The Beginning of Another Year

After leading and participating in this Media Fast for the past 16 years, I am still impressed and encouraged when I see how a group of teenagers not only decide to make a commitment to avoid media that is not focused on God, but that they find ways to pursue God that is not "the norm". The other day, as we are getting ready to launch the beginning steps of the fast, I overheard 3 of our High School students ask, "So are we going to go through April?" Of course, this peaked my interest so I interjected, "It's only through March... you've done this before." They then explained to me that they had already started in February and they were discussing whether they would go 2 months or 3 months!

God is amazing! It's never more evident than when young people, who are honestly seeking Him, decide to let Him lead their thoughts and ideas... producing actions that speak louder than words. I am looking forward to this year! Over 40 Middle School and High School along with many of the families and youth leaders and volunteers are getting ready to pursue God with complete abandon... HERE. WE. GO.

15 Years!

For the past 15 years, we have challenged students to step up and meet the ultimate test... can you take 30 days, avoid media that is not focused on God, and spend that extra time working on your relationships with others and with God.

I can honestly say that every year, I am so proud of how we have High School students who not only take the challenge, but inspire others along the way. Over the past 15 years, we have averaged over 20 students per year who step up. Add to the the 3-5 families who join in. We still have former students who participate in the fast each year!

We have written over 200 daily-devotionals... we have utilized book studies, prayer practices, and Bible study methods. About 10 years ago, we started this blog page to keep track of past experiences. Each year we challenge adults to not only sponsor students, but also to join in the fast... and every year I hear from 2 or 3 adults who are sponsors that join in with the students.

We do use this opportunity to raise money for our mission trips and over the last 15 years we have raised over $9000 per year to send kids onto mission trips to grow in their leadership skills, grow in the their faith, and learn how to share the Gospel with other people. We have no idea how many people have heard and seen the Gospel through these trips, but I know it has always impacted the students who go.

God is good! I have seen how He uses this simple expression of fasting from something that nudges us away from Him and I've seen how it impacts our students every year. For the first time in 15 years, I took this month to just observe, listen, and see how God is moving in our kids. It was not easy avoiding commenting on each blog post because I saw God working in so many ways (I am going back through now and commenting... haha). The Holy Spirit was definitely moving in their hearts!

I work within a culture that can only measure success on numbers. We say that we don't but the reality is that every time I talk to someone from another church, I get the same question: "How many kids are in your youth group?" I wonder if Jesus ever had a question like that? "How many kids in your group, Jesus?" "Well, it's been 3 years, we have 12 leaders, still... half of them are under 18... and then we have a few who show up from time to time," Jesus. 

What inspires me every year is not how many High School students who do the fast... it's how those that step up to the challenge are changed by focusing on God for 30 days... and this year, I love what God has done through our kids. Stories of taking stands for faith in class, having Gospel-centered conversations with friends, being asked to pray for sports teams, inviting friends to youth group, serving in children's ministry, sharing spontaneous devotionals for radio stations' Facebook pages... it has been an amazing month! It has been an amazing 15 years! There is something amazing that happens when the Gospel is elevated and centralized in our lives.

As we close out this year's fast, I want to give this final challenge... What are you doing to make Christ known? What are you committing to in order to grow in your faith? How is your faith nudging you to grow closer to God and others? Maybe... just maybe... a 30 day Media Fast will help you answer those questions, too!

Great job everyone! I'm incredibly honored and proud to be a small part of your spiritual journey. I can't wait to see what God does next in your lives!

The Afterwards

     What a month it has been. The Media Fast has been complete for going on two days now, but I still feel like I'm in it. I so thoroughly enjoyed the early morning reminders that I am loved by a Wonderful Creator through the sunrises I saw and the songs on KLOVE I heard. I enjoyed having the only notifications on my phone be the daily Bible verse and when people posted on the blog. I enjoyed interacting with my friends face to face, talking and laughing and experiencing things with them that I didn't have to worry about posting on social media later to make me look "cool". Sure, there were moments of wishing I could listen to a certain secular song or watch a secular TV show (because as entertaining as Veggie Tales in the House is, it gets a little old after a while) but those moments were few and fleeting. I really enjoyed being able to do the Media Fast with my whole family because we got to experience the fast together and (I think and hope) that we grew together from it.
     I enjoyed all these things very much, but just because the Fast is over doesn't mean I can't keep enjoying them. I did go on social media on Saturday but I wasn't super interested in what was going on and I realized that I really didn't want to be on it because it didn't bring any more happiness or satisfaction into my life. I also listened to secular music for a while, which was more enjoyable, but I heard some songs whose lyrics I hadn't really paid attention to... until now. When I heard them I realized that a lot of them were sending negative messages and that "positive, encouraging KLOVE" is very true. So, I think I'll keep fasting, or at least limit my media usage and sensor the things that I'm putting into my head.
Thanks to all of you who did the Fast, thanks to all of our wonderful sponsors, and thank You, God, for giving us this amazing opportunity to see You more.
We did it!
Madeleine Jones

"something catchy"

