End of April !

It has been an amazing month. I hope everyone is enjoying their Spring. We just had a great picnic with the church and it was such a beautiful day. I don’t think it could have gotten much better then it was. Thanks to everyone who pulled together and helped out.

Well, the Caps were eliminated in the first round by the Philadelphia Flyers. Sad deal! But we won the division and made it to the playoffs. The Caps made history for the best turn around in one season. Let’s Go CAPS!!!! 5 months until the next season. I plan on going to watch them skate when they come back for summer training at Kettler – anyone interested???

The church has been experiencing a wonderful in breaking of the kingdom of God during our services. I have always felt his presence but it seems in the last couple weeks several people have been experiencing His presence in new and wonderful ways. This is always awesome.

Update on my fast: I ended up going for 7 days and it was great. I never experienced head aches or any other sick feelings after day 2. My hunger dropped off after day 2-3 and by the end I could have probably kept on going. My goal was 10 days but do to my schedule I had to cut it short. Again nothing huge to give testimony beyond the love and His wonderful presence I felt.

We must remember that fasting is not:

Physical Discipline -- We must remember that God never tells people to fast as purely for physical discipline. It is not a good diet plan. People have suggested that helps in resetting or possibly detoxing the body. We may gain discipline from fasting but this is not a good reason for fasting.
Manipulative -- Sometimes fasting is viewed as an attempt to twist God’s arm or to win His approval. In the book of Jeremiah people fasted with these wrong motives. “Although they fast, I will not listen to their cry; though they offer burn offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. I will destroy them with the sword, famine and plague” (Jeremiah 14:12).
A Hypocritical Religious Exercise -- By Jesus' time fasting had become a very important part of the Jewish life. Perhaps overly important would be a better way of saying it. Based on Luke 18:12a, we know the Pharisees fasted twice a week. The Talmud tells us that this was on the 2nd and 5th day (Monday and Thursday). Why those days? According to the Pharisees it was because Moses went up on Mt. Sinai to get the Law on the 5th day and returned on the 2nd. At least that's what they said. But if you look closely into Jewish history, you find another possible reason for the Pharisees fasting on Monday and Thursday. Market day in the city of Jerusalem was on the 2nd and 5th day! Everyone from the countryside came to town on those days. It was on these two days that the Pharisees chose to hold their fasts. They would walk through the streets with their hair disheveled; they would put on old clothes and cover themselves with dirt; they would cover their faces with white chalk in order to look pale; and they would dump ashes over their head as a sign of their humility!! Fasting had become a "look-at-how-spiritual-I-am" exercise. It was hypocrisy. Biblical fasting is not hypocrisy. It is not a manipulative tool. It is not a physical discipline.

What is Biblical Fasting? Biblical fasting is "not eating" with spiritual communication in mind. How do we know this? Because Biblical fasting always occurs together with prayer in the Bible - ALWAYS. You can pray without fasting, but you cannot fast (Biblically speaking) without praying. Biblical fasting is deliberately abstaining from food for a spiritual reason: communication and relationship with the Father.

We willing submit ourselves to weakness in the natural and place ourselves in the posture of drawing close to Jesus for the simple purpose of relationship – intimacy.

This is enough for today – draw close to God. You don’t have to fast. Just begin your day with talking to God… He is always listening.

Blessings,
Sean
Let’s go CAPS!!!!

REFERENCE: http://www.new-life.net/fasting.htm

Made it to day 4!

So day 2 was a rough day. I felt sick for most of the day and slept. I stayed home from work. In between naps, I spent time reading the Bible and just sitting quietly. No big revelations to report just peace.

Day 3 was the complete opposite. I woke up and went through the detox routine. I will spare everyone the details. I made it to work and had regular energy. After spending time last night with the Teenagers of our church, I was pretty much spent.

The lemon drink has been completely horrible to drink. I don’t think I have the mix right so tonight I am going back to reference the book. All and all I am down to 253. This has been an 11 lb weight lost in three days. I have a greater respect for anyone who has done this. Fasting is one aspect but the detox adds just a little more to the process.

Fasting is willing submission into our human weakness. I have begun to really feel this now. I am not talking so much about physical strength but I am being reminded of all the items that attract or pull for my attention especially food. Also, I seem to have a heighten aspect of conviction. I believe this is the beginning of more to come from the spiritual side of the process.

Matthew 9:14-17
Then John's disciples came and asked him, "How is it that we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?" Jesus answered, "How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast. "No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. Neither do men pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved."

So the Spirit and the Bride asks this day for the new wine to flow and we cry out come Lord Jesus come….

Have a good one….LETS GO CAPS

Day 1 - I made it!

