By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground,
since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.

Genesis 3:19

Prayer

Lord, we humbly come before You today and we acknowledge our sin against You. And against ourselves, Your children. You are a gracious God who have given us so much, yet we have selfishly asked for much more that we don't need. We start by giving You great praise for giving us life. You have created each of us with a purpose and we often forget that or believe the lies. Today has been made for a purpose with us still in it together. Be with us as we enter willingly to the desert as Your Son has also done. Open our eyes to where we have drifted off to and help us to return to You as we once were as children. Renew our minds and our hearts as we prepare ourselves for the cross and the glory that is to come. Be with us all.

In Jesus' name we pray. Amen

Ash Wednesday

Today is the beginning of our Lenten journey both together and also by ourselves in the desert. As we reflect on the symbol of the ashes today we are reminded of the beginning and the end for us here on earth. God formed us out of the dirt and back to it our bodies will go one day.

It is time to humble ourselves. Remember the sin we have committed and turn from the ways of the world of which we have taken into our lives time and again. We deny ourselves today, we pray and we remember the ultimate sacrifice that Jesus paid for us. We offer ourselves as living sacrifices over the next 40 days to honor Christ and to also follow HIs leadership as He shows us what is best for us. Just because we have access to so many things of this world does not mean that it all gets us closer to God. When Jesus walked with the people of this world he told us there are times for celebration but there are also times for mourning. There is healing and power in considering your death and your sin against God. Let us open up the grip we have on this world and volunteer ourselves to go in the stillness which brings peace. Peace we once knew that only comes from God. To get our peace back, we must die to our old selves.

Look at our children and remember what we came into this world with. Nothing. We will leave it with nothing as well. Satan, the prince of this world, has tricked us to believe we need everything except God. We have been lied to.

Be patient, this is a journey and it is going to take some time.