Lent 2014 begins on
Wednesday, March 5
and ends on
Thursday, April 17
Today is Tuesday, the 25th of
February. The season of Lent is FAST
approaching and, once again, I am compelled to DIVE IN! I hadn’t thought
about Lent in years, until I started following the ministry of an amazing
Church in Washington, DC by the name of National Community Church (NCC) (http://theaterchurch.com/). The Senior Pastor of NCC is an amazing Pastor/leader/author
by the name of Mark Batterson. (An
example of his leadership – this statement sums it up: "It’s not about the name over the door,
it’s about the name preached inside." @MarkBatterson#ilikegiving) AMEN!
As a child, I was raised in the Catholic Church by
an amazing Christian Mother who led my sister and I in the Celebration of Lent. Wikipedia defines Lent as: “The preparation of the believer through prayer, penance, repentance, almsgiving, and self-denial. Its
institutional purpose is heightened in the annual commemoration of Holy Week,
marking the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, which recalls the tradition and events of the
Bible beginning on Friday of Sorrows,
further climaxing on Jesus' crucifixion on Good Friday,
which ultimately culminates in the joyful celebration on Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.” NCC
celebrates Lent and they motivate ME to want to celebrate Lent.
I remember “giving up” ice cream (or
chocolate) for Lent as a child; the “giving up” of something I loved in Jesus’
name (the self-denial part). But it wasn’t
until I got older that I started to understand what I believe to be the
Spiritual significance of Lent. A time
of intense prayer, repentance and study of His Word; creating an unfathomable
bond with the God of the Universe.
I am ashamed to admit I have joined
NCC in the Celebration of Lent the past couple of years, but didn’t complete
the journey. I start off STRONG, COMMITTED, ON FIRE FOR GOD! and
slowly, but surely, give up. I want this
year to be different. I want to stay
committed for the entire journey! I want
follow Lent through to completion!
I am going to join Margaret
Feinberg – committing to read the entire New Testament during the 40 days of
Lent. Would you like to join me (and
hold me accountable)? You can read all
about it here: Margaret’s blog link: http://margaretfeinberg.com/lentchallenge-read-new-testament-40-days/
I KNOW if WE do this, we will be CHANGED FOREVER!
Grab a copy of the Reading Guide here: http://mar.cta.gs/09s
Margaret will be sharing what God is teaching on her blog #LentChallenge
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