This one has been hard for me to come up with an experiment because it's so broad and vague!

But I've reflected on a couple of things this week:

1) As a mammographer working in a Cancer Center, I see people grieving over loss on a daily basis. Loss of a loved one to cancer, loss of the "old normal" when they receive the news that they have cancer. The struggle of the surgeries, the chemo and radiation treatments, the anxiety of retesting every few months, etc. And I'm pretty good at sensing when someone needs me to spend just a few minutes with them listening to their grief and empathizing with their loss.

2) I grieve the loss of our Christian heritage and moral values in this country. 50 years ago, most of our population considered themselves Christian, and the majority of people were at least associated with a Church. Our children were taught to respect God, their country, and their elders. Prayer was a normal part of the school day. Stores were closed on Sunday. I don't know if it was in honor of God or just that it wouldn't have been worthwhile to be open since most people considered Sunday a holy day, a day of rest.

3) I grieve the loss of a sense of individual responsibility in our country. I miss the days when most people believed that you should give an honest day's work for an honest day's pay. I hate the attitude that has become so prevalent - that the government owes people something for nothing, and you're entitled to get everything for free. Nothing is free in this world. Someone has to foot the bill somewhere!

It grieves me that we have moved so far from our heritage. It scares me the direction we're going. Spiritually and politically.

So I guess the rest of my week will be spent thinking about these things and

1) praying for those I know of who are experiencing loss
2) weeping over the sins of our country and asking God to be merciful to us although we certainly don't deserve it.
3) interceding for those who seem to want to turn our country into something that has been proven over and over again not to work. Asking God to restore a sense of individual responsibility into our society.

We're doing okay with the experiment so far, although it's been a challenge to stay out of the snacks in the evening.

I've had several opportunities to talk to others about this book and the "experiment" we're doing. It's been good.

It's also been a good reminder that all that we have really comes from God and we have and are nothing without Him.

And it's making us more aware of how rich we are in comparison to a lot of the world. All of our basic needs are met and abundantly more.

And yet so often we take it all for granted, like somehow it's owed to us. After all, we've worked hard to get where we are, right?

“God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for Him" - I can't get away from those words.

Sometimes I fear that by my attitudes and actions I deny my need for Him.

I pray that my heart will always know that I AM nothing, HAVE nothing and CAN DO nothing without God. And may my actions and attitudes always bear witness to that knowledge.

Mark & I have decided to "semi-fast" supper this week. By that I mean that our supper will be very minimal. A plain baked potato each tonight & tomorrow night (leftovers from Sunday's extravaganza!) - butter only, no extra toppings. A cup of rice each with only butter on Thursday and Friday night. We will take Wednesday night off as it's Veteran's Day and Mark gets a free meal at Applebee's!

We chose this because we figured that a lot of the underfed in the world survive on either rice or potatoes, so we thougth it would be a good analogy.

We aren't allowed to have anything else to eat after 3:00 p.m. each day except our baked potato or rice.

I'll report back later in the week with our progress and any "insights" we may have had through the week.

It's amazing how much we trust the electric company isn't it! Our power went out Sunday morning just as I was getting ready to take my shower. And yet, even as I was headed to the circuit box to make sure the breakers weren't blown, I flipped every light switch on the way there, expecting there to be light!

If only my faith in God's provision could be so strong!! And He alone can truly be trusted to keep His promises!!