{"product_id":"the-fasting-practice-isbn-9780593603277","title":"The Fasting Practice","description":"\u003cb\u003eLearn how the powerful yet neglected spiritual discipline of fasting can awaken your entire being to a deep hunger for God in this guide from \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author John Mark Comer and the team at Practicing the Way.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn our culture of constant consumption, the biblical practice of fasting is both countercultural and transformative. Designed to be used with four engaging video sessions freely available online, the Fasting Practice from Practicing the Way offers spiritual exercises, reflection questions, guided readings, and additional resources to help you and your community.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis guide will equip you to:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e• Understand the invitation to fast as a rhythm or a response\u003cbr\u003e• Offer your whole self to God in surrender\u003cbr\u003e• Grow in holiness by integrating mind and body\u003cbr\u003e• Amplify both your prayers to God and God’s voice to you\u003cbr\u003e• Stand in solidarity with the poor and against injustice\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDiscover how incorporating fasting as a way of life can lead to a deeper connection with God, a renewed sense of purpose, and a more embodied apprenticeship.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePart of a series of nine core practices that together build a Rule of Life for following Jesus in the modern world, each guide can be read individually or together in any order:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Sabbath Practice\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Prayer Practice\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Fasting Practice\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Solitude Practice\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Generosity Practice\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Scripture Practice\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Community Practice\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Service Practice\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Witness Practice\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003eJohn Mark Comer\u003c\/b\u003e is the founding pastor of Bridgetown Church in Portland, Oregon, a teacher and writer with Practicing the Way, and the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/i\u003ebestselling author of multiple books, including \u003ci\u003ePracticing the Way, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eLive No Lies\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e Practicing the Way\u003c\/b\u003e is a nonprofit that creates spiritual formation resources for churches and small groups learning how to become apprentices of the Way of Jesus. We believe one of the greatest needs of our time is for people to discover how to become lifelong disciples of Jesus. To that end, we help people learn how to be with Jesus, become like him, and do as he did through the practices and rhythms he and his earliest followers lived by.\u003cb\u003eWelcome\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWelcome to the Fasting Practice. For over a thousand years, fasting was one of the central practices of the Way of Jesus. Apprentices of Jesus typically fasted twice a week until sundown—on Wednesdays and Fridays, as well as the 40 days of Lent. Not unlike the reading of Scripture or attending church on Sunday, fasting was simply one of the things that practicing Christians did.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAfter all, Jesus began his life’s work with 40 days of fasting and continued to fast throughout his lifetime. And he said, “Follow me.” It makes sense that we would follow his example and incorporate fasting—in both longer and shorter intervals—into our Rule of Life, or our overall life architecture of discipleship to Jesus.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnd yet, very few followers of Jesus in the modern West fast at all.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThere are all sorts of reasons for this: the influence of the Enlightenment, cultural hedonism, the widespread availability of food because of modern agribusiness, the (false) advertising of the food industry telling us that we need three meals a day, the confusion of appetite with hunger (which are not the same thing), or the struggle with disordered eating and body shame. But the greatest reason is likely the West’s emphasis on the mind over the body. We’ve lost sight of the human as a whole person—mind and body and soul. Fasting is one of the most essential and powerful of all the practices of Jesus, helping us integrate our whole bodily selves to our center in God. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut remember: The ultimate aim of fasting is to get in touch with our hunger for God. When we fast, we awaken our bodies and souls to their deep yearning for life with the Father. We become able to say with Jesus, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Nine Practices\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFasting is just one of nine core Practices in the body of resources available from Practicing the Way. The Practices are spiritual disciplines centered around the life rhythms of Jesus. They are designed not to add even more to your already overbusy life, but to slow you down and create space for the Spirit of God to form you to be with Jesus, become like him, and do what he did. Ultimately, they are a way to experience the love of God.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTo run another Practice or learn more, turn to page 92.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHow to Use This Guide\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA few things you need to know\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis Practice is designed to be done in community, whether with a few friends around a table, within your small group, in a larger class format, or with your entire church. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Practice is four sessions long. We recommend meeting together every week or every other week. For those of you who want to spend more time on this Practice, we’ve included an additional four weeks of material in the appendix to go deeper in Scripture and discussion. You are welcome to pause for these bonus conversations in between sessions or skip over them.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYou will all need a copy of this Companion Guide. You can purchase a print or ebook version from your preferred book retailer. We recommend the print version so you can stay away from your devices during the Practices, as well as take notes during each session. But we realize that digital works better for some. