What next?

I am taking ideas on what to write next. Any comments?

He is Risen!

My last item! I have sorted my two boxes of clothing; one for Green Gables and one for the student at Godwin Heights. I will be delivering both boxes tomorrow to the people who will take them to their rightful owners. I will not be allowed to see either person receive the clothes since they both wanted to be kept anonymous. I am excited to be delivering these packages and cannot believe that I will be finished. This is my last entry for Lent 2014. Now where do I go?

Maybe the next time I go shopping, I should stop to ask myself, "Is this necessary?" Maybe next time I purchase an item, I ask God first. 

Hopefully I can find that I give more than I get. Hopefully I learned not to be so focused on materials. Hopefully I learned to not be so protective over stuff.

I know that I grown closer to God by doing this blog and by giving up my clothes/shoes. I have enjoyed making connections between reading the Bible, my personal life, and lent. Above all, I thank God for his ultimate sacrifice. I thank God for sacrificing his son so that by sins could be washed whiter than snow. Thank you!!! 

Burial

Luke 23--52 Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body. 53 Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen cloth and placed it in a tomb cut in the rock, one in which no one had yet been laid.

"Hosanna! Hosanna! Hosanna to the highest! Heal my heart and make it clean. Open up my eyes to the things unseen. Show me how to love like you have loved me."

Thank you God for you sacrifice and for your deep love. 

Good Friday

Luke 23:40-49

40 But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”

42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.[d]”

43 Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” 44 It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, 45 for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two.46 Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”[e] When he had said this, he breathed his last.

47 The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, “Surely this was a righteous man.” 48 When all the people who had gathered to witness this sight saw what took place, they beat their breasts and went away. 49 But all those who knew him, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.

Hopefully, one day I will be able to hear Jesus say to me, "Today you will be with me in paradise." What a glorious day that will be!!!

Green Gables Haven

I found another place to donate my clothes: Green Gables Haven in Hastings, MI. Green Gables offers shelter to abused women and children for up to four weeks. They help the women and children find a safe place to live, establish a bank account, and more. Many of the women and children that come there do not pack anything with them because they are more worried about being safe than having possessions.

I am donating this green skirt since the place is Green Gables Haven.


I knew that God would provide me with places for my clothing to be donated without being sold. But now I have two places: Green Gables Haven and the student from Godwin Heights. So what am I going to do?

I have decided to give my business attire to the women of Green Gables and my casual clothing to the student from Godwin Heights. May God bless both receivers!

The Lord Will Provide

Genesis 22:8 & 14, "(8) Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together...(14)So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, 'On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.'"



Can I trust God as much as Abraham? Abraham was going to sacrifice his only son because he trusted in the Lord and had faith that the Lord knew what he was doing. In the same way, God sacrificed his only son to save all of us...all of us sinners. Can you imagine? Sacrificing the one thing that means the most to you here on earth? I couldn't imagine the fear and terror that they felt. But maybe they didn't feel terror at all. Maybe they were rest-assured in God's Heavenly wisdom, which goes to show how awesome their faith was.

Even though I am only sacrificing clothes, I trust that the Lord will provide for my needs. I hope that someday I will be willing to sacrifice what I need to and not question God. I hope that I will come to a place in my life and be able to say, "The Lord will provide" and not worry or be anxious about the future.

Together

From the song "He Walks With Me":

And he walks with me and he talks with me

And he tells me I am his own

And the joy we share as we tarry there

None other has ever known.

This was a favorite him of mine. I know that God is always walking with me; we are always together even when I feel alone. Knowing that God is with me at all times brings me deep joy. Thank you God for always being with me. 

Mourning

I am donating this dark shirt today because of the weather. I have been spoiled with the Florida sun and then two warm spring days in Michigan. Now, I heard that we are expecting snow and ice. How depressing! This is my shirt in mourning...but still a cute shirt with a pendant or scarf :). I am tired of the snow and cold weather. I need to remember that my Heavenly Father will lift me up when I am tired and will give me strength. "I will soar on wings like eagles" and "I can do all things thru him who gives me strength". Thank you God for giving me strength when I am so tired (mentally or physically) I can't stand it. 

Three Days of Lenting

It feels great to be back home, but I forgot how difficult it was to get life back together after vacation! Bills to pay, laundry, sleep, cleaning, organizing, laundry, and don't forget, going outside with this beautiful weather! Isabella and I have been drinking it in the last couple days! 

