{"id":34961,"date":"2025-02-15T12:01:44","date_gmt":"2025-02-15T17:01:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/?p=34961"},"modified":"2025-04-28T11:06:10","modified_gmt":"2025-04-28T15:06:10","slug":"lenten-devotional-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/?p=34961","title":{"rendered":"Lenten Devotional 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Unlike Christmas, which is always on December 25, the timing of Easter Sunday depends on things like\u00a0 Equinoxes and new moons.\u00a0 Last year, all of that lined up to place Easter in March.\u00a0 But this year it&#8217;s going to be in April.\u00a0 It seems that we were just celebrating Christmas, but all of a sudden the season of Lent has come upon us!\u00a0 <\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">In this period between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday, we examine our lives and adjust our life&#8217;s walk to bring bring us closer to God.\u00a0 We consider the roadblocks in our spiritual lives and look for the Spirit&#8217;s leading to find new paths. \u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"> Use this booklet of Lenten Devotionals, written by &#8220;non-professional&#8221; members of a variety of churches, to help guide you through this special time of the year.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #800000;\">Daily Devotions for Lent 2025<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The devotional is presented in PDF format. Instead of presenting the entire booklet in one file (and forcing you to scroll through the whole thing to find the current date&#8217;s article), the booklet is broken up into separate week-by-week files.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-35097 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/LentDevotional25-Cover-_400x300-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"192\" height=\"144\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/LentDevotional25-Cover-_400x300-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/LentDevotional25-Cover-_400x300.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 192px) 100vw, 192px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>To read the article for any given date, scroll down to the desired month, and click on the button for the desired week. Except for week 1 (which begins with Ash Wednesday) and week &#8220;7&#8221; (which includes Easter Sunday), all the files begin with Sunday and run through Saturday of the indicated week.<\/p>\n<p>Enjoy; and may God bless your devotional time!<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">March\u00a0 2025<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><em><span style=\"color: #993366;\">The Lenten season (and first devotional) starts out with Ash Wednesday (March 5). Week 1 is this short &#8220;week&#8221; from Wednesday through Saturday.\u00a0 Week 7 continues past Saturday April 19 to include Easter Sunday (which is April 20)&#8230;<\/span> <\/em><br \/>\n<a href='https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Lent25Devotional_00.pdf' class='icon-button paper-icon' target=\"_blank\">Week 1<span class='et-icon'><\/span><\/a> Ash Wed. 3\/5 through Saturday 3\/8<\/p>\n<p><a href='https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Lent25Devotional_01.pdf' class='icon-button paper-icon' target=\"_blank\">Week 2<span class='et-icon'><\/span><\/a> Sunday 3\/9 through Saturday 3\/15<\/p>\n<p><a href='https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Lent25Devotional_02.pdf' class='icon-button paper-icon' target=\"_blank\">Week 3<span class='et-icon'><\/span><\/a> Sunday 3\/16 through Saturday 3\/22<\/p>\n<p><a href='https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Lent25Devotional_03.pdf' class='icon-button paper-icon' target=\"_blank\">Week 4<span class='et-icon'><\/span><\/a> Sunday 3\/23 through Saturday 3\/29<\/p>\n<p><a href='https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Lent25Devotional_04.pdf' class='icon-button paper-icon' target=\"_blank\">Week 5<span class='et-icon'><\/span><\/a> Sunday 3\/30 through Saturday 4\/5<\/p>\n<h4>\u00a0<\/h4>\n<h4><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">April 2025\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><a href='https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Lent25Devotional_05.pdf' class='icon-button paper-icon' target=\"_blank\">Week 6<span class='et-icon'><\/span><\/a> Sunday 4\/6 through Saturday 4\/12<\/p>\n<p><a href='https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Lent25Devotional_06.pdf' class='icon-button paper-icon' target=\"_blank\">Week 7<span class='et-icon'><\/span><\/a> Sunday 4\/13\u00a0 through Easter Sunday (4\/20)<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #339966;\">=\u00a0 \u00a0=\u00a0 \u00a0=<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #800080;\">If you&#8217;re looking for a specific article or author, open the below box to view the list of articles.\u00a0 Shown in the list are the booklet page numbers, article title, and author.