The 3/7 Fast

Even now, turn back your heart and rededicate yourselves to Me;
    Show Me your repentance by fasting, weeping, and mourning.
       Rip the wickedness out of your hearts; don’t just tear your clothing.
Joel 2:12-13a (The Voice)

Below is a template for our church-wide fast which was inspired by Jen Hatmaker's book, "7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess." As we prepare our hearts and minds for another year in ministry, let us undergo a fast together. Before we commit to serving on a church committee or we sign up to volunteer with the youth or children's ministries, let's consider how God is moving in our lives and where it is the Spirit is calling us to go. What better way to create space in our lives than with a fast!

You'll see seven different areas of focus and the challenge is to practice each fast for THREE days (and you can do anything for three days, right?). Once a fast is complete, you're free to return to your normal habits as you move on to the next 3-Day Fast.

One last thing: before you begin this challenge, recruit a friend to be your accountability partner - maybe invite them to participate in the 3/7 Fast with you! And if you need some encouragement along the way (or you want to see how I'm handling the latest focus area), you can always email me at [email protected]. 

+Peace and Love from Pastor Kris


The 3-7 Fast (September 16 - October 6, 2024)

Sept. 16, 17, 18 - Food
Limit your meals to only 7 whole foods. If you're spending less time preparing meals, creating grocery lists, or ordering out at a restaurant, then you can spend more time with God and God's people. When you get hungry or tired of eating the same thing over and over again, say a prayer for people around the world who hunger.

Here are Jen's 7 foods to give you a sample menu for the next 3 days:

• Chicken
• Eggs
• Whole-wheat Bread
• Sweet Potatoes
• Spinach
• Avocados
• Apples

Sept. 19, 20, 21 - Clothes
How much time do we spend getting dressed in the morning, figuring out which shoes to wear, which accessories match our outfits, what other people will say about our ensemble? What if we didn’t worry about that - what if the choices were streamlined and limited so that we could spend more time with our families and more time getting to the places and events we get dressed up for?    

Here are Jen's 7 items of clothing to give you a sample wardrobe for the next 3 days:

• One pair of dark washed jeans
• One long-sleeved solid black t-shirt, fitted
• One short-sleeved black missions shirt
• One short-sleeved gray fun shirt
• One pair of gray drawstring knit Capri pants
• One long silk dark brown dress shirt
• Shoes: cowboy boots and tennis shoes (even though these are two shoes, they count as one pair according to Jen's accountability group, since there are different environments she travels between)

Sept. 22, 23, 24 - Possessions
Give away seven things every day (ideally to someone directly, not through a third party like Goodwill or Salvation Army)

Go onto a Pass It On group online and search for posts of people LOOKING for something, and see if you can fill that need.

Consider giving to non-profit organizations that our church supports: books to Project Transformation, food to the Capleville Community Food Pantry, clothing and preschool & school supplies to the United Methodist Neighborhood Centers.


Sept. 25, 26, 27 - Media
How many distractions do we put in front of our faces each and every day? How many digital screens attack our eyes with blue light every hour of the day? What if we cut out all of the noise, got back to face-to-face conversations, phone calls instead of text messages, playing games in the backyard with children, or sharing a meal around the table with our loved ones. Can you unplug from these seven forms of media over the next three days?

• TV
• Gaming
• Facebook/Twitter/Instagram/TikTok
• Time-waster apps
• Radio
• Texting (unless it is necessary or saves time - no memes, GIFs, or sarcastic/silly messages
• Internet (unless it’s absolutely necessary for work)

    

Sept. 28, 29, 30 - Waste
The following are seven habits for living a greener life. Have we considered the impact our lives have on this earth? What is your carbon footprint? How much money do we spend to heat or cool our homes. When something is broken, do we repair it or do we replace it? How many of these habits can you carry out over the next three days?

• Gardening
• Composting
• Conserving energy & water
• Recycling / Reusing everything
• Driving only one car (when possible)
• Shopping thrift or second-hand
• Buying only local

Oct. 1, 2, 3 - Spending
It matters where we spend our money. How much do you know about the companies that you patronize? What types of wages do they pay their workers? Have they contributed to any candidates in the latest election?  Take some time to research the companies that benefit from your hard-earned money and choose only seven places to shop over the next three days. Below are the places where Jen chose to spend her money.

• Gas station
• Children’s School
• Grocery store
• Emergency / Medical
• Travel / Rainy Day fund
• Online Utility Pay
• Target or Wal-Mart

Oct. 4, 5, 6 - Stress
How often do we stop to pray? When we wake up and go to sleep? When we drop our children off at school? Do we pray before a big meeting or presentation at work? Is it common for an entire day to go by before we realize we've been moving non-stop? This final 3-Day Fast assigns us seven specific times throughout the day to pause and pray. How can prayer reduce the amount of stress we experience in our lives?

• Night Watch (midnight)
• Awakening Hour (dawn)
• Blessing Hour (mid-morning)
• Hour of Illumination (noon)
• Wisdom Hour (mid-afternoon)
• Twilight Hour (early evening)
• Great Silence (bedtime)