By Jim Nelson
Christmas – That time of year that should be filled with joy and celebration; and above all giving thanks to God for the greatest gift of all.I always feel sorry for those who in the hustle and bustle of buying, wrapping and exchanging presents, in the going to party after party often with too much alcohol, in the over indulgence of food; miss the true meaning of the miracle.How sad it must be for those children who are taught to spend Advent awaiting Santa Claus instead of the coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus. Even though I may currently be an editor/writer and not serving a church, I am still primarily a pastor. And it is my pastoral heart that makes me want to share the real gift of Christmas with everyone I can.
We profess to believe that Jesus was fully human and fully divine. Christmas reminds us of the fully human Jesus who came to earth and walked among us. Who emptied himself and became just like you and me.As Christians we have the privilege of worshiping a God who understands because he has been there. God chose to come to earth as a vulnerable baby, totally dependent on others to care for him. He cried when he was hungry, and had to wait for someone to feed him. He shivered when it was cold, and depended on someone else to warm him. As he grew, he passed through the awkwardness of adolescence, and the fickleness of childhood friendships. He sweated when he was hot, his nose ran when he had a cold, he bruised when he fell, and bled when he was cut.He had to deal with the temptations of materialism, power and glory; the frustration of not being able to make even his disciples fully understand his teachings; and the humiliation of living in a land occupied by a foreign invader with military installations and soldiers throughout.
Toward the end of his life, he felt failure when many turned and followed him no more (John 6:66). He suffered the betrayal of a trusted friend. His heart must have broken when his closest friend denied even knowing him. And, it comforts me to think that at times, being as isolated as the rest of us are from God, he too may have had a moment or two of doubt. It is easy to get wrapped up in the fully divine side of Jesus, but the miracle of Christmas is that it reminds us of the fully human side. Unlike other religions, we have a God who understands because he suffered just like the rest of us. What pain can we feel, what experience can we have that he did not also have? When we feel lost, alone, abandoned, betrayed, or just plain depressed; we can go to Jesus for comfort because he can relate not in some divine, all-understanding, all-knowing kind of way, but in a personal, I’ve-been-there kind of way.
In the United States we are truly blessed. Most of us did not start out in a manger, nor did we have to flee persecution. Most of us won’t end up nailed to a cross, our backs raw and bleeding from the torture of the lash. Unfortunately there are still parts of the world where people do have similar beginnings and similar endings. Because we are so blessed, we need to take extra time at Christmas to be thankful that God cared enough to come to earth as a baby, and to walk among us to show that he does understand how we feel. Merry Christmas.
Monday, December 17, 2007
Guest Columnist: I was homeless and you gave me no shelter
By Andy Peabody
Sitting down, Stephanie, our housing director, slid an all-too-familiar piece of paper towards me. Immediately I knew what was happening in the ministry’s emergency night shelter. The first time was finally here; the moment I’d been dreading for months. “They came from Cherokee County looking for a place in the shelter,” Stephanie added.Looking away from the unsigned document, Stephanie asked: “Now, as I understand it, if they feel they cannot honestly sign this piece of paper stating they are United States citizens or legal permanent residents 18 years of age or older, we cannot provide them with emergency shelter even for one night, even if we have open beds.”
My head filled with emotions: values and rational processes all clamoring for my attention. Could I retreat from our position that whether or not we agree with this new law, the state of Georgia - and Cobb County - have told us we have to do this? Was I absolutely sure the shelter received the requisite county, state, or federal monies to make it subject to this new process? Might we offer the two men (who had already confided their undocumented status) the gift of hospitality and “sanctuary” in the sanctuary of the former church that now serves as our ministry’s emergency shelter? Was I prepared for the consequences of saying, “No, this is wrong and I choose not to do this – we will not turn these individuals away from the help we have within our power to extend”?
