"So what are you giving up for lent?"

So what are you giving up for Lent?
Those words were ringing around in my mind and ears for the days before Ash Wednesday.

This is the first year I've attended and participated in an Ash Wednesday service and I was really excited. As a child, I'd see the kids that went to services on Ash Wednesday and think, "Wow, why can't I go to school with a dirty forehead?" Personally, I'm not sure if I thought of it as an opportunity to get out of school or a natural curiosity about diversity of faith - but I wanted to be involved either way.

In Lent, we think about our weaknesses, humanity and how Jesus was willing to give so much of himself for our sake. Lent is another part of the Easter story that I feel often is glazed over or replaced by our own human desire to improve ourselves.

"So, what are you giving up for lent?" the question looms over us like the barrage of new years resolutions from only six weeks ago. People give up sweets and fattening foods I think more for the hope that it will show up more in their waistlines than even considering the darkness of their own hearts.

I was thinking about my approach to lent the other day after my niece said to just give up chocolate, but giving up chocolate wasn't what I think it's about.

Lent to me is reflecting on who you are and plugging into God to assist in building or rebuilding something that that is weak or lacking in myself.

"So what am I trying to give up for lent?" Honestly, I'm trying to give up "negative self-talk" for lent". This has been a challenge for me for a long time and it goes in cycles. Oddly enough after deciding to retrain my mind, the negative talk seems louder than before- maybe I'm just paying attention to it more? I'm not sure, but the attention to grace gives me the idea that I need to give myself some grace in this 40-day journey as well.

Lent isn't focus on the negative, it's seeing things the way they are and imagining how God might work them out. Relying on God more, not less. Becoming more Christ-like is a journey that takes more that 40 days!

So whatever you given up for lent, think beyond the mere physical element of it. Think about the heart of the matter. What is the weakness, temptation, or thorn that prevents you from being or becoming more like Christ? That "thing" is the thing that we are required to give up to God on this 40 day journey. Don't try to carry the burden by yourself. Dare to go beyond things this lent and learn the balance of grace and honesty that God offers to each one of us - at the heart of the matter.

SWB: Claustrophobia and clearings

Mary Lue shared her host post on business and rest for this weeks Sleeping with Bread Examen. Her words resonated with me in the fact that due to a significant staff change at my office, there is more work to be done and my plate is feeling fuller lately. There have been more meetings, and lots of talking and planning. For the most part, I've felt much more connected to people since I've become more involved in this way, but oddly when I'm done for the day or night - I find myself in need of some quiet. Maybe I'm still sorting and planning in the back of my mind, but silence (even my own) is something I find myself being more and more drawn too. It's like the extra noise, both internal and external, makes me feel claustrophobic . A few days after Christmas, I went into a game store with my son and was overwhelmed by all the noise and activity there. The store was tiny but filled with kids and their parents vying for their video game of choice. My head felt hot, my

Sunny and rainy day friends

There are two kinds of friends in the world: Sunny day friends and rainy day friends. This is a statement that my Mom used to remind me of when I was in the midst of drama or conflict with one school friend of another. There are lots of people that we define as friends, but they are really acquaintances. Two men were out hunting in the northern U.S. Suddenly one yelled and the other looked up to see a grizzly charging them. The first started to frantically put on his tennis shoes and his friend anxiously asked, "What are you doing? Don't you know you can't outrun a grizzly bear?" "I don't have to outrun a grizzly. I just have to outrun you!" This story is funny, but it does help define the distinct difference between a rainy day friend and a sunny day friend. The sunny-day-friend is more concerned with watching out for their own health and wellness, than their friends' wellbeing. On the other hand, a rainy day friend is willing to take risks, work fo

What Summer Camp Means to Me...

I was around six-years-old when I first went to sleep-away summer camp. At the time I lived in PA and the camp (through my church) was in Ohio. All school year, I attended Sunday School faithfully partially because regular attendance allowed my family scholarships to help with the cost of Summer Camp. Over the school year, I attended most Sunday's and by the end of the year, my little coupon book was full of stamps - providing me with a scholarship to attend a camp session. I provide this background on how I first got to go to camp, because it is an essential part of explaining what Summer Camp meant (and means) to me. Going away to Summer Camp gave me a whole new experience of community. The whole process of going to and attending was the first times I experienced, "it takes a village", personally. From the Sunday School Teachers who drove a sedan full of kids to Ohio, to the counselors and staff who supported new campers: through the first 48 hours of homesickness

Uphill idealist

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