Out of Control

"We live in a society more concerned with promoting and protecting self expression than in producing selves worth expressing." - Matthew Kelly 

Think back to what you wanted to be when you were a kid.  What was it?  A doctor?  An astronaut?  A fireman?  The President?  An athlete?  A musician?  Who are the people in your life who you really admire?  I'm not talking about celebrities who are famous for stupid reasons.  I'm talking about the people who inspire you to be better.  I'm talking about your role models.

What does it take to obtain those dream jobs?  What do all of the real role models of our lives have in common?  The common factor, of course, is that they all require self control.

Trust me on this:  if you want to be successful at any career you take, or any endevour you embark upon, you are going to have to practice some amount of self control.  Even if your goal was to stay in bed forever.  You'd eventually want to get up to go to the bathroom, brush your teeth, shower, and maybe get a new book or change the batteries in your remote control.  In order to achieve that goal, silly as it is, you'd have to practice the self control to not get out of bed to do those things.

Successful people have to learn and practice self control, and they are good at it.

Let me ask you some more questions, to get to my point, here:

How do you respond when someone makes you angry?
How do you respond when someone makes you sad?
How do you respond when someone makes you happy?
How do you respond when someone makes you feel loved?
How do you respond when someone makes you feel scared?

The thing is that too many people act out of anger when they feel angry.  Or they mope and pout when they become sad.  We let our feelings control us to the point where we become slaves to them.  We forget that we have control over our feelings.  And we forget that we don't have to express them all the time.  Actually, we don't have to express them anytime.

When someone "makes" me angry, one of the most annoying things people tell me is that nobody can make me angry but myself.  When someone says something like this to me, I usually think, "And now you are making me angry."  But don't you see?  It's the truth, even though it's annoying.  Nobody can make me angry but me, because I have control over my emotions.  I can chose to let that person push my buttons and bug me, or I can choose control my emotions and keep myself calm.  I, also, have the choice of how to react to that situation.

God calls us to have discipline.  Which means that we have to do the right thing, even when we feel like doing the wrong thing.  I'm not saying that you shouldn't feel the emotion (although, after enough practice and training, you can learn to control that, too), but I'm talking about action.  Expressing those feelings.  Acting out in anger, sadness, hate, revenge, hurt, etc.  God always wants you to seek His guidance and help and to not act out of feeling.

“We must all suffer from one of two pains: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. The difference is discipline weighs ounces while regret weighs tons.” - Jim Rohn

Now, I'm not going to lie to you, self control doesn't always feel very good.  But I'm also not going to lie to you to pretend like the lack of self-control always feels good.  Maybe temporarily, but certainly not in the long run.  Think about the quote above by Jim Rohn.  Regret weighs so much more than discipline.  And I will take it to the next level.  The weight of discipline is momentary, while the weight of regret is lasting.

Here's an example of what it means to practice self-control:  patience.  Do you know that the word "patience" actually comes from the word that means "suffering?"  Basically, patience means suffering!  In order to have great patience, you have to be able to control yourself.  When someone is annoying you, you are to behave with love, which can be painful.  

Or drama.  How many of you actually like being around friends who are always creating drama?  Drama is a result of a lack of self control!  You know, those people whose lives are what Sean Covey, the author of the book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens, calls "enemy-centered."  Those friends who always hate other people, who are constantly ending friendships, and asking you to end friendships as a result of that hate.  Those friends who are always getting in trouble because of the text messages they send.  Those people have a serious lack of self-control.  Drama is always a result of emotions taking over, and control flying out the window.

Now, I'm not saying that self expression is a bad thing.   Don't think that is the point of this message.  If you get done reading this with the idea that I am saying that you shouldn't ever express yourself, than re-read what I've written, and change the lenses with which you read.  Self expression is not intrinsically evil.

However, self control is intrinsically holy.  Self control is a virtue.  Self expression is not.  Well, at least not in the eyes of the Church.  However, the culture has a different idea all together.

Now, I know what you're thinking.  Here's this girl who is writing a blog (which is, of course, all about self expression, and nothing new), and talking about why self expression needs to be under control. I know that it sounds totally hypocritical.  You can call me a hypocrite if you want, but try to use self-control!  The point that I'm trying to make is that self-expression and self-control can and should work together

It sure is easy these days, though, isn't it?  To not use self-control   We are actively being taught that we have a "need" to express ourselves.  And, I suppose that a person who never expressed themselves would not really be a person at all.  They'd be, like, a log.  A log cannot express itself. 

