Friday Five: Lent

Jan, over at the RevGals, offers this Friday Five:

This is the beginning of the season of Lent. What are your thoughts, hopes, and prayers?

For today’s Friday Five, share five things about Lent.

If you’d like some guidance, here are a few suggestions:

1. books - the church I serve, along with a sister church in our town, are reading and engaging in the book, "The Restoration Project" for our Lenten series. 

2. new ideas - At my church we will engage "The Restoration Project," and it's emphasis developing formational Christian practices, during coffee hour on Sunday. We will have a variety of themed table tops where people can chose to sit. Two will have jigsaw puzzles (The Last Supper, The Life of Jesus) with the idea that as people put together the jigsaw puzzle they will engage in conversation and build relationship. One table will have knitting and crochet for starting our prayer shawl ministry. Another table will have mandalas, blank pieces of paper, and colored pencils for praying with color. Other tables will have discussion questions from the book, or the option to just sit and read the book - because for some this may be the only opportunity they have to just sit and read. 

3. websites - we started a blog for reflections to accompany the Lenten series and engage people who choose to connect with the material on line. Soul Restoration

4. poems, hymns - sure, poems and hymns are good ways into a Lenten practice.

5. to do - more than I can list. Simplifying life is one of my goals.