This isn’t just a seasonal tool—it’s a spiritual companion for anyone longing to return to God with their whole heart.

As life changes, God’s grace abounds. This prayer invites you to let go of fear and receive the new season with confidence in His faithful love.

Scripture writing plans are simple yet effective for helping us read, interpret, and absorb the Word of God. Rather than simply letting our eyes pass over a verse and perhaps miss its full meaning, writing Scripture helps us absorb each word and think through the full context of the passage. Click the Download button below to access your challenge!

My dad has been a runner for over a decade—he has completed more than 60 marathons, and he even ran the whole length of New Zealand solo in two months. I had always thought he was crazy, and I claimed I’d never take up running. With all the exhaustion and injuries he’s endured, surely the payoff couldn’t be worth the pain. He got the shock of his life when I announced I’d started a Couch to 5K training plan. I didn’t suddenly find running easy. Even now that I’m in the habit of running a few times a week, it’s still painful. But I don’t merely know of running’s benefits; I’ve experienced them firsthand. It gives me more energy, it clears my head, and it strengthens my body. I’m enjoying being able to push myself after a decade of chronic illness. You may have the same doubts about fasting as I did about running. It’s uncomfortable. It goes against what our bodies want. But despite the cost—even because of the cost—fasting is a means that God uses to bless us. The payoff is worth it. Here are a few blessings that come from this practice. We Commune with God Seeing more of God is the central benefit of fasting. Isn’t it why we practice spiritual disciplines in the first place? To come nearer to Christ, to draw strength and joy from his presence? If every other gift of fasting fell away, this would be enough. Fasting helps us see more of God because it facilitates our communion with him through prayer. That’s why John Piper calls it the “humble, hungry handmaid of faith” that prompts us to pray. Fasting is pointless when not paired with talking to God—it’s an empty ritual, a form of self-deprivation to show our mettle. While fasting does help us teach our bodies that they’re not our masters, that’s not the main purpose. Our focus should be less on what we’re saying no to and more on the better yes in its place. All the benefits of fasting are downstream from this one: deepening our relationship with God through prayer. Let’s consider a few ways that fasting does this. We See Ourselves Rightly I can give many reasons why my prayer life isn’t as vibrant as I want: I’m busy. There’s so much ministry to do. I haven’t found the right system. But Nick Thompson unmasks the reality: “Where prayer is wanting, humility is wanting.” My lack of felt dependence keeps me from praying. I don’t feel as though I need it. Our focus should be less on what we’re saying no to and more on the better yes in its place. Fasting doesn’t make me weak and dependent—it reveals how weak and dependent I’ve been all along. When I feel the piercing hunger pangs, I’m reminded how quickly my body breaks down without the food that God provides daily. He’s the source of everything I need for life: sustenance, water, oxygen, and shelter. So I’m drawn to him in dependent praise and gratitude. When I feel capable, I’m more likely to work instead of pray. I can maintain the illusion of self-sufficiency. Fasting reorients me to the reality of my creatureliness and casts me on my Creator. We Love What’s Worthy When food is taken away, we realize how much we’ve relied on it for satisfaction and comfort. For those like me who struggle with emotional overeating, this absence is especially revealing—all this time, I’ve been turning to a gift instead of to the Giver. Without food as an easily accessible crutch, I have to look elsewhere. In Habits of Grace, David Mathis writes, “In that gnawing discomfort of growing hunger is the engine of fasting, generating the reminder to bend our longings for food godward and inspire intensified longings for Jesus.” Fasting creates space so that I can turn to Christ with my boredom, my anxiety, and my desire for control and find that “my soul [is] satisfied as with fat and rich food” (Ps. 63:5). I hunger less for food and more for righteousness—and for the Righteous One (see Matt. 5:6). As we sharpen our affections for Christ through fasting, our longing to see him face-to-face grows. Fasting is a temporary measure because the Bridegroom is coming back (Matt. 9:14–15; John 14:1–3). Through our deprivation now, we’re viscerally reminded to long for the right thing—not for the dinner we’ll eat in a few hours but for the wedding feast of the Lamb and the fellowship we’ll enjoy with him forever (Rev. 19:6–7). Fasting is an expression of longing for Christ’s coming that in turn intensifies our longing. We See God Work Prayer is communion with God, but it’s also more than that. The Lord encourages us through Paul to bring all our requests and thanksgiving to him (Phil. 4:6). We come to God with our needs and desires, asking him to act in particular ways. Fasting adds fuel to the fire of our prayers. It’s similar to how the posture of kneeling helps orient our hearts toward the Lord. By “leaning into the lack,” we feel our weakness bodily. We come more desperately; we come with more faith. We get the joy of focusing all our neediness on the One who promises to provide for all our needs (Phil. 4:19). But we mustn’t treat fasting like a formula: subtract food and receive the answer we want. King David fasted and prayed for the life of his newborn son, but the boy died anyway (2 Sam. 12:15–23). Despite such a devastating outcome, David still worshiped the Lord (v. 20). Praising God even when our prayers aren’t answered the way we desire is an act of trust that his wisdom is greater than ours. Fasting creates space so that I can turn to Christ with my boredom, my anxiety, and my desire for control. When answers are delayed, we still have reason for confident hope. In Luke 2:36–38, the elderly prophetess Anna spent her days in the temple worshiping, fasting, and praying as she awaited the promised Savior—and she lived long enough to give thanks to God as the baby Jesus was brought into the temple. If we humble ourselves and bring our requests, the Lord will answer according to his superior wisdom. We can use this God-given means of grace and trust that, whatever the outcome of our petitions, we’ll benefit by learning to rely more on the Lord. That’s his work too. Throughout Scripture, believers have intensified their prayers with fasting in times of special need. Let’s imitate them and see what God does. Fasting isn’t reserved for those with great self-control; it’s also for those who see their need for self-control. It’s not reserved for those who walk closely with God; it’s also for those who lament their distance from him. If you’re tired of relying on yourself, if you’ve experienced the emptiness of worldly comforts, if you desire a deeper relationship with God—fasting is for you.

