ktgrok Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 Trying to figure out what I want to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocassie Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 I try to give up something and do something. This year I think it will be late night snacking. I do it almost everyday and it's bad for me. As for doing something, I am going to start my day off with prayers of thankfulness. In addition, we will be doing some service projects through church during Lent, but those we do every year and would do them regardless of whether it was Lent or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 Not sure yet--just wanted to say your new avatar ROCKS! Very pretty. :hurray: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ali in OR Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 Sweets. It's what I usually do and it's effective for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted February 12, 2015 Author Share Posted February 12, 2015 Not sure yet--just wanted to say your new avatar ROCKS! Very pretty. :hurray: Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kim in Appalachia Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 I have a goal of yoga everyday, and I also want to give up something. It will most likely be my evening wine and chocolate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happi duck Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 Thanks for the reminder! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joanne Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 The most meaningful and profound Lenten seasons I have experienced were the seasons I abe up 1) gossip and the next 2) complaining. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 The don't: Ontime or not at all. I have developed a habit of trying to do too much and hence being late to everything. I can show more love and respect for others by being early to things. The do: Reading something devotionally for Lent. I have not decided what yet though. The middle path: Reasonable limit on social media. Not none, but not as much as now. Probably one catch up plus 15 minutes per day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted February 12, 2015 Author Share Posted February 12, 2015 some great ideas. I want to work on giving up yelling. And will read through the Little Black Book for Lent, something I do every year. (there is a new one every year). http://www.amazon.com/Little-Black-Book-Lent-2015-ebook/dp/B00QJ29D9M/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1423702494&sr=1-1&keywords=little+book+for+lent If I can give up the yelling/speaking with anger with my kids, that would be huge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunnyDays Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 Sigh. I haven't even made my New Year's Resolutions yet... :LOL: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrairieSong Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 I signed up for Matthew Kelly's best lent ever. I haven't done it before but he emails a daily video. You can find him at dynamiccatholic.com. I will be giving something up and doing something extra, and probably reading one of Fr. Jacques Philippe's books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EndOfOrdinary Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 Ds has decided to give up music. I am giving up Sunday. We honor the Sabbath with not doing school, but I am not 100 percent there with not doing work. Slowly I have let working clutter up my Sundays. I need to get back on track of refusing to do work on Sunday and making myself set aside the time during the week. If I keep a schedule, then it is very doable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 I see Lent as not just a "giving up" season, but as a "purposefully setting aside" season -- meaning it is with the purpose of using that extra time, or the "hunger" for the thing given up as a reminder to fill that with the positive -- to identify with Christ and draw close to the Lord in some way (prayer, meditation, devotional or inspirational reading, act of service for another, spiritual journaling, or one of the "disciplines" from Richard Foster's Celebration of Discipline). Thinking of it in these terms allows for each time there is a craving for the food that was set aside, or each time there is a short period of time available in the day from giving up an activity (examples: TV show, time on these Boards, internet surfing, etc.), it becomes a positive prompt to make use of that as an opportunity to seek or serve the Lord. Anyways, that's my "Big Picture" goal. :) Still pondering what I will do for my specific "positive prompt" thing to give up. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 Just want to add that I came to the realization a few years ago that I've never kept a Lenten discipline all the way through. God redeemed my inability by using it to teach me that not being able to do it on my own is kinda the point. So now, I don't feel as terrible when I "blow it." Just a thought for y'all who struggle a bit, like me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartosunshine Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 The most meaningful and profound Lenten seasons I have experienced were the seasons I abe up 1) gossip and the next 2) complaining. I think I complain a lot but I don't realize it until the person I'm talking to reacts. To me, it's just talking about what happened that day but I think it seems like complaining to others. How did you go about stopping complaining? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartosunshine Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 some great ideas. I want to work on giving up yelling. And will read through the Little Black Book for Lent, something I do every year. (there is a new one every year). http://www.amazon.com/Little-Black-Book-Lent-2015-ebook/dp/B00QJ29D9M/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1423702494&sr=1-1&keywords=little+book+for+lent If I can give up the yelling/speaking with anger with my kids, that would be huge. I worked on my yelling a few years ago and made huge improvements. I was advised (by my priest) to count and breathe when I started to feel the anger. Don't say anything until you feel calmer. One time, when my kids were younger, something happened and I was counting and breathing. One of them said, "Oh no, Mom's BREATHING!!!" in a tone that implied I was going to blow like a volcano. I started laughing instead! Said in my Skipper the penguin (Madagascar) voice, "Just count and breathe, boys. Count and breathe." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
