LENTEN PATHWAYS AT AREA 10

CHOOSE YOUR LENTEN PATHWAY

40 DAYS OF LENT: February 18 - April 2

The season of Lent as a tool to shake things up in our spiritual lives and challenge ourselves in deeper, richer ways. Lent is a traditional 40 day season leading up to Easter that faith communities around the world participate in together. This year, the lenten season runs from Wednesday, February18th until Easter Thursday, April 2nd.  This year, we are challenging each member of our faith community to choose a Lenten Pathway. 

Over the next 40 days during lent, you can choose one (or more) of these pathways to follow.  And by signing up to participate, you’ll be connected with others in our community and you’ll receive a weekly email with helpful tips, encouragement, and personal testimonies from members of our church with how fasting has helped transformed their spiritual lives.

WHAT ARE THE PATHWAYS?

To put it simply: Food. Tech. Stuff.

1) The Traditional Path (Fasting from Food)

This Pathway is the most traditional and common type of fast - abstaining from certain foods. While we don’t recommend that you fast from food entirely for the 40 day period, we do recommend modifying your daily diet in a way that is meaningful and challenging. Giving up a certain type of food (like meat or sugar), fasting for certain hours of the day, or having one day a week where you do a 24-hour fast are all simple rules that forces you to make conscious changes to your daily habits.

For information on what it means to participate in walking “The Traditional Path”, click here.

2)The Analog Path (Fasting from Tech)

This Pathway is more psychological than physical. This Pathway might include removing all the social media apps and games from your phone, unplugging the TV, or turning off your computer unless you are at work. Again, we aren’t going to tell you what to do, but we recommend making drastic cuts to the amount of time and energy poured into digital media and relationships. We recommend intentionally replacing those “on screen” interactions with face-to-face opportunities to build relationships, like community dinners or setting up a weekly coffee date with a friend.

For information on what it means to participate in walking “The Analog Path”, click here.

3) The Sustainable Path (Fasting from Stuff)

This Pathway challenges us to balance what we want with what we really need. Most of us make purchases out of desire, habit, or on a whim more often than we’d like to admit. Weekly grocery shopping excluded, this pathway’s challenge is to not buy anything for 40 days, unless it’s absolutely necessary. If you do end up needing make a purchase for school, work, or the kids, try shopping second-hand. If you want to stretch this challenge a bit further, be intentional about setting up a recycling or composting system at your home that the whole family can follow!

For information on what it means to participate in walking “The Sustainable Path”, click here.

OKAY… Now what?

You can join our Lenten Pathway community to receive a weekly newsletter with encouragement, testimonies, & helpful TIPS TO HELP YOU ON YOUR FASTING JOURNEY.

If you have participated in Lent at another church, this is likely the type of fast you have experienced. When the Bible talks about fasting, it is always referring to a food fast.

DIETARY RESTRICTIONS:
There are lots of different ways that you can participate in a food fast for Lent. 

It is probably not a good idea to give up food, period, for 40 days. That kind of fast is can be less helpful and possibly more harmful, long term. We do recommend modifying your daily diet in a way that is personally challenging for you. There are lots of different ways that you can participate in a food fast, but we are suggesting a simple option: giving up meat. (Gasp! It’ll be okay - it’s just for 40 days). We know our community loves it’s bacon, but this is a simple and easy to remember rule that forces you to make conscious changes to your daily habits. Other options might include giving up sugar, only eating between the hours of 12pm and 8pm, or choosing one day a week to do a 24 hour fast.

Ultimately, the choice is yours! Tip: If there is an area surrounding food that you feel like you are particularly weak in, this might be a good opportunity to go “cold turkey” - unless you are giving up meat, in which case any kind of turkey is probably a bad idea. The most important thing is that you define your own rules now, and then stick to them. Your choices should, overall, make you healthier (in other words, don’t give up meat just to eat french fries or ramen every day of the week). If you are giving up something like meat, be careful because you will need to supplement your protein intake in other ways.

