TruthBook Religious News Blog

One group’s formula for trying times: Live gratefully, spend less, buy justly, give more.

By Jane Lampman| Staff writer/
February 1, 2009 edition

In turbulent economic times, the watchwords are usually: Cut back. Live frugally. Hunker down and put money in safe places!

But here in Boston, small groups of churchgoers have been applying a different message to money management. During the past two years, they have studied what the Bible teaches about money and wealth, discussed their personal budgets, and taken concrete steps aimed at four commitments: “Living gratefully, spending less, buying justly, and giving more.”

With gratitude as a foundational principle, the study groups follow a 12-session curriculum called “Lazarus at the Gate,” referring to the challenging gospel story about a rich man who persistently ignored a beggar named Lazarus at his gate (Luke 16). They discuss passages from the Old or New Testaments that consider wealth as a blessing, a potential idol, a resource for meeting needs, and to be justly distributed.

Many participants say the experience has been eye-opening and life-changing, as they explore the meaning of economic discipleship.

Each individual decides on ways to live more simply, such as not buying sodas or snacks during the week or selling a car and taking public transportation instead. At the final session, they commit some of the resources saved from new spending habits to charitable organizations they’ve researched and prioritized.

The first group to follow the Lazarus program met once a month for 12 months in 2007.

“It was a fantastic experience. The group of 14 people wound up giving $40,000 to five organizations dealing with poverty around the world,” says Mako Nagasawa, of InterVarsity Campus Ministry. He and Gary Vanderpol, a Boston pastor, initiated the program, and worked with BFJN to offer it to churches in the area.

For Jo Hunter Adams and her husband, Eugene, the small-group experience brought remarkable results in their own lives along with an increased capacity to give.

“Creating our first budget and sharing it with the group really helped us. We didn’t buy anything we didn’t need, and we didn’t eat out,” says Ms. Adams, a public health worker. “We stayed away from ‘lifestyle inflation.’ ”

Instead of moving into a larger apartment as they had planned, Adams and her husband remained where they were.

As a result, the couple managed over the year to reduce the $50,000 they had in student loans to only $3,000. “It was miraculous!” she says.

A step in the process that really opened her eyes, she adds, was checking their financial position in the global economy on the website, globalrichlist.com. After entering their annual income, she learned that they were among the top 0.7 percent in the world. While she had always thought she could give time and energy to good causes but not much money, “now I see I can give a lot of money, actually,” she says.

What she most appreciates, however, is being able to live her Christian values more consistently. “I tended to think that being saved was the most important thing. Now I’m more interested in reflecting God’s love as much as possible,” she says. “And God wants us to be involved in dealing with poverty and justice.”

Along with Bible study, the Lazarus curriculum guides groups through research on global poverty and development. Participants educate each other about specific organizations active in development, microfinance, and fair trade.

Many involved speak of the way the Lazarus process builds community, enabling each group member to accomplish more than he or she would on their own. For instance, Letizia was giving away 1 or 2 percent of her yearly income though she had thought about giving more.

“Doing it in community lends a different joy and excitement,” she says. “This year is the first time I’ve been able to give 10 percent, and it comes from doing it with others.”

The question for many is whether they can sustain the lifestyle changes and commitments – or build on them. Some groups decide to continue meeting weekly or monthly. A few participants are leading new groups to spread the message. So far, 18 groups have completed the Lazarus program in Boston, and 15 more are getting under way this spring.

The curriculum is available on the Web (click here) to encourage churches in other parts of the country to sponsor groups.

It’s now being used in La Jolla, Calif., and Colorado Springs, Colo., and perhaps soon in New York, Mr. Nagasawa says. He’s also created an eight-week version for use by college students. The Lazarus program is part of a broader BFJN initiative to encourage people to consider what it might look like to have a “gratitude economy.”

Labels: frugality, generosity, gratitude, Jane Lampman, Lazarus at the Gate, the economy

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Friday, December 05, 2008

Being Grateful is Good for Us

Here’s an encouraging note as Thanksgiving gatherings give way to Christmas shopping during the current economic meltdown:

When older adults feel grateful for what they have in tough financial times, they’re less likely to be depressed than fellow seniors or middle-aged Americans who don’t feel grateful. And when older adults frequently go to church or otherwise are more deeply involved in their faith, they’re more likely to be grateful during tough times than peers who aren’t.

So, clinging to your faith is good for your mental health?

That’s what the evidence shows, says Neal Krause, Ph.D., professor of health behavior and senior research scientist at the Institute of Gerontology, University of Michigan School of Public Health.

“Given the very difficult economic times that confront our nation,” Krause writes in a new paper, “it is imperative that we find ways to help those individuals who are confronted by ongoing financial problems.”

His study, Krause adds, suggests “one potentially important option may be found through religion.”

Many middle-aged and elderly Americans believe God has a purpose and a plan for their lives, Krause notes. This plan often includes difficult experiences, or trials, but their faith teaches that God’s goal is to promote personal and spiritual growth.

