Sweet ashes to ashes

Happy Lent, Valentine!

Feb 12, 2024

Gentle reader,

This week, we welcome the somewhat jarring coincidence of Valentine’s Day and Ash Wednesday. Sometimes jarring things are good for knocking things loose in us that need to be knocked loose.

Today, I’m sharing links for two past posts from around a year ago, one for Valentines and one for preparing for Lent. I hope you enjoy them.

Valentine mailbag

Beth Felker Jones

February 13, 2023

Gentle reader, N.B., this is a bit of tongue-in-cheek fun, but there are hints here of stunning ways the Christian tradition subverts cultural models of love. Christian love is not sentimental, easily swayed when it fails to provide warm fuzzies. (This doesn’t require it to be unfeeling or to reject emotion).

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An invitation to the fasting buffet

Beth Felker Jones

February 16, 2023

Gentle reader, Truly, if I’m getting ready for something, my go-to-move is to buy a book. Or three or four. But, before we get there, let me tell you about the fasting buffet. Several years back, I got to travel with my friend and colleague Amy Peeler to visit a student doing an internship in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. I could go on about the trip, but I’ll k…

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May all the liturgies of the season help us to lift our hearts to the Lord.

Grace & peace,

BFJ

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