Loggin' out for Lent

That's right.  I am giving up Facebook for Lent.  From next Wednesday, February 13th (which happens to be my and Larry's 14th wedding anniversary.  Woo hoo, go us!!) until Easter, March 31st.  

I was raised a Southern Baptist.  We don't do Lent.  We don't do anything that would require us to give up something.  We go jukin' on Saturday night but still make it to church on Sunday morning and we believe that one reason Jesus came was so that we could eat pork.  And I'm pretty sure some of us feel that we can get into heaven as long as we bring a covered dish and a gallon of sweet tea.

A few years ago, I started really paying attention to the Lent thing.  And not the stuff I clean out of my dryer filter after every load either.  Last year, I gave up fast food, which was becoming waaaaay too easy for me with my school and work schedule.  That worked out great.  

I've been going to a Methodist church since October and I really, really like it.  I've struggled with some things over the past several months and I feel more at peace now than I have in a long, long time.  So this year when I started thinking about what I can give up for Lent, I immediately thought of Facebook.  While it's fun to read what's going on with everybody, some of the things that people post should really be kept private.  And besides, Facebook is such a time sucker.  Time that could be spent doing more productive things. 

Lent is supposed to be a period of self-denial, prayer and repentance, a time to prepare us for the cross, Jesus' ultimate sacrifice for us and His glorious resurrection (which always gives me goosebumps when I think about it!).

So I'm logging off Facebook on February 13th and I'll be gone until Easter.  I'm still planning to blog and my blog posts automatically show up on Facebook so you'll see those.  But there won't be any status updates, 80-point words played on Words With Friends and there definitely won't be any political rants!

Refreshing, huh?  I'm really looking forward to it.