Confession: I don’t “do” Lent. I wasn’t raised in a liturgical church that celebrated Ash Wednesday or the Lenten period. In fact, today I nearly offered my neighbor a hankie to wipe the smudge off her forehead.

My Catholic, Methodist and Episcopalian friends treasure this season of repentance, fasting and preparation for the coming of Easter. Lent is for lencten, which means “spring”, and this year it is February 10 through March 27 (Easter).

Lent is a season of forty days, not counting Sundays, which begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday. The forty days represents the time Jesus spent in the wilderness, enduring the temptation of Satan and preparing to begin his ministry.
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Perhaps, like me, you could use a Lenten primer – and a little help celebrating this special time of year on the Christian calendar.

It’s tradition during Lent to give something up, like Jesus gave up food during His 40-day fast in the wilderness (Matthew 4, Luke 4). Many people don’t eat meat on Fridays during Lent (a ha! Now you know why restaurants serve fish on Fridays in the spring!). Others give up soda pop, coffee or sweets; some people fast (i.e. refrain) from social media. Here’s a very helpful article about Lent, including an explanation for the cross-shaped smudge many followers have on their foreheads on Ash Wednesday.

Would you like to do Lent with us this year? We won’t be giving up meat or media. We’ll be giving up ourselves.

When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” Mark 8:34

We’ll be denying our own needs and putting the needs of other’s first. We’ll be carrying a cross… or maybe just a cupcake… to a neighbor who needs a friend. We’ll be following Jesus’ footsteps out the front door, across the street, and into the hearts of our neighbors.

Please join us on Facebook and Twitter for #40waystoloveyourneighbor during Lent. Each day we’ll offer a simple, practical and adaptable tip you can do in your own neighborhood, and these small sacrifices will draw us near to Christ as He was drawing near to the cross.

We selected the tips for #40waystoloveyourneighbor from the free Small Group Guide that accompanies How to Love Your Neighbor Without Being Weird. Download your copy today for more ways to get to know your neighbors using your God-given personality and spiritual gifts.