I just finished Dry January, which is to say, I abstained from alcohol for the month of January. It was hard at first, and then it became good, and it was revelatory the whole time. It showed me all the different reasons I use alcohol—for enhancing pleasure and numbing loneliness and slowing down my overactive brain. It gave me time and space to build new habits. And it actually made me somewhat eager for other periods of time where I intentionally abstain from something, such as during the church season of Lent.
Lent starts on March 5th and is kind of like Dry January on steroids. I say that both because it is longer—40 days. And because it has been around for centuries, unlike the recent Dry January trend.
Lent is a time of somber self-examination (punctuated, beautifully, by feasting on Sundays). It’s a time in which we engage with suffering and hardship and grief and injustice. A time for lament and turning to God with our frail humanity and our very mortal selves. It’s a time for turning towards the love and hope and goodness of God.
I have two Lenten devotionals/guides available for you!
On the Way: Walking With Jesus Through the Season of Lent is a devotional that offers:
- Daily Scripture verse(s) and reflection on themes like prayer, peace, suffering, and justice.
- Weekly questions that correspond to that week’s theme and a selected Psalm.
And the To Be Made Well Lenten Bible Study is a small-group video series that explores:
- Physical and emotional pain
- Pain in the community
- Distraction and shame as barriers to healing
- Status as a barrier to healing
- Participating in person and collective healing
- And more!
Join me in walking with Jesus through the season of Lent.
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