Daniel Fast, Day One

Today is Day One of the Daniel Fast that our church is participating in. We had lunch today at my mom's as we usually do, and now are on a liquid fast for the first 24 hours of the fast. We resume eating tomorrow night at dinnertime, when we begin the Daniel Fast which is basically fruits, vegetables, and nuts. I've never participated in a lengthy fast and I am excited to see what God shows us in the 21 days we'll be fasting.

So far I've only been without food for 3 hours. I'm sitting here with a growling stomach and thinking about the people in Haiti who haven't eaten in 3 days, perhaps. I also think of Robin, our Compassion child who eats the equivalent of our "fast" on a daily basis. He writes and lets us know that he ate rice, lentils, and beans for lunch at school. To be writing and telling us that, he must be eating well and wants us to know. I feel overindulgent today.

I'm also doing a Bible study at church... a Beth Moore study on the life of Daniel. What neat timing. The study was planned long ago, but the fast was laid suddenly on the heart of our pastor and within one week we found ourselves fasting. In her teaching, Beth tells us that our "Babylon" finds us in the midst of tremendous overindulgence. Our culture has too much, and it's so true. Too many food choices, too many t.v. channels, too much, too much, too much. As I fast from the "choice food" that Daniel also fasted from, I am hoping to let go of some of my Babylonian influences as well.

My kids are participating as well; for them, it's sugar, soft drinks, and dessert. Reed has also chosen (on his own) to fast from his favorite Xbox 360 game. They were sent home from church today with a calendar and guidelines for prayer each day. I plan to incorporate the fast into our school day, and I pray that they are significantly changed during this time as well.

So, day one has me wondering what things He'll reveal to our family and church. If you are in it with me, what has He revealed to you??