MANY OF our readers will remember the name of Ernest Lloyd as editor of one of their first childhood loves, Our Little Friend magazine. Pastor Lloyd has had a long and most rewarding life, one of outstanding service for the Lord and His work. How has this man maintained his health and alertness? Does he know something we don't know and maybe should? Let's ask him.
Q. Pastor Lloyd, we understand that you are in your 98th year. Would you give us a thumbnail sketch of your life?
A. I was born in Ontario, Canada, February 22, 1880. My early home was in Chicago, Illinois. From 1896 to 19011 attended Battle Creek College in Michigan and since 1901 have been engaged in Adventist denominational work with a total of 75 years in medical, educational, and publishing areas. I have never really retired, but am still occupied with worthy activities.
Q. We are interested in what you are currently doing. Please briefly outline your activities for us.
A. Currently I am connected with two volunteer services in the St. Helena Hospital and Health Center. Also, I do field work among the academies in the Pacific Union Conference in the interest of building greater confidence and faith in the gift of prophecy. I am now associated in this work with Roger Coon, of Pacific Union College. I have also always kept my hand in literature ministry, which I believe to be highly important.
Q. Of all that you have done, what have you enjoyed the most?
A. The twenty-five years spent as editor of Our Little Friend, because working with the developing minds of growing children is the most important of any work.
Q. To what do you attribute your being able to keep up such a pace and accomplish what you have?
A. Under the blessing of God I have lived a systematic healthful life style. Beginning each day at 5:30 in the morning, I follow healthful habits such as eating three light meals a day and keeping an optimum weight.
Q. How long have you been a vegetarian?
A. Since September of 1896, when I entered Battle Creek College in Michigan. This school was situated close to the world-famous Battle Creek Sanitarium, where a score of us students worked after school hours. We learned from physicians there that a vegetarian diet is the best for human beings. Their monthly lectures in chapel and our physical improvement assured us we were on the right road. Time has proved it.
Q. What foods do you enjoy and use regularly?
A. Fruits, grains, vegetables, and nuts. I am a small person, and have never weighed more than 130 pounds. Early in life I learned that light meals were best for me.
Q. Do you have any known chronic diseases?
A. Not really. A little arthritis in my left hip reminds me I am getting older. It is like the old-fashioned rheumatism our parents had, you remember. I carry on with my daily schedule of activities, regardless of a few pains in that left hip.
Q. Were your ancestors long-lived? They say that if you want to live to a good old age you should pick the right parents and grandparents. You seem to have done a good job.
A. Some on my mother's side had long lives. She lived to be 92.
Q. It doesn't sound as though you are keeping your pharmacist very busy.
A. I've had very little need for either over-the-counter or prescription medicines.
Q. Do you have frequent colds or heart pains or infections?
A. No. I'm not really bothered with such.
Q. What about memory lapses?
A. At 97 my memory works pretty well, I am thankful to say. But—the inevitable takes place—I do have embarrassing moments now and then like other elderly persons.
Q. You mentioned you've never had a weight problem. Apparently daily exercise and light meals helped you avoid that pitfall. What do you do for exercise?
A. I walk at least two miles out in the open, jog a little, and always "pump in the oxygen" while outdoors. Walking is the best exercise known to mankind. The way we're constructed proves we were built to walk and run.
Q. Your enthusiasm and zesty spirit indicate a real love for life. What hobbies do you have?
A. I do some gardening. Until I was 92 I frequently sang duets with an old friend in his eighties. We were often invited to "come back again, please." I also do some writing.
Q. Have you ever had to watch your blood pressure?
A. No. It's always been normal so far. I don't have tension problems.
Q. Do you maintain a fairly regular program, or do you run on a "catch as can" basis?
A. I am a firm believer in regularity.
Q. But, to be really practical, how can a busy minister keep regular hours?
A. We have an ideal toward which we work, but it must be flexible because of the nature of our work—a little like that of a doctor who must be on call at all times.
Q. How have you handled such devastating emotional menaces as discouragement, worry, doubt, and the like? Everyone seems plagued by them, to greater or lesser extent.
A. As Christians we can turn to God to give us power to live above discouragement, worry, and doubt. I go to bed to sleep and not to worry. I do my best in the daytime and leave the rest to the Lord. The main thing is to do our best. I have no doubts concerning the Bible or God's love for me. God teaches us how to live above circumstances.
Thank you, Pastor Lloyd. We hope that your sharing your own experience with us will encourage many of the ministers who read this interview to live longer, healthier, and more productive lives.
