From the Moderator – Fletcher Farrar

Beginning with the Daniel Fast. As Daniel learned after refusing to eat the king’s food, courage grows.

As I have visit churches speaking about this year’s district conference them, “Give us the courage of Daniel,” I have heard stories of courage small and large. I have heard Brethren say that courage grows. Courage in one thing leads to courage in another; courage in small things leads to courage in greater things. Personal courage leads to group courage. There is a progression to learning that we can rely on God and not be afraid. Some are beginning a journey of courage with the Daniel Fast.

The Book of Daniel begins with the tale of Daniel’s “Trial by Vegetables.” As young men, Daniel and his three Hebrew friends were brought into the king’s court in Babylon and given all the privileges of the royal household. But they didn’t want to eat the king’s rich food. The palace master was afraid for his life if the young men’s health deteriorated, so Daniel offered a test. For 10 days the four would be given a diet of vegetables and water. Then they would be compared with the other young men who ate the royal ration of meat and wine. Much to the relief of the palace master, the Hebrew men who had passed up all the fat, cholesterol and calories appeared 10 times better than the others. Smarter too. This was the first act of defiance and protest by Daniel and friends, whose courage led them later to face the fiery furnace and the lions’ den.

At my urging, several in our churches have tried doing a Daniel Fast – only vegetables and fruits and water for 10 days. There are websites with elaborate rules – and even recipes -- for such a fast, along with some helpful do’s and don’ts. Fasters cut out caffeine, alcohol, sugar, breads and grains. But mostly it is simple. Fruits and vegetables and water.

Beth Carpentier, administrative assistant in our district office, was among the first to try this last fall. Then she persuaded her church, First Baptist in Canton, to try it during Lent, ending on Easter Sunday. “We did the Daniel Fast for 21 days,” Beth writes, “with 42 people participating. We used a daily devotional as a unit and many wonderful experiences came out of the period. Several people lost 20-plus pounds and I’ve heard two people say that it was an amazing time of healing. Things were pretty rough around the 10-day mark as cravings were kicking in, but we all mustered through! Thanks for bringing this fast to our attention. It’s been an amazing road of prayer, healing and personal spiritual growth.”

Jocelyn Watkins and her husband, Ed, of the Peoria church had a similar experience. Jocelyn writes: “This year we, Ed and I, chose to do the Daniel Fast...thanks to the Lord’s leading...partly through your sermon here in Peoria in December! It was a wonderfully powerful experience for the both of us. I reaped SO many physical benefits, from increased energy to weight loss, and spiritual benefits, from growing closer to God to not letting my stomach be my god, to increased clarity of thought. The Book of Daniel definitely came alive for me during the experience. It was wonderful to be able to put myself in Daniel’s shoes.”

Van Metzger of First Church , Springfield , (who happens to be Jocelyn’s mother) identified with Daniel after she became a Christian as a young woman in her native Vietnam , where ancestor veneration is a common religious practice. She and a cousin visited the home of her uncle. At mealtime he first placed the food on the home altar, offering it to the ancestors while saying ancestral veneration prayers, before bringing the food to the living family seated at the table. Van, just 20 years old, announced that as a Christian she would refuse to eat the food that had been offered to idols. Her break with her family on this issue brought questions and criticism. Her aunt did find some food at the bottom of the pots in the kitchen which she was able to eat. But there was joy in taking a stand for the one true God. She showed the courage of Daniel.