Discussion Board

The greatest challenge for a Christian is to follow the example of Jesus in regard to all aspects of life.

Consider His interaction with Satan:

Matthew 4.6 "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written: " 'He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.' " 7 Jesus answered him, "It is also written:
'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.' " (NIV)

So Satan's promoted (still promotes ?) the idea of acting in dangerous ways to tempt God to provide a rescue.

Do you see how this relates to diet?

Many seem to think little of eating a rich diet and carrying an extra 50 pounds of fat on their bodies. Do you think this is somewhat like jumping off of a high place?

Should we "tempt" God by expecting Him to rescue us when we disregard health and safety simply because it makes us feel good (or because the junk tastes good or others are doing it)?

Wow.Good things to think about.I know God heals but we should do our part too which is eating right.

I have been guilty of this very thing for my entire life up until 33 days ago. I repent! I proclaimed to be an avid animal lover, and I proclaimed to be a Christian. I ate tortured animals and single-handedly destroyed the body God gave to me.

Pinkrose, you have hit on a really sore point with me--week after week at prayer meeting, being asked to pray for someone who is in poor health--and they're sitting there 100 pounds overweight. (No wonder their knees hurt and their feet hurt and their back hurts.)

I have done my best to get the word out and am the butt of jokes at church because of not eating meat, dairy, or oil. One man greets me every week saying "The word is grease." His wife constantly wants to know if I'm anorexic. She's a nurse who is at least 100 pounds overweight AND smokes--lots of health issues of course...but no interest in getting well!

I am now trying to keep my mouth shut about diet and Dr. McD except when asked, but I find it very difficult. (When I showed the Jeff Novick dvds at church this same person showed up eating potato chips all the way through, loudly crackling his bag! )

Anyway, the Lord KNOWS that I need to learn how to be "quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger" and apparently wants me to humble myself and learn to love people in spite of their disobedience.

At least we've introduced fruit salad into the Men's Breakfast. Because my husband also follows the McD plan, he would go and watch the rest eat eggs, bacon, sausage, breakfast tacos, biscuits and gravy --so they took pity on him and started cutting up fresh fruit. It's a lot of work and a labor of love, so we really appreciate it!

People are funny. I wonder what the grease guy would say if next time he greeted you with "the word is grease" you replied with "the word is crack." The Bible says by their fruits you will know them, but I'm not sure what kind of tree brings forth grease. Pig tree? Perhaps he just thinks he's being funny. It takes all kinds of weird to keep the world spinnin'....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logos

The Bible says the word is God. So....God is grease? Maybe lamp oil...

Aren't you glad you dont live in my head?

I believe that the best response we can offer those with such bad habits is often (not always) to simply be sure that we are being the best example we can be and to intercede for them. We must be patient and wait for teachable moments. Sometimes they come, sometimes they do not.

Also, do you ever think about the many ways our dietary choices affect others?

For example, would a husband or wife be demonstrating love by making choices that would enable him/her to care for the mate...or to be cared for by the mate--to stay with the mate or to leave the mate (as in going to a hospital, nursing home or grave yard)...?

I know that's a lot of quotes, but I didn't want to cut out the wrong code and leave a mess by trying to edit it down.

Anyway....what? I don't know what you mean by intercede for them. If someone is bothering you, how do you intercede (mediate) between yourself and that person? Teachable moments are good, but they're usually for our own benefit. We teach what we need to learn. We only recognize "bad" in others because we're seeing ourselves.

My dietary choices annoy just about everyone. Should I care? Should I eat SADder to fit in? If I get hospital/nursing home/graveyard sick, whether it's my fault or not, I figure my husband will probably have me put to sleep.

I hope your man will not "euthanize" you, Agnes! Do feel that you do not make each other happy?

In regard to intercession (praying for people):

1 Timothy2.1 I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone--... (NIV)

Happy? What's happy? Husband's still here. I haven't annoyed him to death yet.

Okay. So you meant you would pray that God intercede, not that you'd intercede. But if you're holding something against your brother, then what? Can you be thankful for the "grease" while it's disturbing? Isn't there a contradiction there? Here's one from Matthew 6:
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[e]?

How do you reconcile that with McDougalling?
I imagine the same ideal applies to Mr. Grease. Why should he worry? Why should we worry that he's not worried?

