The Daniel Fast

I recently finished a course on spiritual formation through Liberty University in which I had to read the book Celebration of Discipline by Richard J. Foster.  It was actually a re-read because I also read it while completing my undergraduate work at Geneva College.

Regarding the spiritual discipline of fasting, Foster says that is a private matter between the individual and God, and that Biblical fasting always centers on spiritual purposes.  He also quotes John Wesley who  said this of fasting, “Some have exalted religious fasting beyond all Scripture and reason; and others have utterly disregarded it.”

I will admit that I fall into the latter category.  I have disregarded it, even in the classes in which I have studied it.  But the week after I finished the spiritual formation class, I was flipping through the radio stations in my car, and came upon an interview on Christian radio with Susan Gregory.  Gregory who wrote the book The Daniel Fast, and also writes The Daniel Fast Blog at http://danielfast.wordpress.com.  What she said intrigued me so I came home and ordered the e-book from Amazon.

I have been working my way through the book and when I finish it I am going to do the twenty-one day partial fast.  I feel led by the Holy Spirit to do this for a number of reasons.  First, I am looking for answers regarding career and vocation.  Second, I feel distracted from the things of the Kingdom lately.  I need time alone with God.  I need Him to sustain me, not the food that I normally rely on.  Third, I am ending a relationship with a long-term friend, and embarking into a brand new friendship with another.  I really want God to be at the helm of this.

Finally, I have been once again struggling to lose weight consistently.  Let’s just say that my goal for 2011 was to lose another 35 pounds and I haven’t.  In fact I have gained 10.  I suppose I could say that a 21 day partial fast would be a jump-start to a weightloss plan, but it is much more than that. I know the reasons why I eat too much or in an unhealthy manner.  For a long time I have believed that by turning my eating over to God, I could find a way to consistently and permanently lose weight.  Maybe this is a better way to say it:  My weight issues are also largely spiritual issues.  I really think that I need this time, both as a time in which I focus on my relationship with God, and as a time in which I separate myself from certain foods and certain people.

That being said, the Daniel Fast is a 21 day partial fast based on the fasting that we find in the book of Daniel in the Old Testament.  So don’t worry, I will eat.  I will drink water. I also will be talking more in my next post about the foods that I can actually eat on the fast.

And, yes, I know fasting is a private matter.  But I feel compelled to write about it and hare what I learn along the way about this largely forgotten discipline.

My biggest fear, though, has nothing to do with food.  I has everything to do with the thought of giving up coffee!

So like I said….more to come as I consider this journey into the discipline of Biblical fasting.

Simplicity

The Merriam-Webster dictionary online offers several definitions for the word simplicity: the state of being simple, uncomplicated or uncompounded;  freedom from pretense or guile;  directness of expression;  and restraint in ornamentation.  

Last weekend was my friend Chris’s 55 birthday.  ”Double nickels” was what she called it.  Chris works a high-pressure job and while she has many great things in her life there is nothing that she enjoys more than a weekend at her family’s camp with the girls.  So for her birthday “the girls”……me, Deb and Janice….took her to camp.  We ate, talked, laughed and sat on the porch all weekend.  We even went “mudding.”  She had a great time and declared it the best birthday ever.

Now I have to be honest.  Camp was something I never thought I would enjoy.  They had to beg me to go last year when I first moved back from Pittsburgh.  Don’t get me wrong, the way we camp is not completely primitive.  When my brother Cliff camps, he carries 40 pounds of gear around for ten miles, pitches a tent, lights a fire, and eats things from a can that I’m pretty sure are fairly nutritious, but would not be my first food choice.

So, yes, we sleep in a building, in real beds, and we cook on a gas stove or grill.  But we are without electricity and running water, and I have learned to clean myself up in the morning with a 32 ounce bottle of water.  I can live without a blow dryer and eyeliner.  I even use the outhouse and don’t really mind it, even at 3am when I have to make my nightly trek with a flashlight, because I’m forty-seven and can’t make it through the night without a bathroom run.

The simplistic nature of it is what makes it so wonderful.

The simplicity of the surroundings….the woods, the sounds of the night, the lack of modern conveniences, no cell phones, no televisions, and no internet.

