Lent Day 7

When I talk to friends who have done similar "cleanses" we talk about how the flavor of food changes.  Without sugar and sweetened foods in my diet, fruit has much more flavor and tastes incredibly sweeter.  Sourdough bread tastes very sour.  Vegetables even taste better.  You can taste God's miracles.  After just 7 days on this cleanse I am already experiencing this phenomenon.

Today's Focus: Work Addiction, when there is a misplaced faith in your career.  When there is a belief that working hard will bring you wealth, stability, and/or satisfaction that is when work addiction will develop.  Just like food and sex addictions, it's sometimes difficult to draw the line where healthy work habits end where work addiction starts.  Just like every addiction, There's quick quiz to find out where you stand and to help you learn the difference.  Work Addiction impacts our physical health and spiritual health.  Spiritually, unhealthy work habits keep us from our families, keeps us from happiness, and keeps us from God.

Today's Positive Action:  Today I will read the label of the first three packaged foods I eat today.  I will also make sure there are no trans fats in the contents.  Reading food labels is good skill.  If you learn to use it, then you will be surprised by the impact it has on your life.

Dear God, today in my journey of Lent please help me to know when my work habits are healthy when they are not.  Help me to be satisfied with what I have.  Help me see when I start chasing worldly things that my career offers, but can only be taken away.  Help me see when I start chasing the titles and promotions.  Help me see when I start chasing the next raise.  Help me see when I start chasing things that bring only short-term joy.  Most of all, help me seek a relationship with you - one of the few things that brings real happiness.  Help me know when I can spend time with my kids and family - and that I need to put my work down.  I know I am not alone in these battles in placing faith in my work and career.  I know there are people who are in much worse situations than I am because of work addiction.  Be with those who are destroying their relationships for the sake of the career.  Help those people who ignore responsibilities outside of work, and "orphan" their children for the sake of their career.  Help them to find patience with people who priorities outside of work.  Help them realize having more money will not solve all of their problems.  More than anything Lord, help their families of work addicts.  Let them know there is hope.  Amen.

Thanks for letting me share.

Lent Day 6

Recently, I've had to start declining offers, generally of sweets, that violate my commitment of Lent.  This is always hard at first.  Sometimes, I try to do it without talking about Lent.  Other times, I find it's easier if I'm open and honest about passing on something that is otherwise so inviting.  After doing it for the first week it certainly becomes easier - at least I'm waiting for it to become easier.

Today's Focus:  Sex Addiction.  In our culture, the line between sex and love have become blurred.  Sex is no longer the act of love of God's design.  It has become purely an act of pleasure - not love is not pleasurable - but sex has no love component to it.  The sex industry is multi-billion dollar a year industry and is made up of prostitution, strip bars, and porn.  For the most part, it serves men at the expense of women.  The use of sex, including porn, releases dopamine in our brains not unlike cocaine or opioids - and is addictive.  The result is a society with broken homes, too many deaths from sexually transmitted diseases, devalues women to objects and distorts values where a faith is in pleasure instead of happiness.

Today's Positive Action:  This may sound unimportant - but today make sure to get 8, 8 oz, cups of water.  Just like many things in Lent, today's focus helps to make sure many of the things that are being given up are being replaced by things that are healthy.  Not many things are as healthy as drinking water.  This focus also sets us up some other "actions" later in the week.

Lord, during Lent I will cry and pray upon you daily.  Both day and night.  Lend your ear in my direction to hear these prayers.  Please keep me from my dark pit of addiction.  I see addicts fall and stumble around me.  People crossing the line of their sexual addictions, well beyond moral into illegal.  I know that when I keep my focus on you I will not succumb to those temptations.  Just as you are there for me, be there for those other addicts that they may also be victorious over their addictions.  Help those who have been exploited by the sex industry.  That they may find a life and career of dignity with real love.  The kind of love you have for all of us.  Thank you, Lord.  All this I pray in Jesus' name.  Amen.

Thanks for letting me share.

Lent Day 5 - March 9th

Food brings with it many things that are considered addictions.  I could probably talk about these for the entire period of Lent.  Since I want to cover areas outside of food during this Lenten journey I am going to focus on a couple of ingredients of our food that are especially addictive - namely caffeine and sugar.  It's no wonder some of the most profitable corporations in the world make sure these ingredients are in their food - it creates incredibly addicte...errr...loyal customers.

From time to time, I get questions about what I give up for lent in terms of sugar.  Since today's focus is around food based addictions I'd like to address these questions.  Here's a list to give you an idea of what I abstain from related to sugar: any kind of sweet (candy, chocolate, baked goods, etc), all beverages other than water, dairy, and any packaged food with sugar in the first three ingredients.  Actually, because these things include so many individual items, this is the most efficient I've ever been able to do this.

Today's Positive Action:  As long as the weather is not stormy where you live, go for a walk, ideally with a friend or family member.  The length of time and distance doesn't matter - whatever is comfortable.  Try to talk about things going on in your lives instead of what's going on in the News or on TV.  This is a great way to unwind and de-stress and enjoy the life God has blessed us with.

Today's Focus:  More and more research shows the addictive properties of sugar.  In fact, Dr. Nicola Lavena, one these researchers has written an entire book on this called Why Diets Fail (because you're addicted to sugar).  The impact of this addiction is more profound than any other addiction.  The rate of obesity is higher now than any time in our history.  The CDC estimates that 1/3 of US adults are obese and now considers it an epidemic in the US.  Heart disease is more prevalent than any other time in our history.  The onset of type II diabetes is also higher now than any other time in our history.  All these changes have been linked to our increased consumption of sugar, and sugar-like sweeteners.

