A Biblical Reflection on

Nourishing the Minister for the Ministry

Presented at the Arizona Pastors Conference

May 6-7, 2008

Grace Lutheran, Casa Grande, AZ

Pastor Mike Nitz

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Index

Prologue…………………………………………………………………………………………...….....…3

Introduction: The Macronutrients of Health: Carbohydrates, Proteins, Fats …………………….………..3

1. God’s Gift of Science and the 40-30-30 Zone Diet………………………….………………..…………5

2. The Fat Storing Hormone Vs. The Fat Burning Hormone………………………………………...…… 7

3. Banish the Brain Bonk - Carbo Craving Cycle………………………………………………………….8

4. Eat Less More Often……………………………………………………………………………………10

5. Plan Food into Your Daily Plan…………………………………………………………….……..……10

6. Regular Exercise………………………………………………………………………………………..12

7. Stop Stressing Over Stress……………………………………………………………………...………13

8. The Association of Sleep, Food and Attitude…………………………………………………………..16

Epilogue………………………………………………………………………………………………...…17

Appendix A: Daniel’s Diet…………………………………………………………………………..……18

Appendix B: Corral the Comfort Eating…………………………………………………………………..20

Appendix C: Body Image………………………………………………………………………………....21

Appendix D: Nutritional Tools for the Busy Minister…………………………………………………….22

Appendix E: Portion Distortion………………………………………………………………………...…23

Appendix F: The Zone Diet, Online………………………………………………………………………24

Appendix G: Fast Foods for Nutritional Fuel……………………………………………………………..25

Appendix H: Gain Muscle, Lose Weight, Get Eccentric………………………………………………….26

Appendix I: Life Stress Inventory…………………………………………………………………………27

Appendix J: Sleep Like a Giant-Slayer…………………………………………………………………....28

Bibliography………………………………………………………………………………………………30

Revised 2008.5.19

Acknowledgements

Note: Before adopting any advice found in this presentation, please consult your health care professional.

Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version (NIV), © 1984 International Bible

Society, as excerpted from Compton's Interactive Bible NIV. Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey

Multimedia Inc. Used by permission.

This presentation is an adaptation of a series of articles entitled “Biblical Reflections on Nutrition, Stress

and Good Health” written for the Midweek Meditations of Cross of Glory Lutheran Church, Peoria, AZ,

and posted online at http://www.crossofglory.info/publications_mainpage.htm. The series ran from

October 24, 2007 to April 24, 2008.

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A Biblical Reflection on Nourishing the Minister for Ministry

Prologue

Please understand that I’m no expert on food and nutrition. But I have some experience. I’ve been eating

food for over forty-seven years.

In my youth, growing up in Southern California, I was swept up in the West Coast’s trend-setting wave of

emerging health clubs and health foods. I didn’t like the feeling of a whole yolk sliding down my throat--

in the style of Sylvester Stallone (Rocky, 1976)-- so I added milk, bananas and honey to my raw eggs and

blended a protein shake.

But that was no different than thousands of male teens growing up in So Cal who knew of Arnold

Schwarzenegger, long before he emerged as a popular movie star in Conan the Barbarian (1982). His

book, Arnold: The Education of a Bodybuilder (1977) still sits on my shelf.

Then in college I became sick from mono so severe it triggered hepatitis, permanently affecting my

stamina. This life change forced me, under my doctor’s instructions, into learning more about the

relationship between food, stress and energy.

In my early 20’s I was accidentally poisoned. The cyanide had a week to abate before the diagnosing

blood draw that still read two-thirds the lethal dose. Since the long-term effects are unknown, I’ve just

assumed that I now have a proclivity toward some kind of cancer. This thought does not worry me, but

serves to keep my eye on emerging trends that support a healthy lifestyle. This proclivity emerges in the

kitchen with my hobbies of homemade sausage, jerky, and effervescent health drinks.

In the 1980’s Pat Riley was the famous coach of the Los Angeles Lakers dynasty. Never did Riley delude

himself into believing he could perform the phenomenal athletics of those he coached, like Earvin

“Magic” Johnson. Yet he had observations and researched statistics to share with these superb pros.

“Through an accident of history, I was named interim head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers” explains a

humble Riley.1

Through earthly eyes, it can be observed that through an accident of history, I have come to have an

interest in nourishing the minister for the ministry. But unlike the winning Riley, it’s through my failures

to deal with the stress of the ministry that led to less-than-optimum nutritional habits that dinged the

minister while denting the ministry. Prompted by my failures, I share observations and researched

information that I pray might help you to continue to excel even more in your ministries, all to the glory

of our Savior Jesus.

Introduction: The Macronutrients of Health: Carbohydrates, Proteins, Fats

If you’re expecting demeaning language and an arrogant attitude, sorry. For that type of motivation, I

suggest you read a New York Time’s best seller written by two former models.2 They use offensive and

belittling language to “get into your face” about what they think you should or should not put into your

mouth to be healthy and energized.

1 Pat Riley, The Winner Within: A Life Plan for Team Players (New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1993) 62.

2 Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin, Skinny Bitch (Philadelphia: Running Press, 2005).

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But those of us touched by the spirit of Jesus have a different attitude about one’s body, diet, health, and

how to dialogue about these things. We’ve been gifted to look at each other with love and respect,

because we’ve been taught how each one of us is a precious miracle of the Lord… whether we’re under

weight or over weight, in shape or out of shape, healthy or sick, mobile or immobile. “I praise you

because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well” (Psalm

139:14). “So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded

Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has

gone, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:16-17).

The skinny models never mention the Lord in their book; the center of their universe is self. But we know

that everything about human life is centered in the Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier. "Fill the earth and

subdue it. Rule over the fish...the birds... and over every living creature..." (Genesis 1:27-31). Subdue and

rule. These are vast powers God invested into people, granting them the desires and abilities to manage

this world to his glory. Thus science and medicine are practiced by humans, not animals, because God so

blessed those he made in his own image (Genesis 1:26-27).

This is why humans, not cockatoos, have discovered that your colon has a bacteria count up to a billion

times greater than your stomach, making it a good practice to wash your hands after visiting the restroom.

If our Lord did not continually uphold the laws of nature-- that includes the involuntary peristalsis

contractions to move food from your esophagus through your stomach-- we would die.

The Apostle Paul wrote: "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God"

(1 Corinthians 10:31-33). We give glory to God when we thank him for his gifts of science and medicine.

But when we realize that the plan for a woman-born savior from sin (Isaiah 7:14) meant that God would

submit himself to relying on bacteria to digest his food-- the human part of his being our perfect

substitute-- we have loftier reasons to glorify God. "He had to be made like his brothers in every way

...that he might make atonement for the sins of the people" (Hebrews 2:14-18).

Understanding from science and medicine how our body processes food is knowledge God granted us

humans to discover for our well-being, and especially for enjoying opportunities to glorify him. But the

skinny models miss this in their cackle about how evolution has advanced homo sapiens into becoming

vegetarian. And not just to be vegetarian, but vegan.3 Vegan to the core, the naughty-mouthed models

write: “Many meat eaters credit eating meat for our evolution from cavemen into what we are now. Even

if this were the case and eating meat did help us evolve, look at what we evolved from. We looked like…

apes and had massive heads, strong jaws, and brute strength. But the last time we checked, we aren’t

cavemen anymore.”4

But those who believe in evolution are not the only ones to advocate a meatless diet. There are plenty who

claim that the scriptures teach the ultimate, healthy diet is a vegetarian one, by usually citing Daniel’s

dietary dilemma for their Biblical “proof.” It’s true that Daniel ate only vegetables and ended up in better

shape than all the others who ate the prescribed Babylonians foods (Daniel 1:3-17). But is this account

really God’s divine stamp of approval upon a vegetarian diet? A more careful study of the text reveals

that what’s descriptive of Daniel’s unique Old Testament circumstances is not even prescriptive for God’s

Old Testament people (who could eat ceremonially clean meats), and certainly not prescriptive for us

3 A vegan (pronounced vej-uhn or vee-guhn) is someone who omits the use of animals for food (meat, milk, eggs,

etc.), clothing, or any other purpose; a vegetarian is someone who only omits meat, fish or fowl for food, but may

include animal products such milk, cheese and eggs. 4 Freedman 42-43.

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New Testament believers who live in the freedom of Christ who “canceled the written code, with its

regulations…”(Colossians 2:15-16). For an expanded study, see Appendix A: Daniel’s Diet.

Consider the Ctrl + Alt + Delete of the world God keyed upon the earth with the Flood. Here God’s

words apply to the whole, wide post-flood world. God specifically gives animal meat to be included in

mankind’s diet, even as he placed the fear and dread of mankind upon the animal world (Genesis 9:1-4).

God knew something about a balanced diet when he instructed post-flood humans to add meat to their

diets. Lean meat is a good source of quality protein, one of the three macronutrients. “Carbohydrates,

proteins and fats are classified as macronutrients and must be consumed in large amounts throughout the

day. These energy-producing nutrients break down to supply calories (the measure of energy in food.)”5 If

you know what foods primarily offer protein (like steak) and what foods primarily offer fat (like butter)

then you realize that all the other foods primarily offer carbohydrates (like fruit).6

Macronutrient Macronutrient sources

Proteins Beef, elk, venison, chicken, dairy, eggs, fish, pork

Fats Butter, oil, nuts, seeds

Carbohydrates Fruits, vegetables, breads, pasta, beans, sugar

A high-carbohydrate diet that does not consume adequate amounts of protein containing sufficient ratios

of the 10 essential amino acids is an unbalanced diet. Our bodies require those 10 essential amino acids so

it can transform them into the more than 50,000 new body proteins required for good health; when

lacking protein, your body actually starts to break down existing body protein (such as muscle).7 When

this protein breakdown occurs, your metabolism slows way down, your body burns less calories and fat,

and your plate is set for health problems. Studies find that vegan diets (those that exclude all animal

products, including milk and cheese) are often low in quality protein, contributing to a loss of lean muscle

mass.8

God’s gift of science reveals the wisdom for every meal to contain a specific amount of protein, along

with carbs and good fat. In fact, to miss protein at a meal tends to cause your body to store fat rather than

burn it. “The body cannot store excess amino acids the way it can carbohydrate and fat. It is therefore

vitally important that every time you eat, you supply your body with adequate amounts of quality

protein….”9 (emphasis mine)

1. God’s Gift of Science and the 40-30-30 Zone Diet

In spite of their obnoxious method, the skinny models do make a valid point that Americans needs to

watch what they eat. Many voices share this concern.

