It’s been a while since I’ve sat in a pew in church, but this morning I broke my streak when I drove to Cinci with TJ to attend his family’s church. Really, I found it kind of refreshing. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love having church in a house, and I love the atmosphere and how we are genuinely attempting to seek God in a real way as He would intend us to with no false fronts, but it was also good to see that God, and His Spirit, is still working and thriving in churches who meet in a traditional setting. I felt welcome and at peace in TJ’s church, and I know that God’s spirit was there. The pastor talked about fasting, a practice that I think many churches and Christians have neglected. I had never even heard of fasting until I was probably 18 or 19 years old. It’s kind of funny that would be the case, because it is a discipline that Christ expected from his followers. He said “when you fast,” not “if you fast.” Now, I’m not trying to say that I practice fasting regularly, either. I’m in the same boat as most Christians…..not really understanding what exactly it all means or signifies. But, I feel like I am beginning to understand the practice and see it more and more in the way God intended it to be seen rather than just as abstinence from food. It’s an intimate way of connecting with our Creator, showing our devotion to Him, exposing our addictions (to food and other things), and refocusing and re-prioritizing our lives. It’s an experience of humility and a recognition that God is in control as it exposes our weaknesses. We often use the phrase “I would do anything for you” to show our devotion to a good friend or a loved one, so shouldn’t we be even more devoted to our eternal Lover? God desires our hearts, and one way to show Him that we are devoted is to give up something that means a lot to us in order to come closer to Him. Whew…..something I need to work on.
Well, one disadvantage to spilling MILK on my laptop is that I now have to share computers with my roomies….which means, when they want to go to bed, I lose my blogging privileges. Soooooo…….in conclusion, I am currently losing my blogging privileges. Haha Hopefully I will find time to write more tomorrow.