Much of the focus during the 2-day summit was on how Faith Community Nurses (or Parish Nurses) and congregational Health Ministers can be more effective in their work.  Additionally, we talked about strategies to contribute to Health Care Reform and how to move our collective work forward. A White Paper is to be published later this year which will summarize the work that was done at the summit and help to chart a course forward for all those involved in this type of ministry.

Health Ministries Association (HMA) is a non-profit membership organization reaching out to transform the approach to wholeness and health.  HMA encompasses all who support whole-person ministries and is recognized as the national professional membership organization for Faith Community Nurses.  If you’re involved in a health-related ministry that supports a house of faith and are inclined to be involved with a professional organization, I’d encourage you to consider becoming a member of HMA.

More detailed information on the summit is at this press release.

It’s about a close relationship with God, through his son Jesus and living by the power of the Holy Spirit. It’s not about “religion.” It’s about knowing and remaining connected to God in an intimate way.

Jesus tells his disciples in John 15:5 ….

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

This verse tells us that we cannot live the kind of fruit-bearing life that he wants us to live unless we are closely connected to Jesus.  Yes, we must also humble ourselves before God, submit to and follow his ways, and believe that what the Bible says is truth.

When we make a habit of living life according to the principles God outlines for us in his Holy Bible, we are promised that we’ll have an abundant life. We may not be free of disease, we will in all likelihood experience really tough life circumstances, but amidst it all we can enjoy deep inner peace, inner spiritual strength, joy, love and contentment.  Oh yes, and we can be assured of living eternally in a wonderful heaven!

The more closely we stay connected to Jesus, the better we’ll understand our unique purpose in life and the greater difference we’ll make for his Kingdom and the body of Christ.

What blessings God has for us…. if we will put our faith in him, trust him, obey his truths for living found in the Bible and walk our life in close relationship with him.

These are some of the key points I hope to remind the audience of this Sunday.  As I review my notes, read the related scriptures that I intend to emphasize and pray for God to guide me, I’m reminded of the great and powerful love he has for me and for you.

Life is good… when you know God in an intimate way!

Questions to Reflect On

Are you living in a close relationship with God, spending alone time with him on most days?

Are you regularly reading the Bible to learn how he wants you to live?

Helpful Resources

Article – It’s About the Relationship

Article – His Instruction Manual, Our Guidebook for Living

Website – To Learn More About a Personal Relationship with God

If your organization or church is interested in a workshop or retreat, read about my speaking services.

Affirmations Using Scripture for Your iPod

I’m working on organizing the several hundred affirmations I’ve tweeted over the last six months into categories.  Upon completion, I’ll be making them available to download in MP3 format.

Listen to a sample of three affirmations using scripture.

To be notified when they’re ready, simply send me a quick email and I’ll reply back to you with a link.

Have an awesome day!

This chapter is one of the most concise writings I have read that explains the mind-body connection from a medical or scientific perspective. Among other topics, Badaracco discusses the following in the context of health and healing:

• The stress and relaxation responses
• Prayer, meditation and contemplation
• Mindfulness
• Habits of  thinking
• Negative emotions – the anxiety pandemic
• Allostatic load
• Memories and remembered wellness
• Suffering
• Neurogenesis
• The role of physicians and practitioners
• Personal transformation
• Media’s impact

As I read this chapter, I was not surprised to read that most all of the principles she mentioned about the findings of many researchers in this field of religion/spirituality and health are also principles that the writers of the Bible captured thousands of years ago.  These principles or spiritual truths were provided to us by our Creator, God, and science is beginning to get a handle on them – to understand them from a medical perspective. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

Our role as believers in Christ or as seekers of the truth, is to believe and understand the truth that is recorded in the Bible… and then to apply it to our life… in the way we behave and the way we think.

More and more it is clear to me that our purpose in life is to be in a right relationship with God – to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength – and to love and serve others with the special gifts He has given us. (Mark 12:30-31) When we do this, God is glorified.  This is our purpose for being on this earth.

As we practice the principles found in the Bible – as we obey God out of love (John 14:15,23), one of the outcomes, in general, is a high quality of life including good health. (John 10:10) This is how God designed things to work.  Good health and well being should not be the motivator for practicing the Christian faith, but it’s often an outcome of putting into practice God’s principles that He’s provided us with in the Bible.

