Cigarettes and Alcohol and Rollerblading

It doesn't seem that long ago since Christmas. Seven weeks and five days to be exact.

And now we are already gearing up for Easter. The Easter eggs have been in the shops for a few weeks already. It seems that preparation starts earlier and earlier.

But for pretty much all my life I have not been prepared for Easter. Today is Ash Wednesday and it marks the beginning of Lent. The time period of 40 days or so where we traditionally give up something we love. Maybe for you its coffee, or chocolate or cigarettes, or maybe you are giving up watching LOST. Maybe you gave that up ages ago.

Whatever it is. It's good to deny ourselves some stuff over this period. It's good to direct our minds on something other than ourselves. And I think that is the main point of Lent. It's not that we try and make ourselves miserable for some sort of higher spiritual experience.

But it's supposed to help us to think outside our own existance and help others,

It's supposed to prepare us so we can appreciate Easter more.

I don't think Lent is just about giving up something though. It's also about replacing it with something else that is good and worthwhile. It's about remembering the sacrifice Jesus made by sacrificing something we love.

So maybe you have decided to give up your ipod (I know, I know, how 2007 of me), or maybe you won't go on facebook for a while. I have heard lots of really good ideas. How about not using the radio or having music play in your car so you can spend driving time, praying instead.

But what are we replacing these things with? Who are we helping? Where are we directing our time now that we have given up facebook for a while?

Well as I wrote about in my last post, I am not the most disciplined of people. So instead of this year setting myself up for failure and feeling crap I have decided to follow this Lent Calendar from Marshill. It might be a great way of us to connect better.

There are a load of different ways you can get ready for Easter. You don't just have to give up stuff. You can give up time. You can help someone who needs help. You can take an interest in an issue in the world that is damaging the Earth. You can drink only water and donate the money you normally would spend on coffee or beer to help create clean water for people who don't have it.

I must stress that this won't make you more holier or superior to anyone who doesn't give up something at Lent. But what it will do is give you a greater appreciation of what Jesus did. Of the sacrifice he made. Of the life we now have because of his dying to himself.

Why not give it a go? What is there to lose? What are you going to give this Easter?

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Can't go on, must go on, can't go on, mu.....

I like to write but most of the time I don't feel like it.


I like to blog but at times, like right now, I just can't be bothered. I have no motivation whatsoever. This guy I am not

That sucks when something you enjoy doing is not appealling. I have that feeling and I need to figure out why.


And I think I know.


Discipline.


I hate that word so much. Mostly because I severely lack in that department. Reading the Bible, praying, revising, practicing the piano, all these things we are told are good for us, are not interesting to me most of the time.


And I don't have the discipline to write. But I want to.


Right now I am writing but I want to stop. I think what I am writing is crap and quite possibly it is. These are the thoughts I get when I am trying to become disciplined at doing something. "I don't want to", or "I'm not good at it", or "I don't feel Jesus' presence" or "I am bored out of my skull"


I am writing this sentance and I have written all the previous ones but there is something in me which is telling me to stop and go on to facebook instead.


And I don't even know what it is keeping me going. But somehow I am. Something is telling me to stop but the voice telling me to keep going is somehow winning.


And that folks is all I have for you. I don't have some nugget of wisdom to give you on how to become disciplined. I am the wrong guy for that.


But maybe the point of discipline is that we need to just keep going. Maybe it won't be pretty. Maybe it will be hard and there will be sweat and blood (though if there is I think you are definately doing something wrong) and tears.


Maybe we need to start small and build instead of thinking we need to pray 24 hours a day, or read the whole Bible in a year or learn that piece of music all in one day or whatever.


All I know is that discipline is good. It's important. It is healthy. We grow from it. We learn about ourselves and others from it. But God is it hard.


Maybe its supposed to be hard. Maybe I am just undiscplined. Maybe you think it is easy.


What works for you? How do you get out of that rut where you simply don't want to?

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When pickets turn funny

Right. Enough is enough.

I have been away from here for far too long and I am getting a few minor withdrawl symptoms? (Is that how you spell withdrawl?, is there an e in there? Wow it's been so long I've forgotten how to spill).

So if you are one of the 8 people who follow this I apologise for my severe lack of blogging. My last post was before Christmas so expect more stuff to come in the next few days. And expect more varied stuff.

I've realised that I want to maybe cut back on the serious blog posts a bit and write a few more laid back posts. Hopefully that will result in a bit more blogging on my part.

So I am excited to be back and if you are new... You are very welcome and I hope you enjoy.

So most of you will be aware of Westboro Baptist in the USA. They are a pretty intense bunch of people/church/sect/cult and their views on homosexuals (their favourite quote is 'God hates fags'), the US army, Obama, and even Ireland are just insane. And oh yeah I should have said, unless you are a member of their church you are going to hell...Sorry to break it to you.

Check them out if you like, but I love how these bunch of guys from twitter gave them a taste of their own medicine by picketing Westboro Baptists' very own picket of the twitter offices. You following? I know there was a lot of pickets in there.

Anyway, makes you think how we should disagree with people. Should we start yelling back and just stoop down to their level or should we show the ridiculous of some situations by demonstrating how ridiculous some of their views are.

What you guys think?

Enjoy

Oh and check out the awesome 'anti-picket' picket signs.

Which is your favourite?

My vote goes to this

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