The simplicity of the wonderful food that we eat………fresh, from scratch, homemade…….steaks on the grill, salads with homemade croutons, camp breakfast and camp coffee.

The simplicity of the friendships that the four of us have……..uncomplicated.  We are four very unique individuals and are different in may ways.  But the one thing that we all have in common is that we all are exactly what we appear to be.  There is no pretense and no game playing.  We don’t try to mold each other into what we, ourselves, are.  We offer sound advice, without trying to control each other.  We love and accept each other for our individual personalities, strengths and weaknesses.  I am thankful for each of these women and pray that our friendship carries on for many years to come.

I will close by saying that I believe simplicity to be a biblical concept.  We are told in Matthew 6 to store up treasures for ourselves in heaven, and not on this earth.  That is not to say I abhor all material possessions or that I will live a life of solitude without family and friends.  I still love my Ipod Touch and my Krups coffee maker.  My friends are my greatest earthly treasures.  But the less encumbered we are by the things of the world the more we are able to serve God in His Kingdom.  When we are bogged down by material possessions, and the cost they incur, we are less able to focus on Christ.  When we allow ourselves to be trapped in unhealthy relationships, we focus on the negativity that is inevitably involved with them.

Weekends at camp have taught me the peace that simplicity brings.  May there be many more.

Deb, Chris, and Janice….at the lookout on Beech Creek Mountain….oh and Janice’s dog, Harley, although with that attitude, I think he missed his calling as a cat.=)

Well, that was fun.  I worked 4:30-12:30 last night and we were extremely busy.  I swear we sell more pizzas some nights that does the Brother’s Pizza across the street.  The best part of the night was when two random drunk guys came in.  (By the way, I work in Beech Creek which is five miles from Howard, and nothing but churches and bars.)

Now I am used to my regular drunks.  But I get a little leery when random, never-before-seen drunks come in.  Frankly, I just don’t trust them and these two were so far gone that they were holding onto each other just to be able to stand and walk. The spokesman for the two said they needed a pizza.  I told them I’d make it for them but it took eight minutes and they had better hold it together until it was done.

What did I mean by that, they wanted to know?  I told them straight out that they needed to do one of two things:  wait outside or stand over by the counter in the corner because I was not about to deal with them falling all over my store OR throwing up.

They went outside to smoke and I put the pizza in.  I was the only one there and proceeded to wait on other customers and finish up for the night.  They got their pizza and went back outside to eat it on the sidewalk.  This was in the winter, on a snowy night at about 11pm.  All the more power to them.

I had to laugh though because the guy came back in one final time for napkins.  I told him they better land in the garbage can.

He said, “Ahhhh, come one Kim.  You know me better than that.”

To which I said, “I’ve known you for ten AGONIZING minutes.  They had BETTER land in the can.”

He laughed.  I must have grown on him.  I’m not sure feelings are mutual.=)

Then I am still laughing about something my friend Sue told me.  She works at a locally owned deli part-time and they did inventory one day this week.  One of the women was flipping out because she was stressed because of all that she had to do.  Sue asked her what she had and the woman showed her a page and a half of numbers.  Just numbers.  They just needed to be added up.  The woman even had an adding machine and she was still in a tizzy.  Sue said, “Give the paper to me.  I’m gonna show you something you’ve apparently never seen before.  It’s called MATH.”

Haha.  It’s no wonder I love this girl so much.

More snow.  Time for more shoveling and salting!  Love to all!

I’m done with trying to come up with titles for these posts, by the way.  Too much pressure.=)

Beautiful morning here in Howard.  23 degrees but the sun is shining.  We got 3 inches of snow overnight.  It probably would have melted away but I got up and cleared and salted the sidewalk anyway.  We may get more tonight and I don’t want it to pile up.  (Pile up.  That kind of makes me smile considering what my friends and family in Cambridge Spring, PA deal with.  In comparison, nothing we get could actually be considered “piling up.”)

While I was out there working on the sidewalks one of the guys from town came by on his 4 wheeler, which is all equipped with a plow, and said he’d be back to do my parking spaces, right after he finished his mom’s driveway.  See?  It’s all part of the ups and downs of small town living.  This is definitely one of the ups.  It’s more than just the fact that I didn’t have to shovel.  It’s that I like the general attitude that the people of this town possess.  Yes, they lean toward the nosy side.  But on the other hand, they would give you the proverbial shirts off their backs without even thinking about it.

