It feels like Spring

A seasonal Friday Five from Sophia this week. She writes:

The pastor of my grad school parish once gave a fascinating reflection, at about this mid-point in the season, called "How to Survive the Mid-Lent Crisis"! As I recall, his main point was that by halfway through the season we have often found it very challenging to live up to our original plans....But, he suggested--on the analogy of the healing and reframing of our life plans that can happen during a mid-*life* crisis--that that can be even more fruitful.

So here's an invitation to check in on the state of your spirit midway through "this joyful season where we prepare to celebrate the paschal mystery with mind and heart renewed" (Roman Missal). Hopefully there's a good deal of grace, and not too much crisis, in your mid-Lenten experience!

1. Did you give up, or take on, anything special for Lent this year?
UCA has this great spiritual discipline called Lent Event that involves prayer, Bible Study, connection with partner church projects beyond Australia and forgoing an item of discretionary spending and contributing the money not spent to aid and development. I've 'given up' alcohol and buying magazines and 'took on' the Lent Event daily prayer and weekly Bible Study.

2. Have you been able to stay with your original plans, or has life gotten in the way?
Yes pretty much. I have missed a few days of the prayer cycle - but made them up as it were by reading two or three at the next opportunity. I had a glass of wine last night with two colleagues - building the relationship seemed more important that declining the offer.

3. Has God had any surprising blessings for you during this Lent?
Including the story of Noah in the lection for the first week has opened my eyes to the importance of creation and 'green' living as a Lenten - and lifelong discipline. The Lent Event byline is Lent for Life and that is especially relevant to living lightly on the earth.

4. What is on your inner and/or outer agenda for the remainder of Lent and Holy Week?
Seeing Sally's recent post on the Imposter Syndrome I'm plan to bite back any self-deprecatory statements and inwardly and outwardly project the confident competent professional and see what happens.

5. Where do you most long to see resurrection, in your life and/or in the world, this Easter?
The impact of the global economic crisis on poverty is going to be massive. I long to see a change in our mentality when this crisis is as urgent as rescuing our developed economies.

Bonus: Share a favorite scripture, prayer, poem, artwork, or musical selection that speaks Lenten spring to your heart.
Referring back to the title of this post - I was just thinking during the week that it feels Spring rather than autumn. Our Lent Tree (I have no idea of it's actual name) began flowering on Ash Wednesday and is now a mass of purple blossoms. The weather is warm and we are having regular showers of rain (I remember my grandparent used to say April showers bring May flowers which I assume was a northern hemisphere expression). The recurring hymn in my heart is one we sang last Sunday: