2nd 40 Day Fast Journal

Days 31-40

Day 31:

Today was super. It was Thursday. One of my guitar students called and couldn't do his lesson. His mom wants to skip the month of August. They want to pick up in September. Sounds good.

My other student hasn't been practicing much, but I think she will, now. She's getting better, but needs to practice more.

I weighed 153, today.

I did my 30/30/30. My worship was in the van. My Bible reading was from Genesis. I read Genesis 27 to 33. I read a huge Bible study on wives' roles. It taught me a lot and I'm going to put it on my web page. I'm also going to put one on there about men's roles.

My praying was spent in my chair and with Sarine. Yeehaw, I did another 30/30/30, today! Praise the Lord.

I got Sarine 5 red roses! They are beautiful. The florist put them in a bouquet with some baby's breath and green something. Looked great and she was stoked.

Sarine got hired at another daycare job! This was a total answer to prayer. Her current job is shutting down and she was going to have to look for work. I knew God would bring her something awesome and He did. All we have to do is pray and have faith.

This job provides benefits and full time hours! It's a very nice and new daycare, too. The director is taking a class with Sarine at Mira Costa College.

This is probably too much information, but I've been having small bowel movements nearly every day. I suppose my body is just using fat to fuel itself and it breaks it down into waste. So, if you fast like this, be prepared! It wasn't loose; praise the Lord.

I'm starting to get very low on my liquid vitamins. Therefore, I've been skipping it. I'll probably start taking it again soon. I just want it to last. I especially want to have it on my last few days when I'm the weakest.

Day 32:

I had a dream last night. All I can remember from this dream is that I received another car for free. I didn't need it, so I was selling it for $1000.

Today was an interesting day! I drove to Pasadena to get some work done on my van. Sarine's uncle owns a shop and he installed new brake pads, flushed the radiator and did a couple other things. It runs great, now! Praise the Lord.

I waited there for about 4 hours while he did the work. In this time, I read from three of my books: The Secrets of the Vine, A Woman Rides the Beast and I did a chapter in my Revelation Bible study. I only have one more chapter in this Bible study! When I'm finished, I'm doing the one on Psalms. My other part of Bible studying was done when I read a big lesson called, "God's Pattern for Husbands". This was such a great lesson that I decided to put it on my web site.

Tonight, I copied and cropped two lessons. One for husbands and one for wives. It was about time I put something like this on my site! I just realized that I needed to have a site on the Doctrine of the Trinity. Some people don't understand it. Of course, the Bible mentions Jesus, God and the Holy Spirit. I hope this link helps lots of people.

I began my advertizing with the San Diego, Union-Tribune, today. For some reason, the main page received 59 hits. This is a great number, but I was hoping it would receive a couple hundred hits. I'm praying that we see many more, tomorrow.

I was 153 pounds, today.

I did my worship in my van. I drove around 200 miles, today, so I had plenty of time to sing!

My van ran out of gas on the way home! I was only about 2-3 miles from my off ramp in Oceanside and the van stopped! I pulled to the side of the freeway and put my flashers on. Eventually, the van rolled to a stop. I was listening to the Padres game, so I wasn't worrying or anything. I was also praying that God would help me make it.

After the van stopped completely, I put it in park and started the engine. It worked! This helped me drive about two miles. I could see the gas station and off ramp, now, and the van stalled again. Well, I kept praying and pulled over. I put it in park, again, and the engine started again! Praise the Lord. It had enough gas to get me to the gas station. I was thankful I didn't have to push the van or walk to the gas station. I had a light that came on when I was running low on gas. Apparently, this light has burned out. I guess I'm glad I found this light was out in a situation like this instead of some dark night in the middle of nowhere.

Tonight, I sent the June 2001 Newsletter to the world. This letter tells about JCSM, the growth of the ministry and how people can help. I pray that God generates lots of donations through it and mainly through His power and grace. I hope people are encouraged about JCSM reaching so many people. This is an awesome and growing ministry! In the last month, we have averaged 100 new email addresses each day! Wow, huh?!

Sarine was very happy, today! It was great to see her smiling and giggling so much. She's usually happy, but she was extra happy, today. I think she was happy to see me, happy to see the roses I got her yesterday, happy to talk to her family and just experiencing God's love through her joy. Praise God. She's a sweetie.

