Nothing Like a Recovering Food Addict

I remember people talking about how a recovering drunk can get on a bandwagon about his or her sobriety.  Well, I guess I am falling into that pattern as a recovering food addict.  In the past 9 months I have regained my health by dropping 75 pounds through a safe and effective weight management program that is guiding me to have optimal health the rest of my life.  As a Type 2 diabetic my blood sugar levels have lowered.  Cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood pressure all have improved.

So I sense the call to pay it forward to help one more person regain his or her health.  I am especially challenging churches and ministries to look at what we have done to contribute to the obesity of America.  This is especially in light of the recent research suggesting that attending church might be adding pounds and potential disease and sickness to those in the pews.

At the risk of invoking the ire of all those wonderful cooks in our congregations, I believe it is time to look at what we promote in our fellowship meals, homecoming, and youth events.

We dare our young people to be a Daniel, but we don't feed them like he ate in Babylon.

We provide donuts at our Visitor Welcome Centers in the lobbies of our sanctuaries.  Do we realizing what we are doing to our guests?  The first 30 minutes their blood sugar is raised, maybe enhancing the appearance of joy in the praise service, yet when it's time to hear the Word, they are glazed over (pun intended!) by the accompanied drop in blood sugar.  How well can their brains, their total being be totally available to the Spirit to receive that Word?

If we are serious about our belief that we are created as a psychosomatic unity in the image of God, then we need to address the wholeness of our people's health--not just their souls.  If we are serious about joining the prophetic call of Jesus to proclaim the release of captives unto freedom, then we need to include freeing people from the bondage of obesity, captured in an overweight body, susceptible to a host of illness caused by the inflammation that contributes to metabolic syndrome.

The trap the church often falls into is to rush out a create our own stuff to deal with this epidemic or to proof text Scripture, trying to put new square pegs into our old round holes.  there are already in place safe, effective programs of lifelong weight management that a church can use in the course of its ministry to the whole person that will set captives free to reclaim their health, thereby being available for a more energetic ministry and testimony to the lost world.

If you are interested in joining me in this campaign to help one more person be set free from the bondage of obesity, e-mail me at ernestizard@verizon.net and I'll share with you the program that coached me back to health.

For those of you just meeting me, you need to know I don't buy into gimmicks and pie (gee!  our language is infected with obesigenic words) in the sky promises.  Rather, the proof is in the pudding (there it goes again!), hard to argue with a changed life:  I once was obese.  Now I am more fully alive, again.  To God be the glory!

I'll be listening for you.

Blessings!