Give It Up!: A Lenten Study for Adults
()
About this ebook
This Lenten study reflects on all the things that hold our attention, occupy our minds and monopolize our time, yet still isolate us from God and the world around us. Things like social media, phones, the noise of life, and focus on the external. Imagine taking on the challenge of giving up each of these for a week. During this seven-week study, Dottie Escobedo Frank takes the reader on a journey of self discovery, where he or she learns that the power of release brings great gain. The biggest gain is a stronger relationship with Christ. In the release, each person is freed to "give it up" in applause and praise for a life deeply lived in Christ.
This thematic Bible study is designed to be used by individuals and small groups during the Lent 2015 season. In addition to the main content, each chapter offers questions for reflection and discussion, a brief prayer, and a focus for the week. The focus emerges from the chapter content and encourages readers to engage in a spiritual practice or do something specific that will help them grow in faith. On the whole, this thematic seasonal Bible study series is designed for transformation and application of Bible study to everyday, practical life experience.
Dottie Escobedo-Frank
Dottie Escobedo-Frank serves as Bishop of the Western Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church. She earned her Master of Divinity from Claremont School of Theology and her Doctor of Ministry from George Fox Evangelical Seminary in Semiotics and Future Studies. Dottie served as an elder in the Desert Southwest Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church and as the District Superintendent of the South District. She is a speaker and writer, and her work has centered on church revitalization, worship and preaching, and multicultural ministry. Dottie is the author of Converge: Our Common Sins, Jesus Insurgency with Rudy Rasmus, ReStart Your Church, Sermon Seeds, Advent and Christmas, and the Igniting Worship Series.
Read more from Dottie Escobedo Frank
Sermon Seeds: 40 Creative Sermon Starters Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Jesus Insurgency: The Church Revolution from the Edge Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5ReStart Your Church Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsConverge Bible Studies: Our Common Sins Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to Give It Up!
Related ebooks
Stations of the Cross Meditations for Moms Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBridging the Sacred-Secular Divide: Celebrating the Spirituality of Everyday Life Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRadical Renovation - eBook [ePub]: Living the Cross-Shaped Life Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGod as Creator in Acts 17:24: An Historical-Exegetical Study Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsJourney - Lesson 14 - Prophets in Exile (1) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAn Advent Book of Days: Meeting the Characters of Christmas Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSix Themes in the Bible Everyone Should Know Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsConfirm Parent Guide: Your Faith. Your Commitment. Gods Call. Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHandbook of Biblical Criticism, Fourth Edition Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAll I Want For Christmas Youth Study: Opening the Gifts of God's Grace Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAdult Bible Studies Winter 2020-2021 Teacher Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWaiting in Joy: An Advent Journey Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLent Discussions for Curious Christians: Conversations in the Purple Season Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBenedictions: 26 Reflections Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Passionate Journey Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsReflections: Seven Categories of Thought for Today’s Christians Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWind in the Wilderness: A Lenten Study From the Prophets Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Ezekiel Guide: Soul of a Prophet Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEight Days that Changed History: Meditations on Palm Sunday to Easter Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSoulfire: Preaching the Church’s Message in a Secular, Postmodern World Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Abc’S of Children’S Sermons: Based on the Revised Common Lectionary Passages Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGodliness : being reports of a series of addresses delivered at James's Hall, London, W. during 1881 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWithout a Flock: Pastoral Prayers Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHoly Conversation: Spirituality For Worship Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMy Journey Through the Wilderness: Into the Heart of Jesus Christ Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsReturn to the Parish: The Pastor in the Public Square Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDay by Day through the Gospel of John: 365 Timeless Devotions from Classic Writers Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSpiritual Soup for the Hungry Soul: Spiritual Soup Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Holidays For You
