Obesity

Mr. Curtis, you have just eliminated most of us. I'm glad, on my own behalf, that God can use me at all. I was kicked in the gut by a horse when I was 21 and have continuing problems and more surgery due (and I am 54 now) from that. I have a retarded son who has been throwing up almost daily lately and we don't know why. That rather precludes a lot of activities right now.

But God uses me anyway. His way. His timing. And I am grateful for that.

Suffering connects us with one another. A person who has had cancer, for instance, has immediate understanding and empathy for another person who has just been diagnosed -- understanding and empathy the rest of us could never have. As far as obesity goes, as we get older, our metabolism slows down. I envy the women who stay slender at my age. I'm not obese, but no one would want me for a model, either! And for years I fought to tears and with prayers and supplications of all kinds to lose the weight I was putting on. To no avail. But at least my lap is bigger for my grandchildren now!

I pray, that when the time comes for you, that you will not discontinue your work in music and that you will find someone to help you with the pickups. Please, take it from me, if you let a couple of roadblocks stop your travel, you are in real trouble! You end up feeling sorry for yourself and getting a little bitter. Absolutely unnecessary. Ask God what to do. I am betting He'll keep you on part-time if you are willing...

God allowed us all to have disabilities of one kind or another. They establish connections with one another; they stop pride; they direct our mind to more important things than the advertisements would direct them to; they remind us daily of the horror of sin; and yes, they allow God to show His glory through us.

Joni Eareckson Tada has a good picture for this last part: when a jeweler has a diamond more spectacular than any othe jewel, he does not put it in with the other jewels, but rather puts it n a field of black and shines a light on it. If your life seems like that field of black sometimes, check for the jewel and let God's grace shine all the brighter for being shown in your life.

Suggestion: Ask God what to do with your money. He knows the heart and the real circumstance for everyone.

 

Mr. Curtis -

I know that you did not intend anything against
anyone. Aalthough I have only been here a short
time, I have yet to see a post that would lead me
to believe that.

I am getting better and stronger. I had my first
weekend with energy for a long, long time,
attending both my 3.5-hour long service and the
two services at my husband's church this past
weekend. This thing is not going to beat me!
8oD ! ! 8oD ! ! 8oD ! !

May our God bless you!

And Helen, I don't know how you do it. I am
praying for your son.

 

RomOne16 said:Sounds more like some bretheren pointing at the mote in others eyes, rather than the beam in their own. I agree with that and would like to add obesity is one of the least of our problems in churches. I'm sure the person that has the problem knows full well about it without adding insult to injury. I would worry about a brother who comes to church drunk, or breaks the law continually, or beats his wife, or who has been caught with pornography. Obesity is sometimes a medical problem and some say they wouldn't put them in a leadership role. Why I personally don't see a problem and they may be able to do a better job than you think them capable of. If a preacher gets in our stands and preaches the gospel and weighs 400 lbs I will give him just as much as I would a skinny preacher. I hear others say we are the temple of God... I'm very well aware of that but what part of the temple is the Lord concerned about? Does he really care if I go to the gym and make my body buff so I can lift a piano by myself?... If I'm not mistaken the Lord does not look on the outward appearance but the Lord looks on the heart. We need to get on our knees and exercise the heart and that obese person needs to know we care about them. The only thing I see is a hypocritical outlook on those different than ourselves and if it starts with the obese person we are just allowing the circle to get larger. As Helen I also have two handicapped children and know whereof I speak... It never stops with the obese person ever!... Brother Glen

 

Of course you're thinking only of one person teaching a class and being responsible for everything. Currently in my Sunday School class, the teaching responsibility is shared between four people -- one of us each week for the month and a volunteer for the fifth Sunday when if comes up. We also have a person responsible for outreach and another who acts as director. The system works very well, we get diversity in teaching, people who would not normally get involved can share the burden, and no one gets burned out. People who have physical problems can be accomodated.

