Faith, Food, Fitness, and Focus

Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday. For several years I have taken on the spiritual discipline of Lent. It is the idea that we "give up" certain physical habits or patterns and we "take on" certain spiritual disciplines. All of this is meant to sharpen our focus as we head toward Easter.


It was a Catholic priest, Father Richard Neuyer, who showed how little effort and time I spent toward preparing for Easter. His question was simple: "How can you celebrate on Easter Sunday, if you haven't grieved through Lent?"


I have chosen to take on "The Daniel Plan" for my Lenten discipline. It is a book by Rick Warren, author of the Purpose Driven Life, and several Doctors.


My inspiration actually came from Colin Cowherd of ESPN television. He spoke one day of how small choices make huge differences. Two cookies a day can mean two pounds of extra weight at the end of the year. Two pounds a year for thirty years means a person is obese. It is not the occasional binge that gets us in trouble. It is a series of small bad choices repeated over and over.


The book is built on four interconnected principles. Rick Warren says that all four are necessary for success; and better yet, their is a synchronistic and geometric benefit is all four areas are addressed carefully and passionately.


So here is my plan:


Faith: I will spend thirty minutes a day in intentional prayer and devotion time; not in sermon prep or church work, but just time alone with God.


Food: I will eat the foods laid out in Daniel chapter one, as practiced by Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. I will eat fruit, vegetables, and water.


Fitness: This is one area I actually do well. I walk two miles every day with my dog. I will just double the laps.


Focus: This is the tough one. Not sure this one will work itself out. I will let you know.


I hope that you would choose to embrace Lent. Not sure what your needs are, but it is a good pursuit.