08 Wellness TECv1

CHRISTIAN ESSENTIALS Wellness Copyright © 2019 (TECv1) Christ Church Charlotte, NC

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Wellness


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Wellness: Wellness is how we nurture, strengthen, and repair our mind, body, and soul, and assist others with these tasks.

He gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless. Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted; but those who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. ISAIAH 40:29-31

When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been there a long time, he said to him, ‘Do you want to be made well?’

JOHN 5:61


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LEARN AT HOME

WELLNESS NARRATIVE Each of us is a composite of our physical bodies, our minds, and our souls. We need all three components to be healthy and in balance. When we are “off” it is not always easy to identify why or where healing needs to be addressed. Sometimes, of course, we are all too aware of where the imbalance lies. Regardless, we need to get to the bottom of our dis-eases for many reasons, one of which is that it was so very important to Jesus. The Gospels are full of healing stories. In John chapter 5, Jesus is in Jerusalem at a Jewish feast, and there are many sick people lying around a healing pool. Jesus asks one of the men, one who has been sick for 38 years, “ Do you want to be made well?” (John 5:6) What a fully charged scene this is. Why is Jesus asking this man, one of many, this question? Doesn’t everyone want healing? Perhaps Jesus knew that sometimes we identify with the weakest parts of ourselves. The man answers that he wants to be healed, and so he is. The healing occurred on the Sabbath, which, of course, became a problem in the story. Jewish law prohibited it, and it set religious authorities on edge. Jesus was indifferent to the legal prohibition. What Jesus cared about was that this man be made whole and not identified or handicapped by the condition that kept him unwell. Jesus chose love over law, as was his way. Healing was one of the defining acts of Jesus’ ministry on earth. In the Gospel of Matthew, right after Jesus selects his Apostles and is beginning his journey in Galilee, Matthew writes:

“Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people. So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought to him all the sick, those who were afflicted with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, and paralytics, and he cured them.” (Matthew 4:23-24)

Jesus knew, as we do, that wellbeing can be compromised by different infirmities, and so he healed physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual infirmities. The diseases in the Bible stories may not be easily diagnosable, but, since humans over time and place have shared similar tendencies, it is probable that the diseases Jesus healed were much like ours today: broken bodies, broken hearts, lost souls, and mental illness. If only we could meet Jesus in the marketplace and be healed! Well, in a way we can. God has created a world in which Christ’s presence is delivered through our words, our actions, our interests, and our investments of time, money, and concern. We can be the healing presence of Jesus to each other, the body of Christ.

(continued)


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As our spiritual home, our church is a place where that healing can occur. Through support groups, classes, worship experiences, and conversations, one can easily find ways to engage in topics, such as alcoholism, physical infirmity, soul wellness, spiritual health, post-traumatic stress, mental illness, suicide, grief, and the list goes on. An admittedly overused metaphor for helping others after first taking care of yourself is that of the oxygen mask on an airplane. Before every plane takes off, passengers are instructed to put their own oxygen masks on before assisting others. The point is, of course, that you can’t be of maximum service to others if you are not in good shape yourself. We can help heal the world, but we need to start at the beginning, taking our own wellness inventory, and then moving from there to our healing of self and world. So, to paraphrase Jesus, “Do you want to be made well?” NOTES:


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LEARN AT HOME

TERMINOLOGY2 ADDICTION – a chronic, relapsing brain disease characterized by compulsive behavior, despite harmful consequences.3 AWARENESS – the knowledge or perception of a previously unknown situation or fact. BODY-MIND-SOUL – a way of understanding the whole self. The body is the assembly of organ systems, the mind organizes inputs into familiar entities, and the soul (or spirit) is the metaphysical “form” of the body. Body, mind, and soul act jointly as co-principles of being and together constitute the human unity.4 CURE – the elimination of all evidence of disease. EXERCISE – any activity requiring physical effort carried out to sustain or improve health and fitness.5 HEALING – the process of making whole or well. (Healing and curing are not the same thing.) HOLISTIC – relating to or concerning the whole person and not just one part. LIFESTYLE – the way a person lives as reflected in their actions and behaviors. MINDFULLNESS – a state of active open attention on the present.6 MIRACLE – any event not explainable by natural or scientific law and is therefore the work of divine agency.7 SELF-CARE – any activity that we do deliberately to take care of our mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual health.8 SELF-COMPASSION – kindness and understanding when confronted with personal failing, inadequacies, or shortcomings.9 WELLNESS – how we nurture, strengthen, and repair our mind, body, and soul and assist others with these tasks. WISDOM – the quality of having knowledge of what is true and right coupled with just judgment as to action.10


