In today's post I want to spend some time with an ancient spiritual practice that leads to health, wellness and wholeness (HW2). It is the practice of simplicity or of self-emptying. We live in a time of great consumerism, the acquisition of "stuff" goes on at an enormous rate. Consider the following statistics: since the mid-1970's the average house size in the U.S. has increased by 50% (from 1600 to 2400 square feet) while the size of the average family has decreased. The personal storage business in 2009 was more than a $20 billion (yes, BILLION) industry. Thus, even though we have 50% more space in our homes on average than our parents did, we now spend a huge amount of money to store all the extra stuff that we don't have room for in our larger homes! Consider also that we are literally eating ourselves to death as well. Overweight and obesity are of epidemic proportions in the U.S. We are increasing our body size exponentially as well.
In order to acquire all this extra stuff that we need to store in some off-site space, we work longer and have less leisure time. This leads to the existential angst that so many feel, and the downward spiral into more work, less free time, poorer and poorer HW2. We are also beset by the problems of our getting richer while the majority of the world's population are getting poorer. The median household income in Arlington, Virginia, in 2008 was > $101,000. The majority of the world's population exists on less than $800 a year. How do caring people reconcile these data? How do we turn away from the consumerism that dominates our "developed" world and get back to the equitable distribution of wealth and material goods - the latter meaning the process of ensuring easy access to clean water, safe housing, healthy food?
The path to that way of being is the way of self-emptying talked about by all the theologians. We can not "see" the other if we are focused on ourselves - nor can we help ourselves. Words from Chris Sligh's song, "Empty Me" help shed light on the path..."Empty me of the selfishness inside, Every vain ambition and the poison of my pride. And any foolish thing my heart holds to, Lord empty me of me, so I can be filled with you." Repentance - turning our back on the current path, requires that we recognize the current way is misguided. We have to recognize our selfishness, pride and ambition as the key elements that are barriers to our HW2. Removing said barriers is a long and difficult process, and one that we can not accomplish alone.
We accomplish self-emptying in community. Surrounded by like minded (or similarly focused) persons, we can begin the process of becoming empty so we can be filled with life giving Spirit. This is what Possibilities Journey, Inc., (www.possjrny.org) is focused on. Helping all people recognize the need to empty, and then helping them discover the path to being filled with abundant life.
Let us know how we can help you.
Peace,
Dan
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Monday, July 26, 2010
The Illusion of Control
Today's post is brought to you courtesy of a powerful line of thunderstorms that rolled through the Arlington, Virginia, area yesterday afternoon. The wind-front knocked out electricity to much of the region, and it is still spotty this morning. I have office space in the lower level of a United Methodist church, and my office, one half of the building, and the air conditioning unit, are all not operational. I've gone across the hall to the library (has power) and run an extension cord in order to be able to connect to you all.
I found myself in "woe is me" mode this morning after I discovered the lack of power. The reality of the situation called on me to be resourceful, and as I was able to get to the internet via a local Wi-Fi connection, I was able to get some work done. The loss of control was and is a real issue in today's society. When we are unable to do things easily due to glitches in our day, we feel anxious, frustrated, and often angry. This lack of control shows us our deep fear and lack of self esteem as people (versus our masks of who we are through our jobs or social position). If this goes on long enough, we fall into the chaos that is characterized by a lack of meaning in our lives - we don't know who we are and what we believe.
This seems to be a modern day crisis brought about by technology, however, it is as old as human kind itself. Our ability as humans to adopt personna is depicted in the earliest writings. The Greeks coined a term "hypokritēs" which literally means actor. Thus, a hypocrite is really a person who is playing a role, rather than being "real" or acting out of self-kowledge. One has to spend just a moment with cable television's "reality T.V." to understand that there is a real crisis in America brought on by a lack of self-knowledge and the need to act in ways that bring people noterity. This hypocrisy leads to all sorts of health, wellness and wholeness issues, as one continues to search for control through new and more elaborate lies and actions.
The path to Shalom, therefore, lies in the realization that we have limited control over what happens in our lives. Like life in the wake of powerful weather (hurricanes, tornadoes, wind, snow, rain, etc) we can try to battle for control, or we can adopt an healthier view which seeks to live in harmony with nature, understanding that there are many times when we will be called to adapt - no matter how knowledgeable we become. For example, I could see via Doppler radar that the storms of yesterday were going to hit my area, when they were going to hit, and how powerful they were. Yet, I could no more stop the storms than I could fly to the moon. How many things in our lives are like that?!
