Worry and Wellness

“For life is more than food, and the body than clothing.” -- Luke 12:23

How one understands and acts on that verse will have a strong influence in one’s approach to life.

One possible approach is to say, “It doesn’t matter what I eat or wear since life is so much more – I can eat anything I want; I can spend all I want on clothing.” I find a conflict between that and what other passages of Scripture tell us. Remember from Proverbs 23:1-3
When you sit down to dine with a ruler,
         Consider carefully what is before you,
    And put a knife to your throat
         If you are a man of great appetite.
    Do not desire his delicacies,
         For it is deceptive food.
And Matthew 6:28-29
"And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these.”
Sounds to me like it does matter!

Another approach is to recognize that what one eats and wears is a reflection of how he thinks – how disciplined he is and what his priorities are. Which is more important: to eat for enjoyment and pleasure, or to eat to sustain oneself for ministry? There is one big caveat in this distinction – the power of “should.” Everyone knows that there are things he “should” do, as implied duty. “I should not smoke. I should eat right. I should be more supportive of my spouse. I should be a better parent. I should visit sick neighbors.” “Should” can become an impatient taskmaster, stealing the joy from living and leaving only drudgery.

Don’t let “should” steal your joy. Instead, focus on living close to our Lord. Get to know Him as Lord, Savior, and Friend, and live the way that pleases Him. His word will guide you to the right path. (Ps 119:105).

As you walk with Him, He will guide you to the ministry that is His will for your life. He will help you make wise choices about clothing (sufficient but not extravagant), food (sustaining, not leading to diseases of affluence), entertainment (uplifting, purposeful), hobbies (that spend the time constructively, not in idleness), and most important, your call to ministry. We all are witnesses to something; may our lives be living letters from the Lord to our friends and neighbors! (2 Corinthians 3:2-4) Only a few are Clergy, but all of us are in full-time Christian service. WE are the Church!

The Lord Provides!

Myron Remington

(References from NASB)

Purposeful Wellness

The essence of chastity is not the suppression of lust, but the total orientation of one's life towards a goal. -- Dietrich Bonhoeffer

This is the cure for any bad habit, whether a sexual addiction, smoking, or cursing. When your life is totally focused on a worthy goal, there is no room for distractions. It is when one has no purpose in life that there is so much slack that it is easy to fall into habits that are undesirable.

Consider a rope passing through pulleys. When there is a load at the end, the rope is taut and passes through each pulley without any tendency to bind. It is only when the rope is slack that it drifts off and becomes tangled in a pulley. Too much tension will break the rope, but too little tension allows the rope to go where it doesn’t belong. So it is with life. When I am guided by a sufficient purpose, I am willing and anxious to shed anything that hinders my progress. But when I wander aimlessly, it is not difficult at all to pick up habits that are offensive.

Some years ago, I spent a couple of years in Asia. Others around me found the distance from home liberating – although they had wives or fiancées back home, they felt free to set up housekeeping with a locally available “temporary wife”. With my focus on a lifetime marriage and my commitment to a life in Christ, I was never tempted to even think about such an action. Even when sent to the Korean equivalent to a geisha house and assigned a “hostess”, it was no struggle for me to keep my hands and my mind where they belonged – and it made an interesting story to tell my wife later. (It also earned a reprimand from my boss to the person who put me in that awkward situation.)

What does this have to do with wellness? Everything! Much of the unwellness around us derives from habits developed because of lack of purpose. There is adequate information available that reveals that our choice of food is a significant factor in the state of our health, but the pleasure of the taste and the force of social custom keep many folks trapped in unhealthy habits. For most folks, the awakening comes only when a disease becomes life-threatening, or at least serious enough to get attention, and then it may be too late.

That is why I focus on stewardship. Most Christians understand that all we have has been given to us by God, for us to use for His glory. In the same way that He has provided our treasure, our time, and our talent for us to use wisely and in ways that honor Him, He also has provided our bodies as the temple of the Holy Spirit. That temple is just as much an object of stewardship as our treasure. Any believer who truly wants to live a life pleasing to Christ will want to serve Him all life long. Many of those who neglect this aspect of stewardship will find themselves trapped in bodies that don’t work any more. Rather than being able to minister to others and share the wisdom gained over a lifetime of service, they become the object of ministry by others. Rather than having financial resources to use to support ministry, they have to use those resources to maintain their bodies in a functional state. No, wellness is not required for salvation. But it is a matter of good stewardship.

The Lord Provides!
Myron Remington
Myron62@juno.com

The Next Generation

First a disclaimer: I am NOT Dr. Dobson, nor any other authority on raising children. However, I have been through the process, with mistakes along the way, but hopefully some right moves as well.

