Day 3 of Lent – March 4, 2022

We will be talking about Prayer. God is always listening. Keep on praying. 

If you are looking to expand your Prayer Circle – below are some suggestions on who to pray for. Praying for your enemies or those people who you just don’t like or rub you the wrong way – those are the people you need to pray for the most. Rise above, God can do big things thru prayer – even if it isn’t blatantly obvious. 

Spouse
Mom
Dad
Your Kids
Siblings
Aunts
Uncles
Cousins
Step Dad
In-Laws
Step Mom
Neighbors – Especially those who do not talk to you
The School Janitor
Your Kid’s Teachers
Step Siblings
Co-workers
Leadership at Work
Clients
Vendors
Local Government
Your Pastor
Church Clergy
State Government
Federal Government
Author of a book you just read
Pets
Local Fire Personal
Police Department
Deceased Family Members and Friends
The person who cut you off in traffic
Your Starbucks Barista
Your Doctors
That person who stole your parking lot space
Mom or Dad with a Screaming Child
The person you need to forgive
A friend going through a hard time
Friend that is ill
The person who has not forgiven you
Mailperson
Your Amazon package deliverer
The customer service agent you were on the phone with
Waitress or waiter
Friend’s Family
Walmart Greeter
The family on the news
Non-profit Organizations
Celebrities (They even need a Prayer too)
Flight attendant
Pilot
News anchors
Single Mom or Dad
Someone who lost their job today
Foster Families – Talk about doing God’s work
Ukraine
Russia

Any other people that I may have missed? I am sure there are a million others to add to the list, but I feel as though this is a good start! 

The function of Prayer is not to influence God but rather to change the nature of the one who Prays. 

Tips to remember when praying for People

Don’t feel like you have to tell someone you are praying for them. 
Pray for the unknown, don’t be getting all in someone’s business in the name of Prayer. 
Use this practice to grow spiritually 

If you would like to submit a prayer request to use, you may reach out to Pastor Rod Smith at (724) 601-6546 or by emailing resmith666@gmail.com

Day 2 of Lent – Thursday, March 3, 2022

We will be talking about what we are giving up for lent. Although Ash Wednesday was yesterday, God doesn’t care about when you start Lent. While yes, there is an “official date” for Lent, Lent is about is about pursing God and abstaining, putting something needless away and focusing your energy on Jesus. 

Lent Rules – Write your own

It is not so much just Jesus, but being like Jesus. Being the hands and feet of Christ. For instance, if you are not scrolling Facebook for that two hours a day and using that time for something good, that is sufficient. As long as your heart is in the right places, and your intentioned are focused you can write your own Lent rules. 

Lent isn’t so much about the discipline of fasting or about giving something up, or even about identifying the suffering of Jesus, because let’s face it: temporary craving of an ice cream sundae brownie doesn’t even come close to the suffering our Lord endured for our salvation. It’s so much more. 

Lent is meant to bring us face-to-face with our sinfulness and our weakness, and bring us to our knees and recognition that we need a savior, even after all these years of being a weekly church service attendee. 

What to give up for Lent? Below is a list of some possible ideas. 

Soda
Wasting time  – perhaps use that time for volunteering / community involvement 
 Endless Facebook Scrolling
Starbucks – rather than buying yourself a coffee, pay it forward and buy someone else a coffee! 
Eating out – perhaps try doing meal prep at home
procrastination
Self doubt – you are good enough, smart enough, and people like you!
worrying – leave it to God
Snacks in-between meals
Fast food 
Swearing
Negativity- In a world full of negativity, find a way to spin things to be positive
Comparison – you are writing and living your own story, do not compare it to others

What are things we can do for Lent? Besides giving something up, there are other ways to honor this holy season of Lent

Give things you no longer use away to someone in need 
Buy extra groceries for a local Food Bank
Join a Feed the City Event
Listen more – Rather than being a voice, be an ear to whoever needs it 
Be a Prayer Warrior – Text some friends and ask “How can I Pray for you.” There are so many things to Pray for today
Donate cookies – perhaps to a local fire station, school front office, etc. A cookie always brings a smile
Send a thank you or thinking of you card
Make an extra meal for someone in need 
Gatorade or water for the delivery person – Leave water or Gatorade on the front porch for the delivery person
Talk to your Neighbors 
Be kind to yourself
Let someone go in front of you in line

Be especially careful when you are trying to be good so that you don’t make a performance out of it. It might be good theater, but the God who made you will not be applauding. 

Matthew 2-4 “When you do something for someone else, don’t call attention to yourself. You’ve seen them in action, I’m sure – ‘play-actors’ I call them – treating prayer meeting and street corners alike as a stage, acting compassionate as long as someone is watching, playing to the crowds. They get the applause, true, but that’s all they get. When you help someone out, don’t think about how it looks. Just do it – quietly and unobtrusively. That is the way your God, who conceived you in love, working behind the scenes, helping you out. 

Whether you are giving it up for Jesus, or being the hands and feet of Christ, be intentional and use these days of Lent to grow. I hope these ideas spark something in regards to what to give up for Lent and other ideas on what to do for Lent. 

Be blessed, give grace, and be kind. 

Ash Wednesday 2022 – March 2, 2022. 

Ash Wednesday is the beginning of 40 day Lenten season. Lend ends the day before Easter on Holy Saturday, which is April 16, 2022. The next six and a half weeks is one of the most important, if not the most important in Christianity. It is during Lent that we remember the life of Jesus Christ – specifically his temptation, suffering, death, and resurrection. It is invaluable to take time to reflect on out sinfulness in confession and prayer as an individual, as we as corporately. Many times, the church emphasizes grace, but we grasp a better concept of grace when we realize how sinful we are and how much God has loved us in the midst of our disobedience. 

Lent is traditionally a 40-day fast – a reference to the time Jesus spent being tempted in the desert that seeks to prepare the heart of the believer for the solemn remembrance of Jesus’ death. It concludes and is followed by a joyous Easter Sunday celebration of the resurrection of Christ.  

We cannot completely appreciate the reality of where we are heading until we sit in the truth of where we are going. This is not only a day of thinking on Christ’s death but each of our own deaths. All of our hope was ashes until Jesus. All of our future was hell until the empty tomb. But because of Christ’s sacrifice, all of our sins have been removed as far as the East is from the West (Psalm 103:12).

Romans 3:234 says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Ash Wednesday is a day to focus on sin in preparation of the celebration of the gift of Christ on Easter Sunday. 

2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” This is a time of remorse and gratitude for the great love and mercy our Father has on us. Ashes could denote our death, but instead, they represent Jesus’ death and our life.

When we participate in focusing our hearts on the cross, we can step into the season of Easter in its entirety. It takes discipline to slow down and center our thoughts on the weight of death. It is not a fun topic, but it is important. Ash Wednesday is the springboard to the time of fasting in Lent. When we realize how much of a sacrifice Christ made on our behalf, it provides a confidence boost as we prepare to enter our 40 days of sacrifice.

Ash Wednesday is simply one day of the year, but the attitude of today needs to be carried through the entire calendar. These moments should simply be springboards to our faith and reminders of Christ’s love for us and for the world.