After what seemed like one of the most brutal January and some of February I’ve remembered in a long time, it does appear that spring is definitely in the air. Not only is there more daylight and the temperatures are not falling as far, especially at night, but today I stepped out the back door of my house to first the sound and then the sight of a gaggle of Canada Geese lifting off from the field next door.

We have had rain and some mild weather the last couple of days so the soil is exposed on the field. The field was harvested last fall but not ploughed so I expect there is seed for them to eat readily available and the rain would have left small puddles of water in the field. There is nothing that screams “Spring is almost here” to me than the return of the Canada Geese.

Having said that, I guess with southern songbirds having been found further north than their usual habitat due to climate change, it likely wont be long before the Canada Geese don’t make their traditional migration south.

With the approach of spring comes the Christian season of Lent. It actually began last Wednesday with Ash Wednesday. I don’t usually shoot for giving anything up for Lent. I’m more inclined towards taking something on, like a Lenten study or a personal study.

The Lenten study this year at Trinity is going to involve two parts. The first part is exploring the theology of Harry Potter and the Philospher’s Stone. I have never read the Harry Potter books. I’ve seen some of the movies but haven’t seen them from a theological viewpoint. I have the book and have started reading it. I’ll watch the movie after. My experience is that the book always has more detail than the book.

Then, of course, I’ll do some searching on the net to find some material. While I’m at it, I’ll be looking for a similar study on Wall-e. I’ve seen the movie and found it cute but haven’t really thought of it from a faith standpoint. Should be an interesting Lenten study.

Personally, I’m going to try to make some progress in my Bible in 365 study. I have a chart with readings which will allow me to complete reading the bible, including apocrypha, in 365 days. Since it is based on a number of days not a set calendar period, I can move through at my own pace. I’m shooting for having reached day 25 by the endof Lent.

What are you doing for Lent? Giving up or taking on something?