“Obesity is now recognized as a serious health concern…. In the United States, nearly two-thirds

of adults (64.5%) are overweight or obese. Even children are affected by unhealthy weight

concerns…. Our current obesity statistics result from chronic overconsumption of calorie-dense

food portions (too many calories in), coupled with chronic inactivity (too few calories out.) Our

5 Gene and Joyce Daoust, The Formula: A Personalized 40-30-30 Weight Loss Program (New York: Ballantine,

2001) 4. 6 Gene and Joyce Daoust, 40-30-30 Fat Burning Nutrition (Del Mar, CA: Wharton, 1996) 11.

7 Daoust, 40-30-30 Fat Burning Nutrition 14-15.

8 Daoust, 40-30-30 Fat Burning Nutrition 50-51.

9 Daoust, 40-30-30 Fat Burning Nutrition 14.

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genes aren’t changing; obesity results from an underactive lifestyle conducted within a food-toxic

environment.”10

A “food-toxic environment” is one in which there is an abundance of high-calorie foods with refined and

processed ingredients… like cookies, chocolate, potato chips, French fries, and the plethora of fast foods.

“So this new, ‘more refined’ way of eating [high-calorie foods] brought with it [unwelcomed

changes]…ultimately determining whether we store fat in our bodies. Consequently, one of the most

important ways in which our diet [today] differs from that of our ancestors is the speed of carbohydrate

digestion….”11

Through research we learn that the conventional wisdom our grandparents’ grandparents handed down to

us offers some basic, solid advice. I’m speaking of this truism: a healthy diet consists of made-from-

scratch meals that are produced from a changing variety of foods. Such a menu largely resembles what

science has discovered to be the ideal diet consisting of 40 % of the calories coming from carbohydrate,

30% from protein and 30 % from good fat.12

Calories Per Meal

40 % calories from Carbohydrates

30 % calories from Protein

30 % calories from good Fat

David Zinczenko, editor-in-chief of Men’s Health explains that on average, the active adult needs about 1

gram of protein per pound of body weight per day. So a man weighing 160 pounds would want 160 grams

of protein every day. That’s the amount found in consuming 3 eggs, 2 cups 1% milk, 1 cup cottage

cheese, 1 roast beef sandwich, 2 1/2 ounces of peanuts and 8 ounces of chicken breast.13

Beginning with the daily calories one needs from protein, we can then aim to consume a third more

calories from carbohydrates (protein calories X 1.3), while striving to consume the same amount of

calories from good fat.

Begin with your Protein needs… then figure the Carbs… finally, calculate the Fat.

Protein (at 4 cal/ gram) 1.3 X Protein = Carbs (at 4 cal/ gram) .5 X Protein = Fat (at 9 cal/ gram

Protein to be 30 % of calories Carbs to be 40 % of calories Fat to be 30% of calories

This concept comes from Joyce and Gene Daoust, clinical nutritionists who worked closely with Dr.

Barry Sears in developing and testing the 40-30-30 zone diet. The general principles of the 40-30-30 diet

are followed (to one degree or another) in the Weight Watchers Diet, the South Beach Diet, the Abs Diet,

Dr. Phil’s Diet and the New Glucose Revolution Diet.

Some might strictly and continuously follow pre-planned menus to take aim at a 40-30-30 balance, while

others have found benefit with more modest adherence to the 40-30-30 balance. However, after gaining a

basic understanding of the 40-30-30 plan, one can sense that sugary drinks, fast food and high-calorie

snacks do not embrace the 40-30-30 plan. And eating out frequently may not befriend the 40-30-30 diet.

10

Jennie Brand-Miller, et al., The New Glucose Revolution: Lower GI Guide to Losing Weight (New York:

Marlow, 2003) IX 11

Brand-Miller 30. 12

Daoust, 40-30-30 Fat Burning Nutrition 1. 13

David Zinczenko, The Abs Diet (N.p.: Rodale, 2004) 56.

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Did you know that carbohydrates are the cheaper foods restaurants tend to offer in the largest quantities?

And did you know that in 1970 about one-quarter of the average household’s food budget was spent

outside the home; but by 2002 that had risen to about fifty percent?14

Concerned voices point to this trend

as one reason America is growing heavier.

Please don’t get me wrong. I love to eat out. But now that I realize that I’m probably not getting a meal as

nutritionally balanced as I would at home, I find more incentive to be judicious about when and where I

enjoy a meal at a restaurant, and what I order.

This takes some work. And the lazy part of me dislikes principles and craves rules. “God, just tell me

what I need to do so I can do it without much thinking,” complains my sinful nature. “Give me something

like a Daniel’s Diet to thoughtlessly follow.” But God didn’t. Instead he teaches spiritual principles that

we apply in conjunction with God’s gift of science. This requires a greater dependence on our Savior, as

we scripturally, thoughtfully and prayerfully apply principles to our own unique situations as we seek to

glorify our Savior. Because, that’s the whole point, isn’t it? In love for our Savior, who first loved us, we

seek to take care of our bodies by what we eat, all to the glory of Jesus.

2. The Fat Storing Hormone Vs. The Fat Burning Hormone

With all the talk about “fat being bad” it might surprise us to learn that God made our bodies to naturally

prefer fat as its source of energy. This is good, because it means your body naturally wants to burn off fat.

So why is it so easy to gain unwanted fat in our adipose tissue?

We need a certain amount of carbohydrates because our body converts carbs into blood sugar called

glucose, which fuels our body, especially our brain.15

(Some of this glucose is stored in your muscles as

glycogen, as an energy reserve.) And to allow your brain to have all the glucose it needs, your body

naturally desires to burn stored body fat to fuel your muscles.16

To burn stored body fat, we need protein.

Protein in our diet stimulates the body fat stored in our adipose tissue (the butt, hips, back, etc.) to be

released so it can be burned as energy in the muscles. And finally, we need some good fat. Fat that is

good is unprocessed fat that naturally occurs in food. Fat helps regulate the speed at which carbohydrates

are converted into glucose. When these three macronutrients are consumed in the 40-30-30 combination,

your brain gets the glucose it needs, little new body fat is added, and your muscles burn the body fat

already stored in your adipose tissue.

The 40-30-30 balance of carbs, protein and good fat is found to be the key to regulating two powerful

hormones: insulin and glucagon. Insulin is considered the Fat Storage Hormone while glucagon is

considered the Fat Burning Hormone.17

When the right amount of good fat is methodically regulating the

conversion of carbs into glucose, your pancreas is not stimulated into releasing insulin that will ultimately

convert excess glucose to new body fat. And when the right amount of protein is consumed, it will tend to

stimulate the pancreas to release glucagon, which stimulates the body’s mechanism “to burn fat, [your

body’s] preferred source of fuel, instead of glucose.”18

14

Greg Winter, Ideas & Trends; America Rubs Its Stomach, and Says Bring It On, The New York Times 7 July

2002: reprinted as America Chows Down as it Never Has Before, Arizona Republic 7 July 2002. 15

Daoust, 40-30-30 Fat Burning Nutrition 26. 16

Daoust, 40-30-30 Fat Burning Nutrition 27. 17

Daoust, 40-30-30 Fat Burning Nutrition 23,27. 18

Daoust, The Formula, 16.

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If, however, an overabundance of carbohydrates are consumed (such as having a bagel chased by a glass

of orange juice) then too much glucose enters the blood stream too quickly. The pancreas detects the

excess glucose and releases insulin, which forces your muscles to stop burning stored body fat and to

instead burn glucose. Some excess glucose that can’t be burned off is converted into glycogen and stored

in your muscles; but all the rest of the excess glucose is converted into new fat and stored into your

adipose tissue.19,

20

The trick is to achieve a slow, methodical release of glucose, not to create a surge of glucose. So to target

fat or sugar as the “bad foods” is to miss the bigger picture. We will want to be aware of the total amount

of carbs we’re ingesting in relation to protein and good fat. By avoiding a glucose spike, while providing

sufficient amounts of protein, we trigger the pancreas to release glucagon, the Fat Burning Hormone. This

is the optimum goal for keeping off extra pounds, gaining more energy and supporting good health.

3. Banish the Brain Bonk - Carbo Craving Cycle

Are parents making their parenting more difficult, by contributing to the crankiness of their critters? Are

we pastors needlessly dragging down our energy reserves?

It’s not just the white stuff in the sugar bowl that can bog us down. Our bodies also convert all

carbohydrates into blood sugar. Some carbs are more easily and rapidly converted into glucose than other

carbs. A chart called the Glycemic Index tracks how quickly the body converts carbs into blood sugar.

Foods are compared to pure glucose which is rated at 100. For example, fat-free cookies rate high at

100+. Skim milk stands at 46. Almonds play out at 15.

Since the brain needs a certain amount of glucose to function properly, the goal of a 40-30-30 diet is to

maintain an adequate, steady level. Too little glucose causes that foggy mental sensation, sometimes

called “brain bonk.”

