Read the daily reflection for the season. The readings are your guide through this spiritual journey. Take time to let the word of God speak to you through these daily readings.

Set aside a minimum of 20 minutes for silent, personal prayer before the Lord.

At the end of the day, prayerfully examine your actions (and inactions) throughout the day. Where did you see God working in your life? Acknowledge where you responded to God’s grace and where you chose to do otherwise.

Cynicism, sarcasm, and negativity stand at odds with the Christian hope we ought to embody during Advent. Genuine hope begins with the seemingly naïve Christian belief that Christ has reconciled all being to the Father. Pay attention to your speech and root out that which is contrary to hope.

We pray the words "thy kingdom come" every day, but do we really mean them? Christ's Second Coming is the ultimate object of our hope. Take 3 minutes to silently long for Christ's return when he will wipe away every tear.

Every day, pray for a friend by name who needs the Uncommon Freedom that Jesus offers. As you pray for a man, prayerfully consider inviting him to join you for Exodus 90 this year.

Undoubtedly Advent is a time of Christmas parties and other gatherings of family and friends. Be truly present at these events: avoid using your phone or getting sucked into the TV. Set the example of a man of hope in conversation.

Once a week, everyone in your fraternity should meet to check in about their fidelity to their Plan of Life and pray together. Stay faithful to this commitment you made to your brothers. Do your part to make your fraternity a committed band of brothers.

This means you can eat one regular meal and two smaller meals that when combined do not add up to the amount of the regular meal. (The goal is to offer up the discomfort, not to be unable to function throughout the day.)

On Wednesdays and Fridays, abstain from eating any flesh meat. Fish, eggs, and dairy products are permitted.

On Fridays, offer up a cold shower. A comfortable, hot shower is a good thing in and of itself. Yet, when we place the comfort of the hot shower perpetually in the place of a sacrificial, uncomfortable, cold shower, we choose to perpetually trade an opportunity to sacrifice for fleeting personal comforts.

Take an hour for silent, personal prayer before our Lord at least once per week. Plan your chosen day to fit this in.

Every Sunday is a Little Easter and should be observed with joyful celebration and rest. How many of us unknowingly resent the Lord's Day by succumbing to the Sunday blues? Pattern your day for prayer, family, and friends.