I am a member of Sermo. It is a physician run organization. The following letter was sent to me in hopes that all physicians receiving it, would place their signature on it. Please read the following letter to physicians urging them for their signature, as well as the letter that will be written to the Americans from physicians. This is some really good stuff. Let me know your thoughts. Please comment if you choose.
Sign the Open Letter from America's Physicians
The time has come for physicians to come together and lead a new wave of healthcare reform. The current healthcare system is strained and unsustainable. Our patients' well-being and the dignity of our profession are at stake. The physician community has found a powerful voice on Sermo and we can use this platform to speak with consensus and act in unity.
On Sermo, the physician community has been able to start formulating strategies to refocus our misdirected healthcare system for optimal patient care. The first product of this effort is the launch of an open letter to the American public, outlining the challenges we face in delivering appropriate care. This letter also gives us the opportunity to declare our full commitment to our patients. What began with the idea of drafting a single letter has now grown into a movement that is unifying and giving voice to thousands of physicians.
The "Open Letter from America's Physicians" is the culmination of months of polling, discussions, and draft revisions on Sermo, involving the active participation of over a thousand physicians. We must now drive our colleagues to sign the letter to show the strength and scope of our unity to policy makers and the public. Sermo has pledged support to distribute the signed letter broadly via the Internet, national newspapers, and downloadable materials that we can share with our patients. These strategies will give us national visibility and generate significant media attention for our efforts.
We have finally been given a real opportunity to speak and act as one. There is power in our unity. We can build on this experience and create a viable mechanism for establishing a new paradigm that acknowledges the value of physician autonomy and patient-centered health care delivery, free from the intrusion of special interests and political motives.
................................
An Open Letter from America's Physicians
Dear Fellow Americans,
For decades the United States has led the world in healthcare. We have enjoyed the finest hospitals, medical schools, research, technology, and resources. Unfortunately, our healthcare system has lost focus to the point where patient well-being is placed after politics, profits, and special interests. Healthcare costs are on the rise and patients have lost their freedom of choice. These trends are hurting our economy and compromising the doctor-patient relationship. As a result, it has become difficult for physicians to deliver the best possible care.
Our heavily fragmented healthcare system has made it very difficult for you, the American public, to get the care you need. As your physicians, we want to partner with you to address the critical defects of the system as outlined below:
You are paying a lot for healthcare and not receiving enough in return. Your insurance premiums continue to increase while your healthcare options are dwindling. Gatekeepers, insurance networks, and restrictive regulations limit your choice of doctors and your access to care.
You have been made dependent on complicated and expensive health insurance plans. Employers are forced to take money out of your paycheck to purchase health coverage. If you lose your job, you are left with no safety net and the money you have paid for health coverage vanishes.
The time you spend with your physician has become remarkably brief due to regulatory hurdles requiring doctors to spend more time on documentation than with you.
We believe the following factors have made our current healthcare system unsustainable:
The insurance industry's undue authority and oppressive control over healthcare processes
Excessive and misguided government regulation
The practice of defensive medicine in response to a harmful and costly legal environment
We, the physicians of the United States, will no longer remain silent. We will not tolerate a healthcare system where those without medical expertise or genuine interest in our patients' health have absolute control. This letter is merely a summary of the most important problems in our current system. We believe that by partnering with the public we can start to demand real change and formulate practical solutions.
We invite you, our patients, friends, neighbors, and employers to unite with us at this important time in the history of healthcare in the United States. Together, we can guarantee our nation a healthier tomorrow.
Please talk to your doctor about this letter and visit www.sermo.com/doctorsunite for more information.
Respectfully,
The Undersigned U.S. Physicians
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Friday, November 21, 2008
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Hi friends! It is time for another training tip from yours truly......a prescription for fitness from Dr. J! After reading an article on quad training, I decided to perform the exercises as described. I brought along a friend to see just how effective "slow negative" training affects the growth potential of the quads.