However, if we eat sugary foods and / or high-glycemic carbs, we send glucose surging into the blood

stream. Your pancreas senses this elevated level of blood sugar and releases insulin to reduce the over-

abundance of glucose, often the insulin removing too much glucose, and causing a deficit of blood

sugar.21

This deficit of glucose leads to brain bonk (including mental dullness, confusion, headache,

fatigue, trembling and hunger.) A starving brain signals a strong need for glucose, sometimes called

“carbo craving.” The worst case response is to give in to our carbo cravings by eating sugary foods and /

or high glycemic carbs that cause the cycle to repeat itself.

This glucose overload - insulin dump- brain bonk - carbo craving cycle can easily lead to cranky kids,

moody moms, and dragging dads. And to make matters worse, as your body tries to reduce a glucose

spike, it not only stops burning the fat already stored in your body, it converts excess glucose into new

body fat.

If only it stopped here. But no. America is experiencing a significant rise of diabetes as Americans

unwittingly fall into in this glucose overload - carbo craving cycle. A high-glycemic diet that spikes one’s

glucose level again and again eventually overloads insulin’s ability to properly deal with glucose, which

eventually leads to the pancreas producing less insulin.22

This is called type 2, or adult-onset, diabetes.

19

Brand-Miller,29-31. 20

Daoust, 40-30-30 Fat Burning Nutrition, 23. 21

Daoust, 40-30-30 Fat Burning Nutrition, 46. 22

Zinczenko 50.

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Also know that some carbs convert more rapidly into glucose than other carbs do. Low-glycemic carbs

help us achieve a moderate, sustained release of blood sugar. “Eating to lose weight with low-GI foods is

not difficult because you don’t have to go hungry, and the weight loss you end up with is true fat

release…. Our blood-sugar level at any given time determines how much energy we have, how mentally

clear we are, and how hungry we feel.”23

(To check the glycemic index of different foods, check out

www.glycemicindex.com hosted by the University of Sydney, or Google “glycolic index.”)

Diet colas are popular drinks. But diet colas-- even though they don’t contain sugar per se-- do not appear

to fit into the 40-30-30 ratio, according to a recent study at the University of Texas.24

We have enough

stress without consuming drinks and food that may add to it. Yet when the kids start to hassle mom or

dad, it’s easy to procure a little peace and quiet by giving the kids food they enjoy -- maybe a high-

glycemic drink or food. As glucose spikes, the kids get energized. Maybe giddy. Then, the kids become

moody. Maybe cranky. Perhaps arguments or whining breaks out as an insulin-induced glucose deficit

sets in. Chances are they again begin to pest mom or dad, who may be cycling through their own moody

syndrome of brain bonk and carbo craving. The day races on, stress builds, energy levels droop and

moods swing south.

Been there; done that. I’ve been a moody minister trapped in the brain bonk cycle. To rise early to catch

up on work I’d mainline coffee; skipping both a devotion from God’s Word and a breakfast, I’d grab a

mid-morning (sugary) snack; fast food it for lunch; caffeinate again in the afternoon; soothe my

conscience with a piece fruit for the supper hour (carb-only food); and finally get to a full meal at 10 PM-

- by which time my brain was in serious carbo craving mode. So of course, by devouring huge quantities

of carbs late at night, that only prepped my body to begin the cycle all over again the next morning.

What an ugly cycle, made even more ugly when my mood would droop and I’d engage in comfort eating.

You know the temptation: to comfort yourself by indulging in foods -- usually the unhealthy kind-- that

only ends up contributing to feeling more miserable down the road. For some expanded thoughts on

comfort eating, see Appendix B: Corral the Comfort Eating.

When trapped in the glucose overload - insulin dump- brain bonk - carbo craving cycle, not only did my

mental clarity ebb and tide throughout the day, but I found myself dragging (from a lack of sustained

energy). So what got me to change? At a time when I had started adding belly fat, it just so happened that

I learned that sumo wrestlers purposely eat a big meal at night in order to fatten up. I read this in the paper

during one of my late-evening, high-carb dinners. Yikes!

Although everybody’s body processes food differently, there is this principle that a gradual, sustained

release of glucose throughout the day is a main component for feeling and performing better. The 40-30-

30 ratio has proven itself helpful for obtaining this goal.

Why be a moody minister trapped in the brain bonk cycle? Since Jesus testifies, “Man does not live on

bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4) why don’t I begin my

day reading a devotion from God’s Word as I eat a 40-30-30 breakfast (oatmeal, milk, almonds, cottage

cheese and coffee). I can end my breakfast with a prayer for self-discipline, after which I prioritize my

day by planning the extra minutes I’ll need to keep myself and the kids on a balanced diet that will fend

off the carbo-craving-brain-bonk mood swings. Yes, it takes self-discipline, which is what God gives us

23

Brand-Miller, 21-22. 24

Will Sansom, New Analysis Suggests ‘Diet Soda Paradox’ – Less Sugar, More Weight, HSC News: UT Health

Science Center, Volume: XXXVIII, Issue: 24, 14 June 2005, accessed 6 Dec 2007

<http://www.uthscsa.edu/hscnews/singleformat.asp?newID=1539>

10

by feeding our spirits through a regular diet on his Word. “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but

a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7).

A 40-30-30 diet alone won’t assure that I’ll never be a moody minister. Instead a daily regiment of God’s

Word to revitalize the reality of Christ’s promises is the best way to nourish a lifestyle that employs

God’s gift of science to care for ourselves. Why shouldn’t we do both the spiritual and the physical, if by

doing so, we feel and perform better, and we glorify him who purchased us “not with gold or silver, but

with his holy precious blood.”

4. Eat Less More Often

If there’s not enough stress from trying to balance time between family and ministry, just take a look in

the mirror at your body. Odds are that you will fall into one of two categories: either you don’t like what

you see, or you don’t like what you see.

Yep, odds are that someone who’s fit and healthy stresses over

his body just as much, if not more, than someone whose doctor

has warned him he’s carrying too much weight. Body Image, how one views his body, can increase stress

and lead to health problems. For an expanded explanation, see Appendix C: Body Image.

But Christians have the power to be set free from the pitfalls of Body Image. We have that word of

promise that our true beauty, value, importance and status is not found in how we look in a mirror, but

that we are robed in the righteousness of Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:21, Galatians 3:6).

It’s not a self-serving need for Body Image, but because of our Christ-serving desires to maintain health

and to maximize our nutritional energy, that we seek to keep off the extra weight. Here’s a suggestion to

push back against those unwanted pounds, while at the same time fueling your body: eat less more often.

Dieticians recommend 4-6 small meals spread evenly throughout the day. And this begins with breakfast.

In fact, nutritionists Gene and Joyce Daoust write: “Never skip eating your protein at breakfast or lunch…

if you do, your body will store fat instead of burning it.”25

Note to self: drinking coffee is not eating a

breakfast!

David Zinczenko cites a study at Georgia State University that found that the person keeping a more

constant and balanced supply of “food energy” throughout the day will be leaner than the person who

doesn’t. Zinczenko concludes: “So if you eat only your three squares a day, you’re creating terrific

imbalances in your energy levels…. To look slimmer, feel better and -- not co-incidentally-- live longer,

then you need to eat more often. In the same study, subjects who added three snacks a day to regular

meals balanced out their energy better, lost fat … as well as increased their power and endurance.”26

His

recommendation? Eat six small meals a day: 8 AM breakfast, 11 AM snack, 1 PM lunch, 4 PM snack, 6

PM dinner and 8 PM snack. By the way, like the meals, the snack is supposed to take aim at a 40-30-30

balance.

5. Plan Food into Your Daily Plan

But to eat less more often probably means some better planning. At least it did for me. Without any

planning, what happens when we ministers rush through the day grabbing "whatever" is "fast and easy" to

25

Daoust, 40-30-30 Fat Burning Nutrition,15. 26

Zinczenko 95-96.

“Never skip eating your protein

at breakfast or lunch….”

11

fuel our bodies as we race from one task to another? Those hours accumulate into days, which pool into

weeks and months. Eventually, a helter-skelter, hit-or-miss methodology becomes, by default, our

planned lifestyle. “If we fail to plan, we plan to fail.”

Every time I remember that little ditty, I feel guilty all over for the so many things not planned well in my

life. But Jesus is greater than our failures, and with his spiritual energy that so powerfully works in us

(Colossians 1:29), we can work at achieving a purposed lifestyle that better supports our goal to glorify

God with our bodies.

For example, as a pastor plans his day, he takes with him the

necessary tools to carry out his ministry. He might shoulder his

laptop for a class, grab his Bible class materials, his hospital

Bible and private communion kit. After a moment he steps back

into his office and also grabs his sermon notebook, in case he has

that extra half-hour to sit at Starbucks between appointments and

do some sermon prep. He plans for that eventuality, although all

bets are off that he can stay on schedule and stop at Starbucks. In fact, he might not even stop for lunch,

setting himself up for some serious brain bonk.

If it was God-pleasing to buy a communion kit, a hospital Bible and a laptop, and carry them into the day

with the hope of keeping plans, why not take along a few more "tools" that can facilitate your planning

food into your daily plan? Such tools could include a lunch cooler with some 40-30-30 balanced foods

tossed inside, a protein shake carried in a commercial “shaker bottle” or some easy-to-tote protein bars.

For more ideas on modest equipment to tool your day, see Appendix D: Nutritional Tools for the Busy

Minister.

And why not plan to every so often experiment with your taste buds? I began with pre-planned 40-30-30

menus. Soon I found that I was substituting an item here or there with one I preferred more. That grew

into creating meals that better suited my taste preferences or my shopping habits.

