Recently about 1/2 of the Youths from church attended a local 30 Hour Famine observance. The time has made me want to reflect on why are we doing this? A professor at school lectured on fasting, and I dug up those notes. He mentioned that a fast is not starving. We fast for several reasons, and taking two, for us to reflect on. 1. A fast is done for personal sanctity. (Psalms 69:10). (thats all I wrote) but as I reread the verse I think, "When God works in us regarding our sin, we weep." And when we seek to be holy-people will ridicule (scorn) you. 2. We fast to be heard on high. Which raises up an issue? What happens when the answer is one that we don't like?
Speaking of dislikes. Recently listening to some testimonies, some "red flags" came up...and in this sharing there were some ideas that would be contrary to Christian beliefs. A youth minister asked me, and I downplayed it at the time, but "my spidey senses were tingling". The issue in regard concerned ecumenism. There are times that we need to stand our ground*. If a known predator was in our midst, we would be on guard...churches need to love the world, but God also gave us a mind to reason. And he gave us instructions concerning his church. (Titus 1:9, esp. the latter part of the verse). I think this person wasn't intending to do harm but their sharing raised some issues.
*I am thinking about how we express love. There are times when hugs, and a soft-voice is not appropriate. I remember a friend's child almost ran into the street, and was caught at the last minute (he was a cute 3 year old; now he is in college). I winced when I heard him get scolded, but I knew that his mother loved him.
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