Let me explain, one efficient way to encourage growth of muscles, is to slow down the negative stroke on every rep of a set. On squats, for example, you take a full five to six seconds to lower, then fire up at normal semi-explosive speed.
My training partner and I both did slow negative reps all the way to the bottom........with a little pause at the bottom........then an explosion upward to finish the rep. By holding the weight at the sticking point for a pause produces even more tension time, muscle breakdown, and further growth.
Partial reps at the very bottom of a squat are still another high intensity technique to bring more muscle fibers into action. Of course, you have to decrease the amount of weight you normally would use on the squat, but this is necessary to perform the reps with good form.
This is not to say that you should not use fast reps in your regimen as well. You need these faster two-seconds-up-two-seconds-down rep speeds because it allows you to use more weight and achieve more overload.
Let's not forget.......the key to gaining size is not only intense workouts, but also enough rest to allow muscle growth to occur.
Until next time, train hard and eat smart!
Let me explain, one efficient way to encourage growth of muscles, is to slow down the negative stroke on every rep of a set. On squats, for example, you take a full five to six seconds to lower, then fire up at normal semi-explosive speed.
My training partner and I both did slow negative reps all the way to the bottom........with a little pause at the bottom........then an explosion upward to finish the rep. By holding the weight at the sticking point for a pause produces even more tension time, muscle breakdown, and further growth.
Partial reps at the very bottom of a squat are still another high intensity technique to bring more muscle fibers into action. Of course, you have to decrease the amount of weight you normally would use on the squat, but this is necessary to perform the reps with good form.
This is not to say that you should not use fast reps in your regimen as well. You need these faster two-seconds-up-two-seconds-down rep speeds because it allows you to use more weight and achieve more overload.
Let's not forget.......the key to gaining size is not only intense workouts, but also enough rest to allow muscle growth to occur.
Until next time, train hard and eat smart!
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
After chatting with a friend this morning about fitness and health, I contemplated the learning curve that many people still have to go through in order to understand the benefits of fitness and a lean body.
I have been involved in a fitness activity, in one form or another, for the past 32 years. I am so glad to have lived through a number of changes in the fitness arena as well as the way doctors perceive health.
I am sure you are aware that, for years, bodybuilders and weight lifters were simply muscle-bound dummies. And, it was not uncommon for a doctor to tell their patients to avoid weight training for fear that they would do irreprable damage to themselves.
Now, enter stage left.......computers, x-box, blue ray movies, reality TV, the agricultural revolution, fat free foods, and hush............OBESTIY! As a physician, it is literally impossible to diagnose someone obese or fat for fear of getting reprimanded by the medical board or sued by the patient. Folks, this is just insane behavior. Is it not the doctor who SHOULD be telling you that your health may be compromised due to your body habitus? Of course it should!
Now, enter stage right.......doctors advocating training routines for weight loss, for heart health, and for overall fitness.
Folks, take a good look at where you have come from, and to where you are going. Seriously, take a good hard look. Don't put the blame on anyone or anything for what you have become........fat, skinny, rich, poor, smart, or ignorant. It's all YOU! I encourage you to start putting your mind, body, and spirit in balance.
If you want a healthy mind, read. If you want a healthy spirit, find a connection with your higher being, and if you want to be fit, exercise and eat smart. Watch how each of these things will make you stronger, healthier, and younger.
And, a little piece of advice from your "muscle-bound dummie" doctor, stay off the scale and start looking at your body you have developed for the last 10 years. Got FAT? or Got MUSCLE?
I have been involved in a fitness activity, in one form or another, for the past 32 years. I am so glad to have lived through a number of changes in the fitness arena as well as the way doctors perceive health.
I am sure you are aware that, for years, bodybuilders and weight lifters were simply muscle-bound dummies. And, it was not uncommon for a doctor to tell their patients to avoid weight training for fear that they would do irreprable damage to themselves.
