Every Knee Should Bow: Introduction and Lent

Welcome to all my new study buddies as together we start our journey of looking closely at 6 different names of Jesus during the season of Lent! 

You already know that you are my guinea pigs and I thank each and every one of you for taking a chance on something new. Where two or three come together in His name (even online!) He promises to be with us. 

Before we dive into the study, I'd like to do a quick introduction for those that may not know me. First off, I've been writing at this blog for 10 years. My original motivation was to use it as a travel log and way to communicate with family and friends while we journeyed to China to adopt our daughter.  Since then I've continued using it for those purposes since we live far away from ALL our family. I've personally enjoyed it as an outlet of expression and creativity, to journal our family life (since I'm prone to forget), and to keep connected to others. 

I introduced the idea of a blog book club for Advent, 2013. I continued that idea for the following Lent and have done at least one if not both of those every year. It's been so much fun hosting these and I have been so spiritually blessed by the experience. But this is the first time it's not based on a book but on what I've studied and written. Hence, the guinea pigs:)

We're a pastor's family in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. We've been here almost 15 years right out of seminary. I'm a DMLC (Dr. Martin Luther College) dropout turned hairstylist, homeschooler (oh, the irony) for 12 years, and homemaker/home based hair studio stylist. My passions are learning, reading, cooking, baking, decorating and all things home. I'm blessed with a great husband who takes my crazy ideas and makes them happen, fixes them when they're broken, and makes sense of them when they don't. I'm also blessed with two great kids - Will, who is 16 1/2 and a junior at Luther Prep School in Watertown, Wisconsin and Zanna, who has just turned 11 and is a mini me Chinese version. OK, enough about me.

Lent

If you haven't watched it yet, please take a minute now to look at the short video posted above about Lent. There are some misunderstandings out there as far as what it is and what it's not. I think this one does a great job at focusing us on several key points that tie in really nicely to our study of the names of Jesus. 

Here's the thing about it for me: 

I'm not ready...for Easter.
I need to set aside this time of year to examine my heart and see it for what it really is  - sinful and broken. I must see how truly great my need is for a Saviour so that when I see Him in the passion history readings throughout the midweek services, I better comprehend that it's for me. 

My soul could use some significant time to meditate on the suffering and death of Christ and appreciate the lengths He went to for the whole world! It's a break from the alleluias. Not to wallow in some self-condemning misery for 40 days, but all the while knowing the sweet gospel message of Jesus overcoming sin and death and that my own sin is buried in His triumphant death and resurrection!

Now we've sung our final alleluias this past Sunday and we enter into the season of Lent to focus on our Saviour. My prayer is that this study will be a way to do just that! With each name we draw closer to understanding who our Saviour is and what that means for us. It's also a time of reflection and repentance as we consider our need and how He met that need in love! 

I'm going to meet you back here this Sunday to discuss our first name, Amen. I want you to read the chapter and take some time to consider it. I encourage you to use it in your prayers to Jesus this week calling on Him with this name! Listen for the usage of it in the church services you attend and don't let it pass you by. 

You can come back here at any time, of course! But Sunday will be when I will put my post up. You'll actually have all week to make comments, continuing stewing on it, etc. Lent isn't a time for rushing ... it's time to slow down. Meditate. Focus on your Saviour. 

You should have read the introduction What's in a Name? by now. Since the introduction is all about names, I'd love for you to introduce yourself. Where are you from? What does your name mean? What do you appreciate about Lent? Comments or thoughts on the introduction?