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Ash Wednesday and Protestants

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Ash Wednesday and Protestants by AChuckAllen

I grew up in some pretty strict, legalistic, Southern Baptist churches. As I remember them, they were really great for me. As a kid, I remember Bible drills, Sunday School, Vacation Bible School and virtually nothing about the preaching. As a result, I had no idea about Ash Wednesday or Lent. I remember seeing people with ”dirt on their face,” but hadn’t a clue as to why. I never knew the story behind it and never had a clue about Lent. I’d never been to a Good Friday Service until I preached at my first in 2008. I can’t believe what all I had missed out on.

Before all my Baptist acquaintances get fired up and start emailing me regarding my orthodoxy, hang in there for a few minutes and lay that flame-thrower down. Why on earth would I wish to leave the testimony of repentance of sin solely in the hands of my Catholic and Episcopal friends? Why would I not want to engage with fellow Followers of Jesus in the worshipful reminder of my sinful humanity, the never ending love of God and reverent repetance?

Ash Wednesday begins the season of Lent. The biblical witness of this ”ash” is found in the opening epic of the human story: “you are dust and to dust, you shall return.” In the tenth century, the use of ashes was employed in visibly reminding worshippers of their mortality as they began their Lenten “watch by the cross” concluding on Resurrection Sunday, the Day we celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus the Lord. It is the way of the Cross. “Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death?” (Romans 6:3).

New life with Jesus involves a daily surrendering of the old life. The first step of this spiritual journey to the Cross of Jesus invites us to acknowledge our sinful humanity by the imposition of ashes.

Traditionally, the ashes for the service are placed on each participant in the form of the Cross and the formative Scripture is repeated each time: “Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return.” The imposition of ashes is preceded by a call to confession and followed by a corporate prayer of confession, calling to mind the words of Job, “I repent in dust and ashes.”

Like every worshipful gathering, here at Sugar Hill Church, Ash Wednesday is about the heart. Everything that matters is a matter of the heart. So, as an act of repentance and remembrance, we will gather on this special evening of reverent worship as we remember and repent, both personally and corporately and begin our journey to the Cross over the next 40 days of Lent.

Rather than asking you to abstain from something through the 40-days of Lent, we are inviting you into four, ten-day periods of focused, guided prayer.

Sometimes it is healthy to call into question our orthodoxy, or even our lack of orthodoxy as we seek to follow the only way to peace, through Jesus the Lord.

Maybe, just maybe, in the midst of trying to be a hip, happening, relative, hipster church, it might be really healthy to step back into the deep wonder of God’s rich and enduring love for us and remember how unworthy we are…And how grateful we should be. I think I need a bit more ash on my forehead. How about you?

Go in Peace, AChuck

These Ten Minutes Will Change Your Life

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These Ten Minutes Will Change Your Life by AChuckAllen

I’ve read more leadership development and spiritual development books than I can count. I’ll continue to do so, as reading is one of the best ways to constantly sharpen your life, love and leadership.

After all of those books, I’ve determined that you can radically improve your life, if you will consistently do these three things, over just ten minutes, each day.

1. Gratitude! I’ve said it at least one thousand times, but gratitude will radically change your life. Don’t just think what you are grateful for, write it down. Use your phone, a notebook or my Power Routines Journal…but whatever you do, insert the intentional effort to be grateful for at least two things, every single day! The science and the Scriptures agree that gratitude, when intentionally added to your daily routine will put you in a far better place to succeed wildly. This takes three minutes, max!

2. Pray Outloud! That’s right, talk to the Divine, vocally. There is nothing that will jumpstart or get your prayer life started, like talking to God outloud. I struggled with keeping my eyes closed and trying to pray “correctly” to the degree that I was actually frustrated with prayer. When I started keeping my eyes open, my head up and speaking out loud, my prayer life took on an entire different trajectory. Stop worrying about if you are “praying correctly” and just talk out loud. God knows what’s going on and nothing you can do will wow Him anyway. So just talk. This can be as short as three minutes!

