Ash Wednesday. Crosses on the forehead.  These are reminders for us.  We are ash.  It's a reminder from Genesis 3:19, "Dust you are, and unto dust you shall return."

Once again, Ann Voskamp expresses the frustration and fruition of Lent in the shortest summary ever.

"I can't seem to follow through in giving up for Lent. Which makes me want to just give up Lent.  Which makes me question who I am following.  Which may precisely be the point of Lent."

We know what Lent is.  It's preparing the heart for Easter.  It is similar to Jesus being in the desert for 40 days.  It is also similar to the Israelites wandering for 40 years.  We do it so we might come to face to face with our enemy.  We sacrifice so that we might become more like Christ in his sacrifice.  

Lent teaches us how depraved we are.  We are ashes.  We are dust.  We are incapable in the flesh.  I am incapable in the flesh.  I can't keep the law. I need HIM.  

This is a tough journey that leads to joy. You are supposed to give up something.  Forfeit something.  Forfeiting becomes formation. I give up.  I forfeit.  I fast.  I forget.  I fall.  I fail.  I am ash. I am dust. 

Lent.  The word itself comes from Middle English, lente, for the season of spring.  A rebirth.  A new beginning.   Herein lies the beauty.  I am supposed to fail.  The deeper I fall into the pit of my own depravity, the deeper I will drink from the fountain of joy.  

Everything we experience from Ash Wednesday up through Easter is a reminder of how great the Gift really is. Reconciliation for the world here and now.  

Enlightenment, transformation, and salvation are gifts we will experience as we move through this season.  

Can you feel the Gift start to move through you?  Grace and peace filling your space...

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast.
-Ephesians 2:8,9

The semester begins again.  I have been looking at the class lists, the homework, menu plans for the term (yes I do this!), buying school supplies for the kids, and doing my best not to be overwhelmed by it all.  It's the last part that always seems to be the challenge.

Do you need some inspiration for this year? If you have, like me, moments of ‘how am I going to do all of this?’ please read on.  Here are 10 things that help in those moments when I am completely overwhelmed.

1) Put first things first. Word in. Work out. Work the plan. Get into God’s work and let it soak into you.  Work out.  A five minute walk, 10 minutes of stretching, an hour an the gym. Do whatever works for you.

2) Clean your work-space. Keeping the work-space clean clears your head-space to think and not be overwhelmed.

3) Go slow.  Life is not an emergency, it’s a gift.  I know  we are in Korea where ‘hurry, hurry’ is common but you don’t have to be in a hurry!

4) Make laughter your chocolate. Did you know that the more you laugh, the longer you live? You can’t afford not to laugh more.

5) Unplug to plug into your purpose.  If you really want to plug into peace, purpose, and the big picture - then unplug for certain hours everyday.  Turn off the phones, tablets, ipads, etc.. Constant connectivity effects productivity like a marijuana high.

6) Keep a daily stillness appointment.  When is your 5 minutes of stillness in the day? Write that midday time in stone.  Never cancel.  Be still and cease striving.  Know that He is God and the day looks different.

7. If the heavens declare, get out there!  The natural world speaks endlessly of His glory.  When you step outside and listen, your soul revives. Even if it’s just out the door to get the mail.

8) Make your happiness a habit.  Write down 3 things a day that you are grateful for.  Hunt for his glory.  Look for beauty.  Research says that giving thanks is guaranteed to make you 25% happier.  Who doesn’t want that?

9) Breathe in and out and think of Him.  The letter of the name of God in Hebrew are infrequently pronounced Yahweh, but in truth they are inutterable. This word {YHWH} is the sound of breathing.  The holiest name in the world, the name of the creator, is the sound of your own breathing.

(10) Affirm yourself in Christ. Whisper these aloud —Colossians 2:9-10, Hebrew 4:14-16, Romans 8:1-2, 28, Philippians 1:6, 2 Timothy 1:7.

Bonus (11) Just do one thing at a time.  Multi-tasking, in the end, will leave you burnt-out.  One thing at a time will give you focus!