Healthy living is something easy to overlook, especially when you are young. The sooner you decide to live a healthy life, the better off you will be and the more effective your ministry will be.

All the books you can read about healthy living boil down to two essential keys: exercise and a healthy diet. If you decide that you will make these two things part of your life, you are far more likely to have a longer, more fruitful, less taxing ministry. And the rest of your lives will benefit also! Here are the keys in a nutshell:

• Get aerobic exercise three days a week for at least thirty minutes per day. Aerobic means that your heart gets up to at least 60 percent of its maximum. If you can’t do that at the beginning, do as much as you can safely, and work your way up to it.
• Count your calories! Many Americans consume far more calories than they think. And those calories will end up becoming extra weight for you. Keep track of everything you eat, and once you hit your calorie limit for the day, stop eating.
• Cut down on high-fat, high-sugar, high-calorie foods. These foods will slow you down, in more ways than one. Instead, think healthy, fresh foods that will fuel your body for the work you give it to do!

Doing these things isn’t just important for your physical health. It’s really a spiritual endeavor. It’s one way of saying to God, “Thank you for this body you have given me. I’m going to take care of it the best way I know how!” In return, you get a healthier body, better ability to handle stress, more energy and passion, and a longer, more fruitful life.

– Nelson Searcy and Richard Jarman

The above excerpt is from p. 95-96 of The Renegade Pastor’s Guide to Managing the Stress of Ministry.

Pastors Nelson Searcy and Richard Jarman share their secrets to effective stress management with practical steps and insights that you can start implementing immediately! God wants you to be a fruitful, faithful minister of the gospel. He wants you, as a Renegade Pastor, to rise above average as you pursue God’s best for you, your family, and your ministry.

P.S. – Click here to grab your copy from Amazon today!

Your partner in ministry,

Nelson

© Nelson Searcy. All Rights Reserved.

About Nelson Searcy

Nelson Searcy is an experienced church growth strategist, pastor, church planter and coach, consulting with churches around the world. As founder of Church Leader Insights and the Renegade Pastors Network, he has personally trained more than 3,500 church leaders in over 45 denominations through live events, seminars and monthly coaching. Nelson is also the Founding and Lead Pastor of The Journey Church, with locations across New York City and in Boca Raton, FL. Nelson and his church routinely appear on lists such as “The 50 Most Influential Churches” and “The 25 Most Innovative Leaders.” He is the author of over 100 church growth resources and 18+ books, including The Renegade Pastor: Abandoning Average in Your Life, Ministry and The Difference Maker: Using Your Everyday Life for Eternal Impact, and At the Cross with the People Who Were There. He and his wife, Kelley, have one son, Alexander.