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SMALL GROUP

GATHER As participants gather, facilitators welcome participants and reflect on questions from last session and review individual practices from “Build it into your life.” Once all participants have arrived the group transitions.

CENTER Hold silence for 1 minute or more to allow participants and facilitators the opportunity to center, prepare, and focus on the Christian Essential Wellness.

PRAY Read aloud by one member of the group.

May the God of peace make you whole and holy, may you be kept safe in body, heart, and mind, and thus ready for the presence. God has called you and will not fail you. Amen.

1 THESSALONIANS 5:23


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CHECK-IN

Check-in using one or more of the following: (20 minutes)

1. Share a response or question related to NARRATIVE or TERMINOLOGY. 2. Facilitators pick a DISCUSSION question from Page 10. 3. Is there anything you would like to share with the group that is on your heart or mind?

WELLNESS VIDEO

Use the space below to capture thoughts, ideas, and questions provoked by the video.

NOTES:


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SMALL GROUP

REFLECTIONS

For Christians, we are called to seek wholeness, wellness, and holiness in the totality of our lives -- heart, soul, strength and mind. We do this by intentionally seeking God in our daily lives by allowing God and our faith to be our compass in all dimensions of that life. By planting these seeds of wholeness we all have a better chance of being whom God dreams us to be. .

- SCOTT STONER

If we are to come to believe that a Power greater than ourselves can restore us to sanity, then we will come to that belief by developing the capacity for a simple, clear, and uncluttered presence. Those who can be present with head, heart, and body at the same time will always encounter The Presence, whether they call it God or not … “God comes to us disguised as our life” as spiritual writer and retreat leader Paula D’Arcy so beautifully puts it in her talks and retreats. All we can do is keep out of the way, note, and weep over our defensive behaviors, keep our various centers from closing down – and the Presence that is surely the Highest Power is then obvious, all-embracing, and immediately effective. The immediate embrace is from God’s side, the ineffectiveness is whatever time it takes for us to ‘come to believe’ which is the slow and gradual healing and reconnecting of head, heart, and body so they can operate as one. .

- RICHARD ROHR, Breathing Under Water: Spirituality and the Twelve Steps

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JOURNAL Choose one of the prompts below, journal your response, and share responses. (15 minutes)

Write about a time in your life you felt completely balanced in body, mind, and soul.

What are you holding onto in your life that is preventing you from “being well”?


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SMALL GROUP

DISCUSSION Facilitators will select one or more for small group discussion. (25 minutes)

1. Share a thought or idea from the video, the reflections, or journal prompt.

2. Someone once said, “We are all temporarily well.” That is to say, most of the time we are in pain, hurting, or afflicted. How do you know when you are in trouble and how do you take care of yourself?

3. Share a story about a time in your life that you wore a mask to disguise your brokenness?

4. In The Episcopal Church the clergy often anoint the sick, dying, and newly baptized with holy oil. The New Testament Greek word for “anoint” is chrio, which means “to smear or rub with oil” or “chosen one.” In the Bible, many were anointed with oil to signify God’s blessing or call on that person’s life (Exodus 40:9, 2 Kings 9:6, James 5:14). A person was anointed for a special purpose-to be a king, prophet, builder, etc.. In the Episcopal tradition the newly baptized are anointed with the oil of chrism, which signifies that the person is “sealed by the Holy Spirit in Baptism and marked as Christ’s own for ever.”11 What do you do to anoint important people in your life?


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SMALL GROUP

BUILD AS A GROUP Facilitators will select and lead one of the practices to be experienced by the group. (20 min.)

