Fasting for Others

The idea of fasting is popular this time of year since we approached the season of Lent yesterday. I've been thinking lots about fasting: what it means for us, for others, what its purpose truly is.

Mark Driscoll, pastor at Mars Hill church, defines fasting as "the voluntary act of abstaining from something for the purpose of growing in self-discipline, which is the essence of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ."
http://theresurgence.com/Spiritual_Disciplines_Fasting

As we grow in self-discipline as we fast, what if we oriented this idea towards others? What if we took our sacrifice, and asked YHWH to honor it by blessing someone else? What if this season we abstain from something, something that is dear to us, but what if we did it because our heart is so breaking for someone who doesn't know Jesus in truth?

Do we fast because we are heartbroken over sin? Are we devastated with the misguidance and misconceptions of Christ and his followers in our world? Do we, with every emotion in us, long for redemption, reconciliation?

What if, with every "sweet" that I refrained from, I thought of my dear friend, my dear friend that doesn't know Jesus in truth, that is misguided in her love for Him? What if I denied myself, begging YHWH for her redemption and salvation?

So, ask yourself, what is the purpose of your fast? Why do we do it?

Our hope and prayer is that we would grow closer to YHWH, that we would come to know Him in a more real way, that we would become selfless in our sacrifice.

Loving Well

My dad loves really well.

We meet several times a week to go to the on-campus Starbucks. There is a woman who works there; she's there every time we are. My dad has taken it upon himself to love on this lady... he doesn't know her, but he has such compassion for her, not in way that he pities her, but in a way that shows that he is genuinely interested in her life.
He knows her name, he knows her favorite drink from Starbucks, he knows that she had a bad fall over Christmas break and lost her baby.

Did I know this? Does anyone else, out of all the people that stop by that Starbucks all day long??

I'm so grateful for my dad's love for people. It is a picture of God's love for us all. I want to be more like my heavenly Father and earthly Father. I want to love people. I want to stop and love people.

I want to wonder about the woman at Starbucks, the couple at the table next to me in the restaurant, the teller at the bank... I wonder if they know Jesus, I wonder if they know He loves them, I wonder if they feel welcomed and loved by Christians, or looked over?

I led a DNow this weekend where the theme was "LiveLove." Do I live love? Did I live love towards this woman by never caring about her or giving her a second thought?

May I be a woman who lives love....