But the fact of the matter is that self control is more important.  It is better.  Scripture is full of passages about the importance and need for self control.  Here are a few examples:

Proverbs 25:28 - "Like an open city with no defenses is the man with no check on his feelings."

Galatians 5:22-23 - "In contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law."

 2 Peter 1:5-7 - "For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, virtue with knowledge, knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, endurance with devotion, devotion with mutual affection, mutual affection with love."

2 Timothy 1:7 - "For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control."

1 Corinthians 9:24-27 - "Do you not know that the runners in the stadium all run in the race, but only one wins the prize?  Run so as to win.  Every athlete exercises discipline in every way.  They do it to win a perishable crown, but we an imperishable one.  Thus I do not run aimlessly; I do not fight as if I were shadowboxing.  No, I drive my body and train it, for fear that, after having preached to others, I myself should be disqualified."

Get the point?  There are so many verses in scripture that promote self control, and none that promote self expression.  Zero.  

Now, like I said before, self expression is not evil.  But it must be done with an element of self control.  Those two things don't oppose each other in theory.  Not necessarily.  But they frequently do in practice.  

Like Luke Skywalker in "The Empire Strikes Back," if you don't believe you can control yourself, your feelings and your actions, you can't.  But God will give you the strength to get through.  We, like Adam and Eve, are constantly fighting the temptation to lose control, but if only we call out to God and ask for the strength to overcome, can we.  

We are right smack in the middle of Lent, a time to refine our self-control skills.  How are your lenten commitments going?  Do you need more self-control?  If so, what are you doing to get it?  Let me give you a hint:  prayer is an excellent way to gain self control!  For, as we are reminded in the Letter to the Philippians:  I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.


Here are some questions to reflect on:

1.         How do you react to situations that make you emotional? 

2.       What does “virtue” mean?

3.       Talk about a time when you regretted your choice.  What do you wish you would have done?

4.      Talk about ways that you see that God is calling you to practice self control in your life right now.

5.       When you are in a moment when you are experiencing a lot of emotion, what can you do to control it?  (point out to them at some point that they MUST believe that they can control it first)

Depression Hurts and You're Worth Fighting For

Too many people these days are affected by depression in some way or another.  Either you suffer from it, have suffered from it, or know someone who suffers/has suffered from it.  It's a problem that is getting worse and worse.

Depression is not a small thing.  It is big.  And to compare your depression to other people's problems is not helpful, good, or holy.  Let's pretend for a moment that depression was small, though.  Christ doesn't want to only save the "big" problems.  He wants to heal all of us.  Imagine if a doctor only would heal the "big" stuff.  He wouldn't be a very good doctor.  Well, Christ is the Good Doctor.  And He wants to heal you of your big stuff and your small stuff.

But, depression is big.  People literally die from it.  It should be treated like something that is deadly and serious.  When people are diagnosed with cancer, they always want to fight for their lives.  Depression is like cancer.  In order to overcome it, you have to fight for your life.  It's that serious.

Don't be fooled by the Bible verses that talk about worry.  Worry and depression are different things.  People who suffer from depression do tend to worry more, but that is a result of depression.  Christ would not be so heartless to just say, "Your depression is no excuse."  No, that's not like Christ at all.  Instead, He'd say, "Let me heal your depression, my beloved." 

As a Youth Minister, I often hear the question, "If God is good, why would He allow us to suffer?"  How could He allow depression to even exist?  After all, people don't choose depression. 

I don't know how people can survive without struggling with depression, if I'm honest.  In my own life, I have witnessed things that have to cause some sort of reaction in me.  These are things that haven't necessarily happened directly to me, but that I have witnessed just by turning on the news.  Things like the Oklahoma City Bombing, the OJ Simpson Trial, the Columbine Shootings, 9/11, the Aurora Theatre Shooting, the Sandy Hook Shootings, the Jessica Ridgeway kidnapping and murder.  I have grown so accustomed to these things that one of the first things that I do in the mornings when I wake up is to get on my phone, turn on my news app, and check to make sure that no disasters happened while I was asleep.  This is a horrible way to live.  And unfortunately, it is not uncommon.

