Dr. Kellogg

When my kids were little, I would take them grocery shopping with me so my wife could have a break.  At the end of our shopping trip, we often stopped to ride the little mechanical horse located at the front of Meijer.  One of the kids would sit on the horse, put in a penny, and gallop (they thought) back and forth for a few minutes.  There was something about the easy, rocking motion of the mechanical horse that had a noticeably calming effect, no matter how disappointed they were at not getting something they wanted in the store. 

The little mechanical horses you see in Meijer or other stores were the invention of Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, brother to W. K. Kellogg, the great producer of Corn Flakes.  Dr. Kellogg devoted most of his life to devising ways to improve human health and vitality.  At the Battle Creek Sanitarium, Dr. Kellogg employed a variety of techniques to improve the mind and body. 

A larger model of one of the electric horses he invented wound up in the home of President Calvin Coolidge who used to ride it three times a day.  In total, over 50,000 of the original electric horses were sold under the guise of promoting mental and physical healing. 

Today, we are still searching for healing.  Cutting edge technology has produced all manner of medications, practices, and therapies that promise to optimize our desire for a healthier life.  The human desire to be made whole is one that has persisted from the beginning of time. 

We long for healing – mentally, physically, and emotionally. Isaiah 1:5 says, “The whole head is sick, and the whole heart is faint.”  Despite our continual modern medical advancements, we still live in a world marked by disease, injustice, anxiety, grief, despair, and broken relationships.

Our deepest illnesses can also be spiritual.  Jesus well understood the maladies of mankind.  Throughout His ministry, He brought sight to the blind, strength to the lame, hearing to the deaf, and dignity to those society had rejected.  Jesus came into this world to offer hope and healing.  In Luke 5:31, Jesus explains the heart of His ministry saying, “Those who are healthy have no need of a physician, but those who are sick do.” 

The physical torment that Jesus endured before His crucifixion has been well documented: scourged with a whip, beaten by the Roman soldiers to the point that He was nearly unrecognizable, a crown of thorns placed on His head, and wooden spikes driven through His hands and feet as He was nailed to a cross.  The emotional and spiritual anguish He went through was just as bad.  Denied and abandoned by His followers, He was left alone to die.  When He reached His lowest point, He “gave up his spirit” (John 19:28). 

Three days later, Jesus made a comeback.  He was healthy.  He was whole.  Everyone who saw Him was amazed, because they had witnessed His death.  Hope sprang up.  They now knew that suffering and mortality do not have the final say.  Because of The Cross and the Resurrection, we have hope.  And hope produces healing hearts.   

With love,

Pastor Mike Howard