What does "Healthy Food" mean to YOU?

This past Saturday I spent time at our local farmer's market offering a food tasting utilizing fresh produce from the Market. While I was there I asked the question, "What does "healthy food" mean to you?" I find that this question is an important one to consider in our world of fad diets, healthy food pyramid schemes, cleanses, and instant gratification. It is not enough to say you eat healthy food because what the entails could vary person by person.

The answers I received at the Farmer's Market varied, but I wanted to share a few:
What does "Healthy Food" mean to YOU?

• It got me to 74 years old
• Guilt Free
• Veggies and Fruits
• Food that gives you the vitamins and minerals you need
• Long Life
• What nourishes our bodies
• Healthy life
• My way of life

These are all great answers. I would now like to share 5 "healthy food" tips from my own life.

1. Know it or Grow it: I know that you can get the same nutrients in your fruits and veggies if you buy them canned or frozen, but I'm a personal fan of enjoying locally grown fruits and vegetables. I enjoy purchasing them from the farmers market where I can get to know the growers and ask them questions. I also enjoy growing my own produce where I can know exactly how it was taken care of because I'm the one growing it. I have also found both these methods to be budget-friendly ways to get my 5 servings of fruits and veggies a day!
2. Avoid processed foods: The more processed the food, the less healthy it is. Look for foods that have minimal ingredients in them.
3. Make it yourself: I have found that 9/10 times that I cook a meal from scratch it is going to be healthier than if I bought it pre-made. It is also going to be more affordable. 
4.  Choose Whole Ingredients: When deciding what foods to buy choose whole ingredients more often than not. By this I mean, whole grains, whole apples, whole carrots, etc. The less processed and prepared the better.
5. Choose a plant-based diet (mostly): While I know that not everyone needs to become vegan or vegetarian (however, I would strongly encourage it!), it is good for your health and the environment to choose a diet that is mostly plants. Michael Pollan says it well when he says, "Eat Food. Not too much. Mostly plants." Most, if not all, of the nutrients we need we can get from plants. It is also more sustainable for our planet to eat mostly plants. Whole Food, Plant Based eating is the way to go, even if you still occasionally eat meat. If you don't believe me check out the Double Pyramid put out by the Barilla Center for Food and Nutrition (https://www.barillacfn.com/m/publications/pp-double-pyramid-healthy-diet-for-people-sustainable-for-the-planet.pdf).

I hope these insights help you in your journey to a healthier life. If you ever have questions feel free to comment below and I'll respond to the best of my ability and knowledge. 

Listen to the quiet voice that calls you

Ever since I was in Middle School I have had a bleeding heart for social justice. I can remember back during my time in the abhorrent years of middle school finding solace in acts of service with my youth group. Even my first sermon I ever gave focused on justice for the "least of these." Often times the places I enjoyed serving most in one manner or another revolved around food. It is crazy to look back and see the small steps that would lead me to where I am today.

During my undergrad years I continued to develop a passion for social justice, but struggled to find the right area to focus on. I explored many different ones and all the while had an idea of where I should be...that I constantly pushed aside. I saw advertisements for community gardens and read into the environmental reasons why someone should be vegetarian, all the while telling myself that I didn't have time to garden and I couldn't be vegetarian with the food options I had. I gave these excuses while simultaneously overbooking myself with other forms of service. It wasn't that I couldn't partake in that kind of social justice; it was that I had prioritized other types. I was still learning. I am still learning.

Flash forward to 2016. I had been out of college for a year and in the midst of my first year of marriage. Brianna and I learned about a community garden and finally--after years of thinking about the perks of joining one--we got two plots at a garden across the street from the apartment we lived in. This was a great way for individuals all throughout the community to have space to garden, to build community, and to have ways they can donate their extra produce. All of the excess produce was encouraged to be donated to the local Hot Meals Programs and Food Pantries. It wasn't long into the season that we transitioned into the new garden coordinators. We didn't want to just be a part of the garden, but we wanted to help it grow and make sure it would keep running.

