37/48 Pressing On With Character

What is character? You can give a photo character by adjusting tones, highlights, or lowlights and maybe changing perspective, but we don't seem to look at a plain, straight-forward picture of what is seen every day as 'character'. Something needs to be changed, modified, magnified or altered completely in order to be described as having character.



Someone who is funny or quirky or down-right weird is often referred to as a character. When things are going tough, we always say, "It'll be all right, that builds character." But what is it about those times that actually build character? What is the character we are trying to build? As ministers and Christians, what is our character supposed to look like?



There should be something within a Christian that is altered, changed, completely transformed from the shape it once was that builds character. The life-changing event that is the death, burial and resurrection of our Savior both magnifies and hides our sin... better yet, removes our sin. The cross, the suffering of a faithful redeemer, bring to light the times I fall short and fail to meet the expected standard of God's holy people. The empty tomb brings to light the hope with which we live as we serve a God who has conquered death and has risen never to die again. He has promised us that same resurrection. The penalty that he accepted for all of my "falling shorts" : ) is a humble reminder that my God has made it possible for me to stand in His presence blameless and pure.



Christ has brought His people into photoshop and adjusted the "red curve" to maximum and somehow that brings us out looking radiantly white, pure as the driven snow, and so bright and blown out that it doesn't make sense... and it gives us character. The cross molds us and shapes us into something new, altered, with a different perspective, and totally and completely changed.

As minister's of the gospel, that character is exaggerated, magnified, and scrutinized. As those who are called to accept a role as a spokesman for God and representative of the church to the church and to the community, I think it is important that we accept such scrutiny. As Christians and children of God, we should cherish it as well because of what it means we have a hope for.

My journey of late has definitely been a "character-building" journey. Less than 9 days to go to bring my journey to completion. My fatigue has been better, and so has my train of thought. I have lost over 30 pounds, but the weight loss has slowed dramatically over the last week. I think that my body might be wondering what is going on. I am eager to get back in to a routine that most would consider "normal." I am eager to see how difficult it is to continue to create new and healthier habits. I am eager to see how easily it will be to maintain the new mindset I have created. I know that God is faithful. I know He is in control. I am thankful for the reminders (the gentle ones and the not-so-gentle ones) that the only thing in my life exhibiting any control will be Him and His Will.

27/46 Course Adjustment

So, I was sitting at the dinner table with my family this evening and I was thinking to myself, "Self, you have done well. You have exhibited an ability to control your own food intake and have created some good new eating habits. You have accomplished your goal. Now go eat some of that amazingly good-smelling homemade stromboli." After all, I am not really bound by the "lenten process." There is nothing special about the 46 days between Ash Wednesday and Holy Saturday. If I were to stop today and resume life as normal, most wouldn't know or care. The ones who would care would certainly understand and agree. My intention has been realized and it could be called a success.



But I have resolved to find a resting place among the thorns. While the main thrust of this initiative would have been "officially" met, There is something to the completion of a time table. My eating (on Sundays) has certainly been much more disciplined, and my desire to eat simply because food is available is no longer present... Even food that I "love". I am acutely aware of all the poor habits I was n and have made habits of controlling for myself what I will consume. Part of my goal, however, was the completion of a time period... a fast of forty days.



So, I have made a decision to adjust my sights on a new goal. I have made many excuses in the past to move on to something new when what has already been started is not quite complete. I have made a habit of starting something of great value, proving that I have the ability to do something, and then moving on to a new challenge. I resolve to finish what I have started. This will not be a time where one excuse or another will allow me to cut short the commitment I have made to myself. Now that I have created a sense of control over food, I will devote these last 19 days to finishing that which has been started. (I am sure my beautiful bride will be ecstatic if I may have similar success.) Here's to new heights and new goals to reach.

The Gift of Prophecy

Maybe, there are some aspects of "prophecy" that are not still hanging around today as they once were. It would be a very intriguing thing to be able to tell you that I had discovered the gift of knowing the things that were to come. I can imagine that would be quite a special feat. While prophets certainly did some of these things, this is traditionally where we cease and desist our growth in understanding the nature of prophets and prophecy. with that (mis)understanding of who the prophets of our history were, viewing a minister of the church as a prophet seems foreign.

The minister as prophet is a pivotal trait in their character. The prophets did so much more than predict the future. While this was at some point a part of the warning brought to the people, it was a small portion of their mission. As a general rule, the prophet was one who brought a word of warning to the people from God. The prophet was the one who came to say God says, "Change what you are doing... or else!" Unfortunately, it is the "or else" that we get hung up on. The fact is, as ministers, we are often called to bring a word of judgment from the Lord to His people so that we, as His people, may maintain a relationship between the lives that we lead and the will of the Father.

This responsibility should not be taken lightly or abused. We must work to develop the kinds of relationships with those we are called to minister to that are firmly rooted in love and respect. In order for messages such as these to be received well and taken to heart in such a way as to promote positive spiritual change and reflection as opposed to defensive bitterness, they must be delivered from a basis of trust and sincerity. I pray that I may take this responsibility earnestly. I pray that my God will continue to use me as a tool to bring His Word to His people in truth and love. I pray that I have the courage to deliver these words even when they cut the hearts of myself or others.

