What Will You Do for Lent This Year?

Today is the first day of Lent, which is the 40 day countdown (not counting Sundays) until Easter, which will be on April 20th this year. It’s a time for us take inventory of our hearts and do a little house cleaning. It helps us focus on what Jesus did for us and how we want to respond to Him.

Jesus didn’t just die for our sins and rot in a grave somewhere. He rose from the dead, demonstrating that He is God and has power over death. Because of that we can die to our old sinful life and be raised to life with Him.

People often give up something for Lent, or do something they don't normally do. I’ve decided to give up fear for Lent this year. Fear of rejection, fear of what might happen, fear of letting go and giving God complete control. I am posting scriptures all over our house and in my car to say aloud every time fear makes an appearance, so I can refocus my mind.

One of the most popular posts I've had on my blog is the series I did in March of 2011 called the "40 Days of Lint." Here's the introduction:

"Just for fun, I want to offer daily readings on my blog during the next 40 days with a little house cleaning in mind. It's not a typo; I really mean Lint. Annoying, ever-present lint may seem like a stretch from repentance and self-denial, and yet, I couldn’t resist the idea of exploring the parallels between physical and spiritual lint.

Lint is that collection of dust and material fibers that seem to get everywhere. Even though we diligently clean it from our dryers, pockets, and bellybuttons, it always seems to be back again the next time we turn around. Many people fast during Lent to clear their minds and hearts of selfishness and distraction. We ask God to sweep sin from our hearts to make way for worship and praise to our risen Savior Jesus Christ. So there are many similarities.

We get rid of lint for several reasons. It looks untidy; we de-lint to look presentable to others. Lint can also clog things up, so we regularly clean it from our dryers, vacuums, and equipment so they will run properly. Last of all, lint is a form of dirt, so we vacuum and scrub to keep sickness at bay and vermin from moving in. We clear away spiritual lint for the same reasons: to present an attractive testimony, to remove anything that hinders our walk, and maintain personal purity before God.

I hope you’ll join me here for the next 40 days of Lent season for a new twist on an old tradition. I want to be clean and ready for the best Easter ever! Won’t you prepare your heart with me through a search and destroy mission for these five kinds of lint?"

· Lint In the Dryer (Spiritual Dryness)
· Bellybutton Lint (At the Center of Things)
· Pocket Lint (What is Hidden)
· Clothing Lint (Appearances) and where would Easter be without
· Dust Bunnies (Deep Cleaning)

If you would like to read these updated posts, click on the link for Day One: http://bethvice.blogspot.com/2011/03/40-days-of-lint-part-one-in-dryer.html