It was this same year that I left the church I was working for and accepted a job as a Community Nutrition Professional for The Ohio State University Extension. My passion for creating access to healthy, affordable food for all led me to this position. I had no experience with Extension before, but I felt my time at the church was coming to an end and I needed to be focusing my energy on food. It took me years to come to this conclusion and finally settle my social justice focus on food, but I finally found it.

Now I am working towards promoting, educating, and helping provide food access to all individuals in my county. I do this through my job as an educator, but also as the chair of our county's Local Food Council and as a member of our Creating Healthy Communities coalition. I still coordinate our community garden, but since we bought our house we have developed a garden in our backyard too. This garden has allowed us to get to know our neighbors more as many have come over to see what we are doing and talk with us about our plants. I have gone from just having a side hobby of gardening to making it a sustainable lifestyle that I hope others can see and want to join. We have a rain barrel system we set up to collect water for our gardens, we compost our food scraps, and we have even become vegetarian. The lifestyle that I dreamed about and said I wanted I finally have. How did I get this lifestyle? I decided to pursue it and that's exactly what I did. I learned how to build things myself to save money and I sought out help when needed. I want others to see that the lifestyle we have is not only sustainable, but also easy to replicate.

 I view social justice as a wide-range of topics that works best when people have their focus to funnel issues through. Choosing food justice isn't just about addressing hunger--although that is a huge issue. Food justice deals with sustainability, the environment, gender equality, racial equality, and so much more. Many of the issues that I had become passionate about can be partially addressed with our food system. This is one part of the solution. We need people working in all sectors of influence to truly make a different in the fight for social justice.

I share this part of my story as a way to invite others to find their focus. It may take time so don't be discouraged if you try something out and it doesn't seem to be your fit. I thought I was supposed to be a youth minister for most of my life. Now I know, for me, that was a stepping stone to a different calling. I am thankful for my time at the church because it led me to where I am now. Keep looking for your calling. Keep searching. The next time you feel the urge in your soul, that continuing draw, follow it. Stop saying, "Maybe another day...I'm too committed to other things." Instead, step back and focus on that calling. Ask yourself, "is this a fleeting thought or is this more?"

Where are your priorities? What is calling your heart? What is the still, quiet voice saying to you?

Go to it.

The Priesthood of ALL believers

"I graduated with a degree in Youth Ministry." "Oh that's wonderful! What church do you work at?" "I don't. I teach Nutrition and the importance of being Physically Active to local elementary schools and nonprofit agencies." "Oh..." The conversation ends abruptly.

All too often this has been the conversations I partake in when I meet individuals connected to churches. When people learn I went to a Christian Liberal Arts and have an occupation that does not seem to line up with my degree they give me skeptical looks or want to let me know that "it's okay..." or "one day you'll get that job you studied for."

 Unfortunately what people do not see or understand is that I chose this route. I chose this job. I had a job at a traditional church in youth ministry and then even in Family Ministry and I decided it wasn't the path for me. I felt like God had other plans. There is nothing wrong with Family Ministry, Youth Ministry, or Children's Ministry in a traditional church. There are many individuals out there who are incredibly gifted in those areas and should not consider other occupations--many of my mentors could be some of those people.

I, however, in this point in my life, am not one of those people. I have a heart for holistically helping others. I firmly believe that Jesus cares about our whole selves and not just our spiritual selves. The idea that God would only care about our spiritual selves is very dualistic and that is not how I believe we should live. I am not saying that ministers in traditional churches are all dualistic or that they cannot serve others holistically, but what I am saying is that I felt led to minister outside of the church walls--completely. In my occupation.

I accepted this job because I wanted to meet individuals where they are at and not try to convince them to enter a church building. I accepted this job because I believe in eating, acting, and living in a healthy manner and if I can help teach others that I want to. I took this job because I believe that the government should provide benefits to those who need it and if we need to provide education in order to make sure that those benefits are being used wisely and in a health-conscious manner then I want to help provide that education.

So often when we think of ministry we think of "professional ministry." We think of paying people to do ministry while the rest of us do our "regular jobs." I would propose that everyone is called to do ministry. Everyone is called to be a Priest in their community. We all have different skills and abilities; we all have different ways to impact others around us. We all have something to bring to the Table. Let us stop relying solely on "Professional Ministry" or "Professional Pastors"--though they are very great--and remember the Priesthood of all believers and go out in our communities to make a difference with those we come in contact with.

