zondervan

Is it Spiritual to Be Healthy? Book Review

Laurie Russell — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 10:12:40 -0800

Every now and then I’m asked by a publisher to do a book review. Not long ago, Zondervan offered to send me the book Every Body Matters by Gary Thomas for free if I’d be to write a blog post about it. Well, uh…yeah! I love to read and stuff that is free. Plus the topic of the book intrigued me.

The title is a play on words – it’s not talking about everybody but every body matters. Thomas connects our spiritual being with our physical body. When you take care of your body with healthy eating and physical exercise, you’re empowering your spirit with zeal to do good work for God.

Thomas is quick to point out that he’s not promoting one to build his or her body to be admired by others, but instead to strengthen it in order to serve God.

One point he made that stood out to me was that Satan is not concerned with “what” brings our ministry down but only that it ends. For some that may be poor health. God desires for us all to have many years serving Him and if our health is depleting, we rob God and ourselves of the opportunity to bless others.

In one chapter he mentioned Nelson Mandela who spent twenty-seven years in jail. His jail cell was no bigger than a queen size bed but Mandela would run in place for an hour, do push-ups and crunches in order to keep him from dwindling.

In his youth, Mandela had been an amateur boxer and devoted runner. He learned lessons of perseverance and strength from these sports that he was able to apply it to his extended stay in jail.

Mandela was 75-years-old when he became president of South Africa and remained in office until he was 80-years-old. He physical strength enabled him to lead his country once he was free. He was able to fulfill the role that God had created him for.

Thomas does warn about idolizing our body and exercising. He’s sensitive to those who may be struggling with food. However, he’s very bold in stating that the church needs to address (in love) gluttony how we care for our bodies.

Overall, this was a really good read that challenged and inspired me to see that caring for my health is a spiritual thing. I don’t need to feel guilty for taking an hour of my day to exercise. He does a lot of quoting to prove his points. At times this disrupted my reading, but not too badly. Plus, most of the quotes were really good so in a sense it negates it.

So what are your thoughts on exercise and healthy eating?

Do you see exercise as a spiritual discipline?

Is it a sin if we neglect our bodies and eat junk food?

Let me know what you think. I’m eager to hear!

Sometimes All You Need is a Plan

Christy Tennant — Wed, 19 May 2010 09:56:39 -0700

Lately, I've had trouble focusing when it was time to read the Bible. I realized that this was largely due to the fact that I have not been following a reading plan this year. During odd-numbered years, I read through the whole Bible, usually using this plan. But during even-numbered years like the one we're in now, I have historically taken a more systematic approach. For example, one year I focused on the Sermon on the Mount (using this excellent book by John Stott as an accompanying text), another year I used Wayne Grudem's Systematic Theology and read scripture as I studied particular topics.

All in all, I have found this rhythm of Bible study to be a good one, but lately, without the structure of a reading plan, I am often prone to be less disciplined in my morning devotional time when it comes to Bible study. This morning, for example, I reached for a Christian book and then a Christian magazine before picking up my Bible. It was at that moment I knew I needed to take action.

I did a Google search of "Bible Reading Plans" and, after considering several options, I landed on this one: "30 Stories You've Probably Never Heard" from Zondervan. (Click here for a list of many other great reading plans from Zondervan.) It's a great list, and I am looking forward to revisiting some of the more obscure, yet rich, stories from scripture.

I started with Day One today, and within five minutes, God had used the passage listed (Number 11) to speak to me in a powerful way.

In the next post, I'll tell you how!

Jon Acuff: Creator of StuffChristiansLike.net

CJ Casciotta — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 14:24:26 -0700

Jonathan Acuff from Brandon Setter on Vimeo.