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.

Welcome!

Welcome to Called to Be wHoly!

Here you will find resources for healthy wholistic living. Health has many dimensions: physical, spiritual, emotional, social, and financial.

Each page has some links to resources to engage you in increasing your health.  Use the main menu bar under the header to view various topics. You can also use the search function for previous posts about specific topics.

Are we taking care of ourselves?

    "As we talked, I discovered that Joe smoked a pack of cigarettes a day and spent sixty to seventy hours a week in the church. Further probing revealed a pretty shaky marriage.  I wondered if a little scare tactic might reach him. “Are you aware that you are killing yourself with your lifestyle?” I asked.  He responded, “If God want to take me, I’m ready. Who needs this vale of tears anyway?”  His anger and depression were apparent….  Joe is not unlike many of the clergy I meet.” [1]

   Roy Oswald wrote those words over 25 years ago.  How true they ring still today!  Generally, we may talk about health more as a society than in the past, but has our attitude changed that much? Oswald named  a “sort of eschatological fatalism” that clergy use to justify our lack of self-care.  He says, that clergy “feel that if they expend themselves completely in the Lord’s work, God will look after them—body, mind and spirit…. Because the final goal is to be with the Lord, it is all right to mortgage one’s body against this final eventuality.”[2]

            What is your theology of self-care? Have you even thought about what the theology is behind how you care for yourself?

            Those of us who are in full-time parish ministry often talk theologically, but do we think about the unspoken theology that is expressed in the way that we take care of ourselves?

            If you are interested in improving your self-care while looking at this care through a  theological lens, then I invite you to watch this page and also to like the wHolyLife Facebook page. These are geared for clergy who want to engage in mindful self-care that increases their health in body, mind and spirit. 

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[1] Oswald, Roy, Clergy Self-Care: Finding a Balance for Effective Ministry (New York: Roman & Littlefield, 1991), p. 13.

[2] Ibid., 13.

Called To Be Wholy - November 30 - Key Note Speaker

Being effective leaders requires us to be healthy leaders – not just spiritually healthy, but also  emotionally, physically and mentally healthy.

Join us for Called to be Wholy – a day of wholistic lifestyle training for clergy that features an unforgettable keynote presentation by Bruce Bright, High Energy Leadership Expert and Turnaround Specialist.

As CEO at On Target Leading, Bruce inspires people who are truly ready to create successful lives for themselves. He has a proven track record of motivating clients to make dramatic improvements in their lives and reach their personal potential. Bruce knows that becoming a great leader requires balance and health which led to his founding the OT-90 Cellular Health and Weight Loss Wellness program. 

You can learn more about Bruce here.   

At Called to be Wholy, you’ll also receive:

·         self assessment tools to avoid burnout

·         financial planning training

·         body and breath awareness exercises

·         congregational health ministry blueprints

Thursday, November 30

8:30 – 4 pm.

Pleasant Grove UMC, Pleasant Grove (just north of Hueytown)

$25 includes lunch and giveaways!

Register:   www.called-to-be-wholy.eventbrite.com

Called to be Wholy!

Yoga & Prayer?

Why Yoga and Prayer?

Prayer

Marjorie Thompson in her book Soul Feast says, “The spiritual life has to do with how God relates to us and how we in turn relate to God. Prayer is the essential expression of this relationship.”^[1] Richard Foster in his classic work on spiritual disciplines, Celebration of Discipline writes, “Prayer catapults us onto the frontier of the spiritual life. Of all the Spiritual Disciplines, prayer is the most central because it ushers us into perpetual communion with [God].”^[2]

Prayer is our connection to God; prayer is communication and communion with God. Prayer is what brings us into alignment with God’s will and is how God’s grace transforms our lives. Foster writes of this transformation. “In prayer, real prayer, we begin to think God’s thoughts after [God]: to desire the things [God] desires, to love the things [God] loves, to will the things [God] wills. Progressively, we are taught to see things from [God’s] point of view.”^[3] Knowing that prayer is a learning process can free us to grow and gives us the liberty to experiment by trying different forms of prayer.

Paul writes in Romans 8:26 that the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness and intercedes with sighs too deep for words. With this scripture in mind, we might can see that prayer engages us in the conversation that is already going on deep in our hearts. We can then align our thoughts with what is already happening deep in our hearts.^[4] 

When we talk of prayer as communion, we are acknowledging that prayer has a relational component that goes beyond visible actions and embodies a dimension that cannot be contained in words. The primary expression of prayer as communion is contemplation which is about experiencing God’s presence.  We recognize the presence of God in our lives while quieting ourselves and opening our spirits to God.

