From a Friend who is joining me on the 40 Day Fast

Hello my Brothers, Sisters, Friends, and Family.

It has now been a little over (2) week’s and I wanted to keep you updated on this 40 day journey that I have embarked on.

I am still at a point that I am not “hungry”, yes I could eat, and yes there is things I would like to eat, but I have not came to a place that says I must eat.

Mentally (on food).  I really have almost came to a point that the habit of not eating is feeling normal.  I do cook meals (which I miss taste testing to make sure things are prepared correctly), but I really am not thinking much of it.  Really it has became very normal not to eat.  I sit with friends and family while they eat and there is not a special feeling that I need to or that I am missing out on anything.  I really anticipated a much deeper struggle with food, but I have not encountered it.

Mentally in thought and perspective; I started this journey for really a couple of reasons and those (2) original points were 1.  God spoke to me about doing this.  2.  To be a support to my friend whom was trying this 40 day journey.  I added to this a couple of my own thoughts (I believe).  A thought/perspective that I came to was I would find out if I am Peter or not.  As I have said most of my life that I would not have abandoned Jesus I would have had to die with Jesus.  I started this journey without any research or idea of what  struggle I might endure and since then I have came to an understanding that God has created us in a way that starvation would be rather physically painless.  So I have found my answer.  Yes I am just stubborn enough that I would die for Jesus, and starving would rather be the easy way as my fat will fuel me until it runs out, and then my muscle will fuel me until it runs out, and then when there is no more stored energy to keep everything going I would be gone more then likely while sleeping.  So I have found the answer that I would die for Jesus.  I have came to the understanding that the question is not whether someone would die for Jesus, but rather will we live for Jesus.  Oh and that is such a different question, and it evokes every aspect of our lives, and that includes what, how, and when we eat.  You see that is what Peter ended up doing, he lived for Jesus, and that living has carried the Church to you and I.  Now the question remains will we live and carry the Church to the world?

Physically I have had many changes.  As of last night when I weighed I have lost 22 pounds .  It is unbelievable how well I am sleeping.  My mental energy level is soaring.  My blood pressure is still steadily doing better.  It has been 2 weeks and over-all my arms, knee’s, and back, are doing very well.  I feel so much better it is very shocking.  I have found the lack of muscle stamina.  Long story short I was placing some Railroad Cross-ties at the end of my drive and as the project went on I just completely ran out of fuel.  After I was finished that afternoon on working outside I did not think I had the energy to walk inside.  I remember thinking that it will be a struggle tonight, and in the morning.  I was wrong, I took a shower, felt better, and got up the next day well rested and ready to go.  So my strength is weakening with stamina, but I have not seen the laps in muscle memory.  I do think that someone has shared a cold with me, and I will find out in a day or two if my body fights it off as normal or if I really catch it.

Spiritually.  I feel very opened and encouraged in direction of my Calling and direction that I am leading in the church.  I have had some very interesting thought on this “Fast” and I am at an understanding that Jesus did not suffer during the 40 days, but rather embarked on a different journey.

I have came to a clarity that the “Fast” from food is in no way as significant as how I teach and receive food from here on.

As an example; if it is worthy of killing one of God’s creations to give me food (and really does not matter if that is creatures or plant-life either is killed) then it is worthy of my thankfulness to acknowledge, enjoy, and be thankful for the gift.  In other words I have spent too much time “just eating” instead of including my worship of God in the gift of receiving the meal.

You may or may not know what I am talking about but I spend over 2/3rds of the time just eating to eat and that has became overwhelmingly clear.

What I could and should do in eating is making that gift that God has already blessed by providing it for me a time of reflection, fellowship, and worship as the meal that I eat is a gift worthy of acceptance and praise.

So why just eat, make it worth while.

I do not know about you, but I know I spend too many meals in a rush to get through them and continue doing my work or what ever I was doing.

To be honest I spend too many meals at my desk, or in the car driving, so I can do work.

That is crazy and it is also not giving a proper reflection of my thanks for god providing for me.

I have found in reflection that if I am rushing through a meal it is because of poor planning on my part.  If we are going to eat then we should schedule it with every other aspect of our day, and if we are not going to eat then we should also schedule it as an intentional “Fast”.

I remember in a school leading into being a pastor one of the things we were told was time management, schedule meals, schedule exercise, schedule study, schedule devotion time, schedule worship prep time, schedule sermon research and writing time, schedule family time, and schedule visitation time.  And reality is that some how we get all mixed up in this whirlwind of a mindset that the preacher must be kept hopping.  Oh, how poor of an example we give when we allow our lives to be dictated by foolishness.  That is not what Jesus did, Jesus set aside time to carry out the day, Jesus dictated the schedule of the day, and there was times that Jesus said clearly the He would not come or be there, Jesus also sent others to carry out work/ministry.

This week my thought is that I continue this journey not because my “Fasting” will make a difference in the “Fast” alone, rather it is what I carry from this journey that makes the difference. [Reality check is that unless what we do inspires or teaches others, unless what we do makes a change or a difference, then it is just another insignificant something that we do, but if the smallest thing we do reflects even the slightest glimpse of whom we live for then we are helping change the world.]

All and all everything is going very well.  The journey is down to only a little less then 4 weeks left.  I will keep you all in my prayers and I hope you will keep me in yours.

I am discerning how many ways that I just live instead of living for Jesus, will you join me in that reflection this week?

Peace in Christ,

Chuck