Don't go stressin', go blessin'

I love this time of year. Family gatherings, turkey, ham, and all the fixings. And of course, the desserts. NFL football while we eat and fellowship. A time of thanksgiving, a time to reflect. Among the traditions of the Robbins household will be the putting up of the Christmas tree. I am not sure, I think it is the day after Thanksgiving, rather than the day of. Only two of our kids, Tina and Shane, share in the erecting of the family tree. And although they are now grown and moved out, we wait on them to put it up. An addition is Zachary, our grandson. He loves to help decorate. Friday is another part of the tradition... Black Friday. Going to the malls, fighting the crowds, shopping for the bargains. Yay, what fun!

Yes, we love it. It is quality time with our family, and we enjoy the moments. The tables will be different this year, minus some spots. At mom's house, dad won't be there. He passed away in March. And as we sit at our table, Michael will not be here. My son in law passed in July. I am sure our celebrations and fun will be tempered somewhat. What I would give to be able to turn back the clock one more time for them. But no, life goes on.

I know that our family is not alone. Not in the traditions, nor the festivities. Not in the joys, nor the sorrows. You can probably identify. The holidays are great times of blessings. But they are also times when the stress level gets high. Busyness leads to tiredness. Stress can easily elevate in shopping lines when you neither have the money nor the patience for your purchase. In the midst of it all, take a breath. Say a prayer, enjoy the moments. These times are precious.

And don't go stressin', go blessin'!

Chicken, Cake, and Church

I just hit the twenty pound mark in weight loss. I began a few weeks ago on a journey to better health. It was somewhat a life or death situation, at least in my mind, that pushed me to the point of healthy eating and exercise.

I had planned on beginning a diet on January, but never began. As in the past several years, I hang in there for a week or two and returned back to the old habits. The habits are actually strongholds. You see, my problems relate to three basic areas of my life: Chicken, Cake, and Church.

I love chicken. Let me be more specific. I love fried chicken, with all the things that go with it. Potato salad, macaroni and cheese, green beans cooked in fat back, etc. Sweet tea, southern style, that has a couple of cups of sugar in it. I love to eat. I remember a number of years ago a young man I had asked to preach at the church. I don't remember his sermon, but I remember a phrase he kept repeating. He said, "some people eat to live, my mom lives to eat." It is a good thing his mother wasn't at the service that morning, he probably wouldn't have lived after that. And although I never met his mama, I can identify. I love to eat, and I live to eat.

Secondly, I love cake. Chocolate cake, red velvet cake, any cake you can name. I have never met a cake I didn't like, and for that matter, I have never met a piece of candy I don't like. As with my love for chicken and its accessories, my love for cake is not a healthy choice.

Finally, I love church. I love church more than chicken or cake, or at least I think I do. I love the church because Jesus died for it. I love the fellowship, activities, friends, family, and awesome services of church life. The problem is that when you serve as pastor, church can be challenging. Leadership problems, finance problems, pulls on your attention. Dealing with people problems can be a high stress thing. Many pastors are leaving the pulpit every year. I love the church and couldn't imagine doing anything else, but sometimes it drains me physically, emotionally, and spiritually. And in those times when I am drained, I generally return to numbers one and two- chicken (or food) and cake (or sweets). No, I am not blaming the church for my being fat, but I think it has been a factor in my compulsion to overeat at times.

So I am in the process of change. Change is difficult, but needed. My blood pressure shot up to a dangerous level, and I didn't like the signals my body was sending me. Joined the gym and on a diet. It will be a long term thing, and a lifestyle change that must be kept. I aim to stay at it, and I ask for your prayers for myself and my wife as we pursue this goal in our lives. We're not sure what the Lord has in store for us in the coming days, but we want to be on top of the game.

Not signing off chicken or cake completely, there will be times and places where we will chow down. It just can't be as it was.

Twenty down and forty more to go. One pound at a time, one day at a time. Thanks for your prayers!