Thomas Merton said: “The great thing is prayer. Prayer itself. If you want a life of prayer, the way to get it is by praying…. You start where you are and you deepen what you already have.”^[5] When we live a life of prayer, prayer is not an end in itself. Rather, persistence in prayer is what brings our spirits into alignment with God’s Spirit.

Prayer that is contemplative in nature and which draws us closer to God in not incompatible with the tradition of Yoga. Let us look closer at what Yoga is and then we can see how the two might intersect.

Yoga

In common usage in the United States, yoga is understood to be a form of exercise that involves a variety of poses and postures that are practiced while controlling one’s breathing.  Yoga is viewed as a form of physical fitness that will improve one’s physical health.

           However, a study of yoga reveals the spiritual nature of the yoga practice. The word yoga comes from the Sanskrit root yuj which means “to join” or “to yoke.”  What is being yoked or joined is the individual with the universal Self.  B.K.S. Iyengar says,

“The union results in a pure and perfect state of consciousness in which the feeling of ‘I’ simply does not exit. Prior to this union is the union of the body with the mind, and the mind with the self. Yoga is thus a dynamic, internal experience with integrates the body, the senses, the mind and the intelligence, with the self.”^[6]

According to Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati (Swami J), “As the goal, the word Yoga is virtually one and the same with the word Samadhi, the deep, transcendent realization of the highest truth or reality.”^[7]  

            As Swami J further explains the nature of Yoga practice, traditional understanding of yoga is not about physical fitness or health. Although practicing yoga may lead to increased health, this is not the primary purpose. In fact, Yoga can be understood to be a spiritual practice which includes a physical component. ^[8]

Yoga & Prayer

            For some Christians, this inclusion of a spiritual practice may raise red flags as to what sort of spirituality might be practiced. As Candy Gunther Brown seems to conclude in The Healing Gods: Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Christian America, because yoga has come from another religious tradition, Christians should be cautious when taking up a practice of yoga.[9] Yet, other Christian scholars have concluded that “yoga functions as a source of a wide range of meanings and functions….. Symbols, practices, and ideas vary across yoga studios and ashrams within the United States alone, thus illustrating that the quest for the essence of yoga is an impossible task.”[10]  When the goal of yoga is described as the union of “the little self and the True Self,”^[11] we might see yoga spirituality as compatible with the Christian tradition of contemplation. Prayer in this tradition would be about knowledge of the Divine that cannot be contained in words while experiencing the presence of God.^[12] The breath control that comes with continued yoga practice can help Christians to quiet their minds “and allow one to focus more pointedly on the experience of prayer or worship, opening them to perceive the presence of God more fully.”^[13]

In his book Praying with the Body: Bringing the Psalms to Life, Roy DeLeon writes, “When the body participates fully in our spiritual journey, our relationship with all of creation and with God our Creator is enriched.”^[14] DeLeon reminds us that the Christian tradition has engaged in physical postures during worship including kneeling, standing, making the sign of the cross, bowing of heads, and raising of arms.  Some monastic orders have even included lying face down on the floor as a gesture of thanksgiving, penitence or reverence.^[15]

Combining the reading of scriptures with traditional yoga poses while also engaging in a contemplative form of prayer can be spiritually enriching and deepen our experience of God in our lives. In some cases, we can actually embody the words of scripture through physical postures and therefore cultivate an incarnate experience of God.  We can pray with our entire body and experience God at work in our body, heart, and soul.

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[1]  Marjorie J. Thompson, Soul Feast: An invitation to the Christian Spiritual Life (Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 1995), p. 31

[2] Richard J. Foster, Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1978), p. 33. 

[3] Foster, p. 33-4.

[4] Thompson, p. 31.

[5] Thompson, p.49.

[6] Iyengar, B. K.S. Yoga: The Path to  Holistic Health  New York: DK Publishing, 2001, p. 46

[7] http://www.swamij.com/yoga.htm Swami J is someone I know personally and have attended a study at his Ashram.

[8] Ibid.

[9] Brown, Candy Gunther, The Healing Gods: Complementary and Alternative medicine in Christian America (New York: Oxford University Press, 2013), p. 65.

[10] Jain, Andrea R., “Who Is to Say Modern Yoga Practitioners Have It All Wrong? On Hindu Origins and Yogaphobia” in Journal of the American Academy of Religion, June 2014, Vol. 82, No. 2, p. 459  

[11] SwamiJ

[12] http://www.swamij.com/yoga-define-waec.htm

[13] Sheveland, John N, “Is Yoga Religious?” in Christian Century. June 14, 2011, p 23

[14] Deleon, Roy, Ob|SB.  Praying with the Body: Bringing the Psalms to Life. Paraclete Press: Brewster, Massachusetts, 2009. p. xii

[15] Ibid., xiv.