Pantano Christian Church

• Psalm 51:16,17
• Isaiah 40:29-31; 57:15
• Joel 3:10
• Matt. 5:3,4; 26:41 (Mark 14:28)
• 1Cor. 1:27; 2:3-5; 4:10
• 2Cor. 1:4-9; 4:7-12; 4:16-18; 5:2-5; 6:4-10; 7:4-6; 7:9-10; 11:23-30; 12:5,7-10; 13:3,4
• Heb. 4:15; 5:2; 11:34

• Dan Gilliam
  

  God seems to prefer to minister through me more out of my brokenness than through my giftedness. My humanity, as distasteful as it can sometimes be, allows Him room to work in me and show that “we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.” (II Cor. 4:7 NIV) And while I may have been a failure at one or more of the definitions of “saint”, perhaps a better idea of sainthood as defined in my life has been about staying true to the process of learning to be reliant upon God, no matter what you have to go through to get there.

• Larry Crabb New Way Ministries
  • Excerpts from an Interview with Larry Crabb titled American Idols from Leadership Journal Summer 2004.
  • Excerpts from the book Finding God
  • Excerpts from the book Soul Talk: The Language God Longs For Us to Speak
• Henri Nouwen
  • Excerpts from In the Inner Voice of Love
  • The Wounded Healer — The entire book is a great discussion on brokenness.
• Brennan Manning
  • Excerpts from Abba’s Child: The Cry of the Heart for Intimate Belonging
• Fil Anderson
  • Excerpts from Running on Empty: Contemplative Spirituality for Overachievers
• Rick Love
  • From: Peacemaking, A Study Guide.
    

    Brokenness is a pathway to spiritual depth, godly character and healthy relationships. It results in deep sensitivity to sin and to others. It leaves us with a hunger for and receptivity to Scripture and to counsel from others. [61]

• Glen Elliott’s Journal Reflections

Fasting as a Life Group can significantly increase the spiritual sensitivity as well as add necessary accountability to this discipline. Some groups will study scriptures related to fasting. Agree as a group on the “ground rules” of the fast like how long, what is to be avoided and always commit to a non-judgmental attitude toward each other, especially should someone not complete the fast. As a group agree on the purpose and focus of the fast.

Here are some practical suggestions to begin the practice of fasting.

• Have a reason to fast. Here are some common reasons for a fast:
  • Seeking guidance or spiritual protection
  • Wanting to overcome a spiritual problem
  • Facing an important decision or beginning a significant activity
  • Repentance of sin
  • Enhancing earnest prayer
• Start easy with a 24 hour fast at first and then progress to a longer or more difficult fast or start by skipping one meal, then next time skip two meals, etc. Don’t eat a lot of food to “stock up” before a fast. That will actually make the fast harder.
• When fasting from food be sure to drink plenty of water or natural fruit juice.
• In food fasts, learn to ignore the “hunger signals.” You have trained yourself to respond to hunger “pains” but they can and should be ignored. After practice you’ll learn to master your hunger versus your hunger mastering you.
• Consult your physician if you have any concerns or special medical needs before starting a fast. See chapter 4 of Richard Foster’s Celebration of Discipline for excellent guidance on longer term fasts.
• Develop a schedule to maximize your fast. Be sure you don’t fill your fasting time with “meaningless” activity.

Solitude is a place of interaction with God, where we engage with Him as He examines our deepest thoughts, dreams, passions, hurts, and sins. It is the place where we are known by God and where we get to know Him. The place were we love and are loved.

Here are some helpful ways to find that place of solitude with God. These are based on ideas presented from Running on Empty by Fil Anderson

1. Use your lunch or coffee breaks to intentionally be alone with God.
2. Find special places for solitude, places that help you connect with God.
3. Focus your prayers. Fight through all the internal and external distractions by repeating a simple prayer like “Jesus, I belong to you,” or “Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me.”
4. Stop, Sit, and wait. Remember that God is responsible for the relationship with you, give him time and space to speak to you.
5. Seize the opportunities that are available to you: Stay up a little later, get up a little earlier, just take a few more minutes here or there.
6. Schedule some space into your day: Put solitude on your schedule like you would another appointment and then don’t double book.
7. Drop all expectations: Time with God isn’t an assignment to be graded. Neither is it a means to an end.
8. Slow down: Take a walk, drive slower, let others step in front of you in line, and use this time to focus on being aware of what God might be trying to share with you.
9. Exercise the body and the soul: Using physical exercise as a time to keep the body busy while you allow your mind to focus and your heart to tune in to God.
10. Practice gratitude, thanksgiving, and monetary prayer: Before getting out of bed, while having a conversation with someone, before a meal, while waiting for a traffic light to change, when you are on hold, when you lay your head down at night.

