Lenten Feast

Giddings-Lovejoy Transitional Presbytery Leader
Rev. Dr. Craig Howard
choward@glpby.org
Lenten Feast
I spent my Christian development in the Pentecostal church. Lent was a time of fasting and prayer. The pastor would challenge us to fast for 40 days (one meal a day, not including weekends). The church would be open each day for prayer. It was a time to seek God’s face regarding God’s will for us. Lent was a time of fellowship, Bible reading, stomach cramps and headaches!
Different faith traditions have different ways of understanding the scripture, and living a life that reflects that claims Jesus is Lord.
As a Presbyterian, I have adopted a less physically rigorous Lenten ritual. After going through years of “giving up” something pleasurable like chocolate, wine, or movies, I have recently taken another route. A couple of years ago, Deborah Block, pastor of Immanuel Church in Milwaukee, gave me an idea. She challenged me to use Lent (and Advent) as a time to feed my mind and spirit. As a response, I now read a book a week for Lent.
My Lenten reading is designed to stir my imagination, light the coals of justice in my heart, and challenge me to ask the bigger questions about my place in the world, appreciate the value of life, and what is God calling me to do as an African American man in St. Louis.
It is always exciting to choose the six books I will read. As you view my list (they’re not in any particular order), I invite you to join me. You don’t have to read my books. But if you see one that peaks your interest, let me know and we can schedule a conversation about the book.
I’m leaving my list one book short this year. It is a book I would like for you to recommend to me. I already read my Bible, so you don’t have to suggest that one!! If you’ve read a good book recently and want to share it, send me the title. In the meantime, have a fulfilling Lenten feast this year!
Craig Howard Lenten Reading 2017
Tomorrow Is Now: It Is Today That We Must Create the World of the Future, Eleanor Roosevelt
(“This book is Eleanor Roosevelt’s manifesto and her final effort to move America toward the community she hoped it would become.”)
The Cross of Redemption: Uncollected Writings, James Baldwin
(Baldwin inspires me to think broadly as he writes from the perspective of an African American male living in the 1960’s)
Black Hole Blues and Other Songs from Outer Space, Janna Levin
(“This is a splendid book that I recommend to anyone with an interest in how science works and in the power of human imagination and ability.” —John Gribbin, The Wall Street Journal)
Waking Up White, and Finding Myself in the Story of Race, Debby Irvine
(The moderators of the PC(USA) recommend this book for the entire denomination. I’m reading it to find the language to discuss White Privilege in a non-offensive way)
The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration, Isabel Wilkerson
(My Grandparents migrated to Chicago from South Carolina around 1925. This story will help me relive their journey)