Tag: Lent

Lenten Season Means Spring Cleaning for Soul and Home

Posted on February 17, 2018 by Mama

If you were busy exchanging smooches, sappy cards and chocolate kisses with your sweetheart this week, you may have missed the official beginning of this year’s Lenten season. Yes, Ash Wednesday fell right on Valentine’s Day and apparently came as a surprise to many of us. I was unaware until I spied a lady at my son’s school party craft station with black “marker” on her forehead. I wanted to warn her that she had a little something on her face. . . but luckily at the last minute I realized she was proudly wearing ashes and I kept my mouth shut. Whew!

Lent is the forty days between Ash Wednesday (Feb 14, 2018) and Easter Sunday (Apr 1, 2018) and is a time of prayerful preparation leading up to the celebration of the resurrection of Christ. Many people fast, give up luxuries and step up their prayer life during Lent as a way to respectfully mimic the sacrifice of Jesus and His journey in the desert before His crucifixion.

Being a Southern Baptist my whole life, Lent was something I was aware of but not something we celebrated much in the way of sacrifice (unlike my Catholic bred husband). We simply put all our emphasis on the single, super-special day of Easter. Oddly enough, in recent years the Baptist churches in which I have attended have been stepping up their game as far as religious days go. I have seen a much larger emphasis put on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday and even Advent leading up to Christmas. I personally like this new awareness, because all these days were part of the master plan (or The Master’s plan) and it makes sense to be more aware of the whole picture.

On the less spiritual side of Lent is a fun little program called “40 Bags in 40 Days” hosted by Ann Marie at White House, Black Shutters. The whole idea is to purge our homes of the clutter that is weighing down our lives by discarding forty bags, boxes or items during the forty days of Lent. Don’t get me wrong, there are some real soul-lifting aspects of this program also and it can have a profound impact on your family dynamics, personal wellbeing and spiritual walk with Christ. Now, If you simply take part in this fun challenge for the pure desire of having a cleaner house, I say go for it girl! I have participated for a few years now; and although I’ve never met my 40-bag goal, I still feel less burdened without the stuff I purge from my life and I know my husband (who is definitely not of the hoarder sort) appreciates the cleaner closets and blank spaces.

I also like to consider Luke 10:38 from the [Holman] Bible, “While they were traveling, He entered a village, and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home.” You mean, Jesus just happened to stop by her house one day and she actually welcomed him in? That’s pretty amazing because I don’t even welcome my dearest friends (much less the Messiah) on some days; because let me tell ya, we have stuff and it can be absolutely everywhere! I know our homes don’t have to be perfect, but wouldn’t it be nice if people just popped over like they used to without our ducking behind the front door and hoping they didn’t see the shutters move?

So whether you’re unburdening your soul or your shelves this Lenten season, I hope you will do so with intention and, if your house is as full as mine, a hefty helping of prayer. God doesn’t mind if we ask for a little help, even with the most mundane of life’s challenges. . . and for some of us, we need all the help we can get.

Clutter Begone: 40 Bags in 40 Days

Posted on March 1, 2017 by Mama

Today is the first day of Lent, which consists of 40 days leading up to Good Friday and Easter. People “celebrate” this time of sacrifice by letting go of something they value, improving upon an aspect of life or, as is my case this year, getting rid of 40 bags of clutter that is weighing down my house and weighing down my life.

Forty bags. That’s one bag or box of clutter for each day of Lent. It’s such a simple idea, but one that can make such a difference in your family’s life. This concept comes from Marie at White House Black Shutters, and she rallies the masses for this project each and every year. I started this challenge several years ago, but didn’t make it to the finish line (for whatever reason), but this year I am determined to meet my goal.

White House Black Shutters provides so many ways to achieve your decluttering goal like Facebook groups, free printables, tips, tricks, hashtags and access to a complete community of folks trying to achieve a similar goal. If you’re interesting in trashing, donating or recycling 40 entire bags (or boxes) of stuff you just don’t need in your home or life anymore, I urge to visit the 40 Bags in 40 Days challenge site and get started today.

Poplessness for World Peace (or My First Attempt at Lent)

Posted on February 20, 2015 by Mama

I’ve decided to give up soda for Lent. No , I haven’t converted to Catholicism, Lutheran, Presbyterian or any other religion that routinely celebrates the season leading to Easter with forty days of sacrifice, but I do think it’s a worthwhile exercise in spiritual discipline. Now I’m not sure how giving up Dr. Pepper will bring me closer to God. . . but give me a few weeks and it might become clear, or at least semitransparent.

I hadn’t much a thought about Lent until I realized it was Ash Wednesday yesterday morning as I sipped on something funky I was told to be Dr. Pepper from the local drive through window. It didn’t taste good, it makes me fat and I spend far too much on my weekly fizz fix; but by golly, I drank it anyway. And that’s when the idea hit me — I’ll sacrifice soda for forty days, hopefully shed a few pounds and keep my money where it belongs. Of course I quickly wondered if it’s actually considered “sacrifice,” if I’m planning to get something in return. Hmm?

So just like that I made a half-hearted, completely uninformed superficial commitment to participate in this year’s Lenten season (I’m sure my Catholic-raised husband will be so proud of me). So with Ash Wednesday in full swing I swore off sodas, starting as soon as I finished the one in hand, which really shouldn’t count because it tasted awful. Later that afternoon my husband brought home a cola Freezoni (a shame to let that go to waste), so I restarted my sacrifice only after my brain freeze faded. And alas, the pop machine called my name right before Bible study last night. . . but I was really thirsty, and all the proceeds support youth group endeavors. Ah, patronage pop — is there anything better?

So I’ve started day two of my ~~40-day~~ 39-day journey; and while it isn’t quite over, I have managed to steer clear of anything soda related so far. I have discovered that if I don’t drink anything, I’m less likely to pick pop. I’m not sure dehydration was the desired outcome.

I definitely think I’m missing a key component (the super important spiritual one) in this whole process. While I’m already feeling the sacrifice, I don’t think this is exactly the point of Lent; and unless cola companies are the devil (and I’m not chasing that rabbit), I’m not sure I’ll ever come close to anything similar to the sacrifice Jesus made in the desert. Of course, I’m positive that if I think long enough and delirium sets in I’ll be able to justify every last noncarbonated liquid through my lips. I can see it now — move over ice buckets, here comes poplessness for world peace! Yikes, I need a soda.