SPAM - A Summary

Hey, everyone. My name is Michael, and for those of you who don't know me, for about the last two months, I have been doing something called SPAM: Spiritual Preparation and Meditation. SPAM is basically Lent to the extreme. Whereas Lent allows you to pick anything to give up, SPAM centers on what we modern humans struggle with the most: technology (computer/internet, cell phones, TV, video games, iPods, etc.). And whereas Lent stops at just giving something up, SPAM goes on to say that the participant should take time out of his or her day to spend time alone with God, reading the Bible, praying, reading devotionals and other Christian books, listening to Christian music instead of secular music.

So for the last two months, I gave up Facebook, YouTube, video games, and more. (Technically, I gave up my cell phone, but I don't really use it that much anyway. Plus, I don't have texting. If I did, then that would be another major thing I would have had to give up.) Instead of sitting down at the computer every day after school, I would do a quick check of my email to make sure I didn't have any school emails, college info, or emergency emails, and then I would read my Bible. Instead of getting on Facebook before bed and staying up for hours, I would read my Bible and a little bit in whatever Christian book I was reading at the time, write a short (or not-so-short) journal entry, including my nightly prayers. And I found myself talking to God more than a handful of times throughout the day. And now I feel much closer to God than I ever was before.

Now, I think I need to explain why I started SPAMing. Over Christmas break, I went on a retreat with my youth group. We left New Year's Eve, so I got to celebrate the new year with all my church friends, which was amazing. We counted down to the new year, and within five minutes, we were singing, praising God. The next night, after our second daily "session," or sermon, we started worship. It was about 10pm. Lights out was at 11. The singer, my friend Bryce, said we would sing "a couple more songs" before we all went to bed. It wasn't until we had sung half of the songs the band new before we all finally decided we needed to get some sleep. It was now 2am. The same thing happened the next night, except we were up until 4, and we were supposed to be coming home the next morning.

That weekend changed me. Seeing all my friends so willing and eager to worship God moved me, and I knew the Holy Spirit was filling the room and all of us students. I got home so convicted by God that a few days later, I came up with a Bible reading plan for myself. I had been reading my Bible daily before then, but it wasn't until then that I had a set reading plan. What I read never really initiated any kind of change in my life until then. But after the retreat, I found that I was noticing God in so many places, and He was revealing Himself and His plans for me in His Scripture.

It was only about a week later that I remembered something I had tried a couple years ago called SPAM. The last time I did SPAM, it was not the most enjoyable thing. After all, I was a high school sophomore. Who in their right mind would actually enjoy giving up technology for a month at that age? So I decided to try again, hoping that I would get a different outcome this time. And I definitely got what I wanted. First of all, last time I did SPAM, I just returned to my normal life with no noticeable change, inside or out. But this time, I would like to think that most of my friends and even some others have noticed a significant change in me since the retreat. I don't know how much I've changed because of SPAM, but I know that getting back on Facebook is almost awkward for me now. It doesn't seem right. It feels like I should be reading C.S. Lewis, not reading status updates and wall posts. I should be writing in my prayer journal, not chatting with friends over the internet late into the night. So now I feel like it's time I do something productive, somewhat related to SPAM, so that I don't repeat my last SPAM experience and fall back into my previous routine again. So that's why I'm here right now.

Well, I feel like I've typed enough for today, so I'll have more about SPAM and my post-SPAM activities next time. Until then, God bless!

Michael

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"I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing." ~ 1 Timothy 2:8