I have a bunch of books coming in the mail! I have found them through eBay and Half.com. I was never an avid reader, but the Bible and solid end times books have gotten my attention. Plus, Bible study books are grabbing me, too. These are some of the books I've ordered: "Eschatology" by Tony Evans, "The Magog Invasion" by Chuck Missler (I already read my pastor's copy, but I wanted one for myself), "Earth's Final Days" by Chuck Missler, "Global Peace and the Rise of Anti-Christ" by Dave Hunt, "The Apocalypse Code" by Hal Lindsay and "Vladimir Zhirinovsky" by Scot Overbey. Interesting, huh?! Oh yeah, I also won two books on eBay. They are by Dave Hunt, too. "The Seduction of Christianity" and one other. Shoot, the name is escaping me. I'll remember when it gets here! All of these books were bought very inexpensively. They ranged from $1 to $6 per book! Thank God for the internet and how it has given us great things (through God's design and grace).

Day 33:

Today, I weighed 152 pounds.

I had lots of fun, today! My wife and I slept in, went to the Wild Animal Park and saw Skillet perform at the Calvary Chapel Bible College in Murrieta! We also did some web work like finding new names for the devotions, adding people to the list per their request, removing names from the list, etc.

Sleeping in was awesome. I woke up at 7:30 and almost stayed up! I asked God what to do and barely decided that I needed some more sleep. I'm glad I got more sleep because driving to Pasadena and back, yesterday, had drained some of my energy.

In part, the pollution gets to me. Several times, as I've been driving, my stomach has cramped. I think it cramps due to the smog and pollution on the freeways. It makes me breathe lighter and when I don't get enough air (or I breathe bad air), my stomach hurts. This usually doesn't happen to me, so my body must be craving good air because of this fast.

Sarine began a three day fast, today. She is having nothing but water and some fruit juices. She had a headache for most of the day. She tends to get headaches when she fasts. I prayed to God and asked for them to go away, so he eased the pain.

The Wild Animal Park was incredible! There were so many awesome animals. Rhinoceroses, tigers, condors, vultures, flamingos, monkeys, gorillas, deer, zebras, giraffes, snakes, squirrels, ibex, goats, muskrats and many more animals. The WAP is one of the greatest animal parks or zoos in the world. We took a tram around the entire park and saw a lot of the animals. Afterwards, we walked through a couple exhibits and saw some more animals.

God is such an awesome creator. He knew exactly what He was doing when He made these animals. If they had been made differently or poorly, they would have died a long time ago. They would have been hunted and killed or their offspring would have been feeble and handicapped. However, every gene was made whole and perfect by God, so they are made healthy and capable. Incredible.

Oh yeah, Sarine and I accidentally went over our allotted balance on one of our credit cards. They gave us a $29 charge for it, too. We called the company and after I had prayed that God would remove the charge, I asked them to remove it and they did! Praise the Lord. It was the first time we had went over the limit and God just decided to have grace on us. Woohoo!

Skillet played a sweet show! We got great seats, too. Actually, we stood in the middle of the stage. We were only like 3 rows back. The band really rocked and brought us into a great time of worship with "Shout to the Lord", "Best Kept Secret", "More Faithful", "Locked In A Cage", etc.

I did my 30/30/30, today! I prayed at night. I worshiped at the show and I read Genesis 33 through 41. I was really enjoying Genesis! There are really rich and interesting stories in there. I can't remember ever simply picking up the Bible and reading like this. It's great to see the chronology and history of God's people and plan. There are so many things to learn and understand. I just finished reading a little about Joseph's reign in Egypt. I hope I continue reading, soon!

Day 34:

I weighed 150 pounds, today.

I had an awesome dream last night. I remember all kinds of weird details.

I was staying in a room, in a house, and there were other guys living there. One guy that lived there was Barry Watson from the show 7^th Heaven! People at Santa Fe Christian, Tri-City Christian (and other places) have said I look like Barry Watson. However, in this dream his name was Phil.

I was going through my mail and I got a check for $157.60! This was just enough to pay my rent for this month. In reality, I'm short about that much, too! Perhaps this is a prophetic part of my dream. Also, I was happy that I could go to the bank and cash two checks at once. As I thought about it, I came to the conclusion that my first check (in my wallet) was from Union Bank and this one was from Bank of America. Therefore, I was going to have to go to two banks to cash them both.

