Preparing for Lent

Carol asked if I would send this link of 15 ways to fast during Lent.  We are just over a day away from Ash Wednesday, so start thinking now about if and how you would like to fast during these next 40 days.


If you can't (or aren't interested in) abstaining from food, try going without your cell phone or computer or even just Facebook...for a day, a weekend, all of Lent.  Try the discipline of solitude, as we discussed on Sunday, fasting from the presence of others.  You may only be able to wake up a little earlier or stay up a little later than your family.  What about a day trip?  Or maybe you can do a weekend retreat.  Whatever works.

Just remember: the purpose of fasting is not to prove that you can do without, but to focus more on God.

And fasting or doing without is not the only way to "celebrate" the season of Lent.  It is also a tradition of many Christians to take up a discipline during these 40 days.  So you may also want to pick one of the disciplines in Richard Foster's Celebration of Discipline.

We hope to see you on Wednesday at the First Baptist Church of Memphis, Tennessee, as "our Lenten journey starts with ashes" (to quote a hymn co-written by our minister of music and former pastor).

And don't miss our Taize service this Sunday during Connect4.  Maria will lead what promises to be a very meaningful experience.  For a glimpse of what's in store, listen to these free samples

 from the Taize community in France.