Well, off to work at 4:30.  I have a few things to get done before I go so I should be signing off for now!  Love to all!

For Betsy……

Well, I have been an incredibly bad blogger.  It’s just so easy to get on Facebook and write something short and sweet….okay, maybe sometimes not so sweet……and be done with it. =)

Anyway, that being said, things have been moving right along here in Howard.  I am still glad to be back, although I miss Pittsburgh sometimes.  I miss my friends there and I miss the proximity of, well, everything.  I miss my bi-weekly trips to Trader Joe’s, good coffee, and Indian cuisine.  Are we seeing that most of my pining away for Pittsburgh is somehow directly related to FOOD?

At times though I also miss the anonymity that one has in the city.  Not that I was doing anything that I needed to hide.  It’s just that the things people notice around here amaze me.  Some days they flat out annoy me.  Then there is the fact that everyone is somehow related to or connected to everyone else that makes for an interesting chain of perpetual gossip.  So, for example, if I accidentally leave my spare room light on and go to work for 8 hours, I will inevitably hear about it from someone the next day.  Why’d you leave your upstairs light on all evening?  I don’t know.  Why’d you bother to look?

And then of course, there was that silly little situation that reared it’s ugly head back in November that somehow made me the center of the gossip wheel.  I didn’t do it.  As a matter of fact I didn’t even want to do it.=)

Anyway, classes are done this summer, still working at Uni-Mart, and I hopefully have some new things in the works.  One of which is getting involved with the Gift of Life donor program.  I have been going to volunteer with them since I have my first surgery and just haven’t taken the initiative to actually do so.  But something that happened here in town recently has kicked me in the butt and inspired me to do it.  That’s a whole other post and probably my next one.

Oh, and Christmas was wonderful with my family and New Years was wondewrful with my friends.  Actually this was one of the nicest holiday seasons that I have had in a long time.  I was really being a Scrooge about the whole thing and then one night I stopped at a friend’s house and she had all of her decorations out.  I don’t know.  It just made me want to do the same so after I left there I pulled some of my stuff down out of the attic and made my place look a little more festive.  Another thing that happened that served to readjust my attitude was that one of my friends heard that I originally was not going to put a tree up.  So she saw the CUTEST Charlie Brown Christmas Tree, complete with one red ball, at Rite Aid and bought it for me.  Another friend provided the “Linus blanket.”  Well, with all that how could I remain all Bah Humbug?

New Years was spent at a family party at the firehall and then we finished the night off at the club.  yes, with the same nosy people I mentioned earlier.  But I love them.  And I am thankful for them.  And frankly, I don’t know what I did without them for 4 years.=)

Okay, so there’s my update for now.  I’ll be back soon.  Promise.=D

 

Where have ya’ll been?

Oh wait.  It’s me who has been missing in action.  I have been back in Howard for a little more than two months now.  I finished summer semester with Liberty and started fall semester this week.  I love my studies.  I have no idea where this will lead.  But I love what I am studying!

Although I just got through a Systematic Theology class that almost killed me.  So much for ever fulfilling my fantasy of becoming a famous and respected theologian.  This stuff is too deep for me to wrap my mind around.  I had a fairly extensive research paper due the last week of class and I seriously thought I was going to blow the whole class.  I honestly can’t tell you what I wrote for the last three pages and the professor gave me a 94.  And he claimed that he really liked a few of my “original” ideas.  I had original ideas?  I was not aware of that at the time of writing.

So while there is no hope of being a resounding theologian……I was going to buy a pipe and everything because I am pretty sure a theologian would smoke a pipe…….I still firmly believe in the power of prayer.  My last words before pressing the send button to submit my paper?  ”Please Lord.  Please let the teacher be a merciful teacher.”

