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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Nine?

I guess I'm number 9. I'll be doing liquids only. I did a 6-day liquids-only fast three weeks ago. But I think I'm good at this fasting thing, so thought I should join this one as well.

I will also be trying to pray more intensely for some marriages...6 couples from our small group will begin the Marriage Course next week.

Looking forward to hearing about other's experiences and excited about what God will do.

Day One

Hey guys, looks like there are at least 8 of us this time around for the fast, possibly more...I was camping up at Devil's Lake State Park this weekend with the family so I started a few hours late. I'll be doing no meat, no bread this week. Should be a real challenge because I love both.

We will be meeting at 4:30 Saturday instead of 4:00 due to the conference. We are in M2 which is Dave's old office. I'll email everyone just to be sure.

I plan on spending much of my prayer time praying for others this week - specifically I want to lift up the marriage of Ben & Laura Husmann.

Looking forward to hearing from you.
Loren

The Home Stretch

Well, I really wanted to watch the Bulls last night and was very tempted to break my fast. Although I have been fasting from all forms of media, I cannot escape the TV while here at work so generally know what's going on in the world. I escaped my temptation by going to sleep early (although this meant neglecting time with my wife - not the best choice I could have made). Otherwsie, the last couple days have been great spiritually. I feel that my understanding and comprehension of scripture are at above normal levels. I have particularly enjoyed reading Colossians. So much guidance and instruction succinctly packed this brief letter. I particularly like this passage from The Message translation of Colossians 3: 15 as it relates to us as men in the church: "Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing." At times, it seem that guys love hangin' around with one another everywhere except within the church. I know Paul is talking about fractions and disagreements in the early church but I think it applies to us in the sense that we tend to keep to ourselves when it comes to spiritual matters.
Looking forward to seeing you all tomorrow.

On the train this morning...

Crazy experience on the train this morning.

As soon as I sat down I noticed a rather large man talking to a small and meek woman who must have been at least 70 years old. They both had suitcases proportionate to their size. He was speaking loudly, semi-slurring, reaching out and touching her shoulder with his hulkish hands, telling her he would take care of her and rambling on. Initially I thought they might know each other but from my vantage point I could see that she was uncomfortable. The whole thing made me nervous. I said a quick prayer for discernment, strength and courage. I also prayed for the man that he be freed from his affliction. Shortly after this the man got up and verbally accosted another passenger in Spanish, waving and accusatory and threatening finger as he spoke. He then celebrated this tirade by pulling a half-full bottle of Vodka out of his suitcase, confirming my suspicions. This is when God answered my prayers and gave me the strength to act. I walked into the situation and asked the woman if she knew this man. She did not. Now closer to her, I noticed a fresh and swollen bruise along with some small cuts on her forehead. Verbally fending off the man, I then took her by the hand and led her to another seat, thanking God that he didn't try and attack me. He kept coming over trying to plead his case, finally getting the notice of the other riders who called the conductor. He was removed form the train at the next stop. Sadly, it turns out the old woman was apparently homeless. When we asked were she was going, she said "home" but couldn't even tell us where she wanted to get off.

What is my point? I'm not sure. I don't know if it was sadness for them or the stress of the situation but I just wanted to cry when I got off the train. I'm just glad that I listened to God's voice urging me to act. Had I not been fasting and seeking God, would I have been so quick to act? I hope so.