Today is Ash Wednesday and it marks the first of the 40 days leading up to Resurrection Sunday, which is known as Lent. This is a season of reflection and repentance which leads us to the victorious celebration of Resurrection Sunday when Jesus is raised from the dead.

During this season we encourage our church family to be devoted to prayer, scripture, and personal renewal. One of the ways to do that is by making time in your day to go through a lenten devotional. We have made a devotional titled "Journey to the Cross" available to you for free to help you reflect and meditate during this season.

During Lent many people fast, which means to abstain from food and drink for a duration of time. But there is more than one way to fast, you can choose something that you use or consume frequently and decided to fast from that. For example, you can fast from social media (twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc.) or you can fast from sweets. Feel free to be creative with what you fast from! The most important part of the fast isn't what you give up, it is what you do in place of what you are fasting from. This means that rather than browsing the web, you would take time to journal and pray. Or if you are fasting from food, perhaps you can serve somewhere when you would have been eating. Fasting is meant to draw us into a deeper reliance on God.

To help teach your kids about the season of Lent you can do a fun little activity with them in honor of Ash Wednesday. See image below.

1. Collect a 4x6 piece of white paper, ashes (you can make them or buy them from a religious store) and masking tape.
2. Take two pieces of making tape and position them in the shape of a cross on the white paper.
3. Dip your thumb in the ashes and dab around the cross
4. Frame your creation or put it in a place where it can remind you to take time do do devotions with your family