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We are in the early days of Lent, a time when many people give up something as a reminder that God gave up His only Son to pay for the sins of the world. It is a time of deep humility and reflection in the way we daily live. This reflection should lead us to sorrow and repentance, but most important, it should lead us to hear God’s word of absolution— “Your sins are forgiven!” Yet, we do not make this first move of repentance, God accomplishes His miracle of repentance in you through His living Word and Spirit, but we must first recognize our need to repent before we see how it occurs.

I want to share a praise report of God healing someone I know personally. We hear about sickness and disease and the endless cries of why, but rarely do we learn about miracles when God intervenes and touches a person with His creative and restoring authority. In the New Testament, there are true accounts of Jesus asking what He can do for those who were suffering, and when they told Him their request, He said, “I will.” As Christians, we pray because we believe God is listening and that He will answer our petitions according to His perfect plans. His written word is His general will, and He also has a specific will where He speaks directly to us. This is where we need to advance in our spiritual discernment and sensitivity. For example, God says that He will bless a couple when they are married, but there is not a chapter and verse saying Sally will marry Joe. With every decision in life, The Almighty is trying to get our attention as He desires to lead us into divine appointments we commonly call, “walking in His Spirit.” Can you imagine how much more meaningful our life would be if we could develop a constant awareness of His presence?

Most young people today don’t get all the miracle buzz about Jesus. For example, some of the older generations, especially conservative evangelicals, are continually promoting his imminent return. Seems a little iffy to Millennials and Gen Zers.

I’m not going to lie, when we lived in a small southwestern town in Kansas, Lent was one of my favorite times of the year. Me and my family loved fried fish and there was a fish fry every Friday provided by the local Catholic Church. It was a time to stand in line and talk to people you hadn’t seen in a while and get some of the best food around, while you sat down next to someone in the county and caught up on all the gossip.

A night of worship, community and music is what community members should expect from Barclay student Chase Groth’s worship night concert this Saturday. Groth is a senior majoring in Worship Arts and a key part of his program is the creation of a capstone project. But this concert is more than that, it is a night that is aiming to inspire hope and faith.