Daniel Fast: Getting Started

I have never successfully fasted in my whole christian life. There, I said it. I can just hear the gasps and imagine the look of horror and judging.   Since our small group just discussed fasting, Tim and I decided to challenge ourselves with the Daniel Fast.  I bought a book called The Daniel Fast by Susan Gregory. Here is what I've learned so far.

The first chapter of Daniel in the Old Testament is when Daniel, Meshach, Shadrach, Abednego are told to eat the King's food. They refuse and decide to drink only water and eat pulse.  Pulse, directly translated, means any food that comes from a seed.  They also obstain from any pleasurable food, so that cuts out all sugar.  They only eat unleavened bread (no baking soda, baking powder or yeast).  So basically it is a vegan diet with more restrictions.

Here is how I've been preparing:
When: It's good to pick a start and end date. The first day of our fast will be the day after easter and will be 21 days long.

Purpose: Usually fasts have a goal or purpose in mind. Mine is to practice discipline by saying no to my flesh and growing closer to God and my husband.

Cutting certain things out early: Cutting out caffeine, sugar and chemicals suddenly can trigger headaches, leg cramps, fatigue and malaise (a general feeling of being unwell), it is good to start cutting out these things early.

Food: Since cooking is pretty time consuming for this fast and I have never eaten such a restrictive diet, I have been looking up many recipes and have been planning on what dishes and snacks Tim and I will eat.  A great snack for Tim is peanuts and raisins.  I plan to make curry, tofu, quinoa, brown rice and smoothies.

Maybe you're not interested in the fast but you are interested in some recipes. Here are the two best sites I've discovered so far:

http://happyherbivore.com/
http://www.manifestvegan.com/

Peace and Rest Before I Die

In my mind, I have pursued a slower life style ... one that I miss when I was in Barbados.  I loved having a routine that was strictly enforced and yet allowed for so much rest, meditation, self reflection and other do-goods that kept my mind, body and spirit alive.  It's so hard to live that pace of life in our culture.

I've decided to make this fantasy a reality by taking purposeful steps toward that disciplined and yet slower pace.  I've been getting up at 630am to actually drink (not gulp) my coffee, to spend some time with God before my children wake up and ... make my bed!  I've been listening to more classical-ish music. (Even our music can be so adrenaline stimulating.)  I've been trying to find more time to read.  I've also been forcing myself to enjoy silence.  Memorizing scripture has also been a great way to slow down my thinking and focus on something that I know will build me up and renew my weary mind.

*Big Breath*