At first it seemed tedious to make a meal by referring to a book or computer print-out. But this was good,

because I quickly learned that I was victim of Portion Distortion. That’s when we view the too-many-

calories we’ve dished for ourselves as normal and good. To learn more about the benefits of using a 40-

30-30 menu to gain an accurate view of the amount of calories we might actually be eating, see Appendix

E: Portion Distortion.

Shh!! Here’s a big secret. Now that I’ve been blessed with some tools to fight Portion Distortion, when

I’m actually taking time to get sufficient exercise, I find I can eat 40-30-30 meals for the majority of the

day, and modestly eat “whatever” for dinner, and still maintain my weight. How cool is that?

So how can someone find such menus? You can purchase books containing pre-planned meals (I

recommend the The Zone Diet or The Formula) or you can go online to The Zone Recipe Diet

Collection.27

For a screen shot of this web site, see Appendix F: The Zone Diet, Online.

If you’re like me, your favorite 40-30-30 balanced meals are those that are quick and speedy to bring

together; and these are the ones that become a memorized “main menu.” The result? With my eyes half

closed, and before the coffee has finished perking, I can throw together a 40-30-30 breakfast from

oatmeal, or if I have more time, a breakfast from eggs. And if I’m going to be on the road with various

27

Free zone diet recipes can be found at http://www.the-zone-diet-recipes.com/index.html. Other premium sites are

available for a subscription cost.

“I can eat 40-30-30 meals for the

majority of the day, and

modestly eat ‘whatever’ for

dinner, and still maintain my

weight.”

12

appointments, with only an additional five minutes, I can prep a protein shake and slap together a number

of 40-30-30 tortilla rollups to throw into my cooler (which are also easily put back in the fridge if at the

end of the day they were not needed). Time efficiency is a huge issue in our ministries, but it need not

preclude a healthy diet. For some examples of quick-prep 40-30-30 foods, check out Appendix G: Fast

Foods for Nutritional Fuel.

6. Regular Exercise

Grandma used to encourage me to put less sugar on my Cream of Wheat. (She didn’t know how I hated

Cream of Wheat and how gobs of sugar made it palatable.) She was way ahead of her time in fighting

Portion Distortion… and in maintaining a regular exercise routine. Grandma never drove a car. She

walked everywhere, every day. I used to think she was an old fuddy-duddy. Now I envy her.

Why was her daily walking enviable? Dr. Paul Kennedy says it as succinctly as anyone. After explaining

the cardiovascular system-- how the heart and blood vessels circulate oxygen from the lungs to the

working muscles of the body-- he writes: “The cardiovascular system responds dramatically to the old

adage, ‘If you don’t use it, you’ll lose it.’ In other words, inactivity-- especially for long periods of time--

causes these interconnected systems to lose efficiency over time and causes us to become less fit… We

actually start to allow ourselves to become diseased…by causing our cardiorespiratory and cardiovascular

systems to deteriorate.”28

That was physiological law. Here’s the physiological gospel. “The good news is that the dramatic

response that our body has to inactivity is mirrored by the dramatic response that it has to any form of

activity that moderately or even minimally challenges the heart, lungs and circulatory system." 29

(emphasis mine)

One doesn’t need to be a hero in the gym to stay healthy; even modest exercise is greatly beneficial.

Again, Kennedy: “It is becoming more and more clear that doing moderate forms of cardiovascular

exercise on a regular basis over time is a safer and more effective way to train the body to improve

gradually and progressively… to challenge the body to do just slightly more that it is used to doing in

order to elicit what is known as the ‘training effect.’”30

(emphasis mine).

Load bearing exercise (also called weight training) is also important. The idea is to coach our muscles to

progressively do slightly more muscular work than previously accomplished. “EVERY individual has the

ability to improve the strength and endurance of their musculoskeletal system by training it carefully and

progressively,” writes Kennedy.31

Weight training belongs to one of the two classifications of exercise.

Aerobic (cardiovascular) exercise includes brisk walking, as well as swimming, jogging, fast

bicycling, tennis, basketball, elk hunting, etc.

Anaerobic (weight resistance training to increase strength) exercise includes using your own body

weight in accomplishing push-ups, squats, lunges, sit-ups; using dumbbells to do arm curls and

shoulder presses; or using free weights and/or exercise machines to engage muscles in load

bearing exercises.

28

Paul Kennedy, Be Fit, Stay Fit: Why Your Workout Doesn’t Work and How to Fix it (Indianapolis: Blue River

Press, 2002) 2. 29

Kennedy 2. 30

Kennedy 2-3. 31

Kennedy 6.

13

So how much exercise should we get? Those who are supposed to know recommend “three to five days

per week for 20 to 60 minutes at a time for best results… [combining] aerobic and anaerobic exercise

with stretching to gain the best results from exercise.”32

Health benefits from exercising 3 to 5 days per

week, for only a minimum of 20-30 minutes, include these benefits:

Lowering insulin levels (the fat storing hormone)

Increasing glucagons levels (the fat burning hormone)

Releasing human growth hormone (HGH), the building and repairing hormone.

My grandma probably had no idea she was getting these specific benefits from her daily walks. But walk

she did, every day. She was ahead of her time. Today the modern saying goes: “To gain more energy you

must spend energy.” Regular exercise is a “must” for the minister seeking more energy for the ministry.

For more motivation, check out Appendix H: Gain Muscle, Lose Weight, Get Eccentric

7. Stop Stressing Over Stress

It’s a navy pilot’s “day at the office” to rocket his multi-million-dollar “stove-pipe” through the dark at

150 mph with the task of snagging a landing cable he can’t see. Talk about stress! He must hook that

special cable strung across a dime-sized deck that’s rockin’ and rollin’ through the waves of the not-so-

passive Pacific. The pilot, if not others on the flight deck, will die unless he maintains an emotional state

of cool. The easily stressed need not apply.

Laurence Gonzales knows. He’s made it his quest to study the process of achieving success in stressful

situations.

That system we call emotion (from the Latin verb emovere, ‘to move away’) works powerfully

and quickly… The nervous system fires more energetically, the blood changes its chemistry so

that it can coagulate more rapidly, muscle tone alters, digestion stops, and various chemicals

flood the body to put it in a state of high readiness for whatever needs to be done. All of that

happens outside of conscious control.”33

Doesn’t matter what the stressors are: whether landing an F-18 Hornet, or landing your sermon.

The amygdala… in concert with numerous other structures in the brain and body, help to trigger a

staggeringly complex sequence of events… The most well-known among them is the so-called

adrenaline rush… Cortisol (a steroid), which is released from the adrenal cortex, also amps up

fear, among its other effects. The net result of all the chemicals that come streaming through your

system… is that the heart rate rises, breathing speeds up, more sugar is dumped into the metabolic

system, and the distribution of oxygen and nutrients shift so that you have strength to run or fight.

You’re on afterburner.34

It’s no secret that too much stress can put the hurt on our lives. Consider the Life Stress Inventory that

assigns a point system to different stressors to help you calculate the statistical odds of a stress-induced

health breakdown (Appendix I: Life Stress Inventory). Stress is obviously seriously bad stuff.

32

Daoust, The Formula, 31. 33

Laurence Gonzales, Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies and Why (New York: W W Norton, 2003) 30-31. 34

Gonzales 35-36.

14

Even though we’re disciples of Jesus, we’re sinful people living in a sin-cursed world. One of the effects

of sin’s curse is that “stressors are cumulative, so that the more life changes or daily hassles you’re

dealing with at any one time, the more intense the symptoms of stress.”35

The results are probably not unfamiliar to us ministers, as reflected in these statistics about the ministry.

70 % of clergy report experiencing major distress

70 % say they have lower self-esteem now compared to when they started in the ministry

94 % felt under pressure to have the “ideal” family

70 % indicated their compensation contributed to marriage conflicts

81 % report having insufficient time to spend with their spouse36

___________

40 % say they have considered leaving their pastorates in the last three months

45 % say they’ve experienced depression or burnout to the extent that they needed to take a leave

of absence from the ministry

57 % report they do not have a regularly scheduled and implemented exercise routine

80 % believe that pastoral ministry affects their families negatively37

If these statistics don’t put a little starch in our shorties, do what I did. I examined myself against the

following chart that compares stressing out against burning out, and it got my attention. Has my stress

been greater than I realized?

Stressing Out Vs. Burning Out

38

STRESS BURNOUT

Characterized by overengagement Characterized by disengagement

Emotions are overreactive Emotions are blunted

Produces urgency and hyperactivity Produces helplessness and hopelessness

Loss of energy Loss of motivation, ideals and hope

Primary damage is physical Primary damage is emotional

May kill you prematurely May make life seem not worth living

So what do we pastors do to handle the stress of the ministry? Maybe the worsted thing possible: we add

to our stress by what we eat.

When stress levels rise, it’s tempting to seek momentary comfort in sugar-rich and/ or high-carb foods.

We’ve already seen that by consuming such foods we will quickly raise our glucose levels (gaining a

momentary energy surge). But when our blood sugar elevates too high, insulin is released to lower it,

often dropping the blood sugar level so low that our brains begin to scream for carbs, bringing on the

infamous brain bonk: mood swings, fatigue, concentration problems. Hello to more stress!

35

Ellen Jaffe, et al., Understanding Stress: Signs, Symptoms, Causes, and Effects, Helpguide.org, 13 Dec 2007,

accessed 10 April 2008 <http://www.helpguide.org/mental/stress_signs.htm>. 36

Statistics 4 May 2006, accessed 10 April 2008 <www.smallchurch.com/06%20Statistics.htm>. 37

Scot McKnight, citing H B London, Jr and Neil B Wiseman, Pastors At Greater Risk (Regal Books,

2003),Burnout for Pastors, Jesus Creed 13 Aug 2007, accessed 10 Ap 2008 <http://www.jesuscreed.org/?p=2693>. 38

Melinda Smith, et. al., Preventing Burnout: Signs, Symptoms, and Strategies to Avoid it, Helpguide.org, 26 Oct

2007, accessed 10 Ap 2008 <http://www.helpguide.org/mental/burnout_signs_symptoms.htm>.

