How Christians Should Eat Meat

“You may eat meat whenever you have the desire.” Deuteronomy 12:20b Yep, that’s in the Bible. You may eat meat whenever you have the desire. After my last blog post, my father and brother were shocked and appalled. “Jarrod has gone vegetarian!” their text messages lamented. But let me set the record […]

What Granddaddy Shared with Me

Granddaddy was raised in a family that was not very affectionate. He did not often hear the words, “I love you,” growing up, and there wasn’t much tenderness in his family. When he married my grandmother and became a father, he had a lot to learn in that department. He often struggled to show his […]

Two Things I Learned Through My Medical Malady Mystery

The morning after Christmas I was standing in an airport terminal, waiting for my wife and kids to get back from getting coffee, when a thought occurred to me: I’m going to end up in the emergency room before this day is over. We were traveling to San Diego to spend some holiday time […]

Recipe: Roasted Brussels Sprouts

I remember eating Brussels sprouts just once growing up, and hating them. I believe they were boiled, or maybe steamed. Either way, I remember them being stinky, mushy, and gross. It’s no wonder I didn’t try them again until just a few years ago. But I have learned a secret about Brussels sprouts, one I’m […]

The Reality of Resurrection: God and Healthy Bodies, part four

[Note: this is part four of a four part series on a Christian theology of physical health. Part one can be read here, part two can be read here, and part three can be read here.] A few years ago I had a ministerial intern serving alongside me named Adam. One Sunday morning Adam […]

Daniel’s Diet: God and Healthy Bodies, part three

[Note: this is the third in a four part series developing a theology of physical health. You can find the first part here, and the second part here.] When Daniel sat down at the table that first night, I’m sure he could not believe his eyes. Captured and taken to Babylon, enslaved for the […]

Jesus’ Question: God and Healthy Bodies, part two

[Note: This is the second of a four part series developing a Christian theology of physical health. See here for part one. The three points you need to understand going forward are: 1) Your body is not your own, but God’s. 2) God likes your body. 3) You are supposed to use your body to […]

In Your Body: God and Physical Health, part one

We were hiking out of Linville Gorge, up Table Rock Mountain, when I had an epiphany: this was not as easy as it used to be. When I was in college, I did a lot of camping and hiking. My buddy David and I would drop everything and take off for the mountains at a […]