\u00a0 Click on the &#8220;Week number&#8221; to open the corresponding file&#8230;<\/span><\/p>\n<div class='et-learn-more clearfix'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class='heading-more'>Table of Contents<span class='et_learnmore_arrow'><span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class='learn-more-content'>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Lent25Devotional_00.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em><span style=\"color: #993366; text-decoration: underline;\">Week 1<\/span><\/em><\/a><\/span><\/h4>\n<ul style=\"list-style-type: circle;\">\n<li>5-\u00a0 Beauty from Ashes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pastor Kim Wecht<\/li>\n<li>6-\u00a0 Keep It Simple. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .\u00a0 . . . . Bill Schober<\/li>\n<li>7- The Slippery Slope. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MaryAnn Diorio<\/li>\n<li>8-\u00a0 How Long?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . Jane Harre<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Lent25Devotional_01.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em><span style=\"color: #993366; text-decoration: underline;\">Week 2<\/span><\/em><\/a><\/span><\/h4>\n<ul style=\"list-style-type: circle;\">\n<li>9-\u00a0 \u00a0Being Present in God\u2019s Presence. . . . . . . . Pastor Kellie Heisler<\/li>\n<li>10- Reflecting God\u2019s Love. . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . Jane Koponick<\/li>\n<li>11- Open Doors, Closed Doors. . . . . . . . . . . . . Ted Frett<\/li>\n<li>12-\u00a0 Sigh. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Deb Mongiardo<\/li>\n<li>13-\u00a0 Quiet Reflection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Trish Weldon<\/li>\n<li>14-\u00a0 \u00a0Jesus:\u00a0 God\u2019s Greatest Gift. . . . . . . . . . . . . Sue Dietsche<\/li>\n<li>15-\u00a0 \u00a0God\u2019s Gift of Music. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pastor Russ Bowers<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Lent25Devotional_02.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em><span style=\"color: #993366; text-decoration: underline;\">Week 3<\/span><\/em><\/a><\/span><\/h4>\n<ul style=\"list-style-type: circle;\">\n<li>16-\u00a0 The Hope of Easter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tom Bennett<\/li>\n<li>17-\u00a0 Showing the Love of God. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dolores Daniels<\/li>\n<li>18-\u00a0 My Praise Journey. . . . . . . . . . . . .\u00a0 . . . . . . Bonnie Hackney<\/li>\n<li>19-\u00a0 Mortgage Payment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Angele Cooper<\/li>\n<li>20-\u00a0 I Don\u2019t Want to Escape. . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . Brenda Freitag<\/li>\n<li>21- Purchased and Wanted. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Larry Bakely<\/li>\n<li>22- A Prayer of Relinquishment. . . . . . . . . . . . Linda Turk<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Lent25Devotional_03.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em><span style=\"color: #993366; text-decoration: underline;\">Week 4<\/span><\/em><\/a><\/span><\/h4>\n<ul style=\"list-style-type: circle;\">\n<li>23- Accepting God\u2019s Generous Gift. . . . . . . . . Barbara Buck<\/li>\n<li>24- Pondering the Lord\u2019s Word. . . . . . . . . . . . Michelle Levesque<\/li>\n<li>25- Love and Acceptance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Courtney Woodruff<\/li>\n<li>26- The Mount Everest of Ethics. . . . . . . . . . . Scott Martin<\/li>\n<li>27-\u00a0 Hope in Christ: Three Trees. . . . . . . . . . . Diana McMillion<\/li>\n<li>28- Courageous Acceptance of Christ. . ..\u00a0 . . . Christine Strittmatter<\/li>\n<li>29- Don\u2019t Be a Scaredy Cat. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lisa Loiselle<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>\u00a0<\/h4>\n<h4><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Lent25Devotional_04.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em><span style=\"color: #993366; text-decoration: underline;\">Week 5<\/span><\/em><\/a><\/span><\/h4>\n<ul style=\"list-style-type: circle;\">\n<li>30- Darkest Before the Dawn. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kathy Chando<\/li>\n<li>31-\u00a0 A Clean Heart. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .\u00a0 . . . . . . . Pastor Gary Turk<\/li>\n<li>32- What Do We Do?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . Lacy Haynicz<\/li>\n<li>33- My Letter to God. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .\u00a0 . . . . Carol Atkinson<\/li>\n<li>34- Taking Care of Your Garden. . . . . . . . . . . Diane Sizemore<\/li>\n<li>35-\u00a0 We Can Experience the Real Jesus. . .\u00a0 . . Pastor Dave Bailey Sr.<\/li>\n<li>36- He Put a Song in My Heart. . . . . . . . . .\u00a0 . . Claudia Cuddy<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Lent25Devotional_05.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em><span style=\"color: #993366; text-decoration: underline;\">Week 6<\/span><\/em><\/a><\/span><\/h4>\n<ul style=\"list-style-type: circle;\">\n<li>37- Shut the Door. