Reboot

Fasting is one way of seeking and finding the actual kingdom of God present and active in our lives - Dallas Willard

To begin our journey together, I hope that you join me in a spiritual 'reboot.' A spiritual reboot is a time of prayer, fasting, and discipline. It is a time of escaping the life-sucking chaos of our world and embracing the vibrant peace of Christ's Kingdom.

Prayer? Fasting? Discipline? Sounds like a blast, right? Well, it may not be a whole lot of fun, but there are very important reasons to reboot.
Just like rebooting a computer can improve your computer's effectiveness, so too can a spiritual reboot improve the health of our minds, bodies, and souls.

Reassess

When we reboot our computers, the computers automatically run a diagnostic check. There are several errors that are easily fixed by the diagnostic and when they are discovered, the computer automatically fixes itself.

Often when we fast and pray, we can discover parts of our lives that are out of place or in error. The light of discipline and truth can illuminate the darker places that have been building up grime and affecting our thoughts and deeds. When we reboot spiritually, we have the opportunity to clean out these dark corners in repentance.

Renew

Another thing that occurs when a computer reboots is automatic downloads. Some programs that our computers use need to be regularly updated via internet sources. So, as a computer reboots, it is downloading program information from the relevant on line sources. The new information helps the programs to run effectively based on the latest updates. Can you imagine an anti-virus program that ran unaware of how to deter or detect the latest threats? Regular updates are important!

Regular updates are important in our spiritual lives, also. Prayer is a not only a means of speaking to God, it is also a way of hearing from God. Andrew Murray, a 19th Century missionary and pastor, wrote "Prayer is not a monologue; it is a dialog." Unfortunately, prayer is a practice that tends to be pushed to the back burner in our busy lives. We may be missing vital information necessary to reorient or lives and renew our
focus. We need the latest download! A time of intensive, purposeful focus and prayer can give us the much-needed opportunity to hear from our Source.

Reorganize

As our computers operate throughout the day, something called RAM (Random Access Memory) keeps our computers' "attention" focused and organized. Often, our computers are handling literally hundreds of tasks at one time, and it is the RAM that keeps it all going smoothly. But, all this activity takes its toll on the RAM. Small leakages in some of our programs can pull bits of our RAM away, even after the programs are closed. Thus computers begin to slow. Also, RAM can become disorganized as it becomes overtaxed by certain programs. At some point, the RAM and the computer need a reboot! Rebooting will give RAM an opportunity to reorganize and refocus.

Do you ever feel overtaxed? Do you ever feel like your attention is in a hundred different places at once? Do you ever feel frustrated by the fact that you are thinking about work hours after you get home? Wouldn't it be nice to just reset and refocus? Wouldn't it be nice if we could regain some control over our minds and our emotions?

A spiritual reboot can help us to reorganize our thoughts. It can help us to sort out our priorities and explore our emotions. We can regain control over cravings and addictions, and we can cleanse our hearts from distracting behaviors and desires.


So, what do you say? Are you ready for a reboot? We get started May 19! I hope that you join us!