The document is an affidavit representing Cobb’s efforts to implement SB529, the Georgia Security & Immigration Compliance Act. While I vehemently disapprove of the law and the way my particular community has seen fit to enact its provisions, in that moment, I felt my hands were tied. I looked Stephanie squarely in the eyes and said with as little emotion as possible, “For now, we have to do this. If they can’t honestly answer in the affirmative, we cannot offer them emergency shelter, regardless of the extent of their imminent need.” For a long time after Stephanie left, I felt an absence greater than could be explained by her departure. A coldness had entered the room, one which wrapped itself around my heart. I closed my eyes and reached out for God in prayer, and instead felt a distinct and palpable absence of God’s presence. Then it hit me – in turning away two strangers in a strange land, I had turned aside Christ himself from the doors to which he had come seeking assistance. The longer I sat in solitude, the more convinced I became that I had done the wrong thing – whatever the law might say. I felt I had stepped from the light into shadow, and that to re-emerge into the light I would have to speak out for those who’d had no advocate to stand up for them when they came to our doors seeking shelter and hospitality.
So I am speaking out – not as the representative of MUST Ministries, nor of the North Georgia Annual Conference – but as a man who is deeply, deeply troubled by how far astray we seem to have wandered with SB529. Some, in good conscience, will disagree with me – so be it. I know and respect many who do. But I hope those who are similarly concerned will join me in speaking out, ardently and consistently, against policies that force us to choose between hospitality to fellow humans in need and obedience to the laws of our land.
Martin Marty, the eminent theologian and columnist for The Christian Century, reminded us at a conference in Atlanta recently - we all know what xenophobia is, but have we forgotten about xenophilia, love of the stranger, and hospitality? At times, we all must choose whom to follow; now is such a time. The need is literally knocking on our doors.
Andy Peabody is a probationary clergy member of the North Georgia Annual Conference of the UMC serving MUST Ministries in Marietta, Ga.
Sitting down, Stephanie, our housing director, slid an all-too-familiar piece of paper towards me. Immediately I knew what was happening in the ministry’s emergency night shelter. The first time was finally here; the moment I’d been dreading for months. “They came from Cherokee County looking for a place in the shelter,” Stephanie added.Looking away from the unsigned document, Stephanie asked: “Now, as I understand it, if they feel they cannot honestly sign this piece of paper stating they are United States citizens or legal permanent residents 18 years of age or older, we cannot provide them with emergency shelter even for one night, even if we have open beds.”
My head filled with emotions: values and rational processes all clamoring for my attention. Could I retreat from our position that whether or not we agree with this new law, the state of Georgia - and Cobb County - have told us we have to do this? Was I absolutely sure the shelter received the requisite county, state, or federal monies to make it subject to this new process? Might we offer the two men (who had already confided their undocumented status) the gift of hospitality and “sanctuary” in the sanctuary of the former church that now serves as our ministry’s emergency shelter? Was I prepared for the consequences of saying, “No, this is wrong and I choose not to do this – we will not turn these individuals away from the help we have within our power to extend”?
The document is an affidavit representing Cobb’s efforts to implement SB529, the Georgia Security & Immigration Compliance Act. While I vehemently disapprove of the law and the way my particular community has seen fit to enact its provisions, in that moment, I felt my hands were tied. I looked Stephanie squarely in the eyes and said with as little emotion as possible, “For now, we have to do this. If they can’t honestly answer in the affirmative, we cannot offer them emergency shelter, regardless of the extent of their imminent need.” For a long time after Stephanie left, I felt an absence greater than could be explained by her departure. A coldness had entered the room, one which wrapped itself around my heart. I closed my eyes and reached out for God in prayer, and instead felt a distinct and palpable absence of God’s presence. Then it hit me – in turning away two strangers in a strange land, I had turned aside Christ himself from the doors to which he had come seeking assistance. The longer I sat in solitude, the more convinced I became that I had done the wrong thing – whatever the law might say. I felt I had stepped from the light into shadow, and that to re-emerge into the light I would have to speak out for those who’d had no advocate to stand up for them when they came to our doors seeking shelter and hospitality.
So I am speaking out – not as the representative of MUST Ministries, nor of the North Georgia Annual Conference – but as a man who is deeply, deeply troubled by how far astray we seem to have wandered with SB529. Some, in good conscience, will disagree with me – so be it. I know and respect many who do. But I hope those who are similarly concerned will join me in speaking out, ardently and consistently, against policies that force us to choose between hospitality to fellow humans in need and obedience to the laws of our land.
