For the next 40 days and 40 nights, I pledge…I COVENANT to practice faith, hope and charity by doing these things.

First…faith. I will pray on my knees every night for the next 40 nights…starting TONIGHT. Pray for guidance, inspiration, peace…pray for the leaders of our country. Pray for their safety, and that they will receive wisdom. I will re-establish my relationship with God.

Hope…hope comes from truth. You can’t have hope based on lies. If you go to the doctor and you’re in the early stages of cancer, but the doctor tells you that you just have the sniffles…that’s false hope, and it won’t help you, in fact, it would kill you. So, we have to have honesty, to have real hope. So, I will stop all lies for the next 40 days. That includes lying to myself. I will establish a pattern of honesty and make it become habitual. I will question with boldness…everything…I will do my own research…and then pray for my own confirmation on the things I have learned. I will find out what is true in my life.

And third…I will have charity. Charity begins at home. I will do something kind for every member of your family at least once a week. I will write it down, and then do it. Also, I pledge to take notice of how blessed I really am. I live in the greatest country the world has ever known…and even the least prosperous among us, are among the wealthiest people in the world…I will be grateful.

Mind you, these blog entries are roughly framed.  Hopefully, perhaps by the end of the year, I will have a complete set of verses from the Bible and comments showing how to utilize those verses in guiding someone on a good path for healing by changing the behavior through changing the thought process.

Another area someone wishing to do their own research on this can review is what the Bible says about the heart.  It’s quite obvious that God considers the heart to be the seat of our thoughts, desires, cares — your mind.  He says in Matthew 5:13,14,16 … Let your light so shine for where your treasure is, there your heart is also … and in John 14:1 Jesus says, Let not your heart be troubled, you believe in God, (you) believe also in Me.  There are an abundance of verses about the heart, and I will list all the references I can, eventually.

One of the verses I use as a “reason” for bothering with behavior therapy that involves the mind is that we are told to RENEW our mind: Ephesians 4:23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind.   There are plenty of verses that refer to our minds also, and again I hope to provide the key references in the future.   One verse encourages us to “have the mind of Christ” and still another says we do have that “mind of Christ already.”  What power awaits into which we can tap!

Our negative feelings come from the thoughts that weigh us down. Those thoughts (that weigh us down) come from the words we hear or speak.  Those words produce the way we think, which produces feelings. If negative this can be a vicious downward cycle.   But the adverse is true also:  good feelings come from positive thoughts that lift us up….

I heard a speaker recently say something to this effect:  Feelings can determine the decisions you make. The decisions determine the actions you take. The actions will determine the habits you create, and those habits will determine your character.  Your character determines your destination (meaning the root feeling result, like depression or content.)

Seeking the truth for yourself, and the truth about your relationship with the person you live with is a good thing….

You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.  (John 8:32 )

I am the way, the truth, and the life. (John 14:6)

We can center ourselves by using Psalm 46:10 Be still and know that I AM GOD.

I Kings 19:9-12 Shows us that God’s sound of silence… is where we can meet Him.

Philippians 2:5, “Let this mind be in you which is also in Christ Jesus.”  We are not alone in anything we go through here on earth.  Keep your thoughts on Christ and His love for you.

The teleological thinking of having a purpose in life comes from God. He has a purpose for each of us. There’s nothing that occurs to us that God cannot -or will not- get us through.

God has wonderful plans        for your life

My child, listen to me and treasure my instructions. Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding. Cry out for insight and understanding. Search for them as you would for lost money or hidden treasure. Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord, and you will gain knowledge of God. For the Lord grants wisdom! From his mouth comes knowledge and understanding. He grants a treasure of good sense to the godly. He is their shield, protecting those who walk with integrity.

Proverbs 2:1-7 NLT

To me, self esteem is not something we obtain through ourselves.  We cannot achieve it, and certainly it is the illusive butterfly if we seek after it.  It comes from allowing God to love us, completely and unconditionally.  When we look to God, adore Him, praise Him, thank Him … He showers us with His mercies and blessings and we sense our worth to Him.

So then, we have intrinsic worth, God loves and cares for us.