I had a bunch of baseball cards. There were four cardboard boxes, but only some of them had cards in them. These boxes were the kinds you buy from baseball card stores and they have rows for cards.

One box had only corn in it! There was only a little corn, too. This box was sitting very close to a bunch of strawberries and actually on a couple of them. I threw this box away.

Another box had only one, little piece of gum in it. The gum was in a yellow wrapper. I threw the gum into one of my other boxes and threw that box away. I knew I was fasting and didn't want to have gum on my fast.

The other two boxes actually contained baseball cards. I went through them and found lots of rookies and cards from 92 and 93 (Score, Fleer, Donruss and Topps - the four major baseball card companies when I collected cards).

These cards where on a table, in the garage of my parents' house! It was odd to be living in a house of guys and having my parents' garage and table. Nonetheless, that is what I dreamed.

I was looking through my cards for good ones and found one with Phil's picture on it! There was also one with Steve Wiggins on it! Steve Wiggins was a rated rookie, but I think Phil's was simply a rookie card. Steve Wiggins is the lead singer from Big Tent Revival.

There was something odd about Phil's card. It didn't have his real name on it. It read something like "Filophrangel". I can't remember the last name, but I know it was something foreign, too.

As I was looking at his card, he entered the garage! I thought about it for a minute, then decided to ask him about it. He had never told me that he played Major League Baseball! When I brought it to his attention, he was stone faced and in awe. He acted like he hadn't seen that card in awhile. Phil quickly grabbed it from me and examined it closely. He said thanks and went to put it in his collection, so I asked him why it had a different name on it. He said that it said "Phil". The card obviously contained the long version of his shortened name, Phil.

I asked him about it's worth and he said it was worth .40 (40 cents). When I looked at him, he had tears welling up in his eyes. I told him the card was going to go up (I don't think the price of the card was why he was sad. I think it was because he wasn't playing professional baseball any more). He agreed and said they always go up. I asked him if I could have it back because I wanted to save it. He returned it and left the room.

Earlier in my dream, I had found a Donruss card of Phil's. It was also his rookie card. Now, I had found his Fleer rookie card.

There is one more part of this dream that I remember. Before my interaction with Phil, I had been in my bedroom. It was a little messy because there was a big, L-shaped desk in it. This desk wasn't mine and there were a bunch of chairs (some broken) and photo albums and pillows around it. I stacked the chairs, put them under the desk and cleaned up the area. Interestingly, there was a single foot print (it was fake and probably plastic or something), with some fake dirt around it! It was really odd and I was wondering why it was here. Nonetheless, when I cleaned up the area it looked much nicer and I had much more room. I wondered, though, if anyone was going to get upset at me for moving their things.

Before I begin interpreting this dream, I must say something. Last night, I was reading from Genesis and I read the parts about Joseph interpreting the dreams of the baker, the butler and Pharoah! They were quite interesting. It's probably no coincidence that I had this dream after reading about dreams last night!

Last night, just before I prayed and went to bed, I was looking through eBay for Tony Gwynn rookie cards. This could be why I dreamed about baseball cards. Tony Gwynn is a future Hall of Famer. I bidded on a bunch of his cards, but didn't win any.

If I had to look for a deeper meaning here, perhaps Phil was adjusting to his life without the fame of baseball. Tony was going to have to do this, on some level, after he retires. Further, I have chosen a humble life of ministry and teaching and I may not experience the fame that a baseball player would have.

The baseball card boxes with corn and gum were interesting. Plus, we can't forget the strawberries. Right now, I'm going to pray and ask God what these mean. Ok, God says the corn and strawberries symbolize the things I will be able to eat after my fast is over. I like both foods quite a bit, in fact, I have strawberries in my freezer!

The gum symbolizes a "food" that I could eat, now and after the fast, but choose to avoid. Right now, the gum is symbolizing itself - gum. However, when my fast is over, the gum symbolizes candy, fatty foods, fried foods, etc. I will be allowed to have those things, but I won't want them and I will try my best to avoid them. Further, I have chosen not to eat gum on my fasts. I just don't think it is something God would want me to have. Plus, it could make me hungrier by causing my digestive juices to flow.

