This Lent season, we will be using Alicia Chole's book, 40 Days of Decrease, to fast together as a church. 

Get your FREE copy at the Welcome Center this Sunday!

What do I need to be ready for Lent?

1. Choose your fast for Lent.

2. Your free copy of 40 Days of Decrease.*

3. Your Year of Seeking journal.*

4. A desire for God's Spirit to work powerfully in your life.

*Both of these can be picked up any Sunday morning at our Welcome Center before service, or at Guest Central following service.

Choose your fast for Lent.

We recommend choosing one of two types of fasting for Lent.

TYPE #1 — Fast one item for all 40 days of Lent.* 

TYPE #2 — Fast four items for 10 days each.**

Choosing your fast is important and should be prayerfully done. A popular fast is choosing a favorite food item. Whether it's ice cream, beef, or broccoli is up to you. Although, if it's broccoli it may not be much of a sacrifice!  You could choose to fast a particular TV show, or a social media platform for all of Lent. Or, if you'd like to do more than one thing, choose the second recommended type of fast for Lent and do four 10 day periods of fasting.
After choosing which type of fast you will do, and what exactly you will be fasting, open your copy of the Year of Seeking journal and begin recording your fast for the Lent season!
*Traditionally, Sundays are days off for your fast during Lent. You can follow the tradition and take each Sunday during Lent off and fast a total of 40 days, or include Sundays in your fast if you would like. If you include Sundays you will end up fasting a total of 46 days.
**Since Lent is not 40 consecutive days (Sundays are traditionally taken off during Lent) the schedule of when to begin and end each of your 10 day fasts gets a little complicated. We recommend the following schedule if you choose this fast to make it easier.
1st 10 Days: Feb. 26—Mar. 6
2nd 10 Days: Mar. 9—Mar. 18
3rd 10 Days: Mar. 20—Mar. 29
4th 10 Days: Apr. 2—Apr. 11

40 Days of Decrease

by Alicia Britt Chole

  • What if your family fasted denial?
  • What if your friends fasted comparison?
  • What if your generation fasted escapism?
  • What if your church fasted spectatorship?
Such heart fasts could trigger a spiritual revolution.
Via readings, reflection questions, daily fasts, ancient quotes, and more,
this is the dream of 40 Days of Decrease: A Different Kind of Hunger. A Different Kind of Fast.
In the same way self cannot satisfy self no matter how long it feasts,
self cannot starve self no matter how long it fasts. Decrease is only holy when its destination is love. We thin our lives to thicken our communion with God.
Enduring awe is rarely the fruit of a morning’s celebration. Enduring awe is the fruit of daily participation with Jesus, our resurrected Love.
Dare to be awed by Christ's resurrection!