Lenten Journey – Day 15
School is cancelled today. There is a blizzard warning. We are supposed to get 6-12 inches of snow today (on top of the 4-5 we got yesterday) with winds gusting to 50 mph and wind chills to 40 below. Ahh… Spring.
I have been under the weather for the past week. It was really bad Friday-Monday but I started feeling much better last night and into this morning. I am still congested but my head feels clear so I am hopeful for today.
The whole coffee fast has been interesting. I’ve done it before – probably 3 or 4 other times in my life – but this time has been different. I was surpsrised by how relatively smoothly the initial break from coffee went – the usual side effects only lasting about 36 hours instead of 3-4 days. But the ongoing struggle has been more acute. I have been tremendously tempted at times – especially at social functions (like church) where it just smells so good. Ironic, I think, that the biggest source of temptation is my church!
Yesterday during my “quiet time” I broke out into spontaneous song for the first time in I don’t know how long. It caught me off guard at first and I almost tried to squelch it. But I let it go, singing “Hosanna in the Highest.” Personal times of worship has always been a integral part of my spiritual formation, but it has been lacking for awhile. I could feel my heart opening up to my Creator, Savior, Friend as I sang. It felt good, natural. Not forced.
Oh! And I had a really cool God-moment yesterday with a person I have been praying for. It was a great encouragement to me that God IS working. So all you Epiphanists who are “praying for five,” keep it up! God is moving even if you don’t see it yet.
Prayer for today:
Don’t let the fire you’ve started
Be blown out by the wind
Don’t let the walls you’ve destroyed
Be built again
I pour out myself
Pour into me, God
Pour into me
Don’t let the passion you’ve ignited
Be squelched by worldly concerns
Don’t let the waters you’ve put in me
Be dried up
I pour out myself
Pour into me, God
Pour into me
I offer myself to you
Do what you will with this broken shallow bowl
Pour me out, fill me up again
[(c) Jeff Gauss 2002]
