Category: Inspiration

Stewardship and Lawnmowers

“For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body…”    

I Corinthians 6:20

When I was a boy my father always taught me to return everything that we borrowed in better condition than when it was loaned to us. We spent many days scrubbing, polishing and cleaning an old lawnmower or tool, attempting to make it look as new as possible for the owner. While we worked, our mind’s eye was focused on the owner and his or her anticipated response when we returned the item. It was so rewarding to hear the thanks and praise offered by friends and family when they saw the old thing sparkle.

Have you ever stopped to think that God owns your body? We learn from I Corinthians 6:19-20 that our bodies are not our own but are on loan from the Lord and that we are to glorify the Lord with our bodies. Good stewardship is the careful management of another’s possessions with the goal of returning them in better condition than they were received. This biblical perspective should be the driving force behind our pursuit of health and the management of our bodies.

Often we grumble and complain about making dietary changes or adding exercise to our daily routine because it causes us to be uncomfortable. What if these changes were built upon the concept of stewardship and not personal comfort? Suddenly, the task becomes exciting and purposeful as we focus on the owner and His response rather than our own personal pleasure. I encourage you to begin prayerfully surrendering your body and your health to the Lord. Imagine that today you will be presenting your body to its owner, the Lord of all Creation.  ~Dr. Scott Stoll

Biggest Loser Wins!

Transformed to Live: Four Thoughts on One Biggest Loser Contestant’s Transformation
 November 2, 2012

Ken Andrews - BeforeLIFE. DEATH. Have you ever noticed that when we face death, it puts life into perspective? In 2008 I almost died of sepsis, an experience that shook me and started me on a journey to find help. Through some very fortunate circumstances, my son Austin and I were chosen for season 11 of NBC’s “The Biggest Loser” show. I had arrived at the show at 377 lbs., on 11 medications and trying to survive day to day. I was not living, I was existing.

Thought #1— Transformation Begins with an Encounter with God
A few weeks into the show, on one of our daily hikes in the hills of Malibu, I experienced the beginning of my transformation, a transformation that began with an encounter with God. Thumbing through my iPod shuffle I flipped to an unfamiliar song and heard these words:

It's time for healing time to move on
It's time to fix what's been broken too long
Time to make right what has been wrong
It's time to find my way to where I belong
There's a wave that's crashing over me
And all I can do is surrender

Whatever You're doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but somehow there's peace
It's hard to surrender to what I can't see
But I'm giving in to something Heavenly

By this time, the tears had begun to flow. I knew that I had encountered God, and that this moment was a divine appointment. The music continued:

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