Religious Practice Makes us Healthier

Religion can be good for your health, and especially your mental health, according to the latest studies, which show that church-goers are happier and more satisfied with their lives than those who don't attend services. But what exactly is it about religion that is so beneficial to health?

Some might argue that it is the power of faith in a being or power beyond ourselves. But according to a study led by Chaeyoon Lim, a sociology professor at University of Wisconsin-Madison, the reason religion makes us happy may have more to do with friends than with faith.

Using data from the Faith Matters Study, a survey of U.S. adults conducted in 2006 and 2007, Lim and his colleagues found that 33% of those who attended religious services every week and reported having close friends at church said they were extremely satisfied with their lives, while only 19% of those who went to church but had no close connections to the congregation reported the same satisfaction.

As Lim noted in a statement describing his findings:

“To me, the evidence substantiates that it is not really going to church and listening to sermons or praying that makes people happier, but making church-based friends and building intimate social networks there.”

The results support the idea that friends and acquaintances can have a powerful, even contagious effect on our health. In other work conducted by Dr. Nicholas Christakis at Harvard Medical School and John Fowler of University of California, San Diego, it's clear that our social network, regardless of how close or distant we are to the people in them, can influence our health. Christakis and Fowler showed that even people separated from you by up to three degrees can influence your weight, your happiness, or even whether you quit smoking or are prone to loneliness.

A version of that idea of social connectedness may explain Lim's findings, which were consistent across Protestant, evangelical and Catholic religions; they applied to Mormons and Jewish believers as well, despite their smaller sample size in the study. Lim stresses that the sense of community that religion promotes is an important part of helping people to feel involved and worthwhile, and therefore may contribute to an overall sense of happiness.



My response to the article and research.

For the last forty years of my Counseling practice I have read such research and continue to be involved in both research and religious practice. These authors are making a fatal mistake in splitting the social aspect from the faith/belief dimension of religious/spiritual practices. Although faith is often portrayed as "the Placebo Effect" it rises when one is involved in spiritual practice and or religious practices.

For many years those of us in Psychology and Counseling have seen that there are four "Common Factors" that are always involved in producing positive outcomes from Counseling. They are: 1. The Intervention of the Counselor; 2. The faith/Hope of the Client that the Treatment will be effective; 3. The caring relationship of the Helper; 4. Outside factors of personal motivation and social/family support.

When those "Common Factors" are applied to religious/spiritual activities, and they can be easily applied, we can see the same influences. We see that the 1. Interventions of a specific religious/spiritual teaching has some effect; 2. The faith/Hope of the Parishioner that God/Faith/Church attendance will be positive; 3. That the caring relationship between the member and the church is positive; and 4. That the at home social network affirms and supports the chosen spiritual/religious practices.

These researchers do not seem to adequately assess all the factors or at least to not differentiate them in this article. By choosing an either or dyadic answer they confuse the several important factors that must exist.

WE, of course, do not deny the critical importance of social support. In fact, it is crucial to mental, emotional and spiritual health. However, some research with AIDS patients indicate an increase in the quality of life of patients even when they do NOT attend meetings.

Read more: http://healthland.time.com/2010/12/12/religions-secret-to-happiness-its-friends-not-faith/#ixzz17w4r9A6k

People Want to Meet Personally

Recent research has reportedly confirmed what I have been saying about the need for personal relationships. Take a look at this article.

Adult women are especially interested in getting together.

Face Book, Twitter, etc just don't satisfy like drinking tea together.

You Shall Receive Power at Brave Heart Blog

I spoke this morning at Lifegate Church in Northern Kentucky. They meet at 10:00 AM at the Scott County High School. Dennis Cole is Pastor and he along with wife Sheila are our West with the Navajo Indians with whom they have partnered for years. You can get my talk on a podcast if you want.

Over the last few months I have had a hunger to rekindle the fires of the Holy Spirit and get back to basics. I have known Dennis and his Father Desmond ever since the Jesus Movement in the early Seventies. their congregation has been on the cutting edge of the move of the Holy Spirit for four decades.

I spoke this morning on Acts 1:1-8 where Dr. Luke the Apostle writes to his friend Theopholis about the ministry of Jesus. Ends ends up with this very powerful comment. "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the far reaches of the world."