I’m looking forward to reading more of Badaracco’s book and to understand the impact that media, and in fact my writings, might have on people’s understanding and impression about the religion/spirituality-health link.

More Resources on the Spirituality/Religion-Health Link

Article - Spirituality and Your Health – Understanding the Connection

Article – Think Spiritual Thoughts/Renew Your Mind

Article – His Instruction Manual … Our Guidebook for Healthy Living

Poster Presentation – The Spirituality-Health Connection: Why It Exists A Christian perspective on this link supported by 194 scripture passages and 41 key principles.

Web Page – How God Designed Us

Web Page – Stress, Your Health and Faith

• Dr. Walt Larimore
• The Christian Post Health Blog
• Food for the Body Mind & Soul
• Fit for Faith
• Vibrant Living
• Freedom from Emotional Eating

I’d like some help adding to this list.  If you are a Christian blogger or know of a Christian blogger who maintains a blog on health or wellness that addresses topics of wellness from a faith perspective, please contact me – or add a comment here with the blog’s URL for consideration in this listing.

I’d also like to know if you have a health/wellness blog that you consider a favorite.

Thanks a bunch!

…………………………………………..

Based on your comments and feedback to me, these are the sites I’m adding to the listing:

• Women Living Well (see the health tab of the website)
  Here’s a sample post – Wednesdays in the Word – A Meaningful Life
• Wholy Health – Dedicated to exploring how lifestyle effects our walk with God and the connection between health and spirituality.
• PraiseWalker.com – Physical, mental and spiritual wellness simply through walking.
• God is Doing a New Thing – Heidi writes about life and the Christian faith, especially about food, eating and body issues.

Wellness in the Bible

I spent most of today updating a list I have of scriptures related to health and wellness.  It now includes over 66 verses.

To see this listing of scriptures and their contents, click on the following link:

Bible Scripture, Verses & Quotes on Health, Wellness & Wholeness

See this link to a page on my site for other lists of  Bible Verses and Quotes Related to Weight Loss, Stress, Strength and Healing.

10 Life Balance Questions to Reflect Upon:

1. How often do you engage in the Bible study not related to the practice of ministry?

2. How often do you participate in private worship?

3. Are you active in an accountability/support group?

4. How many “days off” are you consistently taking each week?

5. How much time each week is reserved for home life?

6. If married, how often do you have “date” nights or other regular opportunities for special time with your spouse? If single, do you spend time with friends or other family on a weekly basis?

7. Are you up to date with your annual physical?

8. Are you getting regular physical activity/exercise?

9. Is your diet balanced and in moderation?

10. Do you engage in interests or hobbies outside the church?

*Adapted from material provided by Rev. Christian Dominic Boyd, www.celtichound.org

“Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.” 3 John 1:2 (NIV)

If you’d like to receive a monthly email of encouragement, visit the link and select the appropriate newsletter.

Question: I’ve tried every trick in the book to get rid of some of my bad habits. A friend tells me to try God. What difference would God make?

Answer: You’ve learned you don’t have the strength to overcome these habits. No matter how hard you try, their grip on you is too strong.

Even if you’ve never thought about him very much or had him as a part of your life, down inside you know God is much stronger than you are. You need him, because he can give you the strength you need to overcome these habits. He wants to help you – and he will, as you turn to him and submit your life to Christ.

Begin by telling God that you know you have sinned, and you know you need his forgiveness and help. Then ask Christ to come into your life and help you. He’ll give you a new desire to live the way you should, and strength to resist temptation.

Then surround yourself with friends who will help you instead of pull you down. Flee from temptation when it first appears. In addition, fill your life with good things that will push out the bad.

Read more answers to health-related questions by Billy Graham.

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!!

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.

The following was reported in a NY Times article of May 8, 2009.

Only 6 percent of people with steady jobs developed a new health condition during each survey period of about a year and a half, compared with 10 percent of those who had lost a job during the same period.

David Williams, a professor at the Harvard School of Public Health who was not involved in the research, said the study is a reminder that job loss and other life stressors have a tremendous impact on both mental and physical health and contribute to the development of chronic conditions.

“We know that stress affects health,” said Dr. Williams, director of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Commission to Build a Healthier America. “It causes changes in physiological function in multiple ways, and it can lead to alterations in health behavior. People no longer exercise, they eat more, they drink more. People who smoke, smoke more on high stress days.”

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.

Read scripture affirmations about stength from God.