15

And a glucose-spiking diet increases stress in another way. “[It] can lead to protein and amino acid

deficiencies that can lead to decreased neurotransmitter production… If the brain has low levels of

neurotransmitters or poor uptake and release of neurotransmitters, depression quickly sets in.”39

If the food we’ve eaten fogs our thinking, slows our performance, and drags us down with depressed

feelings, we’ve made the conditions in which we’re operating worse. This amps up our stress levels, from

the inside-out. Check out the cornucopia of conditions stress can produce.

Stress Warning Signs and Symptoms

40

Inability to concentrate

Trouble thinking clearly

Moodiness

Feeling tense and “on edge”

Eating more or less

Weight gain or loss

Frequent colds

How does stress come to wield such influence over our lives? Answer: because stress triggers a release of

those chemicals that regulate almost everything your body does. That would be hormones, “the most

abundant being adrenaline and cortisol… Cortisol, the primary stress hormone, increases sugar (glucose)

in the bloodstream… Cortisol alters immune system responses and suppresses the digestive system... The

complex alarm system also communicates with regions of the brain that control mood, motivation and

fear.”41

From a pilot landing on the heaving deck of a ship to a pastor feeling the heat to cook up a Bible Class,

frequently repeated stressful situations may magnify negative effects . “Many of our modern stressful

circumstances, unlike most physical threats, tend to be prolonged….longer than it’s intended to

operate…[that] can be very harmful over long periods…. Certain byproducts of cortisol act as sedatives,

which can contribute to an overall feeling of depression. If your fight-or-flight response never shuts off,

the stress hormones may contribute to persistent and severe depression, as well as feelings of anxiety,

helplessness and impending doom.”42

If this isn’t enough to stress us out, consider this: “The more [the stress response] is activated, the harder

it is to shut off. Instead of leveling off once the crisis has passed, your stress hormones, heart rate, and

blood pressure remain elevated.”43

Did you notice how the stress hormone cortisol has been frequently cited? Guess what. What we eat can

also stimulate the release of this stress hormone. We know that our food choices can lead to increased

belly fat. But did you know that “abdominal fat doesn’t just sit there and do nothing: it’s active. It

functions like a separate organ, releasing substances that can be harmful to your body…. [Fat secretes] the

stress hormone cortisol….”44

(emphasis mine) So what we eat, when it turns into belly fat, internally

stimulates our bodies to operate in a stress-response mode, even if there are no external, environmental

stressors to pull the trigger. Operating for lengthy periods of time in a stress-response mode creates its

own cyclical weather system inside the body that uptakes stress and precipitates it throughout our bodies.

39

Daoust, 40-30-30 Fat Burning Nutrition, 49. 40

Jaffe, Understanding Stress: Signs, Symptoms, Causes, and Effects. 41

Stress: Unhealthy Response to the Pressures of Life, The Mayo Clinic, 12 Sept 2006, accessed 18 Ap 2008

<http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/stress/SR00001>. 42

Stress: Unhealthy Response to the Pressures of Life. 43

Jaffe, et al., Understanding Stress: Signs, Symptoms, Causes, and Effects. 44

Zinczenko 4.

16

“The long-term activation of the stress-response system-- and the subsequent overexposure to cortisol…

can disrupt almost all our body’s processes, increasing your risk of obesity, insomnia, digestive problems,

heart disease, depression, memory impairment, physical illnesses and other complications.”45

If a Navy pilot was beginning to lose his state of cool, we’d certainly point him to Jesus and his promises.

In Christ we have the eternal advantage of heavenly power to maintain our state of cool. Has not the Spirit

promised through the Apostle: “My God will meet all your needs in Christ Jesus?” (Philippians 4:19).

Here are our Savior’s empowering words to make life-style adjustments, if needed, to change up our diets

so that we do not inadvertently prompt our bodies to needlessly operate in a stress-response mode.

When stress gets to me, and my food choices contribute to my stress, not only does my mental

performance suffer, but so can my mood. How does a grumpy pastor gloriously reflect our Savior’s love?

And then there’s the guilt-- the worst stress of all -- the guilt of knowing that I have been less than a good

steward of the day God gave me and less than a good manager of the body God gave.

But guilt doesn’t have the last word. We have a Shepherd who comes after us, calling our name. He sets a

table of forgiving peace in the midst of the hostile stressors that surround us (Psalm 23:5). Yes, we have

the Savior Jesus whose holy blood provides unearthly rest from the burdens of this world’s stress. “Come

to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). He is the ultimate

source of an emotional state of cool.

8. The Association of Sleep, Food and Attitude

David Allen is a productivity guru for the business world. Byron Kerns instructs those who would

negotiate the wilderness. What do they both have in common? They teach survival skills.

Kerns, with loads of experience from the military and from the famous Air Force Survival School, has a

checklist for staying alive in the backwoods. His number one item? Positive Mental Attitude.46

That’s the

titanium of the cranium Tom Wolfe observed in the astronauts he wrote about. The Right Stuff.

Allen, the CEO of pin-striped management consultants, sounds like he’s writing for a military survival

manual when he instructs: “Prepare for the worst, imagine the best, and shoot down the middle.”47

What’s one of his bullet points for increasing your odds of survival in the business world? “When things

get tight and tough, it’s easy to get hung up in a negative loop of self-talk: ‘Oh, no! Things are tight and

tough!’ We bemoan our fate and pander to our disappointment.”48

And again, “What makes the difference

between [succeeding or crashing] is probably much less than you think... Habitual self-degrading self-

talk, though seemingly minor in the moment, reinforces lowered self-esteem and performance overall.

Little stuff, unchecked, can create some of the worst problems.”49

If having a Positive Mental Attitude is critical for survival, what dimension is added by the military’s old

adage: “Fatigue makes cowards of us all”? If there only appears to be a loose association between fatigue,

keeping a Positive Mental Attitude and survival, consider what Gonzales writes: “Once fatigue sets in…it

is almost impossible to recover from it under survival conditions. It is not just a matter of being tired. It’s

45

Stress: Unhealthy Response to the Pressures of Life. 46

Gonzales 178. 47

David Allen, Ready for Anything (New York: Penguin Books, 2003) 125-126. 48

Allen 43. 49

Allen 145.

17

more like a spiritual collapse, and recovery requires more than food and rest…. In survival situations,

people greatly underestimate the need for rest.”50

I admit, that was me. I used to think it noble to get by on four hours of sleep a night. Sometimes five.

Sometimes three. A bit enlightened these days, I can see how a cyclical pattern formed. Lost among the

tasks I had compiled for myself, and feeling like I was in a survival situation, I would burn the candle on

both ends. With too little sleep, my Positive Mental Attitude began seeping away, and what Allen calls “a

negative loop of self-talk” began. My answer was to exert myself more, with the same amount of

inadequate sleep. Interestingly, Gonzales suggests that my choosing not to sleep may actually have been

my inability to sleep the hours I really needed: “If you’re not taking care of yourself… fatigue can lead to

an inability to sleep…”51

I also was ignorant of the negative effects food can have on sleep, by eating just before retiring for the

night. After a stressful day, I would love to devour a plate of chips covered with melted cheese, chased

with a beer. To me that’s Comfort Food on steroids. And although this food may befriend me for the

moment, it may well assassinate my night of rest and recovery. “When you eat a high-carbohydrate snack

prior to bedtime, you can cause your blood sugar and insulin levels to surge. Elevated insulin during sleep

not only blocks HGH (human growth hormone) release, inhibiting proper repair and recovery of your

body, but you’ll find that you may wake up groggy and need even more sleep. You may also experience

low blood sugar, which can cause disrupted sleep patterns and waking after only a few hours of sleep.”52

(emphasis mine) Waking up tired and groggy increases the temptation to consume quick-energy, high-

glucose foods that will only suck us into that glucose overload - insulin dump - brain bonk - carbo craving

cycle… yuck!… that ugly cycle that will ultimately add to our fatigue. So to help me win in the fight

against an evening urge for a bubbling brew, I brew an effervescent health drink instead.

But the fight begins earlier in the day. To maximize our sleep, it’s prudent to fuel our bodies with a 40-

30-30 balanced diet at regular intervals throughout the day. There’s more to consider (see Appendix J:

Sleep Like a Giant-Slayer) but the basic goal remains: going to bed with stabilized blood sugar. This will

facilitate a maximum level of HGH to help our bodies recover, and facilitate good sleep patterns so we

can wake up refreshed and energized for another day of serving our families and our church families.

Many are asking, "Who can show us any good?" Let the light of your face shine upon us, O

LORD. You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound. I

will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety. (Psalm 4:6-8)

Epilogue

In my opinion, Jacob resorted to crude science when he stripped the bark off branches and placed them in

front of the flocks to practice selective breeding (Genesis 30-31). It may have been the latest, cutting-edge

science available. And even though he may have had less-than-perfect motives, our gracious Lord blessed

his efforts (Genesis 31:9-13). That’s the key! Unless the Lord blesses man’s efforts, all is lost.

In a similar fashion, we may one day look back upon today’s health and nutritional trends this

presentation has touched upon, and consider it crude science. But Jacob’s God is our God. In him we

place our trust, humbly seeking his blessings upon our efforts to maximize a healthy lifestyle. Moved by

his sacrificial love, we do so to the glory of Jesus and for the good of his kingdom.