Now, enter stage left.......computers, x-box, blue ray movies, reality TV, the agricultural revolution, fat free foods, and hush............OBESTIY! As a physician, it is literally impossible to diagnose someone obese or fat for fear of getting reprimanded by the medical board or sued by the patient. Folks, this is just insane behavior. Is it not the doctor who SHOULD be telling you that your health may be compromised due to your body habitus? Of course it should!
Now, enter stage right.......doctors advocating training routines for weight loss, for heart health, and for overall fitness.
Folks, take a good look at where you have come from, and to where you are going. Seriously, take a good hard look. Don't put the blame on anyone or anything for what you have become........fat, skinny, rich, poor, smart, or ignorant. It's all YOU! I encourage you to start putting your mind, body, and spirit in balance.
If you want a healthy mind, read. If you want a healthy spirit, find a connection with your higher being, and if you want to be fit, exercise and eat smart. Watch how each of these things will make you stronger, healthier, and younger.
And, a little piece of advice from your "muscle-bound dummie" doctor, stay off the scale and start looking at your body you have developed for the last 10 years. Got FAT? or Got MUSCLE?
Monday, November 10, 2008
If you think you don't have time to workout, I am going to say, "You do". It's the intensity of your workout that's key, especially if you don't have much time. A short-burst, high-intensity workout boosts your metabolism and tones muscles.
Below is a high intensity workout that can be done and will hit all major muscle groups in one session.
Beginner Squats: for Thighs
If you're new at this, get started with a beginner version of squats using an exercise ball. Stand against a wall with the ball at your low back, feet hip-width apart and out in front of your hips. Slowly lower your body by bending the knees, dropping glutes toward the floor; slowly move back to the starting position. Your knees should remain over your heels. Your thighs will make a 90 degree angle with your lower legs at the bottom of the position. Perform 10 repetitions.
Squats: for Thighs
Once you're ready, try squats without an exercise ball. Keep your feet shoulder-width apart and your back straight. Bend your knees and lower your rear as if you were sitting down, keeping your knees over your ankles. To target more muscle groups in less time, add an overhead press at the same time. With a dumbbell in each hand, rise from the squat position and push weights overhead. Really focus on good form. Perform 10 repetitions.
Forward Lunge: for Thighs
Standing with feet hip-width apart, take a big step forward with one leg, then lower your body toward the floor, front knee aligned with ankle, back knee pointing to the floor. Return to the starting position, and repeat by stepping forward with the other leg. For more challenge, hold a free weight in both hands and complete the lunge with a rotation in the torso, twisting the body toward the forward leg. Perform 10 repetitions on each side.
Romanian Deadlift: for Hamstrings
To perform a deadlift holding a barbell or dumbells,stand up straight with feet hip-width apart. Fold at your hips, moving the hips backward as you lower your upper body parallel to the floor. Keep the legs straight with a slight bend in the knees 9do not lock out the knees), and keep the back level and the spine in neutral. Lower the weight to just below your kneecaps, then slowly return to the starting position. Perform 10 repetitions.
Push-Ups: for Chest & Core
Push-ups strengthen the chest, shoulders, triceps, and core muscles. Lying face-down, place hands a bit wider than your shoulders. Place toes or knees on the floor, creating a smooth line from shoulders to knees or feet. Keeping core muscles engaged, lower and lift your body by bending and straightening your elbows. To boost the workout intensity, put a stability ball either under the hips, knees, or feet. Placing the ball under the feet is the hardest. Perform 10 repetitions.
Chest Press: for the Chest
Lying face-up on a bench, with knees bent and feet on the bench or feet on the floor, spine relaxed, press a barbell or dumbells from your chest toward the ceiling. Extend your arms but don't lock the elbows, and move slowly in both directions, keeping shoulder blades on the bench. For an extra challenge, do the chest press with your head and upper back on an exercise ball. Perform 10 repetitions.
