40 Days of Embracing Uncertainty

It's a lovely 36 degree day here in Worthington, Minnesota - we must be nearing the advent of spring because this is still February.  We do get warm spells sometimes here in the frozen tundra, but the cold weather usually finds a way to continue its icy grip upon our beloved Northland.    

I've decided that I would try to blog during the upcoming Lenten season.  I know - it's crazy, right?  But before I change my mind, let me share the reasoning behind my decision.  First of all, I have been very sporadic when it comes to posting something on my blog.  Yeah, it's been a busy portion of my life, but that really isn't a very good excuse.  All of us are busy, so I can't use that as any rational reason for not posting a thought or two during the week.

Secondly, I have a lot of thoughts running through my mind that need to be written down - I can't hold them in any longer.  I think it will be healthy for me to share them.  Think about everything that is going on that I've been concerned about that I have deliberately chosen not to say anything about - the United Methodist denominational crisis and the proposed split that is being talked about is just one issue that has been heavy on my heart.  Sticking with a religion focus, one of the churches I am serving has voted to close at the end of June - this has been a topic that has me up nights, my heart breaking for the long time members and the heritage of that beloved Emmanuel Church in Worthington.

Of course our national political arena has had news story after news story - most of them difficult to hear and divisive.  It's been difficult to ignore the stories coming out of Washington D.C..  Then there is the usual - the state of our world, family matters, the economy, nature's changing landscape, aging gracefully, planning for retirement (wait, how did those last two get in there?).  All of these things have been like layers of chocolate cake that I cannot partake of because I am trying to lose weight (oops, there's another one!).

So I'm going to begin in earnest starting on Ash Wednesday, February 26th.  I'm going to be using a devotional resource called "Embracing the Uncertain" - a 40 day devotional that walks us through some of the challenges that come across our lives that cause us to be uneasy because we didn't expect them to happen (click on the link above to order your copy through Amazon or Kindle - we also have some copies available at the church, if you are in the area).  My plan is to read the devotional and then respond to what I read.  That sounds simple enough.

I like the challenge.  Perhaps you might be persuaded to join with me.  After all, aren't there a number of things you might be dealing with right now that are troubling or even overwhelming?  Let's do this together - I'm certain we will learn something!