Day 16: Earthly

Sadly this is the extent of my current garden - well, that plus the winterized strawberry plants in the garage that I hope will come back to life the way they are supposed to.  Last summer was the first time that I put in the time and effort to have a garden, it was extremely rewarding!  Not only was the food organic and delicious, but the practice of gardening was so calming - almost like prayer or meditation.  The thoughtful preparation of the garden, the quiet routine of caring for the plants, and the excitement of watching them grow all amounted to an experience that made me feel reconnected to the Earth, to the cycle of life, to creation (and I definitely enjoyed the benefit of yummy fruits and veggies in my back yard!)

I can't wait for Spring, for the renewal of the Earth.  I enjoy winter for about a month and then I'm over it!  It's only the last day of February and I'm already itching to start landscaping and planting the new garden.  I'm also really excited because I can make permanent garden plans this time around - no digging it all up and moving it across the state this year! :-)

The dark, cold, slop of February makes it hard to appreciate the natural beauty that we live in.  The small miracle of watching a broccoli seed sprout and grow into an enormous plant (before last year I had no idea how big broccoli plants were!) is just the tip of the iceberg of Earth's wonders.  While I do believe in micro-evolution - I feel like you can't help but believe in a higher power and creation when you truly appreciate the world around you.  We have a responsibility to love and care for the Earth, and we have done a fairly poor job as of late - I believe that repairing that relationship will bring us all a greater sense of spiritual peace.

Genesis 1

²⁸ Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.”

²⁹ Then God said, “Look! I have given you every seed-bearing plant throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food. ³⁰ And I have given every green plant as food for all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, and the small animals that scurry along the ground—everything that has life.” And that is what happened.

Day 15: Hear

"For us to take God seriously, we have to be open to asking questions and perhaps doubting what it is we believe, trusting that God is big enough to handle our questions...May we have the courage to see and hear what both doubt and faith have to teach and may each of us daily go on to perfection, patterning our lives after Christ, that, in every thought of our hearts, in every word of our tongues, in every work of our hands, we would show forth praise."

There's a lot of noise in life and it can be really hard to tune it all out and listen for God.  There was a point while I was singing at service on Sunday when I couldn't really hear myself.  I was nervous enough to begin with...but that moment of anxiety pushed me to let go.  I consciously thought to myself that I needed to stop worrying about how I sounded; that if I just focused on the words and meaning of the songs, the sound would come on its own.  I still couldn't hear myself that well, and I know I made some mistakes, but I had multiple people come up to me afterward and thank me for singing - so I couldn't have been all that bad, and I might have even reached a few people who were there.

I really appreciated Rethink Church's devotional today - it met me at exactly where I feel I am on my journey.  I am beginning to feel more bold and confident in my faith, but I still have moments of doubt and I still have plenty of questions.  I'm a very logical person - always questioning everything - so it makes perfect sense to me that a mature faith embraces, and in some ways even requires, doubt.  I believe that questioning faith is an important step for everyone to take - whether you were brought up into a faith or if you are still searching for something, its important to test your own spiritual boundaries.  If you have a question to ask and you truly open up your heart and mind, you never know what you might hear in response to guide you.

Matthew 7

⁷ “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.  

⁸ For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; 

and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

Day 14: Lift

Those of you non-short people out there may not understand my picture today; but trust me, my step stool lifts me up to places I couldn't go without it :-)

We depend on a lot of things to lift us up in life - our family & friends, jobs, hobbies, food, guilty pleasure tv shows...we look forward to these things, they brighten our day, provide a refuge, and help us face life's daily grind and challenges.

This Lent season has made me realize that, until recently, my faith has not made that list often enough.  It's not an excuse, but having a home church makes all the difference.  At Resurrection Life my involvement in the choir led me to connect with God authentically throughout the week.  During our 2 years in Kalamazoo we searched for a church, but never found one that felt right.  Now that we are back on the East Side I have committed myself to devoting more time and energy to my faith.  I have just started singing at church again and I am going on a youth mission trip to Mexico as a translator.  I think these experiences will lift me up in my faith, reconnect me with God, and help me seek out my faith as a comfort and support more often.

