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None of us thought it would be easy. “And take they our life, goods, fame, child and wife---let these all be gone!” You have perhaps sung those words of Martin Luther’s famous hymn with great gusto. After all, the calling to ministry is a great one. The issues are Life and Death. We knew we would most likely meet with obstacles and threats that could inflict pain or loss, and we told ourselves we were ready. Who would have known that some of the greatest sacrifices we would be called upon to make would be to give up a Big Mac, a TV remote, and the opportunity to spend an extra evening at church. Some of the greatest challenges facing those in ministry today are not threats of martyrdom but the results of a sedentary lifestyle. You may not realize it, but a lot of people that you probably don’t know have been putting in a lot of time talking about you and about what can be done to help you overcome these significant threats to your ministry. Here are some of the sobering facts (most of these from the Summex health Monitor Aggregate Report for Lutherans, 2001):
It is obvious from these facts that health issues are having a serious impact upon the church today, contributing not only to a waste of precious resources but also to a potential clergy shortage. Thus, a number of efforts are underway to reverse these trends. Many of them involve offering workshops and handouts related to healthier lifestyles. You and I both know that those approaches are not likely to make much of a difference. If it were simply a matter of education, the problems would have been solved a long time ago. Who is it that doesn’t already know that eating a lot at fast food restaurants is likely to be bad for you, or that dealing with unremitting high levels of stress can cause physical ailments, or that regular exercise is a good thing? There is scarcely a periodical, newspaper, or TV news program that hasn’t had some feature related to healthier living. Diet books have populated the bestseller lists for years. There is so much information it becomes easy just to tune out. Reading the above list of facts pertaining to church workers, no matter how alarming or surprising they may be, is unlikely to motivate any of you to make significant changes. Too many excuses are readily available: “I don’t have the time”; “I don’t feel like it”; “But it tastes better”; “I’ll get serious about it later”; “At least I’m not as bad as ____ .”
So what is the answer? I know no one can convince me I have to change. It is something I have to decide for myself. And if I were to think about what is the biggest obstacle that keeps me from making that decision, it is likely to be my tendency to live in my head and disassociate myself from my body. As long as I identify myself more with what I think than what I feel, and with what I do more than with what I am, my body becomes more or less expendable. There are some Biblical truths that contradict that notion, and those who have had the experience of watching their heart etch irregular lamdas across a heart monitor screen are less able to make that separation. They have become painfully aware that they are their body. If you mistreat it long enough, it will talk back to you. I would like to think I can make the changes in my thinking before it gets to that point. In case you wanted (or needed) more information, according to the National Institute of Health, examples of moderate-intensity activity, which should be a goal for most, preferably every day of the week, include:
A two-year Pastoral Care Specialist Class meeting in Kearney will begin in September. Please register by August 1. If you are interested but haven’t received a brochure, contact me.
Copyright 1995 Doug Hall and Christianity Today International/BuildingChurchLeaders.com. Used with permission In Christ's Service, Roger Kruger (402) 978-5670 (direct line and confidential voice mail) This e-mail newsletter is an endeavor of Partners in Caring, Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska, Inc. I envision it as a way to share ideas, resources, and conversation about the joys and struggles of ministry. I welcome your input. Feel free to pass it on to friends. If you wish no longer to receive copies of this newsletter, please reply with “unsubscribe.”
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Fat Pastors
More workshops and more print materials are likely to produce more guilt, which in actuality may only exacerbate the problem. Most people who don’t exercise enough wish they did. Most people who are overweight don’t like the way the look. To be reminded of what they don’t like about themselves increases the sense of guilt. And guess what some of the best guilt assuagers are: when we feel bad, we eat; when we are criticized, we work extra hard; when we feel discouraged, we do nothing. This combination of working hard to please others, indulging in eating patterns that temporarily fill feelings of emptiness, and neglect of self care is a vicious cycle. We do it to feel better but in the end feel even worse.