Celebrate!

Well golly, blimey and all that sort of thing- how can it be Shrove Tuesday already?! Well, it is, and for me that means Love Life Live Lent begins again with a pancake party.
The last two years of following LLLL I've been working on Shrove Tuesday and taken the pancake party there. It's half term this week so I had the extra special treat of being at home to make pancakes for my children, and my husband had a day off work. I can't remember the last Shrove Tuesday we were all together!
It's been a pretty pancake-centric day, because as well as enjoying some homemade traditional pancakes this evening we had lunch in our local pancake parlour, with the added loveliness of the company of one of my goddaughters.
It really has been a day of celebration!!
Yet the solemnity of tomorrow - and of the coming weeks - is on my mind. Having that time to bring myself closer to God, to refocus and recommit, is what I'm dwelling upon. It's also a countdown, not to Easter but to the beginning of our interregnum as our much loved Revd. Vicky makes her move to Ely. I have less than six weeks to be mentally ready for that.

"Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost." Luke 15.6

Slow down

Late blog! Late night last night- went to Asda after college, because it's the only opportunity I've had to do the shopping this week, because slowing down is such a rarity.
I sat down to read my text book yesterday afternoon and I had to fight nodding off, because the only time I sit and stop is bedtime! I don't know if it's a sign of our time, because I'm in training or because I have young children (probably a combination of the above) but there's always something to do, and usually not enough hours in the day- hence why I live in chaos.
Life was busy enough before I stated training, but I knew what I was letting myself in for.
Mealtimes are generally something rushed when I'm on my own- and breakfast doesn't always happen. It didn't happen until 11.30 yesterday as I didn't have time before the school run, had my training incumbent supervision (coffee with Vicky) at 9 and then church at 10.15.
I was more than ready when I got home. I made some banana pancakes, topped them with berries and honey and snuggled into the sofa to enjoy them (I usually sit at the dining table/office/mess of paperwork). I really enjoyed them.

Celebrate More

First day of Love Life Live Lent for 2014. My aim, as last year, is to follow the LLLL challenges and (briefly) blog each day about my experiences. My children are following the challenges too, but this year we've really stepped things up as a whole group of us from St Michael's have decided to follow LLLL and we're doing our best to get other folks from school and church to join in too.
Today's challenge is to celebrate more- and to do so by throwing a pancake party. Last year I took a couple of packets of ready made pancakes to work to share with my lovely colleagues. I decided that I needed a bit more oomph this time to really kick things off so I decided that we'd have an all day pancake party on the ward. I went armed with ready made pancakes, scotch pancakes, syrup, lemon, Nutella...and I even made sure there was plenty left for the night shift.
We should celebrate more- and there doesn't always have to be a reason. Lent starts tomorrow and I think that's something to celebrate because even though it's the longest period of reflection and quiet in the church calendar it's also a time of preparation and of spiritual renewal. Sometimes I feel at my closest to God during Lent as I look at myself, my relationship with God and with the world around me.

luke 15.6: And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbours, saying to them, “Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.”

But we will all be changed

It's just one week until Ash Wednesday and Christian or not many people will try and give something up, or do something different, for Lent.
Followers of my blog will know that last Lent rather than giving something up I (and my kids) took something up- following Paula Gooder and Peter Babington's Love Life Live Lent booklet. This gives a different activity or action for each day- something to help make your bit of the world just a little bit lovelier.
The tagline is "be the change you want to see", a reminder that if we do want to live in a more loving world, first we have to change ourselves.
Wonderfully we won't be on our own this year- some of my fellow St Michael's family are up for the challenge too. I will again blog through my own experiences.
Anyone one else who wants to join in just let me know- I've ordered some books (£2.50 for the adult version, £1.50 for the kids) in the hope that instead of giving something up I can entice you to take something up this Lent.
It begins on Tuesday with a pancake party! Who could resist?

Love Life Live Lent

After my initial post the tumbleweeds have been a-tumbling through Cake or Death. With Lent approaching it seemed an appropriate time to get blogging- not sure I can manage 40 days and 40 nights but I'm certainly going to give it my best.

I find that fasting in some way as part of my Lent journey is quite an important thing for me. To be disciplined enough to deny my self something is pretty damn hard, but an incredibly tiny thing compared to what Jesus has done for me.
I'm also a big believer in taking something up for Lent- again it's all about the discipline. This year I'm using Paula Gooder & Peter Babington's Love Life Live Lent (available at St Deny's, Amazon, or direct from Chuch House Publishing).
We start today, on Shrove Tuesday, with our first task of celebrating more, with the suggestion of throwing a pancake party. Not easy on a 10 hour shift. But I'll start as I mean to continue- armed with a pack of ready made pancakes to share with my HTU colleagues.  It's a start.

Luke 15.6
And when he comes home,  he calls together his friends and neighbours,  saying to them,  "rejoice with me,  for I have found my sheep that was lost"

www.livelent.net