The Daily Bruin

Because spirituality is deeply personal, there are many options for spiritual fasting. Refraining from eating or drinking for a period of time can be an act of worship. It can also vary according to your faith, comfort and experience. Spiritual fasting can be a helpful way to manage a difficult life situation, reconnect with God, renewal of faith, and seeking direction.

You could choose from common spiritual fasting techniques according to your faith tradition. Should you decide to try a spiritual fast from food, keep these things in mind.

• A spiritual fast is a physical fast
• Fasting involves focus on your faith
• Fasting is deeply personal
• Spiritual fasting is interconnected with your body

When we fast, we exchange what we need to survive, our basic need for food, for what we need to live – more of God. The physical act of denial is an act of faith; it is then an act of discipline and self-control. A spiritual fast is not a public display of your faith; it is an inward act between Christ and yourself.

Consider the benefits of fasting for a morning or a day, being reminded of Christ when your body reminds you of its need for food, how much more we need Christ. God, the sustainer of all life, wants nothing more than a closer connection with us. Use your energy today to praise God and listen more intently.

*Please consult a medical professional before undergoing lengthy fasting

Homeownership starts well before the contracts are signed; preparation is one of the keys to a smooth home-buying process.

In a Canopy webinar session, scheduled tomorrow (Thursday) from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., we’ll cover all major pre-purchase topics such as budgeting, the down payment, credit reports, debt-to-income ratios, and the mortgage lending process.

You can register here. Feel free to contact Aga Luptak at aluptak@georgefox.edu with any questions.

Thank you for your participation in the “Thriving Together” Well-being Challenge Week devoted to kindness. We have received your meaningful responses and are happy to hear that your acts of kindness were inspiring to you and others.

All participants were entered into a raffle to win The 4 Habits of Joy-Filled People by Marcus Warner and Chris Coursey. Congratulations to Jan Balzer, Amanda Howard and Tennille Hostetler! We will deliver the prizes to your desks.

Here is what some of you reported about the week:

• “My favorite was the ‘Embrace three people with a hug.’ Permission requested first (of course), and then it was fun doing a huddle.”
• “It’s fun to see the reactions of people when you smile at them randomly … you can see their whole countenance just light up!”
• “My husband and I took a walk to Dutch Bros instead of driving. It was a great way to get a little exercise, but was also a great way to have quality time together.”
• “I called my cousin who I hadn’t talked to in a long time. She lives alone and she was delighted to hear from me. It was nice to have cheered up her day.”
• “I was happy to see that I can perform acts of kindness as part of my everyday life routine.”

Keep being intentional about your acts of kindness.

– The university’s Wellness Committee

You are invited to come share in a retirement celebration this afternoon (Wednesday) as we honor Dan Schutter for his years of service to George Fox and plant services. We’ll meet from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. in the Thomas Center’s break room.

Feel free to contact Mark Stone at mstone@georgefox.edu with any questions.

Interested in further developing your leadership skills? We encourage you to enroll in a new one-credit, pass/no-pass class this fall, Introduction to Multicultural Leadership, taught by D’Metri Mattocks and Dave Johnstone.

Increasingly our campus and our world builds teams which are diverse in perspectives, worldviews and cultures. We want to provide a few tools and prompts to begin developing skills on how to strengthen or be part of such teams.

The class, called LEAD 260 (“Leadership ADVANCE” in the course schedule), will be experiential, conversational, a little experimental, and hopefully fun and engaging. All are welcome. It will meet on Thursdays from noon to 1:15 p.m.

No current leadership role is necessary. No past experience is necessary. There are no prerequisites.

Please contact D’Metri Mattocks at dmattocks@georgefox.edu or Dave Johnstone at djohnsto@georgefox.edu if you have questions.

In today’s exercise as part of “Thriving Together: Spiritual Wellness Week,” we encourage you to slow down. Stop rushing and focus on the present moment to find a balance. Take a 15-minute mindful reading break today.

Grab a cup of coffee or tea, select a magazine or book. Enlighten your mind with knowledge and appreciation of aesthetics to de-stress. Take a seat in a corner near a window, in the library or outside to read for pure enjoyment.

Lean into a state of relaxation by focusing on the way the paper feels in your hand, the light glancing off the page, the words and imagery in the book or magazine. Take your time turning the pages and really read each word rather than skimming. Let this break bring you a moment of peace and serenity in your day. Repeat as needed.

Join your colleagues and coworkers for a time of worship this Tuesday, June 27, from 10:45 to 11:30 a.m. in Canyon Commons 101!

This gathering will include a time of singing, a devotional experience, prayer and fellowship. Our new university pastor for chapel programs, Debrianna DeBolt, will be leading us in worship together. Expect a relaxed atmosphere where you can breathe a bit deeper and take some time to recharge.

It’s a great opportunity to strengthen our connection as a community and with God.

Greetings George Fox!

We are excited to continue this week’s “Thriving Together” Spiritual Well-being Challenge (June 19-24). Participation in the challenge is voluntary. How you participate is up to you.

At the end of the week, you’ll have the option of filling out a response form to enter a drawing for a gift. Have a great week!

– The George Fox Wellness Committee

Join Paul Anderson and others this evening (Tuesday) from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Friendsview or on Zoom for the final session of his Following Jesus short course, focusing on chapters 6 and 7 of his book: “Blessed are the Peacemakers and Testifying to the Truth.”