Fasting is an ancient practice. It was practiced in the Old Testament and Jesus began his ministry with fasting. It is not done to gain God’s favor, but to connect with God. We fast from something in order to fast to God.

The most common kind of fasting is to abstain from food and drink (except water). But there are many other kinds of fasts that are also valuable like fasting from TV, radio, reading, personal digital music, computer games, sex, movies, etc. Anything that a person devotes lots of time and energy to can be used as an effective fast.

The purpose of fasting is to abstain from something and taking the time and effort used in preparing and eating meals, watching TV, etc. to devote to being with God. Hence we often say that someone is “fasting and praying” as they go together so well. We also see in the Bible that fasting and worship go together. When we fast we are seeking God and desiring to focus on him and him alone because “mankind does not live by bread alone” (Mt. 4:4). We are denying our physical bodies something to focus on the spiritual aspects of our life with God.

Fasting reminds us that it is not food that sustains us or TV that fills our soul. It is only God that truly satisfies. Fasting reveals who or what our real “gods” are and who or what we really worship.

The fast can be from one meal or one TV show to a longer period of a week or more.

• Celebrate Recovery
  Any addiction is slavery – food, drugs, sex, control, etc. Simplicity is freedom from any addiction that seeks control over our lives. Even learning to say “No!” and overcoming compulsiveness is simplicity and freedom. Celebrate Recovery meets every Friday night and can help you learn the steps to freedom through recovery from any addiction. PCC Celebrate Recovery.
• Crown Financial Ministry
  Crown provides practical tools and practices that help us to live in a way that is consistent with God being the owner of our entire lives. Crown helps you to learn to stop the consumption habit, get out of debt and focus on serving God with your whole life – and that is outward simplicity. PCC Financial Education.
• Fight Consumerism
  Here’s some simple ways to train ourselves to fight the powerful urges to buy and own more than we really need.
  • As a family or with friends watch some TV shows (or better, just record the commercials) for the very purpose of disclosing the lies presented, the tools of manipulation observed, and the tactics used to get you to buy something you don’t need. Identify the media “propaganda” – newest, fastest, improved, more features, it will pay for itself, etc. The more you do this, the more you train yourself to say “no” to advertising.
  • Buy things only for their usefulness and not their status. Cars, clothes, a home or apartment, etc. Ask yourself AND someone else; “Am I buying this very thing to fill a real need or is this for status?”
  • Beware of the seduction of “gadgets.” More is not simplicity.
  • Learn to enjoy things without owning things. Learn to enjoy the free stuff more – a marvelous sunset, a hike, etc. Have your life group or extended family share in buying things that you use on rare occasion and share the ownership.
  • Commit to not going into debt to buy any consumer item (except a house). See the Crown Ministry link above for help.
• Giving Outward
  Simplicity is ultimately only achieved by stopping the “getting” craze and learning to give sacrificially. If you would like to talk to someone about this contact Cindy DeJong (520) 298-5395 ext. 200.

• God First!
  The beginning of your waking day is critical. Begin your day committed to simplicity which means focusing on God. We call this a “God First” moment. Begin your day (before your feet land on the floor or immediately when they do!) with a simple prayer that does something like this: “God, you are the most important part of my life and day. I put you first before everything else. Through your Holy Spirit help me to see you in all the conversations, encounters and decisions of my day. I want to seek you first, before all other concerns.”
• “Noise” Video
  Nooma video #5 by Rob Bell is called “Noise.” You can purchase it from www.nooma.com and download the free study guide or check out the video from the church office library. Note, the video is over 10 minutes long, so don’t turn off the video after there is silence and a black screen a couple minutes into the video.
• Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster – see chapter 6 on Simplicity