Uploading New Songs

Hey Collegagemovers! We decided to start uploading the new songs that we are going to be teaching on Tuesday nights! We are doing this to provide you guys an opportunity to be familiar with the songs before you show up on a Tuesday. Feel free to listen and comment on them. See you all next Tuesday!

Food

Food is something most of us think nothing about, yet at the same time it’s something we always think about. Food is something everyone has experienced and something that we very obviously need to survive. The interesting thing is, some choose to eat too much (to a fault) while others ignore the need of food to lose weight. However, I think it’s safe to say that, on average, the majority of people think about, love, and partake in eating food.

Each day I wake up and press snooze too many times, I pick out clean clothes off my floor that I never put away to wear for the day, and then get ready for my shower. I have a soundock that I plug my iPhone into and turn my music up to 11 while I get ready. I do the average routine of shampoo, conditioner, body wash, brush my teeth, deodorant, cologne (Michael Jordan Cologne to be exact), and grab my bag (or man purse) to head to a morning meeting. It’s clockwork.

I live in the heights so I have a good 25 minute drive to listen to more music through my iTrip and usually end up feeling the need to speed so I’m only 2 minutes late instead of 7. Morning meetings usually consist of me waking up and trying to focus on being creative and giving what feedback I can. But as soon as 10:30am comes around, it hits me. I’m hungry. By that point I’m almost useless, all I want to think about is what I’m going to eat, where I’m going to eat it, who with, what I’ll have to drink (almost always Pepsi), and how great it sounds right then. I love food. It’s an amazing gift from God and so much of my day and yours is based around the meals we eat. On very few occasions have I had to actually worry about whether or not I will be able to afford food or have any to eat. 

A few weeks back I bought the newest iPad right before a trip to Dallas, followed by a vacation in Vegas, all of which costs money. Almost all of mine was gone. Did I mention my only source of income (I’m a server at the Brew Pub) was closed for two weeks for remodeling? In order to be able to eat while I was in Vegas, I had to not spend ANY money for 3 weeks other than gas. Each day I tried to think how I could eat and each day God provided. Multiple times friends bought me lunch without me asking, a server would offer me free fries, I ate dinner rolls left over from the weekend team’s dinner,  had mac and cheese out of the box or a hot pocket at home, etc. Every day I was always getting food, just not my first choice.

In these 3 weeks I quickly learned the importance of food and what it takes to get it. Sometimes if I don’t get food, I’m easily annoyed or angered. It can alter our moods. I think it’s safe to say we need food. Why else would there be food stamps? People need it desperately. Without food, we die. iPhones, macs, iPods, TVs, Xbox360s, movies, clothes, instruments, air conditioning, cigarets, beer, soda, shoes. We can live without every. single. one of those. But food, food we need.

What does it look like to kick a habit? To give up something? One simply (some things easier than others) stops doing it. “I’m going to stop watching two movies a day” was something I decided on awhile back. Yes I love movies that much but I survive without. Why would I stop something I love doing? As you’re probably thinking right now, it’s obvious that if I don’t watch two movies a day I could do better things with my time. It’s true. I gave up watching that many movies because there are things that deserve my time, energy, and focus more than rewatching the extended versions of Lord Of The Rings over and over again.

Today I gave up food for the day. I went a full 24 hours without a single bite of food, just drank fluids. It’s something widely known in the “church world” as fasting. I say  ”church world” because when I run this idea by people who did not grow up in the church, it just seems like a strange concept to them. Different. Radically different. They’re unfamiliar with it. I’ve fasted very little in my life but I can tell you after today, I’m hooked. 

Why do we fast? Psh, I don’t know. I just know we’re told too. Yeah I’ve heard all sorts of reasons and sermons on it but never has a sermon given me the desire to not eat food for a day. I love food! I’ve never had a drive to fast. But after fasting today, I can tell you exactly why I fast.

Today sucked. I had stomach pains all day and could do nothing about it. I’d be in a meeting and working and the pains would come and go. Sounds fun right? It gets better. Some of my best friends invited me to dinner to eat wings so of course I said yes. But remember, I’m fasting. So I sat there in Buffalo Wild Wings seeing, smelling, and watching these sauce soaked, tender, steaming, bite sized boneless buffalo wings being consumed by my friends. I couldn’t tell you the exact passage of scripture off the top of my head but I know for a fact it says in the Bible to not wince in pain or draw attention to the fact that you are fasting. If you do something like that, you have received the extent of the benefits of fasting, a day long stomach ache. Your Father sees what you’re doing and He will reward you for it, so if He knows that’s all that matters. God blesses the humble, boasting in your sacrifice or fasting isn’t exactly being humble.—Side note: this post is not me trying to draw attention to what I did. I realize that would be counterproductive.

So I obeyed. Every minute of dinner I wanted to grab at Matt’s wings or Hannah’s salad and just start eating. I didn’t care if they were finished, I wanted it. I wanted to tell them I was fasting and how miserable I was (when I’m hungry I may or may not overreact).

The thing is, every time I felt that pain of hunger creep up on me I would ask myself the question, ” Why am I doing this?” Not why am I suppose to or what have I been told. But why am I doing it. And each time I would answer my own question and suddenly food didn’t seem like a big deal.

In the past 24 hours I did not eat food because of what takes place in my heart when I fast. To give up such a fundamental need for God is one of the best things you can do. Every time I felt hungry I would remember I was doing this for God, to grow closer to Him. I would feel encouraged to pray, think about what God wants me to do or my calling in life, and think about what is and is not important. It’s not about being a “better” Christian or following certain rules. Fasting can light this fire of passion inside you for Jesus. Helps clear your head and focus. And to make it through the day relying completely on God for energy, patience, and keeping your sanity is an incredible thing. We get so caught up on life and forget about Him. In America, we can get whatever we need. We rely on material possessions or additions to bring us happiness because our fundamentals for surviving aren’t in danger. We forget why we need God.

Everyone needs Jesus. That’s a fact. I hope you know how much I need him, how much you need him. If fasting isn’t something you do, I would encourage you to do it. Try it. In the grand scheme of things, not having food for one day of your life is a very small inconvenience. If you’re in a rut in your relationship with Jesus then fast. Dive in and go for it. I guarantee Jesus isn’t slacking on his end, if things feel dull, it’s all on you and me. We need to hold up our end of this relationship and just go for it. 

Let’s risk the ocean, there’s only grace.

Fasting, it humbles us. It brings our focus back to Jesus and how very present He is.

-Marcus