If you don't go into Lent with a plan, you could blow it.
From fasts that don't challenge you to Lenten loopholes, there's a danger of arriving at Holy Week without experiencing any spiritual growth.
On this week's episode of The 40 Days for Life Podcast, we share seven ways NOT to observe Lent:
Watch or listen by clicking the image or visiting:
40daysforlife.com/lent-like-a-champ
We cover:
- Do we need to make ourselves miserable to get Lent right?
- How secular culture picked up--and even sold--fasting when Christians abandoned it.
- Why we shouldn't just pray more; we do well to give something up too.
- What merely not eating has to do with God.
Tune in, and then sign up to go pray at the vigil nearest you:
Augusta, Maine
40 Days for Life vigils are known for uniting the body of Christ, and that's exactly what our director of 40 Days for Life 365 and campaign development Heather Gardner found on a recent visit to Maine.
In addition to Heather, the speakers at Denny's kickoff rally included a local pregnancy help center director, a Knights of Columbus representative, a state legislator, a Maine Right to Life representative, and the 40 Days for Life leader in nearby Belfast. Leadership team members from Bangor, Maine, were also in attendance.
Talk about unity!
"Each one shared GREAT information!" Heather reported. "I could really sense the camaraderie among the pro-life groups there."
While each organization in attendance plays a unique role in the state's pro-life movement, every speaker noted that prayer comes first and thanked vigil participants for standing witness on the sidewalk.
Kalamazoo, Michigan
The Lenten campaign usually begins with ugly weather in much of the 40 Days for Life world.
Frigid temperatures can be tough for vigil participants, but bearing witness in inclement weather usually inspires more moms to choose life.
Nevertheless, Joe in Kalamazoo was grateful that, for once, his opening candlelight vigil took place under pleasant conditions. "It was a balmy 50 degrees when we started," he noted. "And there was very little wind."
Vigil volunteers also received a warm welcome from the community. While Deacon Doran led dozens of participants in prayer, many drivers greeted them with supportive "honks of approval."
But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall name him John. … He will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb, and he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God."
--Luke 1:13, 15-16
Our Father in heaven, we pray in a special way for all those who struggle with infertility. We ask you to give them peace in their suffering, strength in their perseverance, and healing in body and soul.
