7 Quick Takes Friday (vol. 4)

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Happy Lent!  I know that sounds weird - Lent involves giving stuff up, right?  Usually stuff we love.  It can feel less than exciting, and more like a chore.  Something we're supposed to do.  (How many days are there left in Lent?)  No other season invokes in me the desire to whine at Jesus, "Are we there yet?" than Lent.  And yet - Lent is typically the time I spend the most time focused on dying to myself and drawing closer to God.  So ... happy Lent.  With all its hardships, it is still going to be an amazing season.

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This year's Lenten journey, for me, is likely going to involve a good deal of fasting - not just from one thing, but from entire meals.  Not because I like it, not because it's fun, not because it's super-holy - but because I don't know of a single other spiritual discipline that drives me to God as quickly.  Fasting puts me in touch with how want-driven I can be.  It also gives me a colossal headache, which in turn gives me the opportunity to practice displaying things like patience and joy - against all odds.  It reminds me that how I feel in any given moment is not necessarily indicative of reality.  And it puts me in touch with how very much I need God's presence and intervention on a daily basis.  (This is no less true when I'm not hungry, but I sure do remember it a lot more often when I am!)

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One of the fun things about my job is that I get to go fishing on a lot of church websites for ideas and new inspiration.  It's fun seeing what different churches are doing to make an impact in their communities.  This year it looks like at least three lucky people are walking away from Valley Family Church with a new car on Easter Sunday.  What a creative way to bless families in need!

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Speaking of creativity, one pastor built a drop box - for babies.  He's making a difference one life at a time, and his story is absolutely inspiring:

I am so looking forward to seeing this documentary this summer!  Visit The Drop Box website for more information on how you can help build a new orphanage for these little ones.

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This week has held a lot of ups and downs; one of the ups was a spontaneous coffee chat with a dear friend who showed up while I was working on Valentine's Day to buy me a cup of coffee and chat.  He brought me an entire bag of Reeses' Peanut Butter Cups.  Happy day!

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One of the downs?  My work week felt something a little (er... a lot) like this:

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Which is why I'm sure that going to Codecademy is a brilliant idea.  Surely on the far side of a bit more education,  I will sound smarter guesstimating that something might take a couple of hours.  Give or take.

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!