I’m going to be 100% honest, I’ve never fasted in my life. Ever. I’ve heard about it. I’ve read about it. Again, just being honest, I’ve never given it much thought. So when Rock City announced they were going to have a 21 Day Fast, I was curious. Because I’m on staff, I also knew we needed to fully support this important time and movement for our Church. But how? But what? These are the questions I’ve been asking myself for a few weeks now. I think I’m finally set on my decision. Let me explain how I got there.
When I hear the word fast, I immediately think of people not eating a thing for 21 days. Yikes. Our Pastor outlined the reason for the fast HERE. He then provided some good resources for a fast HERE. With this knowledge and several conversations around our offices at Rock City, I have spent the past few days seeking what it is that God would have me “give up” (fast) for 21 Days. It is my belief and understanding that a fast is removing something from your life and replacing it with prayer, study, reflection and reliance on God. It’s personal. It’s not a blanket “everyone must not eat for 21 days”. Each person knows what they could do without for this period of time. Maybe explaining my decision will help you with yours.
1. For the next 21 Days I will be fasting Social Media. This might sound a bit silly, but I am going to not view, tweet or comment on twitter, facebook, Instagram or write blog posts. While my usage of twitter has dropped significantly, I will step away from it completely. In it’s place I will pray, read and work my way through bible study resources. There will be one exception and that is handling twitter for Rock City. This is a function of my job and we will be tweeting support and guides throughout the 21 days. I will not read twitter. I am only going to tweet as needed.
2. I will be fasting breakfast and lunch each of the 21 days of the fast. My reasons for not doing a full fast are several so I’ll leave it at that. Why leave dinner? I am going to have dinner for nutrition but also because this is a treasured time in our home. As often as possible, we share dinner as a family and connect. It’s important and I don’t view it as a distraction from God. I view it as something He would support the tremendous value in.
That’s it. It’s not extreme, but it is personal. Stepping away to unplug from the Social Media world will be something I have never done. I enjoy Social Media but it is a distraction. It does take my time. I will give that back to God the next 21 days. The food is more of a cleansing and focus for me too. So this will most likely be my last post for a few weeks. I can’t wait to share what I learn through this time. Until then, please pray for clarity and that this will be a time of growth and instruction. You can follow Chad’s daily posts at RockCityChurch.tv.
This is awsome, Aaron. I will pray for clarity and growth. You will be missed, and just a side not, I would struggle with the dinner thing as well, we also connect at the table with a good home cooked meal, there is nothing like that connection time!! I look forward to it every day.
Thanks Bryan. Totally agree about dinner. Especially with our crew running 100 places every night of the week. Sometimes it’s just a quick meal, but we have always tried to cherish that time. Thanks for your prayers and support too. Looking forward to the 21 days.
You Will Be Missed
I Will Miss your Blogs! Praying For You And Your Family!! Stephen And I Are Doing The Evening Only Meal As Well…He May Do More Depending On His Sugar Counts..Diabetes Is Not Kind When You Fast!!