You can watch on Zoom here (passcode: FJSC). Contact Paul at panderso@georgefox.edu with any questions.

Welcome to the third week of the “Thriving Together” Wellness Challenge.

Today, as part of our emphasis on spiritual wellness, take time to create art or write in a journal to process what positive changes you would like to see in the world and what you can do to help. Think about how your community, country or the world can change for the better. Use the questions below to guide your artmaking or writing.

• Who or what is important to you?
• What’s something you’d like to see change in your community?
• What would your community be like if everyone was healthy, happy and safe?
• Do you see a problem that needs to be fixed?
• Are there people who should be treated better?
• What can you do to make a difference, fix a problem or help someone?

Bring your concerns to Christ today, praying for restoration in these places.

You are invited to come share in a retirement celebration this Wednesday, June 21, as we honor Dan Schutter for his years of service to George Fox and plant services. We’ll meet from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. that afternoon in the Thomas Center’s break room.

Feel free to contact Mark Stone at mstone@georgefox.edu with any questions.

Join registered dietitian Kayla and professional chef Tim for an online session on how make vegan chile relleno and jicama slaw. Register online for this class and receive an email with the access link.

The session will take place from noon to 1 p.m. on Monday, June 19.

At an upcoming community meeting, we would like to highlight the large and small ways our community has demonstrated our three core values that help us achieve our mission.

Our values as a university are:

• Students First
• Christ in Everything
• Innovation to Improve Outcomes

Can you provide an example of how you or your department has lived out one of our values? We’re primarily looking for successful examples, but we’re also interested in celebrating calculated risk taking, even if it didn’t achieve the intended goal. Your example can be something you did, someone else did, or your department did as a whole.

Please send your example to Carly Reumann at creumann@georgefox.edu so we can share at our next community meeting.

Hard things happen in life and sometimes, when we get knocked down, it’s harder to get back on our feet than we would like.

In an upcoming webinar, hosted by the Providence Health Plan, we’ll explain the commonly used terms “trauma” and “PTSD” and how they impact our lives. The Preparation and Growth Model will be introduced, and we’ll share important steps for healing in the face of trauma and strategies to build resilience should challenges come your way.

The session is scheduled from 9 to 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, June 27. Feel free to register for the webinar, titled “Finding Hope and Healing in the Face of Trauma,” here.

When registering, please use the access code PHPCOMM, PHPASO, PHPPSJH or PHPPEBB. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email from Zoom containing information about joining the webinar.

Today is our annual Day of Prayer. The purpose of this day is for us as the employee community to begin the 2023-24 year prayerfully attentive to God’s presence this past year, while also discerning God’s direction for the upcoming year.

The university pastors have created a prayer guide and a devotional video for you to use, should you find it helpful. As you put down work and silence electronics, we pray that your soul is refreshed as you seek God’s direction for your life and our community.

Tomorrow (Wednesday) is our annual Day of Prayer. The purpose of this day is for us as the employee community to begin the 2023-24 year prayerfully attentive to God’s presence this past year, while also discerning God’s direction for the upcoming year.

The university pastors have created a prayer guide and a devotional video for you to use, should you find it helpful. As you put down work and silence electronics, we pray that your soul is refreshed as you seek God’s direction for your life and our community.

The George Fox University Wellness Committee is hosting a physical activity team competition this summer! Follow these simple steps to participate:

1. Create a team of up to 10 members. Team members can include George Fox community members (faculty, staff, students), family members, and/or friends. (For example, you may want to ask your department to be a team.)
2. Fill out this Google Form, providing the names of all team members.
3. Once your team completes the Google Form, a spreadsheet will be sent to the team members to enter their physical activity between July 3 and July 16. (While we will be tracking steps, you can participate in any form of physical activity and convert your activity to steps using a conversion sheet sent out from the kinesiology department).
4. Have fun and good luck!

Have questions? Feel free to contact Mary Imboden at mimboden@georgefox.edu.

At an upcoming community meeting, we’re interested in highlighting the large and small ways our community has demonstrated our three core values that help us achieve our mission.

Our values as a university are:

• Students First
• Christ in Everything
• Innovation to Improve Outcomes

Can you provide an example of how you or your department has lived out one of our values? We’re primarily looking for successful examples, but we’re also interested in celebrating calculated risk taking, even if it didn’t achieve the intended goal. Your example can be something you did, someone else did, or your department did as a whole.

Please contact Carly Reumann at creumann@georgefox.edu to share your example(s).

Do you ever feel like you are struggling to thrive? Recent studies show that 40% of us are feeling burnt out, but there is hope.

Join us to learn the powerful impact of discovering and living by your values and receive practical insights about how to get past barriers that can leave us feeling unfulfilled and drained. Feel free to register today for a Providence Health Plan-hosted webinar, “Staying Refreshed and Preventing Burnout.” The session is scheduled from 10 to 10:30 a.m. this Thursday, June 15.

When registering, please use the access code PHPCOMM, PHPASO, PHPPSJH or PHPPEBB. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email from Zoom containing information about joining the webinar.

The George Fox YouTube channel has new content all summer! Check out our recent YouTube videos, including our “Meet the Major” series. Go here to watch our latest video and subscribe today.

Help us reach 5K subscribers by subscribing and sharing our channel! Questions? Contact Amanda Howard at ahoward@georgefox.edu.