The Case for Easter: A Journalist Investigates Evidence for the Resurrection Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5NIV, Easter Story from the Family Reading Bible Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Come, Let Us Adore Him: A Daily Advent Devotional Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Jesus Calling Book Club Discussion Guide for Women Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Jesus Lives: Seeing His Love in Your Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Honest Advent: Awakening to the Wonder of God-with-Us Then, Here, and Now Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Living a Jewish Life, Revised and Updated: Jewish Traditions, Customs, and Values for Today's Families Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Preparing for Easter: Fifty Devotional Readings from C. S. Lewis Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Devotional for Progressive Christians Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGod Is in the Manger: Reflections on Advent and Christmas Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/550 Beautiful Christmas Stories Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsForty Days to a Closer Walk with God: The Practice of Centering Prayer Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5In the manger: 25 Inspirational Selections for Advent Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Journey to the Cross: A 40-Day Lenten Devotional Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/540 Days of Jesus Always: Joy in His Presence Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Fight Like Jesus: How Jesus Waged Peace Throughout Holy Week Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Walk: Five Essential Practices of the Christian Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Celebrating Christmas with Jesus: An Advent Devotional Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/510 Amazing Christmas Carols - Volume 1 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Twelfth Night Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Stories Behind the Great Traditions of Christmas Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Way other than Our Own: Devotions for Lent Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5For This We Left Egypt?: A Passover Haggadah for Jews and Those Who Love Them Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/540 Days of Decrease: A Different Kind of Hunger. A Different Kind of Fast. Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Rational Passover Haggadah Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5How to Run a Traditional Jewish Household Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lent in Plain Sight: A Devotion through Ten Objects Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Jesus Calling for Christmas, with Full Scriptures Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Then Sings My Soul: 150 of the World's Greatest Hymn Stories Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Reviews for Give It Up!
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
Give It Up! - Dottie Escobedo-Frank
First Week in Lent
Mirror, Mirror . . .
Scripture: Read Philippians 4:8-9
GIVE IT UP: No mirrors for a week
GAIN: Internal significance
Every morning we roll out of bed, and before we face the world, we get a shower, put on our makeup or shave, fix our hair, and get dressed. Much of our little routine is performed in front of a mirror. We have mirrors in our bathrooms, our bedrooms, our entryways, our cars, our offices, and in our purses for emergency occasions. There is even an app for a mirror on our smartphones. Before we go to an interview or a meeting with a friend or even join a crowd, we often check our faces in the mirror to make sure there are no signs of leftover lunch or tiredness from too much work and not enough sleep. Mirrors are central in our experience of living in the modern day.
If you’re not convinced, count the times you looked in a mirror today. My guess is you’ll be surprised. Whether or not it’s intentional, we check on ourselves as a confidence booster and out of habit.
According to YouGov, an online news source, we spend a significant amount of time getting ready every morning. Most of us (fifty-six percent) take eleven to thirty minutes. In addition, thirty-eight percent of women and twenty-one percent of men take longer than thirty minutes. That adds up to more than seven-and-a-half days every year working to look good.¹ And we spend high dollars on beautification as well. According to Investopedia.com, in 2008, Americans spent $7 billion on cosmetics, $1.5 billion on breast augmentation, $1 billion on tummy tucks, and $1.3 billion on liposuction. The average woman spends $1,000 per year on beauty products.² And while I, too, spend my fair share of time in front of the mirror trying to make myself look beautiful (or at least better) before I meet the world, I’m aware that the time could be better spent in other ways. I wonder what I could do with an extra week every year of my life.
The Scripture
The text in Philippians tells us that we could spend our time and effort on filling our minds and hearts with other things instead. We could, for example, think about truth and about what is noble. We could develop an authentic self that has a reputation to match. We could cultivate grace in our lives. Instead of focusing on the ugly, the cursed, and the worst of life, we could lean into what is beautiful, praiseworthy, and best.
The Philippian Christians were a small group who gathered to worship, possibly in the home of Lydia, a woman who traded in rich fabric (Acts 16:14). She was head of her household, providing well for her family. Paul wrote to the Philippians as he served time in a Roman prison, awaiting trial. He was well acquainted with the Christians in Philippi, and he wanted them to focus on what was going on inside their hearts and not on the outside. Some of them may have been cloth dealers like Lydia, handling costly fabrics for royalty. Some might have wished they could afford clothing made from the materials they dyed for others. So when Paul told them to focus inwardly, it was like telling a cosmopolitan model to get her picture taken for a national photo shoot but not to worry about what she looked