50

Gonzales 179. 51

Gonzales 179. 52

Daoust, 40-30-30 Fat Burning Nutrition 49.

18

Appendix A: Daniel’s Diet

A big, fat sumo wrestler and a lean, muscular Navy SEAL. Different physiques. Different concepts of fitness.

Different diets. And especially, different cultures.

So what does it mean that Daniel and his three friends were “healthier and better nourished” than the others being

trained for service in the Babylonian government because they ate only vegetables (Daniel 1:1-16)? Welcome to the

debate of whether Scripture is pro-vegetarian or indifferent.

Many seek scripture’s divine approval for the vegetarian diet. This is in spite of the fact that, for example, God

provided quail for the desert-crossing Israelites. “You will know it was the LORD when he gives you meat to eat in

the evening and all the bread you want in the morning…” (Exodus16:1-8).

Some students of the Bible believe that before Noah and the Flood, all humans were vegetarians.53, 54

So when God

said to Noah upon his leaving the ark, “Everything that lives and moves will be food for you; just as I gave you the

green plants, I now give you everything” (Genesis 9:3), they believe God was for the first time authorizing hunting,

fishing and ranching. Other scholars question whether all humans were vegetarians, pointing to Genesis 4:2-4, “Abel

kept flocks….Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock.” But two twinned truths are obvious:

1- God puts the “fear and dread of humans” upon the animal world.

2- God authorizes and instructs humans to add animal meat to their diets in the post-flood world that had

just experienced huge alterations (that probably included the loss of high-protein plants). Thus God

demonstrates a fatherly concern for the post-flood world to have access to all the macro-nutrients he

designed humans to require.

But some pro-vegetarians still insist a meatless diet has God’s special approval. And this is where Daniel and his

vegetarian diet are thrust into the spotlight. Not a few people believe that Daniel’s diet is the “magic bullet” of godly

health….heaven’s secret formula for fitness and mental acuity… the Biblical bombshell for you to be a “mean, lean

fighting machine.”

But there are some problems with this interpretation of Daniel’s diet. First, the original words for “better nourished”

literally means “fatter in flesh.” So when an official in the Babylonian government some 2,500 years ago judged

Daniel to be “better nourished” can we say it is good for us today to be “fatter in flesh”? That may be good news for

a sumo wrestler, but not necessarily for a Navy SEAL. And exactly what did it mean that Daniel was “healthier”?

The Biblical word literally means “better appearance.” In the life of a sumo wrestling a better appearance is going to

mean something quite different than in the life of a Navy SEAL.

Daniel’s diet was not a concern about consuming the right proportions of carbs, proteins or fat to be physically fit.

Daniel asked to be exempted from the Babylonian food because he had a heartfelt concern to not become spiritually

“defiled; ceremonially unclean, unacceptable to covenantal behavior” (Daniel 1:8). As a faithful believer, Daniel

followed the Old Testament dietary laws. “One of the provisions of this Sinaitic law-code was that the Israelite

people were permitted to eat the meat only of those animals that were considered ‘clean’… [and they had] to be sure

the animal had been properly slaughtered…. The Babylonians did not observe these dietary laws… To remain loyal

to the covenant …Daniel and his three friends had to say no….”55

In addition, the foods on the mandated menu were

the edible portions of what had been sacrificed to pagan idols, and those who ate these foods were considered to be

worshiping these false gods.56

So to clearly demonstrate that he rejected these pagan gods, and that he remained

loyal to the one, true God of the Bible, Daniel requested a different diet-- a diet of “vegetation grown from seeds”

(Daniel 1:12 & 16).

53

Kent Hovind, The Age of the Earth, Creation Seminar Series VHS (Pensacola, FL: Creation Science Evangelism,

1998) 54

Expert Commentary: Gen 9:3, Compton's Interactive Bible NIV (SoftKey Multimedia Inc, 1996) 55

John Jeske, Danie, The People’s Bible (Milwaukee: Northwestern, 1985)16. 56

Leupold, Exposition of Daniel, p 66 cited by Jeske, 17.

19

So exactly how does Daniel, by dieting on “vegetation grown from seeds,” get “fatter in the flesh”? Because the

Lord willed it, of course. Yes, the true God who can miraculously deliver quail and manna to the doorsteps of some

2 million Israelites, can bless Daniel’s diet to produce unmatched excellence--whatever it meant to the Babylonians

in their by-gone society to be “healthier and better nourished.”

By the way, exactly what is Daniel’s diet of “vegetation grown from seeds”? Is it a “fast” or “partial fast” to gain

“spiritual enlightenment” as some claim?57

Or is it a regimen of five meals per day, as others claim?58

Or is it simply

to become and stay a vegetarian?59

If God was going to put his divine stamp of approval on any diet, one could logically assume that this would be the

place in Scripture where God would have done it. But he didn’t share specifics. And it’s a long, long reach back

2,500 years into an ancient culture to guess what Daniel’s diet may have included: what type of vegetables, how

much was consumed, in what frequency, or in what proportions. It’s descriptive of an Old Testament believer’s

witness to his Savior who faithfully complied with the Sinaitic code while enduring the unique circumstances of the

Babylonian captivity-- and descriptive of how God, who brought water out of a rock to sustain his people, also

worked wonderful results for Daniel. As titillating as it may appear to be on the surface, Daniel’s diet is not a God-

ordained “magic bullet” for ensuring mental acuity and vigorous health, and it’s certainly not a prescriptive passage

binding our consciences today.

“[Christ] forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that

stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross” (Colossians 2:15-16). Among other scriptures, St.

Paul’s words teach that Jesus’ death and resurrection has freed us from sin and from all the dietary restrictions God

formerly placed upon his Old Testament people Israel (this included Daniel’s diet). We are therefore free to honor

God by what we eat or drink, guided by the science he gave us humans for subduing and ruling our world.

57

Food to Eat on a Daniel Fast, 9 Nov 2007 <http://diet.loveto know.com/wiwk/Food_to_Eat_on_a_Daniel_Fast> 58

Philip Bridgeman, Daniel’s Diet: The 10-Day Detox and Weight Loss Plan, 9 Nov 2007

< http://www.danielsdiet.com/daniels_diet.htm> 59

The Bible: Food, Diet and Health, 9 November 2007 <www.religion-cults.come/diet/bible.htm>

20

Appendix B: Corral the Comfort Eating

What’s your style? I walk from my study to the kitchen, snatch one, and walk back. But I don’t sit down at my desk.

I walk back to the kitchen and snatch another. O the stress of the ministry! From it pressing concerns pace nervously

inside me… while I pace between the study and kitchen to anxiously press chocolate into my mouth.

Comfort eating. I’ve engaged in it long enough to know that I can only hit the chocolate before bed time. Because

within a half-hour, that chocolate will give me a flash of energy before it sinks me into a stupor (the glucose

overload that brings on brain bonk). As sleepiness sucks me toward bed, I also feel guilty knowing that I’ve signaled

my body to store fat, that I’ll probably not sleep as soundly as I could have, and that I’ve made it harder to wake up

bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.

And if it’s not cheating with chocolate, I might make a big plate of melted cheese on tortilla chips. Why? The cheesy

chips make me feel gooder. Isn’t it dumb for me to seek comfort from food when I know that that food will make

me uncomfortable in the long run? Why do I do it?

Because I’m frustrated and want instant gratification as a diversion to my stress….

Because I feel sorry for myself, and feel that I deserve some indulgence…

Because I fail to stop, drop and roll.

You probably recognize the three-step procedure to follow if your clothes catch on fire. But when we’re tempted by

comfort eating, the stop, drop and roll model could also be helpful.

Stop and analyze what’s stressing me, tempting me to find solace in sugary stuff.

Drop into a position where I can apply Scripture to my situation and pray for Jesus’ help.

Roll in the promises of Jesus in order to extinguish the flames of pressure, stress and self-pity.

Please don’t get me wrong. Enjoying some chocolate or some cheesy chips is not a sin. But worrying is. Jesus

taught: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life… Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his

life?” (Matthew 6:25-34).And if my worrying is leading me to seek comfort in food, now I’ve compounded my sin

by making food an idol. Remember Luther’s classic definition of an idol?

How is one to understand it [I.e. “You shall have no other gods before me?”] What is it to have a god? Or

what is one’s god? Answer: To whatever we look for any good thing… is what is meant by “god…..” As I

have often said, it the trust and faith of the heart, nothing else, that make[s]… an idol.60

Our spiritual health is always the priority (First Jesus first heals the paralytic of his sins, Mark 2:1-12). This is why

Jesus gave the great blood transfusion at the cross, to cleanse the world from sin (1 John 1:7). We who’ve been led

to trust in his sin-cleansing, relationship-restoring sacrifice enjoy the status before God of being his spiritually

healthy children (Galatians 3:16-29).

A plate of cheesy chips never promised: “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.”

But Jesus our Savior did (Matthew 11:28).

When we students of Scripture fight our stress and worry by turning to Jesus and his promises, he will not fail to

bless us in more ways than we first imagined. May Jesus help me remember this the next time I start stressing over

the family-versus-ministry struggle, and nervously begin pacing between my study and the chocolate in the kitchen.

60

Martin Luther, Luther’s Large Catechism. Trans. F. Samuel Janzow (St. Louis: Concordia, 1978) 13.

21

Appendix C: Body Image

"Lose Weight" in super-sized letters jumps off the magazine cover for January. "Lose 30+ lbs without trying" is the

phrase prominently displayed on the magazine cover for February. Folks, that's two months in a row. Can we get

three? Yep! "I Lost Big!" is the prominent article advertised on the cover for March. Any bets on April's cover?

As the January, February and March 2008 issues of Good Housekeeping magazine demonstrate, losing weight is a

hot topic. An attention getter. And probably the cause of some guilt. Why? Because of body image.

