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The Daniel Fast
So The Daniel fast is a 21 day fast that is centered around Daniel’s diet. We abstained from all animal products (no meat), dairy, leavened bread, sugar, and caffeine. So we basically became very strict vegans while on this fast. This is the testimony of my journey through it and what happened.
Disclaimer. This post is in no way intended to lift myself up on a pedastool for completeing this fast but rather to glorify God for the things that he did, showed me, and prepared me for. Glory be to him for everything.
Its kinda sad that I have to include that but, with how quick christians use their sharp tounges, it is kinda necessary. Now back to the nitty gritty.
Originaly, I had planned on starting this fast with my family on the 1st of January and finishing it while up here in Abilene. Then I discovered that UBC would be doing it as a church and decided that I would pick up with them on the 9th and finish when they did. Overall, it turned into a 30 day fast for me.
I will admit, this fast started out as a way to loose weight mainly, and maybe grow closer to God and with my family but God quickly dissolved that. As a church we read through the book of John (21 chapters) and that helped put things back into perspective. Little did I know what God had instore for me. So here it goes.
Prayer. Lets be real, I struggle with reading my bible. A LOT. Its not easy and its a discipline that I have been trying to perfect for a long time. Its hard! Well this fast helped with that. And I admit, as I write this I still have a couple of chapters to catch up on, I will finish it and continue with a new reading plan. This goes along with prayer as well. Something else that is a constant struggle for me. I get easily caught up in praying for things or when things are rough and not praying for other people, or just to talk to God. So dumb, but this fast helped get me back on track.
Focus. Holy cow I have never been tested for ADD but after seeing how my focus has changed in a month, I swear I might have it. The focus that I have had for the start of this semester has been off the charts. It could be that I havent been pumping my body with preservatives and crap but still, it has been awesome to sit through a 3 hour class and not get distracted hardly at all.
Aside from studious focus, I have had a new focus for what matters. Christ and his love being shown through me, being real even in the face of adversity, relationships and how I can make them better, and worship. God has torn down idols in my life that were hindering me from being a better man of God. Although it is a constant battle, a war is being raged against sin. The want to rule over my life completely is being attacked as I write but though my heart and flesh fail me, my God is all that I need and he will give me peace.
Self control. Who knew I had so much self control in me. And heaven knows that I definitely didnt do it on my own. If you know me well, you know I LOVE food. Obviously because I used to weigh 235ish lbs. There were so many times that I wanted to eat bread or sugar but I refrained. One time, I went to Denny’s, with 2 friends of mine, and watched them eat a burger and an omelette. That was so difficult. God brought people in to my life, namely Brittany Baker, that made this fast so much easier. Doing it in community with someone else to have accountability and lift each other up was amazing. Who wouldve thought that that is how the Christian life should look like. Too bad it took 30 days of being a vegan to figure that out.
I have yet to do something this crazy in terms of a fast but it was so rewarding. Especially starting off 2012 like this. I am excited to see what God has in store for me personally, and for UBC as a community of Christ followers. And since I know people want to know how much weight I have lost through this, I now weigh 215. I was at least 235 at the start of this fast. Its pretty cool to see the benefits of being faithful both spiritually and physically. But then again, everything is spiritual. ;)
So thats it. Both physical and spiritual growth all from becoming a vegan. Question, comments, concerns, or threats?
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Free
Here comes another long unorganized ramble. :)
The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want. The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want. The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want.
What an interesting statement. I really need this as a reminder. Should I be free from all of the normal typical wants. Especially a college kid wants. Wanting a SUCCESSFUL life (As in never failing. HAH), wanting a family in the (near) future, wanting to get the best out of life, material possessions, to be capable, perfect friendships and relationships, etc. But wait, the lord is my shepherd i shall not want. Does this include all of these things.
Typically, I think of the “bad” worldly things that we so often get our eyes on when it comes to this verse, but lately, this is not so.
