Men's Health (Jan/Feb 2018)

SEVEN PROMISE KEEPERS CANADA

MEN / GOD / LIFE

STRESS LESS

SHOULDERING STRESS ISN’T MACHO . . . IT’S LOCO

MEN’S

HEALTH ARE WE HONOURING GOD WITH OUR HEALTH?

JAN / FEB 2018 ISSUE 58 NEWSSTAND PRICE CDN $4.95

THE VICES WE’D LIKE TO FORGET ARE ALL SINS CREATED EQUAL?

Why do we do it?

Because others can’t or won’t.

Because liking something on Facebook just won’t get it done.

Because we’re serious about fulfilling the Great Commission.

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Help change a life tomorrow.

We do it BECAUSE WE CAN.

A fun way for you and your family, class, or small group to help keep MAF planes flying.

Learn more about Mission Aviation Fellowship and our vision of seeing isolated people physically and spiritually transformed in Christ’s name.

Order your MAF jerrycan collection box online at mafc.org/fuelforlife or call us toll-free: 1.877.351.9344.

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2 SEVEN JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2018

CONTENTS

16

COLUMNS 6 // PK Podium Nobody Warned Me 8 // Lives Worth Leading No Littering in the Temple 30 // Sports Scene Hockey Dynasty Built on Faith

FEATURES 16 #HOPE As a high school and college student in southern Ontario, Nick Pegg kept bottled up inside himself a fixation with death —until he finally found the courage and the honesty to seek help. “One of the craziest, most impactful moments in my life was admitting to another man that I wasn’t OK.”

19 BEARDED GOSPEL You can brush and oil and stare at it all you want, but true beardliness starts from the inside. Here’s how you can eat your way to a better beard.

20 SELECTIVELY SINFUL

20

We as Christians have long been big supporters of a multi-tiered system of judgment. No one questions the truth of “thou shalt not steal,” but very few seem to show the same concern when friends seem intent on eating themselves into an early grave.

32 // The Single Life Stay Vigilant 33 // Out of My Depth Healthy Lifestyle or Expensive Distraction?

DEPARTMENTS 10 // The Pulse Bits. Blips. Beats. Blurbs.

14 // Music Reviews The Color, Brandon Heath, Carrollton 34 // Power Play Toys. Tools. Technology.

26 STRESS-LESS

26

Picture how satisfying life would be if you didn’t waste your energy on pleasing others to win their approval, or producing results beyond your control. When a man fears losing his job, sometimes the real stress is struggling with the feeling of invalidation.

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2018 SEVEN 3

ON THE COVER

SEVEN is a Christian magazine for Canadian men that exists to help men lead more fulfilling lives and leave enduring legacies.

MEN’S HEALTH

Our bodies are temples, yet we can so easily setting and following healthy disciplines, even as we miss out on opportunities to glorify God through our physical, spiritual and emotional health.

The name reflects the seven promises that form the basis of the Promise Keepers organization, which works with churches to minister to men across Canada.

1 // A promise keeper is committed to honouring Jesus Christ through worship, prayer, and obedience to God’s Word in the power of the Spirit.

2 // A promise keeper is committed to pursuing Christ-centred friendships with a few other men, connecting regularly, understanding that he needs brothers to help him keep his promises.

3 // A promise keeper is committed to practicing biblical integrity: spiritually, morally, ethically and sexually.

4 // A promise keeper is committed to strengthening families and marriages through love, honour, protection, and biblical values.

5 // A promise keeper is committed to supporting the mission of his church by honouring and praying for his pastor, and by actively giving his time and resources.

6 // A promise keeper is committed to reaching beyond racial, social, economic, generational, and denominational barriers to demonstrate that power of biblical unity.

7 // A promise keeper is committed to influencing the world by his fervent love for God while loving his neighbour, seeking justice for the poor and oppressed, and making disciples of Jesus Christ.

Publisher PROMISE KEEPERS CANADA

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD

EDITORIAL

PROMISE KEEPERS CANADA

Editorial Director JEFF STEARNS

KIRK GILES

Questions and comments

Box 20099 RPO Brant Hills

Managing Editor STEVEN SUKKAU

Promise Keepers Canada

regarding editorial can be sent

Burlington, ON L7P 0A4

to ssukkau@promisekeepers.ca,

(905) 331-1830 info@promisekeepers.ca

ADVERTISING

JEFF STEARNS

or mailed to Promise Keepers

RICK VERKERK

Promise Keepers Canada

Canada at the address provided.

rick@promisekeepers.ca 1-888-901-9700

MATT BREIMER

Postmaster, please send DESIGN

address changes to:

DEVON WAGENAAR

Box 20099 RPO Brant Hills,

STEVEN SUKKAU

Devon J Andrew Design Inc.

Burlington, ON L7P 0A4

Promise Keepers Canada

djadesign.ca

ISSN 1916-8403

Promise Keepers Canada

The PK Canada logo features a maple leaf, indicating our dedication to serve the men of Canada.

An arrow breaks into the maple leaf symbolizing the impact we believe God wants to see Promise Keepers and men making in our nation. A special thank-you to all the pastors who continually encourage us to communicate God’s truth with grace and love.

4 SEVEN JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2018

THE FAITHLIFE FINANCIAL DIFFERENCE

Money, Faith & You You believe faith and finances go together. So do we.

Let’s start a new conversation about being wise with money and how generosity is an expression of your faith.

To learn more about blending faith and finances and to receive a FREE copy of YOUR NEW MONEY MINDSET VISIT

faithlifefinancial.ca (while quantities last)

FaithLife Financial is a financial services organization that helps Christians blend faith and finances to be wise with money and live generously – serving God, families and communities.

PROTECTI NG FINANCIAL FUTURES

•

LIVING CHRISTIAN VALUES

•

BUILDING A BETTER WORLD

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2018 SEVEN 5

PK PODIUM

I WISH SOMEONE WOULD HAVE WARNED ME CARETAKER OF THE TEMPLE

BY KIRK GILES

W

hen I was a teenager, I could eat almost anything I wanted to eat—and I could eat as much as I wanted to eat. Late night pizza, cream pies, and bacon—lots of bacon—were all part of the normal routines. As I moved towards my adult years, those same patterns continued and I did not give them a second thought until one day when my kids came home from school.

One of our children drew a picture of our family. As I stared at the stick figure handiwork of my son, I could make out everyone in the family except for me. I asked my son where I was and he pointed to the person in the middle who looked more like a tire than a stick figure.

Nobody warned me of (or I was not paying attention to) the effects on my life and body from when I would eat too much food, too much of the wrong food, and fail to exercise regularly.

However, there was so much more happening than just the effect on my physical body. What I truly failed to believe is that my body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, and that God entrusts to me the responsibility to care for this body that He dwells in. I was unintentionally damaging my own ability to have a great physical life AND a great spiritual life.

Fortunately, there are far more conversations today about health than there were even 20 years ago. There are far more resources available to help you pursue healthy living.

This edition of SEVEN is going to pursue the topic of Men and Health.

I recognize that some of you may be reading this and you are already experiencing some difficult health issues that may be out of your control.

The Bible teaches us that as important as our bodies are, they are still only temporary. Our hope is not in our health, but our hope is in the One who is our healer and who will ultimately resurrect us.

Some readers will find themselves in my story. You may find yourself in a difficult health situation, but there is still something you can do about it. I want to encourage you to discipline yourself and care for the body God has given to you—by the power of the Spirit of God, you can do this!

You may already be healthy, and think this edition of the magazine is not for you. I want to encourage you to not take your health for granted. Be grateful for it every day, and be disciplined to care for your body. You will thank yourself in the future, and you will also be honouring God with your choices.