At Possibilities Journey, Inc., we are dedicated to helping all persons put off their masks and find their way to health, wellness and wholeness. We will accomplish this together by realizing our lack of control and our need to be on connection with the source of our lives.
Peace and grace,
Dan
I found myself in "woe is me" mode this morning after I discovered the lack of power. The reality of the situation called on me to be resourceful, and as I was able to get to the internet via a local Wi-Fi connection, I was able to get some work done. The loss of control was and is a real issue in today's society. When we are unable to do things easily due to glitches in our day, we feel anxious, frustrated, and often angry. This lack of control shows us our deep fear and lack of self esteem as people (versus our masks of who we are through our jobs or social position). If this goes on long enough, we fall into the chaos that is characterized by a lack of meaning in our lives - we don't know who we are and what we believe.
This seems to be a modern day crisis brought about by technology, however, it is as old as human kind itself. Our ability as humans to adopt personna is depicted in the earliest writings. The Greeks coined a term "hypokritēs" which literally means actor. Thus, a hypocrite is really a person who is playing a role, rather than being "real" or acting out of self-kowledge. One has to spend just a moment with cable television's "reality T.V." to understand that there is a real crisis in America brought on by a lack of self-knowledge and the need to act in ways that bring people noterity. This hypocrisy leads to all sorts of health, wellness and wholeness issues, as one continues to search for control through new and more elaborate lies and actions.
The path to Shalom, therefore, lies in the realization that we have limited control over what happens in our lives. Like life in the wake of powerful weather (hurricanes, tornadoes, wind, snow, rain, etc) we can try to battle for control, or we can adopt an healthier view which seeks to live in harmony with nature, understanding that there are many times when we will be called to adapt - no matter how knowledgeable we become. For example, I could see via Doppler radar that the storms of yesterday were going to hit my area, when they were going to hit, and how powerful they were. Yet, I could no more stop the storms than I could fly to the moon. How many things in our lives are like that?!
At Possibilities Journey, Inc., we are dedicated to helping all persons put off their masks and find their way to health, wellness and wholeness. We will accomplish this together by realizing our lack of control and our need to be on connection with the source of our lives.
Peace and grace,
Dan
Thursday, July 22, 2010
HW2 and the Role of the Companion
Today's post comes from a Connections blog post that talked about bread and it's definitive place in our lives. Why bread you ask? Well, when you break apart the word "companion" into its formative pieces you get "com" meaning with, and "panis" meaning bread. So, a companion is one who comes to us with bread. While this is less of an issue in current life, at one point, this was possibly the only food that one might have, and offering bread was a major part of hospitality.
While in high school, I worked as a baker's helper. One of my jobs at the bakery was to weigh, roll out, and then bake the different breads and rolls. The smell coming from the oven as the bread baked was one that still transports me to those days some 30 years ago. A favorite snack was a fresh baked roll right out of the oven slathered with butter - still is today. When people came to the counter, you could see the change in their faces when the smell of bread hit them. They would always comment on the fact that the package was still warm to the touch. They were happy.
When we look at our dis-ease, one aspect of that is our individualism and isolation - and our lack of joy bacuase of that. One can't be isolated when another brings bread and offers us a portion. If we think a moment about sharing a meal and the benefits on our psyche and our bodies, we see that the metaphor of sharing bread - being companions to each other, confers more than just physical benefit. How can we bring bread to another and ease their loneliness?
One aspect of our unhealth that is so common now days is that we feel lonely, even when we are surrounded by people. It's one of the major factors behind the growth of internet social networking (in my opinion). The problem with virtual networks is that one can't easily or as definitively "break bread" with another. Nothing can replace the face-to-face sharing and ability to have side conversations and see body language -that adds so much to our togetherness and a sense of connectivity.
If you feel that you're missing something in your life and your HW2 (health, wellness and wholeness) pick up some fresh baked bread and share it with another. Even better, bake some bread or rolls from scratch - you will get the added benefit of the aroma in the house, as well as feeling good about co-creating something. Then go out and share widely - you'll be surprised how good you feel; and how good you make others feel.
