Diet or Sacrifice?

We are in the thick of Lent now and it may seem like there's no end in sight, but there is!!  Easter will come! Have you messed up on what you've given up?  Did you accidentally eat meat on a Friday?  Don't worry!   The beauty of Lent is that we are able to get right back on track and try again, so if you have messed up, keep trying! 
Recently on Twitter someone made the comment that "fasting without prayer is just a diet".  This really made me think, how often do I just fast without letting it bring me closer to God?  So my question for all of us this week is to think about what we've given up for Lent, have we replaced it with something else? Or are we allowing the sacrifice to draw us closer to God through prayer?  For example, if you gave up television for Lent, what is replacing the time that was once spent watching television?  Are you playing video games or spending time on the internet instead?  How about spending a little of that time praying, even if it is just 15 minutes more a day?  Did you give up some kind of food? What if every time you craved that food you said a simple little prayer and offer that little sacrifice for someone who you know that needs it.  (Don't forget both Haiti and Chile who are still dealing with the enormous after effects of major earthquakes)

Want another simple extra thing to do this Lent?  Come to youth group! Spend some time learning about the gift of the Bible with our high school team. If you're in 8th-12th grades, join us every other Sunday.  We've got great food and it's Sunday so you can eat it :)  This Sunday we're talking about the kings in the Old Testament, there's some juicy stuff in there...

What I'm listening to right now:  We are the Beggars, by Ike Ndolo
What I ate for lunch? Jambalaya (yumm!)