Psalm 18:2

The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior;
    my God is my rock, in whom I find protection.
He is my shield, the power that saves me,
    and my place of safety.

Day 13: Cover

 

Cover: 

1. to be or serve as a covering for; extend over; rest on the surface of

2. to place something over or upon, as for protection, concealment, or warmth.

3. to protect or conceal

4.to bring upon (oneself)

 

1. God's presence is all around us, covering our lives like a thin layer of a dust that you only see if you're looking for it

2. God's love can feel warm and comforting, just like climbing into bed and snuggling under the covers after a long day

3. I feel like there are some Christians who use their "fervor" of faith as a cover for their own sins - I believe it is truly the greatest sin of all to judge/chastise others for their sins.

4.  We have the ability to cover ourselves with God's grace if we can humble ourselves, bring our worries to God, and identify and work to rectify our shortcomings. 

 

 

 Romans 4

¹³ Clearly, God’s promise to give the whole earth to Abraham and his descendants was based not on his obedience to God’s law, but on a right relationship with God that comes by faith. ¹⁴ If God’s promise is only for those who obey the law, then faith is not necessary and the promise is pointless. ¹⁵ For the law always brings punishment on those who try to obey it. (The only way to avoid breaking the law is to have no law to break!)
¹⁶ So the promise is received by faith. It is given as a free gift. And we are all certain to receive it, whether or not we live according to the law of Moses, if we have faith like Abraham’s. For Abraham is the father of all who believe. 

Day 12: Vision

I'm definitely struggling with "vision" today - I feel like I am recycling a lot of thoughts that I had for "see" and "wonder."

What I keep coming back to is that God has a vision for our lives - and it is a constant struggle to make our vision for our life match it.  God has given us parameters to live by, goals to meet, and accomplishments to pursue.  In the Bible there are numerous stories of people receiving dreams/visions from God - giving them direction, a clear path to follow.  I wish it was that easy for all of us - I wish I had a clear vision of where I was going and what I was supposed to be doing.  On good days when I feel like my lesson has really reached my students, or I have been extremely productive, or I have managed to be an all-star wife I do feel like I'm doing exactly what I'm meant to do in this life.  But there are many more days when I question my decisions - from minute daily tasks to whether or not I chose the right career.

These are the days when we have to listen to the silence, pray for guidance, and simply do the best we can to focus the hazy picture of the path God has laid out for us.

Psalm 119:105

Your word is a lamp for my feet,
    a light on my path.

Day 11: Live

I normally wouldn't want anyone to see my kitchen this messy (I'm also hoping that my fancy sketch effect makes the mess slightly less offensive haha)...but in the spirit of Living I put the To Do List aside this weekend and just relaxed and enjoyed my husband, friends, and family after a stressful week.

Sometimes we get so bogged down by daily tasks and To Dos that we can't even enjoy life - at least I know I am guilty of this far more often than I should be.  Lesson Plans, Grading, Cleaning, Laundry, Dishes...the list goes on and on.  Most days those items are my top priorities - rather than spending time with friends, walking the dog, relaxing with my husband, reflection, doing the things that I truly enjoy like reading, singing, exercising...So, this weekend I did all of those things, and none of the former :-) 

I need to enjoy life and just live more often.  By no means am I trying to give credit to "YOLO" (You Only Live Once for those who don't interact with the younger generation on a daily basis lol).  While I do agree with the statement (it's certainly not a new concept eg Carpe Diem), I feel like most of my students have allowed popular media and celebrities like Drake misconstrue its true sentiment.  YOLO should not be an excuse for making bad choices - it should be the reason for making good ones, and an inspiration to enjoy your life while at the same time making it productive and meaningful.  I believe that we can accomplish this while at the same time developing our spirituality, praising God, and living up to God's expectations of us. 

