Author: Wick

Recently the “Harpers Index” included a statistic that more than caught my attention:

“Percentage by which young adults with high religious participation are more likely than their peers to become obese:  50 “

Yowsers.  As someone in ministry to youth and young adults, I have to take some ownership of this statistic (full source here)…and call many of my readers to as well.  Young people who are regularly involved in our churches are 50% more likely to become obese.

It’s not the first time we’ve heard this.  Anyone who’s been in ministry to young people have heard the argument in regards to a young person justifying alcohol consumption or tobacco use:  “But over-eating can be unhealthy too!”  In fact, all the way back to the 4th  Century, God’s followers have acknowledged “Gluttony” as one of the primary origins of other sins. 

But how do we approach “gluttony” in a culture that is gluttonous in itself?

One step at a time, for sure.  It’s not about “redesigning” everything we do as a church.  It’s not about canceling potlucks, pizza parties, and locking up the toddler snack cabinets (though we may change what’s in them).  Much of it could be changed from the very foundations by churches taking a more holistic approach to ministry.  Many churches are starting garden co-ops, and educating families on improving nutritional intake/activity levels (yay Kara!).  Here’s a quick “high five” to our own Parish Nurse also, who regularly talks/educates on making healthy choices as important to our faith.

As youth pastors, how about throwing out that unlimited fountain soda machine, and getting a machine that you can put your own, stocked, limited supply that includes healthy choices?  What if we made sandwiches instead of ordering pizza every time? (wow, that hurt to type)

I don’t like vegetables…or exercise a whole lot beyond dancing with my girls and running from teens in dodge ball.  I’ve probably actually gathered an invisible list of adjectives unfitting for a man who is thankful for the body God has given.  I’m not jumping on the “all natural, etc.” bandwagon, and I’m not too worried about how much corn syrup I take in….but I’m saying there’s gotta be somewhere healthier than living comfortably with the above statistic.

It may even be connected to our churches actually being a healthier Church.  Pun intended.

I awoke as the natural alarm clock within me suggested, without offering a chance to press the snooze button.  It was 5:15am, and the mental post-it note from the night before reminded me I’d not yet taken the garbage to the fence.  I was still unsure what time the morning men came and gathered refuse, but I did not want to find out after it was too late.  I quickly came to find myself with shorts and flip flops on, crossing the dewy grass toting a giant wheeled garbage can over a yard in need of mowing.  Wiping my feet on the kitchen carpet, I patted myself on the back for a responsible use of morning, and paused to decide my next course of action.

Should I wake her?

I decided to make some coffee, and she continued to slumber.  In our old house, the kids would have heard dad walking just outside their door, but here I had the privilege of tip-toeing around the first floor while they completed their sleep cycles in peace.  A few roads waited passively ahead of me:  I could enjoy a bit of uninterrupted reading, wake her up, or begin to prepare for the day; among other things.  I chose to wait until just enough coffee was in the pot, to  pour myself a tall hot mug of focus (You have to love a coffeemaker that will continue to brew patiently until you return the pot.) and find my book.

I was reminded briefly of important things I needed to get with her about today.   But they could wait.

I’ve been reading a book on hiking the Appalachian Trail.  This morning contained incredible views of nature, combined with interesting stories of locations off the beaten-path, but well worth a brochure – if not a movie.  Then it happened – I heard the patter of feet above me.  I listened as they quietly traveled the distance of the 2nd floor, down the stairs, and out into my area of the house.  Thumb still in her mouth, our 2nd born smiled and mumbled an excited whisper, “daddy!” as she climbed into my lap.

I was thankful I’d chosen not to wake her still.  Mornings with my daughters are much better without her.  We cuddled, and Sophie willingly recorded a new ring-tone for daddy, before her sister joined us in the moment.  It wasn’t long before they returned upstairs to find something interesting from the previous night.  Again, I chose not to wake her.  Not just yet.

I went upstairs to find our 1 year old in need of changing, and sucking on a Ring-Pop her sisters had given her a moment before.  Apparently they felt sorry she couldn’t yet hoist herself from her sleeping prison, and knew a sucker would quiet her from interrupting their morning play.

Oh, the things I would’ve missed if I’d woken her earlier.  Sure, there were enough compelling reasons to wake her.  Important things.  Unimportant things.   We hadn’t seen much of each other the day before, and no doubt she had plenty of updates for me.

But as my three girls and I climbed back into our giant, queen sized bed with mommy to talk about the day ahead, and laugh a bit together….I was thankful I’d not turned on the computer yet that morning.

Of course, I had to use her eventually….or I wouldn’t have been able to tell the story of my morning without her. 🙂

Recently I posted a few thoughts regarding “telos”, a word with a rich background in the search for purpose/meaning of what we’re doing here on this planet and life.  The “purpose/outcome/result/goal” word has come up once again in this past week’s Scripture, 1Peter 1:3-9.

This time, it is not the “end/result” of a specific path over against another.  Verse 9 highlights the “telos” of our faith.  This is a pretty important declaration, for several reasons.  It’s can also be a humbling/uncomfortable verse for us to read openly.

If we look at churches in Western Christianity, and asked “What is the perceived Goal of our faith?”, we would probably get some answers that make us shift in our seats.  Influence, power, financial well-being, name recognition, growth in numbers, self-preservation, and oh yes…saving us from hell, and tickets to heaven.

But I didn’t intend to critique the Bride of Christ here, plenty of other sources/books out there currently can do that.  Much of it is needed and helpful, as long as we are being pointed in a healthy/new direction.  I think the only “goal” in the above list that we may hear embraced out loud would be the goal of “going to Heaven someday” as the purpose of our faith.

Verse 9 declares “..you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”  It does not say “You will receive…”, or even “You have received…”.  So what is being spoken of here?  This entire chapter seems wrapped up in a few messages to encourage those believers being persecuted in Asia Minor:

1. God has some great and eternal things in store for us. (salvation)
2. Through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, we share in a taste of those things even now. (salvation)
3. Sharing in these things now is not automatic/passive, but requires faith and obedience, resourced/enabled by the Spirit of Christ that we have received. (salvation)

On the path to a wedding, there are many celebrations that occur.  Wedding showers are awesome, and any young couple that has traveled the aisles at Target with a laser gun knows how much fun it can be.  But no matter how many showers you have, or how incredible the gifts you receive at them are, a wedding shower is nothing compared to a wedding reception.

We are the bride of Christ.  We believe someday there will be a coming together of heaven and earth like never before.  The celebration that will take place, and “inheritance” we will receive is indescribable.  But while we wait, we have weekly “wedding showers”.  We journey toward that wedding day, reflecting two who desire to become one.

We are freed from the confines, powers and bindings of a selfish lover.  The world that whispers how great things can be, and makes promises of wealth, security, happiness, and power…even when these things occur, they are found to be empty.  We are receiving the goal of our faith – the salvation of our souls.  The tastes of our ultimate inheritance.

The question is…do you wait for the wedding day to realize all of the shower gifts you could’ve opened?  Will we live as someone who is receiving the salvation of our souls even today?