Ash Wednesday-Many
churches use a passage from Joel 2:1-2. 12-17. It smashes the
stereotype of Judaism being legalistic. “Rend your hearts, not
your garments.” God wants to see signs of repentance here. To
begin the season of Lent, we are reminded of our mortality as we see
the sign of repentance, ashes. Sin makes ashes of our relationships.
We have a hard enough time feeling remorse for what we do to each
other. Perhaps we would do better to think of sin as something that
breaks God’s heart, or dashes a hope for us.

Thursday-Temptation has
to be trickier than saying this is harmful, so do not do it. On the
surface, temptation draws us to the attractive, to the engaging, to
the enjoyable. Temptation blinds us to consequences. It shifts
language. Think about how the word has virtually disappeared, with
the exception of food in relation to breaking a diet. What hav ebeen
successful ways for you to resist, to fight, to even overcome
temptation?

Friday- Lent is often
seen as a season of privation. To fit its root meaning of springtime,
try to consider it a time of preparation and pruning, getting your
spiritual garden ready. Where has good, solid preparation helped you?
Where has flying by the seat of the pants been helpful? What could
you cut out of your life to make it more productive? What gets in
the way of being more loving? Are those obstacles internal or
external? Where does time fit into obstacles or opportunities?

Saturday –Here’s
another idea for Lent. Instead of emphasizing pruning vies, how about
planting seeds for virtues and virtuous deeds? Look at the fruit of
the Spirit in Gal. 5. Pick one you most admire. What is your best
spiritual attribute? Try building on it. In social research, we are
starting to suspect that we learn from success much more readily than
we learn from our mistakes. Building on resources promotes energy and
a sense of possibility.