As your brother in Christ, I urge you to care for your health. You will bless yourself, your family, and God when you do this.

6 SEVEN JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2018

KIRK GILES is the president of Promise Keepers Canada.

However, his most important roles as a man are husband to Shannon and father to Carter, Joshua, Sydney and Samuel.

All of life is ministry “I think every believer is called to be in fulltime ministry whatever their life situation.”

Caleb Courtney [MTS] is a husband, father of four, high school teacher, worship leader and just completed the Master of Theological Studies program. He knew he could only afford a one-year leave to complete his masters, so he began planning a few years ago. Caleb has seen God open every door along the way. A percentage of Caleb’s salary was saved to fund a leave from his teaching job, and he received scholarships and awards. He also took advantage of flexible course modes such as online, evening and one-week intensives. This made it possible for him to still put his family time first.

Caleb is now returning to work and plans to take on more of a teaching role at his church.

“People have this idea of full-time ministry as being full-time in a church,” he says.

“I think every believer is called to be in fulltime ministry whatever their life situation.”

Tyndale offers flexible full-time and part-time study options to meet your needs.

Learn more. Visit Tyndale.ca or call 1.877.TYNDALE. JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2018 SEVEN 7

LIVES WORTH LEADING

NO LITTERING IN THE TEMPLE

HEALTH IS A GIFT TO GLORIFY GOD

BY COLIN MCCARTNEY

I

have a cool idea. I’m thinking of getting a tattoo emblazoned on my stomach saying; “Do Not Litter” in cool gothic font.

Awesome eh?

It could be all the rage with cool, Christian hipsters with their flowing beards, skinny jeans and tattoos.

The only problem is I can’t fit into skinny jeans.

Anyway, back to my story. I envision walking down a beach and everyone staring at my stomach tattoo. I stop to tell them its meaning explaining to them that my body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. Then I have a reality check and foresee myself talking to them in between mouthfuls of a hot dog and potato chips. Mmm I love hot dogs with mustard and ketchup and a good bag of chips along with a nice ice—cold Coke.

And, there in lies my problem and most likely your problem too—many of us don’t take good care of ourselves.

Which, truth be told, must be a slap in God’s face since he created us as his workmanship to do good works (See Ephesians 2:10). A healthy body allows us to serve God and others at peak efficiency to the glory our Father (Matthew 5:16).

What a gift it is to surrender our bodies to God which, we are told, is our true spiritual worship (Romans 12:1). I wonder what type of worship I am involved in with this body I surrender to God? Health is a gift to enjoy that we can utilize to bring God glory.

God’s Word tells us our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit (1

8 SEVEN JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2018

Corinthians 6:19). So, why do we litter so much in the temple? A healthy body leads to healthy spirituality. Our body, soul, spirit all affect each other—a wonderful three in one.

God values our bodies. He created them and desires health for our bodies.

It’s no surprise that Jesus performed miracles by restoring health to sick people. But truth be told—not many of us appreciate our health.

Think about your typical routine.

You rush out the door and grab a Timmies, “Double, Double” on the way to work. If your office is not on the ground floor you take the elevator— why take the stairs, right? You sit at a desk in front of a computer or some other form of solitary confinement all day. Then you drive home, eat dinner and sit on the couch in front of the TV to watch fit people run or skate around as you drink pop and eat chips.

Those of us with kids get back in the car and drive our kids to their game and watch them play while drinking another “Timmies” and a donut to boot (and we wonder where the word “Daddy’s body” came from).

Sound familiar? It is to me. I take my health for granted… that is until I get sick. That is when the “Big Scare” happens. You know what the “Big Scare” is? It’s when we get sick or are involved in an accident and all of a sudden health matters. Good eating and exercise becomes something we wish we took seriously.

I’ve had my share of “Big Scares” in my life—putting a hole in a kidney from a ski accident, flesh eating disease from mouldy hockey gear,

Crohn’s Disease, a broken neck from an ocean wave (who needs a tattoo when you have a cool scar on your neck like I do) and now—drum roll please—“Kidney Stones”.

As I write these words I’m hopped up on drugs recovering from a painful bout of “Kidney Stones” and wishing I took better care of my temple. It’s at this time I wish I cut back on my salt intake.

I know this now thanks to my family who told me too much salt is a pre— curser for developing kidney stones.

Yes, they googled kidney stones while I writhed in excruciating pain in the emergency room. I love my family but at that time I didn’t need to hear their laughing as they reminded me of how much salt I pour on my steaks, fries, potatoes, eggs, vegetables and... well you get the drift.

Yes, the “Big Scare” speaks to me again. Will I listen?

How about you? Will you listen to your weight scale, your doctor, your wife, your body, your God? Though these verses refer to sexual sin I believe they can also relate to our physical health: “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies” (1 Corinthians 6:19, 20).

Yes, let’s honour God with our bodies in holiness and holy health— no littering in the temple. Maybe I should get that tattoo after all?

/ COLIN MCCARTNEY is an ordained minister, speaker, and a bestselling author. He is also the founder of UrbanPromise Toronto and now leads Connect Ministries in Toronto where he, his wife Judith, and their two children

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THE PULSE

BITS / BLIPS / BEATS / BLURBS THE LATEST NEWS FROM PROMISE KEEPERS CANADA ALL IN NATIONAL CONFERENCES HERE’S WHAT ATTENDEES AT OUR FALL ALL IN EVENTS HAD TO SAY:

BITS / BLIPS / BEATS / BLURBS

/ THE SPEAKERS captured the spirit of what I and my family needed. I was moved, educated and challenged to grow and get closer to God.

10 SEVEN JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2018

/ I REALLY appreciate the worship time.

Fantastic musicians that clearly love to worship and lead others in worship. I was glad to bring 28 men to the conference this year. Last year I came with four of us. / VERY PROVOCATIVE, positive experience. The speaker and topics were relevant. Worship was one of the best sessions of the year. / GREAT TO see many men coming together in Christ. / LOVE THE conference, speakers were great!

Also, really like getting together in small groups, silent prayer, the venue and worship band were amazing!! Thanks PK. See you next year. / WONDERFUL EVENT. So glad to have this gift of God to share in learning and fellowship with other believing men. Reminds me that I am not alone and am amply supported in my walk with Christ and building up my faith.

NEW!

/ SPEAKERS ALL were excellent. Sensed the Spirit moving in a way that brought/tied messages together. / THE MUSIC worship was awesome!

The speakers were excellent! The teaching was awesome! / AWESOME TO be around so many Christian men and learn how to become closer to God. Excellent speakers. / MY SON and his friend (high school teens) came with me. This conference touches all ages.

FEB 23/24, 2018

National Conference

>> Ottawa, ON

MAR 3, 2018

National Conference

>> Saskatoon, SK

MAR 9/10, 2018

National Conference

>> Winnipeg, MB

MAR 16/17, 2018

National Conference

>> Edmonton, AB

MAR 23/24, 2018

National Conference

>> Regina, SK

>> Visit for more info or to register: www.promisekeepers.ca/all-in.

THIS IS ME TV SHAUN HOVER / WHEN SHAUN HOVER came to Christ in 2006 he gave Him everything, including his skateboard. Hover said "God, if you want me to skate then I'll skate and if you never want me to touch a board again then I'll never touch it again...I trust You". Ever since then, God has been using Hover's skateboarding for His glory, as a tool for building relationships and sharing the hope that Christ has given him.

