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from Rev. John Van Nuys, Wabash Avenue Presbyterian Church, Crawfordsville
Lent is the 40-day period of preparation before Easter. Commit to one of these 40 disciplines and see what God can do in your heart and life. Draw near to God and God will draw near to you (James 4:8)!
REPENTANCE
1) If you have yet to do so, give your life to Christ. Pray confessing your sinfulness/need for God; your belief in Jesus as God's Son; ask Christ to enter your life; state your desire to follow him. Then tell your pastor who can guide you about next steps to take.
2) If there is a conflict/tension between you and another, seek to resolve it so that it is not a stumbling block for either of you.
3) Forgive. If you are carrying a long-term grudge, bury it. While you are at it, rid your heart of all resentments.
4) Commit to eliminating 1 bad habit you know is damaging your health or your relationships or both.
5) Pray daily asking God to deliver all who are addicted. If you need to get sober, get to a meeting today. Make it a habit.
6) Talk to your pastor about something that has been weighing you down emotionally or spiritually or both.
7) If you harbor prejudice for any group of people, rid your soul of that hatred.
8) During your daily prayers, examine your life in light of the Ten Commandments. Ask God to lead you into ways of loving God and your neighbor more deeply.
WORSHIP, PRAYER, AND STUDY
9) Make a commitment to deepen your connection to God by attending worship every Sunday during Lent.
10) Attend all special worship services during Lent and Holy Week: Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunrise, etc..
11) Pray daily the prayer concerns listed in your church's Sunday bulletin.
12) Each day turn off the TV, radio, computer, I-Pod, etc. and spend 15 minutes alone in silence with God.
13) If your church follows the lectionary, ask your pastor to list the four lectionary scriptures for the coming Sunday in the bulletin. Before going to church each Sunday, read those scriptures.
14) Memorize the 23rd Psalm.
15) If your church offers daily scriptural mediation booklets, get one and begin reading each day the meditation and the scripture on which it is based.
16) Read scripture each day, perhaps the Sermon on the Mount (Matt.5-7) or a portion of the Passion Narrative (Matt. 26-27, Mark 14-15, Luke 22-23, John 18-19). Or take a book of the Bible, divide the number of chapters by the 40 days of Lent and read those portions each day.
17) Attend your congregation's Lenten study program.
18) Using a children's story Bible, read a Bible story to your child as part of their bedtime prayers.
19) Help your child learn the Lord's Prayer, Apostles' Creed, Doxology, Gloria Patri, and 23rd Psalm so they know each of those by heart.
20) End your daily prayers with the Lord's Prayer and finally this prayer: "Holy God, thank you for this day and this time of prayer. Through the discipline of Lent, help me to grow in love for you; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."
FASTING
21) Fasting from negativity: Zero negativity for 40 days. Or: Balance every single negative comment with 3 positive comments.
22) Fasting from food: Skip 1 meal per week during Lent. Allow your hunger to focus you on God. Give the money you save on food to a hunger relief organization - like FISH.
23) Fasting from extravagance: Skip buying your daily cappuccino or another luxury. Give the money saved to One Great Hour of Sharing (OGHS) to bless those who suffer.
24) Fasting from work: Keep Sabbath: worship, no work, rest, and spend time with family. (If you are always tired and rundown, why not keep this commandment/blessing?)
25) Fasting from hurry: Take 5 minutes during your daily lunch hour to be in prayer.
ACTS OF LOVE
26) Daily tell your spouse and/or child(ren) you love them. Back up those words with action.
27) Spend 1 hour per week doing something to bless someone who is lonely, hungry, needy, or hurting.
28) Visit weekly a homebound or nursing home friend.
29) Cook or bake; prepare and share something with a shut-in.
30) Send a weekly card or note of encouragement to someone who is sick, hurting, alone, or imprisoned.
31) Tell an unchurched person how God has blessed you.
32) Invite an unchurched/dechurched friend to worship.
33) If there's a member of your church who hasn't been to worship in a really long time, invite them and bring them.
34) If you are handy with tools and repair, ask your church's Buildings & Grounds Committee Chair or Trustees what in the church needs to be fixed. Pitch in and do it.
35) Help your child learn about giving. Get an OGHS coin box and deposit coins each day, praying for the needy.
36) Other than paying your bills, spend nothing on frivolous expenditures/extravagances. Give the savings to a disaster relief organization. You will save a life.
37) Go through your closet. Whatever articles of clothing, outer wear, and shoes you have not worn over the past 365 days, donate them to a local clothing pantry.
38) Begin recycling. Start caring for God's creation which God has commanded us to tend.
39) On Sunday evenings, eat a simple meal (soup & bread, for example). Donate the food money saved to OGHS.
40) Change the world - one life at a time: Sponsor a third world child so they can be immunized, fed, and attend school. | 
Thursday, February 14