We often think of Lent as a season of deprivation. We're supposed to “give up” something we love (chocolate, wine, movies) for the next six weeks, though we're never quite sure why. What's more, we can hardly wait until it's over so we can go back to “normal life.” But there's another, more spiritually effective way to approach Lent. We can look at it as a special, set-apart time for getting back to what's truly important.

How do we do this? We try letting different things go for a short period—for example, we give up the Internet for a day, we cut up one credit card, we leave our cell phone home—with the goal of getting to know ourselves at a deeper level. What drives most of what we think about? What motivates us to action? What unconscious habits determine how we live each day? Lenten practices of simplification can help reveal who we really are—while at the same time opening the door to long-term transformation. This webinar offers suggestions for specific Lenten experiments rooted in the spiritual wisdom of the ancient Christian desert fathers and mothers.