ROADBLOCKS TO LOOK OUT FOR: 
You are probably going to feel your emotions fluctuate the first several times you tell yourself “no”. You might be hangry. You might have cravings that every ounce of your flesh just wants to surrender to. The important thing is to stop, recognize those bodily sensations, and pray through it. Take that hunger as a signal to stop and refocus on God.  

BE PROACTIVE:
It is likely that no matter what kind of diet you have chosen to do, you will have more time than you are used to, either that you used to spend going out to eat, or preparing meals, or maybe you are spending more time in the kitchen meal-prepping to get ready for the week. Be intentional about using that time to refocus on God. Find a few Christian podcast or listen to an audio book to take your mind off your hunger or cravings, or take your lunch break to read your Bible and/or go on a walk and pray.

Whenever this fast changes a normal habit, take that opportunity to have a real, authentic conversation with God. It might feel weird, chatting with God as you chop up some fresh veggies, but with time it will become more natural and may even become a long term habit. 

BREAKING THE FAST: 
Once a week, we hope that you will intentionally share a meal with someone outside your family unit - This meal does not necessarily have to be compliant with your selected fasting restrictions. Rather than focusing on the fast, it’s a way to refocus on relationship.

This type of fast is for those of us who spend too much time on social media, streaming services, and staring at a screen instead of into the faces of people we care about. 

TECHNOLOGICAL RESTRICTIONS:
If you are considering the Analog Path, some self-imposed restrictions you might consider would removing all the social media apps from your phone, unplugging or even moving your TV into a closet, or committing to only using your computer or checking your email when you are at work. This kind of fast can be tricky because many of us use technology as an essential part of our work or as a way to reach out to others, but there are several ways to be a lot more intentional and heavily cut down the amount of time you spend looking at a screen.

THE BENEFITS:
This kind of technological fast is great because it promotes mental AND relational self-discipline. By eliminating all the time that we spend scrolling through Instagram or Twitter, or binge-watching Netflix or YouTube videos, it opens up a lot of time for other, more productive behaviors. Maybe you want to read more books, or finish that craft project, or finally clean out the basement, but be careful not to just fill your time with more distractions from the condition of your soul. Be intentional about increasing your time praying, reading your bible, or listening to worship music. By getting rid of a huge chunk of down time, you’re going to find you have more capacity to pay more attention the condition of your soul.

ROADBLOCKS TO LOOK OUT FOR:
Your fingers are naturally going to want to go back to old habits - whether it be opening Facebook on your phone, or switching on the TV when you get home from work. But physical barriers in the way that stop you from doing this without even thinking about it. You may also feel slightly more isolated as you step away from online communities or interactions with people that live out of town. The trick here is to embrace those moments of solitude and use them as opportunities to connect with God, your body, or the people around you. 

BE PROACTIVE:
Don’t pull out your phone whenever you feel uncomfortable or bored. Instead, pull out a book to read, or even write someone a physical letter. Make a plan to spend 15 minutes a day in absolute silence and solitude. When you have a moment at home alone, intentionally turn off any music or background noise and set a 15-minute timer to just listen, pray, or meditate. Fifteen minutes may feel like an eternity the first few times you try it, but it is a great way to recharge your internal batteries, knowing that those fifteen minutes were entirely yours. 

BREAKING THE FAST:
It is normal during the 40 day lenten fast to take a “sabbath” day to break the fast. But don’t lose your momentum! Instead, choose one day a week where you and everyone in your household (friends or family members or roommates) agree on a TV show or movie that you can watch together. Be sure it is a group activity! And keep your phones/devices down while you’re watching it together. 

You could also say this pathway is fasting from wastefullness. This Pathway challenges us to balance what we want with what we really need. Most of us make purchases out of desire, habit, or on a whim more often than we’d like to admit. Weekly grocery shopping excluded, this pathway’s challenge is to not buy anything for 40 days, unless it’s absolutely necessary.

