• About Me
  • Contact
  • What’s in a name?

dreamprayact

~ Reflections of a preacher, poet, and contemplative activist

dreamprayact

Tag Archives: holistic health

Something Beautiful

10 Wednesday Jul 2013

Posted by mark lloyd richardson in Peace with justice, Prayers, Worship Liturgy

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

body, Common good, Community, healing of land, Healing Prayers, healthy relationships, holistic health, justice, mind, peace, spirit

DSCN0054

The following Prayers for Healing are suitable for congregational worship, personal devotion, or a healing worship service conducted at a time other than Sunday morning.

Prayers for the healing of persons in body, mind, and spirit

God of mercy and strength,
Hear us as we pray for those who suffer this day.
You desire that we be whole people —
healthy in body, mind, and spirit.
You desire that our relationships with one another
be healthy and marked by wholeness.
We pray for any who are experiencing illness or disease.
We pray for any who are troubled in mind or spirit.
Pour out your Spirit upon all in need,
touch the deepest parts of our beings
with your healing mercies and strength.
Make something beautiful of our lives….

Song “Something Beautiful”

Prayers for the healing of nations and societies

God of power and love,
Hear us as we pray for the nations of this world.
For societies scarred by consumerism,
we pray for a growing appreciation
for values consistent with your message of grace.
For environments scarred by human carelessness and greed,
we pray for healing of the land and of all your creatures.
For nations such as ours, experiencing deep divisions,
we pray for the renewal of community and the common good.
Make something beautiful of our country….

Song “Something Beautiful”

Prayers for peace with justice, and the healing of the world

God of justice and peace,
Hear us as we pray for peace with justice for all people,
and for the healing of the world.
For war-torn lands, we pray for lasting and secure peace.
For corners of our world marked by corruption and callousness,
we pray for the strength to stand up in opposition.
In any place where the poor, the alien, or the needy are trampled,
we pray for the courage to work for justice.
Make us into instruments of your peace.
Make something beautiful of our world….

Song “Something Beautiful”

Words (c) 2013, Mark Lloyd Richardson

They Shall Run and Not Be Weary

08 Sunday Jan 2012

Posted by mark lloyd richardson in Uncategorized

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

brain health, exercise, healthy lifestyle, holistic health, renewed strength, running

I recently heard about a new study in the British Medical Journal that discovered that the human brain’s ability to reason, comprehend and remember may start to worsen as early as age 45. This was not music to my now 55-year-old ears.

However, the study also shows the importance of a healthy lifestyle – including eating foods that are good for the heart and maintaining good cardiovascular health through exercise – which may help prevent the effects of brain aging. This is starting to sound better.

Of course, there are plenty of great forms of exercise. For me though, running has always been a special delight. Here I am, in a photo my wife Dallis took a couple of years ago, running in one of my favorite places on earth, the bluff trail at Montana de Oro State Park near Los Osos, California.

 

I realize that non-runners are puzzled by runners, but I have always looked forward to putting on my running shoes and heading out the door.

When I was younger it was the thrill of competition that motivated me. Cross-country running required a combination of training, strategy and sheer guts, and there were plenty of times in high school or college that I was seriously in danger of losing my last meal out on the race course because of the intensity of the moment. I remember jostling with other testosterone-laden young men through narrow wooded paths, up steep slopes, across sloppy rain-drenched fields, all for the taste of victory. It was invigorating! Really … would I lie to you? It was!

Anyway, that was then. Today, thirty-plus years later, I still go out and run four or five miles several times a week. Naturally, I’ve gotten slower over the years. My legs require more “recovery time” in between runs. I’m no longer in it for the competitive thrill. I’m in it because it makes me feel good. Stress runs off my back (I bet you thought that was sweat). The fog in my head clears. My body comes alive (I know it’s alive because occasionally it complains just a little).

I now run mainly for fun and exercise, but it’s an added bonus to know that running is good for my brain too. Without realizing it, I guess I have been taking care of my brain all these years by simply stepping out onto pavement or trail and putting some miles behind me!

 

I have also found running to be a helpful analogy for living life. More than once, when I’ve hit rough spots in life, and I am out for a stress-relieving, heart-pumping, brain-improving run, I have recalled the familiar words of Isaiah: “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” (40:30-31).

Here’s to your health – holistic, head-to-toe, health in body, mind and spirit!

June 2023
S M T W T F S
 123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
252627282930  
« Aug    

Recent Posts

  • New Recording 3
  • How Long?
  • Prayer to a Great Blue Heron
  • A Prayer for Our Country
  • Blessing for When You Don’t Know Where to Begin

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 560 other subscribers

Archives

  • August 2022
  • May 2022
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • March 2020
  • December 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • May 2019
  • February 2019
  • October 2018
  • August 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • February 2018
  • October 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • May 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012

Categories

  • Centering Prayer
  • Contemplative Life
  • Dogs
  • grief
  • Guest Blogs
  • Justice
  • LGBTQ
  • pastoral integrity
  • Peace with justice
  • Poems
  • Prayers
  • Reflections
  • Running
  • Sermon portions
  • Uncategorized
  • Worship Liturgy

Blog Stats

  • 49,816 hits

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.com

Sacred Pauses

aprilyamasaki.com

Blog at WordPress.com.

  • Follow Following
    • dreamprayact
    • Join 344 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • dreamprayact
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...