Following Jesus

FOLLOWING
JESUS
A 30-DAY GUIDE EXPLORING
CHRISTIAN DISCIPLINES

FOLLOWING JESUS
WRITTEN BY
Chris Price, Jeremy King, Jason Eliason, Jaden Neufeld
DESIGNED AND PRODUCED BY
Daniel Roe, Jason Ballard, Jeremy King
EDITED BY
Chris Price, Laura O’Reilly, Brandon Peterson, Daniel Roe
THANKS TO
Danielle Strickland for introducing us to the Prayer of
Submission. (infinitumlife.com)
Pastor Wayne Cordeiro for introducing us to the S.O.A.P.
Bible Reading model. (enewhope.org)

PREFACE
What do you think of when you hear the phrase
‘spiritual disciplines’?
A list of chores to perform? Dry and lifeless rituals?
Monks and monasteries? Spirituality on steroids?
Or just the normal Christian life?
Whatever comes to mind when we hear this phrase,
the reality is these practices have been a staple feature of
Christian spirituality throughout church history. Rather
than lifeless chores, spiritual disciplines are life-giving
habits that bring vibrancy into our walk with God.
Jesus himself engaged in a wide variety of disciplines
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throughout the duration of His public ministry and we
are called to follow in His footsteps.
The following pages will both explain and encourage
the practice of the disciplines, helping us incorporate
these habits into the daily rhythm of our lives, breathing
fresh life into our walk with God.
In the end, spiritual disciplines are about the pursuit
of intimacy with God, and nothing is more important
than closeness with our Creator — it is through this
closeness with God that we begin to take on the character
of God. And ministry for God without intimacy with
God is nothing but religion without relationship; a list of
churchy chores to perform, the appearance of godliness
devoid of power, lifeless rituals sucked dry of passion,
almost like a beautiful monastery with only dead bones
inside.
Our God invites us to something far more beautiful,
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deep and life-giving.
The disciplines are our “yes” to God’s invitation, our
response to His loving initiative, our first faltering steps
into the experience of life that is truly life.
6

GETTING THE MOST
OUT OF THIS GUIDE
WHY A 30 DAY GUIDE?
1. To experience the gift of spiritual disciplines.
2. To develop life-giving rhythms as a community.
3. To make walking with Jesus a more tangible part of our daily lives.
4. To make walking with Jesus something we celebrate in our
friend groups.
PLAN TO CREATE MARGIN
Walking through the 30 days will take personal
planning as well as group planning. You will want to
make sure to create margin in your life! We encourage
you to read ahead so you know what’s coming.
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PUT YOUR PHONE TO BED EARLY
We strongly encourage you to turn your phone off
before you go to bed each night to help create the margin
needed. Make sure your phone isn’t the last thing you
look at before bed and make sure it’s not the first thing
you look at when you wake up. Commit to a rhythm that
makes this possible.
JOURNAL
You might feel like journaling isn’t your thing but we
are confident that you’ll find it beneficial for these next
30 days; and who knows, maybe it will end up becoming
a discipline you continue to practice. Regardless,
journaling will be an essential part of your daily rhythm
over the next month.
DO THIS IN COMMUNITY
We also encourage you to walk this out with a few
friends. Our prayer is that these 30 days would strengthen
the relationships in this community as a whole. We all
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know that it is hard to stay focused when taking on new
rhythms and so having people to journey with will be
extremely helpful.
BEFORE YOU START WE SUGGEST YOU…
1. Find 2-4 people willing to commit to the 30 day journey.
2. Pre-plan 4 times you’ll commit to meeting with your group.
COMMIT TO FINISH
There will likely be days you don’t feel like finishing.
But we really encourage you to see it through! You may
want to ask a leader or mentor in your life to encourage
you on days you don’t feel like finishing. If you fall behind
at any point just pick up where you left off. It’s better to go
through each day than it is to finish in 30 days!
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WHAT TO EXPECT
As you keep turning pages you’ll find that this
booklet includes the following:
DISCIPLINE SUMMARIES
Throughout the booklet you’ll find pages that
introduce specific Christian disciplines. These write-ups
are to help you better understand what the disciplines
are.
UNIQUE PRACTICES
Every 5 days a new discipline will be highlighted and
explained. Each day you’ll be challenged with a unique
opportunity to practice the highlighted discipline for
that 5 day period. We’ve designed these 30 challenges as
opportunities to put what you’re learning into practice.
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DAILY RHYTHMS
You should plan to block out 40 minutes for prayer
and Bible reading each day. The Bible is God’s word to us.
Scripture reveals to us the character of God and the plans
and purposes He has for us. Prayer is communicating
with God — it is the language of relationship between us
and our Creator. Daily rhythms will include starting and
ending the day in prayer. We have also included a simple
Bible reading plan that requires reading one chapter of
the Bible each day. But if you’d rather do your own Bible
reading plan, feel free!
EXTRA RESOURCES (pg. 74)
To help you navigate your times in prayer and
scripture we have included a few extra resources in the
Appendix, at back of this booklet. Some of these resources
are essential for getting the most out of this booklet.
