Lent – Day 39

It has been a while since I last posted. As to Lent, for the most part I have been successful. Can I say I've been perfect? No, but I can say that the success I have had is only through the grace of God, and the failings I have encountered have only been due to my own sinfil nature coming through.

The study with Setting Captives Free has been focusing on the last words of Christ. This has caused me to think much. One of the biggest lessons I've learned is that no matter how much you may have "head" knowledge of salvation, too often I allow worldly ideas to creep into my way of thinking. Today's lesson really made me think on this.

When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, "It is finished," and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. (John 19:30 KJV)

The Last action of Christ on the cross was to bowing His head and giving up his spirit. This is God, who is in control of everything! This is Jesus, who spoke everything into existence! This is the Lord of Lords who could have called legions of angels to his defense! This is He who could heal the sick and make the blind see, yet would not heal himself or step down from the cross. All this, Jesus did for me. But this is the thing that stands out today: Even after all that Jesus had done in his earthly ministry, when the time came, He did not call out to God the Father and remind Him of all that he had done in His earthly ministry. Jesus bowed His head, and trusted in God the Father to accept his spirit.

How often do I sit around and make "deals" with God, trying to bargain? How often do I reflect back upon my actions and think "have I done enough to warrant Gods favor?" The answer is that there is no amount of good I could do to earn favor with God. I need to have the same trust in the atonement of Christ alone, and at night, bow my head and just trust in Him.

Movies:

I am going to write about two movies today that I have watched since last time. This First is the Passion of the Christ. When watching this movie on a smaller screen (compared to the theater), something is lost in grandeur. None the less, it is an incredible movie. There are a lot of Catholic over-tones in the film that do not reflect scripture. And Mel Gibson does add other features that are also not in scripture, but over-all, these additions only add to the demonic influences that were in effect. And as brutal as this movie is, it is yet mild. Scripture tells us that Jesus was so disfigured that he did not even appear to be a man (Isaiah 52:14).

Another movie I saw (and recommend) is called Never back Down. This is not a Christian Movie by any means. It is your typical Fight-club style movie. But it does have a lesson that I find important for today's world. The hero of this movie learns that it is easy to blame others for the situation we are in, but the reality is that we are ultimately responsible for how we respond to the situations we find ourselves in.

Lent – Day 15

Just an update on some if what I have been during over Lent.

First I continue to stay on the fast. I have been sticking to liquids only with the exception of last Friday, which had been planned in advance (the marriage counseling retreat that I mentioned in the previous update). There have been a couple of days where I felt moved by the spirit to really cut back even on the juices (drinking mostly water on those days). I can feel the Lord working in me. How? First, I couldn't on my own maintain a fast like this on my own. In the past I have been able to fast for short periods, and have done a juice fast before, but I am now going longer than I ever have in the past. If God was not in this with me, I couldn't make it this long, nor could expect to make it the entire time of Lent on the dietary schedule I am currently on. It must be God who is making this possible. And when Lent is over, it will be God who gets the glory for this.

Another thing I have noticed is that I am thinking more about things around me. I have been getting onto my son for his language, and have become aware of more of the things in my life that I have either allowed in my life that God wouldn't approve of, or taking note of the things I have done in the past (habitual things) that I never thought about and if those things are pleasing to God.

Another "odd" thing I have started doing this week is watching a different Christian movie each night and then considering what I have learned (if anything) from these movies. I will share briefly what I have seen so far and my thoughts on these.

The Nativity Story – This is a story about the events leading up to the birth of Christ. As a Christmas story, it is great. It have everything that you would expect. While not 100% percent accurate to scripture (example, the 3 Wisemen did not show up until possibly 2 years after the birth of Christ), it gives a lot of insight about Joseph and Mary. They portray Joseph as a man who sought after virtue, and while he was not perfect, was a man that lived his walk. Mary was the prime example of one who was willing to be a servant. The movie brings out the stigma of being pregnant and unmarried at that time. She was looked down upon the people she had grown up with, and Joseph joined into that once he declared that he would not turn his back to Mary. Both of them were willing to submit to God, accepting the ridicule that wispers about them. They were willing to submit to God and do what God told them to do.

The Book of Eli – I don't want to give away any plot twists for those who haven't seen this film, but it does show a man who is nowhere near perfect, but one who yet strives to do as God calls. One of the things that stands out most to me in this movie comes at the very end, when Eli is praying. He is dying, but has complete the task that had been set before him. His prayer is simple and can be summed up as follows: Thanks for giving me the strength to do what you needed me to do, thanks for the good things you allowed me to do and forgive me where I have fallen short.

Time Changer – The basic premise is that we cannot teach the things of God without and remove his from those teachings. For example, in one scene the main character catches a little girl who has stolen his hotdog. He asks the child if she knows that stealing is wrong. Her answer: "Says Who?" If we take god out of his teachings, then whatever we consider right or wrong is open to individual interpretation and debate. We can't take the teachings of the bible and treat them as just "good ideas". We need to remember that it is God who declares these things, and that He never changes. God is our authority behind these things, not us.

There are some more movies I plan to watch yet this week, as follows: Gospel of John, Passion of the Christ, and Left Behind.

I will write more later on how Lent is going, and my thoughts on the other movies.

Lent – Day 11

Our church has been having a marriage counseling retreat the last couple of days. I wanted to share a little on what was taught last night.

There is a hierarchy of priorities that we must always remember:

1. God – We are to keep God first and foremost.
   
2. Family – Family is second. Before the church was ever started, God created the family. A Father cannot expect his family to be right with God if he is not being the spiritual head of the household, being an example to his family.
   
