The 7/47 Challenge

Head of Middle School, Chip Houston, recently issued a challenge to the entire Mount Vernon community, including students, parents, and teachers from Preschool through grade 12.
Chip proclaimed emphatically, “I hope you’ll dare to take the 7/47 Challenge along with us!”
The 7/47 Challenge is to take place during the season of Lent (March 5 – April 20). While Lent is considered to be 40 days, the count does not include Sundays, so the actual number of days in the period is 47.
The charge is as follows:
Live out the 7 Checkpoints (Andy Stanley) 7 days a week for 47 days.
Take a break (fast) from all social media. Instead, spend that time with family and friends – reading, playing, studying or praying.
Walk through each of the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) and prepare for Easter by reading the complete story of Jesus’ birth, life, death and resurrection.
The idea is to replace the time we spend on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Vine and all other sites we frequently visit, with quiet time, reflection and connecting with God.
Chip says, “Social media, like food and water, can be a great thing, but can also be a waste of time. Fasting is traditionally associated with food and water, though you can fast from almost anything. An important point to be made is that social media (like food and water) is a great thing. Food and water (like social media or anything else) can be misused. Giving up social media for this challenge is not a commentary on the value of social media. I am an active user and advocate for social media. I believe it is worthy of being sacrificed for a period of time for the purpose of spiritual growth.”
To serve as a daily reminder of the commitment to the challenge, 7/47 Challenge bracelets can be purchased for $2. All proceeds support our FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes).