What your body knows about God
Subtitle: how we are designed to connect, serve and thrive
By: Rob Moll
Publisher: IVP; IVP Books
Published: 2014
Language: eng
Number of pages: 215
ISBN-13: 9780830836772
Subjects: Brain; Human body; Spiritual life; Spirituality; Christian life; Christianity
Description: Have you ever had an experience where you felt particularly aware of God? If God is real, and we are created in God's image, then it makes sense that our minds and bodies would be designed with the perceptive ability to sense and experience God. Scientists are now discovering ways that our bodies are designed to connect with God. Brain research shows that our brain systems are wired to enable us to have spiritual experiences. The spiritual circuits that are used in prayer or worship are also involved in developing compassion for others. Our bodies have actually been created to love God and serve our neighbors. Award-winning journalist Rob Moll chronicles the fascinating ways in which our brains and bodies interact with God and spiritual realities. He reports on neuroscience findings that show how our brains actually change and adapt when engaged in spiritual practices. We live longer, healthier, happier and more fulfilling lives when we cultivate the biological spiritual capacity that puts us in touch with God. God has created our bodies to fulfill the Great Commandment; we are hardwired to commune with God and to have compassion and community with other people. Moll explores the neuroscience of prayer, how liturgy helps us worship, why loving God causes us to love others, and how a life of love and service leads to the abundant life for which we were created. Just as our physical bodies require exercise to stay healthy, so too can spiritual exercises and practices revitalize our awareness of God. Heighten your spiritual senses and discover how you have been designed for physical and spiritual flourishing.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references.
Table of contents: title: Created for communion; title: Spiritual bodies; title: Prayer, this is your brain on God; title: Born connectors; title: Monkey see, monkey do; title: Life together; title: Wired for intimacy; title: Strength in weakness; title: Spiritual growth; title: Practicing the disciplines; title: Worship: engaging the senses; title: Acts of service; title: The difference it makes; title: Neuro-transformation; title: The great physician; title: Going public with the good life.