Change your footprint – the word here is simplicity- what can we give up that will help the environment?  Check this site  to measure your environmental footprint:  www.myfootprint.org

Change your stomach - fasting is a good reminder that your body, your life, your spirit is not yours but is truly God’s.

Change your mind – meditation, study of scripture, and prayer brings us into a closer relationship with God and will help change our attitude from entitlement to gratitude.

Change your finances – give to God what is God’s first.

St. Louis Retreat Centers:

• White House Retreat, 7400 Christopher Dr.  63129
• La Salle Retreat Center, 2101 Rue De La Salle, Glencoe, MO  63038
• Mercy Center, 2039 N. Geyer Road,  63131
• Marianist Retreat Center, 4000 Highway 109, Eureka  63025
• King’s House Retreat Center, 700 N. 66th St., Belleville, IL  62223

Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster
The Spirit of the Disciplines by Dallas Willard
Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life by Donald S. Whitney
Plain Living: A Quaker Path to Simplicity.
Rich Christians In an Age of Hunger by Ronald J. Sider
The Rest of God: Restoring Your Soul by Restoring Sabbath by Mark Buchanan
The Liberation of Christmas by Richard A. Horsley
Prayer: Finding the Heart’s True Home by Richard J. Foster
Space For God: Study and Practice of Spirituality and Prayer by Don Postema
The Celtic Way of Prayer: the Recovery of the Religious Imagination by Esther De Waal

The Spiritual Discipline of Study

            The Spiritual Discipline of Study is connecting with Jesus to considerately examine and reflect upon specific passages of Scripture in order to gain spiritual revelation and deeper understanding that leads to personal application and transformation.

            “In the Western world we live in a society that prefers to have other people do our thinking for us.  That’s why TV and other forms of entertainment, including professional sports, are so popular.  We want to relax and be entertained without have to think or exert any effort.  In Bible study, however, we have to learn some techniques, some methods, and then concentrate on dinging out the messages God has for us.”  --Rick Warren

            “The Bible was not given to increase our knowledge, but to change our lives.” 

–D. L. Moody

            “The purpose of Spiritual Disciplines is the total transformation of the person.  They aim at replacing old destructive habits of thought with new life-giving habits.  Nowhere is this purpose more clearly seen than in the discipline of study.”  –Richard Foster.

            “Our prayer as we study… is always that God would meet with us and speak specifically to us, for ultimately the Word of God is God speaking.”  –Dallas Willard

The Necessary Tools

·         A study Bible – a translation not a paraphrasing.  A translation is more of a word-for

word interpretation of the original language, which, in most cases, is the work of a group of scholars.  (I particularly like the NRSV—the New Revised Standard Version—because our United Methodist curriculum uses that translation.)  It should be large enough print to make your reading comfortable and have wide enough margins for you to make notes and thick enough paper that your ink won’t bleed through.

·         A good English dictionary

·         A Bible Commentary (there are single volume & multiple volume commentaries

The Study

Select a specific passage of Scripture and invite Jesus to be with you as you study His world

Consider the following passages:

            As you begin, tell Jesus that your desire is to be with him, and have him talk to you about the passages you plan to study just like he talked with his disciples.  Put your name, or use first-person pronouns, in place of the pronouns or nouns used in the passage, and rephrase it in your own words—using contemporary words and phrases to express what the passage is saying.  Meditate on your personal paraphrase, asking Jesus to help you understand how he wants to apply this to your life right now.  Write down what he tells you.  Keep your gleanings in a journal.

Christian Fasting – Focus Deeper on God
       Christian fasting isn’t some kind of a “work” that’s commanded by Christ or required by Scripture.  However, that doesn’t mean that fasting isn’t recommended as a part of our spiritual growth.  The Book of Acts records believers fasting before they made important decisions (Acts 13:4; 14:23).  Fasting and prayer are often linked together (Luke 2:37; 5:33).  Too often, the focus of fasting is on the lack of food.  However, the purpose of fasting is to take our eyes off the things of this world and instead focus on God.  Fasting is a way to demonstrate to God and to ourselves that we are serious about our relationship with Him.  Although fasting in Scripture is almost always a fasting from food, there are other ways to fast.  Anything you can temporarily give up in order to better focus on God can be considered a fast (1 Corinthians 7:1-5).  Fasting should be limited to a set time, especially when the fasting is from food.  Extended periods of time without eating are harmful to the body.  Fasting is not intended to punish our flesh, but to focus on God.
       Fasting should not be considered a “dieting method” either.  We shouldn’t fast to lose weight, but rather to gain deeper fellowship with God.  Yes, anyone can fast.  Some may not be able to fast from food (diabetics, for example), but everyone can temporarily give up something in order to focus on God.  Even unplugging the television, computer, or phone for a period of time can be an effective fast.
       Yes, it’s a good idea for believers to fast from time to time. Fasting is not required in Scripture, but it’s highly recommended.  The primary Biblical reason to fast is to develop a closer walk with God.  By taking our eyes off the things of this world, we can focus better on Christ. 

       “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting.  I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.  But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you” (Matthew 6:16-18).

Christian Fasting – A Lifestyle of Servant Living
       Christian fasting is more than denying ourselves food or something else of the flesh – it’s a sacrificial lifestyle before God. In Isiah 58, we learn what a “true fast” is.  It’s not just a one-time act of humility and denial before God, it’s a lifestyle of servant ministry to others.  As Isaiah tells us, fasting encourages humility, loosens the chains of injustice, unties the chords of the yoke, frees the oppressed, feeds the hungry, provides for the poor, and clothes the naked. This concept of fasting isn’t a one day thing – it’s a lifestyle of servant living for God and others.

John 14:1-14  –  Jesus is the way                  John 21:15-19  –  Jesus and Peter

Jesus’ Teaching:

John 10:11-18, 27-28  –  My sheep hear my voice          Matthew 28:16-20 –  The last word

Epistle Teaching:

James 3:14-18  –  True Wisdom                                   Ephesians 3:14-21  –  Prayer for deep wisdom

Psalms:

Psalm 121  –  God our faithful guardian