1. BLESSING OF THE HANDS

Use the Blessing of the Hands exercise on page 15 to bless one another’s hands.

2. PLOTTING WELLNESS

Take a quick inventory of your Physical, Vocational, Financial, Relationship, and Spiritual Wellness over the course of your life. Use the Plotting Wellness exercise on page 16 to chart your wellness health. Once completed share your responses and discoveries with the group.

3. “LIVE LONGER” TEDTALK by SUSAN PINKER (14:56 minutes)

Using research-based facts; learn about several of the most important factors that impact longevity. www.ted.com/talks (Search: “Susan Pinker”)

4. WHO DO YOU ADMIRE?

To see something in another person, you have to first know what it is. To know what it is, you must have experienced it before. Use the Who Do You Admire exercise on page 19 for a window into your soul.


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BUILD IT

INTO YOUR LIFE Select one of the practices below to focus on in the coming week. Journal about your experience. _____ EXERCISE

Commit to exercising 30 minutes for 3 days during the next week. Instead of listening to music or a podcast, use this time to pray and talk to God.

_____ PLAN YOUR OWN FUNERAL

Facing your own mortality with hopefulness, faith, and honesty is a beautiful way to help your family celebrate your life. Complete the Funeral Pre-Planning guide on Page 19 and provide a copy to Christ Church for our files.

_____ PLOTTING WELLNESS

Take a quick inventory of your Physical, Vocational, Financial, Relationship, and Spiritual Wellness over the course of your life. Use the Plotting Wellness exercise on page 16 to chart your wellness health.

_____ LIVE LONGER - TEDTALK by SUSAN PINKER (14:56 minutes)

Using researched based facts, learn about several of the most important factors that impact longevity.

_____ WHO DO YOU ADMIRE?

To see something in another person, you have to first know what it is. To know what it is, you must have experienced it. Use the Who Do You Admire exercise on page 18 for a window into your soul.

_____ CREATE YOUR OWN PRACTICE ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________


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CLOSING PRAYER Read aloud by one of the participants.

My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it. Therefore I will trust you always, though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.”

- THOMAS MERTON, THE ROAD AHEAD


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RESOURCES BOOKS: The Bible, New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) The Book of Common Prayer 1979 Strength Finder 2.0, Tom Rath All Shall Be Well, An Approach to Wellness, William Craddock, Jr. Your Living Compass, Living well in Thought, Word, and Deed, Scott Stoner Christ Walk, Anna Fitch Courie A Traveler’s Prayer Book, Christopher Webber Breathing Under Water, Richard Rohr The Wellness Project, Phoebe Lapine ONLINE RESOURCES www.episcopalchurch.org www.christchurchcharlotte.org www.christchurchcharlotte.org/care/ www.nationalwellness.org www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/wellness www.cpg.org www.ted.com/talks Wellness Recovery Action Plan

http://namiaustin.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Developing-a-WRAP-Plan.pdf Resources compiled and recommended by parishioners. Christ Church does not endorse all the beliefs or statements held by authors or online resources provided above.


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BLESSING OF THE HANDS 1. Gather your materials: basin, pitcher with warm water, towels, anointing oil, and script.

Facilitators are encouraged to practice the choreography of the experience so they can enjoy the moment.

2. Begin with the following script: (Feel free to “make it your own” and adapt as needed)

We welcome you to this time of blessing – a blessing of hands. Our hands represent the care we both give and receive. Each of us encounters different challenges and our human failings and shortcomings prevent us from being all we thought we should be. Please take a few moments to look at your hands and think about all the ways you use your hands. (Silence is kept for 1 minute or more). Our hands tell the story of our life. Our hands bare marks, scars, and proof that every day is a gift from God. Our hands remind us that we are part of the Body of Christ and we are invited to use our hands to care for our self and those whom God places into our life.

