Reminders That We Are Celebrating Lent

Lent began with a bang at our house. We kicked off with a meaningful Ash Wednesday service followed a day later by the stomach bug. "Bug" sounds too cute and harmless, it should be called the stomach monster. Needless to say, I was re-routed. So, especially after Amy's earlier post, and too much credit, I wanted you to see the fine arts major paying off.That's right folks, the old chalk board count down. It doesn't get any easier than that to remind each of us that we are moving toward something.I always want Easter to be a part of our Lenten conversation. 

As another reminder of this special season,  we have one of the beautiful wooden wreaths from Caleb Voskamp that I adore (thank you JB!) & that serves as a count down too. We light it when we have our devotional and when we have a meal. The "blowing out" conversation happens here too. 

On the devotional note, our church put together these fantastic Lent baskets for all of the families. I'm so grateful for their investment of time to pull all of this together. It goes along with the Jesus Storybook Bible. This particular Bible is new to me but one friend said she loves it because it takes all of the stories and points them to Jesus in a way that's compelling and clear. I love that. This is ideal for elementary age children. My children are a little older but they are still enjoying it, along with the egg to open that contains a small object to serve as a reminder of the story. Its always fun to read a fresh take from a childrens' story Bible and it's sparking conversation around our table. 

Here is a picture of the awesome basket full of eggs and scrolls. One day you open an egg, the next day a scroll. It usually takes longer to decide who's turn it is to open the egg than to read the story but it's been a good addition to our morning. We have also been reading through the Bible using Stephen Whitmer's 2-year Bible reading plan. The Storybook Bible has been a nice change of pace after finishing the chapters in Leviticus on...discharge. That also sparked some interesting conversation.

And finally, I do love a wreath. I like the reminder each time open the front door. I know our children benefit from these concrete reminders and I'm no different. This one was easy to put together and it's one I will re-use as the calendar changes. The trick is not to let it become scenery that I walk by without really seeing.