Featured Ready for Lent?

That's good to know.

I am too. However, Jesus clearly teaches that His disciples will fast, and if we are to grow in grace, it is a helpful tool for spiritual formation.

I am too. Fasting can be done individually or corporately. When it is corporate, others within the body know about it since we are doing it together. Within my congregation, we make a practice of fasting corporately, once a month, all year round. There's no one showing off. Even if someone decided to show off, that doesn't invalidate another's practice.

Who is the world is boasting about it?

I am too. Why do you ASSUME that anyone who disagrees with you or has another practice has the "wrong motivation." What arrogance!

Oh my... You have given me the last warning because you are self-assured of my astounding ignorance because you are not mature enough to separate your experience with the church of Rome with what a stranger on the internet might practice in his own life. Your mind is captive to Roman Catholicism while many of us are free from that bondage. Don't impose your own legalism on others.

 

So did you get ashes on your forehead?

 

No.

 

So you've decided to not celebrate Lent.

 

So, All of these prescribers of Lent, what do you do the other 325 days of the year? Prayer, Fasting, Scripture reading, removal of weights, etc...these are regular Spiritual Disciplines, no?

 

Apparently you think that one cannot celebrate Lent without going through the Roman Catholic rites. Not all churches or congregations that participate in Lenten observance participate in the traditional Ash Wednesday service. However, I do know some Baptist churches that do, but I have never participated in it.

At the same time, I don't think there is anything wrong with doing it - no more than publicly wearing a cross, ordering fish on Friday (or even not eating), or mentioning one's faith in public.

 

"Prescriber"? No. I am one who participates.

Yes. I pray all the time, as well in focused, regular times.

I have made a regular practice of fasting over the last 30 years, but in the last month, I have been having some blood sugar problems related to a near-fatal health issue. As a result, I am on some special medication at the moment and cannot fast from food. But fasting from food is only one type of fasting, although it is typically on of the most effective disciplines.

I both meditate on scripture as well as study it in depth. I also teach it, so I always have an external prompting to dive in even if I don't "feel" like it.

I'm not sure what you mean by this.

However, other disciplines I practice include solitude, silence, feasting, fellowship, and celebration.

Yes.

Spiritual disciplines are not an end in themselves. We do not practice disciplines to get good at doing them. They put us into a place where we recognize our need for God's grace in our lives. Just as most of us do not go to the weight room to get good at lifting weights, we go to the weight room to get the benefit of that effort.

Spiritual disciplines are wisdom that was embodied by Jesus and well known to humankind throughout history - except for much of the Protestant Western world for the last 70 years or so. They are simply a means of cooperating with God's grace.

 

Salty, that seems like an odd approach, to require specific Scriptures forbidding a practice. Where is Scripture is Ramadan forbidden? Where is Scripture is sprinkling forbidden?

 

It's YOUR conscience, just as mine is mine. I choose not to follow any man-made RCC observances. if YOU believe differently, that's between you and GOD. I shall not try to interfere with anyone's right to observe or not observe any religious rite one chooses, long as they respect my right to do the same.

 

I notice you didn't mention Ramadan. There is no "Thou shalt not observe Ramadan" restriction.

Not and call it a fulfillment of our Lord's command to baptize.

Exactly. Look for the positive command, not just a negative "thou shalt not..."

 

OK?
Ecclesiastes 10:13 The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness: and the end of his talk is mischievous madness.

 

No one should participate in a PHYSICALLY-HARMFUL fast of any sort.

 

To be clear, I am not currently fasting from good healthy food - although I am fasting from desserts - at this time because of this recent issue with blood sugar. I don't know of any responsible religious institution or teacher who would advocate fasting when it could be detrimental to one's health.

 

There are other ways to fast, such as abstaining from TV or some other form of entertainment, besides abstaining from food/drink.

But I will never fast from anything in observance of some man-made thingie like "Lent", nor will I deliberately smear ashes on my face in observance of some man-made rite.