My wife and I discovered Blood:Water Mission (a brainchild of Jars of Clay) a while back. They provide clean water through the digging of wells in Sub-Saharan Africa, among other things.
Anyway, as a way of observing Lent (and making our fast count to bless others), they have challenged the Body of Christ to spend less money on drinks and pass the savings on to the poor, through the Mission. It’s called 40 Days of Water, and it’s one of those challenges that I think is amazing – and hard.
I’m not in a place where I could do exactly what they challenged (only drink water for 40 days), so I decided I would not buy any cola for 40 days. At the end of the 40 days, in addition to our usual monthly giving to them, I would add the money I had saved on Coke and Fanta and such. It’s not much, but it’s a neat little way to make fasting into a blessing, Isaiah-style (58:6-9).
I’m not writing this to boast – I can’t even boast about doing it the way they wish I could! – but to encourage you to find a way to make your Lenten fast into a blessing for others.
March 16, 2009 at 4:27 pm
I think any change in drinking habits is difficult to maintain, and know I couldn’t manage it at the moment. I hope you succeed in your efforts Tom, and don’t beat yourself up too much if it doesn’t work out.