As a young pastor in Michigan in 1980, the opportunity was provided to me to attend a conference in a church in Florida with all expenses paid by the church there. I was thrilled to be able to go on this trip with a group of pastors from Michigan.
Not really knowing what to expect, I was open to what I could learn and see. Two things happened on that trip that made an indelible (not able to be forgotten) impression on my life. The first event is what I will speak about in detail here.
The church in Florida was providing this opportunity for the pastors in Michigan where the churches were mostly small and many just beginning, like the one I was starting. The church in Florida was rather large (several thousand in attendance) and had expansive ministries. Providing this time of retreat for pastors (and their wives) of smaller churches was one of those ministries. The church provided the transportation, the lodging, the food, and the teaching. We were treated very well.
The sessions were varied and taught by different ministers of the church. I do not remember what all the sessions were about but do remember that they were appropriate for pastors and other church leaders. But the one session that God used to significantly change my life, seemed a bit unusual for such a conference. Not having any pastoral experience and certainly not old enough to have attended such a conference, I was extremely grateful to be there and was all eyes and ears.
The speaker (I cannot remember his name), was an older gentleman, probably in his early 70’s. He was vibrant and interesting and seemed energetic and committed to the topic of his message. It was not a sermon per se, as many of the other sessions, but rather a testimony of his life and how God had taught him an important lesson.
As he shared that day on a subject I had never heard spoken about, his words pierced deeply into my soul and made such an impression, that they brought change in my life that is still evident today. As a preacher, I think isn’t this what we strive for. To be able to present truth in such a way, that the hearers listen to it, accept it, apply it to their life, and are forever impacted and blessed by that truth. Well, that is what happened that day in my life.
His topic that day was health. The topic was very personal to him as he had almost died years before from cancer. He shared that when he was in his 50’s that he had cancer. The doctors did all they could to treat him and were unsuccessful. They told him there was no more they could do, that his life would be coming to an end shortly. Some others then encouraged him to find a different way to regain his health. They suggested it could be done through diet, excercise, and a healthier lifestyle.
As he shared his story that day, it drew my interest; but not so much because of my circumstances. I was young and healthy and none of my family members had cancer or had died from cancer. It drew my interest because he was sharing a real message from his heart and it was touching my heart, mind, and soul.
At the end of his talk that day, he recommended some books to read which could be purchased from the church bookstore. I purchased those books and read them when I went home from the conference. I made a decision at that time to begin implementing that lifestyle. Over the past 40 years since that time, God has continued to open my mind and thoughts to His ways in the area of health.
God speaks about health all through the Scriptures, from the beginning to the end. In one of the last chapters of the Bible written by John, he expresses his desire for the readers in the area of health. 3 John 1:2 Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.
God wants us to experience good health. God has given us many guidelines to follow to obtain the best health. God uses the area of health to teach us, speak to us, bless us, discipline us, and to conform us to His image. But the sad reality is most people who confess to being a Christian, ignore so much about what God has to say about healthy living.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.
