14 DEC 2022

10 MAY 2022 · emphasize the importance of adhering to a keepable fasting rule — finding a sustainable rhythm that you can increase or modify over time. It may be tempting to go full-on “Jesus in the Wilderness” from Day 1, but wisdom requires knowing your limits. You don’t want to stress yourself to the breaking point — like certain monastic orders of the Middle Ages did — and exit your safe “hormetic zone.” Past a certain threshold, the negative stress of fasting can outweigh the beneficial “hormetic” stress. There is also a risk of succumbing to spiritual pride if you set your aims too high, and puff yourself up for achieving them. Learn more and get The Benedict Challenge: Finding Your Rhythm of Spiritual Intermittent Fasting on Gumroad: https://chdeist.gumroad.com/l/ShrVxR

3 MAR 2022 · What does the Bible Really Say About Fasting? Day 2 of the Benedict Challenge — A Return to Tradition. Every major religious tradition promotes the practice of fasting. I happen to be Catholic, but several commonalities can be gleaned from the plurality of religious literature and ancient traditions, which all point to the same universal principles. Modern people tend to see at fasting as a “life hack,” promoting tips and tricks on how to make it as easy as possible to make it to your “feeding window” without hunger. The Biblically-informed Catholic tradition, however, views fasting as a necessary preparation for an encounter with God – a view it shares with all of the Abrahamic religions. To be in the proper mindset for that encounter, one must undergo a period of spiritual and physical affliction. Read more: https://chdeist.medium.com/what-does-the-bible-really-say-about-fasting-fa447b5387fa Buy the course: https://chdeist.gumroad.com/l/ShrVxR

2 MAR 2022 · Today we begin a 40-day introduction to spiritual fasting, the Benedict Challenge. St. Benedict of Nursia, the founder of Western monasticism, lived during the collapse of the Roman empire (~500 AD) and felt compelled to provide a communal setting for Christians to avoid the chaos of this collapse. It was a grievous moment and as the Bible recounts in many instances, and fasting is one of the responses that we’re called to engage in when we have a grievous moment like this upon us. So Benedict fasted, and called on his brothers and sisters to do the same. My motivation for this challenge is that we face a crisis that we face multiple crises. There’s COVID-19 plus the on-going crisis of metabolic syndrome, which has played into a lot of the death from the pandemic. But also there’s a broader crisis in our culture, which has become hostile to people of faith. This course is meant for Christians, Catholics, or anyone who feels challenged by the current hostile culture – encouraging you to look first within and see what you can do in your own life to clean up your house; clean up your room. Buy the course: https://chdeist.gumroad.com/l/ShrVxR

26 FEB 2021

16 FEB 2021 · Jon Connors - the first sign up to the Benedict Challenge - joins me to review our plans for the next 40 day. ANaturalMethod.com/benedict