Fat Tuesday Celebrations

Good morning folks!

I love people and I love prayer. So this a people/prayer meeting via the internet. I am thankful the internet allows us to stay in contact from far and near. So grab your punchkeys... (couldn't spell Polish if the maffia had a gun to my head) and start by taking some time to be thankful. During Lent, I'm committed to waking up in the morning and coming up with 50 things for which I'm grateful before the day has started. Today's list included coffee, smart wool socks, first world problems, the internet, amaryllis, crazy hair and embroidery. Thanksgiving slows us down and gives us time to absorb the details in the world. I never realized how lovely embroidery was until I read about it being banned for its beauty (in a work of fiction); and I never would have thought of it as something to be thankful for until I thought about how it can be a work of love to produce something so time consuming and beautiful. Thanksgiving protects us from discontent by reminding us of God's goodness.

Lent is a time often misunderstood and misused. In my life, I want to use it as a time to offer myself more fully to the Lord, but since this is a thing I should always be doing, I can understand why my mother never cared to celebrate it. Traditionally, (and you can contradict or add to what I write), I believe Lent was a time for people to prepare their hearts for Easter through prayer, penitance, and self-denial. In some ways, it mirrors Jesus temptation in the desert for 40 days. Truthfully, I agree with my mom and don't think there should be any time we are not praying, practicing self-denial, and repenting, but I appreciate Lent because we need reminders. Jesus gave us the sacrement of communion before he went to the cross because he knew humans struggle with spiritual dimensia. Therefore, I am eager to grab Lent by the horns (mixed metaphors here) and dive "further up and further in" to life in Christ!

As I considered this year's Lent, I found myself hungry to also grow in community. The church is a body - we need eachother to grow stronger. I don't want to experience Lent alone. So I'm creating this blog, as a form of mutual Lenten encouragement. I offer it as a way to share our experiences - how we are drawing nearer to God (or finding that He is drawing us to Him... because sometimes we cannot carry our sorry selves anywhere, but thanks God be if we have willing hearts, He will do the work). If you do post, I gently suggest beginning with what you are thankful for and then sharing whatever is on your heart.

Love,
Katie