Are you looking for something unconventional to offer up for Lent? We asked Life Teen missionaries and our friends on Facebook for cool stuff they’ve done in the past. This is what they shared:
- “This year I’m giving up shoes as often as possible. I’ll still wear shoes if I’m doing a work project or if I have to fly on a plane. But I’m going to avoid going to places that require shoes.” – Paul, a Life Teen Missionary
- “I’m addicted to caffeine so I gave up all drinks but water for Lent two years ago.” – Amanda
- “Last year I didn’t give up anything for Lent, just added more prayer life. This year I am going to add more prayer life and give up Facebook.” – Josephina
- “I gave up spoons and forks. I learned to use chopsticks. It was funny for my friends and made it easy to talk about Lent in a way that people were cool with. We laughed a lot.” – Matt
- “I’ve heard of people giving up their beds for Lent. They slept on the floor or the couch.” – Anna
- “I fasted for all of Lent one year. 1 meal a day really brings souls to Jesus, especially your own!” – Erika
- “I’m going to treat my body as a temple of God during lent… everything I read, watch, listen to, eat, drink, do, say, etc…..focusing on being a temple of God.” – Paul
- “One year for Lent I wrote a letter each day. I made a list of 40 people who have touched my life in one way or another. Each day of Lent, I wrote a person on the list a letter of thanks for how they touched my life and I prayed for that person on that day….it was a WONDERFUL experience!!!” – Patty
- “I tried improving on my spirit of giving.” – Peter
- “This year, I’m giving up the radio in my car in order to focus more on the things that are around me that God created! I can’t wait so I’ve already started doing it!” – Joshua
- “One year I gave up my bed. I slept outside in a tent. And I live in Canada! So it was well below freezing! I even kept a blog on Myspace (that’s all there was at the time!) Another year I made a few shirts out of burlap, and wore one under my regular clothes for all of Lent. Both were hard, but really helped me those years.” – Brandon
- “This year, I’m giving up all sweets, (I work at a frozen yogurt shop) and am going to use the constant reminder to pray for one person in particular every day, I made a list/calendar via Facebook of friends that need/want prayer.” – Aimee
- “I have an issue with vanity, especially when I get ready in the morning. So I decided a couple years ago to just wear the first outfit I put on every morning. What I learned from that was how to get a source of self esteem beyond my outfits.” – Carrie, a Life Teen Missionary
- “I didn’t do this, but last year two of my friends gave up warm water for their showers.” – Maria
- “This year I’m giving up having my phone with me during the day because I’m always checking my email throughout the day. My hope is that having moderation I can be more present to the people around me. I want them to see my deeper connection with God.” – Kaitlin, a Life Teen Missionary
- “I want to listen more.” – Carmelina
- “I have given up makeup in the past, and this year I am giving up meat!” – Kimberly
- “Usually during Lent, on top of giving up something we love but don’t need, we say that any money that is found in the laundry, couches, and anywhere else was God’s money and we gave it to the poor. I remember one of the first years we did this, I found a $20 bill in a parking lot.” – Alyssa
- “Two years ago I went to adoration every day during Lent. I’m not gonna lie, I didn’t make it every day but I made it most of the time and it changed my life to get and be with Jesus that much, it was an awesome experience.” – Jacob
- “I know a girl who said she only listened to Christian music during last year’s Lent. She said it was hard at first, but soon loved the depth and meaning behind many Christian songs.” – Molly
- “Getting more involved in the church….time & talent. More prayer as in…the rosary & Novenas really get into some SERIOUS PRAYER!! Getting help for my depression. Alongