The 40 Day Journey (Pilot)

We traded in our cable for Netflix a few years ago.  Yesterday Daniel noticed that several TV series had the same title for one of their episodes, Pilot.  I explained to him that the first episode of a new show is often called the "Pilot".

So here is my Pilot blog for Lent.  Many of you know that Lent is a season that leads up to Easter Sunday, beginning on Ash Wednesday.  This is 40 days before Easter (not including Sundays).

I grew up in the Episcopal Church and I am grateful for so many of my rich experiences in a deeply traditional community.  Each year during Lent we gave up something in order to mediate on the very serious sacrifice Christ made for us.  We gave up chocolate, soda, TV, coffee....it had to be something that was difficult for us to give up (no giving up boiled brussel sprouts!).

I haven't kept this tradition very many times as an adult. This year I have been contemplating how to honor this season, do I give up something, do I somehow serve others daily, do I read a devotional? I've searched Pinterest and Google and nothing seemed to click, until a few hours ago.

I knew it had to be meaningful.  How can I spend my time in the most purposeful way these 40 days?  The answer was pretty easy.  Spend it with Jesus.  I've been reading a book with a couple of friends, Can You Hear Me?  Its purpose is to teach us how to listen to Jesus.  I can talk a lot to God, but listen?  Yikes, not my greatest skill.

I have noticed though, one way I hear Him is when I blog.  You see I don't just stream together a series of words hoping to inspire someone.  It is very personal.  I intentionally ask God what He wants to reveal to me.  I pray, I write, I delete, I worship, I cry, I get mad, I laugh, I hear God, then with trembling hands and a vulnerable heart I hit "publish".

So for the next 40 days, I am setting a goal of spending one hour with God every day.  Listening. They say if you aim at nothing, you are bound to hit it.  So I choose to aim at this simple goal, fixing my eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross. (Hebrews 12:2)

As a way to keep myself accountable to this commitment, I plan on blogging most of these days,  I have a feeling this will be a diverse assortment of scriptures, writings, songs, stories.  I really don't know what the result will be each day.  I do know God has promised that if I call to Him, He will answer me and tell me great and mighty things which I do not know.  (Jeremiah 33:3)

So what do you think? Is God asking you to live these next 40 days a little differently?  Ask Him, you may be surprised at the answer.