I have posted three tops; they are all strapless. I haven't worn them in a while, but I still love them. Sometimes it's hard to get rid of those things that we love, or cherish, even though we don't use them anymore. But these three tops will not get me closer to Heaven. God will not ask me how many possessions I have earned when I get to Heaven. Instead he may ask how I helped those in need or how I showed love to those that are hurting. I hope that I can look to God and know that I did not store up treasures on earth, but instead kept my eyes toward the eternal. 

Michigan

I have had such a great time in Florida. I have had some serious family time and some R and R, but I'm ready for home. There is something so comforting about crawling into your own bed! May I also feel this same comfort when going to The Lord in prayer. 

SPRING BREAK!!!

I am out of here! PCB Bound! I am donating this shirt because it is a FUN shirt and symbolizes the amount of FUN I am going to have on Spring Break!

May my heart be this excited every day for the joy that the Lord has brought to my life. Thank you God for being so loving! My heart sings with joy!

"Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth," Psalm 100:1.

PS> I will also be taking a six day break from blogging. My reasoning for six days include: lent season of 40 days does not include Sundays and there are six Sundays during Lent season. So, I am rolling over my days :). See you all again on April 10.

Overwhelmed

IThis past week I have been really busy with work and getting ready for vacation. Instead of being happy that I am going on vacation, I have been overwhelmed with "things to do". I have made multiple lists of things to do each day before I leave as well as a list of items to pack. Each day, I cross off items on my list and try to feel better about what I accomplished. BUT, then I look at the items I did not finish and feel overwhelmed all over again. I stay up late; I wake up early. I am hoping that with all of these lists and to dos, I can still leave for vacation with my sanity in place. 

I also think my relationship with God is that way. I make mental checklist items of what I have done to show that I am a believer. For example, made profession of faith, check; joined a Bible study, check; and helped with youth group, check. But do these items on my check list ever show that I have a relationship with God? Not really. 

I know that my life would not be overwhelming if I just took a break from my to do list and spent time with my creator. I know that my feelings of being overwhelmed would vanquish and be replaced with tranquility.

Psalm 46:10 states, "He says, “Be still, and know that I am God." 

 

I am donating this black pull over because I think it symbolizes the idea of taking off my overwhelming feelings and leaving them at the cross. Thank you God for letting me be still and find peace. 

Light

"Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path" (Psalm 119:105).

I pray that when I am facing struggles, I look to God's word for direction and serenity. May his word provide peace to my troubled soul. 

I am donating this shirt because it reminds me of this verse. Their are a few bedazzles, which reminds me of the light! Thank you God for being a light in the darkness. Thank you for bringing light to a dark world.

Opening Day

I decided to stay up later and get caught up. Shorts because it is Opening Day and because it was 63 degrees today. I welcome you spring weather!

Wrapped in Love

I'm a day behind...I will make up for it tomorrow with two selections. But this is a cute wrap that I wore over the white tee posted earlier. I think this is symbolic because it shows that we are wrapped in God's love. 

John 3:16

Multiple Uses

A plain white T, but it can serve multiple purposes. Just like we can be used to show God's love in many different ways. We need to be the hands and feet of Jesus on a daily basis! 

Bright Days

Oh happy day! I believe I know where my donation is going...at least part of it. Some of my great Unity students have been reading my blog and told me that there is a family in need in the Godwin Heights school district that needs help with clothing. God has found a home for my belongings. I hope that she will enjoy these clothes for many years to come. I knew God would be able to make this lent season a reality...no questions asked! Thank you God for always providing. May we all remember to reach out to the needy and leave our judgements behind!

Prayer

"You never stand taller than when you are on your knees in prayer" (Author Unknown)

I am hoping that my prayers for Sammie, Jeremy and baby Colin are ascending like the flowers on this shirt.

Walk on Water

Today I read a devotional that shared the story of Jesus walking on water. The author, Joyce Meyer, stated that Jesus was walking on the water and while eleven of the disciples watched from the boat, Peter said that he wanted to walk on water with Jesus. Jesus replies with, "Take courage. I AM! Do not be afraid."

