Laetare Sunday

Have you heard of Laetare Sunday? Until recently, I had not. It turns out to be the Sunday halfway through Lent, when devout Christians were historically given a break from their austere Lenten disciplines. Laetare means “rejoice” in Latin and refers to the opening...

Lent Becomes Lifestyle

Those of you who have been with me for a while know that I gave up sugar last Lent. This was a huge step for me to take at the time. I knew that I treated sugar the way that others treat alcohol and drugs: I was addicted. Prayer and some nudges from God enabled me to...

Making a Lenten—and Lifetime—Commitment

This year I decided to go “old school” for Lent: I’m giving up sweets. As I mentioned two weeks ago, I’ve been addicted to sugar for many years. I’ve come up with some darn good strategies to avoid addressing the issue, but it’s time to stop, for a lot of reasons,...