40 Day Fast

This is my day to participate in something called The 40 Day Fast (no I'm not fasting for 40 days!) There is a widget on the side bar that you can click for more information or to read the other bloggers' posts. This is an effort to bring attention to organizations that are feeding hungry people all over the world. Check out my teammate Randel's post.

I asked to write about Feed the Children. Check out their humble beginnings, and how you can help in all sorts of ways...big or small. They are committed to feeding families... and not just with food.

I have to admit that I've been feeling the need to fast for about a month now. The idea has presented itself several times while I've ignored it. Even when the 40 Day Fast sign up came out; I found myself signing up, but kept thinking "What am I doing?"

GET THIS: Once I signed up, our church did a sermon on fasting...No coincidence there huh?

Our pastor talked about saying "no" to basic desires. Desires that can take our time, attention & money. Like food. Like tv. Like Twitter. =/ All of the things that bring attention to "me" and my "comfort" my "enjoyment". If I take the energy away from these things for a short time, if I remove those dependencies from my life short term...Whom would I become dependant on instead? To Whom would I direct all that energy? Time? Money?

One of our pastors posted this quote out of Muhammed Yunus' book Banker to the Poor. It took my breath away.

"There are many ways for people to die, but somehow dying of starvation is the most unacceptable of all. It happens in slow motion. Second by second, the distance between life and death becomes smaller and smaller, until the two are in such close proximity that one can hardly tell the difference. Like sleep, death by starvation happens so quickly, so inexorably, one does not even sense it happening. And all for lack of a handful of rice at each meal. In this world of plenty, a tiny baby, who does not yet understand the mystery of the world, is allowed to cry and cry and finally fall asleep without the milk she needs to survive. The next day she may not have the strength to continue living."

I know some of you may already be involved financially with an organization. But let me say that sometimes giving time is just as valuable. Find out if you have a FTC distribution center near you. I go a few times a year and along w/ dozens (sometimes hundreds) of others...we pack MASSIVE amounts of boxes. We touch each item before it goes into the box. Some pray as they do it. Prayers of hope, that those who receive it will feel the love of Christ. Yes, the love of Christ sometimes comes in the form of beans, rice & toothpaste!

I have also distributed those boxes to families in inner city Chicago. Imagine pulling up to the projects in Chicago with truckloads full of food & personal care items for folks that are in some serious need. One little girl, about 3, was alone for the day. Her parents were at work and had left her to fend for herself. She spent the day with me. ME! She helped me hand out boxes to her peers. What an amazing gift for me, for her & for those people. I have prayed numerous times that she remembers that day years from now. That SHE was the face of Christ for her community.

Watch this video of our church members gathering in December (it was 4° that day) to deliver packed boxes to folks in our area from Feed The Children. After packing the boxes, then packing the trucks, we got to hand deliver the items to the actual families. IT. WAS. AMAZING. Praying with people. Helping people. Smiles. Love.


During this fast, my family is taking the money we save on food and giving it to Feed the Children. It's probably around $10. That will feed 1 child FOR AN ENTIRE MONTH.

We are the hands & feet of Jesus. Let's put on some boots & gloves and fight dirty. Are you in? If so, aren't you excited about what that sort of life will look like?

I don't know about you, but a lot of times I feel hungry. Hungry for just the right thing, to hit just the right spot. What if that included an increased diet of the Bible and some Living Water? I know it's a lot to chew on (ok, I'll stop now).