What a blessing to be back in the saddle and routine. We had a great time back in Arkansas and the autumn scenery couldn't have been more beautiful but it has been nice this morning to be back in my office.

Prayers and blessings this morning to all my friends and family back in the Village. Apparently, the western end of the Village was in the eye of the storm last evening. I read late last night about a friend in the Village whose four sun windows in the roof of his home were shattered by golf-ball sized hail. He scurried up to place plastic over the damage but not before his living room carpet was saturated with water.

Also this morning, that inevitable moment in the life of every child happened in our home. Since the first day of kindergarten, Trae has been the kind of kid who woke up anxious to get to school. But not today! This morning, Trae cried at breakfast, begging Mom and Dad to let her stay home.

We're not used to that. In fact, it has never happened before. I knew it would happen one day, but it took Mandy and I aback this morning when it did.

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Growing up isn't easy, be it physically or spiritually. There are always hurdles and challenges that mark the road to maturity. But just as our physical bodies and minds must develop toward maturity, so also our souls must be nurtured along the path of growth toward maturity.

What are you doing today to exercise your soul toward maturity? Let me give you a suggestion. Have you ever tried fasting? In the aftermath of Thanksgiving, a good fast just might do your body some good. But the purpose of fasting doesn't find its benefit in the physical rewards of lost weight but in the spiritual rewards of a deeper relationship with God.

It is clear from Scripture (see Matthew 6.16,18) that Jesus assumed there would be times in the lives of his disciples when fasting would be a necessary spiritual discipline.

This week, I want to blog some on the elements and spiritual benefits of fasting. It is far too often an under-utilized spiritual discipline that reaps enormous blessings.

Why not today forego the time you would spend preparing and consuming a meal of physical food to feast in the presence of God. If milk does a body good, today fasting will do your soul good.