Holy Week

I love Easter. It's a really special time for me personally. That may seem like a given, considering that I'm a Christian, but for the first 21 years I spent going to church, Easter didn't really mean that much to me. In all honesty, it seemed like one of the more boring church services of the year because I thought the sermons covered material that I had moved beyond.

But my senior year of college, I screwed up more than I thought was possible and felt more conviction from the Holy Spirit than I ever had in my life. Through that God taught me about His grace and forgiveness, the message of the gospel that I had missed despite my attendance at thousands of church services. And as if the gift of experiencing the Cross wasn't enough, I learned these lessons leading up to the calendar celebration of when Jesus made His sacrifice for me. I like having that personal anniversary that I can celebrate within the community of faith.

The pastor I heard speak last night challenged us to give up something during Holy Week--something that's not necessarily wrong, but might dull our sensitivity to what God is saying. So I'm going to cut back on my television watching (sorry Gilmore Girls). I didn't do so well today because of a headache, but that's my goal for the week. Hopefully putting it on this blog will help me stick to it. I like the idea of intentionally pressing into God during Holy Week. That might not seem revolutionary to those who are used to following the church calendar, but it's something different for this low-church girl.