It has begun!

So, it's official. I start at 280lbs... That was one of the hardest things that I've done in a long, long time - so weigh myself and announce the numbers to a Sunday morning congregation. I love my congregation and they love me... but it's tough. I remember going to the Grand Canyon 14 or 15 years ago and not being allowed to ride their horses or donkeys because I was over the weight limit. Being a very competent rider made it even more humiliating because the more that I wanted to talk them into it, the more I sounded like the fat guy at the buffet trying to convince the management that "all you can eat" is a guaranteed right. The next day, I approached a guide about riding one of his horses out into the desert and he happily complied. I asked him if he was concerned about my weight on his horse and he said, "No way - I've seen the way you sit a horse and you remind me of the Duke. I used to train John Wayne's horses for movies and as big as he was, nobody sat a horse better than him.... you sit just like him." His name was Bill Jones and he made my day... heck, I'm retelling the story 14 years later! He reminded me that riding a horse is not about weight... and most of the time what I do has nothing to do with weight... I preach, I teach, I listen, I sing, I play music, I create, I pastor, I parent, I taste, I write... I love, I laugh, I play... none of those things really has anything to do with my weight. But standing on the scale today, in front of everybody... I felt like my weight was all that mattered. And that sucks!
No matter I do in life - I do not want to be defined by any physical feature or any single aspect of myself... and especially not my weight. So, even as I go forward with this project and this blog, I want to remember that... and not be defined by my weight or by my weight loss.
After all - I sit a horse just like John Wayne!
(who actually was not a great rider... but you couldn't knock him off!)
My prayer: God, let me remember how you see me... multi-faceted, lovable and capable and let me not forget my many facets, even as I work on one. Amen