A couple of highlights from Todd Burpo's sermon on Sunday in Imperial, Nebraska. He pastors Crossroads Wesleyan Church there; they had maybe 80 worshippers on Sunday morning.

As we move through the Lenten season toward Easter, he challenged us to consider 'fasting' beginning tomorrow (Thursday) until Palm Sunday:  a 10-day fast. There were 'five' possible ways on his list:

* from stuff, most often a favorite food, but it could be something else which God shows us;

* from people or relationships, maybe there is some person who is taking a good portion of our time - might be time to 'step away' from someone for a short period. Not all relationships are healthy nor productive;

* from places, some place we frequent can be taking an extra amount of our time;

* from our goals or agenda, as 'self-made people', maybe it's time to allow God to 'run the show';

* from something that is a favorite - a television program; facebook; some other technology which possesses us.

We need to ask God what could be on our 'to do' list for the upcoming few days. It may be time to say 'yes to God; and no to ourselves'. Sometimes it is that we 'add' something on. Our daughter, Jamie, was toying with the idea of buying a box of thank you notes and mailing a 'handwritten note' every day to someone who wouldn't be on her 'normal' thank you list. Not an email thank you, or one on facebook. One requiring a stamp!

And we are not alone in our decisions and desires. One of the Bible verses Burpo used:

"Jesus looked at them intently, then said,

'Without God, it is utterly impossible. But with God everything is possible.'"

~ Mark 10:27 LAB

*

If you decide to take up Todd's challenge, let me know. And I will email him/them/their church to let them know that his message reached much farther than a handful of people in western Nebraska on Sunday morning.