Monthly Archives: October 2012

October 26, 2012 · 4:01 pm

#Fat2Fit Update

All my life, I’ve been on the hefty side. I was an offensive lineman in high school and college. I’ve never been a great athlete, or had an Abercrombie-like physique, but I grew up healthy and active. In college, I played a lot of basketball and lacrosse (but I always preferred to be on the ‘shirts’ team). Even through seminary, I took regular long walks, played on softball and basketball teams, went to a gym regularly and remained in decent shape. My first driver’s license listed me at 6’2″ 235 pounds, and when I graduated seminary I was about 260. After becoming a senior pastor in a small town, I promptly put on about 30 pounds. I stopped going to the gym. I no longer played on any teams. I sat a lot, and ate a lot. When I started my blog in 2008, I weighed Three Oh One.

For three years writing this blog, I would exercise in streaks. I would workout regularly for a few months, get stronger, and stop putting on weight (I seldom had any weight loss to speak of). Then I would get sick, or get really busy, and I’d find excuses to stop going to the gym for months at a time. In the meantime, my cholesterol remained high, my weight would creep up, and my health suffered.

In October 2011, I joined a gym here in Moline. When I started, I couldn’t jog on the treadmill for two without terrible pain in my feet, ankles, and chest. For three months, I was in a great routine of going to the gym three times a week. Yet in February 2012, I went to the doctor and found myself staring at a scale that read 329.

Once again, I rededicated myself to getting healthy. This time I had a tool. With the Lose It! app on my nook and computer, I started tracking everything I ate. I realized that the last four years was simply a steady increase in weight and size. When I would exercise, the increase would stop, but I never did any significant weight loss because I never significantly changed the way I ate.

I didn’t make any drastic qualitative changes. I simply made better quantitative choices. I logged everything, and found myself craving salmon instead of burgers, and vegetables instead of french fries. When I stayed under my caloric allowance, I lost weight. In three months, I lost about 40 pounds. I went to the doctor again, and found that for the first time in my adult life, I was in the healthy range in cholesterol. My clothes fit again. I felt better and stronger. For the first time in my life, I had clothes that were too big on me. I have some jeans from last winter that look absolutely ridiculous.

Since dropping down to 288, I stopped paying such close attention. I stopped using Lose It! and kept working out. The for the last four months, I stopped the weight loss. I realized that this wasn’t a problem I had conquered once and for all. I still have a lot of weight to lose, and I want to lose it. I’ve started using Lose It again. Since keeping track, I’ve been under my caloric budget for 13 of 14 days. It feels good again.

The remarkable thing is, I feel like when I am disciplined in my eating, I am more disciplined in other areas as well. When I control my appetite, and don’t succumb to every craving, there is a positive ripple effect that is far-reaching. I know a lot of this has been about weight, and a number on a scale. I know that the scale is only part of the story, but for me it is an important part. I feel good. I am still fat. I still make fat decisions all the time, but I’m working on it. God is working in me.

For four years I’ve been The Fat Pastor. At times that has been more true than others. Right now I believe I am closer to being The Fit Pastor then I have ever been. I appreciate the support of my friends on facebook, my twitter followers, the people of my congregation, my friends, my family, and my amazing wife. I don’t know if I’ll ever change the name of this blog. I’m sure there will always be fat in my life that I would like to trim. With the Holy Spirit strengthening me, I have trimmed a lot of fat already.

I will always be striving to live well and do good. Thanks for striving with me.

Fat is not the opposite of thin.

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Filed under Fitness

Tagged as 5K, exercise, weight

October 13, 2012 · 2:04 pm

I only have one sermon.

As you may know, I have started posting sermons on this blog. It has been a great source of excitement for me because I consider myself a preacher. I don’t consider myself a great preacher – I just believe that preaching is a deeply-seeded part of who I am.

As I’ve been slowly posting sermons, I have been reflecting on how I can be better. In this process, I’ve started to get a little worried. I’m fearful that I’ve been preaching the same thing over and over. I wonder if I’ve been as creative as possible. I wonder if I’ve gotten into a rut. In the midst of this, I was given a gift.

