Exchanged Living

One way to define disappointment:

Hearing about an all-you-can-eat crawfish boil (in Kentucky), then, while headed to said crawfish boil, finding out that they've already run out of crawfish.

Fasting Tips

These tips were posted on Asbury's Reader to help out as we begin the Lenten Fast today:

story immersion practice: fasting

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.  Luke 4:1-2  

Some say fasting leads us to the wilderness. Others claim fasting is the wilderness itself. Regardless, fasting can take us to a place of God-awareness leading to self-awareness.  Fasting ignites a furnace of transformation, raising our prayer life by an exponential factor.  Fasting is difficult, a place of struggling with God and self. It pushes all our buttons and reveals all our weaknesses. Progress is hard to measure and often only discernable in hindsight. The key is one’s orientation with the practice. 

Fasting must not be reduced to, “what I’m giving up for Lent.”

Fasting leads to the secret place of feasting on “every word that comes from the mouth of God,” and the public place of kingdom righteousness in the streets. “I have food that you know nothing about,” says Jesus to his disciples. “My food is to do the will of him who sent me.” True fasting locates us “in Christ” in the wilderness where he trains us in his unique way of “loving mercy, doing justly and walking humbly with God.” (see Micah 6:8) The practice of fasting narrates us into the story in a profoundly experiential way. As Jesus journeyed from the blessing of baptism to the challenges of the wilderness so do we.

Throughout centuries of Christian pilgrimage, the season of Lent has come to be associated with a time of intense self-examination, confession and repentance. Across ages of Christian Tradition, Lent has become synonymous with one practice: fasting. A practice of self denial, fasting cultivates appetite for God by denying appetite for things of the world. A form of voluntary poverty, fasting identifies us with the poor and marginal, revealing our misplaced treasure and rerouting the longing of our hearts. 

The Triune God has created all things and called them good. He bids us to receive his good gifts with thanksgiving. But he also calls us to fast and to practice self-control. Christians have honored this two-fold truth by celebrating alternating seasons of fasting and feasting in the Church year. The fifty-day feast of Easter is preceded by the forty-day fast of Lent. But fasting is often ignored in our Western culture. Here are some suggestions—not rules—for different ways to fast. Fasting is both taking something out of our lives, and replacing it with something else. Find ways for God to more fully saturate your life; partake more fully of the means of grace. Fasting is both a personal and a corporate discipline; find accountability in community.

practical guidance for fasting

• Disobey your thirst. One purpose of fasting is to teach us self-control. “People are slaves to whatever masters them” (2 Peter 2:19). Intentionally abstaining from our cravings demonstrates that Jesus, not our stomach, is our true Lord. It also identifies with the billions throughout the world who are unable to satisfy their every desire.  

• Fast on Wednesday and Friday. From the first century, Christians have set these days apart for fasting. John Wesley desired the Methodists to keep these fasts each week. At minimum, try and fast for a 24 hour period once per week. Try eating the evening meal on Tuesday and not eating again until the evening meal on Wednesday. Drink water or juice through the day.

• Fast from food. Total abstention from food (and sometimes drink) is the primary Biblical model of fasting.

• Fast from meat. Throughout history, meat has been the food of the wealthy.  The Church has traditionally suggested abstaining from this delicacy during periods of fasting.  Sometimes fasting from dairy products has also been encouraged.  

• Fast from dessert. Rich and sweet desserts are rare in the world; only in Western culture are they commonplace. 

• Fast from coffee, soda, etc. Examine how much of your diet is given to unnecessary trifles. Prove in your actions, “God, I love you more than coffee.”  

• Fast from entertainment. Most entertainment is not by nature evil, but it is superfluous. 

            •  Are you addicted to a certain television show?

            •  Do you need that new DVD or CD?

            •  Do you spend more time watching movies than in prayer?

            •  How central are computer games to your lifestyle?

            •  Is internet social networking taking the place of face to face community?

•  Attend the Eucharist regularly. Let the body and blood of Christ replace your breakfast or lunch. Feast on him.

•  Let the money you may save fasting from food or entertainment be given to the poor. This is the kind of fast God delights in (Isa. 58:7).  

• Spend more time in prayer and Bible study. Feast on the Word of God.  

• Spend time with family or friends that is centered around prayer or service rather than entertainment. Spend a weekend at a homeless shelter rather than at the movies.

 

“Everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected, provided it is received with thanksgiving; for it is sanctified by God’s word and by prayer” (1 Tim. 4:4-5). But a rhythm of fasting and feasting will enrich us spiritually and enable us to encounter God more fully. Forsaking goods for a period of time makes them all the more significant during times of feasting.

Happy Mardi Gras!!

Sadly, I will not be at any parades or getting hit with beads from floats today.  Every year I'm saddened by the fact I'm not around Louisiana during Mardi Gras.  Bourbon Street debauchery aside, it's really one of the lynch pins of my culture, and not practicing it makes me feel weird.

Luckily, Andrew found some King Cakes in town, so for the youth ministry's meeting tonight, they'll have a taste of home. I hope I get the baby.

On a related note, Lent begins tomorrow. If you're new to the Lent season and want some resources to better practice it, let me know.  Our small group in Lexington is practicing it together (fasting, prayer, almsgiving, readings, etc...) and we welcome anyone who wants to join in with us.

I've got a post on worship brewing in my head...hopefully I'll have time to write it out and post it this week.

