Hey y'all welcome back to the Don't Mom Alone podcast. I am your host Heather McFadden,

and this is the place where I'm going to walk alongside you and connect you with people

and resources who remind you you're not alone. In this episode number 236, I am chatting

with my new friend Erin Moon.

It is about fasting and it's also about feasting. When we take things away from ourselves

and whatever you fast from during Lent, it's the thing that you are thinking of right now

that you don't actually want to fast from.

And which is the worst part. And you deny yourself. And that is so good for us. For the

most part, there's not a lot that we want that we don't get. Father Thomas McKenzie

says in his book The Anglican Weight, the purpose of these disciplines is not to

punish ourselves for our sins. Jesus took all the punishment for us. Rather, the disciplines

are meant to empty us so that the Lord may fill us. We are making ourselves available

to Christ in hopes of growing our faith. And I think when we get into a mindset closely

related to Jesus as he fasted and prayed, we are getting closer to him. We are removing

distractions. We're waiting, but we're not wasting our time.

John Moon is the author of O Heavy Lightness, a guide to Lent and Holy Week. And I invited

her on the show this week because I was curious to learn more about Lent and to connect you

with a resource that could help you if you're considering observing it this year. Maybe

you and your family have observed Advent in the past leading up to Christmas and you're

wanting to do the same kind of meaningful journey towards Easter.

Well, Erin's going to talk through all the things, including her background growing up in

the Southern Baptist Church and then how her family has been led to worship at an Anglican

...