Martin Marty, the eminent theologian and columnist for The Christian Century, reminded us at a conference in Atlanta recently - we all know what xenophobia is, but have we forgotten about xenophilia, love of the stranger, and hospitality? At times, we all must choose whom to follow; now is such a time. The need is literally knocking on our doors.
Andy Peabody is a probationary clergy member of the North Georgia Annual Conference of the UMC serving MUST Ministries in Marietta, Ga.
Aging Well: Christmas: A Story Told Through Older Adults and Neighborhood Angels
By Robert Beckum
When Luke wrote the first story of Christmas, he deliberately told the story of God’s redeeming love through older adults and angels. Those advanced in age like Zechariah and Elizabeth or Simeon and Anna embodied the hopes, dreams and fears of all humanity. Angels proclaimed God’s response to humanity’s deepest hopes and greatest fears in the birth of Jesus. According to Luke, only two groups seemed to understand the significance of what God was doing that first Christmas—-angels and older adults. In my life journey, most of the angels (God’s messengers) I have known have been older adults. Chief among those angels was Mrs. Coulter.
Dora Louise Coulter did special things for all the children in the neighborhood where I grew up. She delighted in our presence. She asked about our hopes and dreams. Most importantly, she always listened to what we had to say as if what we were saying was the most important thing in the world. When we were with Miss Dora Louise, we not only felt special—-we were special, and we knew it! At least we knew we were special to her. She made the most wonderful gift baskets for all the children in the neighborhood at every holiday—-every holiday except Christmas. Accustomed to being on the receiving end of her generosity, our faces showed disappointment with the lack of Christmas goodie baskets.“Christmas is different,” she explained, “Christmas is not a time to focus on what we want or what we hope to get, but it is a time to give thanks for all God has already given us in priceless gift of his son.” She continued to say, “Christmas is not in the glitz or the glitter, it is in God’s gift.” Finally she said, “One day you boys will know and understand.” To little boys hoping for toys and candy, her explanation had little appeal. We all agreed she was being a scrooge. Still we wondered, “Why only at Christmas?” She is so generous the rest of the year. Little did we know she was trying to give us so much more than a goodie basket.
Only as adults did we learn it was on Christmas Eve many years before when Miss Dora Louise learned that her youngest son, Billy, had been killed by a Japanese sniper’s bullet. Every Christmas since, she avoided the tinsel and seasonal hullabaloo. Instead, she spent her time quietly giving thanks to God for the gift of His son—-and remembering her son as she lavished her love and attention on us. She was not a scrooge but as close to an angel as any of us little boys were privileged to know. Every Christmas, it is this older adult who reminds me not to focus on what I am “wanting” or “getting” but on giving thanks to God for the priceless gift of His Son that I have already been given and asking, “Where and to whom is God calling me to be an angelic messenger by sharing my love, my time and my attention?”
Rev. Robert Beckum is Vice President of Church Relations and Development Magnolia Manor.
When Luke wrote the first story of Christmas, he deliberately told the story of God’s redeeming love through older adults and angels. Those advanced in age like Zechariah and Elizabeth or Simeon and Anna embodied the hopes, dreams and fears of all humanity. Angels proclaimed God’s response to humanity’s deepest hopes and greatest fears in the birth of Jesus. According to Luke, only two groups seemed to understand the significance of what God was doing that first Christmas—-angels and older adults. In my life journey, most of the angels (God’s messengers) I have known have been older adults. Chief among those angels was Mrs. Coulter.
Dora Louise Coulter did special things for all the children in the neighborhood where I grew up. She delighted in our presence. She asked about our hopes and dreams. Most importantly, she always listened to what we had to say as if what we were saying was the most important thing in the world. When we were with Miss Dora Louise, we not only felt special—-we were special, and we knew it! At least we knew we were special to her. She made the most wonderful gift baskets for all the children in the neighborhood at every holiday—-every holiday except Christmas. Accustomed to being on the receiving end of her generosity, our faces showed disappointment with the lack of Christmas goodie baskets.“Christmas is different,” she explained, “Christmas is not a time to focus on what we want or what we hope to get, but it is a time to give thanks for all God has already given us in priceless gift of his son.” She continued to say, “Christmas is not in the glitz or the glitter, it is in God’s gift.” Finally she said, “One day you boys will know and understand.” To little boys hoping for toys and candy, her explanation had little appeal. We all agreed she was being a scrooge. Still we wondered, “Why only at Christmas?” She is so generous the rest of the year. Little did we know she was trying to give us so much more than a goodie basket.
