Last year’s journey through cancer treatment and recovery has led me to a place I would willingly choose to be on very rare occasions – exercise! Somehow exercise never developed into a passion for me as it seemingly has for some. In fact, I would say I have a true disdain for it. Oh, I’ve ventured into fitness programs before, gotten tired and sweaty playing sports, and done a meager portion of running, walking, and biking over the years. It just never developed into something I looked forward to doing at this point in life.
It wasn’t until this past Christmas while shopping at the local mall that I realized I had not recovered to even my baseline, non-exercising, couch potato level. At that point even I recognized the need to move it, move it! Fortunately, UHS offers a wonderful opportunity - a 12 week fitness program for free called the HOPE Program (Helping Oncology Patients Exercise). I obtained the necessary referral from my primary care provider and, with my cancer excuse in hand, I signed up. I’m glad I did. I’m 4 weeks in and it has reinforced what we all know, exercise is good for the body, mind, and spirit.
As I watch and read about the condition of the world around me, local and global, it is plainly obvious that we have fallen well below our baseline psychologically, socially, relationally, politically – basically anything ending in –ly you can think of. Science is important when it relates to climate change but not when it applies to gender issues. Education used to be about “reading, writing, and arithmetic” until it became indoctrination and usurping parental authority. Marriage from its origin was always a function of religion until governments began regulating it. Fathering used to be an essential part of rearing healthy children until entitlement programs began rewarding single moms to have more children.
The world is turning upside down but what is most astounding is the level of spiritual depravity our society has arrived at. The enemy is not people, they and we are but the victims of a major battle raging in a spiritual realm which we are mostly oblivious to, a battle for the souls of men and women, boys and girls. There is a cancer attacking our culture, our civilization and it’s called *evil* and it results in and from *sin*. We desperately need something to get us back in shape. There is another HOPE program but this one is not sponsored by UHS, it is brought to us by the one true God and His plan for redemption or salvation for everyone.
The world is turning upside down but what is most astounding is the level of spiritual depravity our society has arrived at. The enemy is not people, they and we are but the victims of a major battle raging in a spiritual realm which we are mostly oblivious to, a battle for the souls of men and women, boys and girls. There is a cancer attacking our culture, our civilization and it’s called *evil* and it results in and from *sin*. We desperately need something to get us back in shape. There is another HOPE program but this one is not sponsored by UHS, it is brought to us by the one true God and His plan for redemption or salvation for everyone.
It is time for some very real assessment of our individual and collective spiritual health. If we were to take all the signs and symptoms on full display around us (and they are easy to observe, brought into our homes by all kinds of media devices and into our heads by constant repetition) and if we charted the decline, we would see we have surpassed the tipping point and there is not going to be a good ending, sooner than we care to believe.
In my personal assessment conducted regularly for many years now, I have concluded repeatedly that God’s HOPE program is powerful, reliable, and true. It has been my desire to know this God, this Jesus through more than the superficial religious rituals and exercises I was raised on. If you are reading this, most likely you are a dear friend and someone I care deeply about. My question is, are you in shape? Are you ready spiritually for what is coming at us full speed? Do you need the best HOPE program ever designed, free for the rest of your earthly life and then free for all eternity?
I’d love to speak to you in person if I can help along these lines. I’d be honored to be your “primary care provider” if you need a referral!