(Gen 1:26,27).  Man and woman were created with individuality, power and freedom to think and to act (Gen 1:26-28; Deut 30:19; Ps 8:6; Eph 2:10).

We are not machines set in motion and left to function mechanistically.  Human beings were created different from animals (Gen 1:26-28; Ps 8:6-8; Matt 10:29-31), with the ability to communicate with God (Gen 3:8-13; 18:16-32; Ex 33:11; Matt 6:5-13; Acts 27:23-25).

We were also created in God’s image, free, with an indivisible unity of body, mind, and spirit (Gen 1:26; 1 Thess 5:23; Rom 12:1,2; Matt 10:28; 1 Cor 7:24). We were created completely dependent upon God for life and breath and everything else (Gen 2:7; Acts 17:25,26,28). Human beings were created to live in community as the body of Christ (Gen 1:26-28; Gen 2:18; 1 Cor 12). Three aspects of humanity–creation, fall, redemption–must be considered to achieve our complete personhood in Christ.

For the Christian, all true identity comes from the person’s relationship with God (John 15:4-6).  Only in that relationship can we attain perfection through Christ (2 Cor 5:17; Eph 4:13; James 1:4). Without God, the self is incomplete.

Without a knowledge of God and His Word, life on planet earth becomes purposeless, meaningless, and disheartening (John 12:46; 15:5-7).  With God there is purpose and meaning to life (John 8:12; 17:13;Rom 5:2; 8:28; 1 Pet 1:8).  Events are moving toward God’s climactic intervention to eliminate evil (2 Cor 4:17-18; 1 Cor 15:24-26,53,54; 2 Pet 3:7; Rev 21:3-5) and restore perfection (2 Pet 3:13,14; Rev 21:3-5).  Death is only a brief interlude between now and the resurrection (Eccl 9:5; Job 19:25-27; John 11:11-43; 1 Cor 15:42-44, 51-54; 1 Thess 4:15-17; Rev 20:6) when Christ comes to take His loved ones home (John 14:2-3).

Trials and suffering can have purpose in the life of the Christian (1 Pet 4:12-16; James 1:2-4)–they lead us to know God better (Rom 8:17,28).  They are a part of the process of restoring God’s image in us (Job 5:17;23:10; 2 Cor 4:17,18). As part of God’s great plan for the redemption of this fallen world, our lives have purpose and meaning as we share God’s love with everyone in our sphere (Matt 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-18; Acts 1:7-8).

God did not intend human beings to be victims of fate. Rather He intended them to master circumstances and make wise choices. (Gen 1:26,27). 

God is also interested in the small parts of his human subjects. He knows infinite details about each person–when they were conceived (Ps 22:9-11), the hairs on their head (Matt 10:30), their thoughts (Ps 139:2), and their architectural preference for a heavenly home (John 14:2,3)–more than any human can ever know.  But the details do not define the person. God’s redeeming grace brings about the transformation of the parts into the whole, a creature made in God’s image.

God looks at the person as he is now, not as he was in the past (Acts 3:17-20; Rom 5:9; 1 Cor 12:27). 

God intervenes to help people in trouble

Thought blocking, countering negative thinking:

As a man thinks in his heart, so is he Proverbs 23:7

Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are of good report; if  there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Past is past and you cannot do anything to change it: God forgets it, we should too. We all make mistakes.

Philippians 3:13: “…this one thing I’ve learned to do, forgetting those which are behind and reaching for those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. “

Christians may think that God thinks in “black and white” meaning either/or … but a closer look will show that while He does have His own “rules” by which He operates (I am the Lord thy God, I change not) He allows us to be what we are: human. Look at David for example. Such a person who consistently made bad choices, yet he was a “Man after God’s own heart.” Why? Because David always sought God and praised God for His mercies and love.

If we have anxiety, it’s because we lack faith. A lack of faith is directly related to a lack of humility. Humble yourself before God, rely upon Him and His promises, and walk with His guidance.

“Placing all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.”

