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Home My WebLink AboutThe Citizen, 2003-01-29, Page 12PAGE 12. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 29, 2003. From the Minister’s Study Overcoming those sugar blues By Rev. Eugen Bannerman Blyth United Church Jesus had a twofold purpose in his earthly ministry. One was to talk about the coming kingdom of God. The other was to bring health to people in need of healing. The church has usually focused on its spiritual mission to the neglect of the physical. But as leaders of the church, I believe it is also vital to stress the importance of physical well-being as we go about our spiritual business. From one point of view, what Jesus accomplished as a healer was not very different from what modern doctors do. But Jesus seemed to do it much quicker, making people gasp at his miraculous powers. However, Jesus did not cure every person who came to him for healing. One evening the villagers brought all their sick to Jesus, and that he only healed many of them (Mark 1: 32- 34). I am sure if Jesus were around today, he would not only travel about healing people, but he would prescribe preventive measures to forestall sickness. Let me give you a modern example of what I mean. My story deals with a particular kind of illness, those downward spirals into depression also known as “sugar blues,” and the program of recovery suggested by Adele Puhn. A couple of years ago, I picked up a pocketbook someone had left behind. At first, the title turned me off: The 5 Day Miracle Diet by Adele Puhn, a certified nutrition specialist. Any diet that only takes five days for a miracle to happen is hardly worth reading, I told myself. But I read on. Work with your body chemistry to conquer food cravings, and have more energy than you ’ve ever had in your life! It sounded preposterous. But wasn’t that exactly what many of us are looking for? More energy? More energy than we had in our youth? There’s nothing like the feeling of well-being, the energy, and the vitality that come from living in good blood sugar - not to mention the delight as your weight drops off! 1 was hooked. I wanted to know more, is Puhn telling the truth? The book was offering hope, a physiological paradise of well-being, and control over one’s emotions. Isn’t this why Jesus healed people, I said to myself, so they would be physically well and re-energized for life? Most of us live in low blood sugar. It is true. .4 glucose or sugar tolerance test might not show that you’re hypoglycemic, but you might as well be. The way you eat. the types of food you eat, and the times you eat - all these factors make for highs and lows the whole day through. Take away the low blood sugar levels in your body and you will lose the physiological cravings for starches, sweets, alcohol, caffeine and fats. And then Puhn made a promise that set my brain cells tingling with anticipation. If you follow the diet for five days, she said: You will have more energy than you have ever had in your life. You will be more focused and experience ji greater sense of well-being than you 're ever thought possible. I decided to try it and within days, felt immensely different. 1 couldn’t believe the improvement in my moods and level of energy. And it all happened in less than a week. Puhn had spoken the truth for me and my condition of binging on sweets. Since’ than I have had more sustained energy, vitality, optimism, and overall sense of well-being than I can recall in my whole life. Let me briefly explain the biology behind the program. The problem for most of us is low blood sugar, or as Puhn calls it, “bad blood sugar.” We don’t have enough natural sugars in our blood from fruits and vegetables, so we crave sweets, starches, candies, chocolates. Sweets give us an immediate high, and a momentary sense of energy, but they fill the blood with sugars, and the brain sets off an alarm: Sugar Overload. Glucose Overload. To correct the imbalance, the pancreas releases insulin to break down and get rid of the sugar. And when the sugars go, this leaves us, once again, emotionally low. So we crave more sweets to catch up. A vicious cycle begins to affect our moods: sugar highs, then sugar blues, a daily recurring rhythm of trouble. Puhn’s