What a cliche

It may be cliche, but I'm really going to make an attempt to update more.

Though we are not Catholic or liturgical, Daniel and I choose to involve ourselves in the Lent tradition. We are not necessary strict about the specific rules laid out by the Catholic church, but for forty days, we give something up that we like a lot, and try to remain frugal otherwise in both our diet and our lifestyle.

This year, I will be giving up pizza, my absolute favorite food. Daniel will be giving up soft drinks. But I should say right now that this is not a diet, this is not for our weight loss. Many Christians I know (most of whom are not Catholic and/or liturgical) use Lent as an excuse to give up dessert, or give up bad foods, as an attempt to lose weight. It frustrates me to no end. The Lent season is not about losing weight for Jesus. It's not about YOU at all. It's about going through a period of self-denial, penitence, and most importantly, prayer to remember what Jesus went through during His time here on earth.

Another part of Lent that Christians often forget is charity giving. Daniel and I are blessed beyond all means, and we have more than enough for clothes, food, shelter, utilities, (Daniel's) school, and even entertainment. Not everyone has been this blessed. We tithe regularly, and we give to most every organization when we are prompted, at stores, at church, and through other means. I fell in love with community service at Lee University, where I was required to complete eighty hours to graduate. But I don't know that I would say I was pro-active about it, without getting the credit hours for it. However, when I graduated, I agreed to continue this service, and signed a certificate promising I would, long after graduation. This was completely optional - but it was very important to me.

"Sometimes I would like to ask God why He allows poverty, famine and injustice in the world when He could do something about it... but I'm afraid He might ask me the same question." - Anonymous

I will be keeping this in mind as I "celebrate" this Lenten season. I invite all Christians - even if you're super-Protestant-Pentecostal like me - to give Lent a try. Don't resent liturgical traditions just because they aren't specifically Biblical. Any way to grow closer to God through Jesus Christ is another way we can honor HIM.

Jennifer's First Blog

Signing in, our first post. This is Jennifer. Both Daniel and I will be contributing to this blog, and we'll sign off with our names so you'll know who is who, though you should be able to tell the difference between our writing styles soon enough.

I've been suffering with severe clinical depression lately, and it's taken a toll on my life. Most people tend to be ashamed of such a diagnosis, but I have come to accept it and am trying to work through it. Having a husband like Daniel is a great start.

This blog will probably consist of cooking adventures and recipes (something we both enjoy doing greatly) video game or online comic or music reviews (Daniel's cup of tea) or movie reviews or political rants (conservative - sorry, liberals) or book reviews. A general diary as well.

As I take a photography class next semester and work on it through summer, you'll see an increase in pictures too. Probably just the general musings of students and a little Spanish culture as Daniel and I take a Spanish class together this summer.

In addition, we'll discuss the future - our future - and what God has in store for us. We're both devoted Christians and will talk about Biblical issues and praise God in our posts as well - but not in an argumentative, preachy way. We don't think uppity argumentative Christians do much good for anyone.

Anyway, I hope you learn a lot about us - and maybe enjoy our chronicles of young newlywed students who are head over heels in love with each other.