GROWING THROUGH LENT - HELP THOSE IN NEED

GROWING THROUGH LENT - HELP THOSE IN NEED

As we study the Gospels (as recommended last week), we see countless examples of Jesus helping those around Him:

                                    If they needed to speak, He stopped and listened.

                                                If people were sick, He healed them.

If they needed knowledge, He taught them.

As we move into the book of Acts, we see how the newly formed ‘church’ used their time, talent, and treasures to help those in their communities who were without.

So as we start to grow in our faith, we are encouraged to follow the model of Christ and His followers in helping those around us.

We posted the question, “How do you use your time, talents, or treasures ($$$ or resources) to help those around you?” on several Facebook forums. Here are some of our responses (edited for space):

H.W.   My friends and I sing at three different senior homes once a month (volunteering). When there are needs, I pray for people whom I do not know ... I teach children from low income families free piano lessons. I drive widows to grocery shopping or doctor's appointments ... I donate money to support (music) ministries.

A.S.   I work at a hospital, changing undergarments, checking vitals, making my patients happy.

H.H.   I volunteer with the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program (Canada). We prepare (free) income tax returns for people with limited income. I expect to complete between 75-100 during March and April, 2012.

H.G.H.   I'm part of a team of pastoral visitors at St. Christopher's Church, and I help with our senior's luncheons.

A.K.O.   I write and create art daily for my blog that inspires others … I tithe to my church; I give to causes like the SPCA and the United Way. This evening, I spent a few hours to support and comfort friends who lost their mother.

B.S…. I teach art to adults … I welcome people to the Library and help them find what they need ... I make great signage that informs, instructs, directs to support others in finding what they are looking for! I smile a lot and spread sunshine wherever I go! :)

One person finished their response with this: I am just sharing God's blessings and all glory goes to our Lord Jesus Christ.

We encourage you to take a few moments today to think about your time, treasure, and talents, and how you might use them to help those in your community or abroad.

This is the final post for our Growing Through Lent co-blog.

Thank you for joining us on our Lenten journey.

GROWING THROUGH LENT – READING THE BIBLE

GROWING THROUGH LENT – READING THE BIBLE

(This Lent, my daughter Allison Lynn and I are co-blogging! You can find our posts every Monday at my Blog and Allison’s Blog. Visit, comment, share, and most importantly, feel free to join us in the journey.)

            “Don’t get hung up on the actual words in the Bible; get hung up on the messages conveyed by the words of the Bible.”

            “Treat the Bible like any other book, and you will discover it’s not like any other book.”

            The church encourages us to read the Bible daily, and extra during Lent.

            The Book of Alternative Services (BAS) - the contemporary prayer book of the Anglican Church of Canada - invites us to have a holy Lent “by reading and meditating on the word of God.”

            This means more than just speed reading the text. It entails thinking about the passage, searching for its message and then applying it to our daily living. Some may recall having to memorize the Sunday prayer or collect (BAS page 391), which assured us that the Bible was “written for our learning”, and we need to “hear, read, mark, learn and inwardly digest” Holy Scriptures.

            For Christians, the four Gospels are the foundation of faith. It describes the life of Jesus Christ - his birth, youth and adult years, culminating in his death, resurrection and ascension. It also contains the teachings of Jesus – describing what God is like and providing principles upon which people should model their lives mirroring the Master’s example.

                        The other New Testament writings, mostly letters, attempt to clarify the teachings of Jesus and answer practical questions posed by adherents of the newly found faith. The writers, recognizing the persecution being unleashed towards the Christians, encouraged them to remain faithful and stay the course. God has not abandoned them and in the final analysis, they will receive their eternal reward.

            The Old Testament rounds out the triad or trinity of scriptures.  It gives an account of our human development and illustrates how religion, culture, politics and history are often interwoven in the lives of people – sometimes too much. Yet to understand where we are now, we need to delve into the past to decipher how God acts and reacts with humans.

            We are suggesting that you read John’s Gospel during Lent - maybe reading the last chapters first in order to better understand what Jesus did, and how his life and teaching reflected why he did what he did.

            As always, we encourage your thoughts in the comment space below.

GROWING THROUGH LENT – PRAY

GROWING THROUGH LENT – PRAY

Rarely does a daily paper mention the word “prayer” or its effect in people’s lives. However, when praying gets mentioned twice on the same day, we must take notice.