3. HUSH! That’s right. Just get quiet and get still for three minutes and listen or feel for what the Divine wants to speak into your life. Prayer has always been designed by your Creator to be a discussion, not a monologue. When we stop in a brief moment of quietude and solitude, we will all learn how God speaks truth, wisdom, peace, power and direction into our lives. I’ve never seen a bush burning, that wasn’t consumed, but I am given daily peace, power and direction when I stop and ask the Divine for each of those things. He pushes me, prods me, prompts me, speaks to me and gives me nudges within my soul. He will do the same for you when you ask Him to. I don’t know anybody that couldn’t benefit from a greater sense of peace, power and direction in their life! You can do this in three minutes!

I get it. You’re saying, “Chuck, you can’t promise that will happen. Yes, yes I can. God has promised to be with you, to comfort you, to give you wisdom and give you peace. I am living proof of what life can look like when you don’t activate these ten minutes in your life and I’m living proof of what happens when you do. If you need a fresh start and a new and better way, get serious with these ten minutes and watch what happens. Let me know by shooting me a note at chuck@achuckallen.com.

Go In Peace,
AChuck

If I Were Forty Again…u

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If I Were Forty Again by AChuckAllen

You know what? We get older every single day. That’s the end of this lesson. But! Every single day, you should get wiser. I have definitely gotten wiser over the past twenty years and here are four lessons that I would love to pass on to my forty year-old self. They might even help you.

  • Life really is hard, but it can be so much fun when you stop caring about what everybody else thinks about you and your alleged state of income. Take time to be very grateful for the billions of things that you could enjoy. Don’t spend another second chasing something for the nanosecond of pleasure keeping up with your neighbor and their “stuff.” You will always have folks that are smarter, wealthier, better looking, or seem happier than you are. Celebrate them and celebrate you! Life is so much fun when you live in the contentment of what you have! Before the Apostle Paul uttered the words, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,” he said that he “had learned to be content with having much or having little.” I cannot even count the times that I have missed a full and rewarding moment by burning foolish energy on foolish thoughts regarding what someone else thought of me. If you live by people’s acceptance, you’ll die by their rejection.
  • Life is so much fun when you don’t make a big deal about everything that doesn’t go your way. I wasted a lot of happiness getting frustrated or angry over the smallest things. I have learned that there are very few things that are worth getting bent out of shape about. If you take the news too seriously, you’ll forget that it is their job to get you all twitter-pated (my dad’s term). I’d love to have a five dollar bill for every time that I got exasperated over someone that did something ridiculous while driving. I’ll never forget driving from Snellville, GA to Lilburn, GA in 1976. An older dude in a Subaru pulled a little further into the road than he might should have and I hit the horn and added my middle finger for emphasis. Not cool! That guy sat at the same table I did, twelve years later as I was newly entering the ministry and he was the chairman of the personnel team – OUCH! Calm down. You will really benefit from this. James was right, “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.”

  • Life is full of hope and full of possibility. I spent far too many days fighting on the edge of depression and too many times surrendering to it. I realize that many folks struggle with mental illness, but my challenge wasn’t about mental illness, it was fighting the endless expectations that I placed on myself. One might think that it is a good thing to set high expectations and goals for your life, and they would be correct. Where they might be incorrect is that life punches you in the gut sometimes, and you need that, sometimes. Every time that I couldn’t achieve some other level of expectation, I would crash and burn. Not from some external factor, but from the internal war between my ears. Who knew, that all along life’s journeys, I could actually choose to be at peace with the Divine and be at peace with my own self? Jeremiah reaffirms this as he penned these words, “God has plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.”
  • Life might change your plans, but roll with it. A friend of mine is fond of saying, “blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape.” I have always welcomed change, but not so well when “change has been done to me.” I’ve learned this lesson well. Every thing, big or small, that happens in your life is there to sharpen and better you for your future. Stop learning that and your life will come off the rails. Learn that early and you’ll begin to enjoy a far better life! Let’s face it…”for everything there is a season.”

    • As I say at the end of every sermon, Go In Peace!

    –AChuck

    4forFRIDAY with AChuckAllen

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    This Week’s 4forFRIDAY February 14, 2020

    I love to share good reads, learnings, listens and reviews with friends and followers. So, thanks for joining me on my 4forFRIDAY BLOG. Each week, the 4forFRIDAY offers recommended Reads, Listens, Learnings and Reviews, simply for your enjoyment. Thanks Again! If you don’t already subscribe to my Weekday Meditation Podcast, I encourage you to check it out HERE.

    Another Good Read or Listen: The Day the World Went Nuclear: Dropping the Atom Bomb and the End of World War II in the Pacific

    Autumn 1944. World War II is nearly over in Europe, but in the Pacific, American soldiers face an enemy who will not surrender, despite a massive and mounting death toll. Meanwhile, in Los Alamos, New Mexico, Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer and his team of scientists are preparing to test the deadliest weapon known to mankind. Newly inaugurated president Harry Truman faces the most important political decision in history: whether to use that weapon.

    A New Favorite Worship Song: MISTAKES by Influences Music

    A good friend of mine shared this song with me the other day and I cannot stop playing it in the truck. Here’s a taste of the lyrics from “Mistakes.”
    You don’t make mistakes
    And You didn’t start with me
    Even though i’m far from where I know
    I’m supossed to be

    A Fun Read for BBQ Fans: Georgia Barbecue Trail Traces Path Of People, Too

    I love good Barbecue. The smaller the hole in the wall joint, the better. I agree with the late Lewis Grizzard, “if it says anything after Barbecue, it ain’t real barbecue.” If you are headed down 85, or headed up 75, here is where the barbecue places are within about 15 to 20 miles from those major interstates.

    A Great Read: The Difference between Legalism and Discipline

    Sometimes when people hear the word “godliness” it transmutes in their mind to legalism. And they say, I’ve been delivered from legalism, doing all these things to gain merit before God. And so they don’t want to discipline themselves because it sounds like legalism. But you have to understand there is a universe of difference between discipline and legalism…

    My Spiritual Journals, Power Routines are now available at the Sugar Hill Church Store and Amazon. Instigating the habits of Gratitude, Scripture Reading, Journaling and Guided Prayer is a powerful way to CHANGE THE TRAJECTORY OF YOUR LIFE! Pick up your copies of POWER ROUTINES at Sugar Hill Church or Amazon. The Brand New Volume 5 will be out next week!

    A Quote from Thomas Merton

    “If you want to identify me, ask me not where I live, or what I like to eat, or how I comb my hair, but ask me what I think I am living for, in detail, and ask me what I think is keeping me from living fully for the thing I want to live for.“

    The Weekday Podcast and the Weekday Meditation

    The Podcast is a 5 minute/day, 5 day/week Cup of Encouragement, straight from the Scriptures. The Meditation is about 7 minutes/day, 5/day/week and is designed to give you a combined and guided prayer/meditation experience.

    Both of these resources are available on the Sugar Hill Church APP or WeekdayPodcast.com & WeekdayMeditation.com

    Go in Peace, 

    AChuck

    4forFRIDAY with AChuckAllen

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    This week’s 4forFRIDAY February 7, 2019

    I love to share good reads, learnings, listens and reviews with friends and followers. So, thanks for joining me on my 4forFRIDAY BLOG. Each week, the 4forFRIDAY offers recommended Reads, Listens, Learnings and Reviews, simply for your enjoyment. Thanks Again! If you don’t already subscribe to my Weekday Meditation Podcast, I encourage you to check it out HERE.

    A Best Picture Oscar Nominee: The Irishman

    Each year, Jenny and I try to see every movie nominated for “Best Picture.” This year, we have seen seven of the nine films nominated and this one stood out (more to come). Minus the fact that I think DeNiro is a boorish and rude human being, I enjoyed the film. Fast paced and plenty of blood and guts. It’s not for the faint of hearted and it’s a bit spicy, but we both enjoyed it. Think Godfather meets the Untouchables.

    Another Best Picture Oscar Nominee: Parasite

    Okay, not everyone will find this film interesting as it is as quirky as they get. There is really only one gross scene, but the plot is so ridiculous that it held my attention, even with subtitles. Worth seeing, wait for PPV.

    A Really Fun Email Subscription: The Discoverer.com

    I really love getting these emails for evening reading. They have reshaped a few of my bucket list destinations. It’s a true Modern Travel Guide. The Discoverer transports you to far off destinations directly from your inbox. Start your week happier, smarter with this wanderlust-inducing travel inspiration.