TRIP LEE / IT WAS AFTER checking out youth group that Trip Lee encountered Jesus and a new hope for life. What surprised him was people were ok with him following Jesus; it was when he tried to actually do what Jesus said that they thought he was crazy. Today as a rapper, author and pastor he knows what it means to live in that new hope; he also knows what it means to deal with chronic sickness.

Trip Lee shares with us his story of faith and what it means to walk with Jesus when healing doesn’t come. >> Find more amazing episodes at www.thisismetv.com.

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2018 SEVEN 11

PODCASTS THE PROBLEM OF GOD: ANSWERING A SKEPTIC’S CHALLENGES TO CHRISTIANITY

/ MARK CLARK IS a skeptic who became a Christian and then a pastor, all while exploring answers to the most difficult questions raised against Christianity.

He grew up in an atheistic home, and after his father's death, began a skeptical search for truth through exploring science, philosophy, and history, asking the big questions of life, and eventually finding answers in Christianity. We talk with Mark about the importance of encouraging intellectual questioning and why belief in God and the Christian Faith is both rational and compelling.

A VISION BIGGER THAN YOU: ENCOURAGEMENT FOR YOUNG GUYS FROM PAUL DOWNER

/ PAUL DOWNER SERVES as the Director of Church Ministry for Discipleship Network of America. He has been leading, mentoring, and discipling high school students for many years. In this message, Paul encourages guys to live for a vision beyond themselves and build into the lives of others.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO STORE UP TREASURES IN HEAVEN?

GOD’S GRACE IS GREATER WITH KYLE IDLEMAN

/ THE WRITER OF the letter to the Hebrews said, “See to it that no one misses the grace of God.” Over the centuries much ink has been spilled on the subject of grace. Yet perhaps nothing is as hard to explain as God’s grace. It doesn’t make sense. It’s not fair.

It can’t possibly cover over what I’ve done. The best way–perhaps the only real way–to understand it is to experience it. But too often in our churches we’re not getting grace across and grace is not experienced.

Bestselling author and pastor Kyle Idleman joins us to talk about his latest book, Grace is Greater.

/ WE SIT DOWN for a conversation with Randy Alcorn, author of The Treasure Principle.

Jesus spent more time talking about money and possessions than about heaven and hell combined. But too often we’ve overlooked or misunderstood his most profound teaching on this topic, from his words in Matthew 6. Jesus offers us life-changing investment advice. He actually wants us to store up treasures for ourselves—just not here on earth. Instead, he urges us to store our treasure in heaven, where they will await us, and last forever. We can’t take it with us—but we can send it on ahead!

>> Find these and other podcasts at: www.promisekeepers.ca/podcast.

12 SEVEN JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2018

EMPOWERING THE ONLINE GENERATION WITH STORIES

THAT MATTER

WATCH FULL EPISODES AT

THISISMETV.COM JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2018 SEVEN 13

MUSIC REVIEWS

BY STEVEN SUKKAU

THE COLOR

BRANDON HEATH

CARROLLTON

FIRST DAY OF MY LIFE (The Color)

FAITH HOPE LOVE REPEAT (Provident Label Group)

EVERYTHING OR NOTHING (Centricity Music)

/ FROM HUMBLE small town roots to working with world-class producers in Nashville and collaborating with names like Michael W. Smith, The Color continues to evolve and hone their infectious high-energy pop sound.

Their latest offering, First Day Of My Life comes packed with happinessinducing tracks like ‘Surprise’ with masterful use of piano trills and funky guitar hooks. It pairs well with the lyrical themes of God’s loving and relational nature. As lead vocalist Jordan Janzen sings, “When you just can’t face tomorrow… When your faith is on the edge/Don’t be afraid to step/‘Cause even if you fail to fly/He’ll catch you by surprise.”

Elsewhere, the band touches on the unshakable confidence Christ gives us, like on ‘When you Speak’.

“Every time you open up Your mouth/Another miracle comes out… So why should I ever fear/If my Maker is standing near?”

On title track, ‘First Day of my Life’ the band moves into a psychedelic groove and breathes a fresh vision of starting anew, a startling, vivid picture of being born again.

“In a moment/All the colours I was blinded to/Came rushing in. I saw the whole world stop right in front of my eyes… I felt the waters wash over me it was like/The first day of my life.”

/ THE MANTRA, ‘Faith Hope Love Repeat’ is exactly the thing that gets through to a sleep-starved parent.

Makes sense given Brandon Heath’s sixth studio album is in response to learning he was going to be a dad.

Welcoming the arrival of our second kiddo, I can relate to the anxiety of brining children into our world of uncertainty and all the joy and fear that comes with it.

As Heath sings on the title track, “I wanna build four walls, keep you safe inside… I brought you into this world and I’m sorry it’s a little bit crazy/But I tell you there is so much good.”

With the overwhelming gloominess of the latest news headlines I was especially drawn to the audacity of ‘The Future Is Bright’. “…our destiny keeps calling… people lift your head/Know this is not the end/ We know what’s coming and the future is bright.”

Upbeat, full of warmth and stylish vocals, Heath infuses beautiful truth into the 11 tracks, with standouts like ‘Whole Heart’ as Heath sings, “The less I trust you, the less I grow” and “Where there’s hatred/You show me how kindness can move,” and the danceinducing ‘Got the Love’.

Parents this one is required listening, if not for the emotional encouragement, at least for the kitchen dance parties.

/ THE MEMBERS of Christian Folk/Rock quartet, Carrollton, is making a name for themselves with pounding anthems and sensitive lyrical musings.

Their sound is fresh and grounded in a mix of electric guitar and jangling piano, rooted in raw expressions of faith like on ‘Glimpses’ as lead vocalist and guitarist Justin Mosteller sings, “I’ve never seen Your power part the sea… I’m just looking for glimpses/But you stop my heart in the blink of an eye/In the miracle of a baby’s smile.”

Elsewhere, standout track, ’Shelter’ brings the full force of their arena rock and a keys-flying-off-the-piano chorus as Mosteller sings, “You’re my hope, my anchor in the storm/Your love unbreakable/ My helper, You are my shelter.”

Title track, ‘Everything or Nothing’ reflects on Christ’s most painful admonishment to be hot, as a luke-warm faith is simply offensive.

As Mosteller belts out, “there’s no hiding in the middle ground/Either fly or we fall/You have my attention/Oh I hear you now.”

The band is also comfortable slowing the pace with tender album closer ‘I Will Trust’ or acoustic ‘Rebuilder’.

Overall, Carrollton’s second studio album is quickly becoming a favourite, and should definitely be on any Christian rock fans’ radar if they like it loud and heartfelt.

/ STEVEN SUKKAU works in radio on the prairies of Southern Manitoba.

14 SEVEN JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2018

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1.800.772.3257 | abundance.ca JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2018 SEVEN 15

FEATURE

“It’s OK to not be OK” A VIRTUAL ONE-MAN OUTREACH OFFERS HOPE TO EMOTIONALLY TROUBLED YOUNG PEOPLE

BY FRANK STIRK

16 SEVEN JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2018

“ONE OF THE CRAZIEST, MOST IMPACTFUL MOMENTS IN MY LIFE WAS ADMITTING TO ANOTHER MAN THAT I WASN’T OK”

A

s a high school and college student in southern Ontario, Nick Pegg kept bottled up inside himself a fixation with death—until he finally found the courage and the honesty to seek help.

“One of the craziest, most impactful moments in my life was admitting to another man that I wasn’t OK,” says Pegg, who’s now 26. “I basically told my Dad, ‘Look, I’ve been thinking a lot about dying.’

It was one of the most freeing moments of my life to get to share that with someone.

It was the first time I ever chose to get over that idea that I’m not allowed to hurt.”