New Job? New Career? Thoughts on our callings.

What is a calling? What is vocation? What is our ultimate goal in our occupations?

These are the questions that have been rattling around in my brain since I have started my new job as SNAP-Ed Program Assistant of my county. I have gone from working for a church--doing practically everything besides the main pastoral duties--to teaching nutrition, healthy lifestyle choices, and shopping on a limited budget to individuals with limited resources. To many it seems like I have made a career change; many now ask if I plan to be a teacher or why I "left the ministry", but to everyone I simply say, "I don't know."

That, however, is not exactly the truth.

I do know...at least in part. I know my calling is to impact and develop people--that's part of the reason developer is one of my top 5 strengths. I know the more I focus on my county the more I feel drawn and possibly even called to it for now. I know that a calling can develop based on the choices that one makes. I know that a calling can change and adapt. All that to say, I believe you can change your occupation, but your career and/or calling stays the same. Yes, I am a health teacher in many ways now. Yes I teach budgeting as well. I do, however, do it for the development of individuals. I want to see holistic, well-rounded growth. I want communities to flourish and thrive and for a community to do so, the individual must first.

Will I be a SNAP-Ed P.A. forever? Likely not. Does that mean my calling has changed? No. My calling is to better peoples lives any way I can. To invest in my community--which I knew clearly was what I was called to do all through college and I felt very strongly in my blog post after I spent a summer in New Orleans (http://thoughtsfromdust.blogspot.com/2014/07/its-always-hard-to-say-goodbye.html). This calling that I had at the end of the summer translated itself into staying in my community after graduation, investing in it, and ultimately getting a job that works to teach and empower others so that the community, as a whole, can develop and become a better place to live.

So what is our vocation or our calling in life? To bring God's Kingdom here, in our local community, right where we live, with whatever skills and abilities we have been given to use. There is only one of us with our specific abilities: So let's stop trying to be someone else's calling, but focus on what we--and only we--can bring to the Table of the Kingdom of God here on Earth.

Transitions are hard

A few weeks ago I had this blog post (https://youthspecialties.com/blog/when-your-spouse-isnt-involved-in-your-ministry/) published on the Youth Specialties blog which was a big deal to me. I was very excited. Having a dream to write and having spent my first  year out of college working for a church I felt I was more than able to share these insights with the Youth Ministry Online Community.

I am now currently preparing to leave my first job out of college to begin a new one. This new job will be working with families in the community still,  but will not be in a traditional church. In fact my job will not be for an exclusively Christian organization. I will, however, be doing Community Development through education. Community development is something I went back and forth on throughout my years at college and I have always striven to do service with a community development mindset as a Youth and Children's Pastor.

This past week after submitting my letter of resignation at the church I have been reflecting on ones vocation, occupation, and how we live our lives. I have realized that even though I am starting a different job doing something that I love and feel led to do that doesn't mean I am done with "traditional ministry." This year along with starting a new job and potentially pursuing a masters my wife and I have accepted the volunteer role of coordinating our community garden. I also intend to still pursue ways to do ministry with children and youth within the community in the most appropriate way. I still want to accept preaching opportunities and I will of course find ways I can recruit for and promote YouthWorks. We are currently both involved in a House Church and as we navigate this new stage of life that is our church for now. Having these outlets and knowing they are available to me has been very beneficial for this time of preparing for transitions, however, it is still hard.

It is hard to see people both happy for you and sad to see you go. It is bittersweet to hear people's thoughts on how things will be once you are gone.  This past evening as I was walking in one of our local parks with my wife I realized how on edge this process is making me. I want to snap at my dog often and I want to just sit and cuddle with my cat. I want to drink lots of coffee and ramble excitedly to my wife. I am stressed, on edge, and frankly upset about leaving and yet I know that is the next step. I know I have made the right decision and yet it is still hard. It's also difficult to put into words why I am struggling with it.

Moral of the story: No matter the reason transitions are hard. Change can be a good thing and is not something one should be afraid of, but it's still hard.

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven- Ecclesiastes 3:1