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Char Gaylord<\/li>\n<li>38- God Gives Us Courage If We Want It. . . . Beth Price<\/li>\n<li>39- Confidence and Clarity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kim Dormann<\/li>\n<li>40- The Holy Spirit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . George Armstrong<\/li>\n<li>41- Forgiveness and Love. . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . Janice Simpson<\/li>\n<li>42- It Is Worth the Risk. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pastor Glenn Conaway<\/li>\n<li>43-\u00a0 God\u2019s Timetable. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kayt Marra<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Lent25Devotional_06.pdf\"><em><span style=\"color: #993366; text-decoration: underline;\">Week 7<\/span><\/em><\/a><\/span><\/h4>\n<ul style=\"list-style-type: circle;\">\n<li>44- The Stones Will Shout Out!. . . . . . . . . . . . Pastor Christine Day<\/li>\n<li>45- Jesus Changed Everything. . . . . . . . . . . . . Pastor Mike Chapman<\/li>\n<li>46- My Buddy Reds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .\u00a0 . . . Sharon Constantine<\/li>\n<li>47-\u00a0 Sacrificial Lamb. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bonnie Doebley<\/li>\n<li>48- Hand in Hand. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kim Hamilton Tortella<\/li>\n<li>49- Cherish the Cross, Cherish the Word. . . . . Grace Eldridge<\/li>\n<li>50- The Light After Darkness. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Marsha Hahn<\/li>\n<li>51- Encountering Jesus Every Day. . . . . . . . . . Gilda Picioccio<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #993366;\">Introduction (From the Editors)&#8230;<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Another season of Lent is upon us, and we are excited to share another collection of Lenten reflections with you as you journey through this holy time. We are blessed once again by the wide-ranging variety of messages we received this year from our inspired writers, five of whom are first-time contributors.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">People just like you write these stories. Some of their messages will help you explore your relationship with God, and learn to accept His perfect timing. There are stories about life experiences we all share, God\u2019s unconditional love, His presence through life\u2019s uncertainties, and ways to worship Him through music.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">As you travel through your Lenten journey, we hope you are encouraged and inspired by what you read and that through it all, your faith in God is strengthened and renewed.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><div class='et-box et-bio'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class='et-box-content'>\u00a0 <\/span><strong><em><span style=\"color: #993366;\">Plans for Another Yearlong Book<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Thank you for being part of our faith community this Lenten season. We hope you grow in faith and receive encouragement.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">As some of you may know, we published a yearlong devotional book in 2024, which was well received \u2014 and continues to be popular. We have been encouraged by your feedback on this book. We plan to publish another yearlong book in a few years.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">If you are interested in writing for this new book or future yearly Lenten or Advent booklets, please send your devotional(s) for consideration to one of the editors or to <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a style=\"color: #000000; text-decoration: underline;\" href=\"mailto:wordsforlife365@gmail.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">wordsforlife365@gmail.com<\/a><\/span>. Please follow the format of this booklet: word count for the message part should be 350 words or less.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><em>To learn more about this yearlong daily devotions book, click this button<\/em>:\u00a0 <a href='https:\/\/www.wordsforlife365.com\/' class='icon-button download-icon' target=\"_blank\">Words for Life<span class='et-icon'><\/span><\/a> \u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/p>\n<p>We look forward to your email comments, both positive and challenging. We will respond. We hope you are blessed by the messages in this devotional booklet.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4><em><span style=\"color: #008000;\">Where Did these Books Come From?<\/span><\/em><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The articles in this booklet were written by members of 25 different churches located in NJ and across the country. The booklets were published in hardcopy form and distributed within the participating churches.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>The articles were written by members of the following churches:<br \/>\n(<em><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; color: #ff6600;\">&#8220;UMC&#8221; stands for United Methodist Church<\/span><\/em>):<\/p>\n<ul style=\"list-style-type: circle;\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.blcdelmar.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Delmar, NY<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cc-gc.