Grace comes in the most amazing of places, from the most amazing of sources. Today I was given the amazing gift of grace by an 11-year-old girl at a church camp. A group of five people – three junior high girls, an adult volunteer, and myself – have come to a weekend retreat. This morning we were gathered for our small group time and we were reflecting on the fact that God not only loves us, but that God likes us.

In the discussion, I directed each of them to say one thing about everyone else that they like. “I like this about…” Each person had to simply listen as the four people said one thing they like about that person. When it was my turn, I was a little reluctant. Then I received my gift.

“Pastor Robb,” one of the girls said, “I like that when you talk at church – during your what do you call it? sermon? I like that when you do those you always talk about how God loves us. You always seem to work it in. You always make sure we know that God loves us no matter what.”

OK, so maybe I have been a little redundant. And maybe that’s okay.

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Filed under Christianity

Tagged as grace, love

October 11, 2012 · 3:58 pm

Sermon: And it was still hot

Click here to listen to the sermon: And It Was Still Hot

Click here to read a related blog post.

First Reading: Where the Wild Things Are, by Maurice Sendak

Date: Mother’s Day, 2012

Scripture passage: Luke 15:1-10

All the tax collectors and sinners were gathering around Jesus to listen to him. The Pharisees and legal experts were grumbling, saying, “ This man welcomes sinners and eats with them. ”

Jesus told them this parable: “Suppose someone among you had one hundred sheep and lost one of them. Wouldn’t he leave the other ninety-nine in the pasture and search for the lost one until he finds it? And when he finds it, he is thrilled and places it on his shoulders. When he arrives home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Celebrate with me because I’ve found my lost sheep.’ In the same way, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who changes both heart and life than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need to change their hearts and lives.

“ Or what woman, if she owns ten silver coins and loses one of them, won’t light a lamp and sweep the house, searching her home carefully until she finds it? When she finds it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Celebrate with me because I’ve found my lost coin.’ In the same way, I tell you, joy breaks out in the presence of God’s angels over one sinner who changes both heart and life. ”

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Sweet Justice: Consider Reverse Trick or Treating this Halloween

To shop the Equal Exchange chocolate store, click on the picture above.

Justice can be sweet. Especially when it is mixed with sugar and milk. Halloween is approaching fast, and it’s not too late to make your Halloween a just one. Order fair trade chocolate minis today from Equal Exchange, and you can still get them in time for Halloween.

Our church ordered a case of them. We are going to use a hot glue gun to paste them to postcards to teach people about the benefits of fair trade chocolate. My daughter, and other kids from our Sunday school, are really excited about the chance to give people chocolate back when they go trick or treating. The concept known as Reverse Trick or Treating is designed to help spread awareness about the problem of child labor in chocolate production.

Halloween is about chocolate and kids. Unfortunately for most kids, chocolate is not a source of joy. Cocoa farms in West Africa and Central America are often worked by child slaves. Children are treated as little more than cheap, replaceable labor. The working conditions are often dangerous and they are paid very little. By keeping labor costs down, the big cocoa farms are able to sell their beans to companies like Hershey’s, Nestle, and Mars at lower rates.

Part of the reason your Hershey chocolate bar still costs less than a dollar is that the child picking the cocoa for that bar is a slave. That is a real and hard-to-swallow fact. But we can do something. Some progress has been made in the last ten years, when this problem came to light. In February 2012, Hershey’s took an important step in reducing the production of slave chocolate, but they could do more. Nestle has launched a new initiative to map its entire supply line, making it the first major chocolate producer to do so.

Things like Reverse Trick or Treating help spread awareness of a problem that most people are blind to. Expose light on the problems of the chocolate industry, and we might make more of an impact. And remember, if it’s too late for Halloween this year; Christmas, Valentine’s Day, and Easter are just around the corner. Chocolate is sweet. Just Chocolate is sweeter.

