Well done.

(Most times I act mature. More often than not, I am serious. On occasion, a wave of the antonym of these two overtakes me... This may or may not have been one such occasion. Hi mom, I hope you liked your fb hack ;)

Eh oh! I am done. Done, done. Well done. I am so finished -- with school that is :) I took my last final yesterday and am so done. And today, I celebrated with not one, but TWO naps!

On another note, as I was dropping my car off at the mechanic today, I -just so happened- to walk by a pen full of chickies! Historically, I have not been such a fan of chickens (not even the wee little ones), but today, one caught my eye.

I'm not sure if you've had much exposure to chicks, but the popular feeder for these little tykes is a free-hanging feeder, like the one listed here for only $16.49. Moving on, most chicks have to peck enough feed out of the pan to release more feed from the trough.

As I was walking by the chicks today, one baby chick had -somehow?- landed in the trough itself and was having a grand ole time eating all the feed its little heart desired.

I smiled when I saw this and thought "this chick gets it!"

I don't blame it... I don't want to spend my days drinking from down stream either, I want to go to the fount. I smiled and prayed, asking God if He would be so kind as to plant me in His way. I want to be in the middle, not the outskirts, of His presence. I want to walk so closely behind Him that I'm covered in His dust. I want to be in the middle of His trough, not feeding out of the pan. Simply put, I want more. More and more and more of Him.

One discipline, that has helped me stay in tune with that desire, has been the discipline of fasting. There's just something to personal surrender, physical surrender. To me, it is an act of worship -- a way of saying that the things of this world WILL NOT satisfy, like the LORD GOD can. It is an act of surrender, but also celebration; it is another way of setting yourself apart for the wedding feast that is promised. I love it. I love the clarity that comes with it and MOST of all, the intimacy. The feeling of being "in tune" or on the same "wavelength" of the Spirit is infectious. No longer fixed on things of this world, but setting your sights on things eternal, fasting is such a beautiful way to flesh out a day. Mmk, I'm just rambling at this point BUT...

I just read this and loved every line of it AND I wanted to share it with you :)

Bill Bright, the founder of Campus Crusade, jotted this down on why fasting is important:

1. Fasting was an expected discipline in both the Old and New Testament eras. For example, Moses fasted at least two recorded forty-day periods. Jesus fasted 40 days and reminded His followers to fast, "when you fast," not if you fast.

2. Fasting and prayer can restore the loss of the "first love" for your Lord and result in a more intimate relationship with Christ.

3. Fasting is a biblical way to truly humble yourself in the sight of God (Psalm 35:13; Ezra 8:21). King David said, "I humble myself through fasting."

4. Fasting enables the Holy Spirit to reveal your true spiritual condition, resulting in brokenness, repentance, and a transformed life.

5. The Holy Spirit will quicken the Word of God in your heart and His truth will become more meaningful to you!

6. Fasting can transform your prayer life into a richer and more personal experience.

7. Fasting can result in a dynamic personal revival in your own life-and make you a channel of revival to others.

My challenge to you this week is to pick a day, a meal even, and skip out on something! Be it food, entertainment, or talking; take a fast this week, intentional time to escape the noise, the distraction in your life, and focus on the King. Let me know how it goes!

{heart}
Kel