5th Full Week of Lent (2015): Where Do We Seek God?

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Like last weekend, this one was rather full for me. I was honored to be helping with the high school youth ministry meeting yesterday as we split into discussion groups based on gender. With the teens continuing to look at chastity as part of their study of Theology of the Body, I was able to provide a unique perspective as the only married person helping yesterday. I am truly enjoying the opportunity to work with the teens AND deepen my own spiritual journey while digesting more of this aspect of church teaching. 

Reflecting on The Gift: Your Call to Greatness is just the second post sharing my thoughts on recent talks I’ve attended.  Later Saturday night, it dawned on me that I totally left off a quote by G.K. Chesterton used in Christopher West’s presentation and an interesting train of thought which came from it.

 

The train of thought for me came when one of the teens that week said it would be funny if someone knocked on a brothel door and instead of a scantily clad woman he found a priest.  That had me thinking of how a movie scene (with a little Mel Brooks like approach) could have the man initially find the expected woman who would walk him down the hall, tell him she was going to make herself more comfortable, and then have him walk into the room. Only, instead of the anticipated room with a bed at the center, he would find the priest ready for his confession or to counsel.  If that hasn’t been used in a film already, it would make for an interesting scene.  While the Sacrament of Reconciliation is not something to be forced upon us, having it available for those who need it is a great thing.

Beyond the potentially funny movie scene that cropped into my head, what this quote had me contemplating is the question of where do we seek God?  Are we only expecting to find Him in a physical church structure or do we recognize that He is present in all of creation including our brothers and sisters in Christ?  Also, am I compartmentalizing my life to the point of trying to hide the bad from Him so that my life is not truly authentic?

My goal (for this week and beyond) is to see Christ in all those I meet.  While it might be easier to do this with people who are actively living a Christian life and being a light in the world, we also need to see God in those who may be fully immersed in a sinful lifestyle. After all, we are ALL created in God’s image and we are all sinners.

 

 

 

 

Looking Back at the Past Week for 40 Days of Seeking Him

Just like I did with the link up this past Advent, I am going to share the most visited post (or posts if there is a tie for click throughs) as well as a personal favorite or two from the previous week’s link up. 

The most visited post this week was Humbling Yourself for the Glory of God by Virginia at Virginia Lieto .  Humility can be a touchy subject for some of us as true humility is difficult to obtain. Instead, it is much easier to have a fake humility (which masquerades as self-deprecation) or succumb to the idea propagated by society that we need to be ‘seen’ by others.  I love how she shared Saint Teresa of Calcutta’s (known by many as Mother Teresa) 15 points of humility.  I’m thinking about printing them out to have with my other spiritual studies to remind me daily of how to better approach my daily life. Note ~ this was part of a series she wrote on humility and the new one is selfishness.

With so many great submissions, it can be difficult to pick a personal favorite.  If you aren’t clicking through to read all of the posts, you really are missing out!  I have TWO posts to showcase this week.

Liz at Middle Places shared  Joy is the Serious Business of Heaven, which reminds us that JOY is a part of Christian life. She shares a bit on the topic from observing her uncle and I can’t wait to find time to read more of her posts about finding joy (which is not the same thing as happiness.) 

The other post which I want to showcase is  Empty Tomb Garden DIY Easter Decor Project on Mission: to Save.  This would be a fun activity to do with the kids either this week or next as we prepare for Easter.

This year, I am joining Trish @ A House Upon the Rock in co-hosting the 40 Days of Seeking Him meme.  The linky will be up each week so you can add in posts daily, weekly, or whenever you are able.  The posts can be about anything related to Lent and preparing for Easter ~ crafts, food, devotions, music or reflections are all welcomed. I hope that my readers will join us on the journey through Lent as we seek to grow closer to Christ.  Christian bloggers are welcome to join us in the weekly link up with posts that they are writing to showcase activities or reflections taken during this Lenten journey.

 

We are expanding the platform for this meme to include a 40 Days of Seeking Him Pinterest board for submitted posts and a Facebook group.  I hope that you’ll check out the Pinterest board and join us on Facebook, too, as we seek to grow closer to Christ.

 

Is Lent going ‘as planned’ for you or has life thrown you a curve ball?

What are some ways you are growing closer to God?