We have been freed from out bondage to sin. Us wantign and seeking to find what pleases us, making us the center of our lives. You know the whole me addiction thing. I’ve heard it over and over again. But what about the normal things that aren’t really looked on as bad. The things mentioned at the top of this post. Funny thing is yes. All of these good, noble, normal things are part of this self centered sin. These things become tie downs, and bondage. Just not in the typical Sunday school style.
I recently wrote a song about this. It was cool how it all came together so quickly but are we really free? Its easy to say that I am free from all of the typical bondages but really? I think these wants, desires, whatever you want to call them, have become the same thing.
I mean, as a worship leader I have sung and lead singing countless times about God being all that I need. All that I want. Oh man was I wrong. And I think we overlook the magnitude of that statement way to easily.
The lord is my shepherd i shall not want. The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want. The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want.
But
In my weakness you are strong, but oh what grace that we have, we now live. FREE.
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OHHHH SNAAAP!
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Genuine???
Here we go with another post two in a row. I promise this wont turn into a routine. One because Im too lazy and two I just dont like to write or share my thought very much.
I used to be very wary of people asking questions about worship being genuine. Questions about people liking the way the song sounds, or if its their favorite, or why do people’s hands go up in only certain parts of a song. And for the most part I still am. “Dont judge a person’s heart” is what I always think. If worship is a response, or a an effect, to God’s action, or cause, in people’s lives, then how can you judge a person’s worship if it is their response and not yours. (That was a poorly written out way of me trying to sound like an english major… I hate english) But today in chapel, the question of genuine worship popped into my head on its rare occasion.
The last thing I want to do is sound judgmental, holier than thou, or a know it all and it may be very difficult during this next part.
ACU like to get into routines. The same songs will be sung over and over again and unless cued by the worship leader or its a song that everyone knows and loves, student wont stand or sing out, or be expressive in their response to God. I know first hand being a worship leader in Moody and the feeling of defeat when you feel that you have not led students well when students arent responsive. So I dont blame the leaders for repeating the loved songs to the students. But what happened today in chapel was praising the leader for picking a song that everyone loved. I’ve been told that instrumental worship is nothing but a concert or a show and that why CoC people dont like it, But what happened today, and what happens a lot of the time is, an applause and condoning of a show.
So is it possible to worship to a song that you dont know? Or in the awkward silence between songs? Or when the person next to you is way off key or obnoxiously belting a harmony because they know they are amazing? Or when you are forced to go to chapel 55 times a semester? I think in true genuine worship you can, because it should be a response to God not to the song. That is something called idolatry and its scary to think that it is mixed in with our worship.
I am just as bad at this. I am a perfectionist when it comes to leading, so when the set that I am leading is going wrong, I lose focus. If someone else is leading and they aren’t striving for perfection I lose focus. I also love music and everything that goes into worship music and its easy to get lost in that and lose focus. So this post is about me just as much as it is with the ACU students and everyone else.
What needs to be done to change this? I honestly have no idea. But if the revolution I want to see happen in Abilene and at ACU is going to happen, I think this needs to change.
Thought, inaccuracies, concerns, threats?
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Anonymous asked: i think you would look smexi with a mexistache ;)
If I could grow one, I totally would…. but I cant…
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Weird, because normal isn’t working.
Abilene Texas, is a “college” town with 3 separate universities of 3 different denominations. Where things start shutting down at 11 pm and students go home to the metroplex every other weekend. A desolate place where everything is flat and barren, everything including the faith of the college population. Somewhere around 75% of college students here are not going to church regularly. Very rarely do students interact with student from another campus unless it is at church. Yet we are all under the same banner of Christ. Why is this? Why do students fall away when most stories here start out with “Well, I was basically born on a church pew…”. It has become a norm and something has to change.
Priorities among students are way out of place. Wednesday night at church has been replaced with going to club and gossiping about other clubs on campus. Sunday mornings have been replaced with visiting the box spring chapel. The need for community among Christ followers has been masked by attending a Christian school. Genuine worship has been replaced with the same old tasteless routine over and over again. Unity in Christ has been replaced with more concern with making sure we put in our denomination after the church name. Concern for the least of these has been replaced with concern for our own well being.
