*The Problem...
Natalie and I were discussing how cool it was that during the summer we were able to really focus on things that were important to us, like devos, praying, getting into the Bible, spending time with each other, etc. It was during these three months of summer that we matured as a Christian, grew as a person, and became aware of God's will. Then, we both agreed, sadly that when school started, we became distracted and lost that focus. It was hard to keep God at the center of our lives. We were also entering our first year of high school, so it was especially important for God not to be distant in our lives once school began, like had unfortunately happened in years past. How could we keep that intensity and focus on God throughout high school and not be distracted from him due to our busy schedules, secular influences, and non-Christian friends at school?
*The Solution...
We decided to set aside the whole month of August to spiritually prepare ourselves for the upcoming year of school. For a whole month we would go on a media fast. {A media fast is when you abstain from worldly influences like secular TV, movies, music, radio, magazines, etc.} During this time we would stop listening to the world's point of view on things to clear our mind of bad, impure stuff found in the media. We also decided to fast from food for one day and not wear make-up for that month. Now, this month wasn't just about giving up things - it was most importantly about finding things. Finding God's will for our lives for the next year, letting him strengthen us and focus our attention on him. To fill the space of the things we had given up, we could read our Bibles, pray, spend time in God's presence, write in our journals, and every day we could pray specifically for one another, encourage and teach one another, and all-out just seek him. Through this month we could prepare to spend our freshman year of high school with God at the center of our lives, completely focused on him, despite the world.
*The Name...
We had made the plans, now all we needed was a cool name. We wanted an acronym and we went from 'L.A.N.S.P.F.H.S.' {Linny And Nattie Spiritually Preparing For High School} to 'August Soul Searching' {we really liked that one until we put the initials together}. Anywho, after some good laughs we came up with 'S.P.A.M.' - Spiritual Preparation And Ministry'. 'Spiritual Preparation' in August, 'And Ministry' once the school year started. The name stuck.
*The Mission Statement...
To resist worldly distractions in order to completely focus on our spiritual lives and mature in our faith. To tell others, not only through words, but through our lives also, that salvation through Jesus Christ is the only way to true peace, unconditional love and life to the full.
*SPAM today...
We didn't stop with SPAM after the summer of '98. Nat and I still use the whole idea in our daily lives. We spiritually prepare in private, during Quiet Times with God, then go out into our daily lives and minister. SPAM instilled some Godly habits in our lives and we have had a lot of spiritual growth. After abstaining from the media, we realized how useless and degrading it really was in our lives and today you wouldn't catch us with a secular teen magazine, we focus less on our outer appearences and we very rarely listen to secular music or watch TV. God really worked through SPAM.
*How about you...
Why don't you try going without the things the world offers for a set period of time? Try to rid yourself of the world's thinking and focus on God. If you would like to talk more about the whole idea, or if you have any questions, email me! linnycorinn@yahoo.com
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