United Fresno

OK, so I haven’t mentioned what we’ve been fasting from for the past couple of days because I wanted to not remind you and torture you. Truth is, you’re probably already thinking about how you’re going to get caught up on your favorite shows (hulu.com anyone?) or games (ESPN.com). Maybe you’ve even been giving your video game controllers knowing glances. OK…that was probably a bit too far.

But, there really this feeling that, man, without being able to connect to the world of entertainment, we are really missing out.

I think it’s important to realize, though, that Jesus’ prayer for us is definitely not something we want to miss out on. Here’s that same prayer from The Message paraphrase of the Bible…

“I’m praying not only for [My disciples] but also for those who will believe in Me because of [My disciples] and their witness about Me. The goal is for all of them to become one heart and mind— just as you, Father, are in Me and I in You, so they might be one heart and mind with Us. Then the world might believe that You, in fact, sent me. The same glory You gave Me, I gave them, so they’ll be as unified and together as We are— I in them and You in Me. Then they’ll be mature in this oneness, and give the godless world evidence that You’ve sent Me and loved them in the same way You’ve loved Me” (John 17:20-23).

This passage really speaks for itself. Are you starting to understand why the United movement is about way more than just making a mega youth camp? This is Jesus’ desire for His Church (big “C” meaning all of the Christians out there, not just a building at an address). He doesn’t want us to miss out on the maturity that can come from being “one heart and mind.”

One heart. One mind. Can’t lose…

“Jesus, I want to be part of the answers to Your prayers. I want to bring unity to Your Church here in my city. Father, I want to make Your name great at my school. God, I want You to be made known to the world through the way that I live my life. Amen.”

What if we all meant that prayer?

• At midnight tonight we are starting our meal fast. You can go a number of routes on this one. You could simply skip one meal per day (although, if you normally skip breakfast, eat breakfast and skip another meal). Or, perhaps you could substitute your meals with only fruits and vegetables (like Daniel did in the Bible). There are other kinds of fasts, but I would really recommend planning and talking to your youth pastor and parents before embarking on anything that could be a potential health risk.**