Our congregation doesn’t observe Lent as such but I do seek to lead them into the season by having the regular preaching of the cross become more focused on the Passion and Crucifixion as we move toward Good Friday.

Personally I am planning on observing Lent this year in the following ways…

1) A drastic cutting back on computer time. No reading the news online. No surfing. No following of links sent by friends. Keep up with BHT and a few other blogs for one hour on Monday morning (my off day)

2) Cook several times a week. My wife is a wonderful cook who delights us daily. But I should serve her in this way also and will look upon it as a Lenten discipline for the next six weeks. I may combine this with reading Capon’s Supper of the Lamb. Cooking food beats giving up food if you ask me :-)

3) Take longer scripture & prayer walks, daily. Praying through the book of Hebrews as I walk.

4) Pastoral development. Seek to be very deliberate in living out the “new” pastoral priorities that I and the other church leaders are working on – these are not really new but they are clarified and more deliberately organised around the priorities of proclamation, pastoral care and missionary bridge-building.
I think this should all be sufficiently “hard” and edifying as Lenten disciplines