Bent-Over Dumbell Row: for Back & Biceps
The bent-over row works all the major muscles of the upper back, as well as the biceps. Begin the exercise in a bent-over position with your back flat, one knee and one hand on the same side of the body braced on a bench. Hold a free weight in the other hand with arm extended. Lift the weight toward the hip until the upper arm is just beyond horizontal, then slowly lower weight to the starting position. Perform 10 repetitions.
Shoulder Press: for Shoulders
A shoulder press works the shoulder muscles and can be performed standing or seated. For extra back support, use a bench with a back rest. Begin with elbows bent and dumbell weights at the shoulders. Slowly reach toward the ceiling, keeping the elbows under the hands. Do not shrug the shoulders when pressing; slowly lower back to the starting position. Perform 10 repetitions.
Cable Lat Pull Down: for Upper Back
Using a cable machine, sitting straight with a neutral spine, slowly pull the bar down past the face and toward the upper chest. Lean back only slightly as you pull the weight down. Control the weight on the way back up. Perform 10 repetitions.
Bicycle Crunch: for Core & Abdominals
Lying on your back on the floor, fold knees toward the chest and curl the upper body off the floor. With hands lightly placed behind the head, slowly rotate upper body to the right while drawing the right knee in and reaching the left leg out. Then rotate left and pull the left knee in and extend right leg out. Focus on bringing the shoulder toward the hip (rather than the elbow to the knee), and keep the opposite shoulder off the floor. Perform 10 repetitions.
Side Plank: for Core or Abdominals
For another abdominal alternative (one of my favorites!), lie on your side with a bent elbow directly under your shoulder, and use your torso muscles to lift the body up into a side plank. Then lift the hips higher, then back to the plank, then lower. Do as many as you can with proper form (actually, until I say relax!), then repeat on the other side.
It should not take you more than 30 min to do this routine. You can perform these exercises three times a week. I would also recommend changing things up after a month of this same routine.
Don't forget to do your cardio the other four days a week!
Train hard and eat smart!
Below is a high intensity workout that can be done and will hit all major muscle groups in one session.
Beginner Squats: for Thighs
If you're new at this, get started with a beginner version of squats using an exercise ball. Stand against a wall with the ball at your low back, feet hip-width apart and out in front of your hips. Slowly lower your body by bending the knees, dropping glutes toward the floor; slowly move back to the starting position. Your knees should remain over your heels. Your thighs will make a 90 degree angle with your lower legs at the bottom of the position. Perform 10 repetitions.
Squats: for Thighs
Once you're ready, try squats without an exercise ball. Keep your feet shoulder-width apart and your back straight. Bend your knees and lower your rear as if you were sitting down, keeping your knees over your ankles. To target more muscle groups in less time, add an overhead press at the same time. With a dumbbell in each hand, rise from the squat position and push weights overhead. Really focus on good form. Perform 10 repetitions.
Forward Lunge: for Thighs
Standing with feet hip-width apart, take a big step forward with one leg, then lower your body toward the floor, front knee aligned with ankle, back knee pointing to the floor. Return to the starting position, and repeat by stepping forward with the other leg. For more challenge, hold a free weight in both hands and complete the lunge with a rotation in the torso, twisting the body toward the forward leg. Perform 10 repetitions on each side.
Romanian Deadlift: for Hamstrings
To perform a deadlift holding a barbell or dumbells,stand up straight with feet hip-width apart. Fold at your hips, moving the hips backward as you lower your upper body parallel to the floor. Keep the legs straight with a slight bend in the knees 9do not lock out the knees), and keep the back level and the spine in neutral. Lower the weight to just below your kneecaps, then slowly return to the starting position. Perform 10 repetitions.
Push-Ups: for Chest & Core
Push-ups strengthen the chest, shoulders, triceps, and core muscles. Lying face-down, place hands a bit wider than your shoulders. Place toes or knees on the floor, creating a smooth line from shoulders to knees or feet. Keeping core muscles engaged, lower and lift your body by bending and straightening your elbows. To boost the workout intensity, put a stability ball either under the hips, knees, or feet. Placing the ball under the feet is the hardest. Perform 10 repetitions.
