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Carey' Nieuwhof- 6: 30 a.m.
It is day one of Heart Break. I'm leaving for Connexus in a few minutes to lead worship. Excited about what God might do today. This morning Rich Birch and I, our staff, volunteers, elders and many others at Connexus began seven days of prayer and in some cases, seven days of fasting. The purpose? That throughout these seven days our hearts would learn to break over the things that break God's heart.
So, I have been without food for about eight hours so far (no biggie yet, I was sleeping mostly). And in the usual rush of Sunday morning I wish I had more time just to pray this morning. Been up since 5:30 though on that note….
Rich Birch and I will be in this journal space every day bringing updates. I'll be back this afternoon with more. But as I head in, I am praying and expectant about what God might begin today as we pray, share communion, worship, reflect together, and pick up all kinds of things we can do together for Heart Break when we gather in a few hours.
Carey 1:10 p.m.
Bottom line from this morning: hundreds of people are now praying and fasting this week for our cities.
Our phone book project (we're praying through the phone book for Barrie and Orillia in a single week) went fantastic. All of Barrie got distributed today – we ran out. We also ran out of the devotional guides. Good news is they're online right here. Nice to run out of stuff!
Several people stopped to talk about how powerful the experience was for them, which I'm grateful for. We had a few challenges in the service, but God often uses those moment very powerfully.
Accounts from Orillia have been great so far. I'm sure Rich will update soon!
What was your experience like so far this morning?
Rich 3:00 pm
Great to hear that things went so well in Barrie this morning . . . similar stories . . . all our "phone book" prayer items were distributed. . . the devotional guides got taken . . . I had a landslide of "thank yous" from people for today's service.
A couple reflections. . .
– I had a number of great small conversations about what people were going to fast this week. I know a number of people are doing a tradition "food" fast but other folks are giving up:
- TV – The average Canadian spends 2hours and 45 minutes a day watching TV. Amazing – nearly 15 hours of prayer in one week! That can be life changing!
- Music – If you are a great music lover . . . use the silence in your life to listen to what God might be saying about what breaks his heart.
- Facebook – I even know of someone who is giving up the popular social networking site. Instead of checking on people's status' . . . check in with the status of your relationship with Jesus. (Ok . . . that sounded really cheesy – but true.)
- Remember our challenge this morning – if you aren't going to do a tradition food "fast" pick something that you will notice when it's gone. Use that awareness to drive your relationship with Jesus.
Carey 4:19 p.m.
I am over my post-church "slump" of a lack of energy. Naps and bike rides and prayer do wonders. The strange part is I feel great, and our "day" looks like a normal day from hereonv in. We are going to Wasaga Beach for a few hours so my son and his buddy can skimboard, and then we are going to friends for a bonfire tonight.
Glad to be doing that, but realizing how important the directed prayer time later tonight and again tomorrow will be in keeping my focus sharp. (Still, time with friends is great).
How's your day going? Any reactions to this morning? Please post your comments and experiences.
