I looked in the mirror and did not like what I saw.  Karen, my wife, had married a 6’1”, 175-pound energetic man, and the dude I saw in the mirror was anything but that.  I had already experienced a heart attack, and if looks could kill, I was headed for number two.  My cholesterol numbers were high.  I was already on high-blood pressure medication, but I was trying to out-eat the pill.  And the doctor was recommending diabetes medication based on my glucose numbers.  The word he used to describe all of this was “obesity.”

I could have followed the doctor’s advice, but my Bible, with which I was too familiar, told me not be controlled with substances but with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18).  True, it is easier to pop a pill than change one’s habits, and we know how difficult it is for Baptists to change.  How many Baptists does it take to change a light bulb?  Change?  Something had to be done.  Permit me to tell you how I overcame America’s fastest growing preacher.

 

Snacks are “miserable comforters”

Job told Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar that they were miserable comforters (Job 16:2).  So are eclairs, bon bons, and zebra cakes.  I had to face the fact that ministry is depressing.  Leadership is lonely.  Constituents are caustic.  And success is often elusive.  Pastors desire comfort, and often they find that comfort in food.  How often I had come home from a disappointing board meeting or combative congregational meeting and headed straight for the pantry.  Deacons were not always in my corner, but doughnuts were always on my shelf.  Comfort food was destroying me.  Short-term psychological gain was turning into long-term physical destruction.

I had to decide that God rather than goodies was going to be my source of encouragement.  When the Thessalonians were experiencing the aftershocks of disturbing beliefs (II Thessalonians 2:2), Paul encouraged them to find their “everlasting consolation” and “good hope” through “grace” that is found in the “Lord Jesus Christ Himself” (2:16).  Because food had become my source of comfort, food had become my idol, and I needed to flee idolatry (I Corinthians 10:14).

 

“Use hospitality” without gluttony

Pastors are required to be given to hospitality (I Timothy 3:2), but one can be hospitable without putting himself in the hospital.

 

On Monday, he lunched with the Housing Committee,

With statistics and stew he was filled;

Then he dashed to a tea on “Crime in Our City”,

And dined with a Church Ladies’ Guild.

 

On Tuesday he went to Babies’ Week Lunch.

And a tea on “Good Citizenship”;

At dinner he talked to the Trade Union bunch,

(There wasn’t a date he dared skip).

 

On Wednesday he managed two annual dinners,

One at noon and the other at night;

On Thursday a luncheon on “Bootleg Sinners,”

And a dinner on “War: Is It Right?”

 

“World Problems We Face” was his Friday noon date

(A luncheon address, as you guessed);

And he wielded a fork while a man from New York

Spoke that evening on “Social Unrest.”

 

On Saturday noon he felt in a swoon,

Missed a talk on youth of our land . . .

Poor thing, he was through!  He never came to,

But he died with a spoon in his hand.

 

All too often in Christian circles, we have equated “fellowship” as a synonym for “food.”  We often take visiting speakers out to eat, and we feel compelled to take them to places where food is known for its quantity rather than its quality.  In addition, pastors feel compelled to try all seven different selections of macaroni and cheese at the church potluck lest they offend someone who has “the best recipe.”  Though ministers will never get away from eating during these fellowship times, they can get away from gorging at them.

 

“Buffet your body”

When Paul recommended buffeting your body (I Corinthians 9:27), think of the term that rhymes with “tough it” not the term that rhymes with “crochet.”  Thus, when Paul tells us to buffet our bodies, he is not recommending a trip to Golden Corral.  Unfortunately, to many Christians, denial is only a river in Egypt.  Practicing healthy habits requires spiritual discipline, and discipline is essential to discipleship.  There are no easy steps to a healthier you.  It requires self-control, and self-control only happens through Spirit-control (Galatians 5:23).  Let’s face facts – the flesh is weak, and this is why we must pray that we not enter into temptation (Matthew 26:40-41).  When you give up your favorite foods, there will be separation anxiety.  At the beginning, you will suffer bereavement as you say good-bye to your choice friends.

 

“Make not provision for the flesh”

Guy Templeton used to say that making provision for the flesh was buying your clothes one size too big.  When this is done, we are giving ourselves room to grow.  This, however, is not the growth that God has in mind (cf. II Peter 3:18).  There are many ways that we can make provision for the flesh in the area of food.  Don’t buy snack food at the grocery store.  Don’t put the food in bowls on the table remembering that “seconds” ensure that you won’t “last.”  Remember that three square meals usually equal one round man.  Remember that carbs can kill like cigarettes.  Don’t preach against heavy drinking and then be characterized by heavy eating.

 

“Sir, give me this water”

 Okay, I did lift John 4:15 out of context, but it is amazing how many calories we consume in unhealthy drinks.  Give up sodas.  It is amazing how much better your joints will feel!  There is no need to spend six dollars at your local coffee shop for a 700-calorie dessert that disguises itself as coffee.  Think of the money you will save over a year’s time by simply drinking water.

 

“Press toward the mark”

 I am a goal-oriented person.  I work well with numbers.  They give me something to shoot for, and when you aim at nothing, you hit it every time.  Those of us who live in ambiguity often get nothing done.  For me, that meant limiting my caloric intake to one thousand calories a day.  Sure, there were some days I went over, but just because you eat one doughnut does not mean that you have to consume the entire box!  You will reach plateaus, and they can be discouraging.   Some weeks the scale will not move like you thought it would.   Remember, however, this is a marathon, not a sprint.  Don’t be weary in well doing (Galatians 6:9).

When I first started saving for retirement, my financial advisor urged me not to get discouraged in lean years but to continue on for the market has a way of making adjustments.  Therefore, you can’t stop investing just because 2008 was a bad year.  In the same way, you can’t stop healthy living simply because last week didn’t flesh out the way you thought it would.  Finish the course.

 

And finally, “bring the parchments” not the pretzels

 Unaccountable privacy is usually a time when we give in to our flesh (cf. II Samuel 11:1).  Therefore, find therapeutic ways to occupy your time rather than eating.  Eating should never be our default hobby.  Have your spouse or a dear friend hold you accountable to this.  For me, reading is enjoyable.  Therefore, my evenings are occupied with reading or watching sports.  And remarkably, I have discovered that it is possible to watch sporting events without a bag of Fritos.  Reading or sports may not be enjoyable to you.  What is?  Find some constructive way to fill your leisure hours without opening the refrigerator door.

Through God’s help, you can do this.  You can learn to be content while being abased (Philippians 4:11-13).  The future was too bright for me to sacrifice it with ill health needlessly induced by terrible eating habits.  I wanted to be around for the future, and I wanted to be in a state physically where that future could be enjoyed.  When we are sick, we miss so much that could be experienced (cf. II Timothy 4:20).  You don’t have to be the fastest growing person in your profession.  There is so much more that can be gained with less!