Ecclesiastes 5:18

This is what I have observed to be good: that it is appropriate for a person to eat, to drink and to find satisfaction in their toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given them—for this is their lot.

Day 10: Spirit

This is a picture of my tattoo.   I drew it after MawMaw had passed away, after I had spent days in her hospital room reading the Bible to her - and for the first time in my life, to myself.  I realized for the first time that my prayers going unanswered didn't mean that there was no God or that I wasn't loved by God.  God doesn't choose for bad things to happen in the world - but when they do happen God sends the Holy Spirit to comfort us.

I taped the drawing to the bookcase on my desk in my dorm room and stared at it every day for a month before I committed to making it a permanent feature of my body.  The dove symbolizes the Holy Spirit - a concept which was, at the time, fairly new to me.  The grey ribbon symbolizes brain cancer.  My tattoo reminds me that God released MawMaw of her suffering, that her spirit soared on to heaven, and that the Holy Spirit came to me in my time of need and mourning.

Whenever I feel the tingle of the Holy Spirit wash over me I imagine that its her - sending me a message from heaven - letting me know that even though my road to God was long and winding, I am heading in the right direction.

Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

² He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

³ He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

⁴ Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

⁵ Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

⁶ Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

John 14:26

²⁶ But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

Day 9: Love

The times in my life when I have felt God's love and presence the most have always been through music.  My first memory of that connection is when I would go to church with my MawMaw and sing with my Aunt Wanda.  Probably a good 10 years or so passed before I felt a connection to God again, when I sang Amazing Grace at MawMaw's funeral.  It made me realize that something in my life was missing.  Adam and I started looking for a home church in the Grand Rapids area - it took us quite a while to find the right one, but when we found it I knew instantly that it was where I was meant to be.  I knew because the first song of the service was Amazing Grace - it was like MawMaw was sending me a message from heaven.  A couple years later I was baptized at Resurrection Life and I joined the choir.  I felt God's love and presence more often than I ever had in my entire life.  When we moved to Kalamazoo and had to leave ResLife behind, it was almost like I lost my connection again.  Every once in a while we would go back to ResLife for a service, or I would pull out my folder of choir songs, and I would feel a little something - but it was almost like a radio station that's just starting to go out of range - just enough static to make the song not as enjoyable.

Tonight was my first rehearsal with the ULC worship team.  It felt so good to connect with God through song again.  I'm excited and nervous to sing at the service on Sunday.  I will be one of only three singers...I haven't sang in church like that since I was a little girl singing with Aunt Wanda.

Psalm 101

¹ I will sing of your love and justice;
    to you, Lord, I will sing praise.

Day 8: Evil

I guess I was lucky to have been able to take this picture today...I usually never have cash.  I'm going to switch it up today and start with a Bible quote

Timothy 6:10
¹⁰ For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. 

Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

I wish I could say that it's only greedy politicians and CEOs that are affected by the evils of money, but the sad truth is that it's more of a rarity for money to not have some sort of power over you these days (and especially in this country).  I know that even I prioritize things differently than I should because of money.  The fact of the matter is that our society has made it nearly impossible for money to not play a significant role in our lives.  You can't raise a family and have a home without it, you can't get enough of it without a decent job, you can't get a decent job without a college degree, and you can't get a college degree without putting yourself into a tremendously large pit of debt.  In order to get the things that we truly want in life (family, home, fulfilling job, etc.) we find ourselves working long hours, sacrificing time and relationships, all in the name of the all-mighty dollar.  It feels like a vicious never-ending cycle.

Granted, it is the love of money that is evil.  And I certainly don't love it...in fact, I pretty much hate it.  I wish more than anything that there was a way to accomplish the things I want in life without it.  I just try my best to be wise and generous with it - but I would be lying if I said that it wasn't hard sometimes.

How, in this day and age, do we keep ourselves from becoming slaves to el dinero?

