Watch Chris Hall’s Overcoming Gluttony with Moderation, Sobriety and Self-Control here.
In this session, Chris looks at how legitimate desires can become disordered—when we habitually consume too much of a good thing. It may be for pleasure; however, it can also be a distraction from life’s difficulties. Chris offers fasting as a practice to help reorder our desires—but Brother Benjamin’s Abba warns that fasting as a practice can in itself become disordered!
Chris mention being an Enneagram type 7—the type that is expert in using good things to distract from pain. The Enneagram is a very useful tool for self-awareness. For more information, please see the appendix to the Introduction. We have also provided an appendix to each of the other sessions. We look at how the different types might be vulnerable to the vice under discussion and then go into detail about the type most prone to that vice. Unsurprisingly, the appendix to this session looks closely at the Enneagram type 7.
Small Group Leaders: Equipment Required
1. What did you hear?
The study group leader picks up the pebble and shares what resonated and what brought up resistance. One sentence for each. No comments, no questions. The study group leader then passes the pebble to their neighbor.
When a group member is holding the pebble, it is their turn to share if they want to—everyone should be given the courtesy of being listened to without judgment or comment but remember, one sentence for each. If a group member does not wish to share anything then they can simply pass the pebble to their neighbor.Some people may not be comfortable passing an object around the group. You may want to provide hand sanitizer for everyone to use before and-or after touching the pebble. However, please also feel free to find more creative ways to pass on the right to share without interruption.
2. What are you thinking?
After you have all had the chance to share your initial impressions you can open up the group for discussion.
a. Desire is central to being human but is easily perverted. In what areas of your life are your desires—even desires for good things—out of control? Chris suggests that we ask ourselves “In what areas of my life do I habitually want too much of a good thing?”
Note to leader: It may be hard for some participants to admit the answer to this question. You might want to discuss in pairs rather than in the big group, or even just have everyone use the pen and paper to write it down.
b. Chris quotes Frederick Buechner as saying: “A glutton is one who raids the icebox as a cure for spiritual malnutrition.” What do you understand by this? Can you describe an occasion when you used a very good thing as a substitute for dealing with a difficult situation?
c. Chris introduces the practice of fasting and gives two examples, fasting from food and from media. In each case he mentions the anxiety that may accompany our initial attempts to fast. Do you have any experience of this? If so, were you able to persevere, and if so, what happened to your anxiety?
3. Reflecting on Scripture
On first hearing, the concern showed by Brother Benjamin’s Abba sounds extraordinary. However, he perceived that Benjamin’s fast itself arose from a disordered desire.
Reflect on the passages from Matthew and Galatians. How do we live in freedom and not descend either into selfishness or legalism? Dallas Willard said that Grace is opposed to earning not effort. What do you think that means?
Finish by reading 1 John 1:5–9.
Matthew 6:16–18All Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
16 “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Galatians 5:13–26
13 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. 14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.
16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery;20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
1 John 1:5–9
5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
Discuss your experiences in the group, then try the new practices at home before the next session. Please take a copy of the study guide with you as a reminder.
Feedback
Did you try any of the practices from the previous session? What was helpful? What wasn’t?
Silence, Stillness, Stability, and Sabbath
All four aspects of this practice involve curbing our impulses. I invite you to persevere with them.
Fasting
This practice from Chris was inevitable! However, he cautions us to not rush in; to spend some time listening to God and to ask the Holy Spirit to guide us as to what we should be fasting from.
Whatever you try to fast from, watch out for the initial anxiety, acknowledge it but try not to let it hinder you. Walk with and work with the Holy Spirit.
Chris talks about fasting from food to help us form a more ordered relationship with eating. One suggestion he makes is to wait 15 minutes before eating—and to use hunger as a call to prayer or to do something more important than immediately meeting our desire for food. Please note Chris’s caution that fasting from food is not appropriate for everyone. If in doubt, please consult your doctor.
Finally, Chris reminds us, “Don’t bite off more than you can handle.” I offer the following suggestions for developing moderation, sobriety and self-control
Feasting
When challenged about disordered desire, some of us will swing very easily to the opposite extreme—to legalism and asceticism. It is not wrong to enjoy food and drink. Remember that Christ himself was called a glutton and a drunkard by the spiritual elite of his day! We can embrace feasting as well as fasting and be grateful for God’s provision. However, we should not confuse a feast with an orgy. Feasting is not about filling our stomachs to excess.
Follow the Church Year (a practice for the long term)
One way to work out the balance of fasting and feasting is to consider the Church calendar; Advent/Christmas, Lent/Easter, etc.; the regular rhythm of fast days and feast days that can be found in Orthodox, Catholic, and Anglican traditions for example.
Find an accountability friend
Find someone who is prepared to listen to your struggles, keep confidence, and speak truth to you. Consider again the possibility of a spiritual director if you have not already found one.
