10:00 am

I’m not a breakfast eater anyway so up until now I haven’t had too much trouble on my fast. But, I walk in the break room of my office and see cookies and other sweets lying on the counter for anyone to take. I remind myself that each time I think of food I should remember why I am fasting.

Lord, for those whose eyes will read the words You place in this book, Father for them that deceive themselves into believing the lies of this world, Father for those that feel abandoned or alone and project this misery into a declaration of atheism, Lord, I ask that You set in motion now the events that will cause them to rethink, to receive, and to be reborn through the free gift of salvation.

10:30 am

Walking outside for my morning break I am confronted with the smell of all the downtown restaurants preparing their lunch menus.

Lord, so many people scurrying about. They don’t know I am fasting. It all smells so very delicious. So, Lord, there are many people scurrying about with resentment, anger, fear, hostility – all caused from something that You desire to heal them of. No one knows this about them. No one sees. Father, I ask in advance for those You will ordain to read this book to know they are not alone, to know that You are near, to receive the joy of Your love for them.

Lunchtime

On my way out the door for lunch, the receptionist offered me chocolate covered strawberries. A local business had left us some samples. Not my favorite dessert by far, but I still smiled as I passed through the front door. Remaining lunch hour was consumed with running errands, not much time to reflect.

3:00 pm

A gentle blessing comes my way. A co-worker that rarely speaks to me stops by to ask I just her partaking in gossip with another co-worker. The two of them were standing within eye distance but not in earshot. I didn’t hear a thing, truly. But, she asks me this. Odd. So, I took the opportunity to mention to her my most recent stumble with gossip and what a determinant it had been to the bible study I was teaching that night. You know, sometimes, I think God just likes a good laugh once in a while.

Lord, You bring to us people we are acquainted with but hardly know. And You have them raise the very issue we have struggled with. These people that will read this book, Lord, place the walking wounded, the forgiven Christian in their paths to show them that we are all wicked, all despitefully wicked – who can know the depth of it? I pray now for those who will be stirred by this book to encounter a wounded, compassionate saint that You are preparing even now to bring the good news to them.

6:33 pm

Supper time, as we say in the south. Kind, considerate husband is having dinner before he gets home. I do so love that man. This is the hardest time for me. Being home with all things quiet. I am hungry for sure, but there is a greater need. I think of how great God and how He orchestrates all things.

Even now, before even publication – and even when I do not know the words being compiled and sent to the publisher – even now, His heart is for those who will hear the message. He is setting the Host of heaven in order to act as He will on the souls that reject Him, despise Him, mock and ridicule Him. He will cause His saints to hunger in order to give power to the angels to carry out His orders, His instructions of overwhelming love poured forth to save their souls.

Little do these people know what awaits them or what preparations have been made to provoke an eternal decision.

I wonder.

At the time of my salvation, did God have such saints fasting and praying for me? Whose heart was my salvation layed upon? Will I ever meet them on this side of heaven? Secret stuff. Secret names. White Stones. Intimate fellowship.

Lord, how merciful You are! How remarkable! You are too good to us. I yearn for heaven, to know as I am known. To know my Secret Name, the name You give me, the name no other can answer to.

9:00 pm

Matt comes home and we talk about the white stone, the new name. We all have our own thoughts about heaven. I say that I can hardly wait for the time when He calls my name, the name no one else can answer to, my name written on the stone. Matt says he thinks it will be a whisper. Jesus will whisper his new name and instantly be in His presence. Such thoughts.

Rev 2:17 – He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.

9:30 pm

I’m off to the shower and then to bed. Very busy day tomorrow.My fast is almost over. Another day pondering the greatness of the most high God. When I’m in heaven, I hope to meet all those who I’ve prayed for today.

I recorded it just for you.

Maybe you don’t do podcasts.

Maybe you’ll make an exception.

I wanted a sit down with you about the forth coming book (YOUR SECRET NAME), the 12 month fast, and your reactions.

Here’s the link. http://www.karyoberbrunner.com/podcast/episode45.mp3

Just “right click” on the link and then choose “save target as” (probably to your desktop so you can find it).

Grab a coffee while it downloads.

And let me know your thoughts.

I value your insight.