Lately, I've written a post-fast diet. I'll post this on my fasting web page. I'm praying that I adhere to it as religiously as I've adhered to my fasting guidelines. My health will be improved if and when I do. Two days ago, we printed it and put it on the refrigerator.

At the Skillet concert last night, Sarine and I saw a little girl and I thought she looked just like the little girl from 7^th Heaven. This could be part of the reason why Barry Watson was in my dream. He's this girl's older brother. This show is about a pastor's family. It is one of the few shows I watch on television. It had to grow on me, though, because I didn't like it at first. It seems too contrived and not exciting enough. However, the kids are very sweet and the pastor is cool, so I've began liking it.

Steve Wiggins was in my dream because I heard a guy play his "Choose Life" song at the Skillet concert. Before Skillet came on, they had some worship, a couple of skits, a gospel message and an altar call. During the altar call, some guy played a great rendition of "Choose Life". Incidentally, I had seen and heard Steve play this song and others about a week and a half ago.

Steve is an awesome musician and his songs are fun and powerful. I think he is a good role model. This is why I saw him as a famous baseball player (rated rookie). Plus, he should be famous in Heaven. I'm sure he has led many souls to the kingdom with his music and love for God.

I suppose that is the kind of fame we should desire. We should want to be so in love with God that we generate such great eternal riches, we're famous in Heaven! Fame on Earth will quickly pass. Who would really want to have their name etched on the sidewalk in Hollywood, anyhow? When I die and look down from Heaven, I wouldn't be very fulfilled if I knew that I used my time and energy to be famous on a dying Earth that wasn't even my home.

We should want to be famous in our home, not Satan's home. Praise the Lord.

I went to my men's accountability group, today. It was great to talk to the guys. They are interesting and godly. It's fun to see them growing up.

I like praying for them and hearing about their struggles and triumphs. It's fun to share my situations, too. Praise God for Christian fellowship. The things we talk about are held in confidence, so we feel like we can share anything; and usually do.

Tonight, Sarine and I went to The Rock Church. Miles was speaking and he told us about his trip to Africa. He had a blast and led many to Christ! Praise the Lord. I took a lot of notes, in church, and they are with my quotes for the week.

I did my 30/30/30. I did my worship in church, prayer at home and Bible reading/studying at church.

Day 35:

I weighed 150, today.

Last night, I had an interesting dream. One part had me getting an oil drain plug for my van (which in reality, I need a new one). I was looking under the van and trying to find where to install it. There was a little hole near the tire. The tire lifted up like a leg of a mechanical being! It showed me the hole and where to put the plug!

This was odd because if the other plug was missing, there would be no oil in the van. This isn't the case (in reality). There is a plug in the oil pan, but the threads are awfully stripped. Odd, huh?!

There was a little more to this dream, but I can't remember it all. I wish I could remember; maybe I'll remember more later.

Incidentally, I went to Pep Boys and bought the drain plug I needed, today. When I got to Pep Boys, I remembered this part of the dream. I bought the plug and a copper gasket.

I'm almost done with "A Woman Rides the Beast". It's an awesome book. I'm glad I could read it. Today, I got three books in the mail. They are "The Magog Invasion" (which I've read), "Earth's Last Days" and "Apocalypse Code". Praise God! I was praying that I'd get some new books before Spirit West Coast! I'll enjoy reading the new stuff.

Today, I went to the Post Office and got my tickets to Israel! They were sent to me in certified mail and they didn't walk them to my door; they just stuck a note in my mailbox and it said to get them at the Post Office. I was excited to get them.

I noticed that we have a 12 hour layover in Zurich, Switzerland! On the internet, I researched the transportation, dining and other aspects of Zurich. It should be a fun 12 hours! We'll have to see and do as much as possible.

While I was at the Post Office, I was reading my Bible in line. It took me about 20-30 minutes to get to the front of the line. A guy behind me named Steven asked me if I was reading the Bible (Psalm 23 and Proverbs 23). I said "yes" and talked to him about the Word.

First, I asked him if he was a believer in Christ. He said "yes", but he doesn't go to church much. I told him I was a minister and have shared the gospel with 10's of thousands of people on the internet. God led me to keep talking to him about all kinds of things! Many of them were things I had been learning lately.

