{"id":36224,"date":"2013-02-12T13:30:33","date_gmt":"2013-02-12T19:30:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.austincnm.com\/?p=36224"},"modified":"2013-02-12T13:48:40","modified_gmt":"2013-02-12T19:48:40","slug":"40-days-of-awesome-giving-up-more-than-beer-cokes-candy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2013\/02\/40-days-of-awesome-giving-up-more-than-beer-cokes-candy\/","title":{"rendered":"40 Days of Awesome: Giving Up More Than Beer, Cokes & Candy"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"lenten_tags\"<\/a>Be reckless this Lent.<\/b> Oh, I mean it. I\u2019m talking about the kind of reckless that\u2019s make you seek, without abandon, God\u2019s will. If St. Paul can do it, so can you.<\/p>\n

For far too many Lents, I\u2019ve done the traditional \u201cgive up beer, Cokes and candy.\u201d But, you know what? I think that makes for a really lousy 40 days. Yes, if sweets are your vice, if you\u2019re spending too many evenings with a cocktail in hand or have an unhealthy love affair with caffeine, then those are worthy Lenten sacrifices. But don\u2019t just do them to say you\u2019re giving something up because I can guarantee, come Easter Sunday, you\u2019re going to feel like you\u2019ve had a \u2018meh\u2019 Lenten season.<\/p>\n

And, you know what? God\u2019s worth more than that.<\/b><\/p>\n

I recently read some fantastic advice from a priest. He asked a simple question: \u201cWhat is the one thing you keep bringing to the confessional? Start there.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

Isn\u2019t that awesome?<\/p>\n

Sometimes I\u2019ve floundered with gratitude.<\/b> That was the year I wrote 40 notes of thanks to friends, acquaintances and complete strangers. It changed my attitude. I found myself sitting in the office each night, reflecting on my blessings, and sharing with people in a real-live handwritten note how much I appreciated their presence in my life.<\/p>\n

Last year, we were struggling with the excess of Christmas.<\/b> It felt like we\u2019d been on a gift-giving binge and the morning after was ugly. As a family, we took up 40 bags for 40 days. We spent the Lenten season cleaning out closets, donating gently used toys and ridding ourselves of things we no longer needed. It was freeing.<\/p>\n

There was the Lent we decided to give up cable television (highly recommend it) and the one we gave up eating out and yelling at the kids. There were Lents where we served the poor, attended more Daily Masses and adoration hours and implemented a regular exercise regimen. Yes, we even gave up fried food one year\u2014shout out to our Southern blood.<\/p>\n

All I know is this.<\/b> There is no prize for \u201cBest Lenten Sacrifice.\u201d Only YOU know what you need to do more, or less, of in order to strengthen your relationship with Christ. With each passing Lent, we should be growing closer to God, freeing ourselves from the things that tie us to the secular world. As the busy mom of five I understand how arduous a task that often feels like. My suggestions for you and your family?<\/p>\n

Write it down and put it on your bathroom mirror<\/b>. It\u2019s the first thing I see every morning. My husband holds me accountable, and I, him.<\/p>\n

Without fail, make your Lenten promises doable<\/b>, otherwise you\u2019ll fall off the wagon and never get back on because you feel so defeated.<\/p>\n

Include your children, no matter their ages, in the season of Lent. If your children are like mine and 40 days seems like an eternity, try these family-friendly Lenten ideas<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Lent can be awesome, let\u2019s get to it.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Be reckless this Lent. Oh, I mean it. I\u2019m talking about the kind of reckless that\u2019s make you seek, without abandon, God\u2019s will. If St. Paul can do it, so can you. For far too many Lents, I\u2019ve done the traditional \u201cgive up beer, Cokes and candy.\u201d But, you know what? I think that makes… [Read More]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":34,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"{title}\n\n{excerpt}\n\n{url}","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4],"tags":[55,2890,591,593],"class_list":["post-36224","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-blog","tag-catholic-2","tag-family","tag-lent","tag-sacrifice","entry","has-post-thumbnail"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":101478,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/03\/what-my-husband-taught-me-about-lent\/","url_meta":{"origin":36224,"position":0},"title":"What My Husband Taught Me About Lent","author":"Britt Echtenkamp","date":"March 30, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"This Lenten season is the first one Danger and I have experienced as husband and wife. We began the season as brand new parents, and didn't spend much time discerning what our Lenten sacrifices would be, either\u00a0individually and as a couple. At first, I declared I would give up Sonic\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Face of Jesus","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/sufferingservant-184x190.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":44563,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2014\/03\/slipping-lent-questions-lenten-sacrifices\/","url_meta":{"origin":36224,"position":1},"title":"Slipping Up in Lent – Questions about Lenten Sacrifices","author":"Crist\u00f3bal Almanza Herrera","date":"March 12, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"When we start Lent with a day like Ash Wednesday, it sets a somewhat somber tone for the season. This is a season of sacrifice, penance, prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Definitely sounds like a no-fun zone. Thinking about doing something that makes you happy? Save it for Easter!\u00a0This is at\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Questions About Lenten Sacrifices","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/QuestionsAboutLentenSacrifices-630x419.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":378707,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2017\/03\/living-lent-like-little-one\/","url_meta":{"origin":36224,"position":2},"title":"Living Lent like a Little One","author":"Rachel","date":"March 20, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Lent is a\u00a0season of conversion, a call to repentance, a time of turning back to God. To me, these are Christ's most striking words on conversion: Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children,\u00a0you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. \u00a0(Matthew 18:3) Unless you turn\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/child-angel-statue.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/child-angel-statue.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/child-angel-statue.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/child-angel-statue.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":387756,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2017\/04\/father-love-lenten-reflection\/","url_meta":{"origin":36224,"position":3},"title":"To My Father For All His Love: A Lenten Reflection","author":"Anonymous","date":"April 7, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Guest Post by Deacon Dan Lupo In Chicago, where I grew up, March days are shrouded in gray, blasted by icy wind, and blanketed by snow. Perfect Lent weather. The weather is Lent-perfect because the gray skies evoke a somber mood, which matches the serious attitude Lent fosters. Lent calls\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Faith"","block_context":{"text":"Faith","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/faith-blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/deacondan-2-ordination-157x190.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":38135,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2013\/03\/do-you-count-sundays-in-lent\/","url_meta":{"origin":36224,"position":4},"title":"Do You Count Sundays in Lent?","author":"Crist\u00f3bal Almanza Herrera","date":"March 1, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"I\u2019ve been very amazed to see the amount of Catholics that haven\u2019t been to mass in years yet still feel the need to give something up for Lent. 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