
Today we enter into the Lenten season. While I admittedly don’t dive deep into parts of the traditional Christian calendar, I find Lent to be a perfect time to “remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” If ever there was a time to consider my own mortality through God’s eyes, its now.
We live in a world where we can simply ask for close to a trillion dollars from the Chinese and they will give it to us, (though they say they “hate us for it, but are forced to comply.”) We live in a place where at the stroke of a pen, tens of thousands of lives are put to death, others sent to war, still others put to work without pay. Mega-Corporations are the bullies of the whole earth, on panels with national leaders, deciding our fate on issues they seem interested in so far as it affects their bottom line. This is the world where we live – where we dominate nature and forget the poor. Where we play god until we die. Where greed and security are penultimate values.
This is not the season of Lent. Lent brings sanity, it brings reflection, finiteness, humility. This is why I love and need Lent – because in me is the same vices plaguing the entire earth.
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SO! This year I’m focusing in on how my life affects the whole world. A “footprint” in the dust I suppose. Each Wednesday, I look forward to fasting and living into different aspects of my life -
- my marriage
- politics
- finances
- environment
- “the others”: enemies/immigrants/nations at war
- my witness
Each of these reflections will be done under the lens of what I’m recently calling “my purpose in life”:
“To live in Heaven, right here on Earth.”
How might experiencing the Kingdom affect my finances? What might it have to do with the environment? I look forward to reflecting on these issues on this blog. I welcome any feedback – and I’d love to know what others are doing for Lent!
BTW – Our house church is using a simple worship guide this Lent – you can find it here.
BTW2.0 – Here’s posts on previous Lents:
Lent 2007 – Oil Fast; Reflections
Guy Muse 4:17 pm on March 2, 2009 Permalink
You Scored as To Answer God’s CallListening to Jesus and doing what he says will always prove a good strategy in church planting. While God calls in many ways, it will be essential when times get tough that you remember your calling.
Missions and Disciplemaking
88%
To Answer God’s Call
88%
Building Intimate Community
75%
Because it is Doctrinally Sound and/or I read about it in a Book
63%
I just want to Lead
55%
I am Detoxing from a Harmful Church Experience
44%
I want to Plant a Larger Church
35%
Josh Frank 11:09 pm on March 5, 2009 Permalink
I’m not really planning to start or plant a church any time in the near future, but I took the quiz anyway. ; )
You Scored as To Answer God’s CallListening to Jesus and doing what he says will always prove a good strategy in church planting. While God calls in many ways, it will be essential when times get tough that you remember your calling.
To Answer God’s Call
75%
Building Intimate Community
70%
Because it is Doctrinally Sound and/or I read about it in a Book
63%
Missions and Disciplemaking
50%
I just want to Lead
50%
I am Detoxing from a Harmful Church Experience
25%
I want to Plant a Larger Church
10%
Mark 6:20 am on March 6, 2009 Permalink
i get a weird sense of pleasure out of taking online quizes. its that vein of narcissism i suppose…:) did the test responses surprise you?
Guy Muse 11:55 am on March 17, 2009 Permalink
I linked to your quiz over at my blog http://guymuse.blogspot.com Several others took the quiz over there. Come over and see some of the results.
David Kueker 7:58 am on November 14, 2009 Permalink
You Scored as Missions and Disciplemaking
This is one of the healthiest motivations to initiate a new community of faith. Working with the mission of God, you intentionally plant the gospel among the lost, and wait for church to emerge.
Missions and Disciplemaking
92%
Building Intimate Community
90%
Because it is Doctrinally Sound and/or I read about it in a Book
81%
To Answer God’s Call
81%
I want to Plant a Larger Church
70%
I just want to Lead
45%
I am Detoxing from a Harmful Church Experience
38%