WHEN IT’S TIME TO CHANGE, YOU’VE GOT TO REARRANGE

By Marie Tschopp

Spring is on its way, and, once again, I am on a diet. I’ve cut way back on my food intake and have lost a whopping two (count 'em two!) pounds. I think my scale just snickered.

I hear losing weight at the speed of snails is a by-product of growing older. As I discovered other age-related side effects, I did what anybody in my situation would do—I wrote a song about it.

Yesterday Revisited

(To the tune of "Yesterday" by the Beatles.)

Yesterday

AARP seemed so far away

But now my hair is turning gray

And I stockpile jars of Oil of Olay.

Suddenly
A hot flash comes over me

And I start to sweat profusely.

Hot flashes come so suddenly.

Where did my neck go?

I don't know, the mirror won't say.

I sense something's wrong

How I long for yesterday.

Yesterday

Life was such an easy game to play

Now Metamucil starts my day.

Oh, I believe in yesterday.

Turn back the clock to yesterday.

I am changing, but with help from Preference by L’Oreal and Spanx, I think I’ll be okay. Besides, no one ever stays the same, except God. He never changes. He is always the same, yesterday, today, and tomorrow. In the crazy times we live in, isn’t that nice to know?

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. (Hebrews 13:8 NIV)

Introducing Michael Elmore

A SECOND CHANCE

Being overweight is an issue I have struggled with all of my life. Of course, I had been through the usual panacea of diets. Dieting and weight loss were like a never-ending yo-yo for me. I eventually tipped the scales at nearly 400 pounds and my life was miserable. What made me the saddest was the thought that within a handful of years I would die and not see my grandchildren grow up.

This led me to having bariatric bypass surgery for weight loss in April 2008. The surgery was successful except that eight months later I developed a vitamin B-1 deficiency. The result was that I woke up one morning with global amnesia, unable to walk or even talk. Eventually, doctors noticed that my blood serum B-1 level was mildly low and gave me an IV which I responded to almost immediately. Later, they told me that I had developed Wernike-Korsakoff's Syndrome, a rare disorder that usually occurs only in alcoholics.

After my release from the hospital the day before Christmas, I began a nine-month stint in therapy and a two years later, I have experienced a miraculous recovery. This is amazing since many Wernike-Korsakoff patients never fully recover and some have to spend the rest of their lives in care centers.

So what is the message behind my story? I have learned firsthand that God is my healer. I weigh 190 pounds now – not 400. I no longer have diabetes or any of the other health conditions I mentioned earlier, and the serious illness I had has resolved. I expect to see my grandchildren grow up and watch them have children. I have been given a second chance to live.

It's alright for men to admit that they haven't done such a good job of taking care of themselves physically and that they need a second chance too. The truth is that God has given all of us a second chance in Christ Jesus. Perhaps you have health concerns that you have not dealt with or have felt guilty about or been afraid to deal with. It is all right. I am familiar with those emotions and I am living proof that God can give you the second chance that you need.


Michael Elmore
Chaplain, pastor, author
The Occult Invasion of Healthcare
The Changing Face of Spirituality in Medicine
www.michaelelmoreonline.com