I told him about the Bible being the only prophecy book. From Zechariah 12, I read the prophecies about Israel. It says how Israel will be a burdensome stone for all nations. We are seeing this today!

We talked for awhile (he listened, mainly) and I mentioned a few more things like the fallen angels impregnating the human women and their offspring being giants. It was an interesting verse in Genesis.

I told him about the UFO phenomenon and how the "aliens" always talk about having a one world government and they never give us a cure for cancer or poverty. They simply want to tell us about the anti-Christ's plan.

Praise God that I could share with him! I gave him my card, shook his hand and ended up leaving him. I was thankful that the people around me could hear about God's Word, too!

The last thing I said was how God wins in the end. I mentioned that having faith in Jesus Christ will save us. It was a great ending to an somewhat unnerving rhetoric about end times prophecies and destruction.

Tonight, I emailed a Catholic man several times. We kept emailing each other. He is an avid and fairly knowledgeable guy. It's great to plant seeds for Christ. The Catholic religion is very wrong and all of the research I've done screams it. This man seems very hard-hearted, though.

In my last message, I decided to tell him about the impending judgment of God if he didn't leave the Catholic Church and doctrines. I'm not afraid to tell about God's promises in His Word, however, I usually don't talk about His judgment (with tenacity) until someone has closed their ears so tightly that God's Word isn't opening them. I pray that the truth about God's judgment of unbelievers will change him.

Tonight, I wrote the devotions and sent them. It was our largest message and it was sent to the largest number of people ever. The message was nearly 16 pages and it was sent to approximately 20,300 people, in two languages, in 99 countries! This internet ministry is peaking and I'm thankful. I'm not sure if peaking is the right word because I know God will keep prospering it and increasing it. I've been praying for huge growth and looking for ways to help it grow. Right now, the main web site is averaging over 70 hits a day! Praise the Lord.

I did my 30/30/30. The worship was done in my van. The praying and Bible reading was done as I prepared the devotions. It took me quite awhile to prepare and send them. My computer froze a couple of times, so I know the devil was against this ministry. I was faithful to keep trying to get them sent and God provided a way. Perseverance payed.

Day 36:

Today has been a nice day.

I weighed 150 when I woke up.

I received another book in the mail, today. "Global Peace and the Rise of Antichrist" was delivered! This Dave Hunt book will be really fun to read. I like Hunt's thorough writing style. It's very readable. Ironically, I had ordered it from the library and it just arrived, today! I might check it out, so I can keep my old copy on the shelf. It doesn't need any more wear or tear.

I checked a lot of emails, today. Many people responded to the devotions. Some were very pleased and others were upset. Some emailed me for the book I'm giving away. I told everyone that I was giving away a new copy of the first Left Behind book by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins! I was giving it away to the 7^th person who emailed me. I had about 8 or 9 email me, already, so I emailed the 7^th person and told them they won. Kim was excited and gave me her mailing address. I hope the book encourages her.

I love giving things away on the web! It's such a great place to offer free things. Next week, I'm going to offer a free Bible.

I confirmed my reservation at the Thrift Lodge in Seaside. It sounds like a great place! It is only a few miles from the beach and Spirit West Coast!

I did my 30/30/30, today. My worship was done in my van and at Bible study. I totally enjoy singing worship songs there!

Tyrone gave us a great message on Ezekiel 28. It explained Satan's fall. We also studied Revelation. Praise God for this Bible study. It's very fun and informative. I hope Tyrone stays on the path to God. He's a gifted guy with a lot of potential.

I did my praying at home. I sat in my chair and prayed. Sarine and I prayed together, too. It was great to pour out my heart to God.

God has been blessing me a lot! I'm really thankful for all the strength and sanctification I've been experiencing. This has been a great journey.

Day 37:

I weighed 150 pounds, today.

This morning, I woke up and read Genesis 43 through 48. These were some awesome stories about Joseph and his family. The Bible is so rich with details! No wonder people can make movies after the Bible. It's great to see how Joseph accepted his family; even after they sold him into slavery and nearly killed him.

Whew, I just drove 8 1/2 hours to Monterey! Sarine and I left at nearly 3pm and got here after 11pm. It was a heck of a drive. We drove about 435 miles!