Chest Press: for the Chest
Lying face-up on a bench, with knees bent and feet on the bench or feet on the floor, spine relaxed, press a barbell or dumbells from your chest toward the ceiling. Extend your arms but don't lock the elbows, and move slowly in both directions, keeping shoulder blades on the bench. For an extra challenge, do the chest press with your head and upper back on an exercise ball. Perform 10 repetitions.
Bent-Over Dumbell Row: for Back & Biceps
The bent-over row works all the major muscles of the upper back, as well as the biceps. Begin the exercise in a bent-over position with your back flat, one knee and one hand on the same side of the body braced on a bench. Hold a free weight in the other hand with arm extended. Lift the weight toward the hip until the upper arm is just beyond horizontal, then slowly lower weight to the starting position. Perform 10 repetitions.
Shoulder Press: for Shoulders
A shoulder press works the shoulder muscles and can be performed standing or seated. For extra back support, use a bench with a back rest. Begin with elbows bent and dumbell weights at the shoulders. Slowly reach toward the ceiling, keeping the elbows under the hands. Do not shrug the shoulders when pressing; slowly lower back to the starting position. Perform 10 repetitions.
Cable Lat Pull Down: for Upper Back
Using a cable machine, sitting straight with a neutral spine, slowly pull the bar down past the face and toward the upper chest. Lean back only slightly as you pull the weight down. Control the weight on the way back up. Perform 10 repetitions.
Bicycle Crunch: for Core & Abdominals
Lying on your back on the floor, fold knees toward the chest and curl the upper body off the floor. With hands lightly placed behind the head, slowly rotate upper body to the right while drawing the right knee in and reaching the left leg out. Then rotate left and pull the left knee in and extend right leg out. Focus on bringing the shoulder toward the hip (rather than the elbow to the knee), and keep the opposite shoulder off the floor. Perform 10 repetitions.
Side Plank: for Core or Abdominals
For another abdominal alternative (one of my favorites!), lie on your side with a bent elbow directly under your shoulder, and use your torso muscles to lift the body up into a side plank. Then lift the hips higher, then back to the plank, then lower. Do as many as you can with proper form (actually, until I say relax!), then repeat on the other side.
It should not take you more than 30 min to do this routine. You can perform these exercises three times a week. I would also recommend changing things up after a month of this same routine.
Don't forget to do your cardio the other four days a week!
Train hard and eat smart!
Sunday, November 09, 2008
Workout Not Working?
I reviwed this article and put it into an easy to read format. Try to implement some of these changes to make your workout safer and more productive. Ditch the following moves that may not deliver the results you want -- and may even cause injury.
#1: Lat Pull-down Behind the Head
The problem: Only people with very mobile shoulder joints can keep their spines straight enough to do this exercise properly. So the move -- done wrong -- can lead to shoulder impingement or worse, a tear in the rotator cuff. And if the bar hits the back of the neck, it could injure cervical vertebrae.
A Safer Lat Pull-down
On the pull-down machine, lean back a few degrees, use a wider-than-shoulder grip, and bring the bar down in front of your body to the breastbone, pulling shoulder blades down and together. Contract your abdominals to stabilize the body, and avoid using momentum to swing the bar up and down. The lat pull-down works the muscles of the upper back.
#2: Military Press Behind the Head
This shoulder move, in which you lift weights or a barbell up and down behind the head, can cause the same problems as the lat pull-down behind the head.
#3: Upright Row
The problem: Pulling weights, a barbell, or a weighted cabled bar up under your chin is a big no-no because it can compress the nerves in the shoulder area, impinging the shoulder.
#4: Using Bad Form on Cardio Machines
The problem: Hunching over or using a death-grip on the handrail cheats your body and can throw off your alignment, jarring your spine, shoulders, and elbows.