She asks good questions.

I like people who ask good questions.

In the end I think she sees from you, our community of readers, that our fast is right on biblical.

See our public dialogue from Facebook below.

More dates are still open. Will you join me?

With this 12 Month fast Ephesians 3:2o-21 seems to be taking place:

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

I got more than a dozen more emails today from people joining in the 12 month fast. Many from strangers. Check out this one below:

I’ve been praying about your fasting. I’d like to do one day per month. I was thinking the 5th of every month, because that is a significant date for me. But if that doesn’t work, let me know. I would really like to help out! This is the something I really feel called to do right now.

Many Christians are fasting for the first time ever. Please keep spreading the word. This video will help in that. You can forward it on or post it to your facebook profile or twitter account.

I’ve never met him before.

He seriously questioned my fast, saying that he doubted God would tell me to do something destructive, that if unsuccessful would “end my life.”

Like fasting for 12 months.

I appreciated his sincere concern for me (he seems like a nice guy) and I directed him back to the original blog post.

I never said, “God told me to do a 12 month fast.”

That would be crazy.

I reiterated that God told me, “A life without prayer is a life with pride.”

MY response to my pride was the 12 month fast.

Since blogging about this challenge some interesting outcomes have occurred, some which have deeply humbled me:

• Several  people, who are long time Christians, are now fasting for the first time ever.
• Several more people have chosen to fast once a month for the whole year.
• Two youth groups are praying about joining the fast.
• One lady who I never met (Tina), who has done 3 other long term fasts, is going to fast 28 days straight. I was stunned and humbled and very unsure if I can accept her sacrifice. I feel guilty. She assures me that she wants to do this and that God is telling her to do this. I can only imagine what God is going to do through YOUR SECRET NAME.

Thank you for all the responses.

Feel free to share this with your ABF, Bible Study, or small group as there are many, many dates still open.

For those that have committed to do the fast make sure you’re in the secret group on facebook titled: Our Secret Fast for Your Secret Name. It is a private group where we can share what God is doing in our hearts.

More updates coming…thanks for your partnership.

I honestly thought it might flop.

Maybe it still will.

But in the last 48 hours I have been humbled and honored by the outpouring of compassion, praying and fasting, for the people who will read Your Secret Name.

Let me share a few updates about the committed crew:

• We are committed with people fasting through December 2 as of now.
• Someone even committed to fasting on Thanksgiving. WOW!
• A few people I never met before took a day.
• One of my buddies from high school took a day.
• Several people from my church took a day.
• A couple college students took a day including a Buckeye.
• 4 people committed to taking a day once a month.
• An elder from my church took a day.
• My parents took a day.
• One person who never fasted before took a day and said this is just the discipline God has been leading them to.
• Our farthest person fasting is a pastor from Uganda (see his grace and love filled message below).
• There are 11 more months…Will you take a day? Email me right away and look here for more info. http://budurl.com/12MonthFast

Please let me be included on the list of people who will fast and pray for Kary’s new book .
I am quite very busy in this week and next week as we have  conferences with our spiritual fathers who have not been with us for a year.
I will prefer to be put on from 20th Nov.
Kary’s ministry of books and on emails has been a great blessing in my life and ministry.
So I count it a privilege to join him in cultivating the spiritual discipline of prayer and fasting for  Gods will and His Kingdom to be established in the hearts of man.
Yours in his kingdom
Patrick Nsereko….Pastor
Uganda

And Jesus said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting. -Mark 9:29

A life without prayer is a life with pride.

I confess…I have pride.

The last few weeks I’ve been wrapping up the final edits for my new Zondervan book out next September. Since I began this project I’ve had a strange feeling that this book is going to be different. That God wants to use it in a special way to heal people and free them from the chains that hold them captive.

This new book, Your Secret Name, is the first book I’ve written for everyone,  not necessarily Christians. It’s for people who are angry with God, people that don’t believe in God, people that love God, and people that hate God.

Writing and editing a book takes a whole bunch of time, hundreds and hundreds of hours. With my past books I didn’t spend much time praying for the book or the people who would read it.

I feel like God wants all that to change.

As a result, I am going to spend the next 12 months fasting and praying. November 1, 2009 to November 1, 2010.