I hope that I am more like Peter and am willing to get out of the boat. I hope I can take courage when facing an obstacle and look to The Lord for help. I hope I can not be afraid the next time I feel alone. Or as an idiom would state, I trust that Jesus wears the pants in this relationship. He is in total control and I will follow Him.

Wobbling Arms.

This morning I was watching Mickey Mouse with my sick baby. Goofy was training for the obstacle course, but he was having trouble jumping due to his two left feet (true story). So, Mickey and Pluto volunteered to help him work with his two left feet to use as an advantage to win the obstacle course and receive a shiny hold medal. You should know how the end played out, it's a Disney show after all. Goofy used those two left feet to win a medal! 

Goofy's feet remind me of my arms. My mom always said I inherited my grandmothers arms (which is not a compliment). It is the Wobbling curse. Don't get me wrong, I loved my grandma. But, I strongly dislike my lunch lady arms, or bus driver flaps, or turkey gobblers. I have heard them referred to as many different things, but hopefully you know what I'm talking about (the fat on your arms that moves whenever you wave or shake your arm). My arms have gone thru lots of changes, bigger to smaller, but mostly smaller to bigger. I fight them all the time. Thus, why I am donating this shirt:

This shirt fits, but the sleeves are almost uncomfortably tight. I need to give it to someone that does not have lunch lady arm syndrome. 

But in the end, how can I use my arms to my advantage? How can I make my disadvantage an advantage? Then I remember all the times this morning I spent cleaning up after my daughter because she is too little to understand her bodily functions. I can use my arms to serve. I can use my arms to hug my daughter and lift her up when she feels sick or needs encouragement. I can glorify God because I have arms to lift up to him in praise. I can thank God that I am uniquely made, bus driver flaps and all!

Comfort.

Psalm 119:76 states, "May your unfailing love be my comfort."

Today, my daughter is sick. I feel so bad for her! I was not able to stay home with her to cuddle her or make her feel better. My mom said after she finished getting sick at 2:00, she kept asking for momma. Awwww....that just breaks my heart. I think Isabella knows that my love for her will never change. I will always love her, no matter what she does or what she looks like or what she says to me when she gets to be a teenager. I will always love her. 

God has this same unfailing love for each of us. We are his children and he is our prize. Thank you God for your unfailing love. Even when I am the least lovable, I know you will be there for me, waiting to comfort me. 

Two for One.

I've been sick with migraines this weekend so my posting and sharing has been down. Tonight, I'm posting the two items I am donating to make up for Saturday and today.

Today I'm donating this black skirt. It's dress up Sunday. I love this skirt. Super cute and chic!

Saturday I donated this pair of shorts. Yes, they are from Holister. No, I did not buy them in the store, but from Goodwill. But in reality, does it make me a better person because their is the bird logo on my shorts? I hope you can answer that question for yourself...I know my answer. 

Matthew 6:19-20 states, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven,where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal."

Hope

This is my Hope shirt.

Psalm 39:7

26. “But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you.
    
    

Sorry...not feeling good tonight.

Neat Knitting

13 

Psalm 139:13-14

For you created my inmost being;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well.

No, I did not knit this sweater, but the pattern looks doable to the professional knitter...which I am not. However, I did pick this because of Psalm 139. I hope that whoever receives these clothes can feel the love of God. I hope that she can realize that she was wonderfully made in His image. I hope that she knows that God made her special. And that he has a special plan for her. Thank you God for creating each one of us unique and making a plan for our lives even before we were born. 

Black and White

The Lamp of the Body.
Matthew 6:23-24: "But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth."

It is pretty obvious. We cannot have both sides. We cannot decide to serve God in all areas, but then say, "Well God, you cannot have your way with what I tithe, or you cannot have your way with what I buy." It is either all or nothing. God wants all of us. He loves us so much that he does not want to share us. This reminds me of a song (only can think of a few of the lyrics): "He is jealous for you, loves like a hurricane, I am a tree, bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy." God loves us so much that he wants us to passionately pursue all of him. Not part of him, but all of him.

It is black and white. God wants all.

Tank Top Season?

The sun felt amazing this afternoon. I loved taking Isabella outside and pushing her on her bike. What I did not enjoy was how stubborn she was being with wanting to pedal all on her own (I wonder where she got that from...). It amazes me how much she wants to do everything by herself. Why won't she just let me help her? I'm her Mom; I thrive on doting on her and helping her through her struggles. But, she doesn't always want my help, and I'll admit it, it makes me sad.