NEXT PAGE FOR LIST OF RESOURCES
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LIST OF INCLUDED RESOURCES
THE PRAYER OF SUBMISSION
PG. 75
We encourage you to pray this every day during your 10 minutes of
morning prayer.
THE PRAYER OF EXAMEN
PG. 77
Use this resource every evening. Praying through these questions is an
amazingly helpful way to end each day.
PRAYER LIST
PG. 79
You may want to make a list of things you’re praying for early on.
Committing to pray for a few things daily for 30 days is a powerful
exercise. It will be encouraging to look back and see how God has
answered prayer.
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4 TOOLS FOR INTERPRETATION
PG. 81
Unless you are a Bible scholar, you may be wondering how to most
effectively understand what you’re reading. These are 4 helpful tips to
assist you on the journey.
S.O.A.P
PG. 84
This simple journaling tool will give you some ideas for how to read a
chapter of the Bible effectively. You likely won’t have time to highlight
more than 1 or 2 verses each day but these steps will be helpful when
you do.
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DISCIPLINE ONE
MEDITATION
The scriptures are an essential ingredient in the
journey of God transforming us to be more like Christ.
Jesus himself prayed, “Sanctify us by your truth. Your
word is truth.” One of the primary ways in which God
sanctifies us is through His word. The word of God
reveals to us the character of God, the purposes of God
and the path to life that is truly life. As such, it is not
enough to simply browse through the pages of the Bible
as we would an Instagram post or a Facebook thread.
A deeper engagement is required.
In the Christian tradition, meditation is the practice
of focused thinking about the truth of God’s revelation.
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MEDITATION
As one pastor quipped, “if you know how to worry,
you know how to meditate.” Whereas worry is focused
thinking on something negative or distressing, meditation
is a slow, focused reading of scripture. Distinct from
eastern forms of meditation, which involve emptying
one’s mind, Christian meditation is an invitation to fully
saturate your mind in the word of God; to become like
a sponge soaked in the truth of God’s revelation so that,
when circumstances squeeze you, God’s truth is what
pours out.
Meditation doesn’t have to be complicated. Simply
find a quiet space to be alone. Minimize your distractions
by turning off the notifications on your phone. Take a few
deep breaths to quiet your mind and center yourself.
Slow down and embrace the beauty of “wasting
time” with God.
Then pick up your Bible and invite the presence
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FOLLOWING JESUS
of the Holy Spirit, trusting that the same Holy Spirit
who inspired the word of God will illuminate it to your
understanding. Pick a short passage of scripture or just
one verse and read it multiple times. Pay attention to
whether or not the Spirit of God highlights certain words
or phrases, perhaps writing down any thoughts that strike
you as especially significant. Start with a shorter length
of time like ten minutes and watch how, over time, your
capacity to spend meaningful moments with God grows.
End your time of mediation with prayer and worship in
response to God’s revelation.
Remember that meditation is like a muscle that
grows stronger with use, so make this discipline a staple
of your walk with God. The beautiful result will be that
as you spend time in the richness of scripture, slowly
savouring the beauty of God’s promises and the reality
that you are His beloved child, His word will begin to
transform you from the inside out in remarkable ways.
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FOLLOWING JESUS
DAY 1
DAILY RHYTHM
MORNING PRAYER
10 MINS
BIBLE READING
JOHN 1
10 MINS
If you are using the Bible reading plan that we’ve included in this booklet,
then open up to John 1 now. If you’re doing your own Bible reading
reading plan, we encourage you to decide which chapters you’ll be
reading each day before you proceed.
JOURNAL
10 MINS
UNIQUE PRACTICE
MEDITATION
Pick one verse from today’s reading and write it on a sticky note or
figure out a way to make the verse your phone background. Attempt to
memorize the verse by meditating on it throughout the day.
EVENING PRAYER
PRAYER OF EXAMEN
10 MINS
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MEDITATION
DAY 2
DAILY RHYTHM
MORNING PRAYER
10 MINS
BIBLE READING
JOHN 2
10 MINS
JOURNAL
10 MINS
UNIQUE PRACTICE
MEDITATION
Read the chapter you just read again, but this time read it out loud.
Before you read it out loud, pray that you would understand the truth of
what you’re reading in a deeper way.
EVENING PRAYER
PRAYER OF EXAMEN
10 MINS
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FOLLOWING JESUS
DAY 3
DAILY RHYTHM
MORNING PRAYER
10 MINS
BIBLE READING
JOHN 3
10 MINS
JOURNAL
10 MINS
UNIQUE PRACTICE
MEDITATION
Choose a short passage of scripture that’s easy to understand and read it
a few times over, (i.e., Psalm 23.) Write a paragraph of notes summarizing
what stands out to you from the passage after reading it a few times over.
