Following the church service, I retreated to a nice-looking TV set on the church grounds where Pastor Rod interviewed me for his weekly TV show called “Breakthrough.” Seen on more than 1,400 stations and cable affiliates, “Breakthrough” features Pastor Rod interviewing guests for the program. We got enough in the can to fill two 30-minute shows, which will air at the end of April and May.

When we were finished taping, I was driven a few miles to World Harvest Bible College, where I spoke to a couple of hundred students. I shared an overview of the Perfect Weight America program and got into several of the foundation principles: eating organic foods and staying away from processed meals and treats; drinking at least one-half ounce of water per pound of body weight each day; supplementing your diet with whole-food vitamins and minerals; the importance of short, intense physical workouts for at least twenty minutes a day; and reducing toxins in your environment.

I was rolling along when Pastor Rod asked a student in the front row what she ate for breakfast that morning. “Cocoa Puffs in skim milk,” she replied, and boy, did I have a field day with that one. I said something about Cocoa Puffs being no better for her nutritionally than a candy bar. As for skim milk, I stated that I wasn’t a fan of 2 percent or skim milk because removing the fat makes the milk less nutritious and less digestible. Besides, has anyone ever witnessed a cow delivering low-fat milk?

Pastor Rod took another hand from an adventurous student wanting to share what he ate for breakfast that morning. This fellow said he had grazed through the buffet line and picked up the usual: a waffle that he drenched in maple syrup (artificially sweetened, I’m sure), a blueberry muffin the size of a softball, and several strips of bacon.

“We need to pray for you,” Pastor Rod intoned, and everyone shared a good laugh. Asking people what they ate for breakfast that morning is always a good ice-breaker to loosen up the audience. Many times when I speak on Sunday morning, I like to shake things up by springing a pop quiz on the congregation.

“This morning, I want you to turn to the person next to you and tell him or her what you ate for breakfast,” I’ll say. No matter how you slice it or serve it, there’s something all-American about breakfast, even if it’s a meal of French toast, Canadian bacon, and English muffins.

From my vantage point, what happens next is a fascinating display of human behavior. Muffled voices and whispered exchanges emanate from folks clearly embarrassed to reveal what they ate before arriving at church. Perhaps that’s because breakfast was an Egg McMuffin snatched up at the drive-thru window, chased with a cup of cream-filled coffee sweetened with several packets of Splenda, or a quick stop at Dunkin’ Donuts for sticky treats topped with chocolate and sprinkles.

Others shrug their shoulders, as if to say, Hey, I had kids to get ready. I didn’t have time to eat. But those who enjoyed a hearty, home-cooked breakfast pridefully regale their captive audience with an enthusiastic description of scrambled eggs with American cheese, crisp bacon, sizzling sausage, and—especially in the South where I live—a heaping helping of grits.

After the conversational buzz dies down, I toss out a second question—one even more penetrating: “How many of you consider what your neighbor ate to be healthy?”

I usually hear nervous laughter and some twittering, and you should see the folks in the pews sit on their hands. After an awkward moment or two, I spot a few arms raised timidly in the air. That’s because most people intuitively understand that diving into a plate of high-sugar, high-fat breakfast foods such as, well, French toast made from white bread and Canadian bacon, does not constitute healthy eating, and nor does wolfing down a fast food egg sandwich or chocolate éclairs on the way to church.

People who don’t eat healthy are not thriving the way they should, and that was the main point I shared with those students at Pastor Rod’s Bible College. I also reminded these young, energetic students, with great futures waiting for them, that if you don’t have your health, you ain’t got nuthin’.

I know my old high school English teacher would flunk me for writing the last sentence, but it’s really the way I feel.