DD,


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>IMO grace tosses all this stuff about observing or not observing this or that right out the window. I am, of course, presuming that all this stuff about observing lent is springing from a genuine desire to know and fellowship with God rather than yo give one's self a rationalization for somehow feeling spiritually superior by one's actions or non-actions, to others. <g> If it is the former rather than the latter (genuine v phony) it is (scripturally and IMO) a huge waste of time. If it is the latter, well, welcome to the Club of Pharisees. < bg > God doesn't love me any more nor any less because I do or do not do this or that. He simply loves me. He demonstrated that at the cross. I respond to this love by choosing to surrender my will to His in daily life. Such choices can never be coerced nor should they.

You might be looking at this, Doug, through the "wrong end of the telescope". Lenten disciplines are simply intended to bring us closer to God by attempting to become more of the person that He would have us be. Nothing more, nothing less. IOW, it isn't an attempt to "get good with God", nor to earn somehow more of His love. The latter is given to us unconditionally.

>However, to answer the question as to whether one should live a life that would be in accordance to the principles espoused by the Lenten period I'd say that there is a lot of value there. Everywhere I read of such matter in the scriptures we are always enjoined to moderation and love-driven lifestyles. In that I would totally agree. Just not with the human-invented regulatory stuff that seeks to pretend that it is from God when in fact that there is no observable scriptural basis for such an observance.
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>Additionally, I do believe in fasting and in that light I think that there is value - depending on the motive before God.
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>How's that for being a "Bible thumping maniac"? <g>

Didn't hear one "thump".< g >

>One other thing... What the heck does this have to do woth 5-packs of VFP? Is VFP a Lent-Approved product? <g>

No, but AFAIK, VFP is kosher with most of us here.:-)