EVENING PRAYER
PRAYER OF EXAMEN
10 MINS
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MEDITATION
DAY 4
DAILY RHYTHM
MORNING PRAYER
10 MINS
BIBLE READING
JOHN 4
10 MINS
JOURNAL
10 MINS
UNIQUE PRACTICE
MEDITATION
Go on a walk and choose something from creation to focus on, (i.e.,
tree, ocean, bird.) One example of this practice that Jesus used in his
teaching, was to ‘consider the flowers of the field.’ Stop and focus on
what you see and allow God to speak to you through it. Do this for 5-10
minutes.
EVENING PRAYER
PRAYER OF EXAMEN
10 MINS
*Some of you may worry that this unique practice sounds new age or perhaps like
worship of creation. However, this practice is quite the opposite; it is rather pausing
to allow creation to speak to you about God’s nature. (Psalm 19, Matthew 6)
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FOLLOWING JESUS
DAY 5
DAILY RHYTHM
MORNING PRAYER
10 MINS
BIBLE READING
JOHN 5
10 MINS
JOURNAL
10 MINS
UNIQUE PRACTICE
MEDITATION
Choose a worship song you love and listen to it. Listen closely and
meditate on the specific truths being sung.
EVENING PRAYER
PRAYER OF EXAMEN
10 MINS
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DISCIPLINE TWO
SOLITUDE
Do you remember the last time you were bored?
Of course, we all have times that we feel a sensation
that might be called boredom, but it seems that we have
developed a new reflex in our culture to deal with that
funny feeling. We’re all now programmed to, without
even thinking about it, at the moment nothing interesting
seems to be happening around us, reach into our pocket,
pull out a device and kill that feeling of boredom. As a
result, we are living in a noisy and distracted world. At
any given moment there are dozens of things, all working
to grab our limited attention; it’s like we’re afraid of what
we’ll find or experience if we get alone and quiet so we
turn the volume up all around us to drown out the quiet.
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SOLITUDE
But silence and solitude should be a major part
of the Christian life. Both these disciplines have been
practiced by Christians for almost two thousand years -
the practice of stopping, quieting our minds and souls to
hear the “still, soft voice” of the Spirit.
We see this practiced in the life of Jesus. Many times
the gospel writers comment on how Jesus withdrew to
a solitary place to pray (Luke 5:16, Matthew 14:13). He
stopped what He was doing, withdrew to a quiet place
and spoke to the Father. It didn’t matter how popular
Jesus had become or how many people put demands on
His time, He made it a priority to create space in His life
for solitude. And it seems as though this practice gave
power to everything else He did.
Henri Nouwen says that, “A life without a lonely
place, that is, a life without a quiet centre, easily becomes
destructive” 1 . Is it possible that a large part of what
contributes to pain, anxiety, depression and destruction
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FOLLOWING JESUS
in our world is that we’ve largely abandoned the “lonely
place”? And perhaps a key to regaining a sense of
strength, peace, harmony, joy and balance in our lives
is to reclaim the discipline of solitude. To get quiet with
the Father and let Him remind us of the power that is
ours and the promises He has given; all in an attempt to
unload the angst we carry onto His capable shoulders.
Solitude is difficult and will feel awkward at first.
Many of us don’t know how to be alone with God and our
thoughts. Take it slow; find a comfortable, distractionfree
place. Invite God’s Spirit to meet you in that time.
Ask Him to give you a fresh filling of His presence and
power. Talk to Him about the things you’re worried
about. Repent. Thank Him for His love and forgiveness.
And listen. Spend lots of time in silence and let your
Father say the things your soul needs to hear.
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FOLLOWING JESUS
DAY 6
DAILY RHYTHM
MORNING PRAYER
10 MINS
BIBLE READING
JOHN 6
10 MINS
JOURNAL
10 MINS
UNIQUE PRACTICE
SOLITUDE
Plan an evening on your own. Try and commit to being alone for an hour
and take the time to be silent and journal. Your assignment today is to
schedule it in. Finding an hour in a busy week can be tough!
EVENING PRAYER
PRAYER OF EXAMEN
10 MINS
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SOLITUDE
DAY 7
DAILY RHYTHM
MORNING PRAYER
10 MINS
BIBLE READING
JOHN 7
10 MINS
JOURNAL
10 MINS
UNIQUE PRACTICE
SOLITUDE
Spend 10 minutes alone reflecting on one significant relationship in your
life. Bring that person and your relationship to God in prayer.
EVENING PRAYER
PRAYER OF EXAMEN
10 MINS
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FOLLOWING JESUS
DAY 8
DAILY RHYTHM
MORNING PRAYER
10 MINS
BIBLE READING
JOHN 8
10 MINS
JOURNAL
10 MINS
UNIQUE PRACTICE
SOLITUDE
Take 10 minutes and ask God to speak to you. Write down what you feel
He’s bringing to your mind. Afterwards, consider if what you feel He’s
said lines up with other things Jesus has said in scripture. We encourage
you to bring up what you heard with your friend group during your
weekly time together.
EVENING PRAYER
PRAYER OF EXAMEN
10 MINS
30

SOLITUDE
DAY 9
DAILY RHYTHM
MORNING PRAYER
10 MINS
BIBLE READING
JOHN 9
10 MINS
JOURNAL
10 MINS
UNIQUE PRACTICE
SOLITUDE
Whenever you have alone time today allow for silence. Refrain from
watching Instagram stories, listening to music, and from doing anything
that would fill the space you’re in with noise. Take the time to think about
God.