I did my worship in the car. We listened to a ton of music. I also prayed for about 15 minutes in the car and 15 minutes in the hotel room.

Not a lot happened, today. We just drove and drove. I'll have a lot more to write over the next few days! We're going to see awesome bands and the Monterey Bay Aquarium. My fast will end on Saturday night at 12:15am.

Day 38:

I weighed 149, today.

I had a disappointing dream last night. I dreamt that I ate some food when I was on my 40 day fast. Currently, it's day 38 of the fast and I shouldn't be eating anything.

I was in some department store-type building and looking at shampoo. I found the shampoo I bought a few days ago and it looked very different than the actual shampoo I bought. Somehow, I convinced myself that I didn't buy the right shampoo! I bought some by Tressa, but it wasn't Pliance. It was in a different kind of bottle and it didn't smell as good! Someone even pointed this out to me.

While I was in this place, they were grilling food. Everyone left the room for a moment and I moved a metal spatula on the grill. It made a noises and revealed some little carrots! I've been craving hot carrots (in reality), so I think this was showing me something I want, but can't have.

As soon as I moved the spatula, an older, poofy-haired, blonde lady poked her head around the corner. She was the one operating the grill and she obviously wanted to see what I was doing.

When I looked at her, she motioned and conveyed to me that those carrots were for the rich lady who just walked in. I obliged and didn't touch them. However, a different woman walked into the room and put a burrito on a table that was in front of me! This burrito looked and smelled awesome. It had juicy steak, vegetables and rice in a flour tortilla! I knew it was for me, so I took a bite and loved it. It was so good!

As soon as I began eating, I wondered if this was allowed on my fast. Somehow, I began to justify it. I was trying to pass it off as vegetables (even when I'm not eating anything at all). Eventually, I realized that it was wrong to eat this and I began getting upset and convicted.

I think I woke up shortly after this happened. This dream was a little disturbing until I realized it was only a dream. Whew! I'm glad I didn't eat anything.

Sarine and I went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, today! There were all kinds of fish, anemones, otters, sharks, penguins and more! It was really incredible. I had been there a couple times, so I knew it was going to be awesome, again. We also saw a movie they had playing. The movie was about 15 minutes and a knowledgeable worker did a 15 minutes Q & A session. He taught us a lot about the Monterey Bay Canyon. There are is so much sea life in there! It's awesome to see the incredible things God created.

I learned something interesting. They called it the largest migration on Earth. Every night, a ton of deep water fish swim to the surface for food! This is a relatively new finding because we have equipment that can enter deep water, shine a light and record, now. I guess it makes perfect sense. I just never knew it before.

This was the first day of Spirit West Coast! After the aquarium, we went to the music festival. The first band we saw was Jennifer Knapp. She sounded awesome. She performed a mixture of older hits and new songs. She has a lot of energy, a great voice and a great rock n roll band!

After she sang, we heard a message from Dr. Charles Stanley. I've heard him speak before and he's great. He pastors a church in Atlanta.

It got really cold when he was finishing his message, so I had to leave. I missed the finale, but I wasn't that interested in hearing Jaci Velasquez, anyhow. I went to the car and home for awhile. I had to return and get Sarine. She decided to stay with her sister, Mom and Dad (who also drove to the festival). They heard a couple of comedians after Jaci performed.

I had a great time at home. I read about 5 chapters of Dave Hunt's book "Global Peace and the Rise of Anti-Christ". I also finished the last chapter of my Revelation Bible study. It was an awesome study. I'm going to begin studying the book of Psalms, next.

My worship was spent at Jennifer's show and in the car. I did over 30 minutes. The Bible study and message were my Bible study/reading time. Lastly, my prayer time was in the car, waiting for Sarine, and in the hotel. Ahhhhh. What a day!

God has been molding me quite a bit! It's great to see Him working in new ways in me. I suppose that He has helped me in some areas and now He's moving on to other areas. I see how this life is an ongoing process of growth. I'm definitely not "there" yet, but I'm not in any continual sins; except driving too fast on the freeway. Tonight, I was convicted about it. It's the one thing I can see that I need to stop. I'm going to make a large effort to slow down. I'm sure I can do it. Driving slower, I'm realizing, will happen when I don't mind if other cars pass me. It's easy and fun for me to be the fastest car (and definitely the fastest van) on the freeway. However, it's dangerous and not wise. I'll have a little more time to sing and my nerves will be eased as I drive slower. I pray I can do it!