Sitting in the disaster recovery center, I observed a young mother come in with her pre-school son and his grandmother. While mom is taking care of business, son discovers the Coke machine. I offer water to grandmother, and she asks grandson if he wants water. Of course not, he wants Coke, so she dutifully puts in her dollar bill and he grabs the Coke can that drops.

How many times a day is this scene repeated across this bountiful nation? Child wants, child gets, regardless how many grams of sugar are in the can. And without regard for all the studies showing adverse impact to wellness of sugar, without thinking of increasing the prospect for obesity or diabetes, parents and grandparents spoil the child and cripple his ability to make decisions that lead to wellness.

The Lord Provides!

Myron Remington
Texas Manager, Mobile Disaster Recovery Center (currently at Kountze, Hardin County)
Myron62@juno.com

PS – for current helpful health information, I suggest that you go to http://www.johnshopkinshealthalerts.com/alerts/ and subscribe to the health alerts that meet your need.

Rediscovering Community

During my deployment in Kountze for Disaster Recovery, I was sleeping for some time at the local fire station. That gave me a special opportunity to observe a very close-knit community, in many ways like a church. The firemen (male and female) and their families thoroughly enjoy spending time together. They eat together, laugh together, cry together. When the challenge of serious fires comes, they band together in mutual support. They are of one mind, one heart – they are one, much as the church is one. I am reminded that, in combat, soldiers don’t die for their country or for their family. They die for their buddies. It is the bond among those united in community that is worth dying for.

Seeing their community challenges me to issue a call to a community of wellness. The primary obstacle to the habits that underlie wellness is the ingrained social custom of eating together foods that are customary rather than especially healthful. Secondary obstacles are cooking for taste rather than wellness benefit, and the time-saving convenience of processed foods.

I envision a community in which all members are aware of the harm to their wellness – and their stewardship – in their habits that do not support wellness. As Paul tells us, if my eating meat causes my brother to stumble, I’ll never eat meat again. Paul wrote in the context of meat sacrificed to idols; I suggest that in our time, there is no idol worshiped in eating meat, but one could say that pleasure has become the god of many people. At any rate, what I do influences those around me, for better or worse.

Dream with me for a moment of a community in which none of the benefits of togetherness are lost, but in which the impact on wellness is considered in all activities. Every member recognizes that the joy of wellness is not inconsistent with the joy of close fellowship. It is not necessary to give up anything to be well –- healthy habits are just as enjoyable as anything else that we could do.

Choosing to maintain wellness in order to serve others rather than have to depend on them does not violate any Biblical standards. As we encourage one another to make wise choices, we can grow together in wise stewardship of whatever wellness we have.

The Lord Provides!

Myron Remington
Texas Manager, Mobile Disaster Recovery Center (currently at Kountze, Hardin County)
Myron62@juno.com

Wellness Beyond Bodily Health

My train of thought from previous issues has been disrupted by the series of disasters that have struck Texas recently – I’ve deployed for hurricane Dolly and now hurricane Ike. Rather than struggle to pick up earlier threads, let me address some of what I’m observing now.

The need for wellness is no less during a time of calamity, but other much more pressing needs may overshadow it. I’ve heard that Ike is the fourth worst natural disaster ever to strike the US. The people I’m seeing now are desperate for a place to sleep, for food to eat, and for a word of encouragement. Even those who appear to be composed may really be simmering inside, just waiting for the slightest provocation, intentional or otherwise, to boil over.

As we have discussed earlier, stress such as I’m observing now is very detrimental to wellness. Those who have difficulty coping with recent events are putting themselves at greater risk of contracting serious, life-threatening disease. Those who have a strong faith and who can accept their trouble and, with Job, still praise their Redeemer, are much less likely to fall ill.

I invite your prayers
• for me and others who are engaged in response and recovery following hurricane Ike and other disasters. Wellness is crucial for us to endure the weeks or months of travel, long days, and stressful encounters.
• for those who have been displaced from their homes, many uncertain of the condition of their homes
• for those who have no home to return to
• for those who have relatives impacted by the disasters (when one hurts, all hurt)

The Lord Provides!

Myron Remington
Texas Manager, Mobile Disaster Recovery Center (currently at Kountze, Hardin County)
Myron62@juno.com

Wellness in Practice

We have been looking at the theory and background of wellness. Now let’s take a look at some examples. This is somewhat like Jesus’ use of parables to teach – you can go only so far on theory before everything starts to run together. Illustrations clarify theory.

