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No TV, No Snacks, No Bourbon, Oh My! Day 10 of Exodus 90: A Journey Toward Freedom and Brotherhood

No TV, No Snacks, No Bourbon, Oh My!  

Day 10 of Exodus 90: A Journey Toward Freedom and Brotherhood

Our lives change when our habits change.  But in today’s fast-paced, convenience-driven culture, comfort is king. From heated showers and endless streaming options to the instant gratification from an indulgent snack, modern life is designed to ensure we never feel discomfort for long. Yet, the Exodus 90 program flips that concept on its head calling men to embrace cold showers, a digital detox, and the elimination of indulgences. The first few days of this journey have revealed much about the grip comfort and distraction have on our lives—and the transformative power that comes from breaking free of it.  

But to be honest, the hardest part of this journey so far hasn’t been unplugging from social media, giving up TV or going cold turkey with my evening bourbon.  It has been finding an hour to pray, or even knowing what to do during this time.  That’s right, it has been hard allocating 4.16% of my day to God.  Sure I have always prayed, and when needing a bit more firepower out of the Lord have amped it up a bit, but for some reason, this time has been a bit harder.     

Fundamentally, prayer is simple. It is a conversation with God, sitting in his presence and allowing ourselves to be slowly transformed by his love. Without the constant noise of notifications and distractions, we begin to hear some of the things that in the past haven’t been audible —the quiet voices, the longing for connection, the desire for purpose, the whispers of God’s presence. The first few days participating in this program had a newfound stillness about them, which was uncomfortable, even unsettling. Of course, that also could have been because my wife was out of town for the first seven of them.  But as the days went on, the detox of distraction became a gateway to real presence—with my family, my community, and myself.  I mean newfound connections and conversations with my boys about prayer, life, love all started taking a new twist.  

The initial days of cold showers, digital detox, and the rejection of indulgences are undeniably hard (and to be honest, after years of being scared by morning swim team and jumping into cold pools, my cold shower hasn’t exactly been “cold”), but they’ve been very eye-opening. These comforts have revealed how deeply comfort has entangled us and how powerful we can be when we let go. In breaking free from comfort, we rediscover our strength, deepen our faith, and create space for God to transform our lives. By being drawn out of the distraction, I was able to focus more on God, who more often than not, is often overlooked in my noisy busyness.  I also learned that I depended on distractions more than I thought to get through the days.  

As the first ten days of Exodus 90 have passed, this discomfort has begun to feel less like a burden and more like a gift—and a chance to grow into the man I am called to be.  But we first must tear ourselves away from the noise, so that we can sit still, listen and share ourselves openly with God.  

Oh yeah, and another variable was thrown into this testament of faith last night, but more to come on that later.  

Only 80 more days to go.


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