plan is simple. Eat those foods that keep your blood sugar and insulin levels balanced. The five-day diet is designed to give you good, wholesome foods, and in the process, to reduce your cravings for sweets, starches and carbohydrates. What is the connection between Adele Puhn’s miracle diet and the healing ministry of Jesus? Jesus said, “1 am come that they might have life, and have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10). The context of Jesus’s teaching suggests he was referring to the life of the physical body, this biological life, this physical life God breathed into us at creation. I believe Jesus came to bring us the good life, the healthy life, the abundant life, the life of physical well-being. Not the life of lethargy, crankiness, mood swings, heart palpitations, dizziness. None of these conditions help us to live up to our full potential. None of these symptoms convey the glory,of the the divine image within us. I believe Jesus healed people so they would be more energetic, more productive in their communities, less demanding of their parents and caregivers, and hence more focused on the coming kingdom of God that Jesus was introducing to the world. I think Adele Puhn is a modern day exponent of that abundant, beautiful life that Jesus was talking about. Bim'mimiiHiHtsi "F.O.L.L.O.W. ME pt. 1: Faith & Obedience” An exciting variety of uplifting Christian music!S,__________ !•*§ 10:30 a.m. ~ Worship & Sunday School ji? at Blyth Public corner of King 3 3 3 3 3 3 School, I r 9 & Mill |CM £ 8| Pastor: Ernest Dow ~ 523-4848 b www.tcc.on.ca/~dowfam f St. Michael's Roman Catholic Church 254 Drummond St. E., Blyth Sunday Mass 9:00 a.m. Father Lance Magdziak, Pastor 519-527-0142 email: stjames@rcec.london.on.ca THE ANGLICAN CHURCH OF CANADA 'WeterMteb (fuc to ccwte ami awta/ofz c&if/r Sunday, February 2 MORNING PRAYER - 4™ SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY Tr/n/ty Vesfty meeting after the service i Trinity, Blyth St. John's, Brussels O- 9:30 a.m. 11:15 a.m. The Rev. Tom Wilson, B.A., MDiv. 887-9273 ? HURON CHAPEL EVANGELICAL 1 MISSIONARY CHURCH Auburn -526-1131 PASTOR DAVE WOOD - 523-4941 Jou arc ‘iVdcomc at the BLYTH COMMUNITY CHURCH OF GOD 10:00 a.m. - Sunday School for all ages 11:00 a.m. - Morning Worship (Junior Church during service) 7:30 p.m. - Evening Worship Bible Studies - Wednesday morning 10 a.m. Wednesday evening 7:30 p.m. Phone 523-4590 308 Blyth Rd., Blyth Sunday 9:30 a.m. - Family Bible Hour 10:30 a.m. - Morning Worship Service 7:30 p.m. - Evening Worship Wednesday 7:00 - 8:30 p.m.- Crusaders & Youth 7:15 p.m. - Adult Bible Study ccd- far cwvtdAc^ Blyth United Church Corner of Dinsley & Mill Street Sunday, February 2 Worship Service & Sunday School Sunday, February 2 Morning Worship Service -10 a.m. Evening Worship Service - 7:30 p.m. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. ~ 1 Corinthians 15:58 BLYTH CHRISTIAN REFORMED CHURCH 11:00 a.m.A Hwy. 4, Blyth 523-9233 Wheelchair accessible "Where did Jesus get his letters?" z/ZZ TUelewte Minister: Rev. Dr. Eugen Bannerman Office: 523-4224 MELVILLE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH BRUSSELS 11:00 a.m. - Morning Service - Sunday School 9:30 a.m. - Belgrave Service Wheelchair accessible Nursery care available Rev. Cathrine Campbell - 887-9831 BRUSSELS - ETHEL PASTORAL CHARGE UNITED CHURCH OF CANADA Joan Golden - Diaconal Student Minister Church Office 887-6259 E-mail - bepc@wcl.on.ca February 2 Ethel United Church 9:30 a.m. Worship Service & Sunday School Brussels United Church 11:00 a.m. Worship Service & Sunday School Come to celebrate with us the starlight and wonder in this Season of Epiphany (oCCowing in tfie footsteps Ethel Brussels Mennonite Fellowship invites you to Worship at 9:30 a.m. Sunday School 11:00 a.m. (for all ages) Pastor Brent Kipfer 887-6388 Cornerstone Bible Communion - 9:45 - 10:30 Family Bible Hour and Sunday School ~ 11:00 - 12:00 Prayer & Bible Study ~ Tuesday 8 p.m. Ladies' Time Out - The last Thursday of each month 7:30 - 9:00 p.m. - starting again February 27 John 14:6 - Jesus said, “I am the WAY, the TRUTH and the LIFE, no one comes to the Father, but through Me." Everyone Welcome Call Pastor Andrew Thursdays or Fridays at 887-6123