Drinking OJ at the Coffee Shop

"So it seems like when it comes to discipleship, God leaves no stone unturned," she said.

"Right. You're right!" I said.

I was delighted about the truth coming from one of our small group members. "We're growing! Yes! They're getting it!" I was so proud that people were developing in their faith. It was an awesome night. It got even better when I figured out the wisdom of that night was meant for me, too.

Interesting, isn't it, that as leaders we think we are supposed to continue to lead and teach and guide and explain, etc. And we forget that the environments of transformation we thrust ourselves into could very well do something to us. Who would have thunk it?

So I was sitting there in that class listening from the group members and at the same time hearing the whisper of God in my heart. "Kevin. I've got a little stone I'd like to look under in your life."

"What! Me! NO. You're kidding right?"

"Yep. You. Let's take a look."

"Well, what could it be? Is there something really wrong with me? Am I messing up in a big way?"

"No, just this one thing I was thinking about."

"Ok..what is it already."

"The way you take care of your body."

"I take great care of my body. I fuel it up in the mornings with 100% Columbian coffee with the finest refined sugars in the world (3 table spoons to be exact) and the richest cream I can find."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah...and then lunch is filled with basic ingredients that are necessary for a healthy body. beef, cheese and bread topped with tomato (ketchup). Sometimes I double up on that."

"OH boy!"

"Well, that's not all. At dinner time I continue making sure that I get my daily allowance of power food. Chicken-fried steak, white gravy (they say the brown gravy is bad for you), biscuits, mashed potatoes (straight from Iowa) with a little salt and a stick of butter to let it all slide down real easy."

"Kevin...that's it. You haven't clued in to what I've got to say about your body. It's a temple. It's where I reside. It's the vehicle by which your spirit moves around. If you are going to be everything I called you to be, if you are to do all I called you to do....then you better take care of that."

"Well what do you mean?"

"Make wise choices about what you put in your body."

"Coca-cola is good, right?"

"Kevin!"

"Ok, ok.........Well what do I eat?"

"Eat as I created and stay away from what man created."

So began my journey into taking care of my body. It's a journey I never thought I'd be on. My whole life I've been eating anything I wanted and as much as I wanted and I've never thought this would be an issue.

Then a good friend called me on my habits.
Then my choleserol was high for the first time ever.
Then another friend shared a profound truth in small group.
Then I dug into the research and found out what I had really been putting in my body.
Then I checked out the scriptures.
Then I made a decision.

But this decision was different. It wasn't a will-power, 'I've got to get healthy or else' decision. It was a spiritual step of discipleship.

God said take care of your body and I could either accept his teaching or I could reject it.

So here I am....6 weeks later....drinking OJ at the Coffee Shop.

Thanks God for leaving no stone unturned.