Along the way, too, Pegg became a follower of Jesus. Those two events combined to place a burden on his heart to tell other young people, harbouring the same harmful ideas, that they’re not alone and that there’s a way out that leads to an abundant life. Out of that came an unique Twitter-based outreach called Hashtag Hope. As its website explains, it’s “designed to spread the idea that there can be, and is, hope in life, that you

are significant to this world, and that you are loved so deeply.” And as its unofficial motto states, “It’s OK to not be OK.” Getting to this point was not without its pitfalls. Pegg says when he first began interacting via Twitter, with mostly young people who felt depressed or anxious, many were grateful that someone was actually willing to listen and talk to them. However, when he tried to bring Jesus into the conversation, he hit a brick wall. “People were not down for that idea at all,” he says.

That posed for Pegg a new obstacle to overcome: “How could I represent the gospel in a positive light yet still reach out to those around me for whom I have a heart for, who are feeling like they want to die? I said, ‘Well, what’s the gospel and what’s Jesus to me? It was this word— hope.’ It’s a very, very non-offensive word. Everyone wants a tangible hope in their life.”

The result was a new Twitter platform Pegg labeled #Hope. “Really quickly it became a brand, then it became a following,” he says. “I would start by

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2018 SEVEN 17

saying things—bigger ideas and deeper thoughts—and they started getting a lot of traction online.”

Pegg has also tried to connect with people by speaking in what he calls “fringe environments.” Last summer, he went across Canada with a touring metal band from Montreal.

He would go onstage ahead of the band and talk about why he chose not to kill himself. Then he invited people to come and talk with him further at a table set up in the bar. Most often those who responded either thanked him for his encouraging words or objected to him mentioning God. But not always. “Maybe one-in-seven would say, ‘Yeah, I want to die. I’ve been thinking about it for a long time.

What should I do?’ In that moment,” says Pegg, “I don’t focus on sharing the gospel with them but rather on having heart-to-heart conversations or trying to equip them with local resources in their area.” And whenever the conversation did take a serious spiritual turn, he would give them a Bible.

While “lots of girls” did come up to his table, Pegg says it was the young men who were the most responsive. “I think that because I’m a guy it’s mostly guys that feel OK coming to talk to me, especially in the bar environments where there just are more men to begin with.”

The fact remains, though, that men are more likely than females to need such forums where they’re encouraged to be honest with themselves. As the Canadian Mental Health Association has noted, “According to UK-based MaleHealth.com, men may feel it’s ‘weak and unmanly to admit to feelings of despair.’ Because it’s easier for men to acknowledge physical symptoms, rather than emotional ones, their mental health problems can go undiagnosed.”

It’s also a fact that among Canadians of all ages, four of every five suicide victims are male.

After more than four years of overseeing Hashtag Hope almost entirely by himself, Pegg thinks it may be time for him to slow down and look for other ways that he “can better help more people.”

“Our hands are open and we’re waiting for God to show us what’s next,” he says. “We don’t even have a charitable number. We are so blessed to have people who are donating to us monthly without a tax receipt and are willing to work and grow with us. That’s God. I’m just doing it because I see it as a crisis that I need to attend to. It’s in God’s hands completely.”

To learn more about Hashtag Hope, go to http://hashtaghope.ca/beta/.

/ FRANK STIRK is a Vancouver-based freelance writer with more than forty years experience as a print, radio and Internet journalist and editor

18 SEVEN JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2018

“OUR HANDS ARE OPEN AND WE’RE WAITING FOR GOD TO SHOW US WHAT’S NEXT”

FEATURE

THE BEARDED GOSPEL DIET

HOW TO EAT FOR BEARD GREATNESS You can brush and oil and stare at it all you want, but true beardliness starts from the inside. Here’s how you can eat your way to a better beard:

BY JARED BROCK

BOOST TESTOSTERONE You can promote beard growth by boosting your testosterone. Don’t get crazy with this, because superamped testosterone can elevate your risk of a heart attack. For creation-care purposes I’m recommending you generally avoid meat (beef especially), but there are plenty of other ways to get protein:

TOFU

Scared? Don’t be. Get the extra-firm organic stuff, slice it thin, and braise it with buffalo or barbecue sauce.

BEANS AND LENTILS Any kind. There are hundreds. I love black beans and chickpeas and red lentils.

SALMON Delicious and nutritious. Get it linecaught from Alaska. Failing that, shoot for the Pacific over the Atlantic. Fresh beats frozen. To keep those good fats from getting damaged, try it slow-baked or poached.

EGGS Hair is composed mainly of keratin, a protein made from amino acids. We can’t make our own aminos, so we need protein. Get free-range organic eggs, and cook them ever so lightly in order to keep that fatty yolk undamaged.

Try soft boiled, barely over easy, or my favorite, poached with lox and avocado.

IN ADDITION TO PROTEIN SUPPLEMENTS Don’t have time to create a totally balanced diet? Grab a high- performance multivitamin and add B12, biotin, and fish oil.

PUMPKIN SEEDS

Hair loss is often linked to low zinc levels, and these delicious green snacks are full of zinc. Get ’em raw and organic.

CINNAMON Killer antifungal/viral/oxidant that improves circulation to follicles. Add to desserts or stir into oatmeal or coffee.

ORANGE STUFF Vitamin A maintains skin tissue. You need vitamin A. Beta-carotene converts to vitamin A in your body. You need beta-carotene. You get it from orange stuff like pumpkins, carrots, papayas, and sweet potatoes.

Cheez Whiz doesn’t count.

BROCCOLI The ultimate green. Buy it organic, steam it gently, and squeeze a lemon on top.

SPINACH Think Popeye, but with a beard. Buy the organic stuff and add it to everything—scrambled eggs, smoothies, sandwiches, soups and stews, burgers. When we’re home, I make a greens pie about once a week.

Don’t like veggies? You can also lift weights to boost testosterone. But you really should do what your mama told ya and eat your greens. Real men listen to their mamas.

/ JARED BROCK is the author of Bearded Gospel Men and A Year of Living Prayerfully.

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2018 SEVEN 19

FEATURE

SELECTIVELY SINFUL DOUBLE STANDARDS AND THE CALL TO HEALTHY LIVING

BY ROB HORSLEY

20 SEVEN JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2018

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2018 SEVEN 21

I

magine yourself in the following scenario: you and a group of friends are out at a restaurant or pub enjoying some food and maybe a few refreshments. Everyone is having a great time, when one member of the group excuses himself to step outside.

“I’ll be back in a minute—just grabbing some ‘fresh air.’”

We all know what this means. Our friend has removed himself from the conversation to facilitate their dirty, disgusting, degrading smoking habit, and within a few minutes will return only to subject us to the stench of their smoke-ridden clothes and ashtray breath.

“Seems like a lot of trouble just to kill yourself,” we think to ourselves.

“I can’t believe anyone still does that,” we say to our other friends as the smoker leaves the table.

“Have you ever tried quitting?” we ask upon return, perhaps even out of genuine concern.

“It’s just so bad for you,” we say, knowing that our smoker friend will clearly see the error of their ways… *** Maybe the conversation doesn’t play out exactly this way in your particular circles, but it’s still true that we tend to judge smokers pretty harshly for their habits, especially nowadays. With all we know about how much harm smoking can do to your body, it’s hard not to speak up when we see a friend or family member subjecting themselves to something so medically hazardous. You might even say we have a responsibility to try to get people like these to clean themselves up.

Perhaps you’ve even been that person—the family member stepping outside while everyone else in the room manages their discomfort and tries to come up with something not too belittling, but still somewhat scolding, to say to you. Maybe you’ve been the friend who keeps doing the thing you know is bad for you, no matter how bad the people around you make you feel about it. Maybe you know what it’s like to feel that nagging sense of guilt or shame for succumbing to a vice you should have a handle on…but don’t.

