Preparing for a Quieting

Lent Begins

"Lent is best understood as a time not of denial for its own sake, but for redirecting our desires toward that which nourishes us both spiritually and physically, preparing us for fuller communion with God and each other."  (Beth Bevis, God For Us)

What a gift from the church to set aside some quiet time. The period of Lent (40 days before Easter) is a season itself -- a time to recognize the movement of creation from sleep to life and feed the needs for this movement in so many, many ways. It is a time for the cultivation of the inner life. 

Morrow is offering a beautiful mix of fellowship, reflection, prayer and worship for Lent; all are designed to nourish us. I hope you can join us for some/all. Check out the website for all the details.

There are also some wonderful resources available online and from bookshops. I'll be posting a daily devotion here each morning. I also encourage those of you on Instagram or Facebook to look at the "40 days, 40 words" list on the Morrow page. This is a way we can visually feed each other images for reflection. 

Let me know of others you and/or your family like. Blessings and Strength for the Journey.

The Painted Prayerbook
I am a huge fan of Jan Richardson. Jan has a daily devotion with visual art, reflections and poetry (there is a fee). Her previous writings are available online. Here is the link to her Ash Wednesday devotion:

http://paintedprayerbook.com/2015/02/13/ash-wednesday-the-terrible-marvelous-dust/

A Family Devotion
For families with children, the United Methodist Church has a weekly devotion:

file:///Users/brendaehlers/Downloads/2015%20Family%20Study%20for%20Lent.pdf

Fasting Devotions
For those fasting I lift up these older devotional resources. You'll need to edit the dates and some of the references to specific Canadian ministries, but it is a good opportunity to think about those ministries locally that need our support and prayer. (I will be using this with my fellow fasting friends): http://pwrdf.org/uploads/177/pwrdf_lentbook_2012_webfile.pdf

And another older one for fasting:

http://episcopalcredo.org/CREDO2/assets/File/Lent2013/2013LentFacilitatorsGuide.pdf

God For Us
Daily Devotions from some awesome writers. I will be using this devotion book this season. I like this book because some of my favorite spiritual writers provide reflections in weekly sections. With multiple voices, it is nice to have a consistent voice for a week or more at a time, with Beth Bevis re-focusing readers each Sunday.

Wondrous Encounters: Scripture for Lent
Daily Devotions from Richard Rohr. Many of us enjoyed the Advent devotions from Rohr a year ago and this book is similarly framed. I particularly like the pairing of scripture he chooses for his daily reflections. Rohr explore the notion of being known -- entirely visible -- to God.




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