Do you practice Lent? I never grew up in a church that practiced lent officially. In fact, I never really knew what it was for the longest time. That thought actually kind of makes me sad! For the past 5 years I have done a ‘spiritual journey’ with my church that includes fasting from something so as to gain more awareness of Jesus … my need for Him and my dependence on Him. Essentially, my ‘spiritual journey’ does what Lent does. Being new to participating in Lent, I’ve found these two short articles helpful …
1. Observing Lent, by Nancy Leigh Demoss
2. What Lent Really Means, by Ann Voskamp
I’d love for you to participate in my church’s Spiritual Journey this year with me. You can find information about it here.
Let’s prepare our heart for Easter and ask the Lord to show us more about His sacrifice for us as we sacrifice something we’ve grown to love more than Him.
Feb 22, 2012 @ 17:22:49
Holly,
Thank you SO much for writing this great post! So encouraging!!!! Thank you!
Hugs to you! ~ Beth
Feb 29, 2012 @ 15:18:11
Thank you for reading beth! Blessings to you and ALL yours as we await Easter; my how your family has grown since I’ve seen you last :). I love it!
Feb 23, 2012 @ 12:17:18
Great post, Holly. I constantly need to re-remind myself of what Lent really means. I begin to focus on what I’m giving up, get resentful about it, and find ways to substitute that denial with other things. Oh, the depths of our sin!
Those articles were really helpful – pointing me back to Jesus, to focus on what He suffered for our sake and that by giving him something for him, we can “clear out the clutter of our hearts” and add room for him. Love that!