Tell me about Christian Fasting (in a couple of minutes!)

Fasting is another tool for Spiritual Fitness.  But what does the Bible say about fasting?  Here’s a quick video to get you started:

 

NOTE: We recommend consulting with your health care provider before undertaking any fast.  For some conditions, fasting could be harmful.

Questions:
1.  Why should we fast (in your own words)?
2.  If you have fasted, what were the most important things you have learned?
3.  How would you convince someone else to try fasting?

No Such Thing As Unanswered Prayer?

It’s 1990 and Garth Brooks has released a song that peaks my interest… and changes my perspective on prayer.  The song is called “Unanswered Prayers.”

The song tells the story of a man who encounters an old high school flame and recalls how he used to pray that God would “make her mine.”  Spoiler alert: It didn’t work out.

But as the man encounters this old flame, he realizes that she wasn’t “the one” and he realizes how grateful he is God didn’t answer his high school era prayer.

There’s just one problem with this song and this philosophy on answered prayers.

Garth was wrong...

A Special Merry Christmas!

Christmas is a day where we celebrate the arrival of the Prince of Peace.

But as you probably know, peace is elusive… it’s not a natural state for humans.  It requires people who will actively help it along, maintain it, and restore it when necessary.  So before wishing everyone the traditional “Merry Christmas,” let’s take a minute to be mindful of those who:

• are deployed and separated from families
• are working a long shift on patrol, or on call
• will stop what they’re doing to come to our aid, no matter the weather or time, or anything else for that matter

From all us at The Xena Project, thank you warriors, for helping us have peace on earth.  I pray for the day when we can manage to live in peace on our own, but I recognize the need for what you do tirelessly, day in and day out.  Keep fighting the good fight!

And thank you to the families, who are there to support in many aspects… who serve and suffer in ways we may never recognize.  Thanks for your service as well!

Finally, lest we forget the real significance of this day, I turn it over to the wisest cartoon character I know:

Discipline Equals Freedom?

What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word, “Discipline?”  Is it a positive or a negative reaction?

I’ll tip my hand up front: I don’t really like discipline, but I love what discipline gives me.

In his book, Extreme Ownership, Jocko Willink says that discipline equals freedom.  But how does that work?  Aren’t those two concepts polar opposites?

Here’s what we learned at The Xena Project: not only can discipline give YOU freedom, it can give freedom to any group you’re a part of: your team, your family, your squad… you name it.  How?

Decision Making Amidst Uncertainty (Part 2)

How do you make decisions in an uncertain situations?  Do you have general principles or a series of questions you use to help your decision-making?

This was the question I posed to our Thursday night gathering of The Xena Project after looking at some examples of people who had to make big decisions in very dynamic environments.  Part 1 of this thread covers the set up.

And here’s what they came back with…

A World Without Thanks

Have you ever wondered what a world without thanks would look like?  That’s a backwards approach to this day we set aside to give thanks, but sometimes I like to look at things from the opposite angle to better understand the positives.

But to go even deeper, what would be the ramifications of a thankless society?  (Spoiler alert: it’s bad!).  It’s not a place I’d want to live.  And it’s not a place I’d want to hand off to my kids and grandkids.  Aren’t we supposed to protect them and give them the best?

So… how do we hand off a world we’d want the next generation to inherit?

Decision Making Amidst Uncertainty (Part 1)

How do you make decisions amidst uncertainties?  Do you have formulas, processes, or tricks of the trade?

At our most recent gathering of The Xena Project, I asked veterans that very question.  All had experience in needing to make decisions amidst uncertainty, but not just because they were veterans.

It’s because life is uncertain… and decisions need to be made… by everyone.

Wouldn’t it be great to have a “go-to” process that helps decision-making amidst uncertainty?

How Do I Believe?

If you’ve read the last posts on Why We Should Believe (Part 1 and Part 2), you may be convinced that belief is powerful.  Yet you may be skeptical… I want to believe but I’ve been burned in the past.  But belief is powerful… even life-changing.  I would hate for you to miss out on that power!

So, let’s say you want to try to believe in something again.  The next logical question is, “How do I believe?”

Why Should I Believe? (Part 2)

In our last post, we asked, “What has believing done for you… and NOT done for you?”  In this post, we’ll look at the reality of what believing does, and does not do.

This is especially important for warriors like the folks we see at The Xena Project.  Without a solid belief system, you can go to some pretty dark places and withdraw from the world.  And that would be our loss.  Why?  Because the world needs what warriors have: selfless service, willingness to sacrifice for the good of others, and boatloads of courage in action.

So, what does belief do… and not do?

Why Should I Believe? (Part 1)

Does believing in something or someone make a difference?  According to Jocko Willink in his book, Extreme Ownership, believing can make ALL the difference!

So it’s worth a few minutes of our time to figure out why belief is important, and how we’ll believe (because without the how we just have a nice theory with platitudes, but nothing concrete to act on).

So… why believe… in what… and how?