Your companion on the journey,
Dan
While in high school, I worked as a baker's helper. One of my jobs at the bakery was to weigh, roll out, and then bake the different breads and rolls. The smell coming from the oven as the bread baked was one that still transports me to those days some 30 years ago. A favorite snack was a fresh baked roll right out of the oven slathered with butter - still is today. When people came to the counter, you could see the change in their faces when the smell of bread hit them. They would always comment on the fact that the package was still warm to the touch. They were happy.
When we look at our dis-ease, one aspect of that is our individualism and isolation - and our lack of joy bacuase of that. One can't be isolated when another brings bread and offers us a portion. If we think a moment about sharing a meal and the benefits on our psyche and our bodies, we see that the metaphor of sharing bread - being companions to each other, confers more than just physical benefit. How can we bring bread to another and ease their loneliness?
One aspect of our unhealth that is so common now days is that we feel lonely, even when we are surrounded by people. It's one of the major factors behind the growth of internet social networking (in my opinion). The problem with virtual networks is that one can't easily or as definitively "break bread" with another. Nothing can replace the face-to-face sharing and ability to have side conversations and see body language -that adds so much to our togetherness and a sense of connectivity.
If you feel that you're missing something in your life and your HW2 (health, wellness and wholeness) pick up some fresh baked bread and share it with another. Even better, bake some bread or rolls from scratch - you will get the added benefit of the aroma in the house, as well as feeling good about co-creating something. Then go out and share widely - you'll be surprised how good you feel; and how good you make others feel.
Your companion on the journey,
Dan
Monday, July 19, 2010
Iniquity - A Major Player in our Dis-Ease
Today's post comes form a "throw away" line in the most current edition of the Christian Century. The line was how iniquity waas really the same thing as inequality. That made a light bulb go off in my mind. I have often been befuddled by the term iniquity. We often pray corporately for God to forgive our sins and our iniquities. I thought they were the same thing, but the writer in me knew that if this were true, then I was praying a redundancy. I never was moved until now to seek more information.
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary gives synonyms for iniquity as evil, injustice, wickedness, immorality, sin; to name just a few. So, sin is a synonym for iniquity, but it appears that the most common understanding is that of injustice - our sin against each other. There is much injustice in the world, both our local world, and around the globe. In America, our insatiable need for things and wealth accumulation, drive much of the social injustice in the developing world. Irrespective of belief models and commentaries by uninformed folks such as Glen Beck, injustice is real, is a major player for all the Abrahamic faiths, and is a major player in our individual and communal dis-ease.
What do I mean? We are all created to be in relationship one to another, and to something larger than ourselves. When our connection is strong, we are part of something that enables our health, wellness and wholeness (HW2). When we rely on ourselves or on human-centric beliefs and health models, we get off into the "latest and greatest" that leave us wanting more. Never satisfying, always demanding more sacrifice, leaving us unchanged (untransformed), leaving us a shadow of ourselves.
When we open ourselves up to the possibility of something greater than ourselves, then we give up the need to run the universe. Once that happens, we can look around and see the world for the shambles that we've made it, and feel true remorse for our complicity in the injustices of not only our time, but for times past. We can then ask and receive forgiveness, and ask what it is that we can do about the things that we see. Healing comes in this way - from outside ourselves when we are truly connected.
So, how can we pursue HW2? We first need to own our iniquity along with our sin. At that point then, we can forgive each other and work to heal the dis-ease of the world. This is the path that Possibilities Journey, Inc., (www.possjrny.org) is on. Come and join us.
Peace,
Dan
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary gives synonyms for iniquity as evil, injustice, wickedness, immorality, sin; to name just a few. So, sin is a synonym for iniquity, but it appears that the most common understanding is that of injustice - our sin against each other. There is much injustice in the world, both our local world, and around the globe. In America, our insatiable need for things and wealth accumulation, drive much of the social injustice in the developing world. Irrespective of belief models and commentaries by uninformed folks such as Glen Beck, injustice is real, is a major player for all the Abrahamic faiths, and is a major player in our individual and communal dis-ease.
What do I mean? We are all created to be in relationship one to another, and to something larger than ourselves. When our connection is strong, we are part of something that enables our health, wellness and wholeness (HW2). When we rely on ourselves or on human-centric beliefs and health models, we get off into the "latest and greatest" that leave us wanting more. Never satisfying, always demanding more sacrifice, leaving us unchanged (untransformed), leaving us a shadow of ourselves.
