Ash Wednesday 2013

Today is Ash Wednesday. Last night was Fat Tuesday. This year marks the first year in the last several that I haven't attended or officiated a 7AM church service to launch into this season. Jamie had to be at work this morning at 530AM, so that did not afford us an opportunity to go together to begin this season of reflection.

Some people look at Ash Wednesday and Lent as a time when members of the Roman Catholic Church give up sweets, cursing, or something of the sort, but the season is meant to be so much more than a time of saying no to sugar. To be clear, Jamie and I are not members of the Roman Catholic Church, but Ash Wednesday and Lent are not just a part of that tradition, and personally, I believe that followers of Jesus of all church traditions can benefit greatly from observing the practices of this season.

So what are Ash Wednesday and Lent about? Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of a 40 day period (excluding Sundays) that leads up to Easter. That period is called Lent or the Lenten Season because it is also a time of year in which days are growing longer as well. So Ash Wednesday is meant to be a beginning of a period of self denial and reflection to help people grow in their intimacy with Jesus and deepen their faith. As ashes are placed upon the foreheads of the faithful, typically the officiant reminds the participant to "Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel."

The season of Lent has historically meant more than a time to get ashes on ones forehead and give up chocolate or caffeine for a season. The spirit of the season is to do something that few of us take time to do these days. It's an opportunity to take stock of our lives, and to take steps toward growing in our relationship with God. And it is a season to cultivate habits that will deepen that relationship, or let go of habits that are hindering us. The whole season ends in a celebration of the resurrection of Jesus (and Sundays along the way are mini-celebrations) of that great day.

But lent is more than just a time of reflection. The 40 day period is also significant. For the Christian, Lent marks a season of intentionality not only of personal reflection, but also an opportunity to in some small way identify with the forty days Jesus spent in the wilderness fasting and cultivating his own relationship with the Father in preparation for His ministry and temptations that were coming ahead. And so, as millions engage in this season, they begin a period of self-reflection, of closer identification with Jesus, and of transformation that culminates in Resurrection Day celebration. Again, traditionally people both take away something that may be hindering their relationship with God, or they may add something to cultivate this relationship.

Personally, I strive to do a little bit of both. As I begin this period, I am joining with a few friends to walk through a devotional book called Developing Intimacy With God by Alex Aronis. I highly recommend the book if you are looking for a tool to cultivate your own relationship with God. At the same time, I have noticed myself watching more and more television over the last few months. It is not that television is evil (though some might say so), but I believe that sitting in front of a TV distracts me from cultivating conversation and caring for others, so among other things I am letting go of will be television.

What about you? Have you ever observed the Lenten tradition? Are you doing so this year? What will you add or take away from your daily regimen in order to grow in your love for God and your love for others?

May we each take time to take stock of our lives, and put practices in place that will help us cultivate our love for God and for our neighbors. The world could use a little more love, so maybe you and I can take this season and grow in our ability to love better.

Lenten Commitment 2012

This year, although I still made it to visit an early morning church service, I did not get to blog about my Lenten commitments, Ash Wednesday or any related subject. 

Each year, I approach lent in the spirit of taking an opportunity to gauge how I am growing in my relationship with God, and specifically, I look at lent as a time to re-commit, re-set, and re-engage with God and identify areas for growth. According to church tradition, people typically take this time to either give up something or add something to their life with the intention of being able to better focus on their relationship with God.

In the past, I’ve taken what some would consider some pretty radical steps of fasting or engaging in the discipline of simplicity. In the past I have also added dimensions to my devotional life in order to better know and connect with the Creator of the universe.

This year, I decided to walk through a devotional book, that may be the best devotional book I have ever read or used. It’s called Developing Intimacy With God and it’s by a guy named Alex Aronis. In the past, I had noticed that Aronis suggests lent as a great time to engage in this eight week devotional, as the last week coincides well with a celebration during the week after Easter Sunday. 

The book has a simple cover and title, but I love the way it encourages me to think about my walk with God differently. Rather than focusing on all of the things I might be able to do for God, Aronis’ book encourages me to focus my energies on spending time with Christ so I can learn to be like Him in my actions and attitudes.

The last few weeks have been incredible with regard to slowing down from the busyness of life to listen, abide, and cultivate my relationship with Christ. I really love taking time to be intentional about meditating on the words and life of Jesus and praying that as I develop this habit, that I might learn to better love both God and my fellow human beings more deeply.

It has been a wonder-filled journey thus far, and I look forward to continuing it, not only throughout the Lenten season, but for the rest of my life.

Ash Wednesday 2011

This morning, I woke up at 530AM and did some push-ups and sit-ups like my buddy Jake does every day.  I had picked up this ritual when we were hanging out for a few days last year, but had lost the habit.  After getting dressed, I then proceeded into the kitchen and began heating water for green tea, cooking eggs, and peeling an orange for breakfast.  I had pulled up my Bible and a small Moleskine journal.  As I finished preparing my breakfast, I sat down, paused, and began to reflect on the Book I was about to open, the Author, and His great love for me. I then read, "I tell you, something greater than the temple is here." As I reflected on this short passage of scripture, I considered the day, and the season of the year.