Only as adults did we learn it was on Christmas Eve many years before when Miss Dora Louise learned that her youngest son, Billy, had been killed by a Japanese sniper’s bullet. Every Christmas since, she avoided the tinsel and seasonal hullabaloo. Instead, she spent her time quietly giving thanks to God for the gift of His son—-and remembering her son as she lavished her love and attention on us. She was not a scrooge but as close to an angel as any of us little boys were privileged to know. Every Christmas, it is this older adult who reminds me not to focus on what I am “wanting” or “getting” but on giving thanks to God for the priceless gift of His Son that I have already been given and asking, “Where and to whom is God calling me to be an angelic messenger by sharing my love, my time and my attention?”
Rev. Robert Beckum is Vice President of Church Relations and Development Magnolia Manor.
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Pathways to His Presence: Remembering My Baptism
By B.J. Funk
Whenever my mother went into the cedar chest in her bedroom, she always allowed me to gently remove the yellowed envelope with my name typed on the front. I could feel it, smell it, hold it; but I could not open it until I turned thirteen. I remember the anticipation I felt each time I saw that envelope. Opening it would be one of the highlights of my life. Would thirteen ever come?Finally, the day came. Inside was a letter from the pastor who baptized me along with the crumbled rose that had sat on the altar on my baptism day, thirteen years earlier. Was I disappointed? Not a chance. My mother had done a grand job of telling me the significance of baptism, the importance of that day. The contents of that letter were like a fragrance that had been carefully guarded until the day I could better understand the meaning of that special day. The pastor’s letter explained the significance of my baptism. The rose meant that my church took time to notice the day a baby was touched by the imprint of God. I cry now when I think of it. Nothing about my thirteenth birthday party was as important to me as that letter.
I can’t explain this in understandable language, because it is a holy mystery. But on that day, when I didn’t realize who God was, God knew who I was. Through the symbol of water, He said to me, “You are mine. You belong to me.” Isaiah 44:5 says, “One will say, “I belong to the Lord…..still another will write on his hand, ‘The Lord’s.’” On that day, God wrote on my hand, “The Lord’s.” No matter what happens in my life, I only have to look at my hand to remember whose I am. Thank you, Father, for the faded rose and yellowed letter. They are a symbol of a deep, life-changing truth.
Rev. B.J. Funk is associate pastor of Central UMC in Fitzgerald.
Whenever my mother went into the cedar chest in her bedroom, she always allowed me to gently remove the yellowed envelope with my name typed on the front. I could feel it, smell it, hold it; but I could not open it until I turned thirteen. I remember the anticipation I felt each time I saw that envelope. Opening it would be one of the highlights of my life. Would thirteen ever come?Finally, the day came. Inside was a letter from the pastor who baptized me along with the crumbled rose that had sat on the altar on my baptism day, thirteen years earlier. Was I disappointed? Not a chance. My mother had done a grand job of telling me the significance of baptism, the importance of that day. The contents of that letter were like a fragrance that had been carefully guarded until the day I could better understand the meaning of that special day. The pastor’s letter explained the significance of my baptism. The rose meant that my church took time to notice the day a baby was touched by the imprint of God. I cry now when I think of it. Nothing about my thirteenth birthday party was as important to me as that letter.
I can’t explain this in understandable language, because it is a holy mystery. But on that day, when I didn’t realize who God was, God knew who I was. Through the symbol of water, He said to me, “You are mine. You belong to me.” Isaiah 44:5 says, “One will say, “I belong to the Lord…..still another will write on his hand, ‘The Lord’s.’” On that day, God wrote on my hand, “The Lord’s.” No matter what happens in my life, I only have to look at my hand to remember whose I am. Thank you, Father, for the faded rose and yellowed letter. They are a symbol of a deep, life-changing truth.