The Holy Spirit is s spirit of power! That is dunamis in Greek and dynamite in English. Why do we need so much power? To be witnesses.

The term Dr. Luke uses here shows that he meant more than talk for talk is cheap. No, he used the term martyrous or martyr. "You shall be my martyrs" and it takes God's power to die to self.

Die to self in Jerusalem so you can win the neighbors to Christ.
Die to self in Judea, the wilderness country so you can win the farmers, huntsmen and shepherds to Christ.
Die to self in Samaria so you can win the hated non-Jews there to Christ.
Die to self in the far reaches of the world so you can win the pagan idol worshippers to Christ.

Every attempt to share the good news is a cross cultural communication challenge and demands that we lay down our fleshly prejudices and bless the people in love, peace and joy.

Think it over. Take four Post-It Notes. Label one Jerusalem, one Judea, one Samaria and one World. In each square write the people God's Spirit places on your heart to pray for.

Pray about whom God would have you list and let me know what happens.

Father's and Children

It is a joy to live long enough to see your kids grow up and become lovingly successful. Take a look at my daughter's blog from last year when she gave me a great tribute and planned a wonderful birthday bash for my 70 Th.

Systems Change

I received this pithy note from Jim Donovan who is heading our "It takes a whole village" research process. He is a genuine expert on called, "Anthropological Action Research" and that is what we are doing. This kind of research focuses on a few persons and does in depth, interpersonal interviews about some subject. For example, in looking at products, they would look at who eats chocolate, why they eat it, when they eat it and so forth.

Our research is choosing twelve families with special needs kids. We will visit them and ask all sorts of questions about their strengths, needs and stresses. Although it is obvious to everyone that a sickly member effects the entire family rarely has anyone looked carefully at how they are affected or what kinds of support they want and need. In fact, the Medical Model essentially ignores the parents and family members to focus exclusively on the child who we call, the "Identified Patient".

By ignoring parents the system refuses to engage the people with the most expertise. Parents live with and think about their child all day and all night. They know what works and what will not work to help the child.

Failure to follow medical advice is one of the greatest barriers to being helped by professionals. Yet, many who practice a form of the medical model ignore the very people who must agree with the treatment; parents.

Sweeten Life Systems respects and values the entire family and will do our best to engage them in the solutions to their problems.

Here is Jim's note to me.

Dear Gary,

I know Buckminister Fuller is one of you favorite persons.

When reading the book ‘Crowdsourcing’ he was quoted. “To build a new system you don’t compete with the old one, you build a new system that makes the old one obsolete.” Maybe this is what we are facing with the special needs families.

Jim

That is it! The entire system must change. Pray for us to show the world how to change an inadequate system.

Gary Sweeten

Sexual Abuse Recovery: Is There Hope?

One cannot keep from reeling at the high numbers of people who are sexually abused, shocked and traumatized in America. Here are the differences:

1. Sexual Shock is a one time or very rare sexual interaction that are inappropriate. This includes porn, sexual touching and sexual verbalization's.

2. Trauma is more than shock and includes occasional sexual interactions that are inappropriate.

3. Abuse is an ongoing, chronic inappropriate sexual interaction.

The results are different for the differing levels of pain.

1. Shock leaves a person with distorted, confused and cold emotions.
2. Trauma leaves a person with frozen, confused emotions.
3. Abuse leaves one with permafrost emotions.

There is good news, however, for all of these situations. Healing and restoration is possible for all three levels of pain. I have personally been involved with people who have been able to recover completely even from chronic abuse.

Recovery comes from faith, hope and love.

Never, ever give up. I heard a podcast today about a woman who was severely beaten, abused and rejected who ran away from an "insane asylum" in Australia and completely recovered, largely on her own. God's people are constantly seeing hurting people healed through prayer, worship, discipleship and caring.

Gary Sweeten

Gary Sweeten

Recession: What is God Up To?

Does God have a plan for the recession? I sure hope so because what I see coming from Washington, D.C. is not very comforting.

For most of the history of the world recession has been the constant and chronic situation. Well, not exactly recession but a full fledged DEPRESSION. It has only been in the recent past when Western Europe and the USA have been able to feed, clothe and house its citizens in a way that was safe, warm and adequate.

