Good friends and lovers of Funyuns, cats, dogs, unicorns, Spanish and celery,

Today is Ash Wednesday. It kicks off a 40 day period known as "Lent" in liturgical circles that is intended to cleanse and lead us to the glory of Easter. There's much I could say about how, why, when, what and so forth, but the bottom line is, today marks the start of 40 days for all Christians that can be -if you let it- extremely meaningful. We think most often in terms of giving up something and while that is part of the tradition there is so much more to be gained. It's a time to search yourself deeply and remember who Christ is, and who you are in Christ. It's a time of reflection and prayer and particularly, a time to get real about the sin in your life that you know is there even if no one else has noticed it yet. You can participate in these 40 days no matter how old or young or what church you attend. My nine-year-old daughter prayed about this for two weeks and decided to give up, "worrying about what other people might think about my body." No one's ever said anything to her but she's worried about it although her pediatrician has assured her growing and a little more activity will take care of it. She realized though, her feelings about how she looks sometimes keep her from being as friendly and outgoing as she wants to be and it felt wrong for her. For the next 40 days, when she feels tempted to worry, she's going to pray.

*Lucie Manette is extremely proud of her daughter. Gets a little emotional thinking about it.*

I'm giving up several things, the most important of which is the borderline-neurotic procrastination that has kept me from working on a written project I need to complete before I leave for Rome in May. You guys aren't the only ones who don't like to "feel your feelings."

*Lucie Manette is not the queen of avoidant behavior but she's very creative in coming up with new ways to avoid all that junk. Lucie Manette needs Staples and their big,red EASY button.*

So there you go. Forty days beginning today and you can do something or nothing as the Spirit leads you. Pray for me and know I'm praying for all of you. (for real!)

Thanks..

Hey Lucie Lucie, we do the 40 day fasting and prayer here as well. I guess we don't call it Lent, but Self-Denial. We usually do it 40 days leading up to Easter and all Break the Fast on Easter with a morning meal together.

Ours is tough it seems, at least when we first started it. I can remember when I gave up Pepsi for the first time and thought I would not make it. But now since I have not had one in months it's no longer a fight.

I haven
t decided what I am gonna do or choose the fast I am gonna follow, but I know I will need much prayer whatever it is.

Love ya much guys and let's continue to pray for one another.

Hey sweet Cece!

My fast is two small meals and one normal meal, typically the evening. Nothing in between meals. That's what's killing me! We're eating dinner early tonight because of my hunger and not just because we have an Ash Wednesday service to attend at 6:30.

(and I was just now rather curtly reminded by Peter Parker that we have to be ready to leave in little more than an hour. He's just annoyed because he's trying to install a dishwasher and can't find something, a clamp, a wrench, who knows. I think I'll go bug him. It's not like he can run away with his head stuck under the counter. )

I had a great prayer time today, though and mentioned all of you.

thanks lucie!! i don't know bout me. i don't know that's a hard thing to do.

ok...so like my church just finished a 21 day fast...called Selah...although i didn't do it...i know what i can give up for lent...WORK!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA ok...sry...it sounded nice for a moment...i can't give up food...don't eat much as is...i'm hardly home...i could give up the internet for 40 days..but then i would miss all of you.....yeah...i'm not doing it....

thought bout giving up the internet but i'm like u i just couldn't do it. i'd miss u guys too much!!

Ya'll are so funny.

While fasting from food in some form (skipping a meal, not eating between meals, etc.) is recommended -because making the phyical body subject to some form of discipline means you can develop spiritual discipline as well- you can "fast" from anything. What about fasting from being critical of others for 40 days? Or watching 1 less hour of television a day for 40 days? This is why asking the Lord what He might like you to abstain from is so important.

Our kids loved the Ash Wednesday service last night. If you don't know what that's like, traditionally, the palm branches from the Palm Sunday (celebrating the arrival of Jesus in Jerusalem and the Sunday before Easter) the year before are saved and on Ash Wednesday the following year they are burned and mixed with a little oil. At the service each person has a cross made on their foreheads by the pastor and is generally told while getting the cross to repent of their sins and turn to Christ. It can be extremely meaningful.

Yes I know, wearing a cross on your forehead made of ashes isn't terribly attractive. But if you read the history of this day and the practice of the ashes, they used to dump the ashes on the heads of the men and make the cross on the forehead of the women. This is one case where the men apparently began to tire of having ashes in their hair all day long and begged for the cross on the forehead. Now everyone gets it on the forehead.

This is the self-denial fast our church does. There are 3 choices to choose from. We also pray for these things the 40 days. Each day adds a new need. I will post in segments so no one has to download the file unless they want to and I can email it to you. It looks a little different when cut and pasted here.


Sherrick Road Church of God
Self-Denial
March 8, 2006 – April 16, 2006

True fasting loses bands of wickedness to undo heavy burdens, frees the oppressed, breaks every yoke, deal thy bread to the hungry, bring the poor that are cast out of thine house, covers them that are naked and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh (Isa. 58:6,7).