When we open ourselves up to the possibility of something greater than ourselves, then we give up the need to run the universe. Once that happens, we can look around and see the world for the shambles that we've made it, and feel true remorse for our complicity in the injustices of not only our time, but for times past. We can then ask and receive forgiveness, and ask what it is that we can do about the things that we see. Healing comes in this way - from outside ourselves when we are truly connected.
So, how can we pursue HW2? We first need to own our iniquity along with our sin. At that point then, we can forgive each other and work to heal the dis-ease of the world. This is the path that Possibilities Journey, Inc., (www.possjrny.org) is on. Come and join us.
Peace,
Dan
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Living in the Past
Today's post is a reflection on our tendancy as humans to live constantly looking backwards. We live expectantly, hoping at some level that the past will come back again. Looking back, we always see things as so much better - life was idyllic, there were no problems, etc. By living in the dream world of the past, we can lose ourselves and forfeit our present and our future. We can see this reflected on us from the investment world in the statement, "past performance is not a predictor of future yields" - caveat emptor. So it is with our health, wellness and wholeness (HW2).
My teenage boys were watching one of the Harry Potter movies on cable last week. This episode in the saga had a young Harry discovering the "Mirror of Erised". This mirror shows the heart's fondest desire - for Harry, a re-uniting with his dead parents and the ability to have a family life. ("Erised" is "desire" spelled backwards, in case that had flown by you.) Professor Dumbledore finds Harry staring longingly at the mirror and tells him that people have wasted away in front of it - longing for their heart's desire, but never doing anything to achieve it.
Our HW2 is like that as well. We view pictures of ourselves from times past, and think about how in shape, how strong, how vital, etc., and attempt to recover that image. Even though, many years have gone by, and the basic physiologic processes of aging have taken control. We are encouraged in this misadventure by the "talking heads" on the info-mercials which indicate that regaining our past is something we can accomplish if only we invest in their product(s). Especially popular are the quick fixes (e.g., Take this pill and lose an enormous amount of weight; Drink this elixir and you'll be younger and have more energy). So we spend our money and find that the outcomes ("results not typical") are less than suggested. Our wellness and wholeness take another hit.
The approach that is working for me and others is to live in the present. Take each day as the gift that it is. Use it to the fullest and make mindful decisions about what you do and what you eat. Consider living for today, each day, the best way you can (as a good steward of the gift of your life) and over time, you will receive your heart's desire.
Peace and grace,
Dan
My teenage boys were watching one of the Harry Potter movies on cable last week. This episode in the saga had a young Harry discovering the "Mirror of Erised". This mirror shows the heart's fondest desire - for Harry, a re-uniting with his dead parents and the ability to have a family life. ("Erised" is "desire" spelled backwards, in case that had flown by you.) Professor Dumbledore finds Harry staring longingly at the mirror and tells him that people have wasted away in front of it - longing for their heart's desire, but never doing anything to achieve it.
Our HW2 is like that as well. We view pictures of ourselves from times past, and think about how in shape, how strong, how vital, etc., and attempt to recover that image. Even though, many years have gone by, and the basic physiologic processes of aging have taken control. We are encouraged in this misadventure by the "talking heads" on the info-mercials which indicate that regaining our past is something we can accomplish if only we invest in their product(s). Especially popular are the quick fixes (e.g., Take this pill and lose an enormous amount of weight; Drink this elixir and you'll be younger and have more energy). So we spend our money and find that the outcomes ("results not typical") are less than suggested. Our wellness and wholeness take another hit.
The approach that is working for me and others is to live in the present. Take each day as the gift that it is. Use it to the fullest and make mindful decisions about what you do and what you eat. Consider living for today, each day, the best way you can (as a good steward of the gift of your life) and over time, you will receive your heart's desire.
Peace and grace,
Dan
Monday, July 12, 2010
Creation and HW2
Today's post is a reflection on the current sermon series at my church. We're going back to Genesis to revisit the creation stories. Yes, there are two creation stories contained in Genesis, one that starts the Bible, and the other contained in the beginning of Chapter 2. The stories share many themes, but differ in the way that man and woman are formed by God. No matter the differences, in both stories, we (men and women) are created in the image of God and begin life with God's breath.
