lent

I have been pondering for a little while whether to do anything for lent this year. I decided that I if I did anything I wanted it to be something that helps me to focus on God and draw nearer to him. I was undecided at this point if it meant taking something up of giving something up. So when the husband and I were last in town we went into Wesley Owen. They had a little range of lent resources. Some were for groups with like five studies in them. Some were more deep then this little brain of mine could cope with. But there was one that takes you through the gospel of Luke, with a little reflection and bit for you think/pray about. So I got that one and was satisfied that I had what I needed for lent, I was going to take up reading this book every day through lent (as well as keeping up with the Bible in a year).

There was however something nagging at me that this wasn't quite all. And yesterday I realised what it was. Default setting in our house has become to have the TV on. It didn't matter whether or not there was something on you wanted to watch, it became the wallpaper to our lives. A while back after watching a programme about some people experiencing a silent retreat I and the difference to their lives that silence made, I decided that I was going to have silent mornings. This lasted about a week. Then the TV crept back in, along with the radio. I would have a silent rest, and that was about it. So during lent the TV is not going to be my wallpaper. I am giving up watching programmes as they are broadcast. I am not giving up watching things all together, if I am going to watch something it will be on the iplayer, 4od etc. This is to help me make a concious decision about what I am watching. I will listen to the radio more, and am determined to listen to those CD's that sit on the shelf and never get heard. The husband has decided that he will join me in this. The exception to this is live sport, as you cannot watch this again online. I know that one or two people will think that watching things online and having a live sport exception is a cop out. But my aim is not to cut things out completely, but to think about how I am using my time, to give us more talking time, more time doing things rather than sat with the box as company and hopefully more time with God as it will give us more time and space to pray, read the Bible and listen to music.

I know there are those who don't talk about what they are fasting from, who keep it as a between them and God thing. I however am hoping that talking about it helps me to be more accountable. Feel free to ask any time how its going and what effect its having.