Today starts the season of lent, and millions of Christians around the world will gather in community to participate in a 40 day period of fasting, prayer, almsgiving, and repentance. I went to a local church at 7AM with my fiancée and our mutual friend Jess.  I've attended an Ash Wednesday service for the last several years because I feel like it is a great reminder, as well as a great opportunity to be intentional in my pursuit of knowing God better and loving my neighbor better.

As Father Fred placed ashes on my forehead, he admonished me with a reminder, much as others had done in years past. "Turn away from sin and be faithful to the gospel." A simple message, and personally, I feel like it's one I need to be reminded of daily and not annually.  So as I walked back to my seat, I knelt and reflected.  God, what could I give up or add to my life that would help me become the best version of myself I could possibly be.  I know the version of myself that loves You and loves others best, is the the best version of myself.

And so I've committed to four things this year.

Engage in a daily fitness regimen. No matter where I am, I can do push-ups and sit-ups. If I can run, walk, or engage in other physical activity I will.

Don't wake up or go to sleep to the smart phone--I've developed this horrible habit over the last two years of checking my email, facebook, and twitter as I'm waking and as I'm lying down.  My justification is that it helps me prepare for my day, as well as keep up with the daily happenings with my friends. I think I can do without this habit.

Give more generously to causes I care about--I created a facebook cause wish to attempt to raise $1000 for Nuru International in honor of my birthday.  It is my hope that together my friends and I can totally crush that goal, and I plan to give generously throughout this lenten season. I will be in Kuria, Kenya for my birthday, and I imagine I will be reporting in detail what I see and feel.

Spend intentional time in prayer--In a culture that celebrates and encourages autonomy, it is all to easy to get weighed down with burdens and not call out for help. I've been very guilty of this as of late. I believe prayer is both a communicative gift from the Creator of the universe and a reminder that we can and should ask for help.

Some say, "Why observe lent? You don't need to have a special time of year to draw closer to God." I agree, I don't need a special time of year to start or end any habit, but lent offers a nudge toward becoming the person I want to be. It also is an opportunity for me to reflect on the wilderness fast of Jesus, and prepare, my heart, my mind, my body, and my soul to more richly celebrate Resurrection Sunday.

What about you?  Are you adding or giving up something during this season, to pursue Christ more passionately?  May we all take time to reflect and build habits that will help each of us to become the best version of ourselves we can be not only for our own sake and as an expression of adoration for our Creator, but for the sake of our fellow human beings.

Ash Wednesday 2010

It is once again the lenten season, and this year, I thought I would take advantage of facebook and twitter to get some input on what people are doing for their lenten commitments. Of course feel free to read these blog posts from 2007-2009 to find out more about why I take time to examine my life during lent.

So people are giving up everything from red meat to sweets, and some are just drinking water so they can give the money they would have spent on other beverages to help make life better people in the developing world. Some are choosing not to eat out, or to maintain healthy habits like exercise. There are even a couple of people who are giving up snow (but there may be Someone else who has a say in that). It’s actually pretty cool to see so many people making commitments to yield areas of their life and practice self-control.

As for me, this year I’ve had a bit of difficulty. I mean the point of the lenten fast is to draw closer to Christ. We give up bad habits to know Christ better, or we commence new habits that help us draw more closely to Him. I’ve been trying to what things in my life distract me from knowing Christ more intimately, and I feel like it’s a little bit of everything, but none of it is essentially bad in and of itself. Part of the idea of lent is that we give up or add in order that we can better identify with Christ during his fast in the wilderness as well.

So here’s what I am thinking for myself this year. I think I’m going to attempt to make a habit of fixed hour prayer. In one sense, it’s nothing huge. I mean I’m not planning to spend 2 hours/day in prayer or read my Bible for 45 minutes or anything like that. Rather, I’m thinking about taking a few moments at 6AM, 9AM, noon, 3PM, and 6PM to just pause and reorient and center my life on Jesus. Just a few seconds—again it’s nothing huge like giving up soft drinks or caffeine, but my hope is that it will be pretty significant.

I don’t know if anyone can relate, but I feel like I can so easily get distracted during my day and miss out on the idea that whatever I do, I should do it with my whole heart and as an act of worship to God. Often, I find myself just doing tasks for the sake of people or organizations, or because they are good habits. I am also going to reduce my food consumption and do a partial fast during the week and increase my giving and service as I practice simplicity, but this year I just want to be intentional about knowing Christ better.

If you think of it, say a prayer for me as I strive to take a different tact with lent. I’m praying for you as I write this. My prayer is that if you participate in lent, regardless what you choose to add or take away from your life, that you would grow to be more like Jesus, and be more centered on Him.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a great lent, maintain your commitments, and know Christ better!