But the thing is…why are we only talking about smoking here?

More and more doctors are saying that obesity can be just as hazardous, if not more so, than smoking. A 2015 study from Harvard University predicted that in just ten years, obesity will cause more cancers than tobacco usage in the United States and United Kingdom, and is already responsible for roughly 32,000 deaths each year in the UK alone.

Whereas the rates of male smokers has declined from 70 per cent down to about 20 since the 1960s, the rate of obesity has risen to the point where two-thirds of British adults are now considered overweight or obese, according

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to a report from The Guardian back in 2014. In Canada, those statistics are only slightly more positive.

According to Forbes, Canada ranks as 33rd on a list of the fattest countries on Earth, though that list is already more than ten years old. The most recent survey results from StatsCan tell us that more than 14 million Canadians over the age of 18 identified as being overweight or obese back in 2014, roughly 54 per cent of the population.

However, those stats are self-reported, meaning that they could be lower if we truly have been our own worst critics. But based on how little you might anecdotally hear about obesity as a serious health concern, my guess is that it’s likely higher.

“WHO DECIDES THAT KILLING YOUR BODY WITH TOBACCO IS WORSE THAN KILLING YOUR BODY WITH TRANS FATS?” “While one burger is not bad for you in the same way that one cigarette is, producers of bad food must be made ashamed for poisoning our bodies,” writes Denis Campbell, a health policy editor for The Guardian.

Words like these seem to suggest that the burden should fall more on the food producers for putting unhealthy meal and drink options in front of us, the consumer. And it’s an interesting thought to consider public service advisors going after the perpetrators of bad diets in the same way they targeted tobacco companies in decades past.

But again, we do the wrong thing all the time. So maybe it is our problem. *** It’s an odd thing to consider how we might chastise the smoker for filling himself with poison, while at the same time giving the glutton a free pass for doing basically the same thing. We feel emboldened to call out the smoker, while scolding the glutton seems somehow out of line. But why is this? Why do we stigmatize one group to such a greater extent than the other? Why are only some vices worth getting worked up about? And what are the flaws that you’re willing to overlook when it comes to calling out your friends?

Generally speaking, this should not come as a surprise—we do this all the time. We as Christians have

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2018 SEVEN 23

“THE WHOLE CONCEPT OF SIN BECOMES PRETTY ARBITRARY WHEN WE START CREATING A ‘SOME SINS ARE NOT AS SINFUL AS OTHERS’ OUTLOOK TO HOW WE HOLD EACH OTHER ACCOUNTABLE.” long been big supporters of a multi-tiered system of judgment. No one questions the truth of “thou shalt not steal,” but very few seem to show the same concern when a friend lends them a USB stick jam-packed with the latest bootlegged season of their favourite show. There are plenty of sins— things like greed, envy, and covetousness—that we ignore, normalize, or even celebrate within our culture.

We look at someone who’s never satisfied with where they are or what they already have and say, “There’s a guy that’s driven to succeed.”

We see the guy who’s first in and last out at the office and admire him for having a ‘good work ethic,’ even if it comes at the expense of his relationship with his wife and kids at home.

A man who’s ambitious and a man who’s ungrateful can, and often are, the same person. Maybe those big dreams are the natural tendency of someone who hasn’t learned to stop and say, “Thank you.”

Obviously, nobody mentioned above should be considered a ‘bad person.’ Most days, we’re all just trying to do our best. But we’re left with an interesting logical conundrum if we suddenly decide to convict some for their sins and let others slide. The whole concept of sin becomes pretty arbitrary when we start creating a ‘some sins are not as sinful as others’ outlook to how we hold each other accountable.

24 SEVEN JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2018

Who decides that killing your body with tobacco is worse than killing your body with trans fats? *** When we ask the question of why we let certain sins go unchecked, it should be pretty obvious: because we’ve always done it. We’re experts at pointing at specks while leaving our own ocular logs right where they are. But how do we proceed from here? Do we advocate for a system of hyper-legalism wherein we chastise everyone for everything all the time? Or do we just stop caring about everything and let everybody off the hook?

It’s probably more helpful to understand why taking care of our bodies is not just a good thing to do, but a godly thing to do.

Here’s the thing—if you eat poorly, you’re probably going to die sooner than if you eat healthy, simple as that.

If you smoke, it’s the same thing. But it can be difficult to know how much of that commitment to bodily health is biblical and how much is cultural, when you consider that the standard of health and/or beauty can vary widely depending where in the world you are. Being ‘overweight’ in one country might just mean ‘not starving to death’ in another.

It can be really difficult to see the line between making healthy choices for the sake of “honouring God with your body” (1 Corinthians 6, which, it should be noted, is part of a passage referring specifically to sexual immorality), and making healthy choices for the sake of having a ‘rockin’ beach bod.’”

It gets especially hard to start making biblically defined statements about gluttony when a lot of the verses that speak against it have as much to do with the idolatry of eating than eating itself. Take For example, a verse like Philippians 3:19 which says: “They are headed for destruction. Their God is their appetite…”

It might be easy to read these and appropriate a verse like this towards some culturally motivated commitment to fitness, but taken in context, these words seem to suggest something bigger than just being fat.

Paul tells the church in Philippi that he himself, even as an apostle of Christ, has not reached the perfection to which he tells others they should strive. But at the same time, he tells the Philippians that they should press on and not give up on the call of Christ Jesus.

“For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. They are headed for destruction.

Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth. But we are citizens

of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Saviour. He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control.” (Philippians 3:18-21) Verses like this are about idolatry, not about feeling good about the way you look without a shirt on. Paul is not using the “enemies of the cross” to make a point about aesthetics or even health, but to highlight that even food can become an idol that we place on a higher level than Christ.

Similarly, verses like Ezekiel 16:49-50 seem to point to a larger problem than simple overeating: “Sodom’s sins were pride, gluttony, and laziness, while the poor and needy suffered outside her door. She was proud and committed detestable sins, so I wiped her out, as you have seen.”

This passage comes after a long section that once again touches on idolatry and the prostitution and unfaithfulness of Israel. So for us to point to a text like this and say, “You see? Gluttony is a sin!” seems to be, at the very least, missing the greater picture. We can’t focus on gluttony in the first half of verse 49 and at the same time ignore the pride and contempt for the poor and needy in the second half.

Eating too much, like anything we can do excessively, can and often does become a problem when it becomes an idol. Anything that takes the place of God in our lives needs to be checked and reigned in. You might argue that a fitness routine could do the same thing. When you’re more committed to a waist size than you are to worship, it’s probably a sign that your priorities need to be reevaluated.

But make no mistake; health isn’t something to be taken lightly. We’ve been granted life for the purpose of honouring God and loving our neighbours. Anything we do that takes that for granted seems to run the risk of dishonouring the gifts we’ve given, and of seeing life as ours to do with what we please and not something we’ve been given by God for His purposes. We should take care of ourselves—not because we ought to care what our society deems beautiful or ugly, but because we’re not meant to be under anyone’s control but the God we serve.

Your body, whether you care about it too much or too little, is not yours to throw away.

/ ROB HORSLEY is a freelance writer who enjoys a moderate intake of chicken wings and cold fermented beverages. He is the former Managing Editor of SEVEN and resides in Saskatoon with his wife and daughter.

