For millions of Christians over the centuries, Lent is a 40-day season of repentance and deeper spiritual engagement to prepare for the joy of Easter Sunday.


Forty-day periods are significant in scripture. Moses spent 40 days on Mount Sinai with God, Israelite spies explored the Promised Land for 40 days, and Jesus spent 40 days praying and fasting in the wilderness after his baptism.

In that spirit, we’re inviting our Meadow Heights family to participate in 40 Days of Noticing based on our first Practice for Becoming—I notice God at work in and around me. Our 40 Days begin on Monday, March 7 and continue through Holy Saturday, April 16.

There are three ways we encourage everyone to participate:

PRAYER

We will practice noticing God more often in our every day lives by fostering an ongoing awareness through prayer.

FASTING

We will each choose something from which to abstain for 40 days—a favorite food or beverage, technology or leisure activity.

BLESSING

We will notice how God is at work around us by BLESSing others.

Each component is easy to remember and simple to incorporate into our lives and families. We want our focus to be on noticing, not figuring out how to do this. 


These three focus areas will help us shift how we normally engage and live life to more intentionally focus on Jesus and experience his transformation. 


Jesus provides instruction on all three in his Sermon on the Mount, found in Matthew 6:1-18. Let’s look at each one of these and how to engage them.

PRAYER

God is always present and at work

“God is always present and at work” is the core belief of a faith that can transform us. But it’s one thing to SAY that God is present and at work and another thing to SEE him (so we can join him). 


Our task in prayer isn’t to convince God to “show up,” but to “wake up” to the reality that he is already here.


To learn more about this practice of seeing God at work, watch or listen to this talk.

Here’s our 40 Days of Noticing prayer practice, also called Examen:

  1. At the end of each day, take 5-10 minutes to prayerfully reflect on the day, looking for kairos moments. Kairos is the word we use to name a doorway into what God is doing. A kairos can be a positive or negative experience.

  2. Simply write down in a journal or on your mobile device the concrete moments that come to mind as you prayerfully reflect on your day. Notice with compassion and no impulse to fix or explain them. 

These questions can serve as a lens to help you notice kairos moments:

  • What were the high points of your day? Low points?
  • Where did you experience stress, anxiety or irritation?
  • Where did you experience peace, inspiration or beauty?
  • Were there moments of success or breakthrough?
  • Were there moments of failure or struggle?
  • Did you experience conflict or tension in relationships?
  • Did you experience harmony or joy in relationships?


The goal is to connect with God and to receive God’s love. As we give up some of our usual distractions and create intentional space for prayer, our connection to God can grow stronger and our sense of God’s love can grow deeper.

FASTING

Feast on the presence of Jesus.

The point of fasting is not to earn God’s favor, approval or love. Christian fasting is intentionally withholding something for the purpose of creating space in our lives to feast on the presence of Jesus. 


Fasting can help foster our connection with God and a greater awareness of him. Fasting and cultivating dependence on God go together.


Here are some of the most common ways to fast:

  • Food. While you may be inclined to fast from all food for an entire day, many choose a particular kind of food to fast from to help them draw near to God (alcohol, caffeine, meat, sweets, etc). 
  • Technology. Limiting your screen time can create space to notice things within you that God might want to speak to and transform with his love. 
  • Leisure activity. We all enjoy different things—shopping, exercising, eating out, board games, etc. Fasting from something you enjoy doing on a regular basis to connect with God can be incredibly transformative. 


Pay attention to what fasting stirs within you as you go without something. You may notice something that God wants to transform with his love. Kairos moments await! 

BLESS

Change begins with ME, includes WE and extends to the 573!

Transformation is never just about me and my relationship to God but always flows out toward others. Change begins with ME, includes WE and extends to the 573!


God has always wanted his people to join him in blessing the world. These five BLESS practices help us live as Jesus by serving others in our communities. 


Build these BLESS practices into your life every week. They will help us see where God is at work so we can join him.


  • BEGIN with Prayer: I will pray for the people in my life and the places that I’m in. 
  • LISTEN: I will listen to and discover the needs of others and the places where God is at work.
  • EAT: I will share meals and spend time with the people in my life.
  • SERVE: I will respond to the needs of others and help them in practical and impactful ways.
  • STORY: I will share with others the story of Jesus and what he is doing in my life.


Find ways in 40 Days to give yourself away in love to those around you. The message links above are full of ideas to help you BLESS.

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