Rev. B.J. Funk is associate pastor of Central UMC in Fitzgerald.
Aging Well: Choosing a Nursing Home for Mother
By Robert Beckum
I did something this week that hundreds of people do every day. Still, it was difficult. I placed my mother in a nursing home. She is eighty-nine years old. Her health deteriorated in the last year, she fell two or three times a week, and my father was no longer able to lift her without threat of injury to her or himself. It was the right decision. It was a loving decision. It was a heart-rending decision. As my sister said, “If this decision is so right, it seems we would feel better about it.” Her comment reminded me of a fundamental principle involved in making the tough choices of elder care for our parents: When our heart and our head are in conflict, we often have to go with our head and trust that our heart will “catch up.” Still, making decisions about a parent's care is an affair of the heart.
One factor making my decision so emotionally difficult is the same factor which affects many families with an elderly parent from the greatest generation. In my mother's memory bank of fears there is no fear greater than “going into the nursing home.” No amount of calling this place a “skilled nursing facility” fooled her. In her mind the ultimate “N-Word” was “nursing” home---a term vulgar, insulting and demeaning to her. Her anger and fear had little to do with the quality of care given and much to do with the quality of life lost---loss of privacy, loss of independence, and loss of control. While our heads can help insure quality of care, our hearts are helpless in the face of a parent's losses due to age.
In helping others make this same decision practically every day at Magnolia Manor, I have prepared a forty-eight point checklist of things to look for in choosing a nursing home. My checklist is well intended and filled with good suggestions, even if I say so myself. Things are different, however, when it involves your mother. As I began the admissions process, I was amazed at how my “checklist” narrowed to one supremely important question. As I met the admissions director, the director of nursing and the administrator, I listened carefully and asked myself silently: “Is this a person I can trust with my mother's care?” A second question I satisfied before leaving was, “Does each staff member know they can depend on me to be a vital partner in my mother's care?”
From this experience, I have learned it is most important to establish respectful relationships with the staff of caregivers within a nursing center, as it is to check out a nursing center's reputation and record. Things are different when the patient is your loved one, and after all, every elder patient is somebody's loved one. As a result of this week, I think I will be reworking that checklist I have been giving to others, making sure that establishing a familial relationship with the care giving team is right at the top...
Rev. Robert Beckum isVice President of Church Relations and Development Magnolia Manor.
I did something this week that hundreds of people do every day. Still, it was difficult. I placed my mother in a nursing home. She is eighty-nine years old. Her health deteriorated in the last year, she fell two or three times a week, and my father was no longer able to lift her without threat of injury to her or himself. It was the right decision. It was a loving decision. It was a heart-rending decision. As my sister said, “If this decision is so right, it seems we would feel better about it.” Her comment reminded me of a fundamental principle involved in making the tough choices of elder care for our parents: When our heart and our head are in conflict, we often have to go with our head and trust that our heart will “catch up.” Still, making decisions about a parent's care is an affair of the heart.
One factor making my decision so emotionally difficult is the same factor which affects many families with an elderly parent from the greatest generation. In my mother's memory bank of fears there is no fear greater than “going into the nursing home.” No amount of calling this place a “skilled nursing facility” fooled her. In her mind the ultimate “N-Word” was “nursing” home---a term vulgar, insulting and demeaning to her. Her anger and fear had little to do with the quality of care given and much to do with the quality of life lost---loss of privacy, loss of independence, and loss of control. While our heads can help insure quality of care, our hearts are helpless in the face of a parent's losses due to age.
In helping others make this same decision practically every day at Magnolia Manor, I have prepared a forty-eight point checklist of things to look for in choosing a nursing home. My checklist is well intended and filled with good suggestions, even if I say so myself. Things are different, however, when it involves your mother. As I began the admissions process, I was amazed at how my “checklist” narrowed to one supremely important question. As I met the admissions director, the director of nursing and the administrator, I listened carefully and asked myself silently: “Is this a person I can trust with my mother's care?” A second question I satisfied before leaving was, “Does each staff member know they can depend on me to be a vital partner in my mother's care?”
