A few days ago, the United Methodist News Service published a story about clergy health.  The story is tied to a task force report that the UMC’s General Board of Pension and Health Benefits (GBPHB) and the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry (GBHEM) released in May.  To address the challenges pastors face to their health and wellness, the

Could our diet be a symptom, rather than a cause, of our unhealthy and unbalanced lives? 

For many years, citizens of countries such as Greece, Italy, and Yugoslavia enjoyed excellent health relative to the rest of the world.  Public health researchers credited the "Mediterranean Diet," an assemblage of foods that features fruits, vegetables, fish and poultry, whole grains, and olive oil (and includes little red meat or processed food). 

It seems that prayer for good health is on the rise.  New research, published in May in the journal Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, notes that in a comparison of two studies, 49 percent of respondents actively prayed for their own good health in 2007, up from 43 percent in 2002. 

Some public health challenges are the result of a kind of time warp.  We've talked about this before on The Connection: Modern society changes so fast that in certain ways, the evolution of Homo sapiens lags behind. 

Tennyson may have noted that "In the Spring a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love..." But the United Methodist pastor's thoughts often turn to the possibility of a new appointment. 

The New York Times reports that central heating may be making us fatter.

There’s been a debate in my local paper in the last week about the health effects of dairy products. A column urges us to follow a dairy-free diet. A letter to the editor takes issue, citing studies of the health benefits of milk and cheese.

The Clergy Health Initiative received a mention in the (Jacksonville) Florida Times-Union. Well, sort of – the article doesn’t name our project explicitly, but it does do a good job of outlining the key themes our research has uncovered.

Here's a public health story that ought to catch the eye (and ear) of North Carolinians: A new federal study has shown that NASCAR is hazardous to our hearing.

Last week, Times reporter Paul Vitello published a front-page article, Taking a Break from the Lord’s Work.  In it, he highlights the effects that stress and round-the-clock job responsibilities can have on clergy.  Without support, some burn out and leave the church, but many others struggle to maintain balance, seemingly alone.  The challenge then for the church, and for congregations everywhere is to find ways to alleviate the stress.