LET'S GET PHYSICAL!

For months I have addressed pastor's spiritual and emotional health, without once calling us into account for our physical health.

In a recent study by Kansas State University it was discovered that there was a direct correlation between the pastor's physical health and the physical health of the congregation. It became clear in the study that pastors are indeed a role model for their congregation's to emulate.

Statistics are staggering for the United States when it comes to the rise in obesity. 32.7 % of adults over 20 in America are overweight. In almost every state in the U.S. 25-30% of the population is obese. That means they exceed the number 30 on the Body Mass Index. (BMI)

A part of the Kansas State study revealed that 77% of middle class white males are overweight.

That would include most pastors in America today. This would lead us to believe that pastors need to be the "biggest losers".

There are certainly some sins that we can hide, but a lack of fitness and obesity is one we can't.

So what steps do you need to take to do a better job of caring for your temple?

What preventative ministries could be developed in your church to increase better health?

Let's get physical!

CONSCIOUS AWARENESS

How many times have you been asked this leading question? "How is your prayer life?"

If you are like me, the answer to that question immediately creates a little bit of dissonance.

I have to sift through in my mind what the person is asking. Are they asking how much time I spend praying each day? Are they asking if I am a good prayer warrior? Are they asking me if I really connect with God or just going through the motions? Are they asking me if I am getting some great answers to prayers? Are they asking me if I keep a journal? The list goes on.

What does a good prayer life look like for those of us who want to be healthy? The fact of the matter is that it will look different for each of us. God has uniquely created all of us to relate to Him somewhat differently. For many it will be in our prayer closet. For some it will be lengthy prayer sessions on our knees, and for some it may be one liners throughout the day.

The bottom line is this: Are we living our lives so that all the words we speak will be said with the conscious awareness of God's presence? That sounds to me like the essence of a what a good "prayer Life" should look like.

So the question I want to leave you today is this: Has your prayer life become something so compartmentalized that it has become a to-do list?

HEALTHY ELDERS

For months now I have been discussing the need to be a healthy pastor. In order to be healthy, each pastor must be continually transformed as stated in in Romans 12:2. This shouldn't stop with just pastors. Elders need to be continually transformed as well. A great way for this dynamic to take place is to have elder meetings that are more than micro-managing the church.

Micro-managing the church is not the first priority of an elder board. There must be time set aside for personal growth and development of each elder. The elder board should be a close knit brotherhood of men who are willing to be vulnerable with each other. If the elders are not held accountable for their own spiritual transformation than how can we expect the folks in the pew to be transformed.

There must be a high degree of trust and unity in order for the elders to function in a healthy way, not only with each other, but with those who represent the staff. When there is tension between the staff and elders it demonstrates deficiencies in the spiritual and emotional maturity of the individuals involved.

With these thoughts in mind let me leave you with some questions that need to be answered:

1. Do you look forward to elder meetings, or have they become a necessary evil in your ministry life?

2. Have your elders demonstrated transformational growth as a member of the board?

3. Do you take time in your meetings to equip and challenge your elders to spiritual growth.

4. How much time do you spend in elder meetings micro-managing the business of the church rather then giving spiritual oversight?

5. Is there a deep trust between you and the elders.

6. Is there an atmosphere of transparency and love for one another on the board?

7. How much time do you spend praying together for the church and each other at your elder meetings?

Living out my spirituality uniquely

I have recently been reading Ortberg's book, "The Me I Want to Be". It has resonated with something that has been on my heart for a long time. We have done a dis-service in Evangelical Christianity by putting people in boxes of performance to measure their spiritual maturity.

We have dangerously externalized ones spiritual maturity into a bunch of rules just like the pharisees of old, thus not honoring how God has created us uniquely.

In Ortberg's book he illustrates the individuality of becoming intimate with God by quoting Gary Thomas's book "Sacred Pathways".

The following are ways we can all uniquely find our pathway to God:

Naturalist- find God in nature

Ascetic- is drawn to disciplines

Traditionalist - lives historical liturgies

Activist - comes alive spiritually in a great cause.

Caregiver - meets God in serving

Sensate - senses God through five senses

Enthusiast - loves to grow through people

Contemplative - is drawn to solitary reflection and prayer

Intellectual - loves God by learning

"It is good to be familiar with each pathway, but you will find that one or two are the most gripping for you. When you do identify which ones you resonate with most, you will also find that they are the most sustainable for you, because your desire for them will be highest."

Let's seek God uniquely together!

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