Join Memento70!

Memento Mori is Latin Remember you must die.  This is a reminder that we will all die because of sin, but today I want you to think about the hope we have, life in Christ.  Life in Christ through Baptism.  Life in a fellowship of faithful men who build one another up. And women before you stop reading this is what you want for your home.  A faithful Lutheran,  Christian man leading your household.  So keep reading. We want you to join us as part of Hope Lutheran Church and Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church.

This below is a big deal.  Below are two things, one a video and two a permission to read an article given by the creators of Memento to engage in a brotherhood of fellow Christian men, as Lutheran men.  I would encourage you to read this and then log in to www.memento70.com and learn more.  If you have any questions let me know!

Peace be with you,

Pastor Heinecke

An explanation to Memento

Welcome, brother. You have taken a courageous step—one that few in our age of comfort and distraction dare to take. In joining Memento, you are entering a movement of men committed to reclaiming the ancient Christian discipline of fasting, prayer, and brotherhood. You are stepping into a life of purpose, rooted in the Scriptures and the enduring wisdom of the Church.

We commend you for this decision. It will not be easy—but it will be beneficial. The goal of Memento is not self-improvement or achievement for its own sake, but formation—the shaping of your soul, body, and habits under the cross of Christ. We will be here to support you every step of the way. Your fraternity, your devotions, and your disciplines will walk beside you as you are conformed more fully to the image of the Son.

This document serves as your guide. It will help you understand what you are undertaking, how the program is structured, and why these practices have been handed down through the ages as a means of strengthening men for the Christian life.

The Fraternity: Brotherhood as the Backbone

One of the first and most important steps you will take in Memento is joining or forming a fraternity. A fraternity consists of four to eight men who commit to walking this path together. These brothers will become your allies, your challengers, and your encouragement throughout the seventy days and beyond.

Do not attempt this alone. Every man needs other men. This is not a mark of weakness but of wisdom. Scripture tells us, “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another” (Proverbs 27:17). The Christian life has always been lived in community, with shared confession, repentance, and mutual encouragement. Studies consistently show that the presence of accountability and brotherhood radically increases the likelihood of perseverance and long-term transformation.

Within your fraternity, you will also have an anchor—a single brother with whom you check in daily. This is your closest point of accountability. He will help you bear your burdens, guard your discipline, and remind you of your “why” when your resolve weakens.

If you do not have a group of men to walk with, reach out to us, and we will connect you with one. You were never meant to fight this battle alone. The fraternity is not a supplement to Memento—it is its backbone. Together, you will sharpen one another, sustain one another, and celebrate what God is doing in your lives.

The Why: Finding Your Purpose

Before you begin, take time to write down your why. Most men begin with a list of what they want to do:

• “I want to lose weight.”
• “I want to read Scripture daily.”
• “I want to stop wasting time online.”
• “I want to get control over lust.”

Those are good goals—but they are only surface goals. Your why goes deeper. It’s about who you are becoming, and what kind of man God is calling you to be.

Your why might sound like this:

• “I want to discipline my body and mind so I can be a present husband and father.”
• “I want to grow in faith so that I can lead my household with courage and peace.”
• “I want to be a man who resists temptation and stands firm when others fall.”
• “I want to root my life in God’s Word so that my children see faith lived out before their eyes.”

Your why connects your discipline to your vocation. It ties your effort to the eternal purpose of Christ’s call on your life. Write it down. Share it with your fraternity and your spouse. Return to it when your enthusiasm wanes or when discipline feels hard. Your why will anchor you through the storms ahead.

The Structure: The Discipline Plan

Memento is built around three tiers of discipline. These tiers are designed for growth, not comparison. Every man begins at Tier 1—the foundation. As you grow stronger, you may step into Tier 2 or Tier 3, either during this season or in future years. Keep in mind that you can simply adopt single disciplines from the tier above, you do not need to jump fully into a specific tier. The goal is to grow into each of these areas on a continual basis.