EVENING PRAYER
PRAYER OF EXAMEN
10 MINS
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FOLLOWING JESUS
DAY 10
DAILY RHYTHM
MORNING PRAYER
10 MINS
BIBLE READING
JOHN 10
10 MINS
JOURNAL
10 MINS
UNIQUE PRACTICE
SOLITUDE
Read back over your journal entries from the past few days. Take time to
focus on what God has been showing you.
EVENING PRAYER
PRAYER OF EXAMEN
10 MINS
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FOLLOWING JESUS
DISCIPLINE THREE
SIMPLICITY
Matthew 6:25-33 records Jesus saying:
“I tell you, do not worry about your life,
what you will eat or drink; or about your body,
what you will wear. Is not life more than food,
and the body more than clothes? Look at the
birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store
away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father
feeds them. Are you not much more valuable
than they? Can any one of you by worrying add
a single hour to your life?
And why do you worry about clothes?
See how the flowers of the field grow. They do
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SIMPLICITY
not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even
Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like
one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass
of the field, which is here today and tomorrow
is thrown into the fire, will he not much more
clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry,
saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we
drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans
run after all these things, and your heavenly
Father knows that you need them. But seek
first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all
these things will be given to you as well.”
We worry about so much. We worry about our
health, finances, approval, future, grades, whether or not
we’re behind socially or if we’re up to date culturally; the
list really does go on and on.
Jesus calls His followers away from worry. He suggests
that the reason we shouldn’t worry is because God knows
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FOLLOWING JESUS
what we need and cares about us. Furthermore, He
commands us to seek first the kingdom of God.
In our western culture, it’s fair to say that we busy
ourselves with acquiring more than just the essentials.
We believe that if we have everything we want then we’ll
find peace and tranquility, but Jesus knows this is a lie.
His promise is that if we seek first God and His kingdom,
not only will we have what we need for this life, but we’ll
also find that God is ultimately what we need in this
life. We’ll discover that our hurried chase after things
is exhausting, whereas knowing God’s presence and
purpose is satisfying.
God’s kingdom culture swims against the current
of our cultural moment. While our moment propagates
materialism, gaining and keeping, God’s kingdom says
it’s better to give and live open-handedly.
Those who seek to live this out find just that–it’s
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SIMPLICITY
better; living under God’s reign is better than relying on
our own set of ideals.
The discipline of simplicity moves us towards fuller
life. It’s a discipline that is rooted in the trust that God
is enough and that the things of this world won’t satisfy.
Simplicity lines up with Jesus’ teaching in that it doesn’t
deny life’s necessities, but reminds us life is about more
than clothing, food, and having what advertisements
convince us we should have. Simplicity is about letting
go, reordering our desires, placing God on the throne
of our hearts, and allowing Him, instead of our fragile
possessions, to sustain and bear the weight of our lives.
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FOLLOWING JESUS
DAY 11
DAILY RHYTHM
MORNING PRAYER
10 MINS
BIBLE READING
JOHN 11
10 MINS
JOURNAL
10 MINS
UNIQUE PRACTICE
SIMPLICITY
Take time to write down your answers to these questions.
1. What material possessions would be hardest to give up?
2. In what way does that attachment seem unhealthy?
3. What might your close friends say about your relationship with
stuff?
4. What possessions do you think God is calling you to be more openhanded
with?
EVENING PRAYER
PRAYER OF EXAMEN
10 MINS
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SIMPLICITY
DAY 12
DAILY RHYTHM
MORNING PRAYER
10 MINS
BIBLE READING
JOHN 12
10 MINS
JOURNAL
10 MINS
UNIQUE PRACTICE
SIMPLICITY
Invite someone over who might appreciate your clothing. Let them
choose 1-2 items of yours that they’d like to take home with them.
EVENING PRAYER
PRAYER OF EXAMEN
10 MINS
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FOLLOWING JESUS
DAY 13
DAILY RHYTHM
MORNING PRAYER
10 MINS
BIBLE READING
JOHN 13
10 MINS
JOURNAL
10 MINS
UNIQUE PRACTICE
SIMPLICITY
Pray and ask God to bring a person or a specific ministry to mind. Ask
God how much He would have you give financially to that person or
ministry. Find a way to give that amount today. If no one comes to mind
when you pray simply decide to give a certain amount to a certain person
or ministry.
EVENING PRAYER
PRAYER OF EXAMEN
10 MINS
40

SIMPLICITY
DAY 14
DAILY RHYTHM
MORNING PRAYER
10 MINS
BIBLE READING
JOHN 14
10 MINS
JOURNAL
10 MINS
UNIQUE PRACTICE
SIMPLICITY
Gather 5-10 items that you’re hanging onto but don’t really need. Take
them to a thrift store or some other local charity.
