The Physically Fit Messiah: Wellness Wisdom PAST and PRESENT

This book is a godsend for Christians—and anyone else—who wants to live a healthier, happier, longer life. The connection between Christianity and health should be obvious, but as Cal Samra shows, it has been utterly neglected by the clergy. His historical lessons are eye-opening, his practical advice simple to put into practice, and his integration of humor and health inspiring. After reading this marvelous book, I hit my forehead with the palm of my hand and, like Homer Simpson, said, “D’oh.” ~ John Morreall, author of Laughing All the Way; Humor Works; Comedy, Tragedy, and Religion; and Comic Relief: A Comprehensive Philosophy of Humor

Healthiness is the closet thing to Godliness!

Book Review by Sezoni Whitfield:

I found The Physically Fit Messiah interesting, inspiring, and fun to read! Reading a story about lifestyle choices for overall good health and a long life can only lead to something that just feels right. Cal Samra is an octogenarian who plays tennis four times a week, eats a Mediterranean diet, and enjoys organic gardening.

The book is a compelling read about human behavior and habit as they relate to diet and health (i.e.; overeating, poorly eating, excessive drinking, smoking, physical inactivity, high sodium and processed food consumption, and the environment)—all of which that can wreak havoc on our health.

Samra collaborated with some big names in medical and religious fields to help him create this wholesome, spiritually centered story about clean living. He gives proven accounts of wellness in health care that date as far back as early Greek Christian physicians—physicians then and now who encourage a healthy diet and exercise.

I enjoy the humor the author uses to enhance the story. I got a kick out of the 15 exercises to avoid. My only issue with the book was that there wasn't enough empirical data to support how genetics and natural causes beyond anyone's control play a part in our health. But it addressed other concerns in depth like man-made "agents of death" and their effects on our environment. A sigh of relief comes when the author stresses the importance of prayer, faith, love, and good relationships with Christ, family, friends, and pets for illnesses medication can't heal.

If you pooh-pooh the wisdom of our elders and have little regard for history, this book may not be for you. If you believe you can garner motivation to live longer and at the same time promote in others a healthier lifestyle, this book is a gem for keeps! I definitely recommend this read!

ANOTHER REVIEW:

"The description of your new book on Amazon made my day. Your ideas and tips are so important, and so neglected. Congratulations to you, and to Robert Reed, for bringing this book out—and at $15!"  ~ Prof. John Morreall, Chair of the Department of Religious Studies at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, VA.

Garner motivation to live, and at the same time promote in others, a healthier lifestyle from an author who is...

• an octogenarian who plays tennis four times a week,
• a man who eats a Mediterranean diet similar to the diet that Jesus ate and enjoys organic gardening,
• a former newspaper reporter and columnist who has been editing a national humor newsletter for churches (The Joyful Noiseletter) for 31 years,
• a health and humor historian,
• a man who has such a sense of humor and humility that he admits he once    was so depressed that he looked for ways to hang himself from an Arizona cactus...

then Cal Samra’s book will be life-changing for you.

Too many people are ailing and dying in church pews, and author Cal Samra is challenging clergy and health professionals to stem the epidemic of obesity, Alzheimer's, and other diseases by respecting the contributions of health reformers of the past and present. He introduces you to the early Greek Christian physicians, the early Franciscans, John Wesley and the early Methodists, Congregationalist Harriet Beecher Stowe, Ellen White and the Seventh Day Adventists, Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, and modern health reformers like George Bernard Shaw and Jack LaLanne.

He teaches you to be concerned about the environmental factors affecting your health, nutrition, the food we eat, the water we drink, the air we breathe, our physical fitness as well as our spiritual fitness. He tells you how to avoid Alzheimer’s and make the healing power of humor work for you. He challenges clergy, health professionals, parents... everyone... to be fearless in promoting health and fitness.

The Physically Fit Messiah is a book that embraces humor (includes 26 cartoons), honesty (Samra tells it like he sees it), and inclusivity (all religious faiths, even though it has a predominantly Christian flavor).         

After a serious illness, Samra himself recovered his health when he totally changed his outlook on life and returned to the natural Mediterranean diet he had been raised on, very similar to the food that Jesus ate. He is living testimony to the Wellness Wisdom PAST and PRESENT that he promotes in The Physically Fit Messiah.

Chapter titles include:

• "Jesus: The Ultimate Health Reformer and Action Hero" 
• "The Healthy Centenarians"
• "God Made The Body to Be Used – So Use It!"
• "Overdosing on Sugar"; "The 'Frankenfoods'"
• "Medicinal Herbs for Your Mind and Body"
• "The Physiology of Madness"
• "How to Avoid Alzheimer's"
• "The Church Health Center: 'Health Care Is a Mess'"
• "Patch Adams: Clown-Prince of Physicians"
• "The Healing Power of Prayer and Loving Care"
• "The Longevity of Comedians, Humorists, and Clowns"
• "The Healing Power of Pets"
• "What This Country Needs is a Good Siesta"
• "Healing Prayers for Hard Times"

ISBN: 978-1-934759-99-8 (Soft cover, 6 x 9, 230 pages, $14.95)

ISBN: 978-1-944297-00-8 (e-Book on Amazon Kindle, $8.50)