Dear Friends,
A few months ago I came to a crossroads. One I am not proud of, I realized I had a decision to make. I was either going to have to live differently or I was going to have to increase my clothing size once again. For too often I have chosen the former when I knew the latter was the way to go.
In my last post I shared three practices in my life which refresh my soul. The first two are reading and podcasts, the third is regular exercise. I am sharing these with you to encourage and hopefully, learn from each of you.
My journey toward great health was greatly influenced by some people in my life:
Seeing the dramatic transformation of Mike Nesslage, a friend and man I admire and hold tremendous respect for.
The accountability of regularly meeting with a coach. Over several months I have met with John Baker, another pastor and friend. He has helped me process my stressors and kept me focused as a leader.
My congregation. They are an amazing and incredibly good group of people. I want to be a healthier and better person to serve them better.
The final “nail in the coffin” was an article written by Lenny Luchetti for Christianity Today, Health Pastor, Health Church. Lenny is associate professor of proclamation and Christian ministry at Indiana Wesleyan University’s Wesley Seminary. In the article he speaks of the direct relationship between a health pastor and a healthy church.
Because of the influence of these people in my life I chose to head to the gym 2-3 days a week. The result is I have lost 20 lbs. While I still have that much more and more to go to be where I want to me, it is a very significant improvement for me. Now I am faced with the same crossroads, only this time my clothes don’t fit because they are too large.
While the individuals above deserve credit for getting me on this journey person deserves more credit for keeping me here than my wife, Laura.
There is still much growth to be had in my life. But I feel like I am in far better place now. My productivity is up. My vision is growing. Hope is high.
Blessings,
Pastor Stephen