Our journey towards health, wellness and wholeness (HW2) sometimes loses focus because we forget this key to life. That is, we are formed in the image of God and that we are gifted our lives. That gift makes us stewards, ones who care for something that belongs to another (in this case, we clearly belong to God). Faithful stewards care for all created things, and themselves included.
The world is only concerned with getting and spending. It tells us that if we spend more we will get more. It also leads us to believe that by getting more we will be happy and content. the truth, however, is taht getting and spending only lead to more work and upwardly mobile lifestyles that lead to burnout and increasing debt. All idol worship leads demands sacrifice. A worldly outlook therefore sacrifices our stewardship for our personal gain. Is it any wonder that we are overweight/obese, tormented by demons of the seven deadly sins, constantly in acquisition mode, anxious about tomorrow and our impending death, and willing to sacrifice anything (including our health and peace of mind) to live one more day/hour.
How do we get away from the world - to be "in the world but not of the world"? We must remember that we are fearfully and wonderfully made and that we are made for a purpose. The purpose is to be the best stewards of our bodies and our souls and to allow God to instruct us on what our purpose is. If you stop, what can you hear? What does God want you to do with your life from this point forward? Possibilities Journey, Inc., (www.possjrny.org) is here to help you discover your purpose and to be the best steward of your body that you can be.
Peace,
Dan
Our journey towards health, wellness and wholeness (HW2) sometimes loses focus because we forget this key to life. That is, we are formed in the image of God and that we are gifted our lives. That gift makes us stewards, ones who care for something that belongs to another (in this case, we clearly belong to God). Faithful stewards care for all created things, and themselves included.
The world is only concerned with getting and spending. It tells us that if we spend more we will get more. It also leads us to believe that by getting more we will be happy and content. the truth, however, is taht getting and spending only lead to more work and upwardly mobile lifestyles that lead to burnout and increasing debt. All idol worship leads demands sacrifice. A worldly outlook therefore sacrifices our stewardship for our personal gain. Is it any wonder that we are overweight/obese, tormented by demons of the seven deadly sins, constantly in acquisition mode, anxious about tomorrow and our impending death, and willing to sacrifice anything (including our health and peace of mind) to live one more day/hour.
How do we get away from the world - to be "in the world but not of the world"? We must remember that we are fearfully and wonderfully made and that we are made for a purpose. The purpose is to be the best stewards of our bodies and our souls and to allow God to instruct us on what our purpose is. If you stop, what can you hear? What does God want you to do with your life from this point forward? Possibilities Journey, Inc., (www.possjrny.org) is here to help you discover your purpose and to be the best steward of your body that you can be.
Peace,
Dan
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Fearfully and Wonderfully Made...
Today's post is derived from verse 14 of Psalm 139. The Psalm is entitled (at least in my version of the Bible) "The Inescapable God". Psalm 139 is a song of praise for all of the mystery that surrounds the formation of each human. Though I am a trained scientist and have been a licensed and practicing health professional for almost 25 years, I'm even more amazed today by the shear beauty and mystery of the human body and all its inter-related workings.
Now, some may say that all of the functions of the human body come about from predictable interactions of chemicals and organs. However, they stop short when confronted by the vast amount that we still don't know about how the body really works. Why there are redundancies in every function; just how ceels know how to divide into one organ or another from the same stem cell line; how memories are stored and then retrieved; why cells become cancerous and immortal; etc.
When we deny that there is something larger than ourselves, we deny a basic opportunity to be healed when life deals us a blow. When we believe that human ingenuity is all that there is, then we limit our ability to overcome adversity (we limit our resilience). Health, wellness and wholeness (HW2) are derived from a balance in worldview as much as they are derived from making good choices on exercise, food, lifestyle, etc. the hubris of the human condition, that is, thinking ourselves as the "end all and be all" of the universe, leads to a huge let down when confronted by all we do not yet understand (or maybe will not ever understand).
Psalm 139 reminds us of our place in the world. Reminds us of our need to be connected in mystery with one another and with something larger than ourselves. Leads us to the wisdom of understanding that as much as we now understand, there is always more to learn - that is, it helps us to be humble. When we're humble, then we allow for healing to come into our lives from outside of ourselves.
May you find healing and wholeness today and always!
