New life - the Easter promise.

I did not grow up in a particularly religious home. Most of my religious exposure came from watching mass on the TV with my grandma and going to Wednesday night church with friends. I never really learned religious traditions or dogma. I eventually became an ardent atheist and moved away from anything religious in every way. After about 6 years as an atheist, I became a Christian.  That journey is a long story which I may share another day.  On this day, I simply want to share with you why and how I observe Lent.

I decided to celebrate Lent after realizing that I was not allowing Easter to be everything it needed to be in my life. Easter Sunday was my favorite holiday and it meant so very much to me, but as I started to see others around me celebrate the Easter season, I realized I was missing something.

In case you do not know, Lent is the 40 days before Easter Sunday (not counting Sundays) in which many Christians prepare for Easter by fasting, repenting, and practicing moderation and spiritual discipline. This is done  to focus one’s attention on Jesus and His suffering, sacrifice, life, death, burial, and resurrection. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Easter morning.  To some it may seem like legalism or self-induced misery, but I have found Lent to be spiritually invigorating and life-changing.

Because I am a non-denominational Christian, I do not know all the rules the various denominations require for Lent. I do not believe Lent is required by God or the Bible, I simply observe Lent as a way to grow closer to God and prepare for Easter. I usually give up two to three things that I think have become strongholds in my life. In past years I have given up sugar, soda, chocolate, candy, baked goods, TV, social media, and eating out. Those are all things that I turned to in times of need (instead of to God) or that I had a hard time giving up. Fasting from these things is difficult and whenever I start to feel sorry for myself or feel like I am suffering, I remember Jesus and what he did for me.  I also often add things to my daily routine for Lent such as a devotional, study, or just praying more.

Lent helps me grow new life in place of the old.

In my experience, Lent helps me grow closer to God, overcome strongholds, and experience an amazing Easter season. Lent helps me grow new life in place of the old. It keeps my faith alive and vibrant and refocuses my commitment to god.

Do you observe Lent?  Why or why not?  What do you think about Lent? What kinds of things have you fasted from in the past? Feel free to leave a comment. Share and let’s talk about it.

If you would like to be featured in next week’s link-up be sure to leave a post below and visit a few others. The post with the most clicks will be next week’s featured post. Last week’s most viewed post was

My 5 Daily Minimums by Barb at A Life in Balance

Head over and check out Barb’s post. It is really good! I started thinking about what my daily minimums are!

Help Family Time Tuesday grow by adding your post to the linky below, blogging about it, linking to this post, telling other bloggers, grabbing my button, or tweeting about it.

Family Time Tuesday will be open every Monday night at 10pm MST. The carnival will remain open for a whole week, allowing you to link more than one post each week

Rules

1. Follow Celebrating Family (in the #1 spot).
2. Link up your family-oriented posts (please no giveaways, hops, or adult content).
3. Please grab my button and put it on your page or link back here to Family Time Tuesday.
4. Visit and follow as many linked sites as you want. If you visit be friendly and leave a comment letting them know you were there. Please try to visit at least 2 sites. Let’s help each other out!

• Barack Obama is our 44th president, however there have only been 43 presidents. Grover Cleveland was elected for two nonconsecutive terms and is counted twice as both as our 22nd and 24th president.
• Abraham Lincoln was the tallest of the U.S. presidents, measuring 6’ 4” tall.
• Only one president, James Garfield, was a preacher.
• James Buchanan was the only president never to marry.
• Ronald Reagan was the only divorced president.
• George Washington is the only president elected unanimously as he received all 69 Electoral College votes.
• President John F. Kennedy won a Pulitzer Prize in 1957 for his collection of essays, Profiles in Courage.
• Virginia is the birthplace of more United States presidents than any other state, followed by Ohio and Massachusetts.
• On February 22nd of almost every year since 1888, Washington’s Farewell Address has been read in the US Senate. If you have not read it go here and take a few minutes to read this excellent speech.
• Jefferson and Adams were the only presidents to sign the Declaration of Independence and they both died on its 50th anniversary on July 4, 1826.
• William Howard Taft is the only President who served as both President and Chief Justice of the United States.
• The “S” in Harry S. Truman’s name isn’t short for anything. President Truman was named after both of his grandfathers, Anderson Shippe Truman and Solomon Young and the initial honors them both.
• George H.W. Bush played first base on the Yale University baseball team that twice reached the finals of the College World Series.

No matter who you vote for this year remember the words of Thomas Jefferson who said “I would rather be exposed to the inconveniencies attending too much liberty than to those attending too small a degree of it.”  Amen and amen!

Unshaken: Rising from the Ruins of Haiti’s Hotel Montana, is the story of Dan’s experience in Haiti but it is also a story about mental illness and depression. One of Dan’s chief concerns while he was buried under the Hotel Montana was the effect his death would have on his wife Christy who had fought severe depression for many years and seemed to have overcome it. Dan feared that his death would undo all of that and would result in a relapse for Christy and an uncertain future for his two young sons.