I thought I should write something catchy for this title. So I did.  The media fast is coming to a close and there are only 4 days left.  The end of this fast obviously will bring some people relief, and others more stress.  With me, I am going to miss it.  It is really important for us to have things like this in our lives that bring a challenge that can help us grow.  The biggest thing on my mind this year at the end of this media fast is quae est altera.  What is next?  We have spent so much time doing this fast, (or so little time not doing media) that it would seem pointless if there wasn't an impact.  Did you talk to anyone about this, or did you hide it.  Try talking to someone about your challenge and experience! Was there any change in your personal life that could help you for the better, whether that be cementing further you connection with the LORD or influencing other people's lives to direct them towards Christ?  What I'm saying is not to leave this fast behind in the "old memories" box or "things I tried once".  Make sure to take it with you, into your future, and let it change your view of the world.  Hopefully by now, you have noticed how much of an effect that the secular message the world gives through media can control you.  This is going to continue through your life after this fast, but hopefully, you'll recognize it and tell the difference between the enticing, (yet often seemingly normal and harmless), sinful message of the world, and the evidence of God's love and his word in our lives.  It's the same concept of the summer camp we go to, that you have to bring your experience and knowledge back with you.  I encourage everyone who's done the media fast this year to think of what's next.  What will be different about you or your everyday life?  And not everyone will have something different about their life, I'm not saying you have to.  At least think of what impact this fast had on your life and relationship with God, and what you can take out of it.  Good luck to everyone, almost done!

Nous allons finir bien!

     Sorry I haven't posted yet,(I still say procrastination is an art, not a bad habit),and it (the fast) is now more than halfway over!  I have still not had an extremely large amount of free time to allow for personal devotion, but I still have had more time than usual.  I can't really say anything profoundly amazing has happened due to the fast that I am not used to, and I hope that isn't taken as a sign of uncommittedness (yes that's a word it's in the dictionary).  I have some struggle with not becoming too involved with music and media in public situations, such as not singing a secular song, and just ignoring it instead, or looking away from TV's or people's phones.  Even some things in class that aren't necessary to my success can be ignored such as the movie in English we're watching, "Brave New World".  It is being shown in the class, but it isn't part of an assignment, it's just for fun.  Not being required for school, I shouldn't watch it.  Other than the public music thing, everything is going great.  I have also received some very nice and encouraging letters from my sponsors throughout the fast, and I am glad to know that they are with through it.  I hope that the fast is doing well for everyone, and I will continue my prayer for all of you, as I hope you will all do for me.

     Bon chance, Nous allons finir bien!

Where did it go?

I'm wondering where the time went, it literally seemed like last week or so when I started the fast and now it has been 18 days. Personally it has been smooth sailing, it helps having so much stuff going on that you dont have time for for all the media stuff. It also has been interesting the religious debates and discussions I have gotten into when I bring up i'm on a media fast, it defiantly is a fuel for conversation. Anyway, keep on praying for me and the rest of the fast-i-ans, we still dont know what God has in store for us

The difference a day can make

What a difference a week can make. Actually, what a difference an hour can make. After my last Sound of Music pit orchestra performance on Saturday I finally felt like I could breathe again. And then the time change. "Spring forward," they said, "it'll be fun!" They were wrong. Nevertheless, me feeling a little groggy didn't stop the Lord from working in me and through me. I noticed some very tiny,  delicate flowers on my walk home from school a couple days ago that I hadn't noticed before. The sun has been beautifully and brilliantly shining this week, and my friend group got to eat lunch outside two days in a row. How wonderful is that?
     I have loved noticing God's creation more and more as the month progresses, especially in the approaching spring spirit. I have felt His presence more and more, and though there are many ways to experience God, I think one of the most amazing ways is through His creation. Being able to watch sunsets and sunrises, hearing the birds sing in the morning and in the evenings, smell the sweetness of the morning air or the refreshing scent of fresh cut grass, taste homemade birch syrup on fluffy pancakes, and talk with the people that God has placed in my life.
     I'm continually learning from God, and I hope to keep learning and growing. We're halfway done!
Madeleine Jones

Sweet Tunes, Man

The media fast is an interesting time of year. This is only my second year doing it but both times around, it has been a period of growth and revelation. I have found that as much as I enjoy social media and tv throughout the year I have very little trouble staying off of it for the fast.

I definitely think staying away from my music has been the hardest thing. In an effort to replace my usual secular playlists, I have not only been listening to my favorite worship songs, but have also found a lot of new ones. About a week ago I played a random Christian spotify playlist while doing classwork in my last class of the day and I genuinely left school that day feeling calmer than I had in a while. I listen to a lot of music throughout the year and I have realized I don't listen to Christian music enough. There is something so powerful in listening and relating to someone else's music even when it's secular and when you bring that into christian music, when we make that connection in our faith it only makes the effect stronger. There is a reassurance that comes with listening to worship music throughout our daily lives. So much goes on in our lives it can be hard to stay focused on God or keep him in mind throughout our daily routine. At least for me the music serves as a reminder of who God is and that he's always with me even as I struggle or stress.

I hope everyone is enjoying their media fast experience. Keep up the great work! God Bless!

Half done but not half done

The media fast has gone by extremely quick...I mean it's already half done and I feel like it just started a couple of days ago. Thus far, it has been a very good couple of weeks and I haven't missed wasting away my time scrolling through my phone. Sometimes I will pause to watch television on my way back to my room but I usually remind myself to stop watching right away. Goodluck to everyone with the rest of March and hopefully past that!

37.02%

We are currently 37.02% of the way through of the media fast, (Yes, I added it up all the minutes). And it has been up and down, I have caught myself just mindlessly starting to watch TV so I have to keep reminding  myself that I am not doing that right now... but on the flipped side, I have not had the urges to watch TV, Music, it has just been when I am not thinking about it. I have been looking around a lot more at nature and stuff on the way home from school, walking, etc, and I am realy wondering how the evolution people can even believe the crap they call their beliefs. It boggles my mind. Like, everything in creation, points to a creator, but they keep on going with there evolution "stuff", it is annoying. OK, my rant is done. Thanks for your support this month and keep on praying for me,  every word of it helps.
Erik W.