Day 1: Starting Out
I never know how each day will go during the week of prayer and fasting. God has laid it on my heart to write a list of burdens, people, prayers, or weaknesses and to carry it with me in my pocket-- so that throughout the day I will bring them before Him. I am going to include those I am praying for for salvation, broken marriages of friends and family, relationships, my children, my husband, my pastor and last not but VERY not least that God would use this week to deal with my weaknesses, and that I would be open to listening. I will list as things come up.
If you are stirred to do the same, make your own list, take the time to do it, you can always add to it as the week goes on.
What the fast will look like for me: I debated as to weather I should share this with you, but I feel I should and so I will. I am a horrible faster, horrible. My body does not respond well to the catapult of high and low blood sugar or something...it is just not acceptable for me to do a water or juice only fast. So I asked God to tell me what I should fast from and He was as faithful as ever to answer.
This is what He told me: No media including books (Bible and devotional books excluded), music, tv, movies, and Internet with one exception--I will share my thoughts daily on here. Sugar is a biggie for me, and thus it must be forsaken for the week. As far as food goes I have decided to put rice and beans exclusively on the menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner, yes every meal it will be beans and rice. I will also drink juice.
You are completely welcome to join me on this journey, I'd love it if you did- but don't feel you must. I only ask that you genuinely ask God what He would like from you right now. He is the only one you need to please. :)
Previous Posts on Prayer and Fasting:
Allowing Change.
On fasting.
Feel free to share your thoughts, what God is challenging you with or encouragement in the comments.
Allow Blank Space
Seasons change, life overwhelms and then disappoints, and it can so often feel like a perpetual game of red light green light. Lately I have been learning from the stop and go, run and wait, speak and listen.I am learning to not sit through the whole red light while blankly staring at the green hoping for a change, for movement, for my time to come. Since when is life about me? When will it ever be about me? It is not, it will not.
I am reading Oswald Chambers, and felt it would bless us all today.
There are times when you cannot understand why you cannot do what you want to do. When God brings the blank space, see that you do not fill it in but wait. Never run before God's guidance (My Utmost for His Highest p, 4. )
How much of God's purposeful blank space do I fill?
Do I even allow blank space in my life?
Do I fill up my blank walls with my own art-so as to bring myself glory or allow room for him to perfect what He has put there for His glory?
Extremely often without even seeing or knowing the masterpiece that He is painting on my walls, I walk in with closed eyes and paint scribbles there to cover up the blanks, to erase my vulnerability and fill my time-I can feel my hand brushing His hand away as I do this, and sometimes I even mistake that for "a closeness" to Him, but it is worse than distance.
Prayer and Fasting: Ponder what you have put on your walls and what needs to come down. Allow the blood of Christ to wash all of it off and start new with you, under no time restraints or management on your part. Think of what you can cut out starting Sunday (the 23) so as to hear Him instead of others, instead of yourself.
If you missed my first post on the upcoming fast, you can read it here: Consider Change.
Jesse Tree for Advent
As Christians, Christmas should be a huge celebration. Not in the commercial way of buying as many presents as we can for as many as we can...but in meaningful celebrations with our families and in our hearts. Our joy at celebrating Christ's birth should be infectious. I love this season, I start listening to Christmas music in early November- and most of the time I can't quit until late January. It is a time meant for families to gather around and share of the most amazing miracle of all time: when God come to earth in the form of a baby- a human. God stripped Himself of all his power to be like us, thus tipping the scale in our favour. Without this amazing birth, we would still be lost, still offering the sacrifices of animals that could never cover our sins.
The meaning of Jesse Tree is from the verses in the bible in 1 Samuel 16:1-13 and then Isaiah 11:1-10. The following section of the verse speaks of the Christ coming to the world by way of Jesse, and his descendants- thus the "Tree of Jesse".
1 There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse,
And a Branch shall grow out of his roots.
2 The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him,
The Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
The Spirit of counsel and might,
The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.
3 His delight is in the fear of the LORD,
And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes,
Nor decide by the hearing of His ears;
4 But with righteousness He shall judge the poor,
And decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth,
And with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked.
5 Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins,
And faithfulness the belt of His waist.