Have participants pray the following prayer together at the end of the session.
Prayer of Yielding
O GOD, the protector of all that trust in thee,
without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy:
Increase and multiply upon us thy mercy;
that, thou being our ruler and guide,
we may so pass through things temporal,
that we finally lose not the things eternal:
Grant this, O heavenly Father,
for Jesus Christ’s sake our Lord.
Amen.Church of England: Collect for the fourth Sunday after Trinity.
Avarice, or greed, is about acquisition; holding on to money or possessions. Gluttony, on the other hand, is about pleasure, self-indulgent consumption.
Sevens value fun and positivity. They actively avoid pain and negativity and so gluttony comes easily. More is more to the Seven. We will look at the Seven in more detail below.
Other Enneagram types also avoid pain if they can and this may show up in unhealthy attitudes toward food and pleasure.
Sixes may try to avoid pain by playing it safe or by confronting the fear. They can be very cautious when it comes to food, sticking to what they know and reluctant to try new things—or, in fight mode, could go the other way and express a devil-may-care attitude: “I’ll have the hottest (spiciest) dish on the menu.”
Eights avoid pain by taking control. They know what they want and when they want it. The Eight will send back a dish that is not what they expected or ordered and may well demand to speak to the manager/chef. However, they are also quite capable of starting a charity to tackle food poverty at home or abroad.
Ones move toward the Seven in health when they could also take on some of the negative aspects such as gluttony. However, in general a One tries to avoid pain by doing the right thing—be that eating organically, becoming vegan for the sake of the planet, or choosing the healthy snack option rather than the cake that they crave. There is a danger that this sets up a tension that disintegrates in to eating disorders such as bulimia—where “wrong” food is purged.
Twos avoid pain by seeking acceptance; often using food to show (or buy?) love. The problem comes when the food is declined. It is hard for the two not to take refusal of food as a rejection of themselves and the love they are offering. Although twos do have a habit of neglecting their own needs, they may over-indulge in good things to reward themselves after a hard day of service to others—comfort eating.
Threes are often not food orientated. Avoiding pain comes through establishing worth via success—food is fuel for efficiency. However, if there is a food aspect to the culture that they live in then they will master it—expert dinner party hosts, for example, or knowing—and being seen at—the trendiest/smartest restaurants. Threes are heart orientated people who value relationship so mealtimes / social events may be opportunities for connection.
Fours tend to be driven by their feelings, so what they eat may differ according to their mood. Their tastes may well be eclectic and their menus creative. They crave intensity of experience—including flavor. The surroundings in which they eat will also be very important. Fours avoid real pain by focusing on melancholy, self-pity, and self-indulgence which may include extreme food fads or eating regimes.
Fives are usually low maintenance when it comes to food. However, they do avoid pain through competence, and this easily becomes an obsession with making the perfect something—be it coffee or sourdough—endlessly researching techniques and recipes or finding the best gadget. Fives have the patience to go through long and/or complex processes for the sake of the end result. They may share their recipe—but not necessarily every detail; because if they did then they would lose their niche.
7: The Adventurer/The Enthusiast/The Generalist
Sevens feel good about themselves when they’re happy, free and they have a plan. They consider themselves to be positive people and would feel uncomfortable if you thought otherwise.
A Seven may well say:
“I’m bored . . . let’s go have some fun.”
A Seven is unlikely to say:
“You can’t have your pudding until you have eaten your vegetables.”
Sevens are usually gregarious, cheerful, and optimistic. They are in touch with what they desire, do not judge themselves, and are natural adventurers and problem solvers. Sevens are charming, energetic, and fun to be with.
Sevens want to avoid pain and deprivation, so they are always open to distractions. They fear being trapped so they make endless plans and try and keep as many options open as they can—for as long as possible. This leads to the vice of the Seven which is gluttony—overdoing anything that brings gratification. Unguided self-indulgence.
When a Seven is stressed they move toward the One. That may lead to self-discipline and organization but more likely leads to the Seven becoming frustrated, nit-picking, judgmental and black-and-white in their thinking. They may lose their joy and their zest for life.
Hope for the Seven comes in slowing down and noticing:
Sevens can work on this by:
Sevens have deposed God as their heart’s desire, the real joy bringer and the lover of their souls. Instead, they seek to satisfy their own souls. “They have lost sight of the fact that God has plans to prosper us and not to harm us; that he offers us true freedom in his service.”Widdows, Becky and Margi Walker, God-shaped people: UK Enneagram course.
When a seven opens up to the undeserved grace of God they find that his yoke is easy and his burden is light. When they realized that they are truly loved and God is for them, they can submit to God’s plans and the virtue of sober joy starts to grow. Virtuous Sevens are able to embrace balance, yet still live with passionate enthusiasm. They learn to stay with pain, their own and that of others.