Also, you seem not to take into consideration those who need to travel occasionally to visit family and such during the weekends. Most of us who are not pastors can't take time off of work during the week to travel and weekends affords the only opportunity. The weekend before last I went to visit my father whom I haven't seen in 9 months while he's been recovering from chemotherapy. I missed church here on Sunday, but went to worship with the Methodists with my parents. Loving my parents is God's work too and it sometimes takes the precedence over being at my church every Sunday.

Getting back to the topic, if we ban obese people from church leadership positions, shouldn't we ban people who like to argue (1 Timothy 3:3) or often give into materialism (many references) or habitually lust (many references)? These things are at least as bad but they don't usually leave as much of a trace as gluttony -- by the way, gluttony is the real sin, not weight or size.

 

Mr. Curtis said:

You mean to tell me there isn't one person in your church who could fill in for her? If she wants to be a Sunday School Teacher give her the opportunity... God gave her the desire and knowledge!... And you know what God might teach you something thru her!... Why are Gods children so quick to judge the abilities of others?... God knows all about us... You need to wait on the Lord!... Brother Glen

 

"Should we let people with habitual sin hold church offices?" would probably be the better question.

 

Sure! I just wish you wouldn't duck and run when we challenge you.

 

It seems that each Church has unwritten rules as to which sins it will accept and which it won't.

I have made countless posts which have shown that we all live a life of continuous sin. My underlying point has been to show that we chose which sins are allowed and which are not for church membership as well as being a saved Christian. This line changes with culture and times.

We must all be tolerant of others and their sin and not beat them up over it. That is for the Lord and their own heart to do, not the church. However, that being said, I see no problem with a church that says, these sins are allowed and these are not. I have made countless posts that defended homosexuality, and abortion. Yet I don't believe that "a" church should allow anyone to remain a member if the majority is not comfortable with that behavior.

It is the right of a private group of people not to have to tolerate anything they don't want to put up with. So in one way I say it is ok to be homosexual and I don't see that God cares one way or the other about it, in the next breath I will say a church should have full freedom not to allow them in as members. I wouldn't want a person with herpes simplex taking care of my kid in the nursery. I don't want my kid, in the same Sunday school class with a kid that just got probation for drug possession. You may not want your son in the same room with a black or homosexual and you have that right since we are talking about a private group membership. Our feelings about who we accept or not should have nothing to do with who God likes or not, and we can't know what God is doing in these peoples lives so the best thing to do is either help them or get out of Gods way without doing spiritual damage. We are human and fear much and have a right to fear much.

Mr. Curtis is right in laying limitations on who should hold office etc. It is further right to kick people out when they are not following the rules. But we shouldn't say it is because God doesn't approve, we drive people away from Christ when that is done. Who in their right mind would tell a sinner to leave, because you are not right with God, he hates what you are doing! When you should say, its not for us to judge, but we don't allow that in our church, this has nothing to do with what God allows or not, his forgiveness and patience is beyond our understanding, we as a membership just won't allow it so leave already!

This way the person leaves understanding that it is the membership that is to blame, NOT GOD.

See how much easier that would be? The weaker Christians are afraid to offend others, and they will hide behind God or the Bible by claiming God doesn't allow that etc. when it is really themselves not wanting to take the responsibility.

We should be ashamed of ourselves for pretending to know so much about God, that we send people away in guilt and shame instead of being honest and saying "WE" DON'T LIKE YOU, GET OUT! Find a church that accepts that or will work with that. WE WON'T.

[ August 07, 2002, 02:11 AM: Message edited by: post-it ]

 

Aren't you 7'6"? You stand pretty tall from this angle!

 

But I didn't get all my licks in...

I was referring to your post about how you were bowing out of the thread immediately after I posted a response. You didn't respond to me and I interpreted that (at this late hour) as ducking and running. I probably should be in bed instead of typing on my computer...

 

That's a good plan for all of us!