Lent lasts for 40 days but if you've looked at a calendar you will have noticed that there are actually 46 days between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday. That's because the six Sundays during this time do not count as days of fasting - Sundays are always a day of celebration as we remember the resurrection.
Your church background and the kind of church you attend will affect your view of Lent. Within some churches Lent is an important part of the year. In other churches it barely receives a mention.
So are you 'doing Lent'? Some people give up something for Lent - like chocolate or Facebook. Some people take something up. Some people give something up in order to create time to take something up. Some people won't have thought about it yet.
So if you haven't thought about it yet, but you want to do something, here are a few ideas.
Christian Aid is just one organisation that use a series of reflections throughout Lent to raise awareness of their various campaigns and encourage prayer and financial support for their work. You can visit their website by clicking here and downloading their Lent materials.
40 Acts - is a commitment to do Lent generously - so rather than giving something up it is a decision to 40 acts of generosity and kindness. To find out more and register click here.
On Sunday at CBC we were encouraged to either continue with or start the Scripture Union daily Bible readings for 2014. If you're not in the habit of reading your Bible regularly then maybe this Lent is your time to start. You can find all the daily readings, along with some helpful notes and thought provoking questions by clicking here.
