Day 1 of Lent - Ash Wednesday

Prayer:

Psalm 51:1-6
51:1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.
51:2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
51:3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.
51:4 Against you, you alone, have I sinned, and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are justified in your sentence and blameless when you pass judgment.
51:5 Indeed, I was born guilty, a sinner when my mother conceived me.
51:6 You desire truth in the inward being; therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.

Devotion:

Joel 2:12-13

2:12 Yet even now, says the LORD, return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;
2:13 rend your hearts and not your clothing. Return to the LORD, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and relents from punishing.

Isaiah 58:9-10
58:9 Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry for help, and he will say, Here I am. If you remove the yoke from among you, the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil,
58:10 if you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloom be like the noonday.

Journal:

I woke up today in a strange city. A place where pot is smoked in the city square and casinos and the sex museum are on the main drag. The place is strange to me because of its open-mindedness. Yet there seems to be a simplicity to it all. With canals everywhere and row houses lining the streets, you get the sense that life is easy here. Amsterdam is such a neat place and with its history, art and culture this town is a delight. After dropping off our bags at the hotel we went to the central station. When we walked out of the subway into the bustling center it gave me chills as we walked into a city filled with old architecture and beautiful buildings.

The best part of yesterday was dinner. The company was great and the food was the same. I had a codfish and we all shared in the common overcooked vegetables, just like grandma would have made. This little restaurant was quaint and practical and served an awesome meal. Local breweries make some fantastic brews and on the cheap as well.

Today will be an adventure with three meetings lined up already. But today is Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. I pondered what I may give up or what new thing I would start for this lenten season and I came up short. Of course I could give up carbonated drinks or caffeine or even start going to the gym more but I wanted to do something better. This Lent I am going to listen. Listen to the people talking to me, listen to the world happening around me, listen for God speaking to me in the smallest of ways. Listening is hard especially when you only want to hear your own voice.

I pray today that we all can listen a little better to God speaking to us and I am looking forward to seeing how the Church is listening to the people in this part of the world. I hope that we meet people that are willing to engage God in the work of the Spirit that is already being done.

Peace and grace to you all in the name of our Savior, Jesus.

Ryan