Lent

Do you guys do anything for lent? I'm giving up my unhealthy breakfasts (bagels, egg sandwiches, etc.) and am going to try and make a general effort to allow God to take a more prominent role in my daily consciousness (so easy to get stuck in the monotony and business of my daily work life and lose all spiritual perspective) through prayer, reading, church, service, etc.

I may get more specific than that, but that's where I'm starting. I think I'm also going to try and be more open to taking risks, to give up more control of my life.


(Of course, I should be doing all of these things anyway, but I guess lent is as good a time as any to remind myself!)

I'm going to get out of bed at 530am. Actually OUT of BED and read the bible, journal (thanks Mel!) and/or just hang out with God intentionally.

Bethany wrote:I'm going to get out of bed at 530am.

5:30 AM?? Is that even a real time??

I am spending more time with God. Intentionally opening my life to moments of intimacy with Him.

I am also going to try to intentionally live in healthier ways--less going out, less indulging in cravings, more exercise, more healthy food.

I feel like I have been on the cusp of something and I think this Lenten season might help me have a 'breakthrough.' At least, that's what I am praying for!

dave wrote:

Bethany wrote:I'm going to get out of bed at 530am.

5:30 AM?? Is that even a real time??

My dad jokes sometimes: "I didn't think you even knew there were two 5's on the clock"

I have really been thinking about lent this year....listening to a lot of people talking about what they are giving up. But I don't think that they really know why they do it....just because it is what the church says.

That is when it becomes vain repetition, I think.

I want to know God more....I also fear knowing God more....but I shouldn't let that keep me from trying.

Maybe we could all do something together....like a different discussion on some aspect of Christlikeness everyday or something?

One year I gave up carbonated drinks, it worked well because after lent it just continued. I now can count on one hand every week how many carbonated beverages I had.

Another year I gave up chocolate....that was just too easy.

Another year I gave up all restaurants with a drive thru, it worked so well that I didn't go back to one for nearly two years after. Now I work at one so that one is off the list.

The only vices I really allow myself are coffee and cigarettes, and I'm open and honest with myself and God to know that giving up either of those at this time just would be an exercise in futility.

Besides those two things I've given up just about everything, in the last five years I learned I can go without just about anything, so I feel lost with the whole concept.

I like the idea of not giving something up but doing something with God daily, and maybe that's the route I should go. I have to battle with my selfishness and excuses though, and feel I should have started thinking about this months ago.

Belly button lint. Giving it up.


That joke is funny every year, isn't it?

Our church is doing a series on Lent--and re-thinking it--right now. Not re-defining it, but really thinking on the concepts of prayer, scripture reading, and fasting. They are a couple weeks behind on their website, but when they have last night's message up online, I can post it. It was pretty good.

One of the points last night was that Good Friday and Easter are two of the most important days in history. And so many of us want to those days to impact us when they come around each year, but we get out of Easter what we put into Lent. There is something about preparation that changes our experiences.

I have a PDF copy of the journal/workbook for this series available, if anyone would like me to email it to you. Just let me know which email address you want it to go to!

And, MT, I don't get giving up belly button lint... ???

yeah, belly button lint is as funny as my kids saying, "I'm giving up school."

a real lol moment.....

yeah, Melissa, I would like that....maybe you could hold me accountable too?

Just send it to my [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] address.

Okay, I will send it this evening. Or, it's available at kensingtonchurch.org. Click on the green banner that has 40 in a circle.

I didn't even think of that...

It isn't anything special, but it does offer a bit of structure to the days of lent. I basically just read the scriptures offered in the daily journal opportunities. We could do the small group questions together, if you wanted. I can post them here.

that would be cool....I have a really cool book by Walter Wangerin on Lent, but I will start reading it every year, and then I quit sometimes days into it, and sometimes weeks into it....

My church doesn't really follow lent, but me my wife and our youth club are. They used to put more emphasis on it. But it seems they don't much now. We decided to give up 1 thing a week. This week its soft drinks. and i decided to give up coffee for a week. I think it would be good also to Start in Jonah and see how far I get. Its been a while since i've read that book. For me when i actually follow it. it helps me re-center my life and remember what jesus did for me on easter.

So thats the plan
jmc

I don't know what JasonM had against your thread, dave, but I merged anyway...

Did you check out the website, Ang?

meether369 wrote:And, MT, I don't get giving up belly button lint... ???

Because lint kinda sounds like lent. And because it's not really a sacrifice.

JamesWilliams wrote:

meether369 wrote:And, MT, I don't get giving up belly button lint... ???

Because lint kinda sounds like lent. And because it's not really a sacrifice.

Ahhh-hahaaa!

meether369 wrote:Ahhh-hahaaa!

Too late.

The questions from the journal are more to do at the end of each week--so possibly I can post a couple of those on Sunday instead of each day...BUT I can post the scriptures to read each day.