22/46 Big Steps on a Long Journey

The journey continues. Like herding cattle on the trails through the Old West, there are trials and triumphs along the way. We encounter moments where we find success and moments where we find obstacles that try to prevent us from achieving the goal that lies ahead. Sundays have most definitely been bright spots... victories if you will... along the journey I have undertaken. This last Sunday, however, seemed to be more of a Monday hindrance than a Sunday delight. Monday was the most difficult Monday so far. Today was the first time since the beginning that I have felt a real break through, mentally. Saturday was a good step also. At the ballpark playing baseball, sunflower seeds, ballpark hot dogs and nachos just seem to fall hand in hand. While buying snacks for the boys, it wasn't easy to refuse the treats for me... until I saw the price tag. They weren't so enticing any more. Today on the other hand, was a different story. I was called to minister to a friend in a time of crisis. He needed an ear and a word of advice. Why not Starbucks (since there is no Scooters Coffehouse here...)? I mean there is nothing like a $5 cup of coffee to get people to open up. On the way there, he had mentioned that he had not eaten lunch or breakfast. It was now 2:30 pm. So we pulled up to McDonald's and went inside. I figured I could spend $5 on his coffee or $5 on a meal. Inside was the challenge. The $1.00 menu. I am embarrassed to say how difficult it was to stand there and order a meal for him without getting anything for myself. No McDouble, no small fry but I refrained and felt good about it. I walked away from Mickey D's feeling a sense of accomplishment and gaining a realization that my mindset regarding my food consumption is changing. Praise God! I know it has been only through prayer and meditation on the Bread of Life and the Living Water that has sustained me in this process.



I have lost 24 pounds. This morning I weighed in at 210 lbs. I haven't been this size since Heather was pregnant with Dylan 7 years ago. My thought processes and train of thought is still not what it used to be, but it is getting better. I think my metabolism may be slowing considerably as I have been cold for 5 days straight. granted it has been cold for 5 days, but I usually thrive in such conditions. Today, even in a room that was 72 degrees, I was still chilled to the bone. I guess now I know how my wife feels ALL THE TIME (love you baby!). All in all, I feel great about the place God is leading me to. I think I will be better equipped to serve in His Kingdom by not allowing anything except my Savior, my God, and His Holy Spirit to exhibit any form of control in my life.

Thank you to all of you who have offered prayer and support during this journey. 24 days to go. I have never looked forward to Easter as much as I do this year. I am eager to look back and see where this journey takes me.

17 Down/29 to Go

So, I am over 2 weeks in. I am thankful for all of the prayers and words of encouragement. I have been very successful in achieving the goals I set out to achieve. If I made the decision to "cease and desist" today, while I would be disappointed, I do think that I would have a chance to continue good, solid, and healthier eating habits. Even when I give myself permission to eat on Sundays and Wed night, I am careful about the amount and kinds of food that I eat. The imminent feeling of disappointment is one of the things that keeps me going. There is much in life that I start and almost finish. This has become for me a secondary goal to attain in the end - the ability to press on beyond the mundane, boring, obstacles that are placed in my mind that derail my plans and to demonstrate the ability to maintain focus.

I have become keenly aware of the fact that we seemingly eat at every juncture. Any time we get together, the question arrises, "What do you want me to bring?" This has been some of the most difficult times for me in the past, but I can already see a difference in my mindset in situations such as these. I am thankful for fellowship of friends and family. I will also be far more cognizant of this fact in the future. The difficulty (at least for me) is the lack of structure in these eating times. Food is laid out and left out for people to come by and snack on. We have decided, in our house to have eating time and time to stop eating. Food is out away. This goes for snack time also. I think this will be a habit we continue after this journey has been completed.

The next four weeks will be devoted to meditation. I have spent the last two weeks in scripture reading and prayer which has been a help beyond anything I imagined. I think that working to improve the art of meditation will do many things in many areas of life. The calming effect and focus that meditation instills will be a benefit in personal, professional, spiritual, and family matters.

9/46 Concessions

So, I decided last night that sometimes one must make some concessions in order to find a measure of success. I have decided that Wednesdays will offer a small evening meal in order to help make it through the week. I feel much more confident in my ability to choose what I will and will not eat. I have lost 12 pounds in 9 days. I have found it very interesting that the only time I have actually felt hungry has been when something is cooking. Other than that, it has only been fatigue (and crankiness according to my bride).

I would write more, but apparently my train of thought has been also affected...

5/46 Renewed

5 days down and 41 to go. Today was a good day. Much needed moisture is falling down around town relieving firefighters if only for a short time, it has been another glorious day to worship the Lord, my sins have been forgiven, my God reigns victorious over the forces of evil in the world, and food was placed in front of me for the first time in 4 days.

I must confess, last night I ate a taco. Heather had made tacos for the kids at lunch. I had resisted and they smelled very tempting. Having several kids over at the house, we decided to get pizza. There was a spread of pizza and Crazy Bread and soda for several hours, and I resisted. But at 9:00 as I was cleaning up the kitchen I opened the crock pot and couldn’t resist the urge. I ate a taco.

Well, I made it to the first of 6 Sundays and I was looking forward to eating. I wanted something light for breakfast, so I toasted a couple of mini bagels and light cream cheese and added a small glass of milk. I very quickly resented the glass of milk. Surprisingly, the kids chose Mazzio’s for lunch – their buffet is pretty much a win all the way around. Heather can eat pizza toppings (no gluten), the kids eat all the pizza they want, and I get to eat a decent salad from the salad bar. It is a little more expensive than CiCi’s but they serve actual pizza and have more than 3 items on the salad bar. 2 pieces of pizza, one small salad, 3 small bread sticks, and 1 glass of unsweetened iced tea.

I was surprised, during 4 days of fasting the only time I felt hungry was when something was cooking. I feel confident that this week will be the same. I am thankful for my God who gives us everything we need. I am thankful for His Word, which teaches us the way to live for Him. I am thankful for His Spirit, which guides us and speaks to our hearts. And I am thankful for His Son, my Savior, who gave His life that I may live eternally. Now, I feel refreshed, renewed, and rejuvenated; ready to start the week.

May the Peace of God be with us all,

Peace <><
Joshua Fowler