 

Day 7: Wonder

Wonder

My mind is swimming with wonder

I wonder what is in store for me

how I will know which paths to follow

and which to turn away from

I wonder

if I am who I am supposed to be

if I am doing what I was meant to do

If anyone ever knows

If I will ever know

I wonder

if my past is truly in the past

if I am living fully in the present

if I can trust myself to let go

and let my future be what will be

Wonder

My eyes are full of wonder

From the places I have been

to the places I dream to go

and all of the wonders that surround me here at home

Your wonders

are breathtaking

Beauty is in every detail

The rose center's youthful spiral

gives way to its falling petals

Your wonders

surround me

seen and unseen

With every season of life 

my eyes have opened wider

I wonder at your wonders

and your wonders

help me wonder no more

For you are clearly present

in all the wonders of the world

Psalm 8:3-9

³ When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—
    the moon and the stars you set in place—
⁴ what are mere mortals that you should think about them,
    human beings that you should care for them?
⁵ Yet you made them only a little lower than God
    and crowned them with glory and honor.
⁶ You gave them charge of everything you made,
    putting all things under their authority—
⁷ the flocks and the herds
    and all the wild animals,
⁸ the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea,
    and everything that swims the ocean currents.

⁹ O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth!

Day 6: World

The World is beautiful, ugly, inviting, frightening, tempting, rewarding, heart-warming, and heart-breaking all at the same time.  The World can lead us to, or away, from God - but it can only do what we allow it to.

This is the painting that Adam and I brought back from our mission trip in Guatemala.  It is one of the many decorations still sitting on the floor waiting to be put on a wall in our new home.  It captures the simple beauty of Antigua Vieja and reminds me of a time when I was able to quench my thirst for travel while at the same time bettering the world and allowing the world to better me.  I have been blessed with the opportunity to travel abroad again this year.  I will be serving as a translator for a mission trip to Mexicali, Mexico and as a chaperone for a study abroad trip to Costa Rica with some of my Spanish 2 students in June.  I am so looking forward to scratching my traveling itch, to speak Spanish with native speakers again, and to serve.  As I travel with these young adults I hope to not only serve as a resource for them, but also as a role model.  I hope to set an example for how to be a respectful tourist, and inquisitive world traveler, a helping hand, and a light to all those that we interact with.  I fear that we so often forget God's first directive to us to be good stewards of the world.  Call it karma if you want, but I believe that if we are good to the world, the world will lead us to good.

1 Corinthians 4:1-2

This, then, is how you ought to regard us: as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the mysteries God has revealed. ² Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.

Titus 2:7

⁷ Show yourself in all respects a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, gravity, 

Day 5: Settle

On Saturday we woke up to a totally different Michigan than the one we woke up to on Friday morning.  All of a sudden it seemed as if the world had settled in for a long winter's nap.  Though I've never been a huge fan of the winter, I couldn't help but appreciate the beauty and peace of Winter Up North this weekend.  The trees were heavy with snow, the lake was quiet and still, and I even enjoyed some of the scenery I was able to get glances of as a raced down hills terrified on skis :-)  While I don't suspect downhill skiing will ever become my favorite sport, I couldn't help but think how beautiful everything around me was - even the hum of the lift as we watched the ice crystals glitter the sky.  We talked about how it was a wonderful place to escape to - but we could never settle there.

When we returned home today and I opened the door - that was exactly what it felt like.  We may not have very many decorations on the walls yet, or a lawn, or a fence, or many of the other things we plan to do to make our new house into what we want it to be...but it is starting to feel like home.  We are settling into it, we are growing comfortable with it, and we are beginning to feel like it is our refuge.  I can't imagine what it must have been like for the Jews wandering the desert for 40 years - people spending their entire lifetime without a place to settle down in and call home - in the desert!  I can't even imagine what it would be like to be homeless today.  There are charities and shelters, but I can't imagine that any of those could replace the feelings of security, love, and comfort that a home provides.

