Jess is back and in the final stages of recovery from bariatric bypass surgery. Her journey to eventually decide to get the surgery was a difficult one as she struggled to determine what being obedient to God looked like in her decision. In this episode, Jess and Martin discuss and compare their weight loss surgeries and recovery and how obedience played into their decision to get surgery.

Jess begins by reflecting on her decision to get surgery and how obedience to God looked in that decision. Her and Martin move into discussing their surgeries - they both had bariatric bypass surgery, but took very different approaches to it. Finally, Martin and Jess discuss obedience as it applies to the family, to every day life, and to weight loss.

For detailed show notes, navigate using the time stamps below:

[1:23] Jess is returning from bariatric bypass surgery, a decision she made after many years of consideration. This is the same procedure that Martin had.

[4:09] When Jess first considered the surgery, she struggled with an internal doubt that she couldn’t get past despite support from her family and friends.

[8:17] As Jess was considering whether the surgery was right for her, she attended a Regeneration group at her church. Finally, she was able to hear a “yes” from God. Her journey toward obedience reminds her of the story of Shadrach Meschach and Abendago in Daniel 3:3.

[16:11] Martin’s wife does all of his clothes shopping, and even lays out clothes for him some days. He could view this as a kind of obedience, but he also views it as a form of love. Being obedient to God is similar - it is an act of love.

[19:03] Losing weight required obedience for Martin. By being obedient to God through prayer, worship, and reading God’s word, he was able to stay consistent in his diet and exercise.

[22:18] After her surgery, Jess slowly moved from a liquid diet to a strict soft food diet. She is still yet to get into her final phase of eating. Martin’s post-surgery diet restriction was to “eat whatever you can.”

[26:33] We’re inherently wired to be our own masters. Jess has struggled with balancing her independence with obedience.

[29:04] Romans 5:19 says “for just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.” We don’t know how our obedience or disobedience affects the people around us, but we know that it does.

RESOURCES

Visit the Phoenix Chronicles Website: https://www.thephoenixchronicles.com/

Buy A Phoenix Chronicle by Martin Crowe: https://www.thephoenixchronicles.com/book