20/20 Vision

Researchers at the University of Rochester have shown that people who played action video games for a few hours a day over the course of a month improved by about 20 percent in their ability to identify letters presented in clutter—a visual acuity test similar to ones used in regular ophthalmology clinics. In essence, playing video game improves your bottom line on a standard eye chart. "Action video game play changes the way our brains process visual information," says Daphne Bavelier, professor of brain and cognitive sciences at the University of Rochester. "After just 30 hours, players showed a substantial increase in the spatial resolution of their vision, meaning they could see figures like those on an eye chart more clearly, even when other symbols crowded in."

Wouldn't it be wonderful if each of us could improve our spiritual eyesight as simply as adding a few hours of video gaming to our daily lives? In what areas have you seen improvement in your spiritual eyesight? If you battle a vision problem in your spiritual life, what would it be? Would it be spiritual nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism or tunnel vision? How has your spiritual vision problem been corrected?

Time Travelers

Our lives seem to have a common refrain, "I'm so busy!" Author and Pastor Mark Batterson suggests that we wear it like a badge around our neck with no small degree of pride. As if our exhaustion were a trophy and our ability to withstand stress as a mark of real character.

Our challenge Sunday was about creating some space in our lives for "mindful breaths." We spoke of creating margin by observing the 6:1 rhythm of God's creation -six days of work with one day of rest. We also talked about the importance of putting first things first in our lives and creating some sacred space in which God can do some unexpected things.

What are the greatest challenges you face in godly time management? Do you even struggle with creating space in your life? How can the church assist you in that process or is the church part of the problem?

Costless Generosity

I challenge you to walk through the self-help or business section of your favorite local bookstore and find more than a volume or two on the subject of sacrifice. Books on topics like weight loss, money making and success are a dime a dozen. Why? Very few people are interested in being challenged about sacrifice.

I mentioned Sunday that our culture has mastered the art of costless generosity. We are generous to a fault with things we consider to be "extra" in our lives and donate those items to charity. That is a great thing that demonstrates good stewardship of the resources God has provided for us but it is not to be confused with sacrifice. How are you sacrificing your time, your resources and your life for the cause of Christ? What are the biggest obstacles to sacrifice in our lives?

Mission: Impossible

Life has a tendency to serve up seemingly impossible and insurmountable challenges when we least expect it. Perhaps it's that frightening diagnosis from your doctor, the unexpected call from your boss about company downsizing, or the betrayal of a spouse or a child with whom you are constantly battling. These challenges may not always be life-threatening but they are always life-altering.

How do we deal with these seemingly impossible challenges? We learned Sunday that it begins with admitting that we are in over our head followed by belief that God has a solution to our challenge. We can then catalog our resources before delivering what we have to God. Which of those four steps - admitting, believing, cataloging and delivering - is the most difficult for you and why?

Live to Party

Live to Party! What a concept. Of all the metaphors Jesus uses to describe the kingdom - hidden treasure, a precious pearl, a tiny seed, yeast - my favorite is the kingdom as a party as He taught in Luke 14. When you think of the kingdom, of church, do you immediately think about a party? Do you have a sense of urgency to invite others to the party? Do you ever find yourself at the party only to be constantly complaining about the menu? You know what I mean, the worship menu, the small group menu, the children's menu or even the teaching menu? What can we do to be the purple cow we spoke about? How can we avoid being invisible as a church and instead be remarkable?

Terra Incognita

Ancient mapmakers had a term they used to label geographic areas yet to be explored and charted. They used the Latin phrase Terra Incognita or unknown earth. It was in these Terra Incognita lands that double-headed sea monsters were thought to exist. If you managed to avoid the double-headed sea monsters you might just sail off the edge of the world.

I believe that God has placed CrossPointe in the middle of Terra Incognita as we wait with expectancy for Him to reveal the next step for us. What are the things that scare you the most about being on Terra Incognita? What things excite you the most about it? Are there some things that we should be doing as we traverse this Terra Incognita? I'm interested to know your thoughts.

Choosing BEFORE You Choose

Our Gathering Sunday centered around the importance that pre choices make in our life choices as illustrated by the life of Daniel. In essence we either make pre choices or we make bad choices there are really no other options. The biggest challenge we face in making these pre choices is our desire to please others. What observations do you have about pre choices and their importance in your life? How have good pre choices benefited you? Conversely, how have the lack of pre choices come back to haunt you?