3. Church – We are to be in a bible teaching/believing church, learning the word and supporting our church (tithes, offerings, helping where needed)
   
4. Others – This is a broad area, but it includes work (being a good workman, living a godly live as an example to others, helping and witnessing, etc.)
   
5. Self – We should be servants. We should be last on the list, but When we have the above four things in order, we will be right with God and we will be taken care of.
   

That's just a brief sampling, but one I wanted to post, not only to share with others, but to be a reminder to myself.

As to Lent, For the most part, things continue well. I have been fighting some weakness in the flesh by wanting to eat more, but have mostly fought that off. Not perfect, but when I make a mistake, I must remember to confess, seek God, and get back on the band wagon.

Lent – Day 9

Just a few thoughts from the fast so far:

In regards to building my relationship with the Lord, on the plus side, I have been doing the bible studies as originally planned at http://www.settingcaptivesfree.com/. This study I have been taking is an in-depth look at the Cross, and examples from the old testament that point to the meaning of the sacrifice made at the Calvary. While some has been review, there has also been a lot of good stuff presented. When I finish this study, I will write about some of the things that stood out to me. At the same time, my time in prayer has not improved. I know the reason for this… I have a high degree of pride. Not such that I am boastful around people, but in that I have been raised that you only ask for help when it is something beyond your ability to fix. God wants me to come to him in all things, yet I want to try and take care of these things, even the minor ones, on my own. I need to swallow my pride and truly turn to the Lord in all things.

In regards to the fast, I have had a couple of minor slips (I had a coke slushy at the movie the other day without really thinking about it before hand), but for the most part I have been doing well. On Sunday (when I could eat), after not eating for 4 days, food had a incredibly good taste. And so far I have lost 9.9 pounds.

Lent – Day 1

Well, with yesterday being Fat Tuesday, I tried to make it a point to enjoy those things that I was going to be giving up during this time. I really enjoy both Coke and Mt. Dew, so I made it a point to have a couple of these. I also ate some of my favorite foods. I had hoped to have a steak dinner last night, but my son was sick, so I had to settle for a BBQ Chicken pizza from Papa Johns.
I have thought more about what I plan to do during this period of Lent, and will list these now:

1. Soda – No Soda (none, zero, zip until Easter. My son has been telling me how bad soda is, so hopefully I will lose my desire for soda by Easter, and not return to is (or at least drastically cut back on my intake).
2. Drinks allowed Monday – Saturday: Fruit juices, some milk, occasional Hot Chocolate, water, tea.
3. Foods allowed Monday – Saturday: Almost none, but I will allow limited fruits (banana's, apples, grapes, etc), vegetables (I hate most vegetables, so I will have to be very hungry to partake of these). I will also allow soups (plain soups such as tomato, no soups with meats or noodles, etc).
4. Sundays: Will allow for intake of any food and drink (no soda). I must remember to east responsibly (no pigging out, but enjoy the food I do eat, and no snacks or junk food).
5. Bible Study – I will at a minimum do a daily bible study (The Cross at http://www.settingcaptivesfree.com/) . I have taken courses at this site before. The average time to complete one study will range between 35-45 minutes. I also have a Reese Chronological Bible. I plan to start reading the New Testament in this bible (this bible put the events of the bible in chronological order).
6. Prayer – Make a point of spending more time in prayer.
7. Internet access – As a computer tech, I essential need to access the internet for work. Outside of work, the only time I will access the internet is to complete my studies at http://www.settingsaptivesfree.com/, Update the church website (I run the website for the church I attend) and for occasional needs such as looking up movie times (for family events and so forth). There is to be no internet access for simple "browsing" or wasting time.
8. 
   
   Television – I will continue to allow myself television in the morning (I check the weather and local events to make sure there are no road closings or school cancellations). In the evening, I will only allow myself to watch television when:
   1. My Bible studies are complete
   2. Someone is watching with me (thus as a family event)
   3. No one is home (thus Television is not taking me away from my family)
9. Listen to the Holy Spirit – As this time progresses, I need to make sure that I am listening to the Holy Spirit, and adjusting my life as directed by the Holy Spirit during this time (and work to make sure that I continue to listen to the Holy Spirit in the future).

I will share that I have taken part in Fasts before. I have done water only fasts (up to three days) and I did 18 days once with Juices only. I plan to approach the Lent days (Monday – Saturday) with the same mindset as when I did the juice fasts in the past. I hope that I am able to avoid all solid food during these days.
I must remember that the whole purpose in the is to place Christ front and center in my life. I have for too long done things my way. And my way doesn't work. The following are the goals I hope to achieve during this time:

1. 
   
   Greater relationship with Christ: My son and I often have disagreements. Many times I have told him that if he was living his life the way scripture told him to live, then he would not have any problems with his family. I need to follow that same advice. I hope to get my relationship with Christ in order, so that I am living as He wants me to live. If I do so, then I believe that the following will take place:
   1. Peace of mind knowing that I am truly living as Christ would want me to live.
   2. By living as Christ would want me to live, I can be a better example to my family
   3. Growth in relationship with my family.
2. 
   
   Control of eating/weight loss: My weight issues cause the following:
   1. Lack of self control (gluttony) hinders my witnessing, by being a bad example to others, and affecting my self confidence to witness.
   2. Lack of energy prevents me from being all I can be for my family.
3. Gaining time: By getting away from my television and internet "addictions", I will gain time, Time for the family, time to do other things I know need to be done, and more time for prayer and study.
4. 
   
   Restoration:
   1. Restoring my relationship with God
   2. Restoring my relationship with my family

Anyone who reads this, please keep my in prayer during this time.