weight and ready to grow more deeply in your relationship with God and yourself? If so, I strongly recommend you read this book.
Do you know of a friend or family member who is challenged by their weight? Consider sharing this post and book with them.
Resources for Weight Management and Weight Loss
Article – Spiritual Exercises to Help You Know God Better and Manage Your Weight
Article – Overweight? Find Freedom From Overeating
Scripture Listing – Scriptures for Weight Loss and Weight Management
Let’s Connect!