With all of these types of things in our lives in such real and graphic ways, it's no wonder that anybody out there isn't depressed.  I mean, when I watch these things on the news, they make it so personal, and they give such detailed accounts for the events that took place that it seems as if the people who are involved are people who I know.  It seems like I experienced a personal loss.  It seems as if it's happening to me.

And then when something does happen to me, no matter how big or small that thing is, it gets more and more difficult to overcome.

So, is there no hope?  Are we all just doomed to be depressed?  Are we all going to watch as more and more people (younger and younger ones at that), commit suicide?  Just give up?

Of course, the answer is no.  We can't let that happen.  We won't let that happen.  There's too much good to live for.

But it's not going to be easy.  And we can't just ignore the things that bring us down.  We can't pretend like loved ones haven't died, or like tragedy hasn't ever happened.  We can't pretend to not be lonely.  We can't pretend to not be hurt.  Pretending will only make it worse.

Depression was not created by God.  This is not how He created us.  He created us to be happy.  To be truly happy is to be with Him in Heaven.  And the only way that we can get to Heaven is through Christ.  Keep reminding yourself of that when you want to give up.  No, that won't "fix" it necessarily, but hopefully it will give you the motivation to keep trying, especially when motivation is so difficult to come by.

Always remember that you are worth fighting for.  And to overcome the battle that is depression, you are going to have to fight for yourself.  Nobody else can fight that fight for you.  Your friends and family can encourage you, support you, guide you and love you through it, but if you aren't willing to fight, they can't do anything to help you. 

So go.  Go someplace private and say these words out loud, "I am worth fighting for.  I am worth fighting for.  I am worth fighting for.  And if that means that I have to fight for myself, than so be it, because I am worth fighting for!"  And then get help.  Don't just get help from a friend or a parent, but from a trained professional who can give you proven steps to recovery.  Let your friends and family know what it is that you need, and solicit their help, too. 

It will take time, and it might get frustrating and feel like a losing battle at times.  But even if you lose battles, you can still win the war. 

If you see a therapist, doctor, psychiatrist, etc., who doesn't encourage you to pray (especially when they know that you are faithful), than find someone new and find them fast.  Prayer is essential.  How many people has Christ healed?  Too many to count.  He did some amazing healings in Scripture, but those aren't all that He's done.  He continues to this day to heal.

Pray for those who suffer, too.  Remember, like I said before, that the person who truly must fight to overcome their depression is the one who suffers from it.  If you're watching a loved one refuse to fight, don't give up on them.  Keep fighting in your own ways, and pray that they join you.  Just love them.  Listen to them.  Pay attention to them.  And don't give up on them.  If you give up on them, what's stopping them from giving up on them?  You may be the only one they've got.

It's not easy. And it's not small. Fight.  Fight.  Fight.  Believe in Jesus.  And get help from those whom He has blessed with the ability to help you.  

Women's Wednesday - Disney's "Frozen"

I AM TRYING TO NOT PUT SPOILERS IN HERE, BUT IT MIGHT BE IMPOSSIBLE, SO PLEASE BE AWARE OF THAT AS YOU READ!

As I watched the movie, "Frozen," I was beginning to get discouraged by the message.  It took me a long time to see the movie, so I had heard a lot about it (and I had the song "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?" practically memorized because everybody kept singing it all the time!).  I had heard that there was a really powerful message for girls in the movie, and that it was vastly different than every other children's princess movie aimed at young girls.

I started to get discouraged, but there was a little twist, right at the very end of the movie, that made me feel better about it. The movie posed the question, "what is the definition of true love?" and it answered it perfectly.

However, my fear about this movie is that, because it deals with romantic love, that some people might discredit it as a movie that is somehow "anti-woman."  I took a class in college called "Disney's Women and Girls," obviously a women's studies class, and I learned about all of the ways that Disney has supposedly destroyed women.  That girls who watch these movies will inevitably become trapped in a cycle of worshiping men and not having a voice of their own.  The class even went so far as to say that the movie "Mulan" was destructive to women because Mulan ended up with a man.  Even though none of her journey or story was inspired by, motivated by, or even really centered around finding a man, that it just sort of happened on its own, the class tried to teach us that Mulan shouldn't have ended up with him because it teaches girls that you'll never be happy unless you find a man.  Yeah.  That's the message that girls got out of that movie.

