Don't give up..... Give out!

In just a couple of weeks' time, it will be the beginning of Lent - a period of forty days leading up to Easter, the time when we remember the death and amazing resurrection of Jesus. In countries that are traditionally Catholic, like Spain, it's often a time where people decide to "give something up." Maybe they do without sweets or coffee or television as a sign of their allegiance to the Christian faith.
Last year, a UK based charity called Stewardship Services launched an initiative called 40 Acts. With the slogan, "Don't give up; give out," they encouraged people to see Lent not as a time for asceticism and giving things up, but rather as a time for remembering God's extravagant gift to us and reaching out to others through acts of willing and sometimes random generosity. This year, they are promoting the initiative again, and you can find out more or sign up to get involved at the
40 Acts website (click here) or Facebook page.

What could you do to make the forty days of Lent a season of intentional generosity this year? You could reach out with a different act of generosity every day... or perhaps there's a particular theme or challenge that would be just right for you: like making a cup of tea/coffee every day for someone in your family or at your place of work. How about visiting and/or praying for some of the elderly and shut-in people in your church or neighbourhood? Or writing 40 thank you letters, texts or emails - one to a different person every day? Lent starts on 22nd February. Let's start thinking about how we can "do Lent generously" this year.