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(Cross-posted at BreakPoint Blog)

There are many things that I dearly love about my evangelical Protestant church, but there is one thing about it that I regret: the lack of traditional church holidays. Every year around this time, I start hearing people talk about what they're going to give up for Lent, and I start thinking, I should try that.

But I have very little training in giving things up, and whenever I start mentally running down the list of creature comforts I could sacrifice, that quickly becomes apparent. My thought process goes something like this . . .

Sugar. You're kidding, right?

How about just chocolate? Out of my cold. Dead. Hands.

Coffee. Only if you don't want me awake while I'm editing this blog.

TV. Please. I don't have enough DVR space for all the shows I'd have to record and save.

Novels. Oh, sure. Why don't you just pull out my fingernails one by one?

. . . Clearly, self-sacrifice is not my strong point. I don't want to blame the church for that -- it's my fault, not theirs. Still, I wonder if a little leadership and encouragement from the church in a yearly exercise like this might not be a good thing for those of us who tend to get addict-- er, attached to our pleasures.