Oh wait, do you think our Heavenly Father feels that same way? How often do I try to do everything on my own and get easily frustrated when the results do not happen right then? How often do I refuse to ask for help? How often do I forget that we have an instructional manual waiting to teach us and show us the right path? How often do I make my Heavenly Father feel sad because I'm not letting him help me?

Hopefully, the next time I will not lose patience and do things His way instead of being so stubborn. 

He Will Provide

Even though I have filled up a paper box of shoes/clothing, I still have more than half way to go. But, I am not worried about the clothes going into the box. I have never once thought, 'Oh no, what if I want to wear that again?' Or, 'That is too cute to donate!' I know that God has placed this task on my heart to learn more about trusting him--to learn that he will take care of my needs. So even though I am giving away my possessions, I do not feel like I am losing anything. I do feel that I am gaining a deeper relationship with God, which was my ultimate goal. 

Matthew 6:25-26 state, "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?" I know that God will look after me no matter how many shirts or shoes or pants I give away. Like my grandmother always used to say, "His eye is on the sparrow, so I know he watches me!" He will provide!

Green

Green symbolizes new life, renewal, fresh, balance, well-being, etc. Two days of sun, and I am in the mood for spring! Thank you God for the rebirth bad renewal you give us everyday! Go green (Pam, that's partly for you)!

Titus 3:4-6

4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior,

Getting Warmer...

I was laying in our front room today and the sunshine felt amazing! It made it feel like spring. So, I found some capris to share! 

So today, I am thankful for all seasons. Spring is such a great season! After the snow melts away, everything is so new and fresh and alive! How awesome is our God who created such an amazing planet. Everything is created with a unique design. 

Genesis 1:14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. 16 God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17 God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth,18 to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.

Thank you God for the spring! Thank you for new life! Thank you for sunshine!!!

The Basics

Today I am donating this black long sleeve tee. It is pretty basic, but it can also look amazing with a cute scarf or cute jewelry. The lace on the edges gives the tee a little of a dressy style.

This reminds me of how basic my life can be without God. If I don't spruce up my life with personal devotions or Bible study or fellowship, I lose an important part of what God intended for his believers. In order to make my life meaningful with everything I do, I need to keep striving to add those important accessories to my life!

The good, the bad, and the ugly...

I am so thankful that we have a loving God. He can see us at our best, but he can also see us at our worst...like our very worst. But it doesn't matter. He will always love us he same. No matter what! How amazing is that?! In chapel and in youth group we sing a song that repetitively states, "He loves us, oh how he loves us, oh how he loves!" How true are those words! Thank you God for seeing me at my best, but also at my worst, but still loving me the same. 

Today I am donating comfy clothes to represent that God can see us at our worst, but still love us the same. How awesome would it be if we treated everyone with that same attitude? With the attitude of love no matter what the person was wearing or what they looked like on the outside. 

Walk in their shoes

Today in class, as I was reading Lizzie Bright and the Bickminster Boy, a line stood out to me: "See how important it is to see the story from different perspectives?" This reminded me of when I was told to put myself in somebody else's shoes when I was younger! Thus, the donation of shoes today. 

Sometimes I need to remind myself of this statement when teaching, when being a mother, a wife or just walking down the street. It is so easy to judge, but do I really know the full story? I need to remember to not place judgment so quickly on others and realize that every person has their own unique story, just like we are all made on God's image. So may I learn to look at different perspectives of the story each time I'm faced with a challenge and remind myself that God is in control. I need to put myself in their shoes before placing a quick judgement. 

Matthew 7:1-2 states, "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."

Think Positive.

Tonight, I struggled to think confidently as a mother. Everything seemed to be going the wrong way. Isabella was overly tired and it seemed like anything set her off (even Schatzie made her cry when she took the ball...that never happens). I couldn't do anything to make her happy....I felt like a terrible mother. Dave came home from work and I took a 30 minute run (I needed a break). After running, I felt like a new person. I came home ready for the challenges of motherhood. (This could be due to the fact that I listened to Casting Crowns the entire time and felt like God was speaking directly to me).