EVENING PRAYER
PRAYER OF EXAMEN
10 MINS
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FOLLOWING JESUS
DAY 15
DAILY RHYTHM
MORNING PRAYER
10 MINS
BIBLE READING
JOHN 15
10 MINS
JOURNAL
10 MINS
UNIQUE PRACTICE
SIMPLICITY
You’re half way through the booklet! As a way to grow in living more
simply make the commitment to not buy anything new (besides absolute
essentials) for the last 15 days of this journey.
EVENING PRAYER
PRAYER OF EXAMEN
10 MINS
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DISCIPLINE FOUR
FASTING
Jesus doesn’t command his followers to fast. If He
did, a failure to fast would be sinful. Nevertheless, Jesus
does expect His followers to fast. He said to his disciples
“when you fast” not “if you fast.” Fasting, in its traditional
sense, is going without food for a time with the desired
purpose of prayer and seeking God. In a day and age of
over consumption and slavery to bodily impulses, fasting
can be a powerful, counter-cultural act for the follower of
Christ. Fasting is a profound statement to God, yourself,
and the world that you long for God’s presence, power
and nearness, more than the comforts of food.
The benefits of fasting are numerous, including but
not limited to: increasing your spiritual sensitivity to
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FASTING
God, engaging powerfully in spiritual warfare, exposing
and dealing with hidden sin that lays buried under the
the weight of constant snacking and creature comforts
and, sometimes, an increased awareness of God’s
presence. In this last sense, fasting is not a refusal to feast;
rather, it is a choice to feast on the joy of God’s presence.
Perhaps this is what Jesus meant when, after missing
lunch, he told his disciples, “I have food to eat that you
know nothing about.” (John 4:32) To quote Sam Storms,
“Fasting is all about eating, of a sort. Fasting is feasting
on God, drawing deeply on His goodness, gazing on his
beauty, and trusting Him to do for us what we could
never remotely expect to do on our own. The reason we
don’t eat is to help us focus on the energy that comes
from God.” 2
There are many different types of fasts that last for
all different lengths of time. There is a fast without food
and drink, which can only last for a short period of time,
unless miraculously sustained by God as in the case with
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FOLLOWING JESUS
Moses. This type of fast is not a helpful model for the
beginner.
More popularly, there is fasting from food for a
period of time, but still drinking liquids like juices,
smoothies or water. This is a great type of fast to try for
24 hours from evening to evening. If you plan on fasting
without food for more than a day, keep in mind that the
first day or two will be the hardest, and then you will be
surprised by how your body adapts. By day three the
hunger pangs will diminish significantly. When coming
off a food fast, especially one extending for several days,
don’t gorge yourself on fatty foods. Start with fruits or
greens and slowly work your way back to your normal,
everyday diet of Chipotle and Cheetos.
There is also fasting from certain forms of
entertainment or activities, devoting the time usually
spent engaging these platforms to prayer and spiritual
disciplines. Given how addicted we can be to our phones,
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FASTING
and considering the studies that indicate the amount
of depression and increased anxiety this specific habit
brings into our lives, this may be a challenging, but
extremely beneficial, type of fast to try out for a time.
A media fast can be a powerful way of detoxing from
the values of the world that we are constantly bombarded
with through social media and marketing; in addition to
being a far safer fast for those who struggle with binging,
purging, or any other type of eating disorder. This type
of media fast, especially from our phones, is also a better
option for those of us with physical conditions that make
going without food dangerous or unhelpful.
Though a foreign concept to many of us, fasting is
a wonderful spiritual discipline that brings all kinds of
benefits into our lives. But it is not always easy so we
leave you with this last piece of encouragement. Give
fasting a try, but don’t try it alone, especially if you have
never fasted before. Fast with friends for the purpose of
encouragement and support.
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FOLLOWING JESUS
DAY 16
DAILY RHYTHM
MORNING PRAYER
10 MINS
BIBLE READING
JOHN 16
10 MINS
JOURNAL
10 MINS
UNIQUE PRACTICE
FASTING
We encourage you to give up any 6 meals over the next 5 days. You can
decide if you would like to do 2 full days, or breakfast and lunch 3 days.
Take time today to plan out your week. Pray about when you should fast
and what approach you should take.
EVENING PRAYER
PRAYER OF EXAMEN
10 MINS
48

FASTING
DAY 17
DAILY RHYTHM
MORNING PRAYER
10 MINS
BIBLE READING
JOHN 17
10 MINS
JOURNAL
10 MINS
UNIQUE PRACTICE
FASTING
Pick 1 food item to give up for the remainder of this 5 day period (ie.
coffee, sugar, dairy, chocolate, bread, etc.) Pick something that’s not
overly burdensome but pick something that’s unique to you. Alternatively,
you may want to choose to not eat out for the remainder of the 5 days.
EVENING PRAYER
PRAYER OF EXAMEN
10 MINS
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FOLLOWING JESUS
DAY 18
DAILY RHYTHM
MORNING PRAYER
10 MINS
BIBLE READING
JOHN 18
10 MINS
JOURNAL
10 MINS
UNIQUE PRACTICE
FASTING
Fight the natural instinct to pick up your phone whenever there’s a down
moment in your day today. Take the in-between moments to pray.