73349 Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 I think I complain a lot but I don't realize it until the person I'm talking to reacts. To me, it's just talking about what happened that day but I think it seems like complaining to others. How did you go about stopping complaining? A book and a bracelet: http://www.acomplaintfreeworld.org/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 I think I complain a lot but I don't realize it until the person I'm talking to reacts. To me, it's just talking about what happened that day but I think it seems like complaining to others. How did you go about stopping complaining? Ann Voskamp's book 10,000 Gifts makes the case for focusing on gratitude, by daily writing down 3 things that happened, you saw, or touched you in some way to be thankful for. Many scriptures focus on that as well, of having an attitude of thankfulness, or giving thanks even in the midst, or "with all prayers and supplications, give thanks". My take on it is that complaining, or negative thinking, or "glass-half-empty" attitude has to do with a (non-healthy) self-focus, and repeated actions, choices, and ways of thinking make increasingly stronger connections in the brain -- like wheels making progressively deeper ruts in the ground -- so that your brain naturally "runs" to the "rut" because it's easiest and has the most connections there. Intentional focus on gratitude and looking for God's grace in all circumstances helps make a new set of connections for your brain to start making the "go-to" way of thinking, which slows/stops the habit of complaining, or negative talk. For me, it's negative thinking (which leads to depressive/despairing thinking), so I'm working towards incorporating a variation on Ann Voskamp's theme, by stopping at three points in the day, morning, mid-day, evening, then do a few deep slow breaths, and look back over the past few hours for things to be grateful for, things that brought laughter/joy, things of beauty or simplicity, for kindness, etc. And intentionally dwell on those things for a few moments. Sort of a mental re-boot several times a day. When I do this, it really does help shift the thinking away from complaining or looking at the negative, and helps me see the positive, potential alternatives, and that there is something there for me to learn when things are annoying or not going my way -- and a reality check of how most of the time it really IS going my way! ;) This is totally JMO, what I've learned for me, from my years of working on depression and other mental health issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted February 13, 2015 Author Share Posted February 13, 2015 I just have to say, I'm loving this thread! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 I think I will give up sweets (candy) and biscuits (cookies). Not a religious observance, just a chance to re-set. L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Peregrine Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 A snark site. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speedmom4 Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 I am also signed up for Matthew Kelly's Best Lent Ever. Last year for Lent I started attending our parish's Moday night Novena Mass. I've been going ever since. I also gave up Facebook but was right back on after Lent. This year I'm adding one morning Mass. This is going to be a true sacrifice because I DO NOT like getting up early, especially when it's cold. Im also going to abstain from (so embarrassed to admit this) any Real Housewives shows. Anyway, great thread! Elise in NC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anne in CA Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 I have a friend who jokes about giving up church for lent, lol. She does love church. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milovany Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 When does Lent begin in the west? Ours begins on the Feb. 23rd this year. I guess the better question is when is your Easter? (Since I think how/when we begin Lent is different than in the west.) Ours is April 12 this year. Is this one of our "same" years? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chocolatechip Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 Western Easter is a week before ours. I recently checked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milovany Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 Thanks CC! Our priest likes to send out this cartoon in regard to Lent: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartosunshine Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 A book and a bracelet: http://www.acomplaintfreeworld.org/ Thank you, this looks perfect for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 I usually give up the forums and a lot of my social media. A friend gave up yelling for Lent one year. That's the one I'm most in awe of. I'm not a huge yeller, but when I yell, it feels pretty uncontrollable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EndOfOrdinary Posted February 14, 2015 Share Posted February 14, 2015 The hardest thing I ever gave up was coffee. i have a serious emotional attachment to coffee that I did not realize until that year. Now, more than anything, every time I enjoy the beverage it is a series of gratitudes. To me Lent is a practice of sacrifice so that I might have newfound gratitude over the seemingly small things. It allows me to see the Lord in ways I would have never dreamed possible. When talking about what we would give up, Ds commented that he most definitely was not going to give up the computer! He did that two years ago. "Some countries kids don't have computers at all. Isn't that crazy, Mom? I am so lucky." We try to turn the season into a practice of gratitude. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
horsellian Posted February 14, 2015 Share Posted February 14, 2015 I'm doing this for Lent: http://www.40acts.org.uk/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happi duck Posted February 14, 2015 Share Posted February 14, 2015 I'm doing this for Lent: http://www.40acts.org.uk/ This looks cool! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted February 14, 2015 Share Posted February 14, 2015 I might give that "40 bags in 40 days" decluttering challenge another go since I failed at it last year. :-/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JenniferB Posted February 14, 2015 Share Posted February 14, 2015 I really look forward to and love Lent because there are extra weekday services, which draw us nearer to Christ. I love that we move toward Pascha together and though we can participate at different depths as individuals, we are together in our aim, to prepare for Christ's Resurrection. I'll try to keep my focus on preparing for Christ's Resurrection, and to be grateful that there are physical and spiritual ways to do that. The Orthodox Church has the guidelines all set up and I'll try to follow them, but keep my eye on Christ which is the most important thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JenniferB Posted February 14, 2015 Share Posted February 14, 2015 Thanks CC! Our priest likes to send out this cartoon in regard to Lent: I've probably seen this before, but it's a great reminder and seems to have new meaning this year. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joanne Posted February 14, 2015 Share Posted February 14, 2015 More on this, just, well, because. One of the things I liked about my Christian practice was that my church followed the liturgical year. (I have my own version now) One of the years before my deconconversion, there was a Lent season that was particularly meaningful to me. I participated in all my church's related events, including a weekly meeting to work through a Lent workbook. This was one of the give up complaining/gossip years. I guess because I am "bent" towards insight spirituality and personal transformation, "Lent" always made more sense to me than Christmas or Advent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TianXiaXueXiao Posted February 14, 2015 Share Posted February 14, 2015 I really look forward to and love Lent because there are extra weekday services, which draw us nearer to Christ. I love that we move toward Pascha together and though we can participate at different depths as individuals, we are together in our aim, to prepare for Christ's Resurrection. I'll try to keep my focus on preparing for Christ's Resurrection, and to be grateful that there are physical and spiritual ways to do that. The Orthodox Church has the guidelines all set up and I'll try to follow them, but keep my eye on Christ which is the most important thing. This. Yes. I'll be doing my best to give up the old man in order to be worthy of the new man in Christ. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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