The Western or Christian World of Democracy is the first time in history that governments were concerned about providing a majority of its citizens with food, clothing and shelter. Slavery, poverty and rapacious leadership have been the order of the day. Thank God, with the rise of Christianity and Bible knowledge we have seen governments in the west act with some benevolence toward its citizens.

So, what is a godly plan now for our Western, Christianized leadership? I am not sure, but a the least we need to pray for our leaders and pray for Christians to respond to hurting folks in a compassionate and caring manner.

When we read the Bible it is clear that Christians lived under extremely difficult circumstances during those early days. It is also clear that other Christians, although in poverty themselves, sent financial relief to their brothers and sisters.

We in America are facing hard times but our brothers and sisters around the world are REALLY in trouble. So, what would God have us do? Step up our support for missions around the world. For example, Pastor Rich Femia just returned from Romania and I was in Russia last fall. Both countries had so very little even in prosperous times. Now the situation is critical. Older people are even starving.

Can we sit by in our beautiful houses and churches while brothers and sisters suffer? What should be our response

No Job? You Can Volunteer

The Wall Street Journal has an article today on the importance of laid off workers staying involved by volunteering at non-profits. Sweeten Life Systems is, of course, a 501c3 not for profit organization recognized by the IRS and Ohio Attorney General.

The WSJ's article is by DANA MATTIOLI.

Volunteer jobs are catching on among the growing ranks of laid-off workers, giving them valuable career experience and offering strapped nonprofits access to a bigger talent pool.

Charitable organizations say they are benefiting from a class of skilled volunteers ready to lend their expertise to a cause. And volunteering is giving out-of-work professionals the opportunity to develop skills, as well as network for job contacts in the process. For some people, it may even mean a new career when the economy does turn around.

We have some important things cooking that you might be able to help us with. Write me at gary@sweetenlife.com if interested.

Love Thyself

An old friend from several years ago found my email address and sent me his as well as the address of his blogs. Dan Gilliam is an interesting man with sensitive spiritual insights and he writes them well.

Dan recently quoted Thomas Merton on his blog.

To live well myself is my first and essential contribution to the well-being of all mankind and to the fulfillment of man's collective destiny. If I do not live happily myself how can I help anyone else to be happy, or free, or wise? Yet to seek happiness is not to live happily. Perhaps it is more true to say that one finds happiness by not seeking it. The wisdom that teaches us deliberately to restrain our desire for happiness enables us to discover that we are already happy without realizing it.

Thomas Merton, Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander, p. 81

I like this quote and do not remember ever seeing it before. He is saying something about life and helping that I started glimpsing back in the late Seventies when we began a serious attempt at Equipping the saints to DO the works of the ministry. EPH 4:11

Over time we discovered that 75 to 85% of our student Helpers were really there to get personal healing. The embarrassment of asking for help themselves was too much to admit so they showed up to counsel other people.

We always tried to say that the most important thing was to know, understand and get along with our self. No matter how hard we tried the students ended up being frustrated with us because we failed to teach them how to "sock it to the people in need".

Let's face it. Most people are completely confused about the nature of Helping/Counseling/ and pastoral care. They think it is little more than preaching, teaching and advising people on a one-to-one basis. Whenever a fledgling Helper tells me what they are doing the story is nearly always about the story teller, the Helper not the Seeker. "I said to him, (blah, blah, blah.) But he wouldn't listen to me.

Many of us are secret control freaks. We enter the Helping process as professionals or volunteers with a hidden desire to tell people what to do. Maybe we try to lecture them on happiness but until we relinquish our desire for control to God we can't even tell ourselves how to be happy, let along another person.

Re-read that statement by Thomas Merton. It's pretty profound.

Gary Sweeten

Peer Helpers, Coaches and Chaplains

I have been interested in the power of People to help each other for a long time. With the rise of Alcoholics Anonymous, Lay Pastors and Christian Cell Groups we are seeing an explosion of self help or really mutual help opportunities. Here is the good news from a Clinical Counselor; Peer Helping is almost always as useful as that offered by Professionals.

On Saturday I spoke with about twenty men and women who are volunteering to be available to people in pain to offer a listening ear, a warm heart and caring prayer. The group was called together by Jim and Kathy Mills who are fostering the development a Chaplaincy movement here in Greater Cincinnati. It is a great idea.