Here comes my plug for where I am plugged in. I go to UBC right across the street from HSU. This church is WIERD. We don’t have a teaching pastor, or a youth pastor, or a college pastor, or a children’s pastor. We have one worship/administrative pastor and that is it. Everything that goes on at church is because of the work of the body coming together voluntarily, solely to further the kingdom of Christ. We are part of the Lifechurch.tv network where we receive teaching and utilities to use for free. The college ministry doesn’t meet every wednesday for worship but instead focuses on community through lifegroups. We meet once a month for a fellowship night to join the groups together in worship. I didn’t want to come to this church at first because it wasnt the “way church was supposed to be”. The community mindset of this church has made an impact on everyone involved and I think is what needs to happen in our college culture.
Utlimately, this post isn’t about how to do church, because there are plenty of churches doing it the “right” way. In fact, its not even about getting more people to come to UBC because we are soo much better. Its about finding ways to change the culture of college students. Get involved. Do something.
So that was a long preachy, non organized way of saying what has been on my heart. And chances are Im going to offend someone if people actually read this. I know that I am over exaggerating and that not everyone falls into this category but perfection is a goal for me. Wether or not it’s always attainable is a different story. And maybe Im completely wrong and the faith of the college culture here is fine. If it aint broke dont fix it right? But even then, I don’t want to stay complacent. I want to see revolution. I want to see the unity that christ cried out for to be tangible.
Thoughts, concerns, inaccuracies, threats?
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Oh my Christians!
– David Bowden Jeremiah 7
When did Christ become a figurehead instead of a commission
When did my son become flatbread instead of a mission
When did his blood become imbedded in dead prayers instead of spreading you into submission
When did his cross become something printed on thread instead of imprinted on your vision
Your missing the point if
attending, seating, listening, and repeating
is the joint efforts of your
effortless anointing
I don’t want to disappoint
all those who thought
getting baptized and being churched
would comprise the proper work to prove your worth
but I have searched the earth
and when you’re not hiding in your Sunday shirt
or your Wednesday skirt
you look the same as every unconverted
person who flirts with the comforts of selfishness and inverted shame
It does not matter if you claim my name
because the fact of the matter is that you all look the same
The pagans the Christians
The tainted the sinless
The saved and the sinners
The saints and imprisoned -
Found - Aaron Ivey
This song is perfect for everything that is going on right now. As a college student not knowing what exactly is coming next and wanting to get started making plans with my life, I need to stop and remember that everything should be found in HIM. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.” Proverbs 3:5
It is so hard for me to do this, and I know that I am not alone. College students everywhere are hitting spots like this and it is so difficult to just TRUST.
As a little plug, Aaron Ivey is one of the best unknown and underrated worship leaders out there. He leads worship at the Austin Stone and helps lead at a little school called Texas A&M for Breakaway. Good good stuff. Check him out.
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Beautiful Things
I got to go to Camp Zephyr with the BT youth this past week. This was the second time I have gone as a sponsor and I was more than excited but at the same time, nervous because the youth is so different from when I was there 2 years ago.
So I have been trying to find a way to write about what happened at camp and I cant really seem to find a way that will do it justice so I’ll just sum it all up.
Its funny how it never ceases to amaze me that God really does work everything for good. How he can call the unqualified and make them more than able. How he can make beautiful things out of the dust. How he can use the dirtiest and ugliest things and use them for his good. My heart breaks for the things that happens to youth these days but God is calling up a new generation to do big things. LET FAITH ARISE.
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A Prayer
Lord, you call us out of captivity into the freedom of your beloved community. As we pass through the wilderness spaces of our lives, grant us ears to hear you, eyes to see you, and hearts that ache for you, that we might not turn away from the brothers and sisters who help us remember who we are. Amen.