If you get beads today for any reason, and there are extra, bring them to church and throw them at me on stage. I welcome late bead throwing, as long as it doesn't put out an eye.

Oh, and my brother put up a reel of clips from some of his compositions from 2008 here, if you're interested. Dude is a sick talent. 

One of those weeks

So I'm having one of those weeks: you know, the ones where each day feels like 2 or more days combined.  Tuesday, I remember finishing my Church History class and looking forward to the weekend beginning the next day, and then remembering that it was only Tuesday. I then cried a single tear.

This reminds me of that scene from the Jerk, where Navin (Steve Martin) is reflecting on the relationship he had with Marie (Bernadette Peters) to her while she sleeps, and he says,

I know we've only known each other four weeks and three days, but to me it seems like nine weeks and five days. The first day seemed like a week and the second day seemed like five days. And the third day seemed like a week again and the fourth day seemed like eight days. And the fifth day you went to see your mother and that seemed just like a day, and then you came back and later on the sixth day, in the evening, when we saw each other, that started seeming like two days, so in the evening it seemed like two days spilling over into the next day and that started seeming like four days, so at the end of the sixth day on into the seventh day, it seemed like a total of five days. And the sixth day seemed like a week and a half. I have it written down, but I can show it to you tomorrow if you want to see it.

I am living this kind of week. But without Bernadette Peters. Or a cool thermos.

To help me cope, I watch a video called "Kittens! Inspired by Kittens!"

For those who dream of flying...

wingsuit base jumping from Ali on Vimeo.

How He Loves Us

I've been listening to Eddie Kirkland's CD Orthodoxy a lot lately. He does some interesting things with his music (sometimes very much channeling The Fray). Here are the lyrics to a song from his album:

"How He Loves Us"

He is jealous for me
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree
Bending beneath the weight
Of His wind and mercy
All of a sudden I am unaware of
These afflictions eclipsed by glory
And I realize just how beautiful You are
And how great Your affections are for me

Oh, how He loves us so
Oh, how He loves us
How He loves us so

Yeah He loves us
Oh how He loves us
Oh how He loves us
Oh how He loves

We are His portion and He is our prize
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes
If His grace is an ocean we’re all sinking
And heaven meets earth like a sloppy wet kiss
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest
I don’t have time to maintain these regrets
When I think about the way

That He loves us
Oh how He loves us
Oh how He loves us
Oh how He loves

Free Chicken Mini's

Chick-fil-a fans: Apparently, on Thursdays for breakfast, everyone who goes to Chick-li-a gets a free 3-Pack of Chicken Mini's. I went there this morning to see if it is true, and I got mini's.  Behold them, and tremble:

Price paid: Nada. As Kanye would say, they were $ free.99.

I think they're doing this promo through the month of February on Thursday mornings, FYI.

A Quote from Meister Eckhart

(Thanks to JD for preaching about this today. The sermon, and this quote, brought it home.)

There are plenty who follow the Lord halfway, but not the other half. They will give up possessions, friends, and honors, but it touches them too closely to disown themselves.

School Makes Me Post Less...

Ok, so it doesn't make me, but I tend to post less when school is in. Or I feel that way, anyway.

I'm polishing up on my Koine Greek Today so I don't fail this semester right off the bat.  It should be an amazing semester of readings though. I bought a truckload of books (14) for classes, and all of them look like they'll be keepers (as opposed to sell-backs). A lot of them center around holiness, which means I'll probably get my rear kicked a good bit by them. Lord knows I need it.

So anyway, I'm going to post a few videos and links to keep you entertained until I can post again and re-bore you:

Here's one that's a retelling of the Star Wars story by someone who has never really seen the movies before:

Star Wars: Retold (by someone who hasn't seen it) from Joe Nicolosi on Vimeo.

Here's one I'd never seen before called the Redneck Ninja:

Don't go ninjain' no body don't need ninjain'!

And a link for some free music: Jaydiohead is the latest of the long string of Jay-Z smash-ups, now with one of my favorite bands, Radiohead. It's impressive, though I've got to be honest in saying someone needs to start using other rap artists to do this kind of creative work. The Grey Album (Jay-Z's Black Album and the Beatle's White Album mixed together) will always be the standard in this kind of fair. Man, I wish someone would try this kind of work with some other artists, like the Roots (or Luda--wow. Think of Word of Mouf meets The Foo Fighters--I'd buy it.)

And speaking of Radiohead, did anyone else besides myself marvel at their performance on the Grammys? 

The audio on the video is awful, but it will give you an idea. Too bad it was USC's marching band in the show...their presence almost tainted the genius...almost.

Little Wings

Rob also showed me a couple of youtube videos. One of those videos was called "Little Wings"--a song by Mark Gormley. Instead of posting my own comments about this video, here are some of the ones other left about Mark's music:

"My life is now divided into two parts, the time before I saw this video, and the time after."

"Without Gormley, there could be no Beethoven."

"i was thinking about ending it all, i couldn't find beauty in the world anymore, then an angel by name of Gormley appeared to me on little wings..."

"Mark Gormley is my new drug."

"if you're this cool, the sun's shining 24 hours a day. even indoors"

"a single tear drop dripped down my eye. Gormley, i want you to play at my wedding "

" dear god, this man is an apocalypse waiting to happen"

"Mark, you have inspired me to get a life. Thank you sir."

Here is "Little Wings":

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I vow to use this power stance at some point on stage...