Wed (1) Mar. 8 – Focus: Body of Christ (1 Cor. 12: 27)

Thu (2) Mar. 9 – Focus: Church Unity (Phil. 2: 2, Heb. 10: 25)

Fri (3) Mar. 10 – Focus: Elderly (Ps. 37: 25)

Sat (4) Mar. 11 – Focus: Spiritual Blind (2 Kings 6: 16,17)

Sun (5) Mar. 12 – Focus: Communities / Relationships (Luke 10: 25 – 37)

Mon (6) Mar. 13 – Focus: Love (Jn. 15: 9 – 17)

Tue (7) Mar. 14 – Focus: Broken Families (Isa. 61: 1)

Wed (8) Mar. 15 – Focus: Addictions (Matt. 17: 15 – 21)

Thu (9) Mar. 16 – Focus: Spiritual Growth (2 Tim. 2: 15, Heb. 12: 1)

Fri (10) Mar. 17 – Focus: Hope (Rom. 5: 1 – 5)

Sat (11) Mar. 18 – Focus: Singles (1 Cor. 7: 32)

Sun (12) Mar. 19 – Focus: Commitment (Luke 14: 27)

Mon (13) Mar. 20 – Focus: Fathers (Eph. 6: 4)

Tue (14) Mar. 21 – Focus: Broken Hearted (Ps. 34: 18)

Wed (15) Mar. 22 – Focus: Strong Minds (Phil. 2: 5)

Thu (16) Mar. 23– Focus: Poor (Matt. 25: 40)

Fri (17) Mar. 24 – Focus: Children (Pr. 22: 6)

Sat (18) Mar. 25 – Focus: Government / Military (Gen. 12: 2)

Sun (19) Mar. 26 – Focus: Faith (Heb. 11:1)

Mon (20) Mar. 27 – Focus: Pastors (Jer. 3: 15, Ro. 13: 7)

Tue (21) Mar. 28 – Focus: Homeless (Ps. 107: 4)

Wed (22) Mar. 29 – Focus: Widows (Ex. 22: 22, Jas. 1: 27)

Thu (23) Mar. 30 – Focus: Submission (Mat. 16:24; 26: 39)

Fri (24) Mar. 31 – Focus: Lost Souls (Mat. 9: 36)

Sat (25) Apr. 1 – Focus: Family Life Center (1 Cor. 10: 33)

Sun (26) Apr. 2 – Focus: Strife / Division (1 Cor. 3: 3 – 6)

Mon (27) Apr. 3 – Focus: Marital Relationships (Eph. 5: 21 – 33)

Tue (28) Apr. 4 – Focus: Mothers (Pr. 31: 10 – 31)

Wed (29) Apr. 5 – Focus: Bereaved (Matt. 5: 4)

Thu (30) Apr. 6 – Focus: Leaders (Gen. 12: 2, 1 Ti. 3)

Fri (31) Apr. 7 – Focus: Sick (Matt. 8: 14 – 17)

Sat (32) Apr. 8 – Focus: Backsliders (Jer. 3: 14)

Sun (33) Apr. 9 – Focus: Abused Children (Mat. 19: 14)

Mon (34) Apr. 10 – Focus: Missionaries / Outreach (Matt. 28: 19,20)

Tue (35) Apr. 11 – Focus: Servants heart (Matt. 20: 28)

Wed (36) Apr. 12 – Focus: Fatherless (Ps. 68: 1 – 6)

Thu (37) Apr. 13 – Focus: New Converts (1 Pet. 2: 2)

Fri (38) Apr. 14 – Focus: Incarcerated (Ps. 107: 10, Mt. 25: 43)

Sat (39) Apr. 15 – Focus: Ministries (Eph. 4: 11 – 16)

Sun (40) Apr. 16 – Focus: Discipline (1 Cor. 9: 24 – 27)

It's not working, it gets all jumbled so if you want it, I can email it to you.

hey wait....lent started already?....i had not clue....ooops...ummmmm....that stinks....i gotta think of somthing to give up!!!.....hmmmm

OMG...i received another email from england and the man gave up CAFFINE and CHOCOLATE....he's insane....i couldn't survive without my caffine...when i can't afford good coffee i have Stacker Mints...one of those has the same amount of caffine as a cup of coffee...you should see me after 3 of them....i'm insane....hope you all have fun in nashville....cause i'm bringing them along...LOL...love ya's

*Lucie Manette tries to think of something clever to say. Nothing comes to mind so she just smiles thinking about how happy AJ must be to get another email from England.*

quote:

Originally posted by A.J.:
OMG...i received another email from england and the man gave up CAFFINE and CHOCOLATE....he's insane....i couldn't survive without my caffine...when i can't afford good coffee i have Stacker Mints...one of those has the same amount of caffine as a cup of coffee...you should see me after 3 of them....i'm insane....hope you all have fun in nashville....cause i'm bringing them along...LOL...love ya's

Oh boy!! We are in for fun.

ok, im giving up french fries!!!

I promise you are in for fun....and i am very happy about the email....i just have nothing to write to him at the moment....so i'm gonna wait till i do or after i know if i get a part in Steel Magnolias.....that would be exciting news....hahahaha...