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Calvary Chapel Gloucester County, Blackwood, NJ<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.crk.church\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Church of the Risen King, Pennsauken, NJ<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/claytonbaptist.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Clayton Baptist Church, Clayton, NJ<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eumc.church\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Evangelical United Methodist Church, Clarksboro, NJ<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/fairton.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Fairton Christian Center, Fairton, NJ<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pitmanpres.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">First Presbyterian Church, Pitman, NJ<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/glassboromethodist.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">First United Methodist Church of Glassboro, NJ<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gracefellowshipct.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Grace Fellowship Church, Durham, CT<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.lititzumc.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Lititz United Methodist Church, Lititz, PA<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nrumc.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">North Raleigh United Methodist Church, North Raleigh, NC<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pitmannaz.churchtrac.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Pitman Church of the Nazarene, Pitman, NJ<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/umcommunities.org\/pitman\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Pitman Manor, Pitman, NJ<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Pitman United Methodist Church, Pitman, NJ<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/providenceopc.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Providence Orthodox Presbyterian Church, Mantua, NJ<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.umc.org\/en\/find-a-church\/church\/?id=13748\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Repaupo United Methodist Church, Repaupo, NJ<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.richwoodchurch.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Richwood United Methodist Church, Richwood, NJ<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.lcsumc.com\/shehawken.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Shehawken United Methodist Church, Starrucca, PA<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.umc.org\/en\/find-a-church\/church\/?id=13446\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">St. Paul\u2019s United Methodist Church, Bridgeport, NJ<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.stpaulsumcpaulsboro.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">St. Paul\u2019s United Methodist Church, Paulsboro, NJ<\/a><\/li>\n<li>T<a href=\"https:\/\/www.trinitymullicahill.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">rinity United Methodist Church, Mullica Hill, NJ<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.elktonumc.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Wesley Church of Elkton, Elkton, MD<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/williamstownag.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Williamstown Assembly of God, Williamstown, NJ<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.woodlandwakeforest.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Woodland Baptist Church, Wake Forest, NC<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.zionumcclarksboro.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Zion United Methodist Church, Clarksboro, NJ<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4><em><span style=\"color: #008000;\">How can I get a Printed Booklet?<\/span><\/em><\/h4>\n<p>It&#8217;s convenient to be able to view the devotionals electronically, but if pinching, zooming, and scrolling aren&#8217;t for you, printed booklets are available.\u00a0 The printed booklets contain the same material that&#8217;s presented on this website page, and they&#8217;ve been distributed to most of the above churches.\u00a0 If you would prefer to have the printed version and your church doesn&#8217;t have any copies available, please contact one of the editors:<\/p>\n<ul style=\"list-style-type: square;\">\n<li>Claudia Cuddy \u2022 editorcuddy@mac.com<\/li>\n<li>Beth Price \u2022 eprice7@comcast.net<\/li>\n<li>Marsha Hahn \u2022 mhahn16@comcast.net<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4><em><span style=\"color: #008000;\">What is Ash Wednesday???