Lent Part 6 – Invitation to Use the “S” Word (Sacrifice)

Posted by linda on Mar 17, 2010 in Blog, Lent & Easter | 1 comment I once used the “S” word with my son, and he recoiled as though I’d slapped him across the face.  The “S” word has definitely fallen into disrepute in recent years, and my son’s reaction reflected that.  The word I’m talking about is sacrifice, and it’s almost become a swear word in our culture. With tears in his eyes, he asked accusingly,...
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Lent Part 5 – Invitation to Care Less

Posted by linda on Mar 10, 2010 in Blog, Lent & Easter | 2 comments Drip, drip, drip… That’s the dailyness of life slowly eroding your heart.  Whoosh, crash, roar… Here comes a raging river of tragedy sweeping you downstream in a torrent of whitewater.  Sound familiar? Whether it’s the ongoing press of life or the sudden intensity of a crisis, we all know what it’s like to be weighed down with cares.  That’s why we find...
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Lent Part 4 – Invitation to UnMask

Posted by linda on Mar 4, 2010 in Blog, Lent & Easter | 4 comments Recently my family was getting ready to go somewhere and I said, “Give me a minute – I’ve got to put my makeup on.”  At that point my 11-year-old blurted out, “There’s Adam and Eve’s Apple for you.”  I turned and looked him in the eye to see if he had really just made the deep theological comment that I thought he’d made.  Sure enough. ...
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Lent Part 3 – Invitation to Bend Toward the Light

Posted by linda on Feb 25, 2010 in Blog, Lent & Easter | 1 comment God has been showing me this week that I need more heliotropism in my life. If you’ve never heard of heliotropism, don’t go looking for that word in the Bible – you won’t find it there. It’s actually a scientific term to describe what happens when plants bend toward the sun. (It’s also a fun word to say!) As you may remember, I planted some zinnia and sunflower seeds last week and...
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Lent Part 2b: A Simple Lenten Practice to Consider

Posted by linda on Feb 17, 2010 in Blog, Lent & Easter | 0 comments Cross-Shaped Lenten Candleholder  A practice that many people observe at Christmas is counting down the weeks of Advent leading up to Christmas Day.  Likewise, it can also be meaningful to mark the weeks of Lent.  About ten years ago, my husband took two pieces of wood and created a cross that we have turned into a Lenten candleholder with seven candles – one for each of the seven...
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Lent Part 2: Invitation to Die to Self

Posted by linda on Feb 17, 2010 in Blog, Lent & Easter | 1 comment “I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed.  But if it dies, it produces many seeds.  The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.”            John 12:23-25 Today I am a seed.  On this Ash Wednesday, this first day of Lent, I choose to be a...
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