Several times in the last five years, I’ve participated in Exodus 90, a 90-day program of spiritual disciplines and practices.
This year, Exodus 90 starts right on January 1, and goes through Holy Saturday (March 30). I’m especially excited to participate this year.
Although the Exodus 90 organization offers an app and a subscription service (who doesn’t, these days?), I’ve never paid for the service.
You can get the full benefit of the program by simply recruiting a group of friends and following these practices together, checking in regularly (at least weekly) to discussion how it’s going. I’ve grouped the disciplines into general categories, though of course there aren’t neat divisions between them:
Communal disciplines
- Attend the weekly group meeting
- Check in briefly but regularly with your group
Spiritual disciplines
- Read Scripture & offer up a holy hour of prayer daily (not necessarily a full hour—just a regular time of focused prayer)
- Make a nightly Examen (a prayerful review of the day)
Attentional disciplines
- Abstain from unnecessary mobile device use
- Abstain from unnecessary computer use
- Abstain from video games
- Abstain from TV and televised sports
- Listen only to music that lifts the soul to God
Physical disciplines
- Get a full night’s sleep (at least seven hours is recommended)
- Take short, cold showers
- Practice regular, intense exercise
- Fast on Wednesday and Friday (only eat one full meal, as well as two smaller meals that together are not equal to a full meal)
- Abstain from meat on Wednesday and Friday
Consumption disciplines
- Abstain from non-essential purchases
- Abstain from eating between meals
- Abstain from soda and sweet drinks
- Abstain from desserts and sweets
- Abstain from alcohol