40 DAYS OF DECREASE: A Different Kind of Hunger. A Different Kind of Fast. - Softcover

Chole, Alicia

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0718076605 ISBN 13: 9780718076603

Verlag: HarperChristian Resources, 2015

Inhaltsangabe

What if you fasted regret? What if your friends fasted comparison? What if your generation fasted escapism? What if your community fasted spectatorship? Trigger a spiritual revolution with this daily devotional for Lent.

Decrease life's unnecessary details and increase your relationship with the Lord so you can live in awe of Christ's resurrection! 40 Days of Decrease is a guide for those hungering for a fresh Lenten/Easter experience. Dr. Alicia Britt Chole guides you through a study of Jesus’ uncommon and uncomfortable call to abandon the world’s illusions, embrace His kingdom’s realities, and journey cross-ward and beyond.

Containing readings, refection questions, daily fasts, ancient quotes, and more, each day offers a meaningful consideration of Jesus’ journey and then invites you into a daily fast of heart-clutter—the stuff that sticks to your soul and weighs you down. You can begin your forty-day journey any time of the year, but you may find it especially meaningful as a Lenten preparation to live in awe of Jesus’ resurrection.

Each daily, 1000-word entry includes a:

• Devotion based on Jesus’ life
• Reflection question to guide journaling or group discussion
• Heart fast to inspire a tangible response
• Thought-provoking Lenten quote
• Optional sidebar into the historical development of Lent
• Suggested reading that takes you from John 12 to John 21
• Journaling space for reflection

In the same way self cannot satisfy self no matter how long it feasts, self cannot starve self no matter how long it fasts. Decrease—like increase—is only holy when its destination is love. Dare to live awed by Christ’s resurrection!

 

 

Über diesen Titel

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

An award-winning writer, Dr. Alicia Britt Chole’s messages address both head and heart and are often described as grace-filled surgeries. Alicia is a speaker, author, and leadership mentor who enjoys thunderstorms, jalapenos, and honest questions. To explore Alicia’s other books or learn more about her ministry, visit www.aliciabrittchole.com.

 

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40 Days of Decrease

A Different Kind of Hunger. A Different Kind of Fast.

By Alicia Britt Chole

Thomas Nelson

Copyright © 2015 Alicia Britt Chole
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-0-7180-7660-3

Contents

PROLOGUE, xiii, 
INTRODUCTION, xvii, 
DAY ONE: LENT AS PROJECT, 1, 
DAY TWO: REGRETS, 7, 
DAY THREE: COLLECTING PRAISE, 11, 
DAY FOUR: ARTIFICIAL LIGHT, 15, 
DAY FIVE: TIDY FAITH, 21, 
DAY SIX: SPEEDING PAST SORROW, 25, 
DAY SEVEN: A MEAL, 29, 
DAY EIGHT: FIXING IT, 33, 
DAY NINE: RATIONALISM, 37, 
DAY TEN: AVOIDANCE, 43, 
DAY ELEVEN: RELIGIOUS PROFILING, 47, 
DAY TWELVE: ISOLATION, 53, 
DAY THIRTEEN: STINGINESS, 59, 
DAY FOURTEEN: SPECTATORSHIP, 65, 
DAY FIFTEEN: SPIRITUAL SELF-PROTECTION, 69, 
DAY SIXTEEN: HALOS, 75, 
DAY SEVENTEEN: APATHY, 79, 
DAY EIGHTEEN: APPEARANCES, 85, 
DAY NINETEEN: REVISIONISM, 91, 
DAY TWENTY: LEAVENED BREAD, 97, 
DAY TWENTY-ONE: PREMATURE RESOLUTION, 103, 
DAY TWENTY-TWO: SOUND, 109, 
DAY TWENTY-THREE: ARMCHAIR JESUS, 113, 
DAY TWENTY-FOUR: NEUTRALITY, 119, 
DAY TWENTY-FIVE: DENIAL, 125, 
DAY TWENTY-SIX: COMPARISON, 129, 
DAY TWENTY-SEVEN: DISCONTENTMENT, 135, 
DAY TWENTY-EIGHT: FORMULAS, 141, 
DAY TWENTY-NINE: INTIMIDATION, 147, 
DAY THIRTY: SELF-CONFIDENCE, 153, 
DAY THIRTY-ONE: MOCKING JESUS, 159, 
DAY THIRTY-TWO: ADDITION, 165, 
DAY THIRTY-THREE: WILLFUL SIN, 171, 
DAY THIRTY-FOUR: CRITICISM, 177, 
DAY THIRTY-FIVE: GOD-AS-JOB, 183, 
DAY THIRTY-SIX: WITHHOLDING, 189, 
DAY THIRTY-SEVEN: YOUR VOICE, 195, 
DAY THIRTY-EIGHT: ESCAPISM, 203, 
DAY THIRTY-NINE: GUARDING TOMBS, 209, 
DAY FORTY: FASTING, 215, 
NOTES, 221, 
ABOUT THE AUTHOR, 247, 

CHAPTER 1

DAY ONE

We ache deep within to meaningfully honor Christ's resurrection. Yet, in practice, this focal point in the liturgical calendar is often a celebration of public holiday more than it is of humanity's hope. At day's end, we fall asleep well fed and perhaps even grateful, yet still somehow something short of awed. Inspired by the church's ancient tradition of Lent, we then add discipline to the celebration, voluntarily adopting a form of temporary discomfort to self with the intention of bringing to mind the discomfort of the cross (which is unspeakable). And still, our twenty-first-century discomfort remains mild and our first-century remembrance remains meager.

Though what is specifically "given up for Lent" shifts from generation to generation, the broad categories of entertainment, pleasure, and food have remained constant through the centuries. Caffeine, chocolate, designer coffee, carbs, and social media currently rank among the more popular offerings. In an age suffocating in self, any willful fast from what much of the planet would deem a luxury is to be commended. However, since commendation cannot be confused with preparation, I must ask: can such polite fasts alone truly prepare us to be awed by Christ's resurrection?

In English, the Latin Mortem tuam annuntiámus, Dómine, et tuam resurrectiónem confitémur, donec vénias is translated as, "Your death we proclaim, Lord, and your resurrection we confess, until you come." This generation is, perhaps, more familiar with the popular adaption:

Christ has died.
Christ has risen.
Christ will come again.

Indeed. So, are we awed?

God seems more interested in what we are becoming than in what we are giving up. As David sang,

You do not delight

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: HarperChristian Resources
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2015
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 0718076605
• ISBN 13: 9780718076603
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 272
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: Product Safety Manager; enquiries@harpercollins.ie; ; HarperCollins, Macken House, 39/40 Mayor Street Upper; Dublin 1; D01 C9W8; Irland