Lent, the 40 day period that precedes Easter Sunday, begins next Wednesday, February 25th.

Lent is a time that means nothing... unless you make it into something. It is a time when you might decide to do something about your own spiritual growth. When we want to learn a skill, we enroll in a course. If we want to get buff, we go to the gym. If we want to relax, we take a nap or a walk or see friends.

But somehow, many of us don't make decisions to grow closer to God. You care about God, but you're just kind of living and hoping that you'll pick up some God knowledge here or there. You're not making time in your busy life to learn and grow in faith.

So let Lent be different. What can you do? Here are a few ideas:

1. Give up something. This practice derives from the tradition of fasting from certain foods during Lent. The point of fasting is self-discipline, purification, and self-control. If we are not "slaves" to our appetites, we can give more of ourselves to God. Give up your "enslaving" habit during Lent this year. Give it to God. (and BTW, the point is not to pick it back up again AFTER Lent, but to let this be a change in your life!)
    
2. Begin something. Instead of giving up some behavior, adopt a behavior that you want as part of your life. Pray every morning (with a prayer partner or on your own). Read Scripture every day. Give to those less fortunate than you (a meal, a kind word, a gift, a donation). Or just do something kind—40 days of acts of kindness. The point of this is also to change your behavior, so don't give up after Lent is done!
    
3. Worship on Wednesday. Create space in the middle of your week for worship and group study. Lenten WeWo at Marble starts at 6:15 (yes, you CAN get here on time!). Our spiritual conversation runs from 7:30–8:45. The topic of this year's Lent is "The Will of God"—it is one of the most central and important ideas in our faith, so commit yourself to worship and spiritual conversation and fellowship with other Marble members during Wednesdays in Lent.
    
4. Reconcile with someone you've been estranged from.
    
5. Live more simply, saving more and spending less.
    
6. Share your faith (and your doubts) with a few important people in your life.

Lent is just another 40 days... unless you make a decision to make it special. Growing in relationship with God is not an automatic thing. Sometimes it's all about God's initiative. But sometimes... we need to take some steps on our own.

What steps can you take during these next 40 days? Let me know how I can help.