Better Technique on Cardio Machines
Don't set the incline or resistance so high that it causes you to hang on to the machine too tightly. Use a natural gait with a light grip. For a more challenging workout, hold on lightly with one hand and move the other arm, switching arms periodically. And save the reading for after your workout so you can focus on good form.
#5: Exercises Done with Goal of Spot Reduction
People who do strengthening and toning exercises in an effort to trim fat from a certain area -- thighs, hips, stomach, or arms -- have the wrong idea. Although these exercises can help firm muscles, if the targeted area still carries an extra layer of fat, it won't look much different. You can't isolate fat loss to one part of the body.
Effective Ways to Reshape Your Body
Cardiovascular exercise will torch calories, but resistance training is a big part of the equation if you want to burn fat. Boosting your muscle mass increases your metabolism, so you burn more calories all the time, even when you're not working out.
#6: Always Lifting with a Weight Belt
The problem: Too many people wear weight belts too often. Unless you have a back injury or other medical reason -- or you are lifting a lot of weight -- the weight belt may let your core muscles slack off -- and you need your core muscles all the time in everyday life.
The solution: Back off the weight belt unless it's necessary.
#7: Any Exercise Done Wearing the Wrong Shoes
Even if you're doing everything else right, your efforts can be undermined by improper footwear. Working out with the wrong shoes increases pounding on the joints, and can lead to injuries like plantar fasciitis or tendinitis.
Shoe Solution
The key, experts say, is to choose a shoe that is specific to your activity and that suits your particular foot. They recommend shopping at stores specializing in athletic shoes, where you can seek advice from a knowledgeable salesperson. And don't forget to replace your shoes when they show signs of wear.
If you're new to exercise, over 40, have a health problem, or take regular medication, check with your doctor before starting a fitness program.
I reviwed this article and put it into an easy to read format. Try to implement some of these changes to make your workout safer and more productive. Ditch the following moves that may not deliver the results you want -- and may even cause injury.
#1: Lat Pull-down Behind the Head
The problem: Only people with very mobile shoulder joints can keep their spines straight enough to do this exercise properly. So the move -- done wrong -- can lead to shoulder impingement or worse, a tear in the rotator cuff. And if the bar hits the back of the neck, it could injure cervical vertebrae.
A Safer Lat Pull-down
On the pull-down machine, lean back a few degrees, use a wider-than-shoulder grip, and bring the bar down in front of your body to the breastbone, pulling shoulder blades down and together. Contract your abdominals to stabilize the body, and avoid using momentum to swing the bar up and down. The lat pull-down works the muscles of the upper back.
#2: Military Press Behind the Head
This shoulder move, in which you lift weights or a barbell up and down behind the head, can cause the same problems as the lat pull-down behind the head.
#3: Upright Row
The problem: Pulling weights, a barbell, or a weighted cabled bar up under your chin is a big no-no because it can compress the nerves in the shoulder area, impinging the shoulder.
#4: Using Bad Form on Cardio Machines
The problem: Hunching over or using a death-grip on the handrail cheats your body and can throw off your alignment, jarring your spine, shoulders, and elbows.
Better Technique on Cardio Machines
Don't set the incline or resistance so high that it causes you to hang on to the machine too tightly. Use a natural gait with a light grip. For a more challenging workout, hold on lightly with one hand and move the other arm, switching arms periodically. And save the reading for after your workout so you can focus on good form.
#5: Exercises Done with Goal of Spot Reduction
People who do strengthening and toning exercises in an effort to trim fat from a certain area -- thighs, hips, stomach, or arms -- have the wrong idea. Although these exercises can help firm muscles, if the targeted area still carries an extra layer of fat, it won't look much different. You can't isolate fat loss to one part of the body.
Effective Ways to Reshape Your Body
Cardiovascular exercise will torch calories, but resistance training is a big part of the equation if you want to burn fat. Boosting your muscle mass increases your metabolism, so you burn more calories all the time, even when you're not working out.