Dan
Now, some may say that all of the functions of the human body come about from predictable interactions of chemicals and organs. However, they stop short when confronted by the vast amount that we still don't know about how the body really works. Why there are redundancies in every function; just how ceels know how to divide into one organ or another from the same stem cell line; how memories are stored and then retrieved; why cells become cancerous and immortal; etc.
When we deny that there is something larger than ourselves, we deny a basic opportunity to be healed when life deals us a blow. When we believe that human ingenuity is all that there is, then we limit our ability to overcome adversity (we limit our resilience). Health, wellness and wholeness (HW2) are derived from a balance in worldview as much as they are derived from making good choices on exercise, food, lifestyle, etc. the hubris of the human condition, that is, thinking ourselves as the "end all and be all" of the universe, leads to a huge let down when confronted by all we do not yet understand (or maybe will not ever understand).
Psalm 139 reminds us of our place in the world. Reminds us of our need to be connected in mystery with one another and with something larger than ourselves. Leads us to the wisdom of understanding that as much as we now understand, there is always more to learn - that is, it helps us to be humble. When we're humble, then we allow for healing to come into our lives from outside of ourselves.
May you find healing and wholeness today and always!
Dan
Monday, July 5, 2010
Connection - the Power of "And"
Today's post is all about connection. I'm sitting here in Mystic, CT, on vacation with the boys and dog, and marveling that even in this tiny burg, I'm able to connect to the world wide web and be instantly connected to my mail, my Blog, and many of you. As I mused a bit more about this, it became apparent that not only is our ability to connect important, but just like Wi-Fi signals, it is equally (if not more) important how strong are our connections to each other.
Lack of connection leads to all sorts of physical and social ills. Wars start and continue due to a lack of connection and understanding between peoples. In the Church, sometimes very slight theological differences of opinion lead to major schisms. Lack of connection leads to lonliness, isolation, depression and a lack of meaning in life. We are created to be connectional - to be in relationship with each other. Even when the relationship is bad (think domestic or other types of abuse) people will hang together hoping that everything will turn out better - or that by staying it won't get worse.
The sermon yesterday was about the power of the word "and". "And" is found 70 times in the first six verses of the book of Genesis. God created night and day, moon and sun, etc. Things that were created early were seemingly opposite (as opposite as night and day) yet connected - one can not exist without the other. Nothing can be complete without the other side - whether it is a coin, or a debate, or a personal interaction.
It is important (possibly critical) for our health, wellness and wholeness (HW2) that we pay attention to this need for connection with opposites. When we forget to completely include all of life, the good and the bad, we lose much of the potential for meaning and for growth of wisdom. Spiritual or faith communities that lack diversity of worship style or opinion, or congregants, find themselves slowly dwindling and dying. It is through our diversity that we become stronger. Think about the diversity of persons that created this country some 230+ years ago. Strength came from many viewpoints, but focus on a common goal.
HW2 comes from the same position or philosophy. Exploration of our spiritual side leads us to a more complete view of both ourselves and our world. It keeps us from being so isolated, and thus prone to relying only on our own counsel. Since we can never individually comprehend all that we need to know to be HW2, we greatly need others to help us along the way. That's what Possibilities Journey, Inc., (www.possjrny.org) is all about - strengthening connections to lead us all to HW2.
Peace,
Dan
Lack of connection leads to all sorts of physical and social ills. Wars start and continue due to a lack of connection and understanding between peoples. In the Church, sometimes very slight theological differences of opinion lead to major schisms. Lack of connection leads to lonliness, isolation, depression and a lack of meaning in life. We are created to be connectional - to be in relationship with each other. Even when the relationship is bad (think domestic or other types of abuse) people will hang together hoping that everything will turn out better - or that by staying it won't get worse.
The sermon yesterday was about the power of the word "and". "And" is found 70 times in the first six verses of the book of Genesis. God created night and day, moon and sun, etc. Things that were created early were seemingly opposite (as opposite as night and day) yet connected - one can not exist without the other. Nothing can be complete without the other side - whether it is a coin, or a debate, or a personal interaction.
It is important (possibly critical) for our health, wellness and wholeness (HW2) that we pay attention to this need for connection with opposites. When we forget to completely include all of life, the good and the bad, we lose much of the potential for meaning and for growth of wisdom. Spiritual or faith communities that lack diversity of worship style or opinion, or congregants, find themselves slowly dwindling and dying. It is through our diversity that we become stronger. Think about the diversity of persons that created this country some 230+ years ago. Strength came from many viewpoints, but focus on a common goal.