So back in Howard.  Four words.  Having a great time.  Four more?  Wish you were here.  Don’t get me wrong.  I am not bored, alone or isolated.  I am not lacking things to do.  I swear that I could not go missing in this town for four hours without someone wondering where I went to.  But anyway there are people I sincerely miss in Pittsburgh.  I miss my pal Joey. I want him to move back to State College yesterday.  I also miss my little Queen Elizabeth.  I should have adopted that girl and brought her along.  I also miss Cliff and Linda and the kids.  I don’t know why 3 hours seems so much longer than 2 hours as far as distance goes.  But everything is for a reason and I plan to visit soon.

And I think that’s it.  So I miss two people.  No, actually I miss the Parkhurst gang.  I really do.  Leslie, Dan, Christina, Diana……and so many others………….and my two little crackheads, Mary Ann and Lynn.

They’re not really crackheads.  That’s just what I called them.=)

Anyway, enough of memory lane.  Life is good.  No regrets.  This was a good decision.  I love being back with family and friends and I love that mom and dad are right over the mountain from me.  I see them about once a week and they are doing well.  So is my sweet Ronnie.

Work is good.  It’s part-time and basically a no brainer for me.  But I like being out and working with the public.  And I love making pizzas!

And honestly that’s about it.  There is so much to say I don’t know how to start.  So let’s just say that I will try to be a more faithful blogger from here on out.

Love to all near and far!!!

Thursday in the A.M.

And barely in the A. M. at this point.  I stayed up until the wee hours working on school stuff and slept until nine.  Feels good though, and I am not one to feel guilty about sleeping in on occasion.  Lots of people seem to think that early rising is right up there next to cleanliness, which we all know is sitting in the chair next to Godliness.  But not me.  But you missed half the day already!  Yeah.  Well.  You missed half the night.

Okay, enough of that.  I did 4.25 miles at the park yesterday.  I waited until about 6pm so it wouldn’t be so hot.  It wasn’t bad although I did not push myself for speed.  I even ran into some semi-serious rain but it only lasted a few minutes and then it just sprinkled the rest of the way back to the car.

Today I have to finish a small assignment for school, find a new doctor, and try once again to get in touch with the trash collectors.  I am also going to walk again but I think I am going to try a new route.

Culture Shock and Bananas

I am honestly enjoying country living again.  As much as I wanted to move back to be closer to friends and family I was a bit concerned that I would miss city life.  There are aspects that I miss, like truly good coffee on every corner, and Indian food delivery.  Easy fixes……I stock up on good coffee when I am in State College and I am obviously going to have to learn to cook Indian.  The only thing that is a bit of a pain is the whole shopping thing.  I am used to having a market right around the corner.  Here, the closest, and the cheapest, is Walmart Supercenter, which is 15 miles away.  I kind of hate Walmart, but you know, when in Rome blah blah blah……..

So in Pittsburgh I never bought more than 2 or 3 bananas at a time because it wasn’t a bother to stop every other day on my way home from work.  Now I buy 5 or 6 and in two days half of them have gone too brown to eat.

So, in an effort not to waste I decided to make some banana nut bread.  In the past I have used this recipe that I found on Allrecipes.com called Extreme Banana Nut Bread.  The thing I like about this site is that people comment and review all of the time.  This recipe had rave reviews and I have used it for years.  Of course I haven’t made it since finding out that I was diabetic.

The recipe makes two loaves and the original version is about 425 calories a slice, if you cut ten slices per loaf, which I do.  Well, I started tweaking to cut down the sugar, calories and fat and it was still amazing!  I replaced 2 cups of white sugar with Splenda Brown Sugar Blend.  It called for 4 eggs, so I used 2 eggs and 2 egg whites.  I used ICBINB Light instead of oil or butter.  Oh, and I also used half whole wheat four and half unbleached white flour instead of regular white flour.  And I added a teaspoon of cinnamon and a teaspoon of vanilla for some zip.  It was much darker than the original recipe and I actually thought I was burning it but the color was just because of the sugar and flour alterations.  Everyone has loved it…including me….and the tweaks made it much less of a death trap.  Calories per slice was 204 and sugar was 11 grams.  And it was delicious with  strawberries and cottage cheese this morning for breakfast.

And now I am back to my studies and then a nice walk at the dam.  Love to all!  Oh, and if someone would be so nice to tell me how I change my blog name on this site I would be forever grateful!

