~Mardi Gras~

 

Who would guess that Mardi Gras is a church holiday?!?

 

Mardi Gras means Fat Tuesday.

In England it's called Shrove Tuesday derived from shrive; meaning "confess."

 

     In case you didn't notice by my background I am kind of excited about it. Not only is it my two favorite colors (purple meaning justice and green meaning faith), but it's about eating! Fat Tuesday is about celebrating the day before Ash Wednesday- the day Lent starts! Fasting doesn't seem to be a common practice anymore, but tradition stands that you we are to fast during the Lenton season. So Fat Tuesday turned into a celebration of having the last feast of "sweets and fats" before fasting and prayer.

     Did you know in Ireland they celebrate the entire week before Ash Wednesday. They call it Shrovetide, and their special thing is pancakes- PANCAKES! Which thanks to the brilliance of my son we are having our own party at home tonight. We will be making purple and green chocolate chip pancakes, and bacon!

     Like all things in America, we have turned an at one time acceptable holiday into a week of alcohol and flashing. For a Christian to admit they are participating in Mardi Gras would turn heads. Speaking of I saw the coolest article in the local paper Sunday: a church in another town is having a Mardi Gras night! They are having a jazz band and serving pancakes/waffles! That is what I want for the church I am meant to lead!

 

Speaking of the Lenten season though... I will be fasting this year!!

I am super excited!!!!!
 

     When I did my first fast for Lent it was three years ago. I was so healthy and happy! The mountain top of being with God was amazing! God has been leading me into this for a while now. I will be doing a Daniel fast, but allowing chicken occasionally at my dinner meals for closeness with my husband. Also, this year for my fast I am pre-arranging a "pass" for dinner on my son's birthday and for Valentine's Day dinner with my husband! I have two major things I will be praying for during my fast: the youth ministry of our church and a very personal matter. I am very excited to say that I took an idea out of this book I am reading and have invited three very close women to join me for dinner once a week through Lent to help in prayer. I am so excited about these dinners!! It's not just for me, but so I can be there for them as well.

     I encourage you all to party with pancakes and wear PURPLE, green, or gold today! Please take a minute and pray. Ask God what needs prayer this Lent? What do you need to put down?

PRAY: **Lord, please help me to grow closer to you! This Lent we take a journey to follow you to the cross. You laid down your life for mine. Show me what in my life needs to be laid down so I can follow more closely. Is it my social media, my anger, an unhealthy activity/hobby, or my attitude? Lent is more than just eating a special diet, it is about praying honestly and frequently so I can hear you Lord! Bless my endeavors this Lent and all your believers, Amen.**

# SB 50...

Did you see my Broncos?!?!?!  WOOT!

 

 

Now on to the topic at hand...

 

 

     During the pregame event the NFL did a MVP Tribute. When Tom Brady came out the stadium was booing! I am not a Brady fan or even a Patriots fan- let us just be clear on that. I still feel incredibly disappointed that people would be so disrespectful to the whole thing by doing that though.

     You can say whatever you want to about Brady. That is your right. What I am saying though is this: GRACE. Despite his ego and his actions he is still a human being deserving of grace.

 

     Go ahead and tell me everything that is bad about him. What he did is no different than what anyone else has ever done on this planet. People steal, people kill, spouses cheat, etc... Betrayal to God is human yet He still has prepared a place of honor for us, and does not boo us when we arrive.

 

     Ok, he never admitted he cheated. Ok, he-- blah-blah-blah...

 

     Where is the Christian love?!? God's grace?! If we ask God to forgive us we are not required to go to the media and say that we have done so! We don't know what or if Brady has talked to God about what he has done. Why are we judging him nationally? Why are proving that we are not loving-forgiving Christians???

Wings clipped

     I was listening to For King and Country in the car and it reminded me of this time when my sister wanted a parrot.
     She did so much research to set her reasons for having a bird. Of course my parents' answer was no. I knew the thought of having a bird in the house was not acceptable to either my parents or my grandparents, but let it never be said that my sister is not persistent. We just happened to be in a pet store during that time, and they had a parrot who just hopped from branch to branch. I remember my sister explaining to me what they did to birds in order to keep them as pets. They have to have their flight feathers clipped. To keep a bird it would have to have certain feathers cut so it could not fly away.

"You're a lion full of power who forgot how to roar,

You're an eagle full of beauty but you can't seem to soar."

                                -"Run Wild" by For King & Country

     These big beautiful birds are created by God to fly and just so "man" can keep them to satisfy our want of their beauty we have to destroy it's purpose. I am not one of those hugely-vocal-animal-rights'-people, but I can't look at these creatures and not see myself.
    We are animals in captivity. Let's face it, there are a large percentage of claimed Christians who don't use/believe/acknowledge the power that they have! We are like animals sitting at the zoo. The devil keeps us in this pretty cage of the world; clipping our wings, putting pretty diamond collars on us, etc.

"Are the walls to lock you in or to keep others away,

And if the doors were to be opened would you leave or would you stay,"

                               -"Run Wild" by For King & Country

     There is a big cat preserve about an hour from my home. My husband and I visited it last spring along with my son and in-laws (my husband and I participated in a 5K fundraiser for them). Their number one purpose was to help these cats finish living out their lives. All of the cats were there because they cannot be returned to their natural habitats! These are cats that have been raised with attempts at domestication, cross breeding, and various other situations that do not know how to survive the way they were created to. I will also be the one to say that I would love to own a white tiger, but did you know that white tigers are unnatural? Every single white tiger on the planet is inbred and with that inbreeding comes a lot of health problems; all the white tigers had either eyesight, dental, and/or neurological issues. The workers were explaining that most of these animals would not know what to do if they were released into the wild.

     Wake up everyone, we are in the wild! The more we try to conform to the "cultural" view of the "world" the more we lose our God-given power! I remember growing up and the huge concern was for the rainforest, lol. Save the animals. Save the trees. We are in the same boat as those trees and animals.