It was really refreshing to see the movie "Frozen" and how it portrayed the girls in the movie.  They were strong.  They were brave.  They stood by each other.  They sacrificed their own happiness for the sake of others (Elsa sacrificed her relationship with Anna in order to protect all of them, and Anna sacrificed, well, see the movie and you'll find out).  Movies like "Frozen," "Lilo and Stitch," and "Mulan" are amazing movies that show how much power women really have without taking away their femininity completely.  It's ok to be feminine and be strong.  Those two things don't oppose each other. 

I really recommend the movie "Frozen."  If you haven't seen it, it's out now!  I think that it has a good, positive, amazing message about love, sisterhood and friendship.

Drama

Drama.  Everybody claims to hate it.  And yet, there are plenty of people who seem to love it.  To live it.  To create it.  To thrive off of it.

Dramatic people are really looking for one main thing:  a reaction.  They are seeking to bring something out of the people who they infect.  And when we give in by giving them their reaction, they win.  And, what's worse is that we become dramatic people as well.


I love (note the sarcasm here:  I really hate it) to see people post things on social networking sites that say things like, "Is your drama going to have an intermission soon?  I need a bathroom break."  They usually also post about the importance of positivity as opposed to drama.  And yet, those rude comments about dramatic people are not positive themselves.  What do people who write things like this trying to accomplish?  In reality, a snarky, sarcastic, rude statement like that is drama.  And if you say that to someone who you deem to be "dramatic," they are going to react with drama.  It's inevitable. 

If you really want to put an end to drama, than just be positive.  Don't tell people how bad they are for being dramatic, because that is drama. 

Yes, I realize the irony, that I am here writing about the negativity that is drama, while I am breaking my own rules.  And, I guess, in that way, I am also a dramatic person myself.  In fact, I am dramatic in a lot of ways.  One time a person told me that "[I] am a negative person and [I] make others negative, too."  That was a horrible thing to say to a negative person, and, well, if I'm being totally honest here, I never really did get over that one.  But that doesn't mean that I am going to post time and time again the things that people do that are dramatic.  I am not going to continuously complain about how stupid drama is, or about the people who participate in it.  This post is a one-time thing. 

The Bible is full of Scripture about the importance of positive thinking.  Whenever you're feeling the need to be dramatic, to complain about others, to tear down others or gossip, try calling to mind one of these Scripture passages and taking their advice.

Women's Wednesday - Confidence

You either have it or you don't.  If you have it, good for you!  If you don't have it, getting it can be a real struggle.  You can pretend to have it, but that often only leads to having less of it.  You can celebrate the fact that you don't have it, but if you do that, chances are that you actually have more of it than you think.  And then there's those people who have too much of it, or have it in areas where it doesn't belong.  What is it?  Confidence.

Confidence is one of the most attractive qualities that a person can have, but, unfortunately, you can't just force it upon yourself.  The more you try to force it, the less you seem to have it.

I had a friend who was extremely confident.  As confidence is something that I tend to struggle with, I really looked up to her.  She was beautiful, smart, successful, and someone who people really felt comfortable with.  I tended to feel more confident just by being around her.

 But I have also had friends who lacked self awareness in an extreme way.  These are people who have confidence where they shouldn't have confidence.  For instance, people who are know-it-alls about certain areas of life, but who, after talking with them, I learn that they really have no idea what they are talking about.  People who don't take correction, even when they desperately need to be corrected.

Correcting problems of confidence is impossible without an open mind.  No, that's not an exaggeration.  It is impossible.  If you aren't willing to try the things that create confidence, you aren't going to obtain it.  There is no way.  Why?  Because confidence is not something that anybody can give you.  Nobody can force confidence upon you.  It is something that you have to give yourself.  And it's one of the greatest gifts you can possibly give.

So, my question for you is:  are you ready to be confident?

I don't have all the answers.  I have just come to the realization that I am worth it.  That I desire confidence enough to do something about it.  That only I can give it to myself.  So here is what I'm doing about it.

