3.09.2011

The Wednesday That is Called "Ash"...

It's the beginning of Lent. All around the world, thousands of people are giving something up for this auspicious tradition, for the next 40 days, most of them not even knowing the reason behind it, or even why. It's merely "tradition".

I cannot claim innocence in this, as I, too, am giving something up for Lent, and I don't know many of the reasons behind it. I have heard, however, that the idea was to give something up and replace it with something else that will bring you closer to Christ. To prepare for Easter, when we will remember His death and resurrection.

This year I have decided to give up Facebook and other web-sites that hinder valuable time with God, as well as watching movies (either alone or just with Jake). I am making allowances for Sundays, but that's about it. I felt very compelled to use the time I would have spent on Facebook as time spent in prayer for the world, for missions.

I own a book called Operation World Missions. It's not the most updated version, but it works well enough. Within its pages, it lists countries alphabetic, with statistics on religions, economy, and people groups, as well as answers to prayer and prayer requests. As I cracked open the pages this morning, pages which haven't been opened in many months, I turned to today's date and discovered which country was up for prayer: Brasil. I thought, "Ok, God, very funny. There have been so many memories of Brasil on my mind, and now this." Oh, and that's not all. The book suggested I pray for the country from March 9-11. Looks like I've got my work cut out for me. Brasil it is.

Today was my first day off in five days, and I had decided it would be a homeworking day. Be that as it may, I don't think I was very productive. I did sift through three commentaries on 1 and 2 Chronicles, however, and the information I gleaned on those much-avoided books was well-received. I am writing a paper on them for a course, and the instructions were to discover how 1 and 2 Chronicles fits in the Bible as part of God's redemptive plan for humankind. I will update you once it's finished (it's due on March 15!)

That's all for now; Jake is picking me up soon for a rendezvous at the grocery store. Thanks for all your prayers!

Love,
Ashleigh

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