From this experience, I have learned it is most important to establish respectful relationships with the staff of caregivers within a nursing center, as it is to check out a nursing center's reputation and record. Things are different when the patient is your loved one, and after all, every elder patient is somebody's loved one. As a result of this week, I think I will be reworking that checklist I have been giving to others, making sure that establishing a familial relationship with the care giving team is right at the top...
Rev. Robert Beckum isVice President of Church Relations and Development Magnolia Manor.
From the Counselor's Notebook: What the world needs now
By Martha Tate
“The world needs a counterforce to disturbing thought and emotion.” - His Holiness the Dalai Lama
I was one of the fortunate four thousand in attendance at the Mind-Life Institute XV at Emory. We witnessed a respectful, compassionate dialogue when East met West as His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, conferred with western neurobiologists, psychiatrists and researchers about “Mindfulness, Compassion and the Treatment of Depression”. The intent of the dialogue was to understand depression in physiological and cognitive terms and to explore the possibility that mindfulness based therapies, such as compassionate meditation, might be useful in the treatment and prevention of depression.Depression is the # one cause of disability worldwide and can lead to suicide, physical disease, behavioral and relational problems. Rates of depression are similar worldwide. Research indicates that the complex interplay between genetics and early life experience renders some people susceptible to depression.Depression is a condition with physiological, cognitive and emotional features. People with certain personality traits are prone to depression as their habits of mind are conducive to its development.
Researchers assess causality as 1/3 genetic and 2/3 environmental. Experiences such as early childhood trauma, abuse, neglect, poverty, exploitation and insufficient bonding predispose vulnerable people to depression. The age-old nature/nurture debate is best understood as a “both/and” proposition. It is in the interplay between “mind” and “body” that both health and disease are created and sustained.A cursory understanding of the mechanisms by which experience impacts physiology is necessary to grasp how compassionate meditation could impact depression and its devastating consequences. This is found in the early research on the physiology of stress reactions.
Stress, defined as perceived threat, stimulates the increased production of certain chemicals which trigger heightened activity in the autonomic nervous system. Heart rate and respiration increase, while blood is shunted from digestive organs to the major muscle groups fueling the “fight or flight” response. Prolonged, unremitting stress floods the body with these chemicals, which in turn damage the body and prohibit the relaxation phase with its cascade of complementary chemicals normally following the excitation phase. This is a recipe for all sorts of illness, including depression, to incubate.Conversely, positive, nurturing experiences, like healthy maternal/infant bonding, produce other chemicals, such as oxytocin, which actually mitigate against the adverse effects of stress and create a sense of well being.
Via these same mechanisms, healthful activities like meditation and psychotherapy also affect the expression of brain/body chemistry and are helpful in ameliorating depression. These practices are now proven to restructure the brain.In the research on compassionate meditation, participants first relaxed the body through mindful breathing. They then focused attention on the connection between their thought and feeling states. Finally, they focused on thoughts and images of love and equanimity, the desire of all beings for happiness and well being.Interestingly, regions of the brain associated with emotional and physical self -knowledge showed increased activity. Such heightened awareness allows meditators the ability to master, or at least influence, their mental and emotional states. The connection between the thinking and feeling brain was strengthened. Empathy, as measured by emotional reactions to pictures of distressed children, was increased, as was altruism, measured by the increased desire to contribute money to charity. Researchers concluded that compassionate meditation is a prophylactic for stress and emotional disorders, including depression.
As our Western scientific method investigates spiritual practices, we are privileged to understand from a new perspective what Christian seekers have always known. Deep prayer and meditation on the scriptures change us. As changed people, we impact our world differently. Perhaps Christ’s healing miracles operated in accordance with these principles; the power of His healing touch rewiring brains, bodies and beings. Christ is our example of perfect integration of mind/body and Spirit. Living in uninterrupted communion with God, He modeled for us the potential that God ordains. We fall so short, but gain so much in the trying. In Christ there is no East nor West, but one great fellowship of love throughout the whole wide earth.”
Martha M. Tate is a licensed clinical social worker in private practice.