So when bedtime came around, we watched a couple nursery rhymes on the iPad before heading to bed. I always feed Isabella a bottle and rock her to sleep while singing 10,000 Reasons. This ritual always helps me to take the negatives of the day and remind myself that tomorrow is a new day. I also thank God for at least three things before laying Isabella down. Because even though we may have had a rough night, I want her to go to bed knowing that she has a fresh start tomorrow and that we have so many things to be thankful for everyday! 

I am donating this charcoal black blouse because it represents all the negative thoughts I had about myself as a mother tonight. I'm erasing those dark thoughts and replacing them with positive thoughts! What a blessing that God has even let me be a mother. Thank you God for each new day where I can erase my negative thoughts and start new every morning. May I start and end each day with you!

Whiter than Snow

Lent:
1) The sixth Sunday of Lent is Palm Sunday. It marks the beginning of Holy Week.
2) In the Middle Ages, meat, eggs, and dairy products were forbidden during Lent. (If I could not eat those three things for 40 days, I would need to hire a chef to teach me what else to eat...I eat dairy products on a daily basis!!!).

Today I am donating this white long sleeve top. It was one of my favorites because it is a classy white collared shirt with a cute sash around that ties in the back. And, I was able to keep it white every time I wore it. I may have spilled, but I was always able to get the stain out.

 

This white blouse made me think of Isaiah 1:18,“Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool." With my past, it is overwhelming to think of my sins being washed as clean as this blouse. I feel like I could scrub and scrub my sins, but they would always look like the snow in March (dirty and gross). But then I remember that it is not me that does the washing. God sacrificed his son to wash away my sins. What an amazing love story! He gave up his greatest possession for a sinner, like me. Thank you God for sending your son to die on the cross so that my sins will be washed whiter than snow. I am so blessed! I am giving it up because God has washed me whiter than snow.

Sacrifice.

Today I am donating my Rocket Dogs! So sad! I love these shoes for banging around! 

I need to give things that I love too and not just things that are "okay" or I will never be making a sacrifice. I think about the ultimate sacrifice that God made by sending his son to die on the cross for me. My sacrifice is so unsignificant compared to His. Thank you God for this sacrifice to save a sinner like me. 

I will be sad to see these shoes in my donate box, but also a bit happy to think that the person who receives these shoes may love them just as much as I did. I'm giving it up! 

Heart

Colossians 3:12 states, "Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility,gentleness and patience."

I pray that everyday my clothing reflects these fruits of the spirit no matter what I am doing. May others around me be able to see these virtues no matter what I am wearing. For men look on the outside, but God looks at the heart. Give up myself so I can see more of Him.

Greed

After doing a little research on Lent, these are some facts that I found:

-Lent prepares the believer to participate in activities such as prayer, alms-giving, tithing, and repentance.

-Some believers do a daily Lenten devotional

-I did find this statement on Wikipedia: "In modern times, observers give up an action of theirs considered to be a vice, add something that is considered to be able to bring them closer to God, and often give the time or money spent doing that to charitable purposes or organizations" (para 18).

The third bullet point relates to my purpose because I am giving up something that is a vice to me: too many clothes; growing closer to God through this blog; and I am giving the clothes/shoes I am donating to those in need. But, the part that stuck out to me was the first bullet point--Lent prepares the believer to participate in activities such as repentance.

And then I realized where I needed to repent: GREEDINESS. Sometimes when I go shopping, I buy an article of clothing because it's cute or it's a good deal, but I don't necessarily buy clothing because I need it. I usually buy clothing because I want it. The definition of greed is the selfish desire for something. I would say that I am selfish in the way that I get too greedy when it comes to clothes and shoes when I know I don't need it. I get caught up in justifying the spending by telling myself that I only do it once in awhile or that I don't have any of the new fashions. When in reality, neither of these can justify the need to own more clothes than I could wear in a month.

I am not saying that I will never buy new things, but I should only buy new things if I need it. If I do feel like I need to spend money on clothes, then I should buy clothes for people that actually need it, or I should spend the money towards church.

In the end, I will ask God for forgiveness and ask him to guide me in my purchases in the future. And hopefully by giving up more of "things", I will learn to give up more of myself and put God first. So today I gave up two pieces of clothing: a striped t-shirt and a green sweater because I do not NEED either of these.

