The 50th day after Easter is called Pentecost. The 10 days leading up to Pentecost make up the Pentecost season, marking the period between Jesus’ ascension into Heaven and the day when Jesus’ followers received the Holy Spirit.

We’re approaching the day of Pentecost and are in the middle of a sermon series called “Miracles” here at NCC, so it seemed appropriate that we pray that God would move in a powerful way, much as he did at the first Pentecost.

Consequently, we are doing a 10 day fast, praying and believing that God will do great things.

I’ve decided to fast a few things, each symbolic of the things I’m believing God for.

I’ve given up alcohol as I pray for my brother’s health. He’s had some stomach problems for a while now. I’m praying for total healing. (Alcohol = not super-great for your stomach)

I’ve given up coffee as I continue to pray and believe for another place in the marketplace for NCC. (Coffee = something I drink at work)

I’ve put myself on a strict diabetic-friendly diet as I pray that God would heal me of diabetes. Note that I manage my diabetes well, but I usually do this through extra insulin rather than proper diet.

I’ve given up searching for a home as I pray and trust God that He will provide the right place. This is perhaps the most difficult fast I’ve ever done. There’s always the idea that something great could come on the market and disappear during the 10 days I’ve stopped looking.

There you have it. There are a few other things, but they are either overly-personal or not mine to share publicly.

If you’re interested in doing a Pentecost fast, it’s not too late. We’re only a day-and-a-half in. Join us in fasting and believing that God will glorify himself through miracles that only He can do.

I’m fasting this week, not food or TV or beer or even the computer. I’m abstaining from work on one of my websites. I’ve got a site that most of you reading this already know about, PolFeeds. It syndicates news from Congress, the President, and the Presidential Campaigns, and with the election heating up, I’ve been working hard to promote the site.

I’ve got a lot of sweat equity in this thing. I’ve spent tens if not hundreds of hours building and growing it. In other words, it is important to me, but I realized that for the past week it has been consuming my life, taking me away from time with God. So I need to put it down for a while, to refocus. I’ll still be blogging. And I’ve got some other projects that I need to work on, but as difficult as it is (especially now when the opportunity for growth is so great), I’ve got to let this one go for a few days so that it doesn’t become my God.