I discovered we’re getting a lot of visitors from Rachel Held Evan’s excellent blog.
For the past few years she’s been compiling some good Lent Resources. We linked her 40 Ideas for Lent entry back in 2010. (I never did any blogging during Lent 2011)
I just discovered her 40 Ideas for Lent 2012 entry. She includes:
10 Questions to Ask Yourself
10 Book Recommendations
10 Disciplines, Fasts, and Rituals
10 Meditations
I like her 10 questions for self-examination, particularly questions 7 & 8
1. When I wake up on Resurrection Sunday morning, how will I be different?
2. Is there a habit or sin in my life that repeatedly gets in the way of loving God with my whole heart or loving my neighbor as myself? How do I address that habit over the next 40 days?
3. Is there anyone in my life from whom I need to ask forgiveness or pursue reconciliation?
4. What practical steps can I take to carve out time for daily contemplation?
5. What spiritual discipline do I need to improve upon or want to try?
6. What are some things in my life that I tell myself I need but I don’t? Can I give one or two of them up for 40 days?
7. Why am I giving this particular thing up? How does giving it up draw me closer to God and prepare me for Easter?
8. What am I going to tell myself when self-denial gets hard?
9. Is it necessary/helpful for me to share the nature my fast with others or should I keep it private?
10. What do the ashes mean to me this year? What does baptism mean to me this year?
Rachel’s previous 40 Ideas for Lent posts are here:
Thanks Rachel for your links to Lent & Beyond.
Thank you – this is very helpful. I run a blogging event called ‘A Pause in Lent’ and I’d like to share these questions, if that’s OK? I’ll pop over to Rachel’s blog and ask her too, obviously.