Claimed, gathered and sent

A great article to help us in our Lenten journey. Ash Wednesday: Practice Truth-Telling

Sophia wrote: The pastor of my grad school parish once gave a fascinating reflection, at about this mid-point in the season, called "How to Survive the Mid-Lent Crisis"! As I recall, his main point was that by halfway through the season we have often found it very challenging to live up to our original plans....But, he suggested--on the analogy of the healing and reframing of our life plans that can happen during a mid-*life* crisis--that that can be even more fruitful. So here's an invitation to check in on the state of your spirit midway through "this joyful season where we prepare to celebrate the paschal mystery with mind and heart renewed" (Roman Missal). Hopefully there's a good deal of grace, and not too much crisis, in your mid-Lenten experience! 1. Did you give up, or take on, anything special for Lent this year? I took on something, increased attentiveness to hear God's voice, to quiet myself to listen, especially through lectio divina . A grou...

God calls, we respond. Gifted for Leadership has a post reminding us of the relational nature of God's call. It goes beyond a career. I am grateful to be reminded of what should be the obvious, particularly during Holy Week. What Wondrous Love is This!

Phyllis Tickle has written a number of books on fixed hour prayer. She now has a blog and today's post is particularly relevant to those of us observing Lent. It can be found at http://blog.beliefnet.com/thedivinehoursoflent/2008/02/wednesday-february-13-2008.html. Blessings. Powered by ScribeFire .

Once again The Lutheran has some insightful articles apropos for Lent. Check out "God Sightings." February 2008 issue Story by Carolyn Coon Mowchan Image by Michael D. Watson God sightings Make it your Lenten practice to watch for God's activity Where I live in the beautiful north woods of Wisconsin, restaurants still serve fish on Friday nights. I wonder if anyone thinks of sacrifice these days while eating walleye. I also wonder what people think about during Lent in 2008. All rituals can be empty or inspiring depending on clarity and earnestness. Here’s a suggestion: Let’s all give up mistrusting God for Lent. Wouldn’t that be worth a Hallelujah chorus or two? How would we even start trusting, you might be thinking? Theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer (famous for several things, including the term “cheap grace”) suggested that trust follows obedience. Likewise, obedienc...

Over breakfast I was looking though the latest issue of The Lutheran and came across this article. Story by Glen A. Bengson 'But God can' Ash Wednesday reminds us God renews, reforms, revives our lives I had baptized 4-year-old Sarah and her brother some months before and was visiting the family to see how things were going. “Has Sarah mentioned anything about the experience?” I asked her mother. “Oh, yes,” she answered. “She said the pastor made a cross on her forehead. I told her, ‘But you can’t see it now.’ “‘But God can,’ replied Sarah.” When the ashes of Ash Wednesday welcome us into the disciplines of Lent and Christian life, we begin that 40-day journey of repentance and renewal confident that, indeed, “God can.” God can bring life out of death. God can join water and word, bread and wine, repentance and forgiveness, and cross and community to fashion a new beginning and a new people in Christ. God can renew and reform and revive my life because of Je...