My intention is to post a new musing each week – but don’t give up if I miss a week here or there. I want to share what I am seeing, thinking or learning that may be of help to you as you follow Jesus, and try to stay on the advancing edge of the Kingdom.

We are about to enter the season of Lent in church life – 40 days (excluding the 6 sundays) of preparing ourselves for Easter and the celebration of Jesus’ utter and complete victory on the Cross. I have not always found it personally helpful to follow the traditional ecclesiastical calendar – but increasingly churches like ours and increasing numbers of younger Christians are finding the connection to the ancient Church a great encouragement in faith. The Ancient-Future dynamic is very enriching.

Lent is used as a time for reflecting on what it means to follow Christ & reconnecting to what it means to be a follower of Jesus in the world. Often people choose something to fast to help focus. Last year I stopped drinking coffee during Lent – if you know me you know how much I love my espresso – so I was very focussed every day!

But this year instead of denying myself something, I am adding a spiritual practice to help me focus on Jesus and His mission in our world. I am adding deliberate focussed prayer 3 times a day. I am not doing it to try to “twist God’s arm” – this is a voluntary humbling of oneself to gaining more clarity. A legalistic approach will never achieve good in your life – we grow through grace as He prompts us.

So may you be led by God into what He wants you to do to grow more and more like Him.

Lloyd