The Local Church as Immune System

published on Wednesday, August 10, 2011 by jbjames@duke.edu

A 10-month-old with a compromised immune system recently contracted a life-threatening infection.  Doctors saved the boy's life by administering immunoglobulin, a concentrated dose of antibodies derived from the plasma from more than 1,000 blood donors. 

In reflecting on the experience, Bill Wilson, friend of the Clergy Health Initiative and the boy's grandfather, describes immunoglobulin as a metaphor for the health potential of being a congregating Christian.  The local church is like an immune system: each of us contributes to it in our times of strength, and each of us benefits from it in times of need.  He writes:

You may not get an IV bag with antibodies attached, but you get something very similar from being in a healthy congregation. Somehow, you get stronger, healthier and become more of the person God intended you to be when you are immersed in that community. Regular involvement in acts of worship, discipleship, mission, volunteering your time and energy, study and devotion all build up your spiritual, emotional, social and potentially physical well-being.

Of course, the reverse is true as well. As you live out your life as a Christ-follower in the midst of a community of faith, you share your own health and vitality with others. 1 Corinthians 12 describes a community that benefits from the gifts, talents, and abilities of everyone, not just the most overtly talented. A kind of spiritual immunity builds within us as we all journey together into the future Christ has for us.

Together, we become healthier than we could ever be alone. We are able to fight off disabling infections, overcome spiritual diseases, and achieve a level of spiritual health that is indicative of the work of the Holy Spirit among us.

 

In Wilson’s view, health is not merely feeling good, nor is it merely good numbers on some medical chart.  Health means "fulfilling God's dream for our life."

We hope that Spirited Life will function as a communal, collective "immune system" for participants, defending against risk factors and reinforcing pastors' efforts to make positive changes in their own lives.  But a program of improved wellness is also an opportunity to exert leadership in the congregation.  By modeling a healthier way of living, you will be an example and a blessing to others. 

Shalom y'all,

John

John James, M.A.
Research Analyst, Clergy Health Initiative

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Food Consumer News: Let's Go Small

published on Tuesday, July 26, 2011 by jbjames@duke.edu

There are signs that food retailers are finally reversing the trend in serving sizes, and responding to the rising number of consumers looking for meals that are tasty and just-big-enough.

Starbucks has experimented for several months now with "petite" desserts, tiny portions of sweet stuff priced at $1.50 apiece (cheap for Starbucks!).  The top seller is the Birthday Cake Pop, "a couple of bites of rounded, icing-covered cake on a stick."

The idea has been so successful that Starbucks is building on it by introducing Bistro Boxes, small meals with less than 500 calories.  Entrees includes Sesame Noodles and a Chicken Lettuce Wrap. 

Kraft and Coca-Cola are also "beefing up" their line-up of small-portioned, low-calorie "foods" (er...make that "offerings").

This is a nice change -- portion size is certainly important -- but calorie counts alone don't ensure that a food is healthy. The ingredients matter. To that end, Google is taking a slightly different tack.

At its California headquarters, Google offers its employees wholesome foods free of charge and in virtually unlimited quantities.  The food program is intended to promote employee health and environmental values.  The Google campus is dotted with organic vegetable gardens where employees are free to pick and eat as they please.  At its cafeterias, plates are small, and foods are color-coded for health factors. Breaking from the food industry norm, the healthy foods are the ones stocked at eye level.

The only places where people pay for food are at the vending machines, where the prices are scaled according to sugar and fat content.  A gram of trans fat in a snack adds a dollar to the price.  So prices range from 15 cents (for a granola bar) to $4.25 (for a large chocolate bar).  

As the article and its attached comments acknowledge, there are problems with Google's policy.  Some employees report gaining weight since arriving at Google.  The all-you-can-eat policy requires some learning and self-discipline on employees' part, and it doesn't change the fact that spending long hours in the workplace has bad consequences for our diets.  But Google's actions represent a refreshing attitude by a big company toward its workers' wellness.  I remember when Microsoft was the booming tech giant, they made news by plying their young programmers with free soda and M&Ms.  The Google approach is bound to be an improvement!

 

John James, M.A.

Research Analyst, Clergy Health Initiative

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Regular Meals

published on Thursday, July 14, 2011 by jbjames@duke.edu

"If anyone knows about regularity, it's monks."  That's a quote from Phil Fox Rose (at Busted Halo), and I detected a double-entendre that he probably didn't intend.  Rose recently went on a monastic retreat, and among his epiphanies from that experience, he was struck by the value of having set daily meal times and limited menu choices.  (At his retreat, breakfast each morning was 1 hard-boiled egg, 2 slices of toast with orange marmalade.  Take it or leave it.)

Rather than restate what Rose wrote, I'll simply urge you to read his article.  It will resonate especially with our pastors who are now or were recently engaged in Naturally Slim (the mindful eating program) as part of Spirited Life.  Here is a sample:



I’m not saying what you should eat or how much. Those are personal decisions and personal issues. I will say this, though. Our culture encourages us to seek entertainment value and instant gratification in food, and much as I strive to be on the spiritual path, that call is mighty strong. While concerns about gluttony have been with us for millennia, and we’ve always been attracted to fun and rich foods — “a land flowing with milk and honey” — much of the current insanity is less than a century old, the direct result of the rises of the food industry and advertising. We are bombarded with temptations and the reality today is that if we so choose, every single meal can be an all-out taste pleasure overload.



I was a perfect example of this, just yesterday: After working late, I drove toward home and considered my take-out dinner options on the route, settling on the one that was most amusing/comforting at that moment.  I’m guessing we’ve all been there.

Rose posits that “much of the clutter in our day and in our mind is the result of unnecessary choices,” and that we can simplify our lives by replacing those choices with routines.  So what routines have you established?  And have they helped quell the chaos?

Many thanks to my friend Melissa Spas at Leadership Education at Duke Divinity, for pointing me to this article.

John James, M.A.

Research Analyst, Clergy Health Initiative

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