10 “ And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse,
Who shall stand as a banner to the people;
For the Gentiles shall seek Him,
And His resting place shall be glorious.” -Isaiah 11:1-5 +10
The Jesse Tree is intended to guide you through the 29 days that lead up to Christmas as a journey towards a deeper understanding of all that took place leading up to the birth of Christ through the Old Testament and then into the beginning of the New Testament. Each evening before bed we do the scripture reading for that day and then the boys take turns getting to hang the specified ornament on the tree. They beg for it to be "time for the Jesse Tree" and love it when it is their turn to hang the ornament. We did it last year for the first time and I learned so much. It deepens my faith in Christ each time. Going through the scripture of all the ancestors that lead up to Christ and seeing all the prophesies fulfilled to the letter really build our faith. We look forward to doing it every year as a tradition of the true meaning of Christmas with our family.
Table of Scripture Readings and Ornaments for The Jesse Tree
Click on the links to get to the ornament that I made to represent the symbol. That way, you can get an idea of what to make for your Jesse Tree Advent Celebration. Or if you want to see all of my ornaments go to my Jesse Tree Flickr album.
(I grabbed this table from The Voice it was the most detailed that I have found )
| Date | Persons | Events/Themes | Scripture | Symbols |
| First |
SundayIntroduction of the Jesse Tree1 Sam 16:1-13
Isa 11:1-10The Tree (Christmas Tree)Mon
Wk 1GodCreationGen 1:1-2:3DoveTues
Wk 1Adam and EveThe First SinGen 2:4-3:24Tree with Fruit or AppleWed
Wk 1NoahThe FloodGen 6:11-22, 7:17-8:12, 20-9:17Rainbow or ArkThur
Wk 1AbrahamThe PromiseGen 12:1-7, 15:1-6Field of StarsFriday
Wk 1IsaacOffering of IsaacGen 22:1-19RamSat
Wk 1JacobAssurance of the PromiseGen 27:41-28:22LadderSecond
SundayJosephGod's ProvidenceGen 37, 39:1-50:21Sack of Grain or CoatMon
Wk 2MosesGod's LeadershipExod 2:1-4:20Burning BushTues
Wk 2IsraelitesPassover and ExodusExod 12:1-14:31LambWed
Wk 2GodGiving the Torah at SinaiExod 19:1-20:20Tablets of the TorahThur
Wk 2JoshuaThe Fall of JerichoJosh 1:1-11, 6:1-20TrumpetFri
Wk 2GideonUnlikely HeroesJudg 2:6-23, 6:1-6, 11-8:28Clay Water PitcherSat
Wk 2SamuelThe Beginning of the Kingdom1 Sam 3:1-21, 7:1-8:22, 9:15-10:9CrownThird
SundayDavidA Shepherd for the People1 Sam 16:1-23-17:58,
2 Sam 5:1-5, 7:1-17Shepherd's Crook or HarpMon
Wk 3ElijahThe Threat of False Gods1 Kng 17:1-16, 18:17-46Stone AltarTues
Wk 3HezekiahFaithfulness and Deliverance2 Kng 18:1-19:19, 32-37An Empty TentWed
Wk 3IsaiahThe Call to HolinessIsa 1:10-20, 6:1-13, 8:11-9:7Fire Tongs with Hot CoalThur
Wk 3JeremiahThe ExileJer 1:4-10, 2:4-13, 7:1-15, 8:22-9:1-11TearsFri
Wk 3HabakkukWaitingHab 1:1-2:1, 3:16-19Stone WatchtowerSat
Wk 3NehemiahReturn and RebuildingNeh 1:1-2:8, 6:15-16, 13:10-22City WallFourth
SundayJohn the BaptistRepentanceLuke 1:57-80, 3:1-207:18-30Scallop ShellMon
Wk 4MaryThe Hope for a FutureLuke 1:26-38White LilyTues
Wk 4ElizabethJoyLuke 1:39-56Mother and ChildWed
Wk 4ZechariahAnticipationLuke 1:57-80Pencil and TabletThurs
Wk 4JosephTrustMatt 1:19-25Carpenter's Square or HammerFri
Wk 4MagiWorshipMatt 2:1-12Star or CandleDec 24JesusBirth of the MessiahLuke 2:1-20MangerDec 25ChristThe Son of GodJohn 1:1-18Chi-Rho Symbol
Just so you know, this is our third year with the Jesse Tree tradition, and I still have 5 ornaments left to make! Be easy on yourself, the ornaments are great for the kids and to remember- but not mandatory for a good devotional time with the family around the tree. I did some the first year, another bunch of ornaments the second year.
