Building Bridges to Healing

Building a Bridge Between East & West

For years I believed that Western medicine was not only the best but the only effective method for maintaining wellness and curing diseases--until it could not cure my disease. I had a narrow view of my possibilities and of the ways God could work in my life. If I was to survive, I would need a bigger perspective. We not only need healing in body, but also in mind and spirit.

My search for answers brought surprising results! I am a Christian, and I never guessed I would discover healing in the ancient arts of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tai Chi and Qigong. I had to reach across time and space and deep inside my own spirit to receive the gifts of healing that God has placed in the world for all people. Now I know that we must be open to East and West, to ancient and to modern--we must search inside and outside and share across all boundaries to heal ourselves and live a fulfilling life.

We all need to build bridges. Every one of us has barriers and boundaries, things we will not do or cannot do because of deeply ingrained habits, attachments to personal pleasures and preferences--or because of our fundamental ideals and beliefs. These powerful structures of our personality and culture protect us, but they can also block God-given blessings and healing.

A life crisis, such as a chronic illness or disability or the death of a loved one may jar us into re-examining the beliefs we hold most dear. Sometimes it takes a catastrophe to break open our hearts and minds so we can gain a new perspective, take a new path. While it may seem comfortable to hunker down in our familiar, traditional ideas and theologies, the result may be that we wither in our sickness.

We all have different bridges to build. Each of us has a different set of beliefs and boundaries. I had to build a bridge from East to West, between Christianity and Chinese arts and philosophy. The bridge you need to build is probably very different. Even so, all bridge builders encounter similar problems and principles. I can learn from you and you can learn from me.

In this section of Rising UP! we will explore what it is like to build bridges so we can share, understand, make peace, heal and become whole in body, mind and spirit.

What bridge do you need to build?

I tell my bridge building story in my book!

A Christian finds healing in Tai Chi & Qigong