Friday Five: Mid-Lent Check-In

Sophia says: The pastor of my grad school parish once gave a fascinating reflection, at about this mid-point in the season, called "How to Survive the Mid-Lent Crisis"! As I recall, his main point was that by halfway through the season we have often found it very challenging to live up to our original plans....But, he suggested--on the analogy of the healing and reframing of our life plans that can happen during a mid-*life* crisis--that that can be even more fruitful.So here's an invitation to check in on the state of your spirit midway through "this joyful season where we prepare to celebrate the paschal mystery with mind and heart renewed" (Roman Missal). Hopefully there's a good deal of grace, and not too much crisis, in your mid-Lenten experience!
1. Did you give up, or take on, anything special for Lent this year? The plan was to give up anxiety and take on joy.

2. Have you been able to stay with your original plans, or has life gotten in the way? Um, er....No and Yes

3. Has God had any surprising blessings for you during this Lent? Oh yes, as always. God has a very interesting sense of humor, as always.

4. What is on your inner and/or outer agenda for the remainder of Lent and Holy Week? I need to survive March. Two sermons at my own church, a nursing home service to plan and a sermon for there, a "Soup and Sermon" sermon (all by April 1) with two weekends gone and the day job...and then we come to Easter. We are having five services Easter week. I am sure it will be wonderful and most holy when we get there. Right now....it feels like a marathon at the end of another one.

5. Where do you most long to see resurrection, in your life and/or in the world, this Easter? I need a little attitude adjustment involving my church life right now. It would also help if the weather would cooperate. Light (courtesy of Daylight Savings Time) going on into the evening accompanied by minus 24 is just all wrong!

Bonus: Share a favorite scripture, prayer, poem, artwork, or musical selection that speaks Lenten spring to your heart. I think I need to share in the bounty of others. I know I have such...they are just not "springing" to mind right now.