The two stories were featured in the INSIGHT section of the Toronto Star on Sunday, March 4, 2012.

The first related to eco-warrior Wiebo Ludwig in Alberta, who was talking about his approaching death. He said, “I’m not a person who has had small prayers. I’ve asked for major things to change my life and the lives of those I’m with. I’m not disappointed.”

The other story - 10 Lessons From a Near-Death Experience – tells what happened to reporter Kathleen Kenna. She was covering the war in Afghanistan for the Toronto Star when a bomb was thrown at her car. She received extensive injuries, and has gone through “dozens of surgeries on three continents.” She said, being “near-death taught me a few things,” such as love heals all, faith transcends the darkness, hope is essential and life should be celebrated.

She told God that she was not ready to die and maintains that her “strong faith in God has kept me optimistic.” Forcing herself to concentrate on “ONE. SMALL.THING.” that made life worth living was the simple daily prayer she offered as she was going through months of pain and disability.

Both stories speak of the power of prayer in living life on this Earth.

Since the Church calls us to improve our praying during Lent, here is a “Prayer Exercise” that may help you achieve that goal.

GROWING YOUR PRAYERS:

Firstly, don’t look for the ideal place or time to pray, do it anywhere safe.

Secondly, imagine you are alone with God – spend a short time enjoying the relationship.

Thirdly, pray the five aspects of prayer, naming situations and people from your own life:

1. PRAISE – say wonderful things to God;
2. THANKSGIVING – thank God for who you are and what you have;
3. FORGIVENESS – recall when you have fallen short of God’s expectation for you, allow yourself to feel sorry for your actions, and ask for God’s forgiveness;
4. PRAYING FOR OTHERS – name people and situations for whom you want God’s help;
5. PRAYING FOR YOURSELF – ask God to help you as you travel through life.

Fourthly, pray at least once per day.

Fifthly, please share your thoughts in the comments section below.

GROWING THROUGH LENT - EXAMINE YOUR LIFE

GROWING THROUGH LENT - EXAMINE YOUR LIFE

(This Lent, my daughter Allison Lynn and I are co-blogging! You can find our posts every Monday at my Blog and Allison’s Blog. Visit, comment, share, and most importantly, feel free to join us in the journey.)

Part of what defines our humanity is our desire to examine and understand our life. It separates us from other forms of creation.

In the 3rd century BC, the Philosopher Socrates stated “The unexamined life is not worth living.”

In the Bible, the writer of Lamentations proposed “Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord.” (Lamentations 3:40 NIV)

After Jesus lived, died, and rose again, St. Paul advocated “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith.” (2 Corinthians 13:5a NIV)

What better time than Lent - a season of fasting and spiritual exploration - to look at our lives and examine how we’re moving through this experience called Life.

One of the most important tools for examining your life is to find silence. In the Gospels, there are several stories of Jesus seeking silence when things got too busy. He would often rise early and find a quiet place to pray and think.

Spending time in silence can be intimidating for many of us. For others, it’s just hard to find any quiet in our loud, highly stimulating culture.

Here are a few ideas for finding silence in a busy world:

•  Rise earlier than usual and spend a few minutes alone in a quiet space in your house. If the weather cooperates, go for a walk or sit outside. Think on the challenges you may face today, and how you may best respond to them.

•  Most churches are open during the weekdays. Visit a sanctuary and soak in the silence.

•  Spending time by the water is always calming and inspiring to the mind and soul. There’s nothing like sitting beside the ocean to feel the unique tension between power and frailty. If your environment allows, find some quiet time to sit by a lake, pond, river, or other body of water. If not, sit and visualize a scene of yourself sitting by the water.

•  At the end of your day, turn off the TV thirty minutes earlier that usual. Sitting on the comfort of your couch, reflect on your day. Where did you experience God today?

•  Art galleries, museums, and even some libraries provide a glorious combination of silence and beauty. Allow yourself to breathe in this rich atmosphere and see what thoughts are inspired.

•  Labyrinths are an ancient practice of walking and meditation. Use an internet search to find one in your area, and explore this unique spiritual experience.

As you begin to find and create pockets of silence in your day, your thoughts will drift over your family, your occupation, your choices, your friends, your faith, your blessings, your passions, your losses, and every other part of your life. Be sure to carry a journal, notepad, cell phone, or tablet to capture your thoughts and prayers during this exploration. Review your notes every few weeks to reveal connections, changes, growths, and gratitude.

 Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.