I've never given up anything for Lent, although I know people who've given up coffee and chocolate and such. I guess I could have done that, but it wouldn't have improved my life that much. What I did give up had nothing to do with my diet, but it cleared my mind and heart in a way I didn't expect. I gave up recreational Web surfing, Twitter, Facebook, etc. for the 40 days leading up to Resurrection Day.
At first it was strange, as I resisted the instinctive urge to check my RSS feeds or Tweet something funny Maddie or Nathan were doing. Then, I got into the groove of being "disconnected" and started to enjoy myself. Here's a "stream of consciousness" flow of a few items from my life during Lent:
Read Psalms (highly recommended), Ken Gire's Moments With the Savior (highly recommended and moving), Dinesh D'Souza's What's So Great About Christianity? (also very good) and Greg Mortenson's Three Cups of Tea (pretty good, but kind of discouraging)... got back into QRP Amateur Radio with the help of my friend, Kelly McClelland ... learned how to mind map, which has helped me with some major projects at work ... have achieved "email supremacy" with a "zeroed-out" inbox before I go home from work ... and have started playing more guitar/piano to help me relax.
So, the goal now is that overused word of the last few years: sustainability, through self-imposed time limits and such. Anyhow, fasting the Web isn't just for Lent. I'd highly recommend it anytime, if you want to clear your mind to focus more attention on your God, your family and your work.
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