#6: Always Lifting with a Weight Belt
The problem: Too many people wear weight belts too often. Unless you have a back injury or other medical reason -- or you are lifting a lot of weight -- the weight belt may let your core muscles slack off -- and you need your core muscles all the time in everyday life.
The solution: Back off the weight belt unless it's necessary.
#7: Any Exercise Done Wearing the Wrong Shoes
Even if you're doing everything else right, your efforts can be undermined by improper footwear. Working out with the wrong shoes increases pounding on the joints, and can lead to injuries like plantar fasciitis or tendinitis.
Shoe Solution
The key, experts say, is to choose a shoe that is specific to your activity and that suits your particular foot. They recommend shopping at stores specializing in athletic shoes, where you can seek advice from a knowledgeable salesperson. And don't forget to replace your shoes when they show signs of wear.
If you're new to exercise, over 40, have a health problem, or take regular medication, check with your doctor before starting a fitness program.
Sunday, November 02, 2008
This weekend's sermon was just what the doctor ordered to reviatalize my upcoming week. I confess, I have skipped the past four weekends and I feel the softening of my spirit when this happens.
The basis for this weekend's teachings is that all human beings have an inborn desire for God. Whether we are consciously religious or not, this desire is our deepest longing and our most precious treasure. It gives us meaning. Some of us have repressed this desire, burying it beneath so many other interests that we are completely unaware of it. Or we may experience it in different ways — as a longing for wholeness, completion, or fulfillment.
Regardless of how we describe it, it is a longing for love. It is a hunger to love, to be loved, and to move closer to the Source of love. This yearning is the essence of the human spirit; it is the origin of our highest hopes and most noble dreams.
Modern theology describes this desire as God given. In an outpouring of love, God creates us and plants the seeds of this desire within us. Then, throughout our lives, God nourishes this desire, drawing us toward fulfillment of the two great commandments: "Thou shalt love thy God with all thy heart, and thy neighbor as thyself."
Bear with me a moment as a draw a picture of a line symbolizing God's love in the middle. On one end of the spectrum is Repression. Why do we repress? That is easy to explain....we frequently repress our desire for love because love makes us vulnerable to being hurt. Ouch! The word passion, which is used to express strong loving desire, comes from the Latin root passus, which means "suffered." All of us know that, along with bringing joy, love can make us suffer. Often we repress our desire for love to minimize this suffering. This happens after someone spurns our love. I know you are hearing me on this one........tell me you have not given everything to a freindship or intimate relationship only to be hurt in the end. Now, to protect ourselves the next time, we stifle our desire. This is a normal human response.
But how does this relate to God's love? Let me explain. Simply put, God does not always come to us in the pleasant ways we might expect, and so we repress our desire for God. We want to love God and love LIKE God, but when we get hurt, we repress a desire. We try to keep our focus on other things — safer things.
Before I get too far along, let's not forget the other end of the spectrum. The side furthest from repression and perhaps the opposite of repression, is Addiction.
Addiction, the other force that turns us away from love, is much more vicious than repression. While repression stifles desire, addiction attaches desire to certain specific behaviors, things, or people. These objects of attachment, whether it be alcohol, ideas, work, sex, drugs, fantasies, power, relationships, etc, then become preoccupations and obsessions........they come to rule our lives. The word attachment has long been used by spiritual traditions to describe this process. It comes from the old French word, atache, meaning "nailed to." Thus, attachment "nails" our desire to specific objects and creates addiction. In this light, we can see why addiction is the most powerful psychic enemy of humanity's desire for God. The Bible says, place no other Gods (idols) before me.
I am not being flippant when I say that all of us suffer from addiction. Nor am I reducing the meaning of addiction. We are all addicts in every sense of the word. I'm and addict, and you're an addict. Moreover, our addictions are our own worst enemies. We give ourselves over to things that, in our deepest honesty, we really do not want. There are times when each of us can easily identify with the words of the apostle Paul: "I do not understand my own behavior; I do not act as I mean to, but I do the things that I hate. Though the will to do what is good is in me, the power to do it is not; the good thing I want to do, I never do; the evil thing which I do not want--that is what I do. In writing these words, Paul was talking about sin.
