In the books

Mark the 30 Hour Famine down as completed. The fast and the lock-in went very well, we had a blast with The 71's and were challenged by the Scriptures to respond to poverty and hunger. On Sunday we will collect on the pledges, hand in our money and thus will conclude the Famine. My real hope though is that this does not end this weekend, but that the practice of fasting, and the sharing together of teaching and lives will spur on our youth to further growth and faithful living. My prayer is that through this weekend, our youth come to God better and are challenged to take their faith seriously. I think for some of them that happened and continues to happen. One of the great joys for me this week was watching our church respond with an outpouring of prayer for our youth and for this event. A very ecclectic group of prayer partners joined together and held up this event before God, and I am incredibly encouraged and thankful for their prayers.
As the famine drew to a close, Nicholle Franke, challenged the youth to put into practice what they have heard, and gave them a sort of quiz on the different things they had heard from our talks throughout the night. Our youth responded with flying colors, I felt as though they were really beginning to grasp the significant challenge of the gospel. May God continue to work, and continue to draw us to himself. Many thanks to the prayer partners, and the leaders, particularly Kate Spencer and Diane Walding who modeled a servant love and were a huge blessing. Please continue in prayer.

Halfway home! My stomach is officially grumbling about this fast now. As I was reading through the story of Jesus fasting for 40 days and 40 nights, one phrase jumped out at me this time, from Matthew 4:2, "he [Jesus] was hungry." For those of you fasting right now, Jesus knows exactly how you feel, and so do the rest of us. Stick it out. Continue in prayer, and ask for strength. A prayer:

God of the hungry, Shelter of the homeless, we are in need of your mercy. We ask your blessing on children everywhere who are in danger today. Bless all who are hungry and homeless, all who suffer from injustice. Provide them with the food they need; shelter them in the warmth of your love, and safeguard them from the evil that rages around them. Turn our eyes and hearts to their needs. Give us courage to act for their good. We ask this, relying on your compassion and confident of your love. Amen.

8 Hours In!

The fastest eight hours of our famine have come and gone. As we turn now torwards one of the harder stretches I wanted to share with you some prayer requests and some verses to be thinking about and praying through. First, a passage all about food, fasting and holiness (I have highlighted a few points:

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
10 Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread,
12 and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.

14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

16 “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Now for the prayers:

be praying

• for The 71s, the awesome band who is coming to lead us tonigh, the concert starts at nine, but they will be getting here sometime after five.
• for set up of the church today, that we could have everything ready for tonight (more on this later in the day).
• for all the youth participating in the fast, that their righteousness might be seen in Heaven, and that God would provide them the daily bread they need today in a form they are not used to.
• for all the hungry in the world
• for Jenny Mason, our missionary to Gautemala who is preparing herself to be a faithful minister to poor and hungry there.
• for God to do amazing things in the lives of our young people today and tonight.
  

Last pre-30 Hour Famine Post

With one hour left and a wonderful feast behind us (thank you to the Woody's for hosting) it is time for sleep.

Father, we pray for those who go to bed hungry tonight, and awaken hungry with no hope of being satisfied. We pray as we hunger tommorrow in solidarity, that you might provide us strength and remind us that we do not live on bread alone, but on your very words. Let us hunger and thirst for rigteousness as we hunger for food tommorrow. Amen.

30 Hour Famine: T-Minus 9 Hours

We are getting close. I am about to head home, play some football, take a nap, and then off to prepare for the pre-famine feast of pancakes, sausage and bacon. Some of the sound equipment has already arrived, my talk is almost ready to go, and all the details are settling in. Continue to pray for the hearts of the youth who are participating, that God would work in amazing ways through out this fast.

Isaiah 58:3-12

‘Why have we fasted, and you see it not?Why have we humbled ourselves, and you take no knowledge of it?’Behold, in the day of your fast you seek your own pleasure, and oppress all your workers.4 Behold, you fast only to quarrel and to fightand to hit with a wicked fist.Fasting like yours this daywill not make your voice to be heard on high.5 Is such the fast that I choose,a day for a person to humble himself?Is it to bow down his head like a reed,and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him?Will you call this a fast,and a day acceptable to the Lord?
6 “Is not this the fast that I choose:to loose the bonds of wickedness,to undo the straps of the yoke,to let the oppressed go free,and to break every yoke?7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungryand bring the homeless poor into your house;when you see the naked, to cover him,and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?8 Then shall your light break forth like the dawn,and your healing shall spring up speedily;your righteousness shall go before you;the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.9 Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’If you take away the yoke from your midst,the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,10 if you pour yourself out for the hungryand satisfy the desire of the afflicted,then shall your light rise in the darknessand your gloom be as the noonday.11 And the Lord will guide you continuallyand satisfy your desire in scorched placesand make your bones strong;and you shall be like a watered garden,like a spring of water,whose waters do not fail.12 And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt;you shall raise up the foundations of many generations;you shall be called the repairer of the breach,the restorer of streets to dwell in.

30 Hour Famine Countdown T- Minus 17 Hours

We are now only seventeen hours from our 30 Hour Famine, and I am getting excited. The list of things to put finishing touches on continues to slowly dwindle, and today and tommorrow that list should completely disappear. Three parts meetings, one part talk for 30 Hour Famine, one part big feast pre-Famine and hopefully two parts rest and family time, and you have my recipe for the day.

For those of you who don't know, our youth group is doing a 30 Hour Famine, and is raising money for a missionary I went to High School with named Jenny Mason. She is going to be doing some amazing work in Gautemala, helping to grow a variety of food, and embody the love of Jesus in a small town there. Check back in throughout the day, today and tommorrow, for updates and prayer requests.

be praying

• For the youth participating
• For my talk on justice and fasting
• For my health, to shake this cold
• For the hungry in the world