Life's a circle. Lead me not into temptation. Just spin me.

OK, Agnes, first I am delighted that you have not YET annoyed your man to death! Maybe you are doing a few things right?

In regard to Mr. Grease, it seems that you have been hurt by his behavior. Forgive him and pray for him! See Matthew 6.14,15; 5.43-48.

I think you are confused about the words "intercede" and "intervene". When we intercede for others, we are asking God to intervene/bless.

In regard to worrying about what we drink, eat and wear, these are three common "gods"! We can focus on these to such an extent that we forget to thank and honor the One who has provided them for us.

Do you think that when Jesus said we are not to worry about food that it meant we should have no concerns about whether we are eating something that supports health or destroys health?

I do not.

I am grateful that He has provided very good food for most of us and that some of us know how to eat well and how to use the strength and energy we get from our food to glorify Him!

Isn't it wonderful that one does not need to be wealthy to eat the best foods???

I don't even know Mr. Grease. How could he possibly hurt me?

I looked up intercede in the dictionary. It means to mediate, to come between. That's why it didn't make sense to me. What you meant was you want God to come between you and the other person, whoever it might be who you feel has a problem. Yes? No? (I might also be getting posters mixed up.)

I think things are as important as you want them to be, whether it's clothes, food, health, or religion. Any of them can come between you and God if you let them. Or at least appear to come between you and God. Still, if one focuses on these "appearances" then one isn't focused on God. They're distractions. Right? Who said pray without ceasing? I tend to think any prayer but "Thank you" and "God's will be done" is ego trying to get its way. If God is God, then God knows what's he's doing.

I tried to post, and it said I had too many quotes embedded. Okay. Time to get out the machete and cut away some stuff....hope I don't kill the thread.

I am trying not to be confused, Agnes.

The one who intercedes prays on behalf of another. You are standing between God and another person and asking God to help that person.

I agree with you in regard to the main ideas about praying. Yes, He knows what is best and we ask Him to bless according to His wisdom and power--not according to our ignorance and weakness.

Yes, I also think that we could permit anything to become a distraction--to come between us and God. We can be overly concerned about what we eat, drink or wear. We can also be overly concerned about our work, relationships etc.

1 Thessalonians 5.16 Be joyful always; 17 pray continually; 18 give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. (NIV)

Hmmm. I don't think I like the interceding thing--the idea of standing between God and someone just rings wrong to me. If we think we need to do that, we've already judged the person and found him lacking. Better to pray for forgiveness for ourselves, no? God will help a person who needs it according to his plan. We don't even need to ask because that's all there is. God's plan. Right? Be joyful always. Give thanks in all circumstances--all, not just the ones we like. You see someone dancing on the edge of a cliff, so are you afraid or thankful?

Listen to the silence between our thoughts where ego fears to tread. The still voice eliminates confusion.

1 Timothy 5.1 I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone-- (NIV)

God said it. That settles it.

So we could pray, "Thank you for my brother. Bless him. Your will is done."

The most important commandment is love God. The second is love others as yourself. Spirit and matter. Looking around, a wise man once said, "All is vanity and vexation of spirit." Everything is meaningless. And where is the kingdom of God?

Back to where this started.
God allowed Jesus to be taken up to the edge to be tempted. But Jesus knew God has nothing to prove. http://mckenziestudycenter.org/2001/02/testing-god/
http://mckenziestudycenter.org/2001/02/ ... -the-line/

Of course we can choose to eat the McDougall diet because we like it or in the hopes of a healthier body/life, but if God is God, and if God wants a McDougaller to drop dead tomorrow, what do you think will happen? Aren't we still testing God by bringing him into this? I don't know...

I don't think I've ever seen Dr. McDougall say to follow his dietary guidelines because that's what God wants you to do. He's worked with Seventh Day Adventists, but I don't really see him promoting a religious argument. I don't know what McDougall's personal religious convictions might be or what he'd make of the jumping off analogy.

Just my thoughts. And tomorrow is another day.

The world is a crazy place, and now that old Billy Preston song is in my head: I got a song; I ain't got no melody; I'm gonna sing it to my friends. Will it go 'round in circles? Will it fly high like a bird up in the sky?

Anyone remember that one?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=un63LEAN22E

Now that's what I call orange.