Now if only……

…I could figure out why my exercise ball won’t re-inflate.  I have been home for over two weeks now.  The only unpacking I have to do is 8 boxes of books and for that I will need new book shelves.  That is my first project and hopefully I’ll get that done this week.  Then I want to work on making the porch pretty.  I hope to find sales on some furniture.  I also want to get a few plants although I will wait until next year to do any real planting.  Oh, and I think I need an American flag.  After that I want to get the spare bedroom set up.  I have sheers up but I need to get shades and curtains.  I also would like to get a small bed or maybe a futon couch that opens into a bed.  I also need a desk because I am going to use it for a study/office, too.  Oh, and chest of drawers…definitely need a couple of them.

Everything else is pretty much livable and looking good.  A friend is probably going to be able to hook me up with a washer and dryer for free.  I’ll probably hear about that tomorrow.  If not I am buying something because frankly the laundromat is for the birds.  Oh and I love my big kitchen!  I love my big bedroom and living room, too.  I especially love the air conditioner that Mom and Dad gave me!  And I do love my porch.  I’ve been enjoying my morning coffee there and my evening tea.  I realize now how cramped I was in Pittsburgh.

Classes are going well.  I am actually down to just one class for the next six weeks.  And I got on part-time at a local convenience store which is working out well.  I want to get my resume updated and work on some writing projects, too, over the next few months.

I apologize for babbling here.  I have been trying to write for about a week now and there’s just so much to say.  So much has happened even in two weeks.  But basically I have been having a good time cleaning and organizing and crossing things off lists. I’ve just been enjoying life and have had so much fun catching up with old friends and family.  I kind of jumped right into work but that’s been great too because I have seen a lot of people at the store that I wouldn’t have otherwise.

It’s just been nice.  I feel like I’m home.  In some ways it’s like I never left.  In some ways I can tell that I’ve grown as a person and that Pittsburgh was really good for me.  It taught me to rely on God and it taught me that I was capable of doing things that I wouldn’t have thought I was capable of.  I think it gave me some much needed confidence to be quite honest.

But now I’m home and I think it was a good move.  Of course I am church-hunting which is always an endless source of fun.  I am not going back to my old church simply because of their stance on baptism.  I’d like to go back there.  It would be the easiest thing to do and I sincerely like the people.  But I can’t teach what I don’t believe and I really want to teach.  I have visited two so far and I just don’t think I’ve hit the bullseye yet.  So I’ll keep looking and in the meantime I’ll serve the Lord where I am whether I am at work or just out and about in the community.

Oh. And the exercise ball.  I deflated it and put it in a suitcase for the trip home and I can’t get it to re-inflate any more than about 75%.  What the heck is up with that?  I have checked for leaks and damage and there just isn’t any.  I’m not getting it.  Although it looks like I may be getting a new exercise ball, huh?

Oh, and next time.  If you’re really lucky.  Maybe I’ll tell you about the story of the rental truck and the overhang at the fast food restaurant about twenty miles out of the ‘Burgh………notice no brand names to protect the……..driver.  For those of you whom know about Caleb’s birthday card debacle and Dad’s Father’s day gift mix-up….well, let’s just say that was nothing………love to all!

Packing, cleaning and pitching

Other than school work, that’s what life has consisted of lately.  Not complaining, but I will be glad when I am moved.  Heck, I will be glad when the last box goes on the U-Haul!  I call my new landlord on Tuesday to see when the apartment will be ready.  He was hoping to have it ready by the weekend of the 26/27th.  I am sincerely hoping for that, too, because that is when I have everything scheduled.  I honestly don’t even know who is helping at this point.  Funny how everyone loves ya, but when it comes time to load a truck everyone disappears.  Oh well.  Me and my BFF have done it before.  I am sure we’ll do it again.  We’re the Thelma and Louise of the moving world.  (Not sure that analogy made sense.  But it was sure fun to say!)

I am thankful for a break from everything this afternoon.  My work peeps are taking me out for happy hour at Silky’s Crow’s Nest in Sharpsburg.  I am looking forward to it.  I actually like the people that I work with and will miss a lot of them.  Amidst the stress of the food and dining industry there have been good times and a lot of laughs through the years.  But none of these people better cry today.  Or I will have to smack them upside the head.  Either that or I will tag them in pictures on Facebook!

Love to all!