God tells us to… “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything give praise…”

Don’t sweat the small stuff… it’s all small stuff.    Try to take the viewpoint of God…. high above and looking down on us…. knowing the end of the story and how it becomes wonderful, knowing that we are in that story and it’s a Love Story from God.

God gave all those laws (In the OT) to show the people that there is no way they can be righteous without Him. (No one could keep all the law.) The difference between the two thieves on the cross? One recognized that Christ is God and can change the outcome of any seemingly bad situation. The other one failed to reach out to the Savior, and died in his sin the miserable death.

God says that He won’t give us anything that is too much for us, without giving us a “way out” that is acceptable to Him. You aren’t in it alone, God is there.  Nothing is too great for Him to accomplish.

:hug:   This is a work in progress and will be edited and updated along the way. Thanks for your patience!

How can I make my prayers effective?

I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. As you make your requests, plead for God’s mercy upon them, and give thanks. Pray this way for kings and all others who are in authority, so that we can live in peace and quietness, in godliness and dignity.

1 Timothy 2:1-2 NLT

Praying effectively

Paul urges Timothy to lift up requests, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving.

A request is a need, a deep desire for something we don’t have—something only God can supply.

A prayer is a word of praise and adoration. A more accurate translation of this word from the original Greek might be to “worship in earnest.”

Intercession is praying on behalf of others. Our prayers should regularly reflect this kind of selfless lifestyle.

Thanksgiving involved remembering those past prayers that have already been answered, acknowledging that we not only trust God’s supremacy and involvement in our life but also how his hand has moved and guided us in the past.

When we pray effectively, we do more than communicate with God—we commune with him. We become one in mind and spirit and purpose. Today, let the focus of your prayer time be to connect with God in a very real and personal way, not as a slave would petition his master, but as a son would enjoy the company of a loving and gracious father.

Adapted from a devotional by Frank M. Martin in Embracing Eternity (Tyndale House) p 36

Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other publications of Tyndale Publishing House

http://open.salon.com/blog/behind_blue_eyes/2010/01/27/obamas_hit_list_us_citizens_marked_for_assassination

It’s allowed under the new “Presidential Assassination Program” … Obama administration’s “presidential assassination program,” whereby American citizens are targeted for killings far away from any battlefield, based exclusively on unchecked accusations by the Executive Branch that they’re involved in Terrorism.

http://thewordwarrior.wordpress.com/2010/04/08/obama-authorized-assassination-of-us-citizen/

Sounds like a legitmate cause for impeachment of Mr Barrack Hussein Obama.

Theoretical and Clinical Perspectives

By Simon Dein, FRCPsych, PhD | January 10, 2010

Dr Dein is senior lecturer of anthropology and medicine at University College London, School of Life and Medical Sciences, Division of Population Health. He reports no conflicts of interest concerning the subject matter of this article.

Until the early 19th century, psychiatry and religion were closely connected. Religious institutions were responsible for the care of the mentally ill. A major change occurred when Charcot¹ and his pupil Freud² associated religion with hysteria and neurosis. This created a divide between religion and mental health care, which has continued until recently. Psychiatry has a long tradition of dismissing and attacking religious experience. Religion has often been seen by mental health professionals in Western societies as irrational, outdated, and dependency forming and has been viewed to result in emotional instability.³

In 1980, Albert Ellis,⁴ the founder of rational emotive therapy, wrote in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology that there was an irrefutable causal relationship between religion and emotional and mental illness. According to Canadian psychiatrist Wendall Watters, “Christian doctrine and liturgy have been shown to discourage the development of adult coping behaviors and the human to human relationship skills that enable people to cope in an adaptive way with the anxiety caused by stress.”^5(p148) At its most extreme, all religious experience has been labeled as psychosis.⁶

Psychiatrists are generally less religious than their patients and, therefore, they have not valued the role of religious factors in helping patients cope with their illnesses.⁷ It is only in the past few years that attitudes toward religion have changed among mental health professionals. In 1994, “religious or spiritual problems” was introduced in DSM-IV as a new diagnostic category that invited professionals to respect the patient’s beliefs and rituals. Recently, there has been a burgeoning of systematic research into religion, spirituality, and mental health. A literature search before 2000 identified 724 quantitative studies, and since that time, research in this area has increased dramatically.⁸ The evidence suggests that, on balance, religious involvement is generally conducive to better mental health. In addition, patients with psychiatric disorders frequently use religion to cope with their distress.^9,10

In recent studies, at least 50% of psychiatrists interviewed endorse the view that it is appropriate to inquire about their patients’ religious lives.^11-13 That patients’ religious concerns have been taken seriously is evidenced by the fact that the American Psychiatric Association has issued practice guidelines regarding conflicts between psychiatrists’ personal religious beliefs and psychiatric practice. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education includes in its psychiatric training requirement, didactic and clinical instruction on religion and spirituality in psychiatric care.

Religion and depression

Studies among adults reveal fairly consistent relationships between levels of religiosity and depressive disorders that are significant and inverse.^8,14 Religious factors become more potent as life stress increases.¹⁵ Koenig and colleagues8 highlight the fact that before 2000, more than 100 quantitative studies examined the relationships between religion and depression. Of 93 observational studies, two-thirds found lower rates of depressive disorder with fewer depressive symptoms in persons who were more religious. In 34 studies that did not find a similar relationship, only 4 found that being religious was associated with more depression. Of 22 longitudinal studies, 15 found that greater religiousness predicted mild symptoms and faster remission at follow-up.

Smith and colleagues¹⁴ conducted a meta-analysis of 147 studies that involved nearly 100,000 subjects. The average inverse correlation between religious involvement and depression was 20.1, which increased to 0.15 in stressed populations. Religion has been found to enhance remission in patients with medical and psychiatric disease who have established depression.^16,17 The vast majority of these studies have focused on Christianity; there is a lack of research on other religious groups. Some research indicates an increased prevalence of depression among Jews.¹⁸

Depression is important to treat not just because of the emotional distress but also because of the increased risk of suicide. In a systematic review that examined 68 studies, researchers looked for a relationship between religion and suicide.⁸ Among these, 57 studies reported fewer suicides or more negative attitudes toward suicide among the more religious. In a recent Canadian cross-sectional study, religious attendance was associated with decreased suicide attempts in the general population and in those with a mental illness, independent of the effects of social supports.¹⁹ Religious teachings may prevent suicide, but social support, comfort, and meaning derived from religious belief also are important.

More recent studies indicate that the relationship between religion and depression may be more complex than previously shown. All religious beliefs and variables are not necessarily related to better mental health. Factors such as denomination, race, sex, and types of religious coping may affect the relationship between religion or spirituality and depression.^20,21 Negative religious coping (being angry with God, feeling let down), endorsing negative support from the religious community, and loss of faith correlate with higher depression scores.²² As Pargament and colleagues^23(p521) state, “It is not enough to know that the individual prays, attends church, or watches religious television. Measures of religious coping should specify how the individual is making use of religion to understand and deal with stressors.”

Very few studies have specifically addressed the relationship between spirituality and depression. In some instances, spirituality (as opposed to religion) might be associated with higher rates of depression.²⁴ On the other hand, there is a substantial negative association between spirituality and the prevalence of depressive illness, particularly in patients with cancer.^25,26

Anxiety, religion, and spirituality

Given the ubiquity of anxiety and religion, it is surprising how little research has been done with respect to the relationship between the two. The investigation of religious and spiritual issues in anxiety lags behind research on mental disorders such as depression and psychosis. Religious beliefs, practices, and coping may increase the prevalence of anxiety through the induction of guilt and fear. On the other hand, religious beliefs may provide solace to those who are fearful and anxious. Studies on anxiety and religion have yielded mixed and often contradictory results that may be attributed to a lack of standardized measures, poor sampling procedures, failure to control for threats to validity, limited assessment of anxiety, experimenter bias, and poor operationalization of religious constructs.²⁷

Some studies have examined the relationships between religiosity and specific anxiety disorders such as obsessive-compulsive disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Contrary to the views of Freud,²⁸ who saw religion as a form of universal obsessional neurosis, the empirical evidence suggests that religion is associated with higher levels of obsessional personality traits but not with higher levels of obsessional symptoms. Religion may encourage people to be scrupulous, but not to an obsessional extent.^29,30 Although religion has been found to positively affect the ability to cope with trauma and may deepen one’s religious experience, others have found that religion has little or negative effect on symptoms of PTSD.³¹

The relationships between generalized anxiety and religious involvement appear to be complex. In a comprehensive review of the relationship between religion and generalized anxiety in 7 clinical trials and 69 observational studies, Koenig and colleagues⁸ found that half of these studies demonstrated lower levels of anxiety among more religious people, 17 studies reported no association, 7 reported mixed results, and 10 suggested increased anxiety among the more religious.

A person’s strong religious beliefs may facilitate coping with existential issues whereas those who hold weaker beliefs or question their beliefs may demonstrate heightened anxiety.³² These contradictory findings may be accounted for by the fact that researchers have used diverse measures of religiosity. Other studies have focused on death anxiety. Research conducted in the United States and abroad points to denominational differences as well as to differential effects of religion and spirituality and emphasizes the complex relationships between religious and cultural factors.³³ Studies on anxiety and religion to date have emphasized cognitive aspects of anxiety as opposed to the physiological aspects. Future studies should include physiological parameters.

A number of pathways have been discussed in the literature through which religion/spirituality influence depression/anxiety: increased social support; less drug abuse; and the importance of positive emotions, such as altruism, gratitude, and forgiveness in the lives of those who are religious. In addition, religion promotes a positive worldview, answers some of the why questions, promotes meaning, can discourage maladaptive coping, and promotes other-directedness.

Religion and coping in schizophrenia

Research in schizophrenia and religion has predominantly examined religious delusions and hallucinations with religious content. Recently, however, religion as a coping strategy and factor in recovery has been the subject of growing interest.³⁴ Religious delusions have been associated with poorer outcomes, poorer adherence to treatment, and a more severe course of illness.³⁵

A number of studies suggest that religious beliefs and practices can be a central feature in the recovery process and reconstruction of a functional sense of self in psychosis.³⁶ On the other hand, Mohr and colleagues³⁷ found that although religion instilled hope, purpose, and meaning in the lives of some persons with psychosis, for others, it induced spiritual despair. Patients also reported that religion lessened psychotic symptoms and the risk of suicide attempts, substance use, nonadherence to treatment, and social isolation.

Substance abuse

Given that most religions actively discourage the use of substances that adversely affect the body and mind, it is unsurprising that studies generally indicate strongly negative associations between substance abuse and religious involvement. In a review of 134 studies that examined the relationships between religious involvement and substance abuse, 90% found less substance abuse among the more religious.⁸ These findings are corroborated by more recent national surveys and studies in alcohol and drug use in African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Native Americans that similarly indicate negative associations between religious involvement and substance abuse.^38-41

The negative effects of religious involvement

Negative psychological effects of religious involvement include excessive devotion to religious practice that can result in a family breakup. Differences in the level of religiosity between spouses can result in marital disharmony. Religion can promote rigid thinking, overdependence on laws and rules, an emphasis on guilt and sin, and disregard for personal individuality and autonomy. Excessive reliance on ritual and prayer may delay seeking psychiatric help and consequently worsen prognosis. At its most extreme, strict adherence to the ideology of a movement may precipitate suicide.

Clinical implications

Religious issues are important in the assessment and treatment of patients, and therefore clinicians need to be open to the effect of religion on their patients’mental health. It is, however, important that clinicians do not overstep boundaries.

