Who is this about anyhow?

Today was one of those tough days fasting. On Fridays, there are tasty snacks all over the school, I had a free lunch coming (which I didn't eat) and our small group meets for dinner. For awhile I started to feel sorry for myself. What a big sacrifice to not eat that food!!!! But, then I stopped and thought about what is this about? I think it is about God becoming greater and my own appetites becoming less (John 3:30).

Sacrifice is an old fashioned word in our modern society, but it doesn't mean it has lost meaning. For me, it is good to take a moment in time and not immediately get everything I want. To struggle a little builds strength and reflection.

I am still looking forward to eating tomorrow, but the lessons of the fast I can take beyond this week.

I like the simplicity and focus that fasting brings. I certainly am hungry (the deep dish pizza looked good at my meeting), but life also seems less complicated. Eating food can be like a lot of our activities in life: distracting. I like it when I feel like I am doing the things that God has for me. On Tuesday, our whole family went to the church to pray for Alex Smiley, who is battling cancer. Besides being impressed with the bravery of the young man, Iwas struck that God is much bigger than I let Him be normally. God really does want to break into our everyday lives, we just need to quiet ourselves enought to hear His voice.

God's Noise-Cancelling Headphones

Anybody who knows me knows that I enjoy music - a lot. A big part of my daily routine is listing to my ipod on the way to and from work on the "L". Not long ago, I had only the regular ear-bud headphones. If you want to actually hear the music over the train noise with these, you have to turn it up to nearly deafening levels. I expect I may have some hearing loss in the years to come.

A couple years ago, I acquired a pair of Sennheiser PXC 250 Noise-Cancelling headphones. They're great. I love them. Contrary to what you might think, they do not drown out all the external sound but only the low level drone - like the train rolling on the tracks or the sound of a car engine. Stuff I consider to be, well, "noise".

I often like to where them when the music is off, when I'm praying, reading (or sleeping). While doing this on Monday it came to mind that the function of these headphones is a lot like the function of fasting. For me, fasting allows me to cancel-out a lot of the "noise" in my life so I can hear the good stuff with more clarity- the stuff that is always there but most of the time gets obscured by the distractions of every day life. The good stuff that is God's voice.

Walking in the Light

Day one of any fast can be tricky, especially if your body is detoxifying from a bunch of junk. Not that this has happened to me (I have a "friend" where this has happened). I was so thankful to receive the Men's Manna from Dan Mack today. What a good word about walking in the light.

I had a morning full of interpersonal conflicts and yucky meetings. I was feeling myself get dragged into the mud and then the manna came and my perspective changed. Our job is truly simple. Walk in the light and be light to others. The rest of my day was much lighter as I focused on this simple, yet profound thought.

You Are Invited...

Hey guys - I hope your first full day of fasting is going well.

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