Heart disease runs in my  family. I wouldn’t have said that before my own father went to be with the Lord at the age of 61 after his third heart attack. His father and my maternal grandfather had each lived to be around 90.

Until September 22, 2004, I only had a tooth brush in my medicine cabinet. Now there is no room for a toothbrush. After suffering a heart attack at age 49, I am now on enough medicines that I don’t feel the need to eat breakfast. My stomach is too full.

I am on Aspirin, Niacin, Metoprolol, a statin, Plavix, and something to protect my stomach from all the above. And I don’t need a lecture about diet and exercise. I am not significantly overweight, I have never smoked, and I outrun almost anyone twenty years younger than me.

But my question for this morning is when do we stop taking all this medicine? Does an 80 yearold need to continue on statins? Is Aspirin safe for an 80 yearold’s stomach? Can his blood pressure handle the metoprolol or will we cause him to be light headed, fall over, and hurt himself?

My goal as a Christian is not to stay on this earth forever. It’s a great place and I enjoy almost every day. But the story is told of a man who lived to be 90, died, and went to heaven. The streets were gold, the sidewalks were silver, and the cafeteria was exquisite. He said, “Wow, If I hadn’t taken such good care of myself I could have been here years ago.”