“If religion helps people feel grateful, and older people are more likely to be involved in religion,” Krause suggests, “it follows that church-based interventions that are designed to enhance feelings of gratitude may be especially effective for our aging population.”

But hold on, it’s not just your mother’s faith. The mental health of young adults also gets a boost from the religious practices of their families, according to another participant in the “Religious Practice and Health” conference, Elizabeth C. Hair, Ph.D., senior research scientist at Child Trends, which — along with Baylor Institute for the Studies of Religion — is a Heritage research partner for the event

Specifically, Hair says, her study found parents’ strong faith is associated with their children’s own strong religious beliefs, “which are, in turn, associated with positive mental health in young adulthood.”

Labels: Elizabeth C. Hair, faith, God, gratitude, Ken McIntyre, mental health, Neal Krause

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Friday, November 28, 2008

Six (Medical) Reasons to Be Thankful

Six (Medical) Reasons to Be Thankful

When you thank your friends and family this holiday season, the reasons to do so may extend beyond good manners. Study after study has shown that social connections - through family, friends, or even with companion animals - seem to pay off in terms of good health, longevity and even prolonged survival among patients with very serious diseases. Some evidence linking good health with strong ties to family and friends includes:

1. The immune system's natural killer cell activity is negatively affected by three "distress indicators" - one of which is lack of social support.
2. One study of 75 medical students found that those who were lonely had more sluggish natural killer cells than students who weren't.
3. Research has shown that people who have companion animals have less illness than people who do not. Companion animals’ owners also recover from serious illness faster.
4. Susceptibility to heart attacks appears to correlate with how often people use the words "I," "me," and "mine" in casual speech.
5. And believe it or not, studies show that people who get out and spend more time with others during cold and flu season actually get fewer episodes of colds or flu than those who choose to be alone.
6. Being grateful for what you have has been associated with physical and emotional health.

Labels: Dr Andrew Weil, family, friends, gratitude, health, longevity

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Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Spiritual Living

Stella Gray
Monday, May 12, 2008

In all the hustle and bustle of daily life it is vital that we find sources to nourish and feed our souls as well as our physical bodies. No one can do this for us; we have to find ourselves that which supplies us with food for our mind and spirit.

Have a vision of how you would like to enhance your life spiritually. Find a quiet place to sit with your journal and reflect on the following questions.

. What does my ideal spiritual life look like?
. What qualities do I want to bring into my life - forgiveness, gratitude, hope, compassion, etc.?
. Where do I turn for help -books, organisations, people?
. What do I value, how do I live these values everyday and how can I enhance them?
. Who and what am I grateful for?
. How can I move forward on my path of spiritual living?

Take time to think before you answer these questions so you can allow your vision to expand and grow. Consider what qualities you want to develop in yourself and what you would like to engage in on a regular basis. You could develop a meditation practice, attend regular church services, take calm walks in nature, work in your garden or listen to inspirational music. Read spiritual poetry and writing regularly. Think about developing a specific value or emotion like - joy, peace, love, patience, understanding, forgiveness or faith.

Keep a separate 'gratitude' journal where you write everyday all the things you are thankful for, you will be surprised at how many things you can be grateful for daily.
Now explore the things that might prevent you from achieving these goals.

How do I sabotage myself from living my true spiritual self?
What can I change in my environment that can help me?
Who or what can help me grow?

How can I be more creative to improve my spiritual life? Being part of a spiritual group can be a big advantage.
Having considered the roadblocks to truly nurturing and finding you mind and spirit, ask yourself the following questions:

. Who are my role models?
. Are they the right role models to guide me on this journey?
. What are my sources of music, reading and inspiration?
. Are they truly inspiring me to growth?
. Even though I'm apart of a spiritual group, how can my contribution help the group improve?

If you're not currently in a group, you may consider starting your own group with like-minded people, where you pray together, sing together, read poetry or inspirational materials together. Maybe you want to write your own poetry or spiritual writings where you express your gratitude, values, love and belief.

We often believe that we are unable to change the path of our lives however, by defining our spiritual values, our source of nourishment and how these are manifested in our lives, can only serve to enhance the quality of our journey through life. In this way we can shift our lives in a positive direction and serve to be an inspiration to others.

Labels: gratitude, spiritual journal, spiritual values, spirituality, Stella Gray

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Friday, February 08, 2008

Gratitude improves health

Monday | February 4, 2008

Health and happiness are two of the universal goals of all people. Many philosophers, spiritual teachers, the world's major religions, including Hinduism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam, have prized gratitude as a spiritually beneficial emotional state. Now doctors and psychologists have joined in the chorus.

Medical research indicates that there is something you can do each day to be healthier and happier, and it will cost you nothing and take very little time. Be grateful. Dr Michael McCollough, of Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, and Dr Robert Emmons, of the University of California at Davis, say their scientific study indicates that gratitude plays a significant role in a person's sense of well-being.

