Well, you know already, it's Ash Wednesday. That begins Lent - church "season" 40 days until Easter. And I'm the liturgy guy so I wouldn't want to disappoint and not write something today. So here you go - bullet points for Lent...
It's really all about focus - make this an intentional time of focus on how you fit in the Life of God.
Don't get too caught up in the whole beat yourself up over how sinful you are business. Talk about killing your soul.
Do SOMEthing that's different from your normal routine - give up a lunch once a week (are you gonna starve!?), pray the office more regularly, something.
The Church calendar IS helpful, come on, seriously. Just wandering around not being intentional about how God is woven into the fabric of your life is a good alternative?? oh my.
Refer to #1 - it's really not just about "giving something up," like chocolate or beer. If that's all it is, then eat more and forget about it.
If you do fast, and please do (God all mighty, you'll live), pray when you do it, don't pretend it's some sacrifice you're doing that will make God impressed with you in itself. It's about focus inside of self-denial.
And finally, if Fat Tuesday, Shrove Tuesday, Mardi Gras was, for you last night, about getting trashed and naked and screwing people beFORE you had to give up cigarettes for Lent, in all honesty, don't bother at all.
"Then, if we cannot as yet think alike in all things, at least we may love alike. Herein we cannot possibly do amiss." John Wesley
"Keep your eyes on the crucifix, for Jesus without the cross
is a man without a mission, and the cross without Jesus
is a burden without a reliever." Fulton J. Sheen
"...I am deeply convinced that the Christian leader of the future is called to be
completely irrelevant and to stand in this world with nothing to offer but his or her own vulnerable self." Henri Nouwen
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