What Christmas traditions are you doing with your family? Did your family do any with you when you were young that you are continuing?
I published much of this post last year 7th December 2009. I took some edits to it and did a little re-pub to get all our minds working for the Advent season ahead.
Learning to Eat Daily
When I neglect being one on one with God for a season, life is more overwhelming, depressing and the daily chores become all that I can manage (and sometimes more than I can). But when I am continually aiming to be saturated by God's character, by His life in me, by reading His word, memorizing important scriptures, and just sitting and listening to Him. I have never regretted one second of my time.
When I do this I am also so much more likely to be tuned to what is being said in Church as well- I don't sit there thinking of my To Do lists or of who we will get together with afterwards. Because I am more united to his moving I can feel it all and hear it all so much more clearly when I am accustomed to how He sounds. If Christ needed daily communion with His father, why do we expect to wander through life on so much less than that. We so often get busy and put it off, or never had a plan to spend a second with Him at all in the first place. But then we forgo the daily bread that God gives our soul to feast on. Those days are much more fleshly focoused, and need oriented- because we haven't taken the time to feed our spiritual man.
If you don't even know where to start, or feel just so dried out spiritually where nothing can reach you- ease in one little toe at a time, don't lay pressures on yourself that God hasn't placed there. Take it easy, but don't stay there, move closer and closer at every chance you get. I enjoy reading a daily devotional book after I've read the Bible, or sometimes before. I can't recommend My Utmost For His Highest by Oswald Chambers enough. It should never take the place of you reading the bible for yourself, but when read along with the Word of God it is life changing. I love reading it. I enjoy reading the short little segments even throughout the day to get me re- focused on what is actually important in life.
There is much to be gleaned from the men of God that have walked before us. I am humbled by what I have read, revived, and refreshed-when we neglect to spend time with Him daily we miss His utmost in our lives, and are settling for much less than we can imagine. I challenge you to take up your Bible daily and read for yourself what God means to speak to you- you will not want to, your flesh will fight it, but in a daily devotion time with Christ you will be filled and even better, you will begin to look more like Him.
Spending that time with God daily was never meant to be a burden on us, but it can feel that way. It is not an obligation, or a duty but a reward- a deep time of heaven on earth time with the Creator. A time where He can lay His burdens on your heart, put your perspectives in order, and challenge you to see and do new things.
Today is a mighty fine time to start!!
I'll leave you with a little tidbit from My Utmost for His Highest:
Keep your life so constant in its contact with God tht His suprising power may break out on the right hand and on the left. Always be in a state of expectancy, ad see that you leave room for God to com in as He likes (p.25).
Our ordinary wits never worship God unless they are transfigured by the indwelling Son of God. We have to see that this mortal flesh is kept in perfect subjection to Him and that He works through it moment by moment. Are we living in such human dependence upon Jesus Christ that His life is being manifested moment by moment? (p. 222).
I'd love to hear what you do in your daily devotional time! Some people read one proverb a day in addition to their reading, others read a certain number of chapters from the Bible. What has worked best for you? Do you have a devotional book that you enjoy reading as well?
A Journey in Simplicity: Why We’ll Never Be Content With What We Have
But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing we will be content with that.
1 Timothy 6:6+7
Does our happiness rest on what we have, what we don't have, what we could have? Does your contentment rest on the day that surrounds you or the children acting up, or not getting time to yourself? It does many times for me, or at least I think it does, but it doesn't really. To be content is a major requirement of simple living. You can't live simply if you are constantly looking for better, bigger, more- that is just the opposite of simplicity. Lets check out a couple of definitions:
Simple: free from guile-innocent, free from vanity-modest, free from ostentation or display, of humble origin or modest position. ( The Rewards of Simplicity, p. 103)
Simplify: to make more simple, to reduce the basic essentials; render less complex; make easy or easier.