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Filed under Christianity

Tagged as fair trade, halloween, justice, reverse trick or treat

October 7, 2012 · 9:01 pm

Sermon: Whose job is it, anyway?

Click here to listen to Sermon: Whose job is it, anyway?

A related blog post: Feel angry, then do something.

Scripture passage:

Luke 9:10-17

When the apostles returned, they described for Jesus what they had done. Taking them with him, Jesus withdrew privately to a city called Bethsaida. When the crowds figured it out, they followed him. He welcomed them, spoke to them about God’s kingdom, and healed those who were sick.

When the day was almost over, the Twelve came to him and said, “ Send the crowd away so that they can go to the nearby villages and countryside and find lodging and food, because we are in a deserted place. ”

He replied, “ You give them something to eat. ”

But they said, “ We have no more than five loaves of bread and two fish—unless we go and buy food for all these people. ” (They said this because about five thousand men were present.)

Jesus said to his disciples, “ Seat them in groups of about fifty. ” They did so, and everyone was seated. He took the five loaves and the two fish, looked up to heaven, blessed them, and broke them and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. Everyone ate until they were full, and the disciples filled twelve baskets with the leftovers.

Sermon: Lazarus was a miracle and the motive

My first attempt at a podcast. I think the audio is pretty low, so you might have to turn up your volume.

Listen to the sermon by clicking here: Lazarus was a miracle and the motive

Click here for the original blog post from this sermon.

Scripture: John 11:17-52

When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Bethany was a little less than two miles from Jerusalem. Many Jews had come to comfort Martha and Mary after their brother’s death. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him, while Mary remained in the house. Martha said to Jesus, “ Lord, if you had been here, my brother wouldn’t have died. Even now I know that whatever you ask God, God will give you. ”

Jesus told her, “ Your brother will rise again. ”

Martha replied, “ I know that he will rise in the resurrection on the last day. ”

Jesus said to her, “ I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me will live, even though they die. Everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this? ”

She replied, “ Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, God’s Son, the one who is coming into the world. ”

After she said this, she went and spoke privately to her sister Mary, “ The teacher is here and he’s calling for you. ” When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to Jesus. He hadn’t entered the village but was still in the place where Martha had met him. When the Jews who were comforting Mary in the house saw her get up quickly and leave, they followed her. They assumed she was going to mourn at the tomb.

When Mary arrived where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “ Lord, if you had been here, my brother wouldn’t have died. ” When Jesus saw her crying and the Jews who had come with her crying also, he was deeply disturbed and troubled. He asked, “ Where have you laid him? ”

They replied, “ Lord, come and see. ”

Jesus began to cry. The Jews said, “ See how much he loved him! ” But some of them said, “ He healed the eyes of the man born blind. Couldn’t he have kept Lazarus from dying? ” Jesus was deeply disturbed again when he came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone covered the entrance. Jesus said, “ Remove the stone. ”

Martha, the sister of the dead man, said, “ Lord, the smell will be awful! He’s been dead four days. ”

Jesus replied, “ Didn’t I tell you that if you believe, you will see God’s glory? ” So they removed the stone. Jesus looked up and said, “ Father, thank you for hearing me. I know you always hear me. I say this for the benefit of the crowd standing here so that they will believe that you sent me. ” Having said this, Jesus shouted with a loud voice, “ Lazarus, come out! ” The dead man came out, his feet bound and his hands tied, and his face covered with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “ Untie him and let him go. ”

Therefore, many of the Jews who came with Mary and saw what Jesus did believed in him. But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. Then the chief priests and Pharisees called together the council and said, “ What are we going to do? This man is doing many miraculous signs! If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him. Then the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our people. ”

One of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, told them, “ You don’t know anything! You don’t see that it is better for you that one man die for the people rather than the whole nation be destroyed. ” He didn’t say this on his own. As high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus would soon die for the nation— and not only for the nation. Jesus would also die so that God’s children scattered everywhere would be gathered together as one. From that day on they plotted to kill him.