EVENING PRAYER
PRAYER OF EXAMEN
10 MINS
50

FASTING
DAY 19
DAILY RHYTHM
MORNING PRAYER
10 MINS
BIBLE READING
JOHN 19
10 MINS
JOURNAL
10 MINS
UNIQUE PRACTICE
FASTING
Take the day off from saying anything critical. There are of course
situations in life where critique is helpful; but today abstain from all of it.
EVENING PRAYER
PRAYER OF EXAMEN
10 MINS
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FOLLOWING JESUS
DAY 20
DAILY RHYTHM
MORNING PRAYER
10 MINS
BIBLE READING
JOHN 20
10 MINS
JOURNAL
10 MINS
UNIQUE PRACTICE
FASTING
Take the day off from social media.
EVENING PRAYER
PRAYER OF EXAMEN
10 MINS
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FOLLOWING JESUS
DISCIPLINE FIVE
SERVICE
Do to others as you would have them do to you. Lots
of people don’t realize Jesus of Nazareth is the one who
said this famous adage, but He is. (Luke 6:31) Our Savior
taught so clearly on considering the needs of others.
He also famously said loving our neighbors is second
only to loving God Himself. (Mark 12:31) After Jesus’
resurrection, Paul wrote to the church and encouraged
them to imitate Jesus. He wrote, “Do nothing out of
selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value
others above yourselves… (Phillipians 2:3)
This is the way of Jesus.
To do nothing out of selfish ambition.
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Most of us feel so far from living out this call.
However, if we are open to the Holy Spirit’s work, we
can become more like Jesus. Another discipline we hope
to awaken in our lives is the discipline of service. It is
important to embrace the process and recognize that
growing in humility and becoming Christlike through
our actions is a journey. And part of that journey involves
cultivating the discipline of service.
The discipline of service is about intentionally
treating others the way you would like to be treated,
and choosing to consider other people’s needs as more
significant than your own.
This type of practice doesn’t happen by accident. It
needs to be cultivated, which is why we are calling it a
discipline.
Sometimes planning out acts of service seems
ingenuine or contrived, but be encouraged that there is a
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genuineness in the fact that you desire to be transformed
by Christ.
As you decide to serve people around you, ask the
Holy Spirit to kill selfishness in you, and show you where
you can grow to be more like Christ.
Our prayer is that as you step out in the following
acts of service you’d find yourself more aware of God’s
heart for people and more aware of the needs around you.
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DAY 21
DAILY RHYTHM
MORNING PRAYER
10 MINS
BIBLE READING
JOHN 21
10 MINS
JOURNAL
10 MINS
UNIQUE PRACTICE
Bring someone a coffee today.
SERVICE
EVENING PRAYER
PRAYER OF EXAMEN
10 MINS
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SERVICE
DAY 22
DAILY RHYTHM
MORNING PRAYER
10 MINS
BIBLE READING
EPHESIANS 1
10 MINS
JOURNAL
10 MINS
UNIQUE PRACTICE
SERVICE
Pick up litter every time you see it today.
EVENING PRAYER
PRAYER OF EXAMEN
10 MINS
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DAY 23
DAILY RHYTHM
MORNING PRAYER
10 MINS
BIBLE READING
EPHESIANS 2
10 MINS
JOURNAL
10 MINS
UNIQUE PRACTICE
SERVICE
Buy a less privileged person a meal today and engage in a meaningful
conversation with them.
EVENING PRAYER
PRAYER OF EXAMEN
10 MINS
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SERVICE
DAY 24
DAILY RHYTHM
MORNING PRAYER
10 MINS
BIBLE READING
EPHESIANS 3
10 MINS
JOURNAL
10 MINS
UNIQUE PRACTICE
SERVICE
Lighten the load of housework for someone today. (Make a meal, clean
the kitchen, etc.)
EVENING PRAYER
PRAYER OF EXAMEN
10 MINS
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FOLLOWING JESUS
DAY 25
DAILY RHYTHM
MORNING PRAYER
10 MINS
BIBLE READING
EPHESIANS 4
10 MINS
JOURNAL
10 MINS
UNIQUE PRACTICE
SERVICE
Schedule a time to visit someone who’s lonely or sick. Make sure you plan
it for a day before the end of the 30 days.
EVENING PRAYER
PRAYER OF EXAMEN
10 MINS
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DISCIPLINE SIX
CELEBRATION
‘God is a cosmic killjoy.’
‘God is the sort of chap that goes poking around
other people’s affairs with the expressed desire of ruining
their fun.’
‘God is anti-pleasure.’
The above sentiments represent a view of God
that many people today believe in on the basis of their
upbringing.
truth!
But in reality, nothing could be further from the
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CELEBRATION
When you open the pages of the Bible you encounter
an entirely different picture. The God of scripture
demands his people gather and celebrate together. We
worship the God who made wine “to gladden the hearts
of people” (Psalm 104:15); the God who holds pleasure
in His right hand forevermore (Psalm 16:11). When the
Son of God took on flesh His first miracle was to turn
water into fabulous wine at a party, all to save a young
couple from public shame and embarrassment (John
2:1-11). Not only that, Jesus continuously talked about
the kingdom of God as a celebration, a feast, a joyous
occasion, that everyone was invited to attend.
