Daily Lenten Offering

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

—Romans 15:13

Holy God, I make too many lists and am ashamed at how little I do. I make too many plans and feel guilt for falling through. I make too many excuses and hold too many regrets. Shake the dust off my spirit and set me free of anxiety and insecurity. Amen.

Today, we suggest a podcast for the adults and two short videos for kids.

Ten Percent Happier with Dan Harris: Esther Perel on the One Thing that Will Improve the Quality of Your Life

Esther Perel is a psychotherapist, bestselling author, and the host of the hit podcast Where Should We Begin? In this conversation Esther and Dan explore: 

• How to get around the obstacles that hinder connection with other people 
• The role of conflict in relationships and why we shouldn’t be afraid of it
• Ways to get better at experiencing anxiety or discomfort so that you can better handle the ups and downs of life
• And the simple thing you can do right now to make yourself happier

This short film tells the story of a boy who rather spends his time indoors playing video games instead of discovering what’s waiting outside. 

“The Present”

After watching: What did you notice about how play and playfulness changed the boy’s mood? Why do you think the boy was so mean to the dog to start?

This Pixar short is a beautiful example of how hard it can be to make friends. Some people are mean and don’t make space for us to be a part of the group or even just to be ourselves. 

“For the Birds”

After watching: What did you notice about the smaller birds? How was the larger bird different? At the end, the larger bird laughs… do you think it was mean-spirited or could it be a laughter the smaller birds could join in on?