Well, I said that I am bad about keeping up with my blog posts and here we are, on day 4 of lent and me only having written on Ash Wednesday. So I guess here is a recap of my last two days.
Day 2
I had some really bad cravings for food I did not need (I really wanted Pizza) but I got to try eat some things I hadn't in a while. I was afraid I was starting to get a caffine withdrawl headache, but I think I was just dehydrated because after water and workout, I felt so much better.
Day 3
While I still have some cravings for bad food, I have been using the cravings as a reminder to spend more time with God. I still struggle setting aside some good time with God each day and it is something I plan to improve over the lenten season. I got to make a delicious soup that just has veg, beans, and seasoning. I also found out that light sea-salt triscuts meet the dietary requirements of my fast, and that was exciting.
Today
So here we are today, the first Saturday of Lent and the beginning of Soup and Spiritual Practice at FCC Missoula. Today we are having Taco Soup, which I am bummed that I have to miss but will get to enjoy some soup from yesterday. For our spiritual practice, we are going to spend some time in Centering Prayer, which is about being present with God. We are going to take a few minutes following our fellowship to do this and I think it will be good for people to have this time to just be present and get a taste of something they can do in their own lives. The Centering prayer is an opportunity for us to just focus on God. The aim is that you get yourself comfortable, close your eyes, and focus on God's Love. Do not focus on what God can do for you, just focus on God's presence. You are invited to have a word of focus, preferably with one syllable, that you can use in response to disruptive thoughts or feelings and that will guide you back to God. I used the word Hope in doing this. I find in a world where people are not feeling hope, where people are struggling, it serves as a reminder of my deep hope in God, my deep hope that the work I am doing is making a difference in people's lives, or will have a future impact on life. And so in Hope I sat in the presence of God and prayed. If you were unable to make it to our Soup and Spiritual Practice, I invite you to try this on your own. And don't forget to join us next week as we participate in another Spiritual Practice!
In Christ's Love,
Mat
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