HW2 comes from the same position or philosophy. Exploration of our spiritual side leads us to a more complete view of both ourselves and our world. It keeps us from being so isolated, and thus prone to relying only on our own counsel. Since we can never individually comprehend all that we need to know to be HW2, we greatly need others to help us along the way. That's what Possibilities Journey, Inc., (www.possjrny.org) is all about - strengthening connections to lead us all to HW2.
Peace,
Dan
Thursday, July 1, 2010
The Power of Community
I attended the Virginia Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church a couple of weeks ago. I attended mainly to staff a table for the Wellness Ministeries initiative. Not knowing what I would encounter, I went into the work with an open mind. I was blessed by my encounters with both clergy and layity sharing stories of their struggles. As they witnessed to me, it became clear that our path to health, wellness and wholeness (HW2)is populated by those around us, and by the quality of our interactions.
Case-in-point, a female cleric came to the table just bursting with a story to share. She was middle-aged and carried a bit of extra weight (as do most of us). What struck me first was the fire in her eyes as she shared her story of transformation. Her story goes like this...she was tired and out of shape. One morning, as she was readying to walk into the Sanctuary, she was stopped by a congregant who told her that he was worried about her health. He told her that he loved her too much to see her in such condition, and told her about a local group that had intervened in his life and improved his health. After the service, she was pulled aside by the wife of the gentleman and received the same message (without the spouses knowing what the other had done). Before the morning was over, another couple had done the same thing in the same way - intervening out of love.
The minister told me that she contacted the group the next day and enrolled in their program. She had dropped 15 pounds and felt much more energized and empowered to do healthy things. Not only had she dropped weight, but she had gone to a dentist to get some much needed work done and this had improved her health and outlook as well. What a powerful story!
I felt compelled to ask her what it was about the series of events that one morning that had propelled her to take action? Was it the love that was shown, or maybe the number of folks moved to intervene, or the witness for this new program? She said that it was all of those, but primarily that her folks had reached out in love, rather than in judgement, to help her.
The recent study published on the Center for Advancing Health (www.cfah.org) website on lack of engagement in health and healthy behaviors shows that 2/3 of adults are not fully engaged in our healthcare. Could it be that in this age of individualism and isolation that we have lost a key aspect of our health - that of a community of fellow travlers who love and care for us? This is what Possibilities Journey (www.possjrny.org) seeks to revitalize in our spiritual and faith communities - someone who can lovingly intervene on our behalf, and support us on our way to HW2.
Peace to you all,
Dan
Case-in-point, a female cleric came to the table just bursting with a story to share. She was middle-aged and carried a bit of extra weight (as do most of us). What struck me first was the fire in her eyes as she shared her story of transformation. Her story goes like this...she was tired and out of shape. One morning, as she was readying to walk into the Sanctuary, she was stopped by a congregant who told her that he was worried about her health. He told her that he loved her too much to see her in such condition, and told her about a local group that had intervened in his life and improved his health. After the service, she was pulled aside by the wife of the gentleman and received the same message (without the spouses knowing what the other had done). Before the morning was over, another couple had done the same thing in the same way - intervening out of love.
The minister told me that she contacted the group the next day and enrolled in their program. She had dropped 15 pounds and felt much more energized and empowered to do healthy things. Not only had she dropped weight, but she had gone to a dentist to get some much needed work done and this had improved her health and outlook as well. What a powerful story!
I felt compelled to ask her what it was about the series of events that one morning that had propelled her to take action? Was it the love that was shown, or maybe the number of folks moved to intervene, or the witness for this new program? She said that it was all of those, but primarily that her folks had reached out in love, rather than in judgement, to help her.
The recent study published on the Center for Advancing Health (www.cfah.org) website on lack of engagement in health and healthy behaviors shows that 2/3 of adults are not fully engaged in our healthcare. Could it be that in this age of individualism and isolation that we have lost a key aspect of our health - that of a community of fellow travlers who love and care for us? This is what Possibilities Journey (www.possjrny.org) seeks to revitalize in our spiritual and faith communities - someone who can lovingly intervene on our behalf, and support us on our way to HW2.
Peace to you all,
Dan
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