7 - Have fun.  Schedule it into your day.  Every.  Single.  Day.  That may seem weird:  "What are you doing today at 10:00 am?"  "I'm having fun."  Seriously, though, schedule it!  At least until it becomes a regular part of your life.  Fun doesn't have to mean anything extreme.  I think that our culture tries to define "fun" in certain terms, but those terms aren't good.  There are multiple ways to have fun, and as far as I'm concerned, drunkenness isn't one of them.  Partying isn't one of them.  Fun can be as simple as painting a picture (especially if you aren't a talented painter!  It could be fun to just splash paint around and see what you get), or having karaoke night with your roommate using Youtube.  Just remember to keep it simple!  People who have more fun tend to have more confidence!
6 -  Smile more.  Even if you don't mean it.  But DON'T be one of those people who feels sorry for themselves for smiling even though they are breaking on the inside.  If you don't mean it, say a prayer that eventually you will mean it. 
5 - Notice the good around you. Notice the good in others.  If you start practicing noticing the good in others, you will naturally start noticing the good in yourself.  At least, it will become part of your habit, which will seem more natural when you start to make the shift towards yourself.
4 - Be someone worth having confidence in.  This doesn't mean "be beautiful," although that is a good way to be.  But make good, pure, holy choices.  Read books, listen to music and watch shows that fill your mind with good, pure and holy thoughts.  
3 - Accept compliments from others. Don't let yourself believe that they are lying just to be fake or mean.  If they are doing that, than so what?  You can still accept their compliment.  They don't have to mean it for it to be true.
2 - Tell yourself your worth.  I know that it's difficult to admit the good in ourselves.  It seems like an arrogant way to be.  But just because it seems that way doesn't mean that it is true.  It's not arrogant to recognize God's good works.  It gives Him glory.  In fact, I would go so far as to say it's sinful to not recognize His good works in ourselves.  Those good works could be about our looks, intelligence, humor, musical gifts, artistic gifts, kindness, compassion, friendship, loyalty, etc.  If there's something good in you, than God put it there.  He created it in you.  Identify those things and use them to bring Him glory.
1 - Let God tell you your worth.  He made you.  He knows it.  If you hear the voice that says that there is nothing worthy in you, than recognize that it is Satan who is saying that to you, and that he is nobody/nothing, and that you don't have to listen to or believe his lies.  

Tithing Time

It's a pretty simple concept, actually.  God asks us to give us 10% of everything we have.  Today, we take that to mean material things.  And that, of course, is correct.  We do have a duty to give back to God what rightfully belongs to Him.  Nothing that we "own" is really ours.  It belongs, first and foremost, to God.  If God didn't allow our things to exist, they wouldn't exist.  It's as simple as that. He provides for us in amazing ways that we don't quickly recognize.  Giving back to God is a good and grateful way to be.

It is correct to give our things back to God.  But it's not the only way to give back to Him.  For the last several years, I have been "attempting" at thing that I called "tithing time."  It's as simple as it sounds.  God gives me the time that I have in the world, so I try to give Him His time back.  10% of His time, in fact.

Tithing time is a lot more difficult than I originally thought when I first came up with this idea.  But if the day is split up into 24 hours, than that means 2.4 hours a day back to God.  Not easy, but possible.

How do I do it?  Prayer, of course.  All different types of prayer:  rosary, contemplation, meditation, etc.  I read scripture and Catholic books (I choose one a month to go through, usually by the Saints).  I attend daily Mass.

While I wouldn't say that I have truly given 2.4 hours a day, I have definitely made a huge effort to complete this task once I dedicated myself to it.

I encourage you to think about your day.  How much time do you spend with God?  It's interesting, but if I really break down my day, and see how much time I spend doing other things, it really shows where my priorities lie.  For instance, I have no problem spending 2.4 hours a day watching TV, goofing off on Pinterest, or working out.  And yet, my time with God is much less.  But seriously, how difficult is it to just pray?  When I feel like I have to pray, I know two things:  1 - that I must really need to pray, and 2 - that my priorities are extremely wrong.  Rarely do I feel like I have to watch TV, unless it's something boring that I feel like I must watch even though I don't want to (like the State of the Union Address, which is a chore for me).  Praying is something that we should out of love, because we desire prayer.  And when it becomes a chore, there is something wrong.

Now, just because it can become a chore doesn't mean that we shouldn't do it.  In fact, it is when it becomes a chore that we should really do it.  Taking my medicine each morning is a real chore for me sometimes, but that doesn't mean that I shouldn't do it.  Sometimes chores are necessary.  Prayer is that way.  It is necessary.  No, I don't mean that as an exaggeration.  It is necessary.  And the weird thing with prayer is that the more you do it, the less of a chore it becomes.  Gradually, over time, one who prays a lot will grow to love it.