    My Favorite Charger for iPhone: PowerWave Stand 7.5W from Anker

    Qi-Certified 7.5W for iPhone Xs Max XR XS X 8/8 Plus, 10W Fast Charging Samsung Galaxy S10 S9 S8, Note 10 Note 9. This little gem is designed to help ease the use of your smartphone as a nightstand clock without fumbling through cables.

    My Spiritual Journals, Power Routines is now available at the Sugar Hill Church Store and Amazon. Instigating the habits of Gratitude, Scripture Reading, Journaling and Guided Prayer is a powerful way to CHANGE THE TRAJECTORY OF YOUR LIFE! Pick up your copies of POWER ROUTINES at Sugar Hill Church or Amazon.

    A Quote from Simon Sinek

    “People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it.
    And what you do simply proves what you believe.”

    The Weekday Podcast and the Weekday Meditation

    The Podcast is a 5 minute/day, 5 day/week Cup of Encouragement, straight from the Scriptures. The Meditation is about 7 minutes/day, 5/day/week and is designed to give you a combined and guided prayer/meditation experience.

    Both of these resources are available on the Sugar Hill Church APP or WeekdayPodcast.com & WeekdayMeditation.com

    Go in Peace,

    AChuck

    4forFRIDAY with A-ChuckAllen

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    This week’s 4forFRIDAY January 24, 2019

    I love to share good reads, learnings, listens and reviews with friends and followers. So, thanks for joining me on my 4forFRIDAY BLOG. Each week, the 4forFRIDAY offers recommended Reads, Listens, Learnings and Reviews, simply for your enjoyment. Thanks Again! If you don’t already subscribe to my Weekday Meditation Podcast, I encourage you to check it out HERE.

    A Best Picture Oscar Nominee: JoJo Rabbit

    Each year, Jenny and I try to see every movie nominated for “Best Picture.” This year, we have seen six of the nine films nominated and this one stood out (more to come). JoJo Rabbit is a World War II satire that follows a lonely German boy named JoJo whose world view is turned upside down when he discovers his single mother is hiding a young Jewish girl in their attic. Aided only by his idiotic imaginary friend, Adolf Hitler, JoJo must confront his blind nationalism. It’s weirdly interesting!

    A Really Good Novel: The Dry by Jane Harper

    After getting a note demanding his presence, Federal Agent Aaron Falk arrives in his hometown for the first time in decades to attend the funeral of his best friend, Luke. Twenty years ago when Falk was accused of murder, Luke was his alibi. Falk and his father fled under a cloud of suspicion, saved from prosecution only because of Luke’s steadfast claim that the boys had been together at the time of the crime. But now more than one person knows they didn’t tell the truth back then, and Luke is dead.

    A Really Good Show from Masterpiece Theatre: Jamestown

    From the same folks that brought us Downton Abbey. Set in 17th-century Virginia, this drama series follows the lives of the first settlers in the English colony of Jamestown. Alice, Verity and Jocelyn arrive ready to marry three men in the colony who have paid for the women’s transition to the New World. But upon their arrival, they quickly recognize the power struggles within the community, which reach all the way up to the new governor and his staff.

    An Essential Read for Married Couples: 10 Little Habits that Can Lead to Divorce (and How to Avoid Them)

    Yes, that is the correct title of this article. It is spot on and every couple, together for one month or thirty years can benefit from this brief, but poignant read.

    My Spiritual Journals, Power Routines is now available at the Sugar Hill Church Store and Amazon. Instigating the habits of Gratitude, Scripture Reading, Journaling and Guided Prayer is a powerful way to CHANGE THE TRAJECTORY OF YOUR LIFE! Pick up your copies of POWER ROUTINES at Sugar Hill Church or Amazon.

    A Quote from Frederick Keonig

    “We tend to forget that happiness doesn’t come as a result of getting something we don’t have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have.”

    The Weekday Podcast and the Weekday Meditation

    The Podcast is a 5 minute/day, 5 day/week Cup of Encouragement, straight from the Scriptures. The Meditation is about 7 minutes/day, 5/day/week and is designed to give you a combined and guided prayer/meditation experience.

    Both of these resources are available on the Sugar Hill Church APP or WeekdayPodcast.com & WeekdayMeditation.com

    Go in Peace, 
    AChuck

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