SUSTAINABLE RESTRICTIONS:
Although you probably will still need to continue to go grocery shopping, most of the weekly purchases we make are not absolutely necessary. Set aside one day a week to get your weekly shopping done - whatever works best for your schedule - and commit to not shopping any other time during the week, including “just browsing”. This could also mean that you commit to not eating out over the 40 days. Rather than going out for lunch with coworkers, maybe you pack your lunch instead, or make yourself a coffee at home before you leave for work instead of stopping by the cafe on your way in. Depending on your location, you could also make the sustainable choice to fast from using your personal vehicle and instead choose one day a week to only use public transit to get around.

THE BENEFITS:
We are constantly bombarded by marketing that attempts to convince us that “more stuff” is the answer to everything. We are addicted to convenience and immediate gratification. This style of fast actively tames our innate, materialistic desires and blocks out societal pressures to appear a certain way. We can be set free of the expectations that we set on ourselves, with the added benefit of being healthier for our budgets.

ROADBLOCKS TO LOOK OUT FOR:
Especially if you love to shop, you should prepare to feel self-justification for items that are ultimately unnecessary expenses. If an unexpected but necessary expense does come up, that’s okay - but be sure to constantly ask yourself, is this something that I really need? Do I really need it now, or can it wait until after Easter?

BE PROACTIVE:
Consider donating a portion of what you save by not spending out of habit, or go through your closets and dressers and donate any unused items (in good condition) from your household to a local charity or Goodwill. Consider taking this opportunity to invest in sustainable, long term solutions, such as reusable or produce bags, bamboo straws, or water bottles. Be intentional about eliminating waste or setting up a recycling or compost system for your house. Invest in a system that your whole family can understand and participate in.

When you feel the urge to spend some cash, use that as a signal to reflect on and embrace that God is your provider and sustainer and will give you all the things that you need. 

BREAKING THE FAST:
Choose one specific day a week as your grocery/thrift shopping to try and consolidate all of the time/energy spent into a relatively short period of time. Go grocery shopping with a list and don’t stray from it, no matter how the weekly sales or the bakery aisle might tempt you. We are trying to break the habit of automatically following our impulses. Stick to the plan! This fast is about learning to live with less “stuff” and more intention.

CHOOSE YOUR OWN PATHWAY

Honestly, only you can determine the things that are currently standing in your way between growing closer to God. While Lent is a powerful tool in learning what we really do or don’t need, the main goal is always to end up closer to following Jesus. If surrendering food, technology, or stuff isn’t meaningful to you, you might experiment with some of these other options:

• Practice Silence: Give up background noise, like music, podcasts, or the car radio on your commute and instead spend that time in contemplation and prayer.

• Practice Presence: Give up multitasking, rushing, or over-booking your schedule. Try arriving 10 minutes early. Single-tasking. Share slow meals with family and friends.

• Practice Gratitude: Give up self-criticism. When you feel angry or tempted to wallow in negative self-talk, replace it with gratitude journaling (3 specific thank-yous to God).

• Practice Lament: Give up avoiding hard emotions. Pray through the psalms, journal about the hard things you’ve been pushing down, or set up a consistent appointment with a counselor or therapist.

• Practice Creation: Give up binge-watching TV shows or doom scrolling social media and actively replace it with a daily creative challenge -l ike making art, poetry, music, cooking, or gardening.

There are so many ways to intentionally draw closer to God. Our prayer is that you let this next 40 days be an intentional step to try something that makes you uncomfortable in order to rely more on God’s power. If you can do it by your own strength or willpower, you should probably pick a harder challenge.

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER 40 DAYS…

Once Easter comes and goes and your Lenten Pathway is complete, we encourage you to take some time to reflect and assess how the challenge has shifted your thinking.

Write down your insights and things you’ve learned along the way.

Talk to friends and family to see if they have noticed any change in you.

Ask God if it would be beneficial to extend your challenge beyond the 40 days.

What happens next is up to you.