Contented: [pp. of content], not desiring something more or different; satisfied. (Webster's New World Dictionary)
However today I want to talk about the only area in which you are not to be ever satisfied, or contented: your walk with Christ. We are to discipline ourselves to hunger after Christ, by removing barriers out of the way. If I am consistently satisfying my hunger with momentary world fixes, I learn to not look for or covet the real complex, eternal food that comes from being satisfied in Christ alone. In this world, the getting it now always beats the wait, even if it is for something better- something incomparably deeper, richer and lasting.
It is like eating junk at all hours of the day immediately once you feel a craving, of course you aren't hungry for the real meal later on. Or for me personally God has challenged me saying, "why do you think about feeding your body good food, quality food and then feed yourself spiritual junk just enough to satisfy your craving for Me? You will always come up wanting, always come up full of discontent and never grow stronger until you learn to work on waiting, on patience".
My [daughter], give me your heart and let your eyes keep to my ways
- Proverbs 23:26
Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty"
-John 6:35
So, if that is true why do I crave things? Why do I long for things I don't have- a full person, a person satisfied in Christ doesn't need the world to fill her, a daughter who allows her heart to wait on Christ does not long for more and more. However a woman who chooses junk over the real thing is malnourished and therefore always craving, always hungry-yet growing fat, struggling while reaching for sinking help and this is not just me...we are a malnourished people craving Christ so strongly but filling our bellies with nothing good.
So why won't we ever be content with what we have?? Because what we have doesn't make us content. I am convicted, and with tears in my eyes as I write this because I know I go the easiest and quickest way on a regular basis. I want to learn to not fill my craving for Christ, the Bread of Life with quick fixes: food, entertainment, shopping, web browsing, cheap thrills I want to be consistently contented, and fully satisfied.
Why spend money on what is not bread,
and your labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,
and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.
- Isaiah 55:2
I have never understood that this verse was speaking to just that, I love the simplicity of delighting in Him, no craving when you consume "the richest of fare".
Let's Talk:
I've had several of you share thoughts in person with me, or by email and some comments as well. Keep them coming!! I love hearing about your journeys. I thought I was only going to do these posts for a week, but God has other plans for me. I don't know for how long, but I know this one was from His heart.
I'd love to hear where you are at with this, where God has taking you or is taking you after reading it. I can't wait to hear!
If you are just tuning in now to the simplicity posts and are interested in joining us be sure and check out my other posts about this voyage:
A Journey in Simplicity
Starting Out
Fasting for Simplification and Re-Sensitization
The Moment of Truth
Breaking Bad Habits
A Journey in Simplicity: Breaking Bad Habits
The last several days have been interesting, I often walk toward the computer just out of complete habit and slide it onto my lap from the table and then back realizing I don't even know what I am doing. It reminds me of when I am working with our youngest son on not sucking his fingers (security thing he has done since 2 months old), it is a mindless, habit, just a go-to for him just as the computer is for me. The computer may not be your thing, but think about it for a second and figure out if it is food, relationships, entertainment or what fills you but leaves you lacking-what is your filler bad habit.
The first step in breaking a bad habit is to look at why you find this action so compelling. In other words, what's the payoff for doing this seemingly negative thing? Since you've already classified this as a "bad" habit you may be tempted to say there isn't one. But look closer. There is always a payoff. Let's say your bad habit is yelling at your kids. What's in it for you? You let off some steam and feel a little better for the moment. Or you have a bad habit of leaving the dishes unwashed? The payoff could be that you get to spend more time on the Internet! (Bad Choices, Bad Habits by Nancy Schimelpfening)
According to Nancy (let's just call her by her first name) there is a pay off which is why you practice the behavior, but also there is a trade off. The trade off is what you are loosing by exercising your go-to bad habit. Using the example from above, yelling at your kids, it is obvious what the trade off is: low self-esteem, guilt, shame, sadness, the tearing of bonds, anxiety, stress, and emotional pain. When you act on this bad habit, you are choosing your outburst of relief over your children's well being, and really even your own. When you break it all up like that it is pretty clear that bad habits, although habits should be broken because a new pattern needs to be established. Each time you are faced with a choice between the bad habit pay off and the trade off, and now you'll realise that it is a choice even though it is programmed a certain way you can work to break that. Wise choices are not easier, but they are wiser.