A Million Miles Away

Sunday's message was built around the theme presented in Johnny Cash's video Hurt. What was clear from the video is that Johnny Cash was haunted by bad decisions he had made throughout his life. Even decisions that we think are benign decisions - ones without far-reaching affects - often become malignant decisions - ones that impact our lives and the lives of the people around us. I'm interested to hear response on the message and the power of the metaphor in your lives.

The 411 on Prayer and Fasting

Prayer and fasting is defined as voluntarily going without food in order to focus on prayer and fellowship with God. Prayer and fasting often go hand in hand, but this is not always the case. You can pray without fasting, and fast without prayer. It is when these two activities are combined and dedicated to God's glory that they reach their full effectiveness. Having a dedicated time of prayer and fasting is not a way of manipulating God into doing what you desire. Rather, it is simply forcing yourself to focus and rely on God for the strength, provision, and wisdom you need.

Types of Biblical Fasting

• A Regular Fast - Traditionally, a regular fast means refraining from eating all food. Most people, including myself still drink water , juice and protein drinks during a regular fast. When Jesus fasted in the desert, the Bible says, "After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry." This verse does not mention Jesus being thirsty.
  
  
• A Partial Fast - This type of fast generally refers to omitting a specific meal from your diet or refraining from certain types of foods. Daniel 10:2-3 says, "At that time I, Daniel, mourned for three weeks. I ate no choice food; no meat or wine touched my lips; and I used no lotions at all until the three weeks were over." In Daniel 1:12, they restricted their diet to vegetables and water: "Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink."
  
  
• A Full Fast - These fasts are complete - no food and no drink. Acts 9:9 describes when Paul went on a full fast for three days following his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus: "For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything." Esther also called for this type of fast in Esther 4:15-16: "Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: 'Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.'" It is recommended that this type of fast be done with extreme caution and not for extended periods of time.

Occasions of prayer and fasting in the Bible

Praying for health
"David pleaded with God for the child. He fasted and went into his house and spent the nights lying on the ground" (2 Samuel 12:16)

Praying for safety
"There, by the Ahava Canal, I [Ezra] proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions" (Ezra 8:21).

As an act of repentance
"When they had assembled at Mizpah, they drew water and poured it out before the LORD. On that day they fasted and there they confessed, "We have sinned against the LORD." And Samuel was leader of Israel at Mizpah" (1 Samuel 7:6).

As a sign of mourning
"They mourned and wept and fasted till evening for Saul and his son Jonathan, and for the army of the LORD and the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword" (2 Samuel 1:12).

Before making an important decision
Along with 1 Chronicles 20 and Esther 5, the book of Acts gives this account of the calling of Elders: "While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, 'Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.' So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off….Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust " (Acts 13:2-3; 14:23).

Where do I begin?

Begin with the challenge of preparing your mind, heart, spirit, and body. It is important to have a clear purpose for fasting and what you hope to gain from your fast. In this case, as fellow CrossPointers, we are asking God to give us clear direction as to a temporary place for our church to worship in the area to which He has called us.

Secondly, pray to the Lord and ask Him to reveal the motives of your heart. A clean heart and pure motives are essential for authentic communication.To prepare your spirit for your fast, draw close to God through prayer and worship. Let God reveal Himself to you and why He is taking you through this time of fasting. The key to any spiritual preparation is intimacy with Jesus.

Finally, your body can be prepared for fasting through pragmatic considerations and planning. A few days before your fast, get your body ready by reducing your food intake, eating raw fruits and vegetables, and avoiding foods high in sugar and fat. I have been doing a daytime fast (sunrise to sunset) with fruits and vegetables only after sunset. I find that a complete fast from all food distracts me rather than bringing me more focused on God. Remember, fasting is about focusing on Jesus, not about abstaining from food.

Looking Foolish

On Sunday, we talked about how it is often the seemingly foolish things that God uses to confound the wisdom of this world. In fact, one could argue that God uses people most powerfully when they are willing to look foolish. Consider Noah as he built the ark or David as he faced Goliath with only a slingshot and some stones. What about professional fisherman Peter when he stepped out of a perfectly good boat to walk on water. Don't tell me that these men didn't feel at least a bit foolish for their radical obedience.

Here's the question: Are you and I willing to look foolish for the cause of Christ? What is it that often causes us to hesitate in being radically obedient to God? How does the Holy Spirit in our lives help us to look foolish for God?