It’s Fat Tuesday, Get ready to mix it up this Lent!
Trying new food dishes and learning about culture with new friends and old is a great joy of my life. This past weekend I went on a Women’s Retreat at a Jewish Retreat center. We learned all about a kosher kitchen and foods and I tried “shakshuka,” a popular breakfast in Israel which means “all mixed up.” Shakshuka is a delicious Hebrew/North African dish of eggs cooked soft on top of a bed of thick reduced spicy tomato sauce. This dish is such a great reminder that both food and people turn out better when we mix together for the sake of peace and doing life together on this shared planet.
So what does this have to do with Lent, you might ask? Get out and mix it up for FAT TUESDAY! Read up on the Mardi Gras tradition of eating King Cake, which by the way, you should never do alone, so grab a friend and head to a local bakery. Buy an extra one to share with someone and tell them the story of the three kings! Keep this “mixed up” idea going through Lent by mixing it up with people who are different from you, folks who need your attention, or just plain volunteer and do some good in your community. In other words, don’t just fast for Lent, gather with others and pray for peace, talk about faith in a world of chaos, really listen to someone tell their story without interrupting or offering advice. I would love to hear your ideas for mixing it up, and making some new Lenten traditions.
And please join me and others to reflect and pray during this Lenten season:
Adventurous Obedience Lenten Reflections Available for Download
RESTORE MY SOUL, A LENTEN JOURNEY, is a sensory and imaginative look at Psalm 23. It begins with Ash Wednesday, followed by four Sunday reflections, Palm Sunday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday.
BEHOLD MY SERVANT, Holy Week Meditations follow the Lectionary readings for Holy Week from the Servant Songs in the book of Isaiah. Although the readings for all three cycles of the lectionary are for the week of Palm Sunday through Easter, the meditations can be used anytime during Lent.
Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
Nehemiah 8:10
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