Sadly, the church hasn’t always embraced the
celebratory side of God’s kingdom.
But in a world that is bombarded with bad news on a
daily basis, in a day and age where depression and anxiety
are on the rise, we are called to be people who rejoice
always (Phillipians 4:4), who celebrate the goodness of
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God in the land of the living (Psalm 27:13), who live
with hope and vibrant expectancy that the best is yet
to come, and everything bad will one day come untrue
(Revelation 21).
And when we celebrate now: when we laugh until
we cry, when we smile until our faces hurt, when we join
hearts and hands to feast, and drink, and share our food
and resources with the least of these; when we do all of
the above, we offer our world a prophetic witness to the
abundant goodness of our God and the nature of His
coming kingdom.
So, learn to host good parties.
Learn to cultivate a joy that is too big to be squashed
by the awkward party guest.
Study the art of occasional levity.
Embrace a love that is big enough to laugh, even
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when a part of us knows there are always reasons to cry.
Do that and we will be a step closer, as a community,
to embodying the discipline of celebration that will make
the world take notice.
Set aside some time to celebrate this week. We
have given you something you can do each day for your
unique practice, but go above and beyond for the last five
days! Make plans with friends and consider inviting the
lonely and isolated along in what you’re doing.
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DAY 26
DAILY RHYTHM
MORNING PRAYER
10 MINS
BIBLE READING
EPHESIANS 5
10 MINS
JOURNAL
10 MINS
UNIQUE PRACTICE
CELEBRATION
Acknowledge 3 birthdays today in a personal way. Facebook can help
you out.
EVENING PRAYER
PRAYER OF EXAMEN
10 MINS
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CELEBRATION
DAY 27
DAILY RHYTHM
MORNING PRAYER
10 MINS
BIBLE READING
EPHESIANS 6
10 MINS
JOURNAL
10 MINS
UNIQUE PRACTICE
CELEBRATION
Identity someone who’s impacted your life positively and thank them by
writing them a one page letter. Try and deliver a hard copy rather than
emailing it.
EVENING PRAYER
PRAYER OF EXAMEN
10 MINS
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FOLLOWING JESUS
DAY 28
DAILY RHYTHM
MORNING PRAYER
10 MINS
BIBLE READING
2 PETER 1
10 MINS
JOURNAL
10 MINS
UNIQUE PRACTICE
CELEBRATION
Think of someone who works at a church that you don’t attend and find a
way to creatively appreciate them for what they’re doing.
EVENING PRAYER
PRAYER OF EXAMEN
10 MINS
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CELEBRATION
DAY 29
DAILY RHYTHM
MORNING PRAYER
10 MINS
BIBLE READING
2 PETER 2
10 MINS
JOURNAL
10 MINS
UNIQUE PRACTICE
CELEBRATION
Message someone who has impacted your spiritual walk with God. Note
how they did it and thank them for it.
EVENING PRAYER
PRAYER OF EXAMEN
10 MINS
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DAY 30
DAILY RHYTHM
MORNING PRAYER
10 MINS
BIBLE READING
2 PETER 3
10 MINS
JOURNAL
10 MINS
UNIQUE PRACTICE
CELEBRATION
Organize a gathering of family, friends or strangers and find a way to
celebrate each person that RSVP’s. We encourage you to do this with a
group of friends.
EVENING PRAYER
PRAYER OF EXAMEN
10 MINS
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APPENDIX
EXTRA
RESOURCES
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EXTRA RESOURCES
PRAYER OF
SUBMISSION
We encourage you to make the following prayer of
submission a habit. It is an awesome way to start each
day.
Hold your hands in these specific positions / postures
to mirror your intention to live these vows out today.
FIRSTLY, HANDS UP. SURRENDER.
“I choose to hold up my hands as a symbol of
surrender. My life is not about me, I surrender
to your Lordship. I surrender my preferences, prejudices
and position to you. My fears, finances, friends and
family to you.”
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SECOND, HANDS OUT. GENEROSITY.
“I choose to hold out my hands as a symbol
of generosity. What I have is not mine. I am
only a steward of all that you have given me. I want to
mirror the way the you have opened your hand to us and
lavished your love and life upon us. I want to live an open
handed life in a closed fist culture.”
THIRDLY, HANDS FORWARD. MISSION.
“I choose to hold my hands forward as
a symbol of mission. I want to live for
something greater than me. I want to embrace your
kingdom mission. I want to embrace and welcome your
mission to the lost, last, least and lonely - the poor,
powerless, privileged and persecuted.”
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PRAYER OF
EXAMEN
The church father Ignatius did this prayer exercise
regularly and we encourage you to do it each evening.
Ask yourself this set of questions.
1. Look back on your day with the Holy Spirit. The day
may seem confusing to you. Ask God to help you
understand it and how to learn from it.
