Lent. It’s an important part of the Christian tradition. Prayer, fasting, and giving to others. Many people tell me that they appreciate Lent and look forward to it as a time of spiritual renewal. But I have some troubles with Lent. I’m sharing that with you in this Casual Conversation.… Read More »I Have Trouble with Lent
If it’s fun or pleasurable, it must be a sin! That’s what many people seem to think. Sin isn’t about an action or habit. It has to do with how we live. The following is a text version of this posting. It’s a Sin! The song by the Pet Shop… Read More »It’s a Sin!
Extravagance: that’s not something we usually associate with Lent. Yet, extravagance is key to understanding the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. To be extravagant, to be lavish, to be imprudent, to be over the top and do something no one else would do — yes, these are all key… Read More »The Extravagance of Lent
Friendship. The term is used frequently and conveys a myriad of meanings. On social media, we “friend” others including people we’ve never met. We refer to people we haven’t seen in years, perhaps since school days, as “friends” yet other than sharing a moment in time, we have little in… Read More »The Way of Jesus in Friendship and Grief
It’s an ancient tradition. Over the last 1500 years or so, Christians have observed a period of prayer and fasting prior to Easter. In time, a forty-day period (Sundays aren’t included because Sundays are a memorial of Easter) emerged within the Christian tradition and came to be called Lent. The… Read More »Lent and the God of Jesus
Springtime is drawing near in the northern hemisphere. Days are becoming longer as sunlight continues into the evening. Snow and ice have begun to melt off in many regions. The first flowers poke out of the ground while tree limbs swell and buds begin to appear. There’s a sense of… Read More »Renewed in Spring
When I was a child, I would bring home a small cardboard “piggy bank” from church each year at the beginning of Lent. The children at my church were told to place coins in the bank and fill it up and bring it back to church at Easter. This was… Read More »Lent: Giving for the Life of the World
Each year, the question is asked again. It becomes part of the discussion in churches and groups of Christians, both in person and in virtual settings. What are you giving up for Lent? The answers include favorite foods, like desserts or chocolate. Some give up the use of social media. … Read More »The Lenten Fast: It’s More Than Giving Up Sweets