Gerson Therapy: In the middle of the 20th Century, Max Gerson, M.D., was healing disease that all other physicians had given up on. One such example is a small boy, “Baby R.S.” (Case No. 15 of 50 in reference) This 8-month-old baby had surgery twice to remove a recurring cancer on his left shoulder. The doctors recommended radical amputation; the parents refused and took the baby to Dr. Gerson. Under Dr. Gerson’s care 1950 - 1957, the baby steadily improved; the treatment was a lasting success with the boy growing up healthy and strong. Dr. Gerson died in 1959, but his therapy continues to heal “terminal” cases today. (Max Gerson, M.D, A Cancer Therapy, Gerson Institute, Bonita, CA: 1990, p 306ff)

Macrobiotics: This is a diet based on whole grains and traditional foods in harmony with the seasons. During WW I, imports of grain to Denmark were cut off by blockade,. The food advisor to the government ordered slaughter of 4/5 of the pigs and 1/5 of all cattle to free up grain for people to eat in the place of meat and dairy. He also limited production of alcohol from grain. The Danes ate more porridge, fresh vegetables, greens, beans, peas, and fruit and less milk, meat, and butter. In one year of this austere diet, approximating a macrobiotic diet, the cancer rate dropped by 60% and the death rate by 40%. After the war, with their former meat and dairy diet restored, the disease and death rates soon returned to their prewar levels. (Michio Kushi, The Macrobiotic Way, Avery Publishing, Garden City Park, NY: 1993, p 8)

Budwig Protocol: Johanna Budwig, MD., practiced in Europe during much of the 20th century, restoring wellness to thousands. One example was George Friedrich who had suffered three serious heart attacks between ages 60 and 63. Medication controlled his symptoms, but he became very weak and aged visibly. When introduced to Dr. Budwig’s Formula (cold-processed, unrefined raw flaxseed oil blended with low-fat cottage cheese), he immediately included that in his daily diet. Within three months, his breathing was easier and his angina was almost eliminated. A year later, the medical doctors who examined him were amazed at his full recovery. (William L. Fischer, How to Fight Cancer & Win, Agora Health Books, Baltimore: 2000)

The Hallelujah Diet: In 1976 at age 42, Rev. George Malkmus was told that he had colon cancer, a baseball-size tumor similar to the one his mother had recently been treated for – unsuccessfully; she died a horrible death. On the advice of a friend, Rev. Malkmus changed his diet to all raw fruits and vegetables and lots of fresh carrot juice. In less than a year with no medical treatment at all, the tumor had disappeared, along with hemorrhoids, hypoglycemia, severe allergies, sinus problems, high blood pressure, fatigue, pimples, cold, flu … even body odor and dandruff were gone. In the 32 years since, Hallelujah Acres has helped many thousands of people worldwide back to vibrant good health. (George H. Malkmus with Michael Dye, God’s Way to Ultimate Health, Hallelujah Acres Publishing, Shelby, NC: 1996, p 24ff)
These examples are just four of the many ways that people are finding wellness today. The common element among them is depending on the body to heal itself by supplying vital nutrition and eliminating the causes of disease. There is no medicine as powerful as the healing capability that the Creator designed into our bodies at the beginning. Genesis 1:31 “And God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good!”

There is not time nor space to go into detail here on all the approaches to wellness, but I welcome your inquiry on any specifics.

Wellness as Wisdom

Proverbs 1:20-33 is a very strongly worded instruction to make wise choices. Of course, each of us does that to the best of our ability.

Sometimes we do not see an obvious “wise” choice, so we might decide based on preference. For example, should I choose a Chevrolet, Ford, or Dodge pickup? Just about anyone in the country can answer that question, but the answers won’t all agree. People can do whatever they want much of the time with little ill effect.

In Luke 11:12, Jesus asked whether a father will give his child a scorpion when he asked for an egg – that is a much clearer choice. The benefit of one and the harm of the other make it obvious which is the wise choice. Some wisdom is easy.

When it comes to decisions about wellness, there is a similar pattern. Some of the choices are matters of preference, while others are critical. The easy choice is to continue doing what we’ve always done – and we can expect to get what we’ve always gotten. Although we in the US spend far more per person than other leading nations, we rank only 37th in the world in health care system performance.1 The more difficult and critical path is to choose what works and to have the discipline to follow it. We can get some information from professionals and some from personal investigation. Especially with the availability of Internet research, hardly any knowledge is beyond our reach once we look for it.

From all that I’ve found, the choice among wellness plans is much like the choice of pickup. Different strokes for different folks, but all carry the same load. Next month, let’s look at some results of a few of the many effective ways to approach wellness.

The decision whether to adopt a wellness plan is more like the scorpion and egg situation. Every resource I have found concludes that the rich Western diet is one factor in much of the disease that we see now. It is very obvious in the Far East – as Japan and China move toward a Western-style diet and the frantic lifestyle of city life, the formerly rare Western diseases are becoming all too common. Let’s reverse the world-wide trend and choose wellness! (In case you wonder if I believe in salvation by diet, NO! I believe that in Christ we have the freedom to choose any food without sin; rather, our choices are a matter of stewardship of the resource of wellness.)

1. T Colin Campbell, Ph.D., The China Study, Benbella Books, Dallas: 2004, p 17