‘Temporary’ Insanity: AOC Can’t Accept That TPS Status Has an Expiration Date and Isn’t Permanent

The Neptune of Lyon, one of the largest and most important bronze statues from Roman Gaul, has arrived in Rome for a one-time guest starring appearance at the Giovanni Barracco Museum of Ancient Sculpture. The statue is in the permanent collection of the Lugdunum Musée et Théâtres Romains in Lyon, and is being loaned to the sculpture museum as part of an extraordinary exchange of ancient works between the two cities. The statue is 4’8″ in height and stands on a round base. It was made of hollow cast bronze in a local workshop in the 3rd century A.D. It is the largest bronze statue of Neptune ever discovered in France, and one of the largest surviving bronzes from Roman Gaul. His “wet curls” hairstyle (a cap of curls clinging close to the head as if he’d just emerged from the water) identifies him as Neptune rather than another wavy-haired bearded deity like Zeus. While the objects he was holding in his hands were lost, the position of his hands compared to other statues suggest he originally held a trident in his left hand and a dolphin in his right. The bronze was discovered in the Rhône river, between the Hôtel-Dieu bridge and the Guillotière bridge in 1859. The large size of the statue indicate it was publicly placed in a temple by the river, perhaps erected by the “renunclarii,” the guild of boatmen who dedicated a marble statue of Neptune just down the Rhône at Arles. Shortly after its discovery, the statue was given to the Museum of Fine Arts of Lyon, at that time home to city’s archaeology collection. It was transferred to the Lugdunum Musée et Théâtres Romains, the museum dedicated to the Roman history of Lyon, after it opened in 1975. In honor of its 50th anniversary, the museum is running a major exhibition C’est canon. L’art chez les Romains, which explores Roman attitudes towards art and artists. It brings together an unprecedented assemblage of statues, reliefs, jewelry and artifacts from other museums in France and Italy. Many of the pieces on loan from French museums have never been seen before in Lyon, and a number of masterpieces from museums in Italy have never been seen before in France. The Giovanni Barracco Museum, part of the Rome Capital Museum System, is one of Rome’s most sparkling and least known gems. Giovanni Barracco was a Calabrian nobleman, intellectual and politician who served as member of parliament and senator for years. He was an avid collector of ancient sculpture, putting together great works of Egyptian, Assyrian, Cypriot, Etruscan, Greek and Roman art. He was highly selective and had impeccable taste, so when he generously decided to donate his sculpture collection to the City of Rome, it consisted of 200 exceptional pieces. The city gave him a plot of land on the Corso Vittorio Emmanuele and he worked closely with the architect to design a charming Neo-Classical building with a façade designed to look like an Ionic temple to house his small but spectacular collection. The museum opened in 1905, so it celebrated its 120th anniversary as the Lugdunum Musée et Théâtres Romains celebrated its 50th. It is now undergoing renovations, and while some spaces are unavailable, the Lyon Neptune will be the centerpiece of the ground floor gallery. The exhibition opened yesterday and will run through June 7th.

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