lent: reflection

i tried to spend some of this time during lent just reflecting. focusing and fixing my thoughts on things that matter. i even complied a lenten playlist. as i thought about who God is, i gradually came up with a list of characteristics i really appreciate. i complied some of my favorites into this little painting...

it's obviously not an all encompassing list. just some of the things that make me smile when i think about our God and how good He is.

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lent: repentance

"lent is a season that reminds us to repent

and get our lives centered, our priorities

straight, and our hearts clean."

lauren winner

repentance is often associated with lent. it means 'to rethink things'. it is a change of thought to correct a wrong and gain forgiveness. in a season of reflection, it stands to reason that we would take time to step back and rethink how we live. to examine our faith for the purpose of deepening our commitment to Christ.

at the beginning of lent there was a table at our church filled with stones. we were invited to chose one to take to carry with us throughout the week. it became a symbol of a hard place in our heart, a place waiting for God's touch.

i already knew what the rock represented for me. it's something that has been on my mind for awhile. for me, repentance also included the need for confession. the simple act of acknowledging my sin to another human being. it was scary and it was hard. but it was oh so freeing.

"finally, i confessed all my sins to you

and stopped trying to hide my guilt.

i said to myself, 'i will confess

my rebellion to the Lord.' and

you forgave me! all my guilt is gone."

psalm 32:5

today i carried my stone back to church and and released it into the water of the baptismal font. the water easily covered the stone, like grace so easily covers me.

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spring break in st. louie

ah spring break. a delightful week of amazing weather and some extra things things that made the week fun:

1. roommate

kim came with me to st. louis for a few days of relaxation. we hit up the casino buffet, stayed in a suite at the queen [thanks to my uncle mick and aunt linda], took the anheuser busch brewery tour, ate at fitz's on delmar and enjoyed the beautiful weather in downtown st. charles.

2. apples

i've mentioned these before. the caramel apples that dreams are made of. this is not a photo of them. i don't have a picture of our actual finished products because they were far from aesthetically pleasing. we're going to have to do some research...how in the world do you keep the caramel from sliding off? thankfully, they taste amazing either way. like little bits of heaven.

3. redbirds

did you know you can tour busch stadium? i'm not sure how i lived without that knowledge for so long. it was pouring down rain most of the time, but cleared up just in time for a visit to the cardinal dugout.

4. madness

march madness that is. and it's been madness all around. i love a good cinderella story [most of the time] but my absolute favorite tradition is the highlighting of the brackets. it just doesn't get any better for my type-a self.

5. airport

my mom was in israel for ten days and i missed her a lot [this is an understatement]. so i decided to make her welcome home extra special and surprise her at the airport. i was in st. louis the whole week and she had no idea. i had the perfect hiding place to jump out of with my sign. i'm so glad she's home!

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