However, don’t think I’m a health nut. Far from it. I set a bad example in many ways…

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–I eat too much ice cream. Blue Bell’s Natural Vanilla Bean is the best thing in the world. Once when I was in college and living for a short time with my sister and her husband, while they were away for the weekend, I went to the store and bought a half-gallon of strawberry ice cream. I ate a bowl, then another, and… well, you know what happened. I finished that entire box at one sitting. I’ve not done it since, but I could!

–I love sweets more than I should. After the side effects of the radiation went away in late 2005, I’d lost a lot of taste sensation (since radiation kills salivary glands and taste buds as well as cancer cells). But the taste for sweets returned with a passion!

–I weigh too much. When Margaret and I married in 1962, I weighed 155 lbs. By the 1980s, it was 185. And the number has increased steadily ever since. But, it is what it is, and I’ll not be obsessing about my weight. My clothes fit well–mostly, ha!–and I’m fine with it. How much do I weigh? Over 200, thank you.

–I am not doing all the exercises which I used to do over the years. Four or five years ago, I got lazy about doing the stretching, twisting, situps, pushups, etc., which had kept me limber and flexible, and haven’t started back. At the moment, walking is all I do for exercise.

The bottom line, I’m thinking, for all of us, is to stay active. Use it or lose it pertains to a world of areas, including our brains, our love lives, and our physical bodies.

I pray for my health. We all know that it’s possible to do everything right and still get blindsided by a disease or a truck on the highway. Yesterday, when my grandchildren called for my birthday, I told them, “Pray that the Lord will keep me in good health for a long time to come, so I can keep on preaching and blessing people.” One said, “I already pray that for you every day, Grandpa.”

You’re looking at one blessed man.

Joe McKeever has been a disciple of Jesus Christ more than 65 years, been preaching the gospel more than 55 years, and has been writing and cartooning for Christian publications more than 45 years. He blogs at www.joemckeever.com.

Photo courtesy: ©Thinkstock/jacoblund