The Weight of the Nation

Reviewing some resources from previous events, I came across this link again. The Weight of the Nation has a great overview of why obesity is a health crisis in the United States and what we can do about it. The video below is part of the several links that are found at the TED blog page linked above

Anointing with Oils

 Have you ever anointed someone?

Within the church, there is a tradition of anointing the sick.  

Anointing is placing a drop of oil on a thumb or finger and placing the sign of the cross on the forward.  Or it might be placing a drop on the crown of the head. Anyone can do this for another.

What are Essential Oils?

These words are on a plaque that hangs in our home.  

\It is a reminder to me that each day, my attitude can make the difference. 

Am I grateful? 

Or am I looking for everything that is wrong and needs improved?  

 

Overview of the Project

Below you will find the slides from my Public Presentation.  These give an overview of the project and my paper.  This is the "cliff notes" version.  I hope that you will read along though as I post more in the coming weeks. 

Called to Love: Theological Foundations

Wherever Jesus went in his earthly ministry, people reached out to touch him, believing that just grasping the hem of his garment would bring them healing. This sense that Jesus cared about physical bodies as well as souls permeated his earthly ministry. Perhaps persons of that time had a stronger sense of the holistic nature and the cohesiveness of life.

Do we no longer believe that God cares for our whole selves—body, mind and spirit? 

Does God care for all dimensions of our health?

            Jesus is God incarnate. God became enfleshed in humanity’s form. The God who becomes incarnate surely has a concern for the physical human body in all its dimensions.

The ministry of Jesus included the restoration of physical health as well as the forgiveness of sins. Jesus’ own bodily resurrection points to a God who is concerned for the physical well-being of humans. Yet, we often approach the scriptures with the sense that they are for our salvation beyond this world and not with a concern for how we develop and treat our bodies, minds and souls in this world.

            Scripture would tell us otherwise;

·         Mark shows us Jesus’ concern for restoring wholeness to persons.

·         John reminds us that Jesus came to bring us abundant life.

·         Paul writes about believers offering their bodies as a living sacrifice as well as the human body as the temple of the Holy Spirit.

·         Jesus said that the greatest commandment is to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.

All of these point us toward the concern which God has for our whole selves: body, mind and spirit. The injunction from Paul to “glorify God with our bodies” leads us to take seriously caring for ourselves as beloved creatures of God.

Why should I care?

In the closing chapter of Health, Healing & Wholeness: Engaging Congregations in Ministries of Health, Mary Chase-Ziolek notes that for a congregational health ministry to succeed, the leaders in the congregation must be engaged. “For health ministries to reach their full potential, those in leadership need to be personally transformed, knowing in our hearts as well as our heads that body/mind/spirit are inseparable and that faith and health are joined as one chord in the song of life. Our lives need to model what we preach and teach.”[1] For pastors to be healthy leaders of healthy congregations, they must have an “integration of theology, spiritual formation, disciple and commitment” according to Bruce G. Epperly.[2] As Roy Oswald suggested, “the minister is not the savior, but the one who offers guidance and leadership through his/her own health and wholeness, and in turn is invited to greater wholeness through the health and wholeness of persons in the congregation.”[3]

Several years ago now, my husband and I planned a trip to the Grand Canyon. Included in the dory boat trip was an eight mile hike to the Colorado River at the bottom of the Canyon. I had been walking on the track at the gym when I finally read the fine print in the brochure which said that walking was not enough exercise to be in shape for this hike. As a result, I began to use the elliptical machine with the mantra, “I don’t want to die at the bottom of the Grand Canyon!” Through that experience, I began my own personal journey to look for a motivation to be a healthier person and pastor.

In reality, living a healthy life is challenging for many clergypersons. According to the 2015 Report of the Clergy Health Survey produced by the United Methodist Center for Health, “Forty-two percent (42%)[of clergy] are currently obese[4]—much higher than a demographically-matched sample of U.S. adults, and an additional 37% are currently overweight[5].”[6] Many clergypersons struggle to maintain a wholistic[7] lifestyle which incorporates all five dimensions of health (physical, spiritual, emotional, social, and financial) promoted by the United Methodist Church.  For clergypersons, the multiple stresses of work, family, and self-care create a struggle to strike a balance that maintains one’s own health as well as meets the demands of parish life. Disciplined self-care is necessary for wholeness and health.