Feeling God's presence is very similar to how I feel when I come home.  I wish I could say that I feel it all the time - but I can only think of a few times when I have truly felt the presence of God wash over me.  Security, love, and comfort are definitely adjectives I would use to describe it.  But should we settle into our faith the way we settle into the couch after a long day?  I believe that faith should make you feel all of those things - but I also worry about those who get too comfortable in their faith.  Those who are Christian for an hour or so on Sunday mornings and call it good for the rest of the week.  Those who claim to be Christian but hardly ever, or never, go out of their way to do the things that Christ commanded us to do - give to charities, help the needy, do not judge others, love and pray for your enemies. etc.  I believe that becoming too comfortable in faith makes faith counterfeit.  I believe that Jesus wanted us to constantly challenge ourselves in our faith - and in the way we practice it.  Settling into a comfortable faith routine and the subsequent lack of genuinely following of the words in red is one of the greatest roadblocks to spiritual fulfillment.  

While I enjoy settling into my home, my community, and my couch - I truly hope that I never settle into my faith.

Romans 12:11

"Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically."

 

 

Day 4: Injustice

I honestly had no idea how I was going to take a picture symbolizing injustice while on vacation.  We paid for our equipment rental and a lift ticket, we spent almost an hour getting our ski boots and struggling to get them on, and we spent another half hour waiting in line only to be told that they had run out of skis and poles - injustice!  In the age of technology that we live in you would think that their rental computer system would have inventory information built into it and prevent this sort of situation from happening.  And even without that capability you would think that one of the rental employees would have warned the cashiers that inventory was getting low.  Of course, my first reaction was the be very angry - I had wasted all of that time and effort and our friends had come in from out of state specifically for a ski trip.  When we went back to the register to get refunded the cashier presented Tubing tickets as an alternative activity.  So, we bought the tubing tickets and headed over to Tube Park to make the best of our day despite their ineptitude.  As we approached Tube Park my only thought was "Ok, the big guy upstairs is just playing a joke on us today!"  We had essentially just paid for all-day sledding passes - we were surrounded by children and looking at a hill that only someone younger than 10 years old could consider exciting.  Needless to say, the first day of our Ski Trip was a bust.

And then I thought to myself - How blessed am I that this is the worst case of injustice that I have to deal with today?

Injustice is rampant throughout the world, throughout our country, and even throughout our communities.  It would literally be impossible to list the injustices that I alone have witnessed throughout my life - and I'm not that old and not that well-traveled!  Injustice is one of the reasons why I cast off Christianity as the opium of the masses for so many of my adolescent and early-adult years.  I couldn't understand how a loving, parent-figure God could allow the injustices that plague the world to occur - let alone endure.  It wasn't until I read A Case for Faith and The Shack that I could truly begin to reconcile those two truths.  To be honest, I still have days when I struggle with what seems to be a lack of needed logic in the Christian faith.  But I ask myself, "Does not a parent allow their children to make mistakes so they can grow from them?"  "Do we ever truly appreciate happiness and blessing without experiencing sadness and hardship?"  And I remind myself of one of my favorite Bible passages, the Beatitudes:

 Matthew 5:3-12

³ Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

⁴ Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

⁵ Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

⁶ Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

⁷ Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

⁸ Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

⁹ Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

¹⁰ Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

¹¹ Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

¹² Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

Day 3: See

 

The words "Who Am I?" and "Return" from Day 1 & 2 immediately brought specific thoughts and connections to mind.  Today's word "See" was more difficult because it brought so many possibilities for reflection.  "See and be grateful for the things and people you have in your life," "See the beauty in the world around you," "See the ways that you can make the world better and act on them," "See the opportunities that you are given to grow closer to God and take advantage of them," the list goes on...

