This Lent, take something up, instead of giving something up.

For many, the season of Lent is about giving up something, usually something more symbolic of sacrifice than actual sacrifice. However, a recent movement for many is to take something up, instead of giving something up. For example, preparing yourself not through denial but through pushing yourself to do something that brings you closer to God. I have tried to follow that path over the last few Lenten seasons, and I will say that doing something daily is actually even harder than not doing something daily, and I’ve had as much success with one as the other. God understands that discipline is one of my weak points and that I am working on it.

One thing that has become common for people to give up at Lent is social media. For some, it is one of the harder sacrifices, and if it is indeed something that separates you from God, then by all means, learn that sacrificing it to some degree may be good for you.

On the other hand, for some of us, social media represents a way for us to connect even more with God and God’s world. Social media connects us with God’s people, educates us about the good and the ugly of God’s world and even gives us ways to do our part in changing God’s world.

For this Lent, I have decided that I personally will dedicate myself to the 2014 Lenten Meditations provided by Episcopal Relief and Development. These are daily Scripture selections followed by a brief meditation on that message. That’s just for me.

However, as the social media director at my church (okay — I kind of made up that title; I’m just the one who mostly updates the Facebook page), I thought I would then do my best to tie those scriptures and meditations to something going on in our world. I’ve always been focused on making the words of Scripture be living words, words that continue to speak about the world we live in today. I am hoping that this effort to find God’s words still alive in our world today will help not only me, but anyone I might be reaching through our church’s Facebook page.

There are a few resources available online for those doing social media for their small church during this Lenten services, and as always, you may find rich resources from faiths other than your own.

I’ve gathered just a few but please feel free to share resources you’ve found in the comments area below.

So, whether you are giving up something for Lent or taking something up, may your journey be peaceful and fulfilling.

Online resources for Lent:

Catholic Relief Services Rice Bowl mobile app
http://crs.org/ricebowl-app/
    Rice Bowl has been the official Lenten program of Catholic Relief Services since 1977 and now is available in convenient app form.

westminsterakron.com — “40 Quotes for 40 Days”
 Look for “40 Quotes for 40 Days” to be posted on Facebook and Twitter each day during Lent, simple thoughts to keep your Lenten journey on track. Follow them at Westminster Presbyterian Church on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Westminster-Presbyterian-Church/115717198457750) and @WestPresAkron on Twitter.
(Thanks to the Akron Beacon Journal Online for those two ideas: http://www.ohio.com/news/using-social-media-to-connect-to-god-during-lent-1.470077)

Pittsburgh Theological Seminary
Lent Devotional 2014
http://www.pts.edu/Lent_2014

Episcopal Relief and Development Lenten Meditations (free pdf download)
http://www.episcopalrelief.org/church-in-action/church-campaigns/lent

UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief) Book of Lenten Devotions
http://www.wnccumc.org/news/umcor-offers-one-great-hour-sharing-book-lenten-devotions

World Relief Lent Resources
http://worldrelief.org/lent/resources

Episcopal Share: an unofficial Book of Common Prayer for Social Media
Prayers edited to fit in a variety of social media
http://episcopalshare.org/Home.html

Finally, Pinterest is always a great place for ideas as well. A simple search for the word “lent” turns up quite a few: http://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=Lent