Many activities could be proposed to increase the health of clergy including retreats, monthly gatherings, self-directed projects, exercise classes, and financial workshops. The primary goal here is to educate and engage church leaders to make personal connections between faith and health while encouraging their congregations in ministries of health and wellness. The overall goal is to not only engage in self-care, but also to begin to educate congregations about the theological foundations of health ministry while beginning or strengthen ministries of health and wellness within congregations. The starting point must be to provide a scriptural foundation for the theological conclusion that God cares for all dimensions of health.  This scriptural foundation provides context to leaders and congregations engaged in health and wellness ministries.      

  Jesus said, “you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength’ (Mark 12:30). [8] As pastors who love God, finding their own wholeness can be challenging when they are living wholly for God.  Engaging our congregations in loving and serving God when we are modeling unhealthy behaviors is difficult if not hypocritical. Recovering the Biblical foundation to care for the totality of ourselves –body, mind and spirit—is essential in promoting self-care among clergy as well as health and wellness ministries within congregations. 

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[1] Mary Chase-Ziolek, Health, Healing & Wholeness: Engaging Congregations in Ministries of Health, (Cleveland: The Pilgrim Press, 2005), 123.

[2] Bruce G. Epperly, Healing Worship: Purpose & Practice, (Cleveland: The Pilgrim Press, 2006), 99.

[3] Roy M. Oswald, Clergy Self-Care: Finding a Balance for Effective Ministry (New York: Rowman & Littlefield, 1991), 15.

[4]Obese is defined as a Body Mass Index of 30.0 or higher. “Overweight and Obesity,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, last updated June 16, 2016, accessed 1/9/2017, https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/adult/defining.html

[5] Overweight is defined as a Body Mass Index of 25.0 to 30.0. . “Overweight and Obesity,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, last updated June 16, 2016, accessed 1/9/2017, https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/adult/defining.html

[6]Clergy Health Survey. Report 2015, Chicago: General Board Pensions and Health Benefits, 2015, accessed 1/10/2017, http://www.wespath.org/assets/1/7/4785.pdf, 2

[7] The word “wholistic” is intentionally used throughout this paper.  “In health ministry, the linguistic terms ‘wholistic’ and ‘holistic’ are not interchangeable—they each have distinct meanings. When speaking of health ministry and parish/faith community nursing, the ‘W’ should be used. The Rev. Dr. Granger Westberg first advocated the use of the term ‘wholistic’ rather than ‘holistic,’ to more closely relate the term to wholeness and to avoid confusion with the term ‘holistic’ that connotes non-religious alternative health care practices.” Health Ministry in The United Methodist Church.  UMC Health Ministry Network. Center for Health, accessed 1/9/2017, https://www.wespath.org/assets/1/7/4382.pdf, 1 footnote.

[8]Unless otherwise noted, all scripture quotes are from New Revised Standard Version. The New Interpreter’s Study Bible. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2003.

Called to Be wHoly*: Loving God with our Whole Selves

May 13, 2019

How do we love God with our of ourselves?  How do we take care of all aspects of our own lives when we are taking care of other people as well?  Can we increase our own self-care as we encourage others to see the care of their WHOLE selves as part of our calling as Christians?

These were the questions that prompted by Doctor of Ministry project and subsequent paper. Below is the abstract from the paper.  My hope is to pull out pieces of this paper to post here at this blog.  Eventually, a book may emerge but for the moment, you will find here posts to help you reflect on the Biblical mandate to love God with our whole selves.

Please leave your comments and questions!

Abstract

Clergy person are not healthy in wholistic** ways. This paper examined whether pastors who engage in examining their own health through a wholistic framework while also establishing or strengthening a health ministry within in their congregations would increase their self-care. The pastors participated in a Day Apart and/or a covenant group.  Their health measures were compared to those who did not participate in anything.  The analysis suggests that pastors who participated in covenant groups and the day apart did increase their health measures while the connection to congregational health ministries was not clearly established.

*“wholy” is intentionally spelled in this manner to combine the words “holy” and “whole.”

**The word “wholistic” is intentionally used throughout this paper.  “In health ministry, the linguistic terms ‘wholistic’ and ‘holistic’ are not interchangeable—they each have distinct meanings. When speaking of health ministry and parish/faith community nursing, the ‘W’ should be used. The Rev. Dr. Granger Westberg first advocated the use of the term ‘wholistic’ rather than ‘holistic,’ to more closely relate the term to wholeness and to avoid confusion with the term ‘holistic’ that connotes non-religious alternative health care practices.” Health Ministry in The United Methodist Church.  UMC Health Ministry Network. Center for Health, accessed 1/9/2017, https://www.wespath.org/assets/1/7/4382.pdf, 1 footnote.