Lent, dead things, and springtime

                                  Lenten thoughts--
        Hello again!  I apologize for the long absence, but I've been focused on writing lectures for Bible study, and the old brain bandwidth could only handle so much at one time. Lord willing, I'm hoping to write here more regularly. And since the season of Lent began last Wednesday, the plan is to share some brief thoughts throughout the Lenten season.
         By way of very quick introduction, Lent comes from the old English word for "springtime." Of course, it's not feeling a whole lot like spring quite yet...but we can see tiny, encouraging glimpses that spring is on the way!  Thank You Lord! 
       Lent provides us with the space and time to ponder not only our own sinfulness, but more importantly, to remember the cross and the price Jesus paid to cleanse us of our sins. And this can't help but engender in us overwhelming gratitude.  As John Newton famously shared near the very end of his life. "Although my memory's fading, I remember two things very clearly: I am a great sinner and Christ is a great Savior." Amen to that!
        I recently read these thoughts that were directed to children about Lent: "This is the season when the earth begins to come back to life after winter. Ice melts, the earth thaws, and things that were dead begin to bloom and grow again. During Lent, we name the things in our hearts and in our world that are dead, and we wait to see how God will raise them to new life with Jesus."
      So today, will you ask yourself: what are some of those dead things in my life?  Dead dreams? Dead hopes? Dead relationships? Dead strength? Dead vision? Dead faith? And will you look to God and trust that He, even now, is making all things new?  At any given moment, He's working and moving in countless ways that we cannot see and do not know. Maybe we can glimpse no evidence of it at the moment, but we can be sure that with God, when nothing is happening, something is happening! So we need to listen to Him, surrender to Him, trust Him, and place our hope in Him. 
      As has often been said, "God works best in a graveyard." Look around and notice the signs hidden all throughout nature that God is bringing new life out of cold, dead winter. Spring is coming. New life is growing. God is working.  Let's wait on Him with hope in our hearts and a song of anticipatory praise on our lips.
      To God be the glory.