Each tier represents an intentional deepening of discipline. Tier 1 is the starting point, challenging yet accessible for all men. Tier 2 intensifies your practice as your body and mind adjust. Tier 3 is the advanced path—a full embrace of fasting and endurance.

Every discipline in this program has been prayerfully chosen. These practices are rooted in Scripture, drawn from the early Church, and developed over centuries of Christian formation. They are not arbitrary restrictions but time-tested ways of freeing men from the bondage of comfort and provide space for God’s Word to reorder a man’s life around Christ.

As you grow, expect to stumble. The process is filled with hurdles and challenges that must be overcome. What matters is perseverance—the refusal to quit when you fail. As Pastor Bryan Stecker often says, “The goal isn’t perfection. It’s direction.” When he began this path years ago, he could hardly maintain the simplest fasting rhythm. Over time, by God’s grace, the difficult became possible, and what was once impossible became easy. So too it will be with you.

The Disciplines — Tier 1: The Foundation

The following disciplines will form part of your daily or weekly rhythm. Together, they recalibrate your life around what is good, true, and beautiful.

Food Fasting

Fasting is as old as faith itself. Moses fasted on Sinai. Daniel fasted in Babylon. Jesus fasted forty days in the wilderness before beginning His ministry. In Scripture, fasting is always tied to dependence, humility, and prayer. Jesus assumes His disciples will fast, saying, “When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites… but your Father who sees in secret will reward you” (Matthew 6:16–18).

Throughout Church history, Christians have fasted on Wednesdays and Fridays—Wednesday in remembrance of Christ’s betrayal, and Friday in remembrance of His crucifixion. The Didache, one of the earliest Christian writings outside Scripture, often referred to as a handbook for Christian living, titled “The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles”, already mentions this practice.

For Tier 1, the fasting pattern is simple but powerful:

• Three meals daily, no snacks or sweets.
• On Wednesdays and Fridays: two meals, no meat (fish permitted).

Fasting teaches self-mastery and awakens hunger for higher things. When you deny your body what it craves, you remind your soul that man does not live by bread alone. Every hunger pain becomes a call to prayer. In this way, you discipline your body and bring it into submission.

Scripture Reading

During the seventy days of Pre-Lent and Lent, you will read the entire New Testament and the Psalms. This is no small feat—and few men in the Church can say they have done it. Yet it can be accomplished with discipline and rhythm.

The readings are integrated into daily Matins (morning prayer) and Vespers (evening prayer), which we have provided in simplified form. These short offices take only a few minutes each but anchor your day in God’s Word.

Why this emphasis on Scripture? Because faith comes by hearing. Because men cannot lead their families or their churches if they do not first sit under the Word. And because in the words of St. Jerome: “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.”

You will find that as your body grows hungrier through fasting, your mind becomes sharper and more attentive to the Word. The goal is not simply to read but to be read—to let the Word of God pierce and shape you.

Prayer: Matins and Vespers

“And there was evening and morning, the first day.” Each day begins and ends in prayer. This is not an optional add-on but the structure of Christian life. Morning and Evening prayer remind us that all time belongs to God. When you begin your day in prayer, you submit your strength to His will. When you end it in prayer, you release your anxieties into His hands.

The Memento liturgies are simple and rooted in the Lutheran tradition. Use them as written, and allow their words to form a rhythm in your soul. Prayer is the training ground of faith—the place where self-reliance dies and grace takes over.

Technology Fast

Technology is one of the greatest enemies of attention, conversation, and contemplation. Modern studies estimate that the average person experiences up to 800x dopamine-triggering interactions per day, compared to people of the past – most of them from a screen. It’s nearly unfathomable to comprehend the change that has on our discipline, resilience, and presence to the people and world around us. This situation must be addressed.