From Wednesday: Matthew 6:1-18, Luke 4:1-13

From Yesterday: Chaps 1-3 of James

For Today: Chaps 4-5 of James

Melissa, I did download the journal

Yesterday, in my small group study, "Anointed, Transformed, Redeemed" by Beth Moore, Priscilla Shirer, and Kay Arthur I was really kind of blown away by Beth Moore's points about David and John the Baptist.

The study is centering on David and in discussing his reaction to the death of Uzzah (2 Sam 5-6) when he touched the Ark during Israel's celebration, she brings up John the Baptist and his questions for Jesus in Luke 7. David was angry at God and afraid of his power--"Hey!! We were doing something good here, why did you strike him down?"--and John was really wondering if Jesus was the savior he had proclaimed him to be.

Moore takes the reader on a pretty detailed journey which I am trying to summarize here, and might be missing a lot of it. But, anyway, she points out that both David and John, while they don't understand what is happening, are encouraged by God in their moments of fear and anger. The scriptures point out repeatedly, that even though it goes against our understanding, it is actually safe and trustworthy to lean in closer to God at such times. It just happens that sometimes what we expect or want doesn't come about...Sometimes there's just a bigger plan.

Sometimes there's just a bigger plan.

Wow, that really socked me. I am a planner. I am a 'jump to conclusions, jump to action' kind of person. The first student with their hand in the air, the first person to break out the tools and get to work. In reading those words yesterday, I felt something in my heart breaking and growing at the same time. Instead of feeling chastised and admonished by God (which is how I have felt for so long...) I felt humbled by the fact that even though I have been waving my hand frantically, He has been working on the RIGHT answer all along without my help.

So, then, this morning, I caught up on my Lent readings and read the whole book of James. Whoa! Talk about humbling. There's a lot laid out for a believer to DO. But, it seemed to all culminate for me in that same realization: James is pointing out that it isn't US that makes things happen. In actuality, it is us trying to be the focus that makes things fall apart. Without giving control over to God, we exclude people; our faith is empty and our works are void; we judge the weak and exult the powerful; allow our lusts to become death; let our tongues control us; seek our own desires; have no understanding of who we really are; plan our lives out; live in jealousy and strife; swear on that which we do not know etc. The list goes on and on.

It was very powerful, and it led to a very repentant time of prayer for me.

Lent is going well, thus far!

Sometimes there's just a bigger plan...

I would like to tap into that bigger plan, because I feel like I am going nowhere right now. I hate being in these desert places, but that is where I am.....

I love the fact that we are all in different places though, and that although I am in a desert place I can be encouraged by what is going on in one of your lives....it is great!

Well, maybe I wasn't too clear...I am feeling like I am in a desert place too. And I feel chastised amd admonished by God because nothing I plan ever works out.

But, the encouragement today is to know that God isn't punishing me necessarily--he pours out his love for me every day--but to understand that possibly there's a bigger plan he's working on. I need to come to trust that. And recently, I have begun to accept the fact that I don't fully trust that about God. I want control so I will know what plan is being acted out, big or small, because I don't fully trust that he has my best interests at heart.

I went to church with my grandma this morning because now that she lives with me, she wanted to locate the nearest Catholic parish.

It was a cool experience. At my grandpa's funeral, the naval honor guard performed the flag folding ceremony and I was struck by the exactness and precision in which they do every detail of their ceremony. It hit me that in the military where they deal with such strong emotions that come from such outstanding circumstances, their main line of defense and/or handling of them is routine and order and tradition. I was struck by the same thing watching my 83 year old grandma take part in routines and traditions she has done since she was a small child. There is something really beautiful in religion sometimes.

Anyway, one of the songs they sang was about lent specifically and the words indicated that during this season our actions and abstaining from certain things brings about peace as well as penitence. So many times we only think of the penitence as the desired outcome, but just as in the routines of soldiers that bring comfort at horrific times and just as the route actions of an elderly woman at the sight of a priest and cross, our actions during Lent can actually bring us the comfort of peace.

In the Homily, the priest pointed out that, when tempted, Jesus used Scripture (from Deuteronomy) to defend himself against the devil and that, in doing so, he was actually proclaiming his faith in the God of Israel, just as Moses had done when writing Deuteronomy. The priest said, "Jesus is God! He could have said anything! But instead he used the words of Moses--who sat outside the Promised Land, knowing he would not enter, but putting his faith completely in the God who would bring his people inside." His point was that, for us too, Lent is not just about penitence, but is just as much a confession of our faith. We know that Christ suffered and died and was raised up so that we could be called sons and daughters of the Most High.

I thought all of that was really quite beautiful.

i didn't see it. On saturday i about had a meltdown from no caffiene. but i've made it through week one. so far so good.

JasonM wrote:i didn't see it. On saturday i about had a meltdown from no caffiene. but i've made it through week one. so far so good.

that's alright, our fearless moderator fixed it!