Bad habits are started up for a reason, once you understand that you can form good habits in their place- a positive go to so that you don't keep going back the the bad habit. Make an active choice, one that you can feel good about. Habits aren't bad, bad habits are bad. Instead of releasing your frustration in yelling choose to go for a run in the evening! It isn't bad to need a release, but you can choose where to channel it.
Once a different habit pattern is established the only way you'll meander back is if you are in denial about the original model of pay off and trade off mentioned above. If you find yourself justifying a bad habit go back and remind yourself of the reasons for not indulging, there are repercussions-some bigger some smaller but bad habits are labeled bad for a reason.
Just writing this and reading up on bad habits, I have almost wanted to write a list of things that I do on a regular basis and attack them all. But I need to have wisdom and in faith come at these bad habits one at a time with God's guidance.
Take Action: Jot down the habit you want to deal with, pick one to start with. Pray about it and ask God which one He'd have you work on first. Write out your list of "pay offs" and "trade offs". Remember it isn't easy to break a bad habit, there is a reason it was there in the first place. Establish a substitute good habit in its place.
Are you realising, as I am that you have bad habits that need to be broken in order to live more fully?
If you are just tuning in now to the simplicity posts and are interested in joining us be sure and check out my first posts about this voyage:
A Journey in Simplicity
Starting Out
Fasting for Simplification and Re-Sensitization
The Moment of Truth
A Journey In Simplicity: Moment of Truth
It is time for the moment of truth, the evaluation of those questions probably none of us is dying to answer. I am about to answer the questions I asked you to consider answering as well in this season of your life. Again, you can comment here, write it in your journal and then send me an email- or keep it completely private, it is up to you. I just hope you considered taking this first step in learning how to live your life more simply, and more based on His priorities for you.
Evaluate time and Energy:
Top Priorities: God, Family, Spiritual Growth and health, homeschooling, Church, Friends, Physical health, quality of life.
Commitments: Wife, mom, homeschooling, church, house church, house keeping, book club, reading, painting, crafting, cooking, running, gardening, animal tending, blogging
Which commitments do I value the most: Wife, mom, church, homeschooling
Account for my time: It seems very little is used for my top priorities, but I spend a lot of time thinking of how to use time for those priorities. They get neglected easier than the immediate needs- which I know are important too...but if I spent less time fiddling around, I would have no problem spending time with greater focus on my top priorities.
What I am hearing from God:
-There is no excuse good enough to loose even a day to unproductivity.
-Running in the morning (with and every-once-in-a-while evening treat run) is the way to get your day started the way it should be. Waiting around all day to run, unshowered is just not working out, plus I need that push to get up in the morning to have time with God and to myself as well before the boys get up.
-I need to get organized, my day needs to be organized. I may not know how to do that yet, but I needs to learn.
-For the rest of the year (and maybe forever) I need to use a timer for all entertainment based Internet use (including, but not limited to Facebook, twitter, blog reading, book searching, online TV streaming, you tube...). I need to figure out a daily allowance.
What to do during this week of media fast (or other type if you so choose). Yesterday at the end of this post I mentioned three different options for a media fast this week. I didn't want to leave you in the dark though, not knowing what to do with your time, besides reading the Bible, worshiping....you know :P
Once you choose an option (for your media fast), use the time normally spent on electronic media doing something completely different. For example, if you normally spend two hours watching television in the evening, use those two hours to take a walk with a friend, prayer-walk your neighborhood or pick up a long abandoned hobby.
Keep track of the time you reclaim from electronic media during your fast. I am always amazed at my options when I choose not to watch TV for an hour. Sometimes it is refreshing just to bask in the quiet for a little while. (The Rewards of Simplicity, p. 55)
I'd love to hear your thoughts, your struggles, your ideas, or what God is speaking to you during this fast.
If you are just tuning in now and are interested in joining us be sure and check out my first posts about this voyage:
A Journey in Simplicity: Starting Out
A Journey in Simplicity: Fasting for Simplification and Re-Sensitization
The Latest Posts:
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- Off To The Oregon Coast
- To Open My Hands
- The Strength that Moves Me
- He Wished for Snow for Christmas, He Got it For His Birthday.
- Oh I Wonder, How I Wonder…Who Would You Be, Shiloh?
- Reminding My Heart to Be Thankful
- What Love Looks Like
I (adoringly) HEART—>