Day 39:

I was 148 pounds, today.

Today was a ton of fun! We saw a bunch of concerts at SWC!

First, we saw Skillet play. They are one of my favorite bands. Their musical style, lyrics, personalities and outfits are awesome. Most importantly, they love Jesus and sing about Him. It's so cool to worship God with them.

John explained the song "Rest". It was written when they were in Scotland and had their music equipment stolen! They had $12,000 of gear stolen and John was feeling bummed. Him and his wife went to their room and she began playing a song on the keyboard. It turned into "Rest", which is a slow song, but their most "popular" tune.

Three days later, they equipment was found and the thief was arrested! It reminded me of when the thieves stole my things! God definitely doesn't want Christian musicians to be without their worship instruments. Retrospectively, it would be a terrible idea for anyone to steal a righteous person's instruments. God will punish the thieves and return the goods. In my case, I ended up buying a better acoustic guitar, got most of the cds that were stolen from my wife and friends, had my effects pedal and electric guitar returned to me and was issued a court ordered $2000 from the thief (over a period of time). Praise God for His ways. I knew God was going to be glorified in that situation. I actually gave Him thanks when it happened because I knew He had an awesome plan that I didn't know and couldn't see, yet. "In all things, give thanks". That scripture is why I gave thanks.

After we heard Skillet, we walked through a merchandise tent, heard The Benjamin Gate, Salvador, Supertones, Frank Peretti and the Newsboys! Whew, lots of fun! I didn't care too much for Salvador or the Supertones. However, The Benjamin Gate and Newsboys were incredible! I hope God blesses all those bands a lot. They really got us to rock out and praise God.

I drank lots of water, today. Since I was cold, yesterday, I brought an extra pair of socks and changed into my jeans a little earlier than before. I didn't get super cold and had no trouble staying until the finale was finished. Praise God. I know He kept me warm and safe.

Well, tomorrow is the 40^th day! This has been quite an adventure. Praise God that I'll be able to eat, again.

I tried to do my 30/30/30, today. My worship was done in the car and at the concerts. It was really awesome. Admittedly, I didn't finish my Bible reading. It was very unfortunate, too. I really wanted to do a 30/30/30 every single day. I heard a message from Dr. Stanley, but I'm not sure if I'd consider that 30 minutes of Bible reading and studying. Retrospectively, I'll consider it adequate. I guess I was just being too hard on myself. My praying was done at SWC and at the hotel.

See you tomorrow!

Oh yeah, I did plenty of dancing, head banging, arm raising and jumping around at the shows! I didn't really get tired, either. Of course, I felt a little fatigue, but anyone would have. I think God is really giving me extra energy. Praise Him. I hope I hang in there for one more day! I don't feel like I won't make it, I'm just realizing that my strength comes from Him. Without His helping hand, I would never have been able to do this fast.

Day 40:

Ahhh, the last day of my fast! This was an incredible day.

I was 148 pounds, today. I lost a total of 31 pounds on my fast. My waist was probably a 34 and now it's probably a 30.

Sarine and I had to wake up early, today, so we could make a 10:45am concert! This was a little hard because we had been getting a lot of sun, walking all over SWC, staying up late, singing, etc. Nonetheless, we woke up and made the Circadian Rhythm show! We were only a couple minutes late and missed half of their first song. "Hungry" was playing as we walked toward the tent. I could hear it from a distance and the Holy Spirit fell on me. Praise the Lord.

We got great seats and worshiped with Circadian Rhythm. These guys were intensely in love with God. It showed through their faces and attitudes. It was a really cool place to be.

After this show, I spent some time in prayer and heard Ryan Dobson (Dr. Dobson's son). This kid was really great! He taught us about suffering. He had great stories and biblical information. Ryan was funny, too. I hope God blesses him and his ministry.

When Ryan was nearly done, I left and went to the Tree63 concert. Tree63 is a Christian band from South Africa. They are three white guys (possibly missionary kids) who play guitar, bass and drums. The lead guitarist also sings. They were either missing someone or they simply recorded some loops and riffs to play with during their show.

