lent – Page 16 – 300 words a day

On Ritual, Routine, and Lent

I don’t think of Lent as a time to form habits. I think of it as a time to give up. But embracing something new always has in it surrender. And surrender always has offers something new. So what if I approached Lent as a time of testing. Not being tested as much as testing […]

by Jon Swanson

Saturday reflection: Lent 2012

The second most visited post on this blog is one I wrote about Lent in 2011: 33 things to give up for Lent. All year long people have come to this post by searching for Lent. Which is interesting, since Lent is a period of forty days (plus 6 Sundays) between Ash Wednesday and Easter. […]

by Jon Swanson

33 things to give up for Lent

Here are some unexpected things to give up for Lent. (from Lent for Non-Lent People: 33 things to give up for Lent and other readings.) +++ “How can I hear God better?” One way is by learning to pay attention. Lent For Non-Lent People is a seven-week guide to learning to listen for God. In this […]

by Jon Swanson

Jesus did not celebrate Lent

But he did fast. He did go away from people. He did pray. He did devote himself to service. He did endure hardship and rejection. He did give up everything. Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. Today I give you two gifts: 1. This passage from Psalm 130 I wait for the LORD, […]

by Jon Swanson

giving up and heads up (weekend)

This year, February 25 in the church calendar is Ash Wednesday. It is the beginning of the season of Lent, a period that ends with Easter. Lent is an old word that means spring. If you had to pick a phrase that best captures what people think of Lent it’s this: giving up. Not as […]