Lent aka Spring Training

If you've been paying attention, you'll have noticed that there's less and less of me on social media. I started small with changing my password on my Facebook account so that I couldn't check it. And that quickly escalated to a downloading of my account and deletion. Like, never getting it back, it's gone, if you want one, you'll have to start over deletion. And then I just switched my time to checking my Instagram, which used to be in check until Facebook went away. And then lent started and I put all of my Instagram accounts on temporary disable. And they're probably going to stay that way until I get beyond the point of turning to my phone to see if it has anything for me in terms of entertainment and validation. Hopefully, that will be take about 40 days, give or take a few Sundays.

So, I'm hoping to use this lent period to get myself all prepped for what can be in my life. I really want to serve God with all my heart, my soul, my mind, and my body. I have a hard time with all of those at once. And there's no time like to present in regards to figuring out how to get closer to that goal.

Here are some of the things I hope to do this lent to encourage that. One, prayer in a more directed way for my husband. Currently, I'm using Power of a Praying Wife. It's been awhile since I've picked it up, but it's been very fruitful so far. Two, I'm reading through the bible this year and I try to write down each day one verse that jumps out at me from that reading. Three, increasing actual physical activity. I got some resistance bands for my birthday, I'm going to learn how to use them and maybe dust off the rebounder to get myself ready for some springtime/summer running. Four, I'm going to just be who I am instead of striving for more of what I think I should be.

Let me talk about that a bit more. My whole life I've struggled with pursuing what others see that I'm good at. For instance, French, chemistry, public speaking, writing, baking. Any number of things. I hear praise and immediately wonder if that's something I should pursue with my time and energy. And sometimes I do and I like the results but more often than not, I just end up getting down on myself for not being able to do what I KNOW I should be doing and what I would LIKE to do. So, this lent season, I'm going to be a housewife, stay at home mom, homeschooling lady. I'm going to clean my house once a week, sneak time in to research the book I'm working on in my mind and blogging about it when it becomes more than thought, and I'm going to be me. I'm going to meal plan, mom night out, journal, talk with friends, write some notes to people, check in when folks bubble up, be a deacon at church, walk my dog, and enjoy MY life. No one else gets this perspective on life and God that I get, it's unique to me. I'm going to take some time to enjoy the view.

What about you? What are you up to this lent?

Comments

Sweet Caroline by Kelda Poynot

First off, my copy of Sweet Caroline (aff link) is not a gifted review book, I spent my well earned Amazon No-Rush Rewards money on this book. Second of all, this is not my standard close door kind of romance. Third of all, this is a really fun read. Caroline is a hard working young lady that is doing all that she can to make ends meet and to get her graduate degree. Part of that work is renting out the room above her garage. When she answers the phone of an unknown number, believing it's a future tenant, she has no idea how much her life is about to change. The young man on the other end of that call, Hashim, is tall, dark, and mysterious in all the right ways. The story quickly moves from the girl next door falling for a stranger to a fight for their lives. And in true real life fashion, those fights aren't just with external enemies but the ones we carry within. It's an entertaining story of Caroline and Hashim, discovering their love for each other and ...

Loving Disagreement by Kathy Khang and Matt Mikalatos

If you're human, which I'm assuming you are if you found your way here, there will come a moment in your life when you're right and they're wrong and you're going to have to not win because the relationship is more important than your rightness It might be over where to go to dinner, which type of coat to wear for the weather, what ever it may be, you're going to find yourself there. Khang and Mikalatos have got together and written Loving Disagreement for that exact moment, especially if that exact moment isn't occurring with a loved one but with someone you encountered on the internet or maybe the break room at work, the where and who don't really matter because we can be loving towards anyone, even when we're not in relationship with the offending person. The book uses the concept of the fruit of the spirit to go through different ways to handle conflict. Khang and Mikalatos take turns writing the meat of each section but there's a quite enj...

Tasty Tuesday: Loaded Baked Potato Soup

I've had loaded baked potato soup on the menu most of the month of November, not really knowing when I was going to make it. Last night was the night. I started with this recipe from Betty Crocker as an idea but as I saw that it served 15 and looked at the various quantities while I cooked, some things changed, and wanted to share the final recipe here so you can enjoy it and I won't forget it. Loaded Baked Potato Soup serves 3 with seconds and a serving left over 1/2 package of bacon 1 small onion chopped 3 cups chicken broth (I use Better Than Boullion) 2 large baking potatoes, peeled, cubed 2 tbsp butter 2 heaping tbsp all-purpose flour 2 cups milk divided 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2teaspoon freshly ground pepper A generous helping of sour cream 4 oz sharp Cheddar cheese shredded (half a block) separated 2 sliced green onions separated In skillet, cook bacon over medium heat 6 to 7 minutes or until crisp; drain on paper towels. Crumble bacon; set aside. Reserve 2 tablespoons ...

Tina The Storyteller

Search This Blog