Note to Self-Last Chance

Lent 2023!

CBS This Morning runs a neat segment called Note to Self, in which twenty-first century luminaries pen advice and encouragement to the young people they once were. Note to Self is a moving reflection on the joys and challenges of growing up.

What if OSLC did our own version of Note to Self for the upcoming Lenten devotional?  What would you write a younger version of yourself?  It will be a powerful way for us to grow as a church family doing our own devotional! Your piece will be an ANONYMOUS letter to the younger version of you.  What would you want a 20 or 30-year-old version of you to know?  What might you want that person to avoid or see?  In 300-400 words, what wisdom would you impart?  We need writers…this means YOU!

Kelly Strosin and Amy Hearne will edit and put our booklet together.  Lent begins Wednesday, February 22^nd.  Your devotional will be due by Monday, January 16^th.

The scripture guiding our Lenten journey will be the story of the man born blind from John 9:1-41. It’s a wonderful story of Jesus restoring sight to a man born blind while everyone around the man becomes blind to the glory of God.  We all have some sort of blindness and God offers us the chance to see, understand and behold!

• Begin with prayer and reflection. Let God’s WORD be at work in you. Read John 9:1-41. Get into God’s Word.  Place yourself in the story or text.  What speaks to you in the story?    

• Connect John 9:1-41 with your own experience. You are unique and your insights have the power to guide, challenge and comfort others. Have you ever been blind to something and later gained insight about it? Hindsight is 20/20.  What can you now see the younger version of you couldn’t?  

• Remain within a 300 – 400 word limit for the combined length of the devotional and prayer. (For a word count, see Review in MS-Word.) This limit fits the page dimensions of the booklet we will make. Please note: your devotion may be edited for the sake of consistency and continuity.   

• Include a short 1-2 line prayer with your Note to Self.

• Please email your devotional and prayer to Kelly (office@oslcwb.org) BY JANUARY 16th either in the body of the message or as an attached Word document. Having an electronic copy of what you write helps greatly with getting the booklet prepared.  Submitting your devotional by or before the deadline assures the booklet will be ready to go to the printer on time.  

• Hand-written entries will also be gladly accepted. Please turn into the church office by JANUARY 16^th.

• We must have your devotional by the deadline in order to include it in the booklet. If you hit a writer’s block or for other reasons are not able to complete the assignment, please contact Pastor Jim or Sherie so we can help.