Sight, in all of its manifestations, is probably the sense that I take for granted the most, and it is utterly terrifying when you don't have it.  I took this picture as we were driving up north for a vacation with friends that we hadn't seen in quite some time (don't worry, Adam was driving!)  It started snowing heavily when we were finally less than an hour away from the cabin - we could only see the taillights of the cars in front of us and the short stretch of road between us.  As much as I wanted to see our friends as soon as possible, I was overcome with a fear that our limited sight distance was going to cause us to get in an accident.  Adam repeatedly assured me that we were fine, that he had perfectly fine traction on the road and plenty of following distance...but he slowed down a bit to oblige my anxiety and I eventually calmed down and trusted that we would make it there safely.

It made me wonder...how does God calm our fears and anxieties when we lose sight of his path for us?  One of the hardest things I have had to learn to do in my new faith is to lift up my worries and trust in God.  I have always been a very Type-A/need to have order and control person.  It is very difficult for me to throw up my hands and admit that I can't see a way to make things work the way I want them to.  But, time and time again in moments of crisis when I remind myself that that is exactly what I need to do, I have felt the burden of control lifted off my shoulders.  A wave of peace and relief washes over me, and I am able to see God's grace even when my road is dark and winding.

Matthew 6:31- 33

³¹ “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ ³² These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. ³³ Seek the Kingdom of God^[a] above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need."

Day 2: Return

The Claddagh is a traditional Irish wedding band rich with symbolism.  The hands represent friendship, the crown represents loyalty, and the heart represents eternal love.  My claddagh has a fourth meaning to me, it is a symbol of my family's roots.  I am largely Irish and Polish, with some other European and even a little Native American thrown in :-)  As a history fanatic I have always been intrigued by my ancestry - it is a tapestry of stories woven together by my ancestors.  Returning to my ancestor's countries is a bucket list goal of mine - I feel the hills of Ireland and the fields of Poland calling me.

I believe that God called me home a few years ago.  Like a parent sending their child to school for the first time, God sends us into life - hoping that we will come back home to that love and light.  I don't have children, but I imagine that parents feel an amazing sense of joy and relief when their children come home from the first day of school to tell them they had a good day, but they are happy to be home.  But we don't always return home to God.  How devastating and frightening that must be.  I know that I personally was a runaway for many years...probably gone long enough to be considered a missing person!  But God never gave up on me, even when I felt that I had been ignored and given up on.  It took a series of tragic, but eye-opening and heart-warming events for me to hear the call home.  It took a lot of growing and changing before I was able to step through the front door.  It has been a process that has taken years...and even though I still have moments when I wonder if I belong (as I imagine a long-estranged child would), I am finally starting to feel like I have returned home.

John 14:2 In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?

Day 1: Who Am I?

They say the eyes are the windows to your soul.  I wondered who "they" were so I did a little internet research...and of course I found multiple answers.  Some accredit the saying to Matthew 6:22-23  

²² “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. ²³ But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

 ^{Others credit it to Cicero} 

^{'Ut imago est animi voltus sic indices oculi' (The face is a picture of the mind as the eyes are its interpreter)}

^{And others simply claim it to be a derivative of an old English proverb.}

^{I wonder who others will think I am when they look through my windows...Do they see who I see?}

<sup>Do they see a strong woman?  A passionate teacher?  A loving wife?  A thankful daughter?  A supportive sister?  A devoted friend?  An animal lover?  A world traveler?  A believer? 

Do old friends and acquaintances see me for who I was or who I am?  Do new friends see me as trustworthy and compassionate?  Do my co-workers see me as the innovator and collaborator that I believe myself to be?  Do my administrators see me as hardworking and dedicated?  Do my students and their parents see how much I care?</sup>

^{Can they see the paths I have strayed from and the paths I have followed on my spiritual journey?}   

^{In the past 5 years since I became a Christian I have practiced Lent traditionally by giving up something.  This year, I am giving up some of my time (and trust me, I don't have an abundance of it!)}  I am devoting time every day to participate in this challenge, reflect on my faith, and to center my thoughts on my relationship with God.

^{Joel 2:12 "That is why the Lord says, 'Turn to me now, while there is time.}  

^{Give me your hearts.  Come with fasting, weeping, and mourning."}