We acknowledge that there have been and will be days when our vitality runs low, when our spirit sags, or when our anxiety peaks. There may be periods when we feel unacknowledged or unappreciated; there may be occasions when what’s expected of us seems beyond our abilities. At times we have given to others and we have failed to replenish ourselves when needed. We admit that we try to care for others when we are so empty ourselves. Our weaknesses, vulnerabilities, and failings are acceptable to our Creator. We are accepted as we are not as we wish we were. Today we celebrate the compassion we have for ourselves and we choose to serve in the roles that we have with a renewed sense of wonder and joy. In the midst of our weakness, we are made strong. In the face of our vulnerability we are made compassionate. We truly are able to bring comfort, healing, and care. Let us pray, “Thank you, God, for bringing us to this place today.

It is good and right for us to be here. Unite us in spirit with those who could not join us physically, but who are present in our hearts and we in theirs. Restore our spirits, rekindle our fire, and renew our energy. Help us in the living and loving with our whole hearts, and keep us in the palm of Your hand forever. Amen.”

3. Invite one person to come forward and extend their hands over the basin. Holding

their hands with one of yours, gently pour a little bit of warm water over their hands. Then gently rub your hands over theirs, washing them. Then dry with a towel.

4. Once their hands are dry, dip one of your fingers into the oil and rub the oil into both palms, making a sign of the cross with the oil. While holding their hands say one of the following blessings:


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BLESSING OF THE HANDS

Use one of the following blessings or an appropriate substitute. May this water and oil renew your spirit and strengthen you to be the hands of Christ in the world. Amen. I anoint your hands in the name of the Father who created, loves and sustains you, the Son who redeems you, and the Holy Spirit who empowers you. May these hands bring comfort and healing to those they serve, to the honor and glory of God. Amen.12

Your hands are full of experience and skill. Your hands reach out with compassion. Your hands show you care. Your hands bless all they touch with the spirit of compassion. We thank you God for these hands. For touching lives and lifting spirits. For the many works of these hands, We thank you God for these hands. Amen.13

5. The individual who just had their hands washed and blessed will wash and bless the next

persons hands, following steps 3 and 4, until all the hands have been washed and blessed.

6. When all present have been blessed, you may end the service with closing remarks and/or the following:

Caring for self and caring for others are backsides of one another. Through your acts of reflection your caring is deepened and your blessing multiplied. Care and blessing seldom go only in one direction. Just like the person who receives the care – they do more than just receive…they give as well. They may offer us their wisdom, or cheer, or gratitude, or honesty. They may bestow on us their courage, their home, and their faith. Receive this blessing and be open to all the blessings that come to you even in packages that at first you may not recognize as a blessing.

(END)

Adapted from Lynne LeBlanc, Blessing of the Hands 2016


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PLOTTING WELLNESS Using the space below, draw a continuous line that represents your Physical Wellness Using the space below, draw a continuous line that represents your Vocational Wellness Using the space below, draw a continuous line that represents your Financial Wellness Using the space below, draw a continuous line that represents your Relationship Wellness Using the space below, draw a continuous line that represents your Spiritual Wellness

Excellent - - - - - - - - - Above Average - - - - - - - - - Average - - - - - - - - - Below Average - - - - - - - - - Poor - - - - - - - - - AGE > START HERE 18 22 30 40 50 60 70 80 90






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PLOTTING WELLNESS (CONTINUED) 1. List 3 of the most joyful moments/events in your life.

1. 2. 3.

2. List 3 of the most challenging or difficult moments/events in your life.

1. 2.

3. 3. Do any of your charts reflect the joyful or challenging moments in your life? In what ways? 4. How did you care for yourself during the “Excellent” seasons of your life as it relates to Physical, Vocational, Financial, Relationships, and Spiritual Wellness? (What were the practices you engaged?) 5. I commit to doing the following 3 things to increase my wellness quotient in: Focus Area: ______________________________

1.

2. 3.

(END)


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WHO DO YOU ADMIRE?