This is normally where I pray for people who are afflicted with addiction, and those people in their lives.  However, starting today, every Sunday of Lent I am going to pray my favorite prayer, the Prayer of St. Francis.

Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace;
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, let me sow pardon;
Where there is error, let me sow truth;
Where there is doubt, let me sow faith;
Where there is despair, let me sow hope;
Where these is darkness, let me sow light;
And where these is sadness, let me sow joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console;
To be understood as to understand;
To be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen.

Thanks for letting me share.

Lent Day 4

Today's focus of Gambling today seems appropriate because I see more and more gambling in our culture.  Everyday on my way to work I pass two huge billboards that highlight the size that the superball jackpot has grown to.  It seems every time I pass it there's a seed in my mind that says,  "Wouldn't that be nice.  I could retire...and it's only a couple of bucks.  What's the harm?"  And that's how gambling addictions generally start.  Not only do I see a growth in these.  I see gambling in the stock market - people at work trying to hit it big on the latest technology - only to have their nest egg collapse as the next bubble bursts.  I think it's important that we don't put our hope in striking it rich, but something that really sustains, like God.  I also think it's important that we consider the addiction of gambling and its impact on our society and the people we love.

Today's Positive Action: Find some time today to exercise.  Spiritual health and physical health are connected.  It's very hard to enrich your spirit if your physical health suffers - and when your physical health is strong it becomes easier to be spiritually strong.  Ideally, exercise is strenuous and makes you sweat but it doesn't have to be.  It be as casual as a walk (or brisk walk) around the neighborhood, too.

Today's Focus: Gambling addiction is not just about the lure of Las Vegas.  Although, to be true that is part of it.  Gambling is also about sixty-eight year old women who play bingo every night, workers that spend their paychecks on lottery tickets, or college students who wage their student loans on stock market bets.  They are losing money that they can't afford to lose.  They believe all of the ads and the hype that say, "it only takes a dollar and a dream," and "you can't win if don't play."  Sometimes they hit a "jackpot" but that's usually followed by losses that wipe out the jackpot.  The hole that ends up following is usually more a nightmare than a dream.

Lord, there is temptation around every corner.  Heart pounding, adrenaline fueling, temptation.  Today I ask that you be with the gambling addicts.  Help them with these tempations.  Help them see that their hope in hitting the "jackpot" is a false hope that robs them.  It robs them of their money, time, and spirit.  Help them see their problem is not something they can control.   Have people in their lives, as examples of Your love and Your power, who can show them how to trust in You.  Have these people show them that a hope in you is one that is true and will lead them out of this hole.  Lead all of us addicts, not into temptation.  And deliver us, all of us addicts, from evil.  I am grateful that you have helped me avoid temptation and evil every day of this year's Lent.  Thank you, Lord.  AMEN.

Thanks for letting me share.

Lent Day 3

Things are still going fairly smoothly.  Day 3 and my cravings for my addictions are at bay and still fairly manageable.  It has been helping that I've been listening to the Catholic channel on XM Radio and they talk a lot about Lent, the spirit of Lent, sacrificing and fasting.  Even though I'm not a Catholic it's helps to know that I'm making this journey of sacrifice with others out there.

Today's Positive Action: Be grateful.  Have an attitude of gratitude.  When things go wrong, or there is adversity and you find yourself asking, "Why me?"  instead ask, "Why not me?"  Often we miss opportunity because it comes disguised as hard work.

Today's Focus: Drug addiction is the most notorious of addictions.  Since drugs and drug use are glamorized in the media, in TV shows (breaking bad?), movies, and the news it brings a sense of adventure and, well, glamour to drug use.  Unfortunately, as many addicts find out, there's nothing glamorous about the addiction.  Drug addiction is unique in the way it kills.  Other addictions generally kill their addicts through the side effects of the use - by creating cancer, liver or heart disease, etc.  Although that happens with drugs, too, drug addiction also kills from the actual use - in the overdose.  Just as with all addictions, the addict knows and understands the risk but the addiction overrides logic and ignores the risk for the short-term pleasure.  This study shows that 70% of high school parents are concerned about their child(ren)'s use of prescription drugs.  Thankfully, in keeping with a grateful attitude, this study also shows, parents now have tools to be aware of and to fight drug addiction where it starts, in a persons teen years.

Thank you, Lord, for giving us this opportunity to share our experience in recovery from addiction.  That we can show others who, like us, struggle with addiction that You are the answer to that battle.  Thank You that You built in us what You needed.  Thank You that You relieved us of the bondage self.  Thank You that You continue to take away our difficulties of addiction.  That victory over our difficulties may bear witness to those we would help of Thy Power, Thy Love, and Thy Way of Life.  May we do Thy Will always.  Today we ask you be with the siblings of those that have been killed by drugs.  We are aware of their unique perspective.  That they are generally closer to the downward spiral that ends up taking their brother or sister.  Help them learn from the experience and remove drugs and addiction from their lives and, with hope, create a place for You, Lord.  Continue to give them strength that they can share their story, that they may teach others the dangers of drugs and drug addiction.  In Your name we are grateful.  Amen.

Thanks for letting me share.