soul care, book reflection Charlene VandenBrink soul care, book reflection Charlene VandenBrink

Feasting: 40-Day Sugar Fast & 40-Day Social-media Fast Reflection

“The purpose of the fast is not to simply step away from distraction but to exchange those distractions for real-life devotion.  To whet your appetite for God so that you turn to Him—not online distractions, food, alcohol, or anything else—to satisfy your hunger!”

While sugar and social media are two common soul distractions, the heart message in both books is about recognizing where we go to fill the God-shaped holes in our souls.

This is much easier to read than to practice day after day! There is both a physical and spiritual tension when we fight the pull to numb out with a favorite snack, mindless scroll, or the latest version of a ‘savior'.

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Travel Together on Instagram

Always my seven best yeses! This is a taste of the photo gems @lisafudgephotography captured on Thanksgiving weekend! 🍂
Our sweet birthday boys! Hudson is 6 today and Gavin is 8 in two days. It's a little crazy to think Gavin is the age Annelise was when our sixth baby, little Hudsy, arrived 😅 I hope they never stop asking for cuddles. 💙
Letting myself be loved by God is a choice among many... I was struck by the powerful image in Inside Out 2 when Anxiety began tearing up as she worked hard to try and manage and control Riley’s life. I sat in the theatre this summer, tears s
This little girl is sure missing her daddy on his 69th birthday... Words fall short, so I cut our tallest sunflower for the graveside vase. A symbol of grief for all that's broken and hope for the Light to come🌻
After a decade of homeschooling I am still growing, changing, and finding new rhythms for our crazy, beautiful days together... Hudson was especially excited about his first day at our homeschool enrichment program 💙 This is the second year for th
First day of school...ever! Grade 9 at MCS 🙌 Yes, I cried as I drove home and called Benj and a friend 🥹 Change pulls at the heart strings, but all is well and she's still smiling 💓
It's ok if I cry this Thursday...right? I didn't get to when she started Kindergarten at home... Now, my little woman is poised for learning adventures at Millwoods Christian School for grade 9, new backpack and all! Annelise and I headed out on F
It's a wrap on another amazing week camping together, milking a region for adventure + treats! 🙌 The Pembina area has it all: -repelling off a bridge🪢 -hiking to a private river beach ⛱️ -sliding down mud into the river 💩 -swimming in an out