Self Help, Sleep & the Church

Don't sleep longer – sleep smarter - Features, Health and Families - The Independent More and more I am convinced that people need to be seen and ministered to holistically by the church, meaning we ought not just be concerned with the salvation of souls and getting people to pray and read the Bible more. Their ability to be a disciple, i.e. pray, read and understand Scripture, minister to others, serve, etc., is inherently tied up with their physiology. For example, lack of sleep or lack of good sleep creates a multitude of problems for the disciple: compromised immune system, paranoia, depression, decreased ability to concentrate and communicate, and an increased risk of having a host of serious illnesses including heart disease and diabetes. All of those effect or hinder a person's ability to follow Christ. What about the person who comes with a sense of frustration and guilt over their inability to pray? Maybe it's not just a spiritual issue but is also affected by their inability to concentrate because of sleeplessness. Most churches can't afford to become medical experts.  But they can support good sleep, nutrition, mental health, etc. I continue to read self-help sites (see the left column on this blog) to address my own issues more holistically. Some of the sites come with their own philosophical/religious agenda, which creates the need to filter some of the information but I find them very useful. (This just has me wondering ... In light of the current flux in the health care industry, I wonder if there will come a day when churches band together to hire their own parish doctors / medical staff.) See also: Trouble sleeping? Maybe it's your iPad - CNN.com