Lenten Disciplines - a work in progress...

I was on a Retreat Day on Saturday with some women from church. We had teaching input from Jeannie Saggs, Pastor at CGC Maldon (our old church, new pastor!) about how our thought patterns and hidden beliefs about ourselves can affect the way we walk in faith and with God. It really struck me that I often feel overwhelmed by my thought patterns, lots of ideas or re-runs of conversations, endlessly going round in circles trying to work out a best next step or deciding on how to handle a particular situation. In fact, if I'm honest, I'm more comfortable and at ease when my mind is whirring. Not a good place to be...


Alongside that 'overwhelmed' sense on Saturday came a recognition, a word from God about how He desires for me to be overwhelmed in Him. That the flood of love, peace and comfort He promises cuts through all those random, jumbled thoughts and worries. And now comes the church's calendar and we're heading, already, into Lent. In previous years, I've done various things like coming off Facebook. Still deciding on that at present.
But what I am thinking is that, despite failing abysmally in December, I may set myself a Lenten writing challenge and bring in a few friends to help. Members of TOM (www.missionorder.org) are taking part in a twice weekly devotional online, with various members contributing via Facebook and the website and so I hope to connect in with that. It's prayer focus is on the TOM Project (http://tomproject.org/) - fruitful kingdom communities amongst young adults on university campuses. As our path beyond summer 2014 is currently uncertain, it seems pertinent to be praying for such wide, big purposes of God rather than the stuff which I've found is filling my head. I have a few things in the pipeline at the moment - work projects and other future stuff which I need to give adequate prayer and focused space too rather than seeing them as a task. Just need to document that process of asking 'What is God saying and what am I going to do about it' on a more regular basis.

So, a variety of disciplines are being prompted this year. I know my jumbled thoughts often seem so minimal when written down and articulated to my journal, to those I Huddle, to this random collection of blog readers so I hope that as I write, I will feel less overwhelmed by myself and more by God.
Simples...