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3/25/09
2/19/09
40 Days of Lent- Ideas for Fasting
Next week begins 40 days of Lent and my annual decision of "What should I give up?" Growing up Catholic and attending catholic schools from elementary to high school, Lent was part of my spiritual heritage. As a Christian woman, I am faced with the decision of participating in Lent and fasting.
There are several types of fasting for me to consider, so I looked at these options. First, I thought about fasting from Starbucks- difficult, but not really worthwhile. A more spiritual fast would be the 21-Day Fasting from Jentzen Franklin. I saw several high ratings from both Amazon.com and ChristianBookDistributors.com, and decided that in order for me to fast, I need some spiritual support. This program looks structured and flexible, with options such as "The Full Fast," "The Daniel Fast," "3-Day Fast," and more. Since I want my fast to last 40 days, the best choice would be the 21 day fast, done twice. I'm interested, but not committed yet.
Another fasting consideration is for a Financial Fast, which worked wonders for me in the past. During a financial fast, I gave up all luxuries for 40 days. In my family budget, we gave up Starbucks, Pizza, Dining Out, Theater Movies, Fast Food and Recreation. In those 40 days, we save $2130.00. Since I live in California near San Francisco, this amount is higher than other locations. At the end of the fast, we intended to donate all the money to our church for charity. A few days before Easter, my husband was laid off from work and we had to make the decision to keep the fasting money or keep our promise to God. Obviously, we kept the promise to God, donated the money and trusted that the Lord would provide another job for my husband. In God's plan, we had learned to live without luxuries, so when my husband lost his job and we need to live on less, we continued the financial fast. I'm interested, but not committed yet.
A third option for Lent fasting is my Laziness Fast. This requires me to make a 40 day commitment to visit the health club and use my 2-year old membership! It seems simple- take the kids to carpool, turn the car around and park at the health club. Go inside, plug my unused i-whatever-its-called-music-thing (iTouch) and listen to lots of Christian music as I trim my behind with exercise. Wouldn't God be pleased- knowing that I was committed to do something I hate (exercise) in order to honor the body that He created for me? Wouldn't God be pleased to know I'm motivated to listen to my doctor, lose the weight and reverse my current risk for diabetes? I may live longer, prevent heart disease, and stop my increasing blood sugar- all in the name of my Father. Even better yet, I get to listen to my Christian music for a full hour- without interruptions. I'm interested, but not committed yet.
Looking at my options for 40 Days of Lent, my three choices are a food fast, financial fast, or laziness fast. No matter what I decide, the purpose of my fast is to honor God, remember Him in prayer and celebrate the life of Christ. One year I went on a television fast, and enjoyed the silence in my home. The silence allowed my family to communicate, to read and to develop relationships with each other. Another Lenten fast was my "Chocolate Fast" a big challenge at the time. I have not made my decision yet, but have just a few days until the start of Lent on Ash Wednesday.
There are several types of fasting for me to consider, so I looked at these options. First, I thought about fasting from Starbucks- difficult, but not really worthwhile. A more spiritual fast would be the 21-Day Fasting from Jentzen Franklin. I saw several high ratings from both Amazon.com and ChristianBookDistributors.com, and decided that in order for me to fast, I need some spiritual support. This program looks structured and flexible, with options such as "The Full Fast," "The Daniel Fast," "3-Day Fast," and more. Since I want my fast to last 40 days, the best choice would be the 21 day fast, done twice. I'm interested, but not committed yet.
Another fasting consideration is for a Financial Fast, which worked wonders for me in the past. During a financial fast, I gave up all luxuries for 40 days. In my family budget, we gave up Starbucks, Pizza, Dining Out, Theater Movies, Fast Food and Recreation. In those 40 days, we save $2130.00. Since I live in California near San Francisco, this amount is higher than other locations. At the end of the fast, we intended to donate all the money to our church for charity. A few days before Easter, my husband was laid off from work and we had to make the decision to keep the fasting money or keep our promise to God. Obviously, we kept the promise to God, donated the money and trusted that the Lord would provide another job for my husband. In God's plan, we had learned to live without luxuries, so when my husband lost his job and we need to live on less, we continued the financial fast. I'm interested, but not committed yet.
A third option for Lent fasting is my Laziness Fast. This requires me to make a 40 day commitment to visit the health club and use my 2-year old membership! It seems simple- take the kids to carpool, turn the car around and park at the health club. Go inside, plug my unused i-whatever-its-called-music-thing (iTouch) and listen to lots of Christian music as I trim my behind with exercise. Wouldn't God be pleased- knowing that I was committed to do something I hate (exercise) in order to honor the body that He created for me? Wouldn't God be pleased to know I'm motivated to listen to my doctor, lose the weight and reverse my current risk for diabetes? I may live longer, prevent heart disease, and stop my increasing blood sugar- all in the name of my Father. Even better yet, I get to listen to my Christian music for a full hour- without interruptions. I'm interested, but not committed yet.
Looking at my options for 40 Days of Lent, my three choices are a food fast, financial fast, or laziness fast. No matter what I decide, the purpose of my fast is to honor God, remember Him in prayer and celebrate the life of Christ. One year I went on a television fast, and enjoyed the silence in my home. The silence allowed my family to communicate, to read and to develop relationships with each other. Another Lenten fast was my "Chocolate Fast" a big challenge at the time. I have not made my decision yet, but have just a few days until the start of Lent on Ash Wednesday.
2/13/09
Work at Home 101- Christian Work at Home Moms
CWAHM.com Announces Work At Home 101 Most people are curious about working from home. We know others do it, but aren't sure how they do it. CWAHM.com's Work at Home 101 is designed to give you an overview of the choices available that will allow you to work from home. This online course will give you the starting place you've been searching for. Best of all - it's completely free! CLICK HERE! Some of the things covered during Work at Home 101: * Where to Start
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2/10/09
We Have a Winner at LifeVerseJewelry.com
Congratulations to the winner of our Sterling Silver Love Languages Bracelet. Thank you everyone who posted a blog comment and participated in the contest. The winner of the sterling silver bracelet is:
JENNY SMITH
http://www.wineshopathome.com/jennysmith
Please contact us to claim your Love Languages Bracelet. Happy Valentine's Day!
My daughter was so excited to see your last name, and I told her we're not related. It was funny to see her dance and smile when she read your name like an American Idol judge!
Below is a verse that I read in my morning Bible Study, and it seems perfect for today:
The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD.
Proverbs 16:33 NIV
JENNY SMITH
http://www.wineshopathome.com/jennysmith
Please contact us to claim your Love Languages Bracelet. Happy Valentine's Day!
My daughter was so excited to see your last name, and I told her we're not related. It was funny to see her dance and smile when she read your name like an American Idol judge!
Below is a verse that I read in my morning Bible Study, and it seems perfect for today:
The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD.
Proverbs 16:33 NIV
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