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2018 SEVEN 25

FEATURE

Shouldering Shouldering

Stress

Isn’t Isn’t Macho, Macho,

It’s Loco

BY BRAD HUEBERT

26 SEVEN JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2018

DITCHING THE PURSUIT OF VALIDATION FOR GOOD

A

good friend of mine lost his job the other day so I dropped by his house to see him. Stepping through the front door, I noticed he was wearing his trademark Superman t-shirt and ball cap.

“Hey, Superman,” I jabbed, attempting to cheer him up with a playful greeting. His freshly bludgeoned ego seemed to deflate like a balloon at my words. The stress he was living under was palpable.

Whether it drops on our heads from the sky or swells over time, stress is the drunk uncle no one wants around but no one knows how to get rid of. But what if, armed with the right perspective in our relationship with God, we could get a handle on stress—and toss it out the front door?

For that to happen, we need to grasp what stress is.

There’s a guy at our local gym who looks like he rumbled around on a monster Harley back in the day. These days, not so much—he’s morbidly obese and his knees are worn out. Despite his obvious pain, I see him working hard every day to slim down. Why? Because he knows his bulk is breaking his knees.

We tend to think stress is caused by what we’re doing: working long hours, balancing too many things. Those factors certainly contribute to stress, but stress is less about what we’re doing than it is about the weight we’re carrying while we’re doing it.

Let’s pretend you’re joining me for a hike up a mountain. Before we begin, I clip on a slim backpack—stocked with bandaids, a bunch of water bottles, and a hefty lunch. My lunch is way better than yours because my wife put her freshly-baked cookies in it, but that’s another story.

Imagine your surprise when I pull four extra backpacks out of the vehicle. Weirder still, they’re full of rocks. You look at me sideways as I heave all four of them onto my back for the hike. Shouldering the extra packs doesn’t make me macho. It makes me loco.

Or maybe it just makes me normal. Because the fact is, we all wear extra backpacks. It’s just that they’re invisible—and instead of hiding rocks, they’re concealing emotional baggage. We’re so used to carrying them around that we’re oblivious to how they’re affecting us unless someone else points it out.

So let’s yank open each one of those bad boys and come to grips with what’s inside.

THE PROVE / PLEASE PACK When a man feels invalidated, it’s like the air has been sucked from his soul. Our fear of falling short drives us to prove ourselves while gobbling up every scrap of affirmation and validation others toss our way. Think of how much energy you spend trying to convince yourself and others you’re good enough or better-than. It’s exhausting.

THE PRODUCE / PROTECT PACK Faith or not, our actions often obey a solo script: If I don’t do it, no one will. Unsure of whether we have what it takes to succeed, we push ourselves harder. If by some crazy stroke of luck we finally secure what we slaved for, a new boulder lands on our backs: protecting our prizes from people and things that could steal it from our grasp.

THE PURSUE / POSSESS PACK Despite all our proving, pleasing, producing and protecting, there’s still a cavity in our souls that craves more than we’re feeding it. Our absurd pursuit of ‘more’ draws us into deeper and deeper disappointments, but we refuse to give up the quest. Whatever our binge may be, our biological clock is ticking, our bucketlists are beckoning, and the fear of missing out gnaws at us like a tapeworm in our gut.

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2018 SEVEN 27

THE ‘GET IT TOGETHER’ PACK As if living under the trauma of the first three burdens isn’t enough, we add more pounds to our packs by resenting others when they don’t live up to our expectations. Think of how much of your stress is really frustration triggered by people not proving themselves trustworthy, failing to please you, not producing the results you want, not protecting

what you’ve earned, and not helping you get what you’re pursuing. And we wonder why we’re stressed!

But what would it feel like to put all four of those backpacks down? Picture how satisfying life would be if you didn’t waste your energy: • Proving yourself to anyone • Pleasing others to win their approval • Trying to produce results that are beyond you • Protecting what you have from forces you can’t control • Pursuing what never seems to arrive • Trying to possess what cannot satisfy • Trying to get others to meet those needs

28 SEVEN JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2018

Sounds amazing, but we don’t have to imagine. Jesus lived it! After a long day that would have stressed any of us out, Christ got into a boat with his disciples for some down time. As the story goes, “A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?””

(Mark 4:36-40) This blows my mind.

Christ was dog-tired—not because he was stressed out, but because he’d put in a good day’s work. Not only that, he didn’t feel guilty sleeping while others were working, trusted others to do their jobs and get him where he needed to go, gave them space to work out their own issues, didn’t need people to be pleased with him, and didn’t get mad at his disciples for ruining his nap. He had so much peace that he shared the overflow with the storm.

Simply put, Jesus was heaven in a human. That’s awesome, but it’s clear from the story that Jesus wants his friends to have that peace too. He said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened (stressed!) and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me… and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 12:28,29).

Imagine Jesus stopping you at the door before you leave for the day.

Opening the Prove / Please Pack on your back, he says, “Uh, why are you carrying this thing around?”

“Because real men are successful. I want my family to be proud of me. And there’s nothing more energizing than excelling in front of my peers.”

“So… Why is the pack so heavy then?”

You pause. “Because of the pressure

I feel to validate myself. And the fear of failing. My dad’s voice echoes in my head, telling me failure is not an option. But lots times, I do fail.”

“That’s a heavy burden to bear,” Jesus says. “I would know, because I already bore it. I lived the perfect life you long for, earning me an exalted place at the right hand of God in heaven. And I’ve saved you a seat with me. Sitting means resting. You’re already approved and totally validated by my Father. All this posturing and striving is totally unnecessary. It’s beneath you now.”

Let’s give this truth boots on the ground. When my friend lost his job it was obviously a tough blow for his family, but most of the stress wasn’t about losing his job. The real weight he was struggling under was invalidation, compelling him to rack his brain for how and why he’d failed.

We sat down on a couch together to pray through his stress. After connecting with the Father and hearing his affirmation about his situation, my friend bolted upright, eyes on fire with joy, and announced, “It wasn’t me! It wasn’t me!” He wept tears of relief as his wife and I celebrated with him. When he stood up, he felt noticeably lighter because Jesus had ripped the Prove/Please Pack off his back. He was seated above it all with Jesus.

This is real, guys. What emotional weight are you carrying? It’s time to turn to Jesus for rest. Name the backpacks you’re carrying and why you feel like you need to carry them.

Ask him to show you the truth about it. And then? Take off the packs, and praise God as the stress rolls off your shoulders.

/ BRAD HUEBERT is the happily married father of three children who won’t stop growing up. He lives in Calgary, Alberta where he planted Manifest Church to embody his passion to help everyone everywhere discover true life in Christ.

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#AllInMensConf JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2018 SEVEN 29

SPORTS SCENE

A HOCKEY DYNASTY BUILT ON FAITH

THE STAAL BROTHERS STORY

BY CARTER BROOKS

F

or professional hockey playing brothers Eric and Jordan Staal, their faith runs much deeper than Sunday morning church services back in their hometown of Thunder Bay, Ontario. To these high-performance athletes, Christian faith is a way of maintaining and living out their “better halves”.

“Playing hockey and remaining strong in your faith can be difficult at times,” said Jordan Staal,—centerman for the Carolina Hurricanes. “With the job we have, it’s obviously a pretty demanding schedule, and there definitely isn’t a ‘Sunday morning church service’ every week for me.

However, I always try to make the most of the opportunities I get here in Raleigh.”

For the younger of the Staal siblings, participating in team chapels is one of the ways that Jordan is able to maintain his mental and spiritual health.

“If routine is important to your health, then routinely reading the Bible

30 SEVEN JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2018

and attending chapels is extremely important to your health,” Jordan said.

“We have a chaplain here in Raleigh and we get together a fair amount.