Theologically, sin is what turns us away from love — away from love for ourselves, away from love for one another, and away from love for God.
Take a note to self........breaking through to what God has for each of us, calls for a deep love for God. This boils down to trust. Trust in the Lord, Teach me Your way O' Lord, Thou shall love thy God with all thy heart.
Have a great week blogger buds!
The basis for this weekend's teachings is that all human beings have an inborn desire for God. Whether we are consciously religious or not, this desire is our deepest longing and our most precious treasure. It gives us meaning. Some of us have repressed this desire, burying it beneath so many other interests that we are completely unaware of it. Or we may experience it in different ways — as a longing for wholeness, completion, or fulfillment.
Regardless of how we describe it, it is a longing for love. It is a hunger to love, to be loved, and to move closer to the Source of love. This yearning is the essence of the human spirit; it is the origin of our highest hopes and most noble dreams.
Modern theology describes this desire as God given. In an outpouring of love, God creates us and plants the seeds of this desire within us. Then, throughout our lives, God nourishes this desire, drawing us toward fulfillment of the two great commandments: "Thou shalt love thy God with all thy heart, and thy neighbor as thyself."
Bear with me a moment as a draw a picture of a line symbolizing God's love in the middle. On one end of the spectrum is Repression. Why do we repress? That is easy to explain....we frequently repress our desire for love because love makes us vulnerable to being hurt. Ouch! The word passion, which is used to express strong loving desire, comes from the Latin root passus, which means "suffered." All of us know that, along with bringing joy, love can make us suffer. Often we repress our desire for love to minimize this suffering. This happens after someone spurns our love. I know you are hearing me on this one........tell me you have not given everything to a freindship or intimate relationship only to be hurt in the end. Now, to protect ourselves the next time, we stifle our desire. This is a normal human response.
But how does this relate to God's love? Let me explain. Simply put, God does not always come to us in the pleasant ways we might expect, and so we repress our desire for God. We want to love God and love LIKE God, but when we get hurt, we repress a desire. We try to keep our focus on other things — safer things.
Before I get too far along, let's not forget the other end of the spectrum. The side furthest from repression and perhaps the opposite of repression, is Addiction.
Addiction, the other force that turns us away from love, is much more vicious than repression. While repression stifles desire, addiction attaches desire to certain specific behaviors, things, or people. These objects of attachment, whether it be alcohol, ideas, work, sex, drugs, fantasies, power, relationships, etc, then become preoccupations and obsessions........they come to rule our lives. The word attachment has long been used by spiritual traditions to describe this process. It comes from the old French word, atache, meaning "nailed to." Thus, attachment "nails" our desire to specific objects and creates addiction. In this light, we can see why addiction is the most powerful psychic enemy of humanity's desire for God. The Bible says, place no other Gods (idols) before me.
I am not being flippant when I say that all of us suffer from addiction. Nor am I reducing the meaning of addiction. We are all addicts in every sense of the word. I'm and addict, and you're an addict. Moreover, our addictions are our own worst enemies. We give ourselves over to things that, in our deepest honesty, we really do not want. There are times when each of us can easily identify with the words of the apostle Paul: "I do not understand my own behavior; I do not act as I mean to, but I do the things that I hate. Though the will to do what is good is in me, the power to do it is not; the good thing I want to do, I never do; the evil thing which I do not want--that is what I do. In writing these words, Paul was talking about sin.
Theologically, sin is what turns us away from love — away from love for ourselves, away from love for one another, and away from love for God.
Take a note to self........breaking through to what God has for each of us, calls for a deep love for God. This boils down to trust. Trust in the Lord, Teach me Your way O' Lord, Thou shall love thy God with all thy heart.
Have a great week blogger buds!
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