"The Glory of God is Man Fully Alive"

Near the end of the 2nd century A.D., a bishop named Irenaeus wrote a classic Christian book from Lyons, a city in France. The book was called Against Heresies. In it Irenaeus uttered this wonderful phrase, "The glory of God is man fully alive."

There is a great deal of meaning packed into these words. At the very least, Irenaeus is arguing for fully integrated Christian lives - lives that do not separate the spiritual from the material, as if God is only interested in our "spirits," but is unconcerned with our bodies or our emotions.

About a decade ago Pastor Bill Hybels, from Willowcreek Church, updated Irenaeus' words by using the illustration of dashboard warning lights. Hybels said that most Christians pay attention to only one warning light on the dashboard - the spiritual warning light. So if you ask us Christians about our relationship with God, we will often focus our attention on our devotional lives, whether we have sinned, and whether we have been experiencing God's voice or God's presence.

But there are other lights on the dashboard. There is the warning light of our bodies, the warning light of our emotions, and the warning light of our relationships. Just because you are having great devotions doesn't mean that your emotions or your body isn't saying, "Danger, Maintenance Needed!" Eventually, neglect of these other warning signals will lead to disaster in every realm, including the so-called "spiritual realm."

To put it plainly, every part of our lives is "spiritual." Everything - our emotions such as anger, fear, joy, anxiety, grief and sadness, are of interest to God. Likewise, our blood pressure, pulse rate, body fat, tension headaches, sleep habits, and aerobic fitness is also of interest to God. God is interested in our credit card debt, our reading and our television watching.

This New Year why not set as a goal to glorify God by becoming fully alive. Here are a few brief suggestions:

1. In the realm of your body (and remember we are inescapably "bodily," our eternal state is spent in resurrected bodies), consider

   • Partnering with a few friends or your small group in losing some excess weight. Our staff at Vineyard is going to engage in a staff "Biggest Loser" contest (for weight loss).

   • Joining a smoking cessation group.

   • Joining a gym with a friend and hold each other accountable to go.

2. In the realm of your spirit, consider:

   • Attending our Morning Chapel once or twice a week. We meet weekdays at 7:00 a.m. for an hour of Bible reading, prayer, and communion. No knowledge of scripture is required. This is for everyone!

   • Purchasing The Book of Common Prayer (Anglican) to assist you with your prayers, and Search the Scriptures (InterVarsity) to assist you with Bible study.

3. In the realm of your emotions, consider:

   • Making a list of things that fuel you emotionally. God directed me to do this about fifteen years ago. On my list were such things as taking walks with my wife, getting together with good friends, reading for pleasure, and not for purpose, and going to the gym. What is on your list?

To assist you to become "fully alive" in 2006, Vineyard is hosting a free seminar titled "Embrace Health" on Saturday, January 28, 2006. Vineyard pastors and professional counselors will teach you how to make changes that will move you to health and wholeness. Breakout sessions will include:

• Smoking Cessation
• Weight Loss
• Improving Physical Health and Exercise
• Overcoming Depression
• Breaking Addictions to Alochol and Drugs
• Building Spiritual Disciplines
• Controlling Spending Habits

You can register for this seminar by contacting Ruthmary Mangan, at 890.0000, ext. 4094.

Why not commit to glorifying God this year by becoming "fully alive"?