2. Review the day with gratitude. Look for the good
in the day, how God was present to you through
people, places, and things. Pay attention to the small
things because God is in the details.
3. Pay attention to your emotions. What were your
feelings today? Happiness? Sadness? Boredom?
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Anger? Confidence? Frustration? What is God
saying to you through these feelings?
4. Choose one feature of the day and pray from it. Ask
the Holy Spirit to direct you to something during the
day that God thinks is particularly important. Look
at it. Pray about it.
5. Look toward tomorrow. Ask God to give you light
for tomorrow’s challenges. Seek God’s guidance,
help, and understanding. Pray for hope.
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EXTRA RESOURCES
PRAYER LIST
Make a list in your journal of 5-10 situations you
want to commit to prayer. Take time each day to pray for
the situations on your list.
Colossians 4:2 says we should devote ourselves to
prayer being watchful and thankful. This verse introduces
a great rhythm and mindset for us when we pray. First,
we should devote ourselves to prayer. Devotion to prayer
means we prioritize it, disciplining ourselves to do it
regularly. Few things are more important than developing
a routine that makes space for prayer.
Second, this verse commands us to be watchful.
At times we pray but then forget to watch for how God
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will answer. One way to devote yourself to prayer is to
make a list of people and situations that you can bring
consistently before God. Look at this list regularly because
looking is a part of the watching. Don’t just pray for the
items on the list; watch the situations closely for glimpses
of how God is answering your prayers. As you do this
you will become more aware of how God is answering
your prayers. Watchfulness like this naturally leads to
the third part of this verse which tells us to be thankful.
Watchfulness and thankfulness really do go together!
When we watch it is easier to thank God because we
become aware that He isn’t aloof and uninterested, but is
rather engaged and interested in answering our prayers.
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4 TOOLS FOR
INTERPRETATION
LEARN THE CONTEXT
Pay attention to the original context into which the
God-inspired writer is speaking. A good principle of
Biblical interpretation is, “The Bible can never mean what
is never meant.” Our goal is to find out what the author
was communicating to the original audience, and then
apply it to our lives and culture. A Bible commentary can
be helpful in this undertaking, or a good Study Bible.
LET THE REST OF THE BIBLE HELP YOU READ PARTS
OF THE BIBLE
Another general principle for reading the Bible is,
“Allow scripture to interpret Scripture”. For example,
Ecclesiastes 9:7 says, “Go, eat your food with gladness, and
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drink your wine with a joyful heart, for it is now that God
favours what you do.” Read by itself this text could be used
to promote drunkenness. This is where scripture helps
interpret scripture. In Ephesians 5:19, the apostle Paul
writes, “Do not get drunk on wine (or beer or hard liquor),
which leads to debauchery. Instead, by filled with the
Spirit.” Ecclesiastes 9:7 should, therefore, be understood
to encourage the believer to enjoy God’s good creation,
which includes wine (Psalm 104), but not abuse it. The
rest of the Bible teaches that alcohol should be consumed
in moderation at an appropriate age if conscience permits
(Ecclesiastes 9:7, Psalm 104:15, Romans 13:1, Romans 14)
LOOK FOR JESUS IN THE TEXT
Jesus claims on multiple occasions that the entire
Bible is about Him (Luke 24:27, John 5:39-40, 46-47).
Even the Old Testament is pointing towards Jesus. Jesus
is our high priest, our sacrifice for sins, and the temple
in which the presence of God fully dwells. Whenever we
read of sacrifices, the priesthood, or the temple in the
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EXTRA RESOURCES
Old Testament, our hearts and minds should be drawn
towards Jesus.
ENTER INTO THE STORY
If you are reading a story in the Bible, use your
imagination and seek to place yourself in the narrative.
How would you feel if you were in a similar situation?
Can you identify with any of the characters and the
emotions they may be experiencing? Does the story
speak to anything you have experienced in the past, or
are experiencing in the present?
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BIBLE READING GUIDE
S.O.A.P.
S.O.A.P. is a helpful format for reading your Bible
and journaling your thoughts and prayers. Each letter
represents a section to write in your journal. Use this
method as you read your Bible each day, even if you only
have time to make 1 or 2 observations.
What does S.O.A.P. stand for?
S - SCRIPTURE
Take time to physically write out the scripture you’re
reading. You’ll be amazed at what God will reveal to you
just by taking the time to slow down and actually write
out what you’re reading.
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O - OBSERVATION
What do you see in the verses that you’re reading?
Who is the audience? Is there any repetition of words?
What words or phrases stand out to you? Take some time
to write out any interesting observations you may have
while reading.
A - APPLICATION
This is when God’s word gets personal. What is
God saying to you through this scripture? How can you
apply what you just read to your own personal life? What
changes do you need to make? Are there any actions you
need to take?
P - PRAYER
Once you’ve completed the other sections, take time
to pray about anything God may have revealed to you
through the text.
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Endnotes
1 Henri Nouwen: Show Me the Way: Daily Lenten
Readings, p.67, 19922
2 Sam Storms, Practicing the Power: Welcoming
the Gifts of the Holy Spirit in your Life, p.57
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