Works Cited:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lent

Let's Get it Started in Here.

Today is Ash Wednesday.

What does that mean to me? A former CRC attendant who turned into a long lost believer who now yearns for an intimate relationship with Jesus on a daily basis. This blog will be dedicated to finding out how a Catholic tradition can serve a purpose in my life. How can this lent season help me to grow closer to God and serve others like Jesus did? Hopefully, by my serving, I learn more about what it was like to be a follower of Jesus.

Today, I will share what I know of Ash Wednesday and as I work through the lent season, I will hopefully have more knowledge about the topic. Here is a list of the things I know about Ash Wednesday (be prepared, it is not too brilliant and some of the statements will most likely be incorrect):
- Catholics attend mass on this day to have ashes rubbed on their foreheads. This signifies that from dust we are made and to dust we will return. It is a reminder of who made us. The ashes come from palms that are burned at the parishes.
-Ash Wednesday starts lent season
-Lent season means that you give up something for 40 days to signify the sacrifice that God made for his people--Jesus dying on the cross. The purpose is to simplify (most people give up alcohol or some type of food, like chocolate). Also, Catholics give up eating meat on Fridays; thus explains the amount of fish fry's at parishes on Friday evenings.
-At the end of lent season, we have Holy Week. During Holy Week, we honor Maundy Thursday, when Jesus celebrated his last supper with the disciples. Then is Good Friday, which Is Jesus' crucifixion. This leads to Easter, when Jesus was resurrected.

So...that is the extent of what I know. Like I said, I will be researching to find out more as I go thru this process. Hopefully by the end I will have gained more knowledge and grown closer to God.

Since I do know that part of lent season is sacrificing something, I am going to participate in the event. In the past, I have given up fast food, chocolate, fried food and soda. This year, I am taking a different route. I am going to give up an article of clothing or a pair of shoes everyday for 40 days. At the end of the lent season I will be donating my clothes and shoes to someone in need. (I do not mean Goodwill or Hope Network. I want to donate to a person where they will not have to pay to receive the clothing.) 40 articles of clothing will be enough for someone who does not have a lot to have an entire new wardrobe. I was inspired to do this because of these verses:

44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ (Matthew 25).

I have always been drawn to these verses and always want to do more. This lent season has provided me with a perfect opportunity to work on someone needing clothes! Each day I hope to post what I am donating and what I have been learning about this experience. Today I am donating this green shirt:

I am excited to start this journey and believe that God will provide me with the right person to donate my clothes to at then end of lent. Hopefully, you can join in my decision to Give it Up! in 2014 for lent season to help those that are in need! Let's get started! 

Day 2.

Today I donated this item from my closet

Today I learned that I was correct about Ash Wednesday marking the start of Lent. I thought lent was 40 days, but it is actually 46 because Sundays do not count. I was also correct that the ashes symbolize human mortality as well as our repentance to God. The ashes are put on the foreheads of believers until they wear off. I learned that the ashes are from palm branches from the previous years Palm Sunday service. When the ashes are placed on a believer's forehead, a priest will say, "Remember that thou art dust, and to dust thou shalt return" from Genesis 3:19 or "Repent, and believe the Gospel" from Mark 1:15. So, I learned some new knowledge today about Lent, but more importantly, I learned how to give thanks for what I have. 

Earlier this afternoon I went to get my hair cut. My hair stylist just returned from a missions project in Guatemala. She said to me, "What was so humbling and amazing was that the Guatemalans have so little, but have so much more joy in the items they do have. They are just way more thankful for what they have, which is very little compared to us." I thought about her statement a long time because I knew it was specifically relating to what I am doing during Lent. I am trying to simplify and still be thankful. I realized that I take the clothes in my closet for granted. I often complain that I have nothing to wear, but in reality, I have too much to wear! Enough to share with those in need. When was the last time I thanked God for the abundance of clothing in my closets? Never....How sad! How can a person in a third world country find so much joy in just a few possessions, but I get caught up in wanting more?

I need to be more thankful everyday. I need to express my gratitude to God more, rather than just always complaining and asking. I need to be finding my joy in the love that God shows to me everyday and not just in how much I like my new jean jacket. I need to simplify and find joy in the more important parts in life like family and friends. I need to GiveItUp! so I can give more thanks to God.