We begin today a series of weekly reflections through the season of Lent, written by Bobby Gross, who contributed the reflections for this past Advent Season. I welcome the start of Lent on Ash Wednesday each year. I look forward to it, actually, which might seem odd to those who think of Ash Wednesday as a hangover day after Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) and associate Lent with a slightly dour asceticism. The Church has practiced a version of Lent for over 1,700 years, and in recent decades its observance has spread … [Read more...] about Lenten Reflections: Ash Wednesday and the Invitation to Lent
Ash Wednesday
Science Corner: Get Healthy Fast
Ash Wednesday inaugurates a season of fasting for many Christians. Nowadays those fasts vary widely; perhaps you aren't reading this post because you are abstaining from social media for Lent. Still, the classics endure for a reason, and now scientists are exploring how cutting back on food affects our bodies. The latest study found that fasting had several health benefits including weight loss, lower blood pressure and healthier blood sugar levels. Or perhaps more precisely, a "fast-mimicking diet" provided those … [Read more...] about Science Corner: Get Healthy Fast
Shoot Christians Say: Lent and Ash Wednesday
Lent is Church language. For countless jaded Christians the word implies little more than hypocrisy and self-righteousness. For others it's that time of year to give up coffee or baked goods for a few weeks. When some think of it, this might pop into their heads: “It seems like I remember my sin enough without smudging it on my face and going without my favorite drink for a month and a half.” I invited a friend to the Ash Wednesday service with a local Catholic congregation and this was his response: “Nah man. … [Read more...] about Shoot Christians Say: Lent and Ash Wednesday
‘After Shock’ as a resource for wrestling with the crisis in Japan
How long will you hide your face from me? -- Psalm 13:1 How does one Search for (and embrace) Honest Faith when your world is shaken? you've watched the world of others being shaken? you serve, minister to, walk with those whose world has been shaken? colleagues, family, friends bring the challenging question of where was your God? At Jubilee 2011, I had the opportunity hear Kent Annan (author of After Shock: Searching for Honest Faith When Your World Is Shaken and codirector of Haiti Partners) and Enel … [Read more...] about ‘After Shock’ as a resource for wrestling with the crisis in Japan
Lent begins today: Ash Wednesday
What cannot be admitted -- what must exist only as an undefeated but daily resisted enemy -- is the idea of something that is 'our own', some area in which we are to be 'out of school', on which God has no claim. ... I do not think any efforts of my own will can end once and for all this craving for limited liabilities, this fatal reservation. Only God can. I have good faith and hope He will. Of course, I don't mean that I can therefore, as they say, 'sit back'. What God does for us, He does in us. The process … [Read more...] about Lent begins today: Ash Wednesday