Week One of Lent

Just some thoughts/reactions to my first few days of #ExperiLent. Feel free to comment!

Thursday I decided to focus on praying for Guatemala and limiting my foods to their basic staples. Dinner on Thursday was pretty tasty - chicken, rice, white cheese, and corn rolled into a tortilla! For breakfast the following day I had huevos rancheros modified. Who knew beans and eggs would taste good together?! Lunch on Friday, while my coworkers ordered pizza, was the same as dinner. The food was enjoyable but I must admit I felt deprived while my coworkers feasted. I came to several realizations over the past two days. I think part of the problem is that I feast all the time (as many in our society do), and since I am constantly feasting, I neglect the benefits of fasting: growing closer to God, self-control, and enjoying what I feast on. I feast so much that I don't notice it - until I do something radical like limiting my food for 40 days!!

My students think I'm eating Chipotle all the time, which I find funny. Anytime there's beans and rice, it must be Chipotle! (that's a blogpost in and of itself about their lack of cultural education). I noticed that their curiosity and the excitement others showed about the simple diet allowed me an opportunity to speak about my faith and why I am sacrificing in this way during Lent. It felt good to be encouraged by others on the journey.

I am growing in awareness that I have to stop giving in to my desires and wants all the time. Although I enjoyed my food this week, I found myself wanting other foods that I have (juice, apples, snacks, frozen pizza, carry-out) as well as the food of others. I remind myself daily that it is good to deny myself. I have become aware of my entitled thinking - if I can get it then I should have it. While talking to a friend today, I found myself wanting her breakfast instead of mine, even though it's not anything I would normally eat. I wanted it because it was something I knew I couldn't have. Why is it that we always want something out of our reach - even when we wouldn't want it if we had it? Above all, I've learned that I have to stop making it all about me and my wants. Which is SO hard at times! But must be done.

That said, tomorrow is my feast day - and I look forward to the occasion. Instead of being entitled, I will approach the feast with gratitude and thanks for what I have been given. And I will thoroughly enjoy!

"Nothing is so inconsistent with the life of a Christian as overindulgence." - Saint Benedict

Luke 21:34 Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life...

ExperiLent 2012: 40 Days of Solidarity with the Poor

I'm very excited about my Lent experience, 40 Days of Solidarity with the Poor (www.chrisseay.net). So I finally picked a country's staple diet to follow and I picked...Guatemala! I'm going to fast from all other foods (except on Sundays when I feast!) and limit beverages to water and tea. I know that this is going to be a challenge for me on a spiritual and physical level...I just started and I already want something that's not on the list (below). I think this will teach me some spiritual discipline as well. I will add daily devotion to my schedule, something I have been neglecting for a while. I think this will teach me to be more grateful for what I have, as well as encourage me to help those less fortunate than me. And maybe even do missions in or adopt a Compassion International child from Guatemala! I am looking forward to all that I may learn during this Lenten season.

Staple items (not an exhaustive list of what may be available in Guatemala): Black beans, corn, rice, chicken, white cheese, oranges, bananas, onions, tortillas, taquitos, tamales, eggs, corn chips, tomatoes, and avocados.

Reflections on the experience so far:
1. The first thought I had when I thought about the 40 day simple diet: will I have locked bowels?! (Thanks Troy for confirming this thought LOL). But seriously, I thought to myself what type of physical changes will occur while I'm on this diet? Will I gain/lose weight? Energy?

2. Today's trip to the grocery store was probably one of the shortest I've even had. Usually shopping for me is about 2 hours. I walk down every single aisle...sometimes multiple times. Today several aisles were off limits, and I didn't want to walk down the baking aisle for fear of the pain!

3. I have had to think about what foods I am eating in advance, and I have to cook - something I haven't done in a while. Tonight I made chicken tortillas with white cheese, rice, onions and corn. It was pretty yum but I wonder what it will be like a week or three from now. I didn't make time to cook last night, so I had to get up early this morning to make the rice I took for lunch today. I think this will help me be more conscientious about what foods I put in my body and that I need to plan meals in advance.

4. I don't eat two items on the list...hmmm..was that a good idea to pick this list?

Those are all the thoughts for now. I'll continue to post updates during this process. Thanks for reading :-)

At the Table: 40 Days of Solidarity with the Poor (Experi-Lent)

I am excited about this Lenten season, especially since I am participating in "Experi-Lent" with my church (in case you are wondering, my pastor coined that term lol). Around this time every year, the question arises: What will I give up for Lent? In the past, I have given up my ipod and television. This year, I am doing something more radical. On Tuesday night, Pastor Chris Seay spoke at my church about a 40 day Lent experience where he ate a diet consistent with most other countries in the world, those impoverished nations. His diet consisted of: beans, rice, chicken, salad, and tortillas. While in church, I thought that this would be a challenge for me and an opportunity to grow in the Lord.

I've decided to pick a specific Compassion country and eat something from their staple diet. As soon as I decide more specifics, I will post again. I'll also try to post every few days abou tthe progress of my expeirence. So excited to get started!!

For more information: www.chrisseay.net

Thanks for reading! Feel free to leave comments :-)