The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) explains: "Women in the U.S. are under pressure to

measure up to a certain social and cultural ideal of beauty, which can lead to poor body image. Women are

constantly bombarded with 'Barbie-like' doll images.... It's no accident that youth is increasingly promoted, along

with thinness, as an essential criterion of beauty. The message we're hearing is either 'all women need to lose weight'

or that the natural aging process is a 'disastrous' fate."61

Body Image-- how someone pictures his body in his mind,

and how he feels about what he perceives about his body-- is a national concern. Numerous reports warn that men,

too, are comparing their bodies to others, and feeling shame and anxiety. The National Eating Disorders Association

(NEDA) adds: "People with negative body image have a greater likelihood of developing an eating disorder and are

more likely to suffer from feelings of depression, isolation, low self-esteem, and obsessions with weight loss."62

One reason Americans are fixated on body image? We tend to consume a lot of media. Read the fine print, and

you'll see advertising is a mega-calorie ingredient in media. Again, the NEDA: "A study of 4,294 network television

commercials revealed that 1 out of every 3.8 commercials [are] telling viewers what is or is not attractive...

Researchers estimate that the average adolescent sees over 5,260 'attractiveness messages' per year."63

This is

partially why researchers find nineteen-year-old buff males who work out six days a week, two hours a day, and are

greatly dissatisfied with their body image.

The problem with body image is not new. Ever since Adam and Eve fell into sin, all humans went from being God-

conscious people to self-conscious sinners (Genesis 3:7-8). Some of sin's wretched results? Bodies touched by the

curse of sin and poor body image. But out of his rich love, God frees us from the body image dilemma with his

divine truths.

"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full

well" (Psalm 139:14). Yes, the Almighty personally fashioned your body!

"A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies; charm is deceptive, and beauty

is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised" (Proverbs 31:10,30). Yes, true beauty is

more than skin deep!

"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received

from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body" (1

Corinthians 6:19,20). Yes, with his precious blood Jesus purchased your body for eternal life, and sent the

Holy Spirit to live within your body through faith.

God's Truth creates proper body image. And from his Truth comes joyful motivation to honor God by caring for our

bodies. Part of this care includes using God's gift of science to learn how to efficiently nourish our bodies, to

maximize a healthy lifestyle for the glory of God.

A beneficial side-effect of a healthy life-style that seeks to glorify God? That we might see the super-sized words

"Lose Weight" on the cover of a magazine, and it won't contribute to a poor body image.

61

Loving Your Body Inside and Out, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, accessed 6 Mar 2008

<http://www.4woman.gov/BodyImage> 62

Body Image, National Eating Disorders Association, accessed 6 Mar 2008

<http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/p.asp?WebPage_ID=286&Profile_ID=41157> 63

Body Image, accessed 6 Mar 2008

22

Appendix D: Nutritional Tools for the Busy Minister

Non-Edible “Tools” Measuring spoons and cups

Blender

Shaker bottle

Travel shaker bottle

Food scale

Lunch cooler with blue ice

Edible “Tools” Here are some basic food items that have become my “tools” in

helping me quickly and efficiently aim at consuming a 40-30-30

balanced meals and snacks. Therefore I always try to keep them

in stock in my kitchen and pantry.

Almonds (I wait for the big bags to go on sale at Costco)

Beer, Dark (If I’m going to drink a beer, my preference would be a dark beer because it has more anti-

oxidents than light beer.)

Cottage cheese

Effervescent Health Drink (Effervescent hot tea with nutritional supplements, as a substitute for the

unneeded calories in a beer)

Milk, 2 % (a 40-30-30 balanced snack by itself)

Oatmeal (I buy bulk at Costco.)

Protein bars (I use the Balance Bar brand because the number one ingredient is a protein blend; other

energy bars have less protein, and those that do have a high protein often cost substantially more.)

Protein powder (I use a middle of the road brand from GNC. It has a high gram per serving, and can sold a

substantially less price than other brands.)

Stevia (a natural sweetener to replace all use of sugar and fake-sugars)

Tortillas (I prefer the Mission brand, carb balance tortillas that have only 7 grams of net carbs.)

Yogurt, Non-fat

23

Appendix E: Portion Distortion

Finding menus that offer the 40-30-30 plan to incorporate them into our life routines does not require rocket science.

And we don't need idolization of the hard bodies on the American Gladiators TV show as our motivation, either.

(One American Gladiator, Justice, stands tall at 6'8" and 280 pounds while sporting 20 inch biceps.)

But recalibrating our diets will require some determination and experimentation, which means an extra expenditure

of time. So chances are good we'll get frustrated and quit if we're too idealistic instead of realistic.

At first you may spend extra time creating new eating habits. Reading labels and honing your shopping list may

frustrate you. Spending more prep time in the kitchen measuring portions may test your patience. Measuring food

amounts, however, does not mean going to bed hungry. (How can you go to bed hungry if healthy eating means

eating four to six times a day?)

Recently I was facing a long night at my desk. What for supper? I opened the pantry. Closed it. Opened the fridge.

Closed it. Re-opened the pantry. You know that agitated "I don't know what to eat" dilemma. Suddenly pictures

were dancing in my head of grated cheese melting over chips. This would be a fast meal, but also fail to fuel me

properly for the work yet to happen.

I had to recalibrate my impulses. I reasoned that a few extra minutes in the kitchen would pay off with my night

being efficiently fueled. This would get me to bed on time, and would pay off with even more dividends the next

morning. So I took aim at "Soft Chicken Tacos." While the chicken breast cooked on the grill, I laid out four

tortillas. On each I was put one spoonful of sour cream. Oops. I had mistakenly used a teaspoon instead of a

tablespoon. Wow! I got three times the amount than I initially thought. But then again, I would normally put at least

twice as much sour cream on my taco than the 40-30-30 recipe specified.

The experts call that Portion Distortion. "Our idea of a normal portion has become skewed, in part because so many

restaurants serve oversized portions" so that "giant portions seem to have evolved into the norm, and many people

have trouble understanding how much they should eat" writes Kathleen M. Zelman (MPH, RD, LD).64

The salsa worked the same way. Per directions, I scooped one tablespoon of salsa onto each tortilla. It was actually

more than I initially expected. But at the same time, it was a lot less than I would have scooped out if I simply

measured with my eyes and my hungry tummy. Ditto the same scenario with the one ounce of chopped chicken that

I put on each tortilla.

After measuring to prevent Portion Distortion, I was somewhat frustrated it took longer than if I had made those

cheesy chips. But I did eat to my full. And I was satisfied to know that I was encouraging my body to burn fat (our

body's preferred source of energy). And my frustration melted into the satisfaction of knowing that my 40-30-30

meal would release a slow rate of carbs into my blood stream to energize my night and prevent .

Our pride does not enjoy the recalibration process. But then, of all people, we Christians ought to be familiar with a

life of recalibration. We disciples of Jesus daily sit before God's Word and weekly gather in worship-- both are

situations in which God recalibrates our lives. God uses his law to correct our attitudes, words and actions: "All

Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting..." (2 Timothy 3:16). Then God uses his

gospel promises in Christ to forgive us and equip us for right living: "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful

for.. training in righteousness.....so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2

Timothy 3:16-17).

Through Christ's good news promises, God restores us, renews us, energizes us and equips us. So it can be a gift

from our God when we recalibrate our lives to prevent Portion Distortion. We do this not in idolization of Justice,

but to fuel our bodies for maximum energy to glorify Jesus...by humbly serving our loved ones and our neighbors.

64

Kathleen Zelman, Eight Sneaky Things That Could Be Making You Fat, Web MD, accessed 29 Mar 2008

<http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/8-sneaky-things-that-could-be-making-you-fat>

24

Appendix F: The Zone Diet, Online

Screen shot taken from http://www.the-zone-diet-recipes.com/index.html

25

Appendix G: Fast Foods for Nutritional Fuel Books like the 40-30-30 Fat Burning Nutrition and The Formula: A Personalized 40-30-30 Weight Loss Program.

will help you determine the quantity of food per meal for your height, age and activity level. Below is a print screen

of menu items that support my size and activity level. They are examples of meals that can be quickly prepared.

Do

ub

le D

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nd

Gra

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item

sP

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in =

XX

(1.3

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arb

sX

(.5)

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CF

Non-f

at

Yogurt

= 1

/2 c

up

5.5

80

1 C

up =

11

17

8

Mark

et

Pantr

y 2

% C

ott

age C

heese =

1/2

cup

15

42.5

1/2

cup=

15

42.5

Back

to N

atu

re G

ranola

= 4

TB

SP

319.5

1.5

1/2

cup=

639

3

4 T

bs =1/4

CU

P

8 T

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CU

P

Natu

ral P

eanut

butt

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= 1

TB

S4

38

2 T

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86

16

Actu

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27.5

34.5

12

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be

27.5

35.7

513.7

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Ch

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Bu

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item

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(M

issio

n)

WH

ITE

~ C

arb

Bala

nce =

210

36

5In

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=

518

2.5

Eggs,

Whole

= 3

18

015

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60

5

Mozzare

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heese,

1 o

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SP

09

04 T

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60

Milk

Non-f

at

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= 4

oz

46

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812

0

Actu

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40

51

25

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40

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1.5

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8 o

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14

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BS

22

92 T

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Turk

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40.3

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(.5)