Well, I made it through day one and it was really not that bad. I used to much pepper. I like cayenne pepper so I decided to add a pinch more... boy, I paid the price. It is hard to explain the lemon drink. It is some what sweet but the pepper gives it such a bite. Not like hot like eating hot wings but just a bit --- well like when pepper spray hits the skin ... but not to that extreme. I guess you will have to just try it yourself. I started out day one at 264.2 lbs.
The first morning after the tea and salt water flush. I had no sign of any detoxing affects. I was a little concerned. So I read up on it and gain a little in sight that may even be helpful on my spiritual fast.
The website suggested not to worry if nothing "extreme" happens the first day, but keep working the process - tea at night, flush in the morning and 6-12 glasses of the lemon drink a day. Plus water as needed. By the 2nd or 3rd day, just be ready. It seems that people who east a "see food" diet. You know, eat everything they see like myself. There is a build up of waste and junk in your system. And it actually could take 2-3 days to break through. Then the detox process will be carried out.
That being the natural - the in sight for the spiritual is how different is it? I am mean surely we have build up of toxins, sin, brokenness, and other stuff we are carrying around. we want mention the spiritual attacks on us. How many of us have devoted just one day to prayer or maybe two and walked off thinking - "no answer" - prayer does not work? We have to be willing to stay the course until we break through our stuff. Holding on to the knowledge that we are not alone and the hope that He is reaching for us....

Well I ended day one exhausted and drained. see ya tomorrow or the next day.

Peace -

LETS GO CAPS

Fasting - Why?

Well, tonight I get ready to start a fast. As we have been talking about being naturally super natural in our lives - I am trying to get motivated in seeing this fast the same way. I will tell you that I do believe that the Holy Spirit has invited me to take this fast - I have been praying to get closer to Jesus so I felt the Spirit's call to walk this out for a few days.

As everyone knows that I am great model of perfect health but I am taking this fast as a time to detox my body and to clean my body of all junk that I have put into it. Hopefully,afterwards, I will eat a little better.

So I see this to be a natural and super natural adventure. I plan on posting more frequently as a form of accountability. So We will see what happens.

I was reading an article on spiritual disciplines by Anne Wilcox. She wrote, "Either the disciplines didn't work or I had it all wrong. Maybe prayer, fasting, study, and meditation were different from other disciplines. As a child I had disciplined myself to practice the piano. The end result was the ability to enjoy a musical instrument. As a young adult, I had disciplined myself to study; and the end result was a college degree. But Somehow, it wasn't working to approach the spiritual disciplines with a "results" mentality."

What is the end result of seeking Him? Does the effort we are investing in our lives equal our 'expected results'? I hear people having great spiritual expectations but rarely want to invest or to sacrifice - to put up or shut up - They want this end result without putting the time to cultivate such a life.

Maybe disciplines are not steps to achieve Herculean faith - to be some kind of spiritual super hero? Rather I have found that practicing the disciplines such as fasting, prayer, and bible study cultivate a life or environment were by grace my faithfulness gains an Audience. Maybe instead of giving me strength - or I arise as some kind of super empowered Christian - I arise truly as myself and yet reminded that I do not journey forward alone. For He is with me.

Wilcox continue: "Seeing clearly and understanding completely is not the carrot at the end of a spiritually disciplined life. Seeing clearly - face to face - will come only when it is time for such seeing! Until then the spiritual disciplines allow partial translucence. Through prayer there is the reality of hearing and being heard - without sound. Though study and meditation comes greater assurance of things to come - without sight. Through fasting, the realities of a world beyond material are sharpened - without touch. The light, though filtered, finds it way to us through the spiritual disciplines. They are gracious gifts meant to temporarily assuage the frustration of not yet seeing face-to-face and are born out of a longing to see past the darkened glass and be with Christ."

We have to crawl before walking, walking before running, running before the marathon..... Thank God life is not a 50 yard sprint but a life long journey of getting up and trying again. But we are never alone for He is with us.
Blessings to you all ----

LET'S GO CAPS - PLAYOFF TIME

The Journey of the Blog

The journey begins.

Last week I was watching the best hockey team ever.... (subjective of course) The Capitals were in a shoot out with the Carolina Hurricanes and this game was intense. It came down to our final player and he scores. I got so excited that I jumped out of my chair and did a celebration dance. A true victory dance - (open to your own interpretation)

As I have thought about that night from last week, I was thinking about the excitement I felt in that moment. I experienced "Life". It was full of expectation and excitement. Then the goal came - followed by my celebration dance. So I was thinking why don't I experience these moments more often? What caused this moment to be so exciting?

Expectation? Investment? Longing? Desperation? Being truly present in that moment!

From this reflection, I can see that I have many idols in my life---before you think I am going to get all religious just hold on. What I mean is that I experienced this moment of "Life" watching a hockey game with my daughter (by the way she rolled on the floor laughing at my victory dance). Yet Jesus says "He came to give me Life!" So I think even with my idols (those things I do that steal away from the activity of the kingdom of God in my life) - even though my sinful life (which may come up every now and then) - even through my short comings as a father and a husband (hard to believe) - watching a hockey game - I experienced Jesus?

I want to see this excitement for life more often in the church community. Really being present with God and other people. Experiencing Life! So I was thinking that I should bring my victory dance to the next church service!?- You know when I see the Spirit of God moving - break out the dance! Some one gets touched by God during prayer - break out the dance! When I share the relationship that is available to all with Jesus - well you know - break out the victory dance.

I want that feeling and experience I had that caused me to jump out of my lazy boy chair and start dancing to occur all the time. I want that "Life" that Jesus has offered me - I think - well I am wondering - if I allow my self to be present with expectation, investment, longing, and even desperation; more often in my life maybe it will open the door to experience that Life Jesus came to give me. When I am real with myself and circumstances, then life is really available to me...

Anyways enough - God Bless - LET'S GO CAPS