This was another incredible experience. Both of these bands sing about Christ in a powerful way. Here are some of Tree63's lyrics: "Look what you've done for me, Your blood has set me free....it's not a question of what You can do for me, what can I do for You, my Lord?......my heart is where my treasure lies, my great reward is in your eyes......" There are tons more and you can read them on their web page: www.tree63.com.

After Tree63, I took a bus to Sarine's parents' campground. We parked there in the morning and I wanted to read the Bible and get some warm clothes. I read for about 30 minutes and finished Genesis and read the beginning of Exodus. Wow, I can tell that Exodus is going to be a really rich book! I can hardly wait to continue it. While I was at the campsite, I drank a lot of water, too. Incidentally, I brought suntan lotion and a jug of water for the first two shows. I knew my body would need them.

Around 4:30, I rode a bus to the concert stage. SonicFlood was playing at 5pm! We had incredible seats. Actually, we stood, but we stood at the very front and it was sweet. SonicFlood played a worshipful set. Next, 3^rd Day played a sweet group of songs. Both of these bands are releasing albums in the upcoming months. Should be worth my attention.

After those bands played, a speaker talked to us. His name was Ken Davis. He was all right. Not many people near me were paying attention, so it was hard to hear him and get into the message. Plus, everyone wanted the last band to play!

DC Talk decided to have three, separate concerts and come together for a grande finale show with the whole band. This was cool because each guy is doing a solo album and we got to hear their stuff. Kevin Max opened and he was using Johnny Macintosh (a local guitarist who played for Luna Halo)! Toby Mac was next and rocked the stage with some high octane rap and house music. Finally, Tait blistered our ears with some Christian rock n roll! I have Tait's album and it is encouraging and talented - a great purchase.

Sarine and I began counting the hours until my fast was over! There were only about 4 when the three bands had finished! I was feeling great and excited that I was almost done. With God's help, I had almost done the unimaginable. Praise God.

DC Talk played an awesome show. They got us jumping around and singing. They are a unique and awesome band. I love their diversity and music. Totally sweet. When they finished, Sarine and I caught a bus to the campsite and left SWC.

It was starting to get cold, but I remembered to wear a ski cap, heavy jacket, t-shirt, sweater, jeans, gloves and two pairs of socks. One girl made a little fun at me because I was dressed so warmly. I thought for a second and decided to tell her I was fasting. She asked about it and looked amazed and somewhat understanding. Hey, I'm just glad I kept warm!

Sarine and I went to Wendy's and I got two baked potatoes. It was around 11pm, so I wasn't able to eat them, yet. We took them to the hotel and cleaned up.

We started praying about 11:30 or 11:45pm. It was an awesome time of prayer. I felt God's presence with me. I prayed about life, ministry, relationships and everything else I could remember! It felt like I was closing the chapter in a long book; or even finishing a book and beginning another.

When I finished praying, it was 12:15 and my fast was over! Woohoo!!!!!!! Praise the Lord.

I broke my fast with a baked potato. I only ate one, but I also had a glass of fruit juice and some peanuts. I got full quickly. I felt a huge burst of energy, too! I hadn't felt a burst of energy like this for a long time. I think I had forgotten what it was like.

Sarine took a couple pictures of me. Shortly afterwards, I went to sleep! Praise God that I was able to do this again. I wonder if He'll call me to another 40 day fast. I wonder when He would want me to do this again. I'll have to listen closely to Him and do what He says.

I hope you enjoyed reading my fasting journals! God bless!

One more thing, I had a dream on the night my fast finished. Here is what happened:

Sarine was talking on the phone and she was in our house. However, our house was actually my parents' house! She was in the garage and I was in the house. She was working and talking at the same time. Incidentally, it was night time and she was wearing her pajamas.

I sensed something was wrong with her, so I walked into the garage and she was crying. I had told her the phone was for her and it was man with an Arabian accent. Apparently, she told him where we lived and she didn't know him. He was threatening to come over here and do something to her.

This was a rather disturbing dream. I don't remember much else about it. I'm not sure what it meant, however, I believe the fulfillment happened on the next day (the day I woke up and remembered the dream, Day 41). This exact situation didn't happen, but something remotely similar happened. Very odd how God works through dreams and tells me things that will happen. Dreams definitely demand consideration and interpretation.