“The world needs a counterforce to disturbing thought and emotion.” - His Holiness the Dalai Lama
I was one of the fortunate four thousand in attendance at the Mind-Life Institute XV at Emory. We witnessed a respectful, compassionate dialogue when East met West as His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, conferred with western neurobiologists, psychiatrists and researchers about “Mindfulness, Compassion and the Treatment of Depression”. The intent of the dialogue was to understand depression in physiological and cognitive terms and to explore the possibility that mindfulness based therapies, such as compassionate meditation, might be useful in the treatment and prevention of depression.Depression is the # one cause of disability worldwide and can lead to suicide, physical disease, behavioral and relational problems. Rates of depression are similar worldwide. Research indicates that the complex interplay between genetics and early life experience renders some people susceptible to depression.Depression is a condition with physiological, cognitive and emotional features. People with certain personality traits are prone to depression as their habits of mind are conducive to its development.
Researchers assess causality as 1/3 genetic and 2/3 environmental. Experiences such as early childhood trauma, abuse, neglect, poverty, exploitation and insufficient bonding predispose vulnerable people to depression. The age-old nature/nurture debate is best understood as a “both/and” proposition. It is in the interplay between “mind” and “body” that both health and disease are created and sustained.A cursory understanding of the mechanisms by which experience impacts physiology is necessary to grasp how compassionate meditation could impact depression and its devastating consequences. This is found in the early research on the physiology of stress reactions.
Stress, defined as perceived threat, stimulates the increased production of certain chemicals which trigger heightened activity in the autonomic nervous system. Heart rate and respiration increase, while blood is shunted from digestive organs to the major muscle groups fueling the “fight or flight” response. Prolonged, unremitting stress floods the body with these chemicals, which in turn damage the body and prohibit the relaxation phase with its cascade of complementary chemicals normally following the excitation phase. This is a recipe for all sorts of illness, including depression, to incubate.Conversely, positive, nurturing experiences, like healthy maternal/infant bonding, produce other chemicals, such as oxytocin, which actually mitigate against the adverse effects of stress and create a sense of well being.
Via these same mechanisms, healthful activities like meditation and psychotherapy also affect the expression of brain/body chemistry and are helpful in ameliorating depression. These practices are now proven to restructure the brain.In the research on compassionate meditation, participants first relaxed the body through mindful breathing. They then focused attention on the connection between their thought and feeling states. Finally, they focused on thoughts and images of love and equanimity, the desire of all beings for happiness and well being.Interestingly, regions of the brain associated with emotional and physical self -knowledge showed increased activity. Such heightened awareness allows meditators the ability to master, or at least influence, their mental and emotional states. The connection between the thinking and feeling brain was strengthened. Empathy, as measured by emotional reactions to pictures of distressed children, was increased, as was altruism, measured by the increased desire to contribute money to charity. Researchers concluded that compassionate meditation is a prophylactic for stress and emotional disorders, including depression.
As our Western scientific method investigates spiritual practices, we are privileged to understand from a new perspective what Christian seekers have always known. Deep prayer and meditation on the scriptures change us. As changed people, we impact our world differently. Perhaps Christ’s healing miracles operated in accordance with these principles; the power of His healing touch rewiring brains, bodies and beings. Christ is our example of perfect integration of mind/body and Spirit. Living in uninterrupted communion with God, He modeled for us the potential that God ordains. We fall so short, but gain so much in the trying. In Christ there is no East nor West, but one great fellowship of love throughout the whole wide earth.”
Martha M. Tate is a licensed clinical social worker in private practice.
From the Editor: I’m still speaking out
By Jim Nelson
United Methodist Student day is the Sunday following Thanksgiving when most students are home from college and able to attend the worship service at their home church.Forty years ago as a Methodist scholarship recipient attending Ohio Wesleyan University, I was one of five students asked to speak at my home church on what was then Methodist Student Day.My family joined that church in 1952 when we moved into the neighborhood. For 15 years I attended Sunday school classes, was a member and officer of MYF, assisted in worship services, and worked around the church. The people in that congregation had become like family to me.
