Lisa Colón DeLay | Spiritual Formation and the Way of the Desert Elders
Resources, Guidance, Products, and Services for personal growth, spiritual formation, and community connection
I got this fortune cookie fortune today. This variety of weirdness feels like it was written in Hoboken, not Peking…but I think I like it.
As it relates to my future? Hum…now that’s a good question. It could be in keeping with the Raisinets I found on my porch on the Chinese New Year’s Day (It’s the Year of the Rabbit)
What’s the funniest or strangest fortune cookie you’ve ever gotten?
Due to inclement weather, my final lesson at Bellegrove church is now postponed until 10a.m. Sunday February, 20th.
Bring cookies. : )
So, we’re all taking the day off. The kids don’t have school, ETS is officially closed due to weather (which means I’m not teaching until next week).
I’m getting sick of winter already. They say a certain PA groundhog can determine wether spring will arrive soon, or if winter has six more weeks to do its worst. This all happens on February 2. Tomorrow. Um… I don’t think we need Punxsutawney Phil to tell us the inevitable. Do you?
UPDATE: Feb 3, 2011. In a meteorological SHOCKER, Punxsy Phil did NOT see his shadow, so he predicts an early spring. In this 125 year tradition, the groundhog sees his shadow 9 times out of 10, and then goes back into his den. (Or he could be scared by all the flashing cameras.)
AND! Can someone tell me why February can’t borrow a day from January and a day from March to get up to a more normal 30 day month? Those few days seem, well, important.
FEBRUARY FREEBIES:
For 3 years now, I’ve used February to give away gifts. I have the first one here: 10 oz of Premium Chocolate (premium for central Pennsylvania, that is.)
To try for this goodie, leave a comment, before Feb 14, telling us about the last fantastic chocolate experience you’ve had. What did you eat, etc? One fortunate or creative reader will get the Gold. Good luck.
There’s only so much you can write about fasting. The topic is starved from the start, but with this concluding post, I’ll tie together the rest of my summary on FASTING.
I should point out that I hate being hungry. Being hungry sometimes makes me get, not just grouchy, but angry. Part of why I encountered this topic publicly was to encourage myself to take on this valuable spiritual practice with more devotion. But because I enjoy the process? ….WHOA. OH NO; it’s because I see unquestionable spiritual benefits from undergoing the practice which cannot so thoroughly occur by another method.
Dangers of Fasting
It may become False Religion (fast verse link: Col. 2:23)
It may produce the idea that God is obligated to do what we’d like.
May feed our control issues (Do you have starving-yourself powers or issues? Then, be careful. Gandhi (an heroic and virtuous man) didn’t do fasts, he had hunger strikes. Notice the difference.)
May intensify health ailments (Be extra cautious when fasting if you have health issues.)
What are some you can think of?
Benefits of Fasting
Prayer and worship producing
Calls our cravings into question
Useful for thwarting (great or small) neurotic thoughts or activities, vices, obsessions, and addictions.
• We learn that our cravings need not control us
• It nurtures a dependence on God.
Kinds of FASTS
1. From 1 meal
2. From Sundown to Sunrise, or Sunrise to sundown
3. From certain foods (sweets, coffee, meat, etc.)
4. From enjoyed or frequent activities (tv, internet, sports, shopping, snacking, etc.)
What fasts have you tried, or would recommend?
You may like this fasting resource: the book and guide for individual, and group fasts, called Fasting for Spiritual Breakthrough by Elmer L. Towns.
Please leave any of your guide books or fasting recommendations in the comment section, if you have them.
What will you do?
Will you commit to fast at least once per month?
Which type of fast (or fasts) makes sense for you?
What would you like to pray about during your fast?
Thanks for your participation!