It is no wonder anxiety, distractions, and discontentment plague the modern man. In Tier 1, technology is limited to what is absolutely necessary for work or school. TV is permitted only on Sundays before Ash Wednesday. This practice is used (if needed) to help your family adjust- allowing you to remind your kids that you may have a dedicated time for a wholesome movie, or sporting event, etc., once a week for the first 3 weeks. Keep the content clean.

Once Lent begins, no entertainment media is allowed until Easter.

This fast will be difficult—but the clarity and peace it brings will be profound. You will rediscover the quiet joys of conversation, family meals, and unhurried evenings. You will see how much of your mind was colonized by noise. When the screen goes dark, the soul wakes up.

Workouts

Commit to three workouts per week, at least 20 minutes each. They can be simple: walking, pushups, squats, or stretching. The goal is not vanity but vitality. The Apostle Paul writes, “I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified” (1 Corinthians 9:27). Physical discipline serves spiritual discipline; the man who commands his body learns to command his mind.

If you have questions about which plans to follow, there are many resources available – reach out to us and we will help you create one or point you in the right direction.

Rising Time

Choose a fixed daily wake-up time, and do not hit snooze. Your day begins with a choice—victory or defeat. To rise immediately is to declare that you are not mastered by your comfort. Studies show that consistent waking strengthens circadian rhythm, regulates hormones, and improves energy and focus.

But beyond science, there is a spiritual truth: the man who conquers the morning conquers the day.

Alcohol Fast

For seventy days, abstain completely from alcohol. Not because it is evil, but because it is good—and good things must never become masters. This fast renews gratitude and clears the mind. You will find that by abstaining, your appreciation for alcohol in its proper place will deepen.

If a major celebration occurs during this time—such as your wife’s birthday or an anniversary—share a single drink to honor her, and do so with thanksgiving. Fasting is never about self-denial for its own sake, but about ordering good things rightly.

Music Fast

Only listen to spiritually uplifting or wholesome music. This might include hymns, classical compositions, folk, or instrumental works such as Two Steps from Hell or Lutheran Public Radio. Note: Two Steps From Hell is great for workouts as they have movie-esque style instrumental music that is motivating in a clean and uplifting way.

We live in a world desensitized to ugliness and perversion. Music has power—it shapes the imagination and affections. This fast will re-tune your ear toward beauty. Many men find that when they return to old music after seventy days, they can no longer stomach it. Their appetites have changed.

The Daily Devotions: The Anchor of the Journey

The daily devotion is the centerpiece of Memento—the anchor that holds all the other disciplines together. Without daily recalibration, fasting and discipline risk becoming mere performance. The devotions keep your heart tethered to your why, to the Gospel, and to the story of Christ’s Church.

Each devotion reminds you that this journey is not primarily about your strength but about grace. It will lift your eyes beyond self-mastery to the greater vision of holiness, humility, and joy in the presence of God. These devotions connect your struggles to the story of salvation, linking your discipline to Christ’s suffering and victory.

When you grow weary, they will remind you: your labor is not in vain. Make time for them daily. Guard this time as sacred. It is your compass—your daily recalibration toward health.

Final Encouragement

You have embarked on a journey that will test and transform you. The world trains men for comfort; Christ trains men for the cross and the empty grave. Through these seventy days, you will confront the false masters of appetite, distraction, and sloth—and find freedom on the other side.

You will stumble. You will have days of weakness, frustration, and fatigue. That is part of the formation. Every time you rise again, you proclaim the gospel: Christ’s victory over the flesh and the devil.

Do not measure success by perfection. Measure it by faithfulness—by showing up, by repenting when you fail, and by beginning again with humility.

These disciplines are not ends in themselves. They are tools of holiness, instruments of grace, and means of restoring what the modern world has lost: men of conviction, prayer, and courage.

Remember this balance:

• Discipline without devotion is pride.
• Devotion without discipline is sentiment.
• The Christian man needs both.

Let the cross be your compass and the resurrection your hope.

“Discipline yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.” — 1 Timothy 4:7–8

Brother, you were made for this. May the God who began this work in you bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.