How then can clinicians enter into their patients’ spiritual lives? Blass⁴² and Lawrence and Duggal⁴³ have emphasized the importance of teaching on spirituality in the psychiatric curriculum, with residents learning about the principles of spiritual assessment. There are a number of protocols about how to ask about spirituality, such as the HOPE questionnaire (Sidebar).⁴⁴

After taking a detailed spiritual history, health professionals need to help patients clarify how their religious beliefs and practices influence the course of illness, rather than giving advice about religion. Whatever his or her religious background, the professional’s moral stance should be neutral, with no attempt to manipulate the patient’s beliefs. Clinicians must be aware of how their own religious beliefs affect the therapy process.⁴⁵ Direct religious intervention, such as the use of prayer, remains controversial.⁴⁶

A secular therapist who does not share the religious beliefs of the patient can still be effective as long as he is alert to the need for sensitivity to religious issues and the need to become educated about the religion’s beliefs and practices. At times, patients’ religious views may conflict with medical/psychotherapeutic treatment, and therapists must endeavor to understand the patient’s worldview and, if necessary, consult with clergy. It might be appropriate to involve members of the religious community to provide support and to facilitate rehabilitation.

Religion or spirituality may have therapeutic implications for mental health. Randomized trials indicate that religious interventions among religious patients enhance recovery from anxiety and depression.^47,48 Psychoeducational groups that focus on spirituality can lead to greater understanding of problems, feelings, and spiritual aspects of life.⁴⁹

A focus for future research

In addition to broadening the current research focus on the effects of Christian beliefs on mental health, there are a number of other issues that warrant empirical scrutiny:

• The relationships between anxiety/depression and specific types of religious coping

• The relationships between psychosis and normative religious experiences

• The development of novel religious therapies and assessment of their effectiveness

• The ethics of clinician involvement in religious matters

• How collaboration between clinicians and clergy can be facilitated

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5/14/2010
by James C. Patterson II, MD, PhD

As a kid, did you ever ask your parents why you had to eat your green beans? If so, they probably said, “Because they’re good for you!” You couldn’t see the benefits of eating those bland beans, but still you ate them because Mom and Dad said so. Besides, they sat there watching you.

Like kids facing a plateful of vegetables, some adults may ask, “Why should I go to church?” Honoring, worshipping, and glorifying God and supporting the body of Christ are a few reasons. But here’s one more that you probably didn’t think of: “Because it’s good for you!”

That’s right—going to church is good for your health, mental health to be precise.

The relationship of religion to good mental health may not surprise some people. (As a psychiatrist, it makes perfect sense to me because our mind and soul live in very close approximation to each other.) However, what may come as a surprise is the fact that this area of research (the intersection of religion and mental health) is actively growing. In the past decade more research has been done on the interface between the soul and the psyche than ever before. The vast majority of the results show that religious involvement has a positive impact on mental health.

For example, last year two psychologists, Rita W. Law and David A. Sbarra, published a study looking at the rates of mood disorders in a large population of people (n=791).¹ They looked at the rates of mood disorders in an elderly population (mean age =75.6 initially) over eight years in relation to the rates of church attendance. This study was designed to examine the relationship between church attendance, marital status, gender, and the occurrence of depressed mood among the elderly.

Religious affiliations were reported as follows:

• 29.6%            Anglican
• 27.9%            United Church of Christ
• 17.4%            Other (but 96% of these were of a Protestant or Catholic denomination)
• 12.4 %           Catholic
• 11.3%             None
• 1.3%              Orthodox

To establish the degree of church attendance, the researchers posed the question, “How often have you attended religious services or meetings?” Participants chose one of four response options: never, about once a month, about once a fortnight, and once a week or more. The researchers found that about 42% were non-goers, 25% were consistent goers, 13% were inconsistent goers, and 21% didn’t provide complete information.

Depressed mood was measured with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) Scale.² Higher CES-D scores (max score of 60) indicate more depressive symptoms. Law and Sbarra found that the percentage of folks with scores of 16 or higher increased from 8.9% initially to 16.1% at the last point in the study. The study used multilevel modeling to assess this change.

Physical health and social support both influence depression, and so both were statistically corrected for in the analyses. Despite these corrections, church attendance predicted the level of depressed mood at study entry. Those who went to church consistently during the five years of the study were estimated to have a lower starting level of depressed mood than those who went to church inconsistently during the same period. Surprisingly, and contrary to predictions, those who never attended church reported lower levels of depressed mood initially. However, this same group showed a more rapid rate of increase in depressed mood than the other groups. Therefore, not going to church seemed to be related to higher risk for faster increase in depression in older age.

In summary, in the older adult population studied, attending church on a regular basis helped protect against the appearance of depression. Additionally, Law and Sbarra found that getting married related to decreased depression, and getting divorced or widowed related to increased depression. These findings are consistent with other studies.

Law and Sbarra make the argument that regular church attendance is related to less depressed mood because it is a “shared spiritual activity” and it provides more meaning and purpose in life than other non-spiritual social activities. It is important to empirically demonstrate the benefits of church attendance because evidenced-based medicine depends upon science to guide what doctors recommend to mental health patients in terms of prevention and treatment.

Law and Sbarra’s study is also highly consistent with what results from previous studies. A meta-analysis involving 147 independent projects, with a total of 98,975 subjects, evaluated data from the earlier research. This enormous overview of research on religion and mood demonstrated that going to church is good for you. Specifically, it correlates to less depression.³

Isolation and withdrawal exemplify hallmark features of depression—those suffering from it often prefer to spend time by themselves. While some “alone time” is acceptable, too much can be a sign of trouble. God designed us for relationships. He wants us to have an active relationship with Him, and he wants us to stay in relationship with other members of the body of Christ. Being involved in a church not only encourages us to interact with fellow believers, the latest scientific research shows it can help lower rates of depression.

So remember, always eat your green beans and stay active in church—it’s good for you!

Endnotes:
1. Rita W. Law and David A. Sbarra, “The Effects of Church Attendance and Marital Status on the Longitudinal Trajectories of Depressed Mood among Older Adults”, Journal of Aging and Health 21, no. 6 (September 2009): 803–23.
2. Lenore Sawyer Radloff, “The CES-D Scale: A Self-Report Depression Scale for Research in the General Population,” Applied Psychological Measurement 1, no. 3 (June 1, 1977): 385–401.
3. Timothy B. Smith, Michael E. McCullough, and Justin Poll, “Religiousness and Depression: Evidence for a Main Effect and the Moderating Influence of Stressful Life Events,” Psychological Bulletin 129 (July 2003): 614–36.

May 28th, 2010

Did you know?

There’s a difference between truth and fact.

Beyond the “legal” definitions, and those one might find in a dictionary, the main difference is easy to understand.

Fact might be for the present time only. Truth tends to be eternal.

I’ll give you an example, and let you continue to muse on your own.

What you see before you has the shape of a table.  It’s a fact that it’s a table.  But the truth is, it’s wood and was a tree, and will eventually no longer be a table.

We can view our own lives that way as well.  What we are today –or even where we are today– whether in a good place or not, is a fact.  But the truth of the matter remains that we are not what we will be, maybe even tomorrow.  The truth is we are human beings, eternal.  The facts are that we are changing all the time, and don’t have to stay the way we are presently.

There’s a difference between truth and fact.

Beyond the “legal” definitions, and those one might find in a dictionary, the main difference is easy to understand.

Fact might be for the present time only. Truth tends to be eternal.

I’ll give you an example, and let you continue to muse on your own.

What you see before you has the shape of a table.  It’s a fact that it’s a table.  But the truth is, it’s wood and was a tree, and will eventually no longer be a table.

We can view our own lives that way as well.  What we are today –or even where we are today– whether in a good place or not, is a fact.  But the truth of the matter remains that we are not what we will be, maybe even tomorrow.  The truth is we are human beings, eternal.  The facts are that we are changing all the time, and don’t have to stay the way we are presently.

In more recent years a protein molecule called “laminin” has been discovered. Scientists call Laminin  the “glue” that holds us together.

For Christians, this will stir your hearts and prove that a Creator surely did instill His Love in us … and how He also sustains us.   Want to see laminin? It’s a cell-adhesion molecule that tells a cell what it’s job is in the body.

You are awesomely and wonderfully made! 

God loves you.  Believe in Jesus Christ and find God’s Love.  God will always hold you together.

Psalm 33:1-15, 18,19 The Lord looketh from heaven; He beholdeth all the sons of men. From the place of his habitation he looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth. He fashioneth their hearts alike; he considereth all their works.   Behold the eye of the lord is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy.  To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.