Joy Dare Monday and Lenten Musings

-
I haven't seen Ann post yet, but I'm putting up my list anyway. This past week, my cold came back but for a briefer duration although I haven't shaken the post-nasal drip from either one yet.

My Lenten discipline of meditation for 15 minutes every day (except feast days) is also not going well. I think 3/6 so far. Hopefully this week will be better, but I've been struggling to make this a discipline for two years now, I think.

The whole point of Lent, I am finally coming around to understanding, is not giving something up or taking something on, but pausing in the headlong rush of our days to make time for God, the one who is supposed to be our number one priority but so often gets relegated to "after I check Facebook" or "after I do X productive thing" or "I'd rather watch television." (These are all me.)

It's not an obligation but a remembering of the gift that each of us has through being in relationship with God. It's an astonishing thing, and I think because God's not there physically in front of us, we tend to take God for granted and not enjoy God now.

Anyway. Those are my musings on the season of Lent. To lower the tone, have you discovered Lent Madness? It's a hoot. (And an education.)

The past week's list of gifts:

139. sledgehammer headache
140. loyal dog
141. flung together chicken soup
142. summer cover-up

143. bad joke
144. confidences shared
145. unexpected, cold, rain
146. landing the H Chorus from Messiah (it's Lent, I can't say the H- or A-word)
147. didn't get the job
148. applied for two others that look even better
149. the idea of Turkish Delight Tim Tams
150. quiet day (for 2 hours)
151. lunch
152. solo wisteria bloom

153. warm cheek

Joining in Ann Voskamp's:

Comments

Post a Comment

Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment.

Popular posts from this blog

Where Bloggers Create Party!

-
Image
My Desert Cottage Not much has changed in my art room since last year . I had a substantial to-do list this year and I didn't quite get to all of them. Here's what was on my "to-do" that got t'done: 1) I made pretty labels for my binders: 2) I cleaned out my closet. (There is no before picture: just imagine stacks of boxes, giant plastic containers and the like.) The closet now holds some stamp storage (off to the side behind the purple velvet dress that's hanging; a chest of drawers packed with fabric (now consolidated into one space except for another drawer in last year's pink chest of drawers); and a sacred space. The wall has book pages taped onto it. I got the idea and the technique from Aunt Peaches . Eventually, the small stained glass cross will move and be above the ombry that I have on permanent loan (currently holding my prayer books and a bible), which is a bit of a long story, but basically when I no longer have a use f...
Read more

"where there is darkness, light" - Prayer of St. Francis series

-
Image
Today's guest blogger is Joe Pote. As a s tudent of the Bible since early childhood, Joe was literally raised in church, attending multiple church services and Bible studies each week. Having also endured the devastation of a failed marriage, Joe combines a sound understanding of biblical principles with personal experience of the issues and concerns of believers who have experienced divorce.  He would like for you to visit his website .  I sat huddled at my desk, face pressed into palms supported by elbows propped on desktop, staring into the darkness of my own hands…feeling the darkness pressing in from all sides.   The work day was ended.  It was time to go home, a brief ten minute walk from the office.  Yet, I lingered, dreading home…knowing the unfixable problems waiting there…praying that God would show me what to do. My four beautiful children waited at home, bright lights in my life, who I was always pleased to see.  But their mother also ...
Read more

Where Bloggers Create Party II: My Room 2010 (with lots of pictures)

-
Image
I'm excited to be joining the Where Bloggers Create Party for the first time. I discovered it last year, ages after it happened and I literally spent the day looking through them all! I hope you enjoy my space. The sign on my door. I made it as a make-and-take a couple of years ago. Here's an overall view of my room. You can't tell because of the lighting but the walls are not pink. They're pale lavender. The bookcase I bought from Target a year or two ago. It's "Shabby Chic". The bottom drawer holds my German scrap and the "transparent" stuff. The bookcase from Target that used to be under the window is now vertical. The addition to the top of pink chest of drawers is a library card file that was gonna be tossed from church until I rescued it. It holds rolls of seam binding and millinery. I might paint it next year.... Next to it is a tiered holder of mostly lace, but some feathers and flowers. The chest of drawers holds glue, large photos, fa...
Read more