Ashes to Ashes

Yesterday was Ash Wednesday. Can you believe it? Its been a little crazy around the church lately. We've gone from preparing for Jesus birth, to celebrating the Christ child, to seeing the magi come for a visit, to the baptism and beginning of Jesus ministry, to the beginning of the end...and all in the matter of a month and a half.

This may seem a little insignificant to you, but for pastors who keep up on this stuff, its been a whirlwind. Lent definitely came out of no where this year. Ususally, there is more time to prepare for this season, but this year it just landed in my lap, ready to go.

Lent is the time of year in the church that we really look at the end of Jesus' ministry. There is a big focus on his teachings, his miracles, his death, and ending on Easter morning with a big celebration of the resurrection. As Christians, we set aside the time of Lent to get ready for all the emotion of Jesus death and resurrection.

What I love about Lent is that its a time of spiritual discipline....which may sound scary, but really just means that we as Christians set aside some extra time to spend in our walk with Jesus. Its one of my favorite times of the year, actually. Its a time that I feel like Jesus is so close. The emotions are so real and there is nothing (such as Christmas shopping and baking) to distract me from this time with God.

Each year I like to do something for Lent. Most people give something up - like pop or red meat or something like that. Not only to I like to give something up for Lent, but I also like to do something for Lent. In other words - start a practice that will make me a better person. Usually, this entails spending more time in the Bible, volunteering to do a service project, something like that.

Some other cool things you can do:

• Give up pop and donate all the money you would save to a food pantry


• Give up TV to spend more time with your family


• Read your Bible EVERY day...and maybe even do a cool youth devotional


• Pray for someone in your life every day (can be the same person for the entire Lent season, or a new person every day)


• Make it a point to take notes during sermons Sunday morning


• Listen to only Christian music


• Promise to not argue when your parents ask you to do your chores, or better yet, just do chores without being asked


• Offer to help an elderly neighbor scoop their driveway after a snowfall or rake their yard

There are a ton of things that you can do. I've always heard it said that it takes 40 days to establish a good habit or break a bad habit...and guess how long Lent is? 40 days, my friends. Its the perfect time to grow closer to Jesus while making yourself a better person.

So, maybe this year you can think about giving something up. Or think about adding something to your routine. Or maybe both. Whatever it is, I really hope that you will take these 40 days to walk a little closer to Jesus.

What are you going to do for Lent? Leave a comment and let me know!