If you are interested in being trained as a Chaplain, send me an email and I can get you in touch with Jim and Kathy.

Gary Sweeten
www.sweetenlife.com

Sweeten Life Systems Update

Our board met yesterday and it was quite an experience. One member was in Norway one in Florida, one in Wisconsin and another is in Moscow, Russia. We were able to connect most of our members one way or another.

Rick Brown CPA is our treasurer and he was in Florida on business but called in to give his report. It is terrific to such talented and gifted board members.

Galina Chentsova attended for two hours via video phone from Moscow. She joined Jens-Petter Jorgensen as an International Representative. It was amazing to see and hear Galina so clearly from several thousand miles away. And, it is free. Before long we will add video conferencing to our schedule of training in Russia. (The photo is of our book, Listening for Heaven's Sake in Russian. It was originally called Apples of Gold)

My Skype name is gary.r.sweeten

What is your Skype name?

Great Things in 2009




The health of Sweeten Life Systems is good. God is blessing us and expanding our influence both in the open and behind the scenes. We received a grant to develop systems to support for families with special needs children.


In 2009 we will emphasize the Families of God.
1. The historic Family of Grand Parents and past
2. The Family of Origin of Parents and Siblings
3. The Nuclear Family of Parents and Children
4. The Extended Family of Relatives
5. The Church Family of Families
6. The Work Family
7. The Neighborhood Family of Friends


You will note the word "SYSTEMS" in our name. That is . We know that any event traumatic or great, that impacts one member of a family impacts every member. We are unique in intervening in families to upbuild the entire system. Thus, we have a biblical approach.


Important Family Event

Come to The Healing Center on Century Circle, near The Vineyard Community Church, on Saturday afternoon, January 24 at 1:00 to 4:00 PM to get an introduction to Family Systems thinking and how to support families in need. "It Takes Village".

More information later.

Gary Sweeten
http://www.sweetenlife.com/

Charities Threatened by the New Administration

The corps of Mr. Obama's administrative group is busily looking for new sources of revenue. Since foundations give out over 43 Billion Dollars each year in grants to non-profit groups, the new guys in town are thinking about getting their hands on some of it.

The Wall Street Journal has a good article about the many positive things that are accomplished by foundations and the non profits that are funded by them. Since I head a non profit I am biased about how much good we can accomplish for less money. I know that a lot of stuff we do, if not most of it, is done by volunteers and lowly paid workers.

We are motivated by a passion for helping people not money so we tend not to be as interested in remuneration. Despite that, non profits produce amazing benefits to the local and national society. In fact, research indicates that faith based groups are the glue which holds our society together. But we need to watch out lest the radicals on the Left Wing squash us like bugs because we are not always "Politically Correct".

More From the Heart

Most media commentators just do not get it. They are assessing the speeches by Sarah Palin and John McCain on technical and policy grounds. What I saw in both speeches was a lot of heart.

I have a couple of great computers with large memories and fast connections. However, having the right hard ware is not enough. I also need good software. For a long time pundits and politicians have over emphasized the hard ware of laws and government policies. But without love, caring and human relationships we are not exceptional as a people or as a nation. It is the social capital that makes us unique and strong.

Palin's speech was wise, funny and insightful. But her obvious love and warmth for her parents, husband and kids was the software that made the difference.

McCain's speech also touched a deep chord within us. It was not a powerful or funny but it was from the heart. I wept during his story of being broken by the North Vietnamese torture. His vulnerability was amazing. How many times have you heard a politician admit he had failed so grandly?
But, it was not the failing that touched me as much as the support, encouragement and forgiveness from his cell mates. That, my friends, is not policy or technical but friends. I know he is not a Marine but I could think of only one phrase to describe what he was saying: Semper Fi!

Americans are increasingly lonely, isolated and desperate for friendships that will last and be emotionally supportive. McCain described his conversion from individualism and selfishness to community and relationships. It was powerful and the media, for the most part, missed it.

One pundit who got it was Joe Scarborough. Click this link to see an astounding video. You may still dislike McCain's policies and decide to vote for Obama. That is the system we have in America and I am happy about it. We can affirm men and women with whom we disagree and pray for them despite their bad ideas. However, let us not miss it when they share something deep and transforming or we shall lose our souls.