<\/span><\/em><\/h4>\n<p>The first day of Lent is always a Wednesday, called Ash Wednesday. This originated from the ancient times when people marked times of fasting, prayer, repentance, and remorse by placing ashes on their foreheads (<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=2+sam+13%3A1-19&amp;version=NLT\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">2 Samuel\u00a013:19<\/a><\/span>, <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=esth+4%3A1-3&amp;version=NLT\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Esther\u00a04:1-3<\/a><\/span>, <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=job+42%3A1-6&amp;version=NLT\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Job\u00a042:6<\/a><\/span>, <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=jer+6%3A22-26&amp;version=NLT\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Jeremiah\u00a06:26<\/a><\/span>). This scriptural custom entered the Church from Judaism. Receiving ashes on the forehead on Ash Wednesday symbolizes that the person is going to begin a period of sober reflection, self-examination, and spiritual redirection. Traditionally, the ashes for the Ash Wednesday service come from burning the palm fronds from the previous year\u2019s Palm Sunday celebration.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><em>For more about Ash Wednesday, check out the following &#8220;Chuck Knows Church&#8221; video&#8230;<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<div class='et-box et-shadow'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class='et-box-content'><p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"16 | Ash Wednesday -- Chuck Knows Church\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/PFAmmlezot4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p><\/div><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4><em><span style=\"color: #008000;\">What&#8217;s Next?<\/span><\/em><\/h4>\n<p>Devotionals like these are great ways to learn how to apply the Bible to your life.\u00a0 The personal stories are inspiring and help you to grow.\u00a0 But even after Easter,\u00a0 you&#8217;ll still need to be constantly reading and studying the Bible.\u00a0 At Pitman UMC, we offer the following opportunities (and your own church likely offers similar ones if you&#8217;re not from Pitman UMC).\u00a0 Use the below buttons to learn more:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href='https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/?page_id=2573' class='icon-button download-icon' target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Online Devotions<\/span><span class='et-icon'><\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href='https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/?page_id=17037' class='icon-button download-icon' target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Bible Reading Plans<\/span><span class='et-icon'><\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href='https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/?page_id=14867' class='icon-button download-icon' target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Online Worship<\/span><span class='et-icon'><\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href='https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/?page_id=120' class='icon-button download-icon' target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Sunday School<\/span><span class='et-icon'><\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #800000;\">Share Your Stories&#8230;<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>If you&#8217;ve found these devotionals to be useful, tweet the link or share this article with your Facebook Friends. Use the below buttons to share on any social media.<\/p>\n<p>As you read these devotionals, you are opening yourself up to hearing from the Holy Spirit. If something in an article hits you, please share it and let us know how God has spoken to you. Post a comment in the form at the end of this article (your email address won&#8217;t be published).<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: 24pt; color: #008000;\">+ + + + + +<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>For other daily devotionals , visit our Devotionals Page: <br \/>\n<a href='https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/?page_id=2573' class='big-button bigteal'><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Daily Devotionals<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Pre-Prayer for this year&#8217;s Lenten season by reading a daily devotional article written by local church members.  Booklets of these articles will be distributed to churches, and electronic versions of the booklets are available on the PUMC website.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":35097,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34961","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-godprints"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34961","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=34961"}],"version-history":[{"count":29,"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34961\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35125,"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34961\/revisions\/35125"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/35097"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=34961"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=34961"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=34961"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}