Daniel Fast

Beginning January 7 through January 28, my church is going to participate in a Daniel Fast. We’ve done this before, but I didn’t participate fully. This time I’ve decided that I will. I’ve found some information on it and our pastor will also gives us more information, as well as a devotional that he has put together so that all of us can mediate and pray on the same scriptures as a body. Our world needs prayer and this will be a time to focus on praying for the needs of our church, city, nation and world; to find what God would say to us as a body and as individual sons and daughters. I’ve already decided that this is doable for me. Some things may be a struggle, but the best things are usually never easy. Here are foods and liquids that should be eaten on a Daniel Fast.

Whole Grains: Brown Rice, Oats, Barley

Legumes: Dried Beans, Pinto Beans, Split Peas, Lentils, Black Eyed Peas

Fruits: Apples, Apricots, Bananas, Blackberries, Blueberries, Boysenberries, Cantalope, Cherries, Cranberries, Oats, Figs, Grapefruit, Grapes, Guava, Honeydew Melon, Kiwi, Lemons, Limes, Mangoes, Nectarines, Papayas, Peaches, Pears, Pineapples, Plums, Prunes, Raisins, Rasberries, Strawberries, Tangeloes, Tangerines, Watermelon

Vegetables: Artichokes, Asparagus, Beets, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Carrots, Cauliflower, Celery, Chili Peppers, Corn, Cucumbers, Eggplant, Garlic, Gingerroot, Kale, Leeks, Lettuce, Mushrooms, Mustard Greens, Okra, Onions, Parsley, Potatoes, Radishes, Rutabagas, Scallions, Spinach, Sprouts, Squashes, Sweet Potatoes, Tomatoes, Turnips, Watercress, Yams, Zucchini

Seeds, Nuts, Sprouts

Liquids: Spring Water, Distilled Water, 100% All-Natural Fruit Juices, 100% All Natural Vegetable Juices

Here are foods to avoid:
Meat
White Rice
Fried Foods
Caffeine
Carbonated Beverages
Foods Containing Preservatives or Additives
Refined Sugar
Sugar Substitutes
White Flour and All Products Using It
Margarine, Shortening, High Fat Products

As for caffeine, I usually drink different flavored teas and it seems that I can continue to do that, though I will avoid caffeine as much as I can.

There are spiritual gains and answers that I plan to get from praying and fasting. Beyond that though, I want to yield myself to God’s plan for my life. How can I best serve Him? Where do I fall short? What am I doing right that I should continue? What do I need to stop doing that isn’t in His will for me? Have I neglected anything that He’s already given me? I believe that finding the answers to these are not just for my individual walk, but they impact upon my marriage, my family, my neighbors, my church and my work. These are the areas that comprise my life and I want to make a difference in every one of them. Mostly, I want to see people saved and delivered that are not now. I want my marriage to be the best that it can be. I want to be the wife that my husband needs so that he too can serve the Lord fully. I want my family to grow in the Lord and in our relationships with one another. I want to reflect Jesus to my neighbors and I want to see my Jewish co-workers come to know Jesus as their Messiah. Whew, a tall order , but not for God!

I’ll write more about all this, because there will be a lot of ground to cover during the next four weeks! As always, I'll need God's mercy, both to get and to give!

Special Day!

Today is a significant anniversary! A few years ago (quite a few, as a matter of fact!) I was thirteen years old. I had my first date with the boy next door, who was tall, handsome, with lots of thick dark hair and a very sweet guy. I was so surprised when he asked me to a dance that his Civil Air Patrol group was holding for the holiday, but most of all, I was nervous! December 28, 1964 his mom drove us to the place where they were having the dance. He was wearing his dress blue uniform and had such straight posture and well, wow! He was gorgeous and I was very much impressed. When we got to the dance he was a bit embarrassed because though everyone agreed they'd wear their uniforms, he was the only one to comply. That was okay with me, he was the best looking guy there and the uniform just added to it.