Seriously?

Yep.

I want to ask you to join me that way I don’t have to do all 365 days myself.

Will you take one day?

If someone fasts for that particular day I don’t. If no one does I do.

Committing to do so means fasting (no food…liquids only) for 24 hours (12:00 am – 11:59 pm) and praying for 1/2 hour that day. 

I can’t do it on my own. Well I can…but I will die.

If you feel led to do this please email me right away (info “at” karyoberbrunner.com [replace “at” with @ symbol}). Please use the subject line FAST in the email and I will give you your date and some more information. We have a secret group on facebook where people who fast can share with the rest of the community anything they believe God impresses on their hearts during this time.

This isn’t a gimmic or a passing whim I’ve conjured up.

This is serious spiritual warfare on behalf of those who will read Your Secret Name, people who are currently held captive. I leave you with these words of Jesus. Words he chose to define his ministry:

The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed.

Why is your church scared of change? People have different reasons. Perhaps they’ve wrapped their identity in the way your church has always done things. Perhaps the old thick King James Bible sitting at the front of the church, the one that intimidates guests and really annoys you, was donated by their deceased Uncle George. Maybe they’re willing to part with it, but they simply need to be honored and grieve through the process.

Maybe other people feel that if they change, they’ll no longer be needed or have a ministry. When organists transitioned out of Sunday morning services, did we empower them to find new ministries? I am convinced that the people most opposed to change are the ones with the biggest fears they need to work through.

Brash decisions and thoughtless comments might actually hinder the change process. Instead, talk to people about what the change will bring. What are the underlying factors that contribute to the imposing threat?

Many cynics and critics talk about their love for change. Such change is usually incremental change. “Deep change  usually requires letting go of control,” Quinn wrote. “It means facing the unknown, walking naked into the land of uncertainty. We spend most of our lives striving to avoid that very prospect.”

Quite possibly, you have no idea where change will lead you or your church. There are a couple reasons for this. One reason is that if you really knew, you would become overwhelmed and paralyzed. Another reason is that it’s impossible for you to know. You are not God. More often than not, change means letting go, not taking charge. You can’t know where change will lead, for if you did, you would inevitably control things and obstruct change.

True transformation is letting go of knowing the next step. David didn’t know what would happen when he stepped out to fight Goliath. Esther, when asking the Israelites to fast for her as she talked to the king, had no idea if she would survive. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego even added that if God didn’t deliver them, they still would not worship the idol (Daniel 3:17-18).

This is what faith is all about. It’s about not having control, not knowing the outcome and not knowing the steps to get there. Rather, faith is reliance upon the One who does. It’s our faith that pleases God (Hebrews 11:6). God is actually pumped when we trust Him and relinquish our illusion of control.

#6. REALIZE A TYPE OF DEATH IS INEVITABLE

Most people fear death. We resist it. We won’t even speak of it. Even when our churches are experiencing a slow death, they would rather do anything than acknowledge it. As a progressive, you dare to verbalize the slow death taking place, and sometimes your church will seek to kill you as a result of it. By speaking up, you are breaking the rules.

Most of us are driven by fears of what will happen to us if we fail to conform to the will of the system. Yet despite our fears, we must refuse to conform. We have to kill our fears in hopes of preventing the slow death of our churches. Someone or something is going to die. Will it be your fears or your church? Quoted in Managing Transitions by William Bridges, 19th-century French literature critic Charles Du Bos said, “The important thing is this: to be able at any moment to sacrifice what we are for what we would become.”

It really comes down to how much you care. For many of us, even though we have a lofty desire to be a change agent, we also have a desire just as strong to simply exist. We don’t want to rock the boat too hard. But if we don’t overcome our fears, then we’ll end up living lives of quiet desperation. Also quoted in Managing Transitions, French writer Anatole France said, “All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind is part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter into another.”

It’s very possible that there are others in your church also craving change. Just like you, they lack courage to transcend their fears. Remember, courage is not the absence of fear, but the ability to act in spite of it. Do you love yourself or the God who is asking you to initiate change? Jesus said the one who loves his life will lose it and the one who hates his life will keep it (John 12:25).