Lent in the City

I've been reminded in the past week how many people are reading my blog-it's so cool and makes me think the sweet opportunity I have to share things and but also the responsibility to be careful of what I say!

I would say I am now done with transitioning into a new place and job and am now falling into a routine. I guess that's a good thing, but it doesn't make for really exciting stories all the time.

So maybe I'll share something I've been learning...it has been very different for me to be living in a place with others who have different values and beliefs than me. Not a day goes by that there isn't some discussion or disagreement about political beliefs, the church, views of men and women, or something else. While I am always up for a good discussion, it is somewhat frustrating that I have found very few people here who share most of my core beliefs, despite our commonly proclaimed faith. I have really been forced to think about what I believe and why I believe it. My mind is constantly going back to past conversations and thinking about what I truly believe to be a Christian response. And how do I properly respond to both Christians and non-Christians I disagree with without making God look bad? I know it is good for me to be grappling with such issues, but it isn't always fun.

Washington often seems to me a pretty godless city. This morning as I walked to work I saw a few people with ash crosses on their forehead and it made me think about how each person may not be able to change the world with their faith, but can be a light/show their cross to the people they encounter on the streets or in their offices.

Last night I was asking my roommates if they were giving anything up for Lent. A couple of my roommates said they didn't really get the point of it, or they weren't Catholic, or it just didn't seem very important to them. I don't believe it's necessary to do anything different for Lent, but I have enjoyed taking on different ways of observing Lent over the past years. For me, the thing that probably competes most with God in my life is the obsession of time and feeling like I have total control of time. So this year, as I did last year, I am trying to memorize a book of the Bible-Ephesians. I recognize this will take time out of my schedule daily but I hope will benefit me as I defend my faith in daily discussions, and will help me focus on being a light to city, or at least the few people I interact with.

I don't know if any of you do anything for Lent, but it really is a cool experience. Don't just give up sweets because you think it will help your diet, and don't give up Facebook just because you want to appear holy. Think of areas of your life that are competing with God for your faithfulness and go from there!

Okay, that may have sounded like a sermon. But I suppose there is more to my semester than visiting musuems. Oh-And stay tuned for some updates on my homeless friend Patricia!