A Healthier Lifestyle

Grateful people: Those who embrace gratitude as a permanent trait rather than an occasional state of mind have an edge on the not-so-grateful when it comes to health.

Stress Buster

"Gratitude research suggests that feelings of thankfulness have tremendous positive value in helping people cope with daily problems, especially stress," the researchers say.

Immune Booster

Grateful people tend to be more optimistic, a characteristic that the boosts the immune system. Dr Lisa Aspinwall, professor of psychology at the University of Utah, reported on some very interesting studies linking optimism to better immune function. In one, researchers compared the immune systems of healthy, first-year law students under stress. They found that students who were optimistic (based on survey responses) maintained higher numbers of healthy blood cells that protect the immune system, compared with their more pessimistic classmates.

Optimism also has a positive health impact on people with compromised health. In separate studies, patients diagnosed with AIDS, as well as those preparing to undergo surgery, had better health outcomes when they maintained attitudes of optimism.

Heart Health

Clinical psychologist Blair Justice, PhD, professor emeritus of psychology at the UT School of Public Health at Houston, states, "A growing body of research supports the notion that rediscovering a sense of abundance by thinking about those people and things we love lowers the risks of coronary events."

GRATITUDE STRATEGIES

Practise: Start each day by simply focusing on three to five things for which you can be grateful. This will increase your health and happiness. Everyone has something to be grateful for. Just being alive is a big one. Being able to breathe, or having enough money for lunch, or a roof over your head are all things we can be grateful that we have, but we often take these for granted.

Express your gratitude to someone else for an even stronger dose of health and happiness. Holding the thought of gratitude and expressing that gratitude to the friend will benefit both of you.

Record your gratitude. Some people have found even greater rewards from practising gratitude when they make a daily list of things they are grateful for in a 'gratitude journal'. This practice is made even more powerful when they find time to reread their gratitude lists.

Share your gratitude. Gratitude becomes infectious. Look for ways to share your blessings. It can express itself in simple ways like with a smile, a blessing, a prayer, a note or phone call. Just do it.

Thank you for reading this; I'm so grateful that you did.

Labels: gratitude, happiness, health, immunity, Michael McCollough, Robert Emmons, stress

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Saturday, October 27, 2007

A deeper look at gratitude

A deeper look at gratitude

Saturday, October 27, 2007

Q&A WITH ...If happiness is a choice, then why doesn't everyone simply make that choice?

Robert A. Emmons answers that question in his new book, Thanks! How the New Science of Gratitude Can Make You Happier. He suggests specific techniques for implementing a consistent lifestyle of gratitude. And it is a choice, but it takes practice, he adds.

After years of work on studying the subject scientifically, Dr. Emmons, a psychologist at the University of California, Davis, offers the findings he says demonstrate that gratitude can produce a healthier, happier lifestyle.

While some people may view happiness as merely a vague feeling, Dr. Emmons believes that one's perceptions can be manipulated to achieve contentment. He spoke recently with Special Contributor Anita Curtis by e-mail. Here are excerpts.

How does one look at gratitude as a science?

Science means that we apply scientific tools – observation and measurement – to the examination of, in this case, the feelings, perceptions and expressions of gratitude. It means that we replace armchair philosophy and moral rhetoric regarding gratitude with empirical observation of what gratitude is and the results of what it does in people's lives.

Were there findings that surprised you?

Yes, the physical health findings. That people keeping gratitude journals slept 1/2 hour more per evening, woke up more refreshed and exercised 33 percent more each week compared with persons who are not keeping these journals.

Is gratitude related to one's religious beliefs?

Gratitude is at the core of all the major religions. Virtually every religion emphasizes gratefulness or thanksgiving. It is part of the ethical foundations of world religions which state that people are morally obligated to give thanks to their God and to each other.

It's easy to be grateful for good things that come to us. How can we also be grateful in times of loss?

We realize that there is more to life than our losses, and gratitude for life gives us a realistic perspective by which to view our losses and not succumb to victimhood or despair. The ability to perceive the elements in one's life and even life itself as gifts would appear essential if we are to transform tragedies into opportunities.

How can negative emotions be replaced with positive ones? Is it really just a matter of choosing which to focus on?

This is true. For example, one simply cannot be relaxed and stressed at the same time, nor grateful and resentful at the same time. Relaxation drives out anxiousness and vice-versa. You have to gain control over your emotional destiny by choosing to replace negative thoughts with positive ones. But you just can't think happy thoughts or grateful thoughts, because emotions follow from particular thought patterns. So, perceiving life as a gift or things in one's life as gifts is the royal road to gratitude.

What do you consider the most important attribute or attitude one should develop to find joy and contentment in life?

I believe that gratitude is the best approach to life. When life is going well, it allows us to celebrate and magnify the goodness. When life is going badly, it provides a perspective by which we can view life in its entirety.

religion@dallasnews.com

Labels: gratitude, happiness, religion, Robert A. Emmons, science