Obviously whenever we do get the time off on Sundays we will get a chance to go out to church. But it’s a lot more on yourself to get out to these kinds of things throughout the season.”

Eric (33) and Jordan (29) grew up in Thunder Bay under the watchful eye of parents Henry and Linda. Alongside the two former Stanley Cup champions are brothers, Marc (31, New York Rangers) and Jared (27, Edinburgh Capitals).

Raising four hockey-playing boys may not have been the easiest of situations for Henry and Linda, but undoubtedly a memorable experience nonetheless.

Teenage lifestyles consisting of hockey, church and education provided countless opportunities for the brothers to develop their physical, spiritual and mental health. It’s safe to say that the four young men are more than grateful for that upbringing.

“To this day I still don’t know how my parents did it,” Jordan said.

“Fortunately we had a lot of help from friends, and a lot of people helped us out shuttling kids to and from practice. My parents obviously did an unbelievable job of giving us the opportunity to play all the hockey we could. As I grew up I knew it wasn’t all just hockey though; I knew that we had to make time for God and our relationship with him. My parents did a great job of instilling that in us and letting us know that whether it’s hockey or in anything else in life, it’s easy to say that you’re busy, but it’s very important to make time for God.” For older brother Eric, finding time for God was much easier as he was blessed to have a chaplain on his junior hockey team in Peterborough.

That chaplain introduced Eric and the rest of his teammates to Hockey Ministries International, and helped set the wheels in motion for regular prayer time with teammates.

“I made the NHL and won that Stanley Cup with Pittsburgh, fulfilling all the dreams I could ever think of, but I remember waking up a week later and realizing, “that’s it?”

“Any time you move away from home—especially at a young age— you just never know what to expect,” Staal said. “I was only 15 when I first played for the Petes, but was fortunate enough to get involved with the chapel program there which set me on my way. Obviously nowadays our schedules are pretty jam-packed. My wife and I do enjoy getting together with others outside of church for small group studies or reading sessions, but sometimes that doesn’t work out with me having games and practices nearly every day. So just sitting down with some teammates and the chapel leader is another great alternative if I can’t make it out to church back home.”

With morning skates, team workouts, yoga sessions, practices, road trips, games, skills competitions, all-star games and Olympics on his platter, hockey has certainly taken up a lot of Eric’s time. But through it all, he has remained grounded in his faith, serving as an example to his younger teammates and brothers.

“Hockey season is always a busy time—it’s a long year and sometimes it’s tough to find that study time, but when I do it’s always great and refreshing,” he said. “It’s a chance to try to live our lives for God and show our fans and teammates that there are better things up above. It just becomes a way of life after enough time.”

The idea of healthy living also becomes a way of life anytime one finds oneself surrounded by a professional

sporting team. Protein recovery shakes are ever-present; meat and vegetable platters are nearly impossible to miss, while exercise equipment is never further than an arm’s length away.

Healthy Christian living also comes in many forms and is experienced in countless ways. In an interview with Hockey Ministries International, Jordan Staal revealed the moment in which he experienced that feeling of wanting to serve a greater purpose.

“Hockey was my identity,” he reflected. “Sure, it pushed me to be the player I was, but it still left me empty. I made the NHL and won that Stanley Cup with Pittsburgh, fulfilling all the dreams I could ever think of, but I remember waking up a week later and realizing, “that’s it?”

“We are all trying to fill that certain hole,” he says, adding no matter how hard you search, only God can fill that void, “and that’s definitely something that I’ve tried to nurture by filling it with Jesus.

Hockey is an unbelievable sport and something that has obviously been a big part of my life, but it’s not all me; it’s not something I live for. I live for God, and hockey is definitely something that I want to give God the glory for.”

/ CARTER BROOKS is a news writer and sports columnist situated in Winnipeg, Manitoba. On top of reading and writing, coaching hockey is his favourite pastime. Carter can be reached at carterbrooks1994@gmail.com.

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2018 SEVEN 31

THE SINGLE LIFE

SINGLE AND HEALTHY

REMAINING VIGILANT TO STAY IN GOOD HEALTH

BY PAUL BOGE

A

re you vigilant when it comes to your physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health?

The Great Wall of China is over 21,000 kilometers long. Comprised of various sections, the wall was typically manned by at least three warriors stationed between citadels 50 to 200 meters apart. Their job was to continually watch for enemies. A warrior could go weeks, months, even years without seeing an attack in his area. But he had to remain vigilant.

As singles, we need to take care in looking after ourselves, because we may not have others around us to remind us to do so.

Our health is important, because it impacts our relationship with God and with those around us—and even how we relate to ourselves. So what does the Bible say about how God views our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health?

Our physical health is influenced by many factors including genetics, environment, exercise, diet, getting enough rest, and rejecting bad food.

For items in our control, 1 Corinthians 6:19 reminds us: “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you

32 SEVEN JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2018

have received from God? You are not your own.”

Is the way in which we treat our physical bodies consistent with our belief that our bodies belong to God? When illness strikes, and we don’t appear to improve even after praying through Exodus 15:26, Isaiah 53 and Matthew 8:16-17, we need to be encouraged that our God is in control.

And while his purposes are mysterious, they are still good.

Our mental health is sometimes related to our thought life. Philippians 4:8 says “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

Do our thoughts pass that test?

Are we this vigilant with our thinking? Are we faithfully standing guard over the entire spectrum of our thought life, or have we allowed our walled defenses to be invaded?

As singles, we need to seek godly people with whom we can share our thoughts, and have them challenged.

Iron sharpens iron. And there is great help in allowing others into our thought life.

Our emotional health is often tied to our thinking, and we are reminded to be wise in not allowing our emotions to rule us. Proverbs 4:23 tells us: “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.”

Our spiritual health is only possible through the Gospel. While we sometimes think the Gospel is only “what we needed to get saved,” the Gospel is also what we need every minute of every day. What is the Gospel?

Mark 1:14b says “Repent and believe the good news.”

Are we regularly confessing our sins, realizing that we have zero ability to reach God’s holiness, and are we trusting that the righteousness of Christ through His death and resurrection made us perfect? Do we believe that our stamp of approval comes from God alone, or have we created idols of success, identity and secrecy?

Let’s be encouraged in God’s love for us, and to keep our eyes on God for all areas of our health.

/ PAUL BOGE is an author and engineer.

He lives in Winnipeg.

OUT OF MY DEPTH

KIDS IN SPORTS

A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE OR EXPENSIVE DISTRACTION?

BY PAUL CARTER

W

hile sports can be a fantastic way to encourage a healthy lifestyle, as parents there are a number of things to consider when signing up for a league.

Here are a few of the questions my wife and I wrestled with in each scenario.

1. CAN WE AFFORD THIS? It’s important to know all the costs associated with a competitive program before you get too far into the tryout process. Be sure to ask about the frequency of overnight tournaments. A dozen nights in a hotel can more than quadruple the cost of registration.

Has keeping your child in a competitive program been the reason you can’t give generously to your church? Did someone have to get a second job, or are you piling on debt as a family? If so, it has probably become an idol in your life.

2. WHY ARE WE DOING THIS? Am I trying to relive my childhood? Am I trying to pay for my retirement? Is my identity wrapped up in the athletic success of my child?

Those are all very bad reasons to put your kid in competitive sports.

But there are good reasons.

Competitive sports can teach your child that hard work pays off. It can teach your child that a healthy lifestyle is fun and exciting, and how to be a part of a team.

Perhaps the greatest benefit I have experienced is the relationship building during travel times. My teenage son

has reached that stage in his life when he communicates mostly via grunt and scowl, but when we’re sitting in the car together on the way to a game—which can be for as much as three hours each way—the ice tends to thaw and the jaw tends to loosen quite a bit over the course of the ride.

