When Advent becomes a Lenten experience ...

This Advent has been more like Lent for me as there's been an intentional move toward growing closer to Christ. Very briefly (because I have to get to The Daily Times), three books have been a part of this experience:

• The Bible, of course;
• "When You Pray: Daily Practices for Prayerful Living," compiled by Rueben P. Job;
• and "The Relentless Tenderness of Jesus," by Brennan Manning.

The Rueben Job book helps keep this ADD preacher connected to God through prayer, even when my worldly self says, "There's much to be done! Get on with it today!" Consider the Richard Foster quotation he cited as I began Week 3:

"To pray is to change. This is a great grace. How good of God to provide a path whereby our lives can be taken over by love and joy and peace and patience and kindness and goodness and faithfulness and gentleness and self-control. The movement inward comes first because without interior transformation and movement up into God's glory would overwhelm us and the movement out into ministry would destroy us. (italics mine; p18, quoting from Foster's "Prayer," p6)

 Too often I have found myself moving outward without moving inward first.

Advent is becoming Lent for me.

Grace and peace ...