Lent Blog Post —  Never A Convenient Time

Written by Toby Amodeo for Lent 2025.

Celebrating Holy Week never comes at a convenient time.

Every Lent, I go in with big ambitions about how much time I’m going to spend with God. I envision this massive shift in my routine, setting aside everything else to reflect. But every year, I get to this point in the journey and have to deal with reality. I didn’t spend as much time with God as I expected myself to, I can’t change my routines on a dime, it’s the end of the semester and I can’t just drop all my responsibilities. And God wants to meet with me right in the middle of it anyway.

There is nothing wrong with setting big goals for my devotional life and trying to have extended time with God (obviously!). In seasons when I’ve had the space and ability to set my schedule, I’ve loved having extended time for reflection and journaling. But in most seasons, I am forced to accept that life doesn’t stop even if I don’t feel like I’m done processing something yet.

At the root of this is the fact that I want to be in full control of my time and what God does in my life. And that’s not how it works. My access to God is not limited by my ability or inability to set up the optimal conditions for an extended devotional time. God wants to be a part even of the areas that feel out of control.

Jesus, in the last week of his life on earth, must have felt the pressure increasing day by day. There are the crowds following him and cheering for him. There’s ever-intensifying encounters with the Pharisees. Then there are his disciples, who right up until the end, just don’t seem to ‘get’ what He’s trying to do. If there were ever a time that he just wanted to get away with God, this is it, but the hours keep passing by faster and faster.

Even in the garden of Gethsemane, there is more wrestling. He knows his mission, He can anticipate the pain, He is sweating drops of blood, He knows he must yield to the Father, but how? And yet, after carving out time late in the night to pray (and chide his sleepy disciples), He surrenders. Jesus yields to the will of the Father, knowing the cross to be the only way to accomplish what He came to do. 

If Jesus could find a way to listen to and yield to God in the midst of the chaos, so must I. It’s not that God wants me to only ever be super busy and burdened by endless responsibilities. Yet He knows that life doesn’t simply stop when I’m trying to seek Him, and so He invites me to cry out in my distress and meets me there. 

Because of Jesus’ surrender, I get to have open access to my Father. His presence isn’t just available to me – His Holy Spirit dwells within me, whether I am conscious of that or not. What I must learn is to live as if this is really true. I must learn to ‘pray without ceasing’ in any and all circumstances. I must present my real needs in prayer. I must accept that God is at work even in my discomfort.

Whether or not this Holy Week ends up being all you want it to be, may you be formed more and more into a disciple who invites God not only into the perfect devotional time, but especially into the real stresses of your life.

Lent Blog Post — Forgiveness Beyond the Script

Written by Brittany for Lent 2025.

Growing up, I was taught that forgiveness was a simple exchange, “I’m sorry” and “Ok, I forgive you”.  Sometimes, if my siblings and I didn’t apologize genuinely enough the first time, my mom would clap her hands together like a film slate and call out “Take 2” reminding us to start the script again until we delivered the lines with sufficient conviction.  I suppose this approach might reduce conflict in a busy household for a time, but it wasn’t until I was much older and deeply hurting that I realized I had missed the depth and divine challenge of true forgiveness.  

There’s nothing performative or transactional about forgiveness actually.  In fact, forgiveness doesn’t make much sense on paper.  Forgiveness is deliberately choosing to give away or release your (often justified) hold on resentment or desire for revenge.  Releasing our grip on bitterness allows us to heal and grow, and can even lead to better health outcomes. [see footnote link]

But, as followers of Christ, we are called to something far more profound than just letting go.  We are instructed to “Forgive as the Lord forgave you” (Colossians 13:3 NIV).  That call is so much higher (and newsflash, truly does require supernatural grace).  When God forgave us, He didn’t just wipe the slate clean, He paid the penalty for our sin and made a way for us to be in relationship with Him once again; a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17).  In the scripture readings for today, it is clear that Godly forgiveness requires, not just the canceling of someone’s debt, but extending God’s grace, compassion, kindness, and favor towards them.  

But what about real injustice?  What about deep wounds that go far behind sibling squabbles?

There are truly horrific things going on in the world, and we are called to… forgive?  That can’t be right?  Something about that didn’t sit well with me for a long time.  But a breakthrough came when I was able to look at the cross and understand that God didn’t dismiss or simply cancel all the sin in the world, He paid for every bit of it out of His love for us.  He is a God of justice and power who sees each and every wrong in His kingdom.  I think the true ability to forgive as God forgives is to know who sits on the throne as the ultimate judge.  As forgiven members of His kingdom, it is no longer our responsibility to avenge or take action on our own behalf.  We are called to pursue justice, but we have the ability to forgive even the most detestable wrongs knowing that we are forgiven and that God will have the final say.

Forgiveness is an act of trust and an act of obedience, knowing that our God fights for us and can use even the most broken situation to reveal his glory, living into that truth allows us to extend grace and reconcile with others.

footnote link:  https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/the-power-of-forgiveness

Lent Blog Post — Charity || From Partners in Africa

You Can’t Outgive God

As missionaries in Africa, we work among some of the poorest people in the world. Most families have at least 8 kids, many children die of malaria and malnutrition, men struggle to find consistent jobs to provide for their large homes. There are half a million people in our city that have never had a Christian friend or heard the gospel. They are what we call “unreached.” 

Honestly, their physical and spiritual needs both can be so overwhelming. 

We strive to practically bless and love these people while sharing the hope we have in Jesus. We give bags of rice, oil jars, medicine, money. We also give our time, our investment, our hearts. We give away a life of access to good health care, closeness with extended family and friends, and many freedoms. But could we be more generous?

A coworker missionary once challenged us, “Are you afraid of being taken advantage of? Why do you fear generosity?”

When you see someone in need, do you hesitate? Do you wonder, what if they use my gift for drugs, alcohol, or cigarettes? What if I’m wasting my time serving in this way? Of course, wisdom is necessary in charity—but fear should not paralyze us.

The missionary gave us a powerful image to consider: 

Imagine that day when you will stand and be judged before God’s throne in heaven. On one side is you. On the other side is a person in need. That person says, “Lord, I was struggling. I was hurting. I was begging this person for help.” 

You respond, “Lord, I thought he was going to misuse my gift! My time, my money. I wasn’t sure he was truly in need or that what I gave him would be used appropriately.”

Do you really want to stand before God and say, “YES! I was never once taken advantage of!” Is that our goal of being generous? Was that Jesus’ goal in his life of extravagant giving? 

Or would you rather say, “Lord, I used wisdom when giving, and though some may have misused my generosity, I stand before You with a heart pure and committed to generosity and charity.”

Have there been times when the Lord prompted you to be generous, but you hesitated? Do you trust God with your finances? How about with your time or skills? 

“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”  - 2 Corinthians 9:6-8

 A Call to Generosity

The need around you is great. Steward well the blessings God has given you and be intentional about living generously. May you be quick to give, and may you do so with a cheerful heart!

This was written and submitted by global partners that serve in Africa. We are thankful for the K Family and their desire to serve the Lord!

Article from Joshua

Quotes:

  • “What if you are not the main character in your story?”

  • “What if the most important aspect of our identity is not demographic or on our résumé but related to our intrinsic value as human beings?”

Joshua is a data scientist on campus and an active follower of Jesus involved in his local church. He wrote this article as an undergraduate students while at Penn and has given us permission to share it.

Study Resources — The Book of Revelation

Recently, we did a Scripture Immersion on The Hymns of Revelation. And I wanted to share a list (with links!) of some study resources to help you engage the Book of Revelation. — Blane