I did not anticipate that when I got him involved in competitive sports, but had I known about it, I imagine that would have factored positively into my decision making process.

3. WILL THIS KEEP US FROM ATTENDING CHURCH? The rule in my house growing up was that hockey could never be the reason we didn’t go to church. And it never was. We used to do Sunday School before the service back in the day and there was a season or two when I had 7:00 a.m. Sunday morning practices and I recall vividly walking over to the church from the arena still dripping with sweat and reeking to high heaven —but there was no question about skipping. If something had to give, it would be practice, not church.

That was a hard and fast rule and I am thankful for it today.

It taught me that physical training was of SOME value, but training in godliness was valuable in every way (1 Timothy 4:8). As a pastor I have seen several families knocked out of the spiritual life by their over-commitment to competitive sports. What does it profit a family to have a kid in the NHL but to have forfeited their souls?

My main goal as a parent is not to see my son play pro. My main goal is to see him serve the Lord in this life and the next. Therefore we try to keep sports in its proper perspective.

4. HOW WILL THIS PREPARE MY CHILD TO BETTER SERVE AND GLORIFY GOD? At the end of the day, I suppose the question is this: will my child’s involvement in this program make them more or less likely to serve and glorify the Lord? So far, I honestly think that our involvement in sports has been a net spiritual gain. My son has had to wrestle with how to be affirming and kind to people who are not as gifted as he is. We’ve had that conversation many times on the way home from a game. He has also had to learn how to rejoice in other people’s success.

If the program becomes a distraction from his spiritual development or a source of temptation to pride we would need to consider disengagement.

As a parent you have to keep your eye on the goal. The goal is not a professional contract or a university scholarship. The goal is a 25-yearold young man or young woman who loves Jesus and who serves him with all their heart.

That’s the goal and competitive sporting programs can offer some value in pursuit of that objective.

/ PAUL CARTER To listen to Paul’s Into The Word devotional podcast visit the TGC Canada website or find it on iTunes.

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2018 SEVEN 33

POWER PLAY

TOYS / TOOLS / TECHNOLOGY FROM HERE TO THERE AND FUN ALONG THE WAY

BY SANDY MCMURRAY

EZ ICE

// ezicerinks.com EZ ICE is a new kind of backyard ice rink. It works on any surface, assembles without tools, and takes just 60 minutes to set up.

EZ ICE has no stakes to drive into the ground so you can assemble almost anywhere. Each rink kit contains a set of brackets, straps, and boards that fit together easily without tools.

Even a rookie should be able to assemble an EZ ICE rink in less than an hour.

At 16 inches high, the side boards are low enough to step over easily but high enough to keep pucks in play. Each board weighs less than 10 pounds.

EZ ICE rinks are expandable too. You can buy a kit for a small rink this year and add on next year if you want a bigger layout. The large kit (40' x 80' rink) is designed to fit perfectly on a standardsized doubles tennis court.

Any surface. No tools. 60 minutes. EZ ICE. Kits start at $1,900.

34 SEVEN JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2018

HUG A PLUG

// hugaplug.com Every house has at least one electrical outlet that's blocked by furniture. You plug something in then discover you can't push the furniture back in all the way without damaging the cord or the furniture.

Hug-a Plug solves that problem by splitting power into two sockets, one facing each side of the outlet. This lets you plug cords in parallel to the wall so they don't stick out. You also double the number of available outlets.

No tools required, no outlet covers to remove. Just insert Hug-A-Plug into any outlet and it’s ready to go. Hug-A-Plug sells for about $10.

SMART GLASSES

// epson.ca What's better than flying a remote control drone? How about seeing the view from the drone while you fly it?

Epson's new Moverio smart glasses show a live video feed from your drone plus a heads-up-display with key flight statistics. It's like watching a movie projected on a window. You can look at the images from the drone or look through the glasses to see the drone with your own eyes.

Moverio glasses come with a portable controller that works with drones from DJI including the Spark, Mavic, and Phantom models. The Moverio controller has a rechargeable battery and a built-in card slot to store video.

Suggested retail for the Epson Moverio BT-300FPV Smart Glasses is about $1,100.

SMOKING GUN FOOD SMOKER

// brevillesmokinggun.com Get ready to enjoy smokehouse flavours that will make your mouth water. The Smoking Gun by Breville makes it easy to add natural smoky flavours like applewood and hickory without adding any heat.

Load your favourite wood chips into the Smoking Gun, light them, then blow smoke into a covered container of any kind, stir or swirl and allow it to sit and infuse for a few minutes. For a deeper smoked flavour, you can even try smoking foods twice The package includes flavoured wood chips and some sample recipes. The Smoking Gun sells for about $80.

PAUSE POD

// pausepod.co The makers of the Pause Pod describe it as a pop-up private space for anyone who wants to relax. It shuts out light and sound and has a pop-out leg compartment for impromptu naps. The company says the Pause Pod will "evoke mindfulness, lower your stress levels and increase your well-being."

Critics of the Pause Pod say it's just a tent with a leg hole.

The marketing photos are both awesome and ridiculous, and the $200 price tag is steep.

Judge for yourself. Speaking as someone who only sleeps in tents when they're indoors, I think they might be on to something here. Who can say no to a mid-day nap?

SNOW PUSHER

// snowpusherlite.com What's the best way to clear a light dusting of snow off a rink or a big driveway? Even if there's too much to sweep away, you don't need a digger or a blower. You just need to push the snow away.

The Snow Pusher Lite is perfect for those days when a big shovel is the wrong tool for the job. The 48-inch wide blade is wider than most other shovels so you can clear away a lot of snow quickly, but still not put a lot of pressure on your back or your heart.

The Snow Pusher Lite sells for about $70.

36 SEVEN JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2018

ANYWHERE FIREPLACE

// anywherefireplaces.com Anywhere Fireplace brings the warm glow of a real fire to apartments, condos, and houses with no chimney. It runs on a bio-ethanol fuel that burns cleanly, producing only heat, water vapour, and a small amount of carbon dioxide. To adjust the flame you change the airflow. More air makes a bigger flame and more heat. When it's time for bed you put out the fire by closing the fuel tray.

The Anywhere Fireplace company makes several different models of smokeless fireplace. The Chelsea fireplace shown here is designed to mount on brick, drywall, tile, and even wallpapered walls. Spacers on the back ensure the fireplace is not directly against the wall, so heat is projected out into the room. No gas or electrical connection is needed.

The wall-mounted Anywhere Fireplace sells for about $400.

SECRET SHOE

// oliversweeney.com Oliver Sweeney's Secret Shoes are hand-crafted in Italy from wild red deer sourced from Scottish Estates. Each hide is vegetable tanned in small batches for a unique finish. But that's not why you will want a pair.

Each Secret Shoe has a secret compartment in the sole with room for 3 gadgets.

When you order a pair of Secret Shoes you can select from 12 gadgets that include a mini Swiss army knife, a tracking device, a tiny phone and video camera, and capsules to hold cash. There's also room for a spare house key (not included).

The laces are made from Kevlar and can be used as a friction saw to cut through wood or plastic. If you ever find yourself zip-tied you have a fighting change to get away.

Secret Shoes are designed for government agents with large expense accounts.

The price is top secret. Contact Oliver Sweeney to get a quote.

/ SANDY MCMURRAY writes about games, toys, and gadgets at funspot.ca.

NEXT ISSUE

MONEY Battling against poverty, attacking a mountain of debt, the call to simpler living, or wrangling the budget with your wife; it’s all on the table for the Money Issue.

38 SEVEN SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2017

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