It was 1967. I spoke against the war, and in support of civil rights. I quoted scriptures and used what they had taught me in Sunday school over the last 15 years. After the service, we stood up front so the congregation could speak to us. Only one person spoke to me. Even the pastor, who had just been appointed, did not speak to me. After several weeks of being shunned, I stop attending that church or any other church for 20 years.Although I lost my faith in people, I never lost my faith in God. I still read the scriptures, spent time in prayer every day, and knew that God loved me. I still spoke out for what I believed. Yet, I wondered why they were so angry when I spoke about what they had taught me? They taught me Jesus was about love, compassion, forgiveness, and even sacrifice; that all people are equal in the sight of God.
After graduation, I enlisted in the Army and became an Airborne Infantry Officer. I served nearly three years on active duty, followed by another 10 in the National Guard and Reserves. I may be anti-war, but I believe in the idea and ideals of America.I have always tried, although not always successfully, to be faithful to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I try to use Jesus’s teachings when I preach and/or write, and as you might suspect, I still make some people angry.Recently I saw the movie “Rendition.” Admittedly, the producers had a political agenda. They, like Sen. John McCain, believe torture is immoral and ineffective. McCain, one of the few people with first-hand knowledge, said, “It’s not about them; it’s about us.” It IS about us, particularly those of us who are Christians.
In light of Judge Michael Mukasey’s confirmation hearings to be Attorney General, I asked several people, “Which teaching of Jesus justifies torture?” I understand the political rationale and our national security interests. I understand how secular humanists and those or other faiths can support it. But I am a Christian, a follower of Jesus. Which commandment of His justifies “water-boarding” to get information? As yet, no one has answered my question.Jesus said, “Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you.” And in terms of preserving our way of life he said, “Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” As a Christian I would rather be arrested, persecuted and killed by an unjust government while remaining faithful to the teachings of Jesus, than to live by unjustly treating others to save my life in this world.Some would say I haven’t learned much from that Methodist Student Day in 1967.
United Methodist Student day is the Sunday following Thanksgiving when most students are home from college and able to attend the worship service at their home church.Forty years ago as a Methodist scholarship recipient attending Ohio Wesleyan University, I was one of five students asked to speak at my home church on what was then Methodist Student Day.My family joined that church in 1952 when we moved into the neighborhood. For 15 years I attended Sunday school classes, was a member and officer of MYF, assisted in worship services, and worked around the church. The people in that congregation had become like family to me.
It was 1967. I spoke against the war, and in support of civil rights. I quoted scriptures and used what they had taught me in Sunday school over the last 15 years. After the service, we stood up front so the congregation could speak to us. Only one person spoke to me. Even the pastor, who had just been appointed, did not speak to me. After several weeks of being shunned, I stop attending that church or any other church for 20 years.Although I lost my faith in people, I never lost my faith in God. I still read the scriptures, spent time in prayer every day, and knew that God loved me. I still spoke out for what I believed. Yet, I wondered why they were so angry when I spoke about what they had taught me? They taught me Jesus was about love, compassion, forgiveness, and even sacrifice; that all people are equal in the sight of God.
After graduation, I enlisted in the Army and became an Airborne Infantry Officer. I served nearly three years on active duty, followed by another 10 in the National Guard and Reserves. I may be anti-war, but I believe in the idea and ideals of America.I have always tried, although not always successfully, to be faithful to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I try to use Jesus’s teachings when I preach and/or write, and as you might suspect, I still make some people angry.Recently I saw the movie “Rendition.” Admittedly, the producers had a political agenda. They, like Sen. John McCain, believe torture is immoral and ineffective. McCain, one of the few people with first-hand knowledge, said, “It’s not about them; it’s about us.” It IS about us, particularly those of us who are Christians.
In light of Judge Michael Mukasey’s confirmation hearings to be Attorney General, I asked several people, “Which teaching of Jesus justifies torture?” I understand the political rationale and our national security interests. I understand how secular humanists and those or other faiths can support it. But I am a Christian, a follower of Jesus. Which commandment of His justifies “water-boarding” to get information? As yet, no one has answered my question.Jesus said, “Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you.” And in terms of preserving our way of life he said, “Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” As a Christian I would rather be arrested, persecuted and killed by an unjust government while remaining faithful to the teachings of Jesus, than to live by unjustly treating others to save my life in this world.Some would say I haven’t learned much from that Methodist Student Day in 1967.
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