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEach session should take about one to two hours, depending on how long you set aside for discussion and whether or not you begin with a meal. See the sample session on the following page.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAre you a group leader or facilitator? See page 97 for helpful information and additional ideas and tips on running this Practice.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOur Practices are designed to work in a variety of group sizes and environments. For that reason, your gatherings may include additional elements like meals or worship time, or may follow a structure slightly different from the following sample. Please adapt as you see fit.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSample Session\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHere is what a typical session could look like.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWelcome \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWelcome the group and open in prayer.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIntroduction (2–3 min.) \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWatch the introduction and pause the video when indicated for your first discussion.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDiscussion 01: Practice reflection in triads (15–20 min.) \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eProcess your previous week’s spiritual exercise in smaller groups of three to five people with the questions in the Guide. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTeaching (20 min.) \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWatch the teaching portion of the video.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDiscussion 02: Group conversation (15–30 min.) \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePause the video when indicated for a group-wide conversation. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTestimony and tutorial (5–10 min.)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWatch the rest of the video. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePrayer to close\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eClose by praying the liturgy in the Guide, or however you choose.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Weekly Rhythm\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe four sessions of this Practice are designed to follow a four-part rhythm that is based on our model of spiritual formation.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLearn\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGather together as a community for an interactive experience of learning about the Way of Jesus through teaching, storytelling, and discussion. Bring your Guide to the session and follow along. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePractice\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOn your own, before the next session, go and “put it into practice,” as Jesus himself said. We will provide weekly spiritual disciplines and spiritual exercises, as well as recommended resources to go deeper. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eReflect\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eReflection is key to spiritual formation. After your practice and before the next session, set aside 10–15 minutes to reflect on your experience. Reflection questions are included in this Guide at the end of each session.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eProcess together\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen you come back together, begin by sharing your reflections with your group. This moment is crucial because we need each other to process our lives before God and make sense of our stories. If you are meeting in a larger group, you will need to break into smaller subgroups for this conversation so everyone has a chance to share.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTips on Beginning a New Practice\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis Guide is full of spiritual exercises, best practices, and good advice on the spiritual discipline of fasting.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut it’s important to note that the Practices are not formulaic. We can’t use them to control our spiritual formation or even our relationship with God. Sometimes they don’t even work very well.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe key with the spiritual disciplines is to let go of outcomes and just offer them up to Jesus in love.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBecause it’s so easy to lose sight of the ultimate aim of a Practice, here are a few tips to keep in mind as you practice fasting.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eStart small\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eStart where you are, not where you “should” be. It’s counterintuitive, but the smaller the start, the better chance you have of really sticking to it and growing over time.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThink subtraction, not addition\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDon’t try to add fasting into your already overbusy, overfull life. You are likely already overwhelmed. Instead, think: Formation is about less, not more. About slowing down and simplifying your life around what matters most: life with Jesus.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYou get out what you put in\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe more fully you give yourself to this practice, the more life-changing it will be; the more you just dabble in it, the more shortcuts you take, the less of an effect it will have on your transformation. It’s up to you: We make invitations, you make decisions.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRemember the J curve\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eExperts on learning tell us that whenever we set out to master a new skill, it tends to follow a J-shaped curve; we tend to get worse before we get better. That’s okay. Expect it to be a bit difficult at first; it will get easier in time. Just stay with the Practice.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThere is no formation without repetition\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSpiritual formation is slow, deep, cumulative work that happens over years, not weeks. The goal of this four-week experience is just to get you started on a journey of a lifetime. Upon completion of this Practice, you will have a map for the journey ahead, and hopefully some possible companions for the Way.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut what you do next is up to you.","brand":"WaterBrook","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48233663299813,"sku":"NP9780593603277","price":14.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780593603277.jpg?v=1767739301","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/the-fasting-practice-isbn-9780593603277","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}