Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.
Note: This feature may not be available in some browsers.
IP addresses are NOT logged in this forum so there's no point asking. Please note that this forum is full of homophobes, racists, lunatics, schizophrenics & absolute nut jobs with a smattering of geniuses, Chinese chauvinists, Moderate Muslims and last but not least a couple of "know-it-alls" constantly sprouting their dubious wisdom. If you believe that content generated by unsavory characters might cause you offense PLEASE LEAVE NOW! Sammyboy Admin and Staff are not responsible for your hurt feelings should you choose to read any of the content here. The OTHER forum is HERE so please stop asking.
It’s Day 8 of the Milan Cortina Games, and we’re running out of ice puns Team USA’s medal count continues to climb.
[/td]
[td]
The U.S.—currently tied with Norway for second—has scooped up more medals in skiing and skating. Yesterday, Chloe Kim secured Team USA’s first snowboarding medal, taking silver and narrowly missing a golden three-peat in women’s halfpipe.
Meanwhile, the International Olympic Committee barred a Ukrainian skeleton athlete from racing for continuing to wear a helmet honoring Ukrainians killed in the Russia-Ukraine war; the group said it violated rules against political statements during competition.
[/td]
[td]
__
[/td]
[td]
ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE
God has given His people bodies that can do some amazing things, but even world-class athletes can’t compare to the eternal, imperishable bodies we’ll have one day. Worship God in the body He has given you today—whether it’s in top shape or in need of repair—knowing we’ll one day worship Him in a perfect one.
[/td]
[td]
“When this corruptible body is clothed with incorruptibility, and this mortal body is clothed with immortality, then the saying that is written will take place: Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, death, is your victory? Where, death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!”
1 Corinthians 15:54-57 (CSB) (read full passage)
In the early church, Lent was a time of preparation through fasting for new believers who were baptized at Easter.
[/td]
[td]
Today, it has become a shared season on the Christian calendar of repentance and discipline in preparation for Easter as Christians focus their hearts on Jesus’s sacrifice and await the celebration of His resurrection.
[/td]
[td]
Lenten practices have evolved over time, but many Christians still observe it by fasting, typically from food or a habit (think: watching TV or using social media). Lent also includes practices like prayer, generosity, and Scripture reading. The point is self-discipline to focus on Christ.
Why is it called “Lent?”
The word comes from an Old English term lencten, meaning “springtime” or “lengthening of days,” pointing to renewal.
[/td]
[td]
When is Lent each year?
In most Western traditions, Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and ends at sundown on Holy Saturday (the day before Easter Sunday). While the date changes each year, Ash Wednesday always falls 40 days (excluding Sundays) before Easter Sunday.
[/td]
[td]
On the “Day of Ashes,” some Christians wear ashes in the shape of a cross on their forehead to symbolize human mortality (“For you are dust, and you will return to dust”) and/or mourning.
[/td]
[td]
Why 40 days?
The number 40 reflects key biblical moments of preparation and testing—including Jesus’s 40 days of fasting in the wilderness (Matthew 4), Israel’s 40 years in the desert (Joshua 5:6), and Moses’ 40 days on Mount Sinai (Exodus 34).
[/td]
[td]
Sundays aren’t counted in the 40 days because they’re always considered celebrations of Jesus’s resurrection (The Lord’s Day), so they’re not treated as days of fasting or penitence.
__
CHOOSE HUMILITY
Topics like Lent and whether or not Christians can/should practice it have the potential to cause division in the church. When you’re tempted to split with a brother or sister over secondary and tertiary issues, remember that we have a higher calling to unity in Christ and love for one another.
[/td]
[td]
“Therefore I, the prisoner in the Lord, urge you to walk worthy of the calling you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”
Ephesians 4:1-3 (CSB) (read the full passage)