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72

10

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26

Appendix H: Gain Muscle, Lose Weight, Get Eccentric

Regularly working out will help you lose weight and / or keep it off. And you don’t have to lift weights like a

linebacker to gain benefits! A beginner might spend eight minutes walking briskly, followed with six minutes of

push-ups, and--while holding a can of soup-- arm curls and then side arm raises. The final six minutes can be time

for stretching, for a total of twenty minutes.65

Performing arm curls while holding a can of soup won't land a person on the cover of Sports Illustrated. But so

what, if the exercise helps a person retain muscle mass. Research shows that the more muscle you have, the easier it

is to burn fat. “Muscle is also known as your lean body mass, or LBM. Your LBM will ultimately determine how

much stored body fat your body will burn. LBM is the magic bullet for increasing your metabolism; the more

muscle you have, the faster your metabolism is, and the more stored body fat and calories you burn.”66

“Muscle

exponentially speeds up the fat-busting process … If you add a mere 6 pounds of muscle…it’ll take your body up to

300 extra calories a day just to feed that muscle.”67

Research suggests that weight bearing (anaerobic) exercise helps burn fat better than cardiovascular (aerobic)

exercise. “Researchers… found that the increased metabolic effect of aerobics lasted only 30 to 60 minutes. The

effects of weight training lasted as long as 48 hours. That’s 48 hours during which the body was burning additional

fat… Strength training burns calories long after you leave the gym, while you sleep… Plus, the extra muscle you

build through strength training means that in the long term, your body keeps burning calories at rest just to keep that

new muscle alive… Building muscles increases your metabolism so much that you burn up to 50 calories per day

per pound of muscle you have. The more muscle you have, the easier it is for you to lose fat.”68

By the way, if your calendar is crowded, consider this time-maximizing technique. “It has been suggested that the

most important factor in training to gain strength is the amount of time spent in uninterrupted contraction

time…[which is] about 35 to 75 seconds.”69

Dr. Kennedy explains that while most people naturally focus on the

concentric phase of a weight-bearing exercise (when the weight or resistance is increased), it is also important to

slowly let down the weight. This is called the eccentric phase (when the weight or resistance is decreased slowly

under control). For example, if you’re doing push-ups, it’s not just the pushing up from the floor that benefits you

(the concentric phase), but also the lowering to the floor slowly and under control (the eccentric phase). By doing

this, you maximize your weight training minutes: getting more of a workout done in less time.

If to gain energy, one must expend energy in exercise, and the most proficient use of exercise is to go "eccentric,”

then go eccentric. If fact, we Christians are already eccentric (in the sense of unusual, peculiar, odd). In 1 Peter 2:9

the Apostle wrote: “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God

(KJV: a peculiar people) that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his

wonderful light.” That we have a ministry makes us uniquely peculiar. In fact, what the KJV translated as

“peculiar people” is the Greek word that means “a private possession.” Jesus owns us, body and soul, because he

redeemed us from sin, Satan and this dying world. The Holy Spirit has brought us to believe this. So are now

blessedly out-of-synch with this world, the reason Peter began his letter by labeling Christians with a peculiar name:

“Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to God's elect, strangers in the world…” (1 Peter 1:1). Peter used the word

“strangers” to emphasize our faith-borne “alien nationality.” We're but strangers here; heaven is our home.

Because we’re eccentric people (people belonging to God) we seek a fit, healthy life-style for reasons vastly

different than the world. The world is moved by self-centered aims that serve vain and fleeting goals. But as

eccentric people, we're moved to seek spiritual and physical energy to serve our Savior. And if that means

incorporating eccentric exercises into our lives, or simply walking the dog around our neighborhood, then to God be

the glory!

65

Daoust, The Formula, 33. 66

Daoust, 40-30-30 Fat Burning Nutrition, 15. 67

Zinczenko, XIII. 68

Zinczenko, 46-47. 69

Kennedy, 5.

27

Appendix I: Life Stress Inventory

28

Appendix J: Sleep Like a Giant-Slayer

The curse of sin upon our world creates some amazing ripple effects. The association of sleep, food and attitude is

one such ripple effect. If we eat the wrong foods at the wrong time, it can inhibit our sleep. Inhibited sleep can leave

us feeling groggy and craving for a high-glucose fix. Over time, if this cycle is repeated, it tends to add unwanted

pounds, leading to further possibilities of sleep disruption. By adding weight around the middle, we increase the

conditions that can cause sleep disturbance. After describing how sleep apnea interrupts sleep, Zinczenko states:

Being overweight also puts you at risk for a lot of other conditions that rob you of a good night’s rest,

including asthma and gastro esophageal reflux… All of this can create an ugly cycle: Abdominal fat leads

to poor sleep. Poor sleep means you drag through your day. Sluggish and tired, your body craves some

quick energy, so you snack on high-calorie junk food. That extra junk food leads to more abdominal fat,

which leads to…well, you get the picture.70

One of the basic rules for body builders is to “steer clear of carbohydrates after dinner, because those eaten in the

evening are destined to be stored as body fat”71

-- a very substance that can rob us of a good night’s sleep. Another

basic rules for body builders is to get 7-8 hours of sleep every night. But this advice isn’t just for men. The

magazine for women, Good Housekeeping, reports the following.

Sleep deprivation wreaks havoc on your waistline, too. When Harvard Medical School scientist followed

68,183 women for 16 years, they found that those averaging five hours of shut-eye per night were 32

percent more likely to gain 33 pounds than those who got seven hours a night. Those logging an average of

six hours per night were 12 percent more likely… Aim for at least seven hours of slumber most nights.72

What a worrisome cycle: limited sleep tends to increase our waistline; and an increased waistline tends to limit our

sleep. It’s enough to make us lose sleep!

Sleep, food and attitude. There’s enough of an association so that research shows trends, yet how refreshing that

Gonzales admits mankind’s limits. “[Fatigue] is as much a psychological condition as a physical one, and scientists

have struggled without success to understand it.”73

But please don’t lose sleep over this! There is One who understands all things and speaks through his inspired

servants. One such servant was the survival expert, David the Goliath-slayer. He testifies to the most important

ingredient in the sleep-food-attitude association: spiritual refreshment and nourishment. He wrote: “My shepherd…

makes me lie down [zbr Hifil: cause to rest, be refreshed, make lie down] in green pastures, he leads me beside

quiet waters [twojUnm a resting place; as in waters of rest, i.e., a body of water suitable for feeding, watering and resting

flocks of animals].

But the supremacy of spiritual refreshment and nourishment is not an excuse to dish sleep by burning the candle on

both ends. David also wrote: “To the LORD I cry aloud, and he answers me from his holy hill. I lie down and sleep;

I wake again, because the LORD sustains me. I will not fear…” (Psalm 3:4-6).

David is in the survival situation of fleeing from his son Absolom. But he’s not a sleepless wreck. A well-rested,

God-rested David has the Right Stuff. What an ultimate Positive Mental Attitude: “I will not fear the tens of

thousands drawn up against me on every side. Arise, O LORD! Deliver me, O my God…! From the LORD comes

deliverance” (Psalm 3:6-8).

And then there’s Elijah. In desperation to flee wicked queen Jezebel, Elijah rushes into the wilderness, covering 95

miles in a panic without the mention of any food. In so doing, he exhibits a trait common among those suddenly

70

Zinczenko 8-9. 71

Joe Wuebben and Jim Stoppani, Thirty Ways To Leave Your Blubber Today, Muscle and Fitness, June 2007: 166. 72

Susie Harrar, Supercharge Your Metabolism, Good Housekeeping, April 2008: 250. 73

Gonzales 178.

29

thrown into a survival situation. “Following the explosive burst of activity that is sometimes required for survival, or

…the panic stage when you’re running… you’re like a woman who’s just given birth to a baby. You’re depleted and

wide open to fatigue….”74

So there’s Elijah, who collapses under the broom tree. “Apathy is a typical reaction to

any sort of disaster… that can rapidly lead to complete psychological deterioration.”75

“And a spiritual

deterioration” we Bible students add, as we hear how Elijah enters into “a negative loop of self-talk.” Scripture

explains: “He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. ‘I have had enough, LORD,’ he

said. ‘Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.’ Then he lay down under the tree and fell asleep” (1 Kings

19:4-5).

We’re not told specifically how one interconnects with the others, but here are those associated ingredients: sleep,

food and attitude. Or rather, the lack thereof. And of course, the supreme ingredient that’s graciously added is the

gospel presence of the angel of the Lord, the preincarnate Christ. Of these ingredients, we know that the gospel is

supreme, for it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes (Romans 1:16).

I doubt whether Elijah was served a nutritionally balanced 40-30-30 turkey-tortilla-wrap with a protein shake. But at

the same time, let’s not dish the fact that the Lord used food and sleep to revive Elijah. The Omnipotent One didn’t

need to supply any food or allow any sleep to revive Elijah, but he did. He’s the same Lord who told Moses to raise

his staff and stretch out his hand over the Red Sea, and when he did, the Lord provided. Should we be surprised that

the Creator who likes to work through what he’s created brings refreshment and nourishment to Elijah through

physical sleep and food because he so willed it to serve his purposes?

And so a fatigued Elijah was raised up to resume his journey. “The angel of the LORD came back a second time and

touched him and said, ‘Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.’ So he got up and ate and drank.

Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God” (1

Kings 19:7-8).

And as far as acquiring the survivalist’s Positive Mental Attitude, Elijah did get The Right Stuff from the best stuff-

from the best stuff of the still-small-voice of the gospel he was given on Horeb, the mountain of God (Cf. 1 Kings

19:9-21).

Watching what we eat, and when, so that we maximize the proper amount of sleep we’ve budgeted-- these are

logical ways to support a survivalist’s Positive Mental Attitude. But we’ll only sleep like a Giant-Slayer when we

are blessed to share in the Giant-Slayer’s faith in Christ. In Jesus we already have the final and supreme ingredient

that leads to beneficial sleep and the Really Right Stuff.

74

Gonzales 178. 75

Gonzales 178.

30

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