Do you do Lent?

Lent is an odd thing.

For some, it’s their chance to be noticeably religious for 40 days.

For others, it’s a dare to do something zany for that time. How many people have heard another person say, “I’m giving up Mountain Dew for Lent!”

Others write it off as something only a certain group of people do. “Isn’t that a Catholic thing?”

What if Lent could be a season of reinvesting into something genuine with God?

I wrote an article a couple of years ago on it. Here it is: http://www.ehow.com/how_8049745_celebrate-lent-new-ways.html

The ideas I propose include ways to approach it through the “Greatest Commandment” (heart, soul, mind, strength, relationships), or even a day of the week. For example:

• “Money-free Mondays”: Go through your entire day without spending money on anything.
• “No-TV Tuesdays”: Turn the TV off, including any screen that involves entertainment or video games, and invest into something else that nurtures friendships.
• “Weird Wednesdays”: Try new foods individually or as a household that you normally wouldn’t.
• “Thumbs-Free Thursdays”: Give up all cell phone activity, including text messaging.
• “Friendship Fridays”: Become attentive to others who are often overlooked.
• “Something-New Saturdays”: Try something productive that you haven’t ever done before, such as take a class or conquer a fear.
• “Sacrificial Sundays”: Make an intentional sacrifice to grow with God.

(Read the full article)

Any thoughts or observations on this?

• What’s been the weirdest or coolest way you’ve seen someone experience Lent?
• Any thoughts on how we can reclaim this out of it’s traditional, religious stereotype and let the Life of Christ take it over again somehow?

Maybe the goal isn’t to do Lent… maybe the goal is to let Lent undo you?