In the Zone

It's not November, but that doesn't mean we can't give thanks. For whatever reason, we tend to limit our "Thanksgiving" to one day a year when we gather for turkey and football.  But Thanksgiving isn't a one-time occurance.  We can give thanks to God (and we should) year-round. I'm thankful for many thing.  My relationship with Jesus is first and foremost.  As we head toward Easter, I am so thankful that God chose to dwell among human beings, chose to be around our filth and dirt and sin and disease, and chose to willing give up his life for me - a sinful, disgraceful human being. That's not to say I hate myself.  Quite the contrary.  I love me for who I am, but compared to the holiness and perfection of God, I'm a pitiful and worthless.  It takes the blood of Jesus to make me acceptable to God, and I thank him for that every day. Maybe that's what we need more of this Easter - some Thanksgiving.  I'm thankful for the love of Christ...

Fasting is a lost art in Christianity. For whatever reason, I just don't hear many messages on fasting.  I don't see a lot of pastors advocate it from the pulpit.  I don't see a lot of believers make it part of their lives. Now, don't get me wrong.  I don't think we should fast all the time.  It would lose meaning if we did.  But when I look back over scripture, in both the Old and New Testaments, I see fasting before major decisions and events in the lives of believers. Israel entered into national fasts at times of grieving or when an enemy was at the gates.  The early church leaders prayed and fasted before making major decisions, like sending Paul and Barnabas as missionaries.  Yet today, fasting has become a lost discipline in the Christian faith.  I had never heard of a fast until I got to college.  I didn't engage in my first fast until years later.  I was simply taught to read scripture and pray.  Both scripture re...