I don’t remember much about the dance, other than he made me feel comfortable. Afterward, his mother drove us home, but on the way she stopped at a hotel that had a small restaurant located at I-71 and Morse Rd. in Columbus, Ohio. We had hot chocolate and sat and talked for a while before we went home and he walked me from his front door to mine.

It was the beginning of a very good friendship that remains as a foundation for the love that developed and the life and marriage we have together today. I'm glad the CAP held a Christmas dance that year, because I don't remember that they had another one after that.

Still Alive and Time

Yeah, I'm still alive, still kicking, just haven't written in months. I can't believe it's been almost five. Well, I have been busy. I was reading my daughter's blog about time. She mentioned something about having loads of time when the children are grown and away from home. HB and I have been in that boat for about fifteen years and I still don't have loads of it!

There's a full-time job, forty hours in four days (thank you Lord for an understanding boss who lets me work an alternative schedule) and HB, who likes more than a bowl of cereal for dinner, and Penny who wants to go out as soon as you sit down to read or study, then there's homework and writing to do. Oh, I forgot to mention housework! I'm thankful that a new house and a large one, helps in that we don't accumulate junk in heaps (well, except for in my office) and dusting, a little mopping and cleaning cabinets and counters, bathrooms, windows and mirrors, makes it shiny and clean and doesn't take a lot of time. But there's laundry and dishes. We have machines to do both those tasks, but somebody has to load and unload and then put away.

There's church and getting there early (which I love to do) and seeing my grandchildren (which makes the stress of 'not-enough time disappear). There's spending time with my mom, which I have been VERY lax at doing and I regret. And I love to read, so there is a stack in the library (uh-hmmmm) and maybe one at work and one in my briefcase and I try to read several at a time. On top of all that, first and foremost is prayer time and Bible study. Prayer - I do that all the time, all day long, but I have to admit (and repent) that Bible study has fallen woefully behind. I do go over my notes from Sunday sermons and the references, but even then, well, it deserves lots more.

Crazy Tri Mama has the answer - prioritizing. The truth is that we generally do what we want to do. I catch myself saying, 'well, this quarter is almost over and next quarter's schedule will be a little less stressful.' But the truth of the matter is that I haven't made a change in my thinking or priorities. Prioritizing is more than saying that I'll have more time tomorrow, because if I don't change my behavior, then even if I do knock off a task (a finished class project) I continue to run around crazy, not getting done what I want/need and complaining that I don't have time. If we could buy time at Wal-mart, we'd be even more wasteful.

Time is a precious commodity. Everyone gets the same amount in a day - twenty-four hours. True, some get more days than others, but time is only important or necessary in this earthly lifetime. God holds all time in His hands, the beginning and the ending, and when we go to Him, time won't be an issue. Jesus didn't start His earthly ministry until He was thirty and He finished His purpose in about three and a half years. Moses was forty years old when he left Egypt and he spent forty years on the backside of the desert before he returned to Egypt to free God's people. Caleb (my OT hero) was eighty years old when he told Joshua - 'give me that mountain!' He wasn't ready to sit down and take it easy when they finally got to go into the promised land, he put on his sword and took that mountain. And after that he made it flourish with crops and herds.

So, the test and the answer is to look at what is important. What adds value to God's kingdom, since we're to be working toward that on this earth anyway. Wow, that really puts a lot of things on the 'not so important' list. Prayer and Bible study will always be part of kingdom-building, witnessing to others should be a major priority. Reflecting the love of my Heavenly Father is a constant priority. Wow, I'm really seeing where I fall down! But I've experienced that when I devote time to these, all the other stuff will be in the right perspective.

So, Crazy Tri Mama - it doesn't really get any easier to prioritize. Just learn it now and don't forget it and when my beautiful grandchildren are off making us even more proud of them, you will fill in other things to take the place of the time you've spent with them, but you'll still need to practice what you learn today!

Important for us to remember is not to beat ourselves up because we don't get it all done in one day or one week. Remember - we need mercy for ourselves and we need to give it away!