Beautiful Talia!

Good morning,

Two weeks ago tomorrow, I started a fast inspired by my beautiful friend Talia. I saw Talia in April when we were out in California. She arrived to pick us up for about an hour-drive to Newport Beach to meet some gals for lunch. Right away we started a conversation about the darling outfit she was wearing with the white ruffle skirt. She thanked me for the compliment and said, “I went shopping in my own closet as part of my fast from shopping for 40 days.” She told me that she had just finished fasting for Lent, which ended on Easter. She was so filled with a spirit of excitement about what she had experienced and what she had committed to over the last 40 days. You could hear in her voice enthusiasm on the inside, but you could physically see how glowing and beautiful she looked on the outside. She did a big fast and it showed big. Her commitment to Christ was:

• No sugar
• Set an alarm each day for 11:11 a.m. and hold plank for 1 minute and 11 seconds (plank is a yoga position that is like pushing up on a push-up and holding it–great for the core)
• No shopping
• Read the Bible each morning and meditate on what she had read

As Talia talked about each of the things she had added to her time of fasting and what that had done for her was so inspiring, because I remembered how good I felt whenever I have fasted in the past.

A fast can be anything, for any amount of time. If you ever have a problem and need an answer or you just want to be closer to God, fast for a few days and it quiets your flesh part of you and raises your spirit! A fast is so freeing! Seems like the opposite, but it is not!! You get wisdom about things so easily on a fast.

I was coming up on my one-year anniversary of eating and living better through tools I learned from Dr. Julie Gomer at Bristlecone in Minnesota. I wanted to fast for 12 weeks doing exactly what I was told to eat. My commitment had gotten really weak and I really looked at what the problem was and the horrible word “glutton” had come to mind. Ish, to face what is really the problem helps to rid yourself of it. Envy, fear, pride, lust, greed, laziness, etc…. Yuk, don’t want any of them. So, I prayed that spirit off me and knew that for 12 weeks the peace of a fast would be so inspiring and helpful.

For the first few days one little phrase of a song, “Starting the Ascension,” kept popping in my head. Weird for me, ’cause I don’t listen to music much at all and I finally laughed and said to Jesus, “Is this to remind me of You in my thoughts and that you are bringing me up and out?” I still have that song pop in my head several times a day and it gives me comfort, help, and a laugh that the Holy Spirit is in me to help me. If I will recognize a sin in my life and tell it to leave and then add a new plan of action, good will come out of it.

I am so thankful to Talia for reminding me with the best inspiration ever: A person filled with joy of the Lord and how He is present in their life and willing to free us whenever we seek His help.

Love you, Teri