Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. As a child, I remember the solemn mass of Ash Wednesday and being anointed with ashes in the sign of the cross on my forehead. As an adult, I attend a Protestant church, but I’ve always loved the traditional church calendar recognized by the Catholic Church. There […]
Good Friday
Good Friday: Jesus and Judas
Good Friday is a day of quiet reflection and meditation. As Christians, on this day, we are often torn between sorrow and thankfulness. We are sorrowful because Jesus suffered and died on the cross, and thankful because Jesus took our place and suffered and died on the cross. As I was studying to write this […]
5 Ways to Pray in April
April is a transition month. Birds return from their winter travels, the early spring flowers shake off their sleepy lethargy, and the sun’s rays warm us for the first time in months. The earth starts to reawaken, and us with it. Why not use some of that new-found energy to pray with Only By Prayer through the month […]
Holy Week Devotions-Good Friday: Words
“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” Ephesians 4:29 (NIV) “A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.” Proverbs 25:11 (NIV) For our fifth devotion this […]
Good Friday-Following Jesus to the Cross by Mary Kane
Lent and the Spiritual Disciplines
Depending upon which denomination you grew up in, Lent may or may not have been an important time in your spiritual life. The season of Lent originated in the 4th century A.D., and it spans 40 weekdays beginning on Ash Wednesday. The final week of Lent is called Holy Week and includes Maundy Thursday, Good […]