“To see something in another person, you have to first know what it is. To know what it is, you must have experienced it before.”14

1. Take a blank sheet of paper and draw three large circles. In each circle write the name of one person you admire. They can be past or present, known well or at a distance. 2. In each circle write characteristics, capabilities, or attributes of each person that you admire. You can add pictures with symbols or images, which capture these and the strength of your feelings. 3. For each person you admire, ask: which values do they represent? Add these values in each circle. 4. What does this tell me about the values and characteristics that are important to me? To see something in another person, you have to first know what it is. To know what it is, you must have experienced it before. To have experienced it before, then the first time had to be within yourself, even if it was for just a moment. If you have no knowledge of something, then you cannot have the words or emotions to describe it. We even have things called mirror neurons in our brain that many cognitive psychologists would say are the key to how we learn through imitation (amongst many other things). A mirror neuron is one that reacts – fires off if you will – when an animal does something then observes the same action being performed by another animal. Many tests have been conducted with primates to begin to understand this phenomenon and to explore how this may be useful for treating things like autism. For most of us though, it’s an interesting piece of information that, without having to understand the science in detail, we might want to consider in terms of who we are, how we act, and the perceptions and impacts we create in others. Becoming the best version of yourself begins with believing that you have it all within you already. Know where you want to be and who you want to be on the way.

(Adapted from Sarah Lane, Heroes and Villains Exercise)


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FUNERAL PLANS (PRE-PLANNING)

(Please submit completed document to church office or a clergy person)

Today’s Date: ________________________

Full Name: ______________________________________________________________ Date of Birth: _____________________ (Gender) M ___ F____ Other ______________ Home Address: __________________________________________________________ City, State, Zip: __________________________________________________________ Primary Telephone _________________________ Funeral Home Preference: __________________________________________________ Service Location: Church ____ Chapel ____ Cremation ____ Casket _____ Cemetery: ___________________________ Memorial Garden: ____________________ Rite I Traditional Service: ____ Rite II Contemporary Service: ____ Holy Eucharist: Yes No Clergy Preference: _____________________________ Organ Prelude/Postlude/Music Preferences: _____________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ Scripture Preferences: (Any scripture is permissible; for suggested passages, see suggested Scripture Readings at http://www.christchurchcharlotte.org/worship/funerals/) Select 1-3 passages of scripture. A Psalm selection is optional. A reading from the gospel (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) is required only if the service includes Eucharist. 1. ______________________________________________________________________ 2. ______________________________________________________________________ 3. ______________________________________________________________________

(CONTINUE ON NEXT PAGE)


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Congregational Hymns Preferences: (For suggested hymns, see Suggested Hymns recommendations at http://www.christchurchcharlotte.org/worship/funerals) ________________________________________________________________________ Musical Requests (instrumental, solos): ________________________________________________________________________ Interment (Burial) Yes No Memorial Garden: _______ Cemetery: __________ Private:___________ Before Service:_____ After service:_____ Other Wishes: ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Visitation: At funeral home: _____ Immediately following service: _____ Other: _____ Reception: Yes No At Christ Church: _______ At Home: _______ Names of Readers or additional speakers at service: ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Contact Name (other than yourself): __________________________________________ Telephone: __________________________________ Relationship: _________________ Memorial Gifts to: _________________________________________________________ Address: _____________________________ City, State ______________ Zip ________ Send acknowledgments to: Name: ___________________________________________ Address: _____________________________ City, State ______________ Zip ________

(Please provide a copy of this document to the church office.)


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FOOTNOTES WELLNESS 1 The New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, 1995 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. All rights reserved. 2 Adapted from Care Conversations www.careconversations.org 3 Addiction, National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) www.drugabuse.gov 4 The Episcopal Church, Glossary, Soul https://www.episcopalchurch.org/library/glossary/soul 5 Exercise, Merriam-Webster Dictionary, www.merriam-webster.com 6 https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/mindfulness 7 http://www.dictionary.com/browse/miracle 8 https://psychcentral.com/blog/what-self-care-is-and-what-it-isnt-2/ 9 Self-Compassion, Kristin Neff, www.self-compassion.org 10 http://www.dictionary.com/browse/wisdom 11 The Book of Common Prayer, page 308 12 Nurses Christian Fellowship, Hand Blessing, http://ncf-jcn.org/resources/blessing-hands 13 Adapted from, A Blessing of Healing Hands. 14 Sarah Lane, What you admire in others, you have in yourself. https://certifiedcoach.org/2016/03/admire-others-within/

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08 Wellness TECv1