Hotel Montana's collapsed floors. Photo by John Lantigua/The Palm Beach Post

I was absolutely riveted by Dan’s story. The actions he took shortly after the earthquake likely saved his life. He used his iPhone in some very creative ways, remembered tips he had learned from Man vs. Wild’s Bear Grylls, and wrote love notes to his wife and sons in the pitch dark. But somehow he still felt God’s presence and was able to worship Him in that dark place.   This book inspired me and moved me to tears.  Even though I knew Dan would survive the ordeal and live to write this book, I was still at the edge of my seat filled with worry over what would happen next.

Whether you are a Christian or not, I highly recommend that you read this book.  I also ask that you remember the people of Haiti in your prayers and charitable contributions as they are still trying to recover from the enormous tragedy of this earthquake.   Part of the proceeds from this book will be donated to Compassion International.

Disclosure: Zondervan gave me a complimentary copy of this book to review. All opinions expressed are mine.

Happy Valentine’s Day! If you have a Valentine’s related post link it up. If not, link up to any family-oriented post; that means any post that is helpful and relevant to family life. For example, fun family activities, great recipes, parenting posts, marriage posts, craft ideas, money-saving tips, homeschooling posts, and more.

If you would like to be featured in next week’s link-up be sure to leave a post below and visit a few others. The post with the most clicks will be next week’s featured post. Last week’s most viewed post was

Beyond The Comfort Zone by Jen at Making Our Life Matter

Head over and check out Jen’s post. It really hit home for me! Check it out.

Help Family Time Tuesday grow by adding your post to the linky below, blogging about it, linking to this post, telling other bloggers, grabbing my button, or tweeting about it.

Family Time Tuesday will be open every Monday night at 10pm MST. The carnival will remain open for a whole week, allowing you to link more than one post each week

Rules

1. Follow Celebrating Family (in the #1 spot).
2. Link up your family-oriented posts (please no giveaways, hops, or adult content).
3. Please grab my button and put it on your page or link back here to Family Time Tuesday.
4. Visit and follow as many linked sites as you want. If you visit be friendly and leave a comment letting them know you were there. Please try to visit at least 2 sites. Let’s help each other out!

This picture to the left is the cover of what was one of my favorite albums when I was in junior high school. I choose to remember Whitney this way. My daughter walked in while I was writing this and exclaimed “She is beautiful.”  She sure was. Not only was her voice angelic, but her smile and laugh were captivating. I was absolutely shocked when her life started to spiral out of control. She just seemed too majestic and graceful to go down that road. But drug addiction does not discriminate and it will take over your life if you choose to let it in.  As I write this, no cause of death has been released.  However, addiction took its toll on Whitney like it does on so many others. I pray that her story will help others make better choices.  I pray that she is in the arms of her savior and singing with the angels.

Here is my favorite of all of Whitney’s performances. No one has topped this rendition of the Star Spangled Banner in my opinion.  Rest in peace, dear lady.

If you would like to be featured in next week’s link-up be sure to leave a post below and visit a few others. The post with the most clicks will be next week’s featured post. Last week’s most viewed post was

Tuesday Traditions by Meredith at That’s my Kind of Party

Head over and check out Meredith’s post. It is full of great ideas!

Help Family Time Tuesday grow by adding your post to the linky below, blogging about it, linking to this post, telling other bloggers, grabbing my button, or tweeting about it.

Family Time Tuesday will be open every Monday night at 10pm MST. The carnival will remain open for a whole week, allowing you to link more than one post each week

Rules

1. Follow Celebrating Family (in the #1 spot).
2. Link up your family-oriented posts (please no giveaways, hops, or adult content).
3. Please grab my button and put it on your page or link back here to Family Time Tuesday.
4. Visit and follow as many linked sites as you want. If you visit be friendly and leave a comment letting them know you were there. Please try to visit at least 2 sites. Let’s help each other out!

In the Pin It to Win It Giveaway, one lucky person will win all these gift cards donated by the host blogs:

• 12 x $10 Amazon.com Gift Code
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For a total of $140 in Amazon.com Gift Codes!

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Entering is easy. Just pin a picture in any ONE of the posts below to one of your boards on Pinterest and leave us a link to your pin on the Rafflecopter form!

• Quotes for Tough Times
• Top Nail Polish Picks for Winter 2012
• Best Things to Buy in February
• Look at these tiny animals to brighten your day!
• Game Day Snacks
• The wonderful island of Puerto Rico
• Super Bowl Caramel Corn Crack Recipe
• Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes with Almond Buttercream
• Sometimes You Just Need to Look at Something Beautiful
• My Favorite Corner Headboards
• A Dragon Birthday Party  - This is Celebrating Family’s post!
• Make at Home Monday – Wedding Invitation Ornament
• Take Care of All Your Memories

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