Two days ago marked the beginning of the Season of Lent, and it is during this season that we should grow in prayer.  I encourage you to start tithing your time, especially during this season.  At first, put it in your schedule.  It doesn't have to be 2.4 hours all in one sitting.  In fact, carving out multiple times throughout your day to pray is probably better, since it will bring Him to your attention constantly throughout the day.

And remember, how much time you spend doing a thing indicates where your priorities lie.  Let God be your first priority, and you'll find that your life is blessed.  

What I Get Out of Lent (vs. What I Give Up)

It has taken me years to fully buy into the idea that Ash Wednesday (and Lent in general for that matter) is good.  I have hated fasting, and for the longest time, I never really understood it.  Until about seven years ago.  And I'll admit that from time-to-time, I slip back into my old habits, believing that fasting is a chore.  As long as I snap myself out of it and turn my attitude around, I'm doing ok. Since that is what people mainly think of when they think of Lent, that became my only focus...what I'm giving up.  I never really focused on what I was gaining during the season of Lent.  When I shifted my attention to that, everything changed!

Fasting

Fasting is not just some thing that we Catholics invented.  In fact, if you look at any number of the fad diets that are going on these days, many of them promote the idea of fasting.  So why, when the Church tells us to fast for one day, do we freak out?

Well, simple.  People don't like being told what to do.  People don't like to suffer.  And most importantly, people don't like being told to suffer.  It's a vicious cycle.

But fasting is important. We need to purge ourselves of the toxins in our lives.  I get all judgmental and on my high horse (no, I'm not bragging about that, but it's the truth) when I hear people talk about giving up soda or chocolate for Lent.  It makes me crazy.  It's not that those things are wrong or bad to give up, I just wonder about how those people are experiencing spiritual development because of their sacrifice. Is this for the sake of spiritual development, or to lose a few pounds?  Let me tell you, and this I know for certain:  if you are completing your lenten sacrifice in order to lose weight, you're doing it wrong!

That's right.  I said it.  If you are contributing to your own, personal, vanity by making your Lenten Sacrifice about food, than it's not a Lenten Sacrifice.  In fact, it's the exact opposite of that.  It's actually contributing to your sinfulness by focusing your attention on yourself.  Vanity is sinful.

Ok, so don't go out and say that you are giving up vanity for Lent, and therefore, you are going to eat a ton of food all through Lent and gain a lot of weight, either.  Remember, gluttony is a sin, too.

But giving up vanity is a good thing for Lent.  For girls that might mean giving up their mascara, or all makeup in general.  For guys it might mean...well...I'm clueless about guys.  I don't know what they could give up, but I know that there are things that they could give up, in order to give up vanity for lent.

The big question to ask yourself is:  "where is my sinfulness?"  To do that in prayer, asking God to give you the answer is best.  And trust me, He will give you the answer.  If you struggle with vanity, give up something that you do because of vanity.  If you struggle with purity, focus your attention on fixing that sin.  Maybe you could give up using your computer in private, so you don't face the temptation to look at bad things.  There are a number of ways you could go.  Do you struggle with pride?  With greed?  With anger?  With jealousy?  Look closely at your sinfulness, and chose your sacrifice that way.  It's the best way to go.

Prayer

Ok, so we've covered fasting, which is the most talked about aspect of Lent, but what about prayer and almsgiving?  These are both important, too.

Prayer, of course, is something that is vital to our lives.  I think that people don't give enough time to prayer because they don't always see the fruits of their prayers.  But if we could really see how effective our prayers are, we would never stop praying.  There is nothing more important than prayer.  Focus on prayer this Lent.  Really find a way to add it to your routine:  a rosary in the morning to start your day, 15 minutes of silent prayer during lunch, a Divine Mercy Chaplet in the afternoon, and 15 more minutes of silent prayer at the end of the day.  Focus on prayers of praise.  Love God with all your heart, and tell Him about His good works!  Spend time loving God!

Alms Giving

I have heard of a lot of really great things that people have done for Alms Giving during Lent.  From writing letters daily to people in their lives in order to help them to see how loved they are, to giving money to the needy (especially those who give up spending money during Lent), to various service projects.  You know, we fast in order to get rid of something in our lives that causes us to sin, but we also add something that causes us to love.

What I GET OUT OF Lent (vs. what I give up)

There is one thing that I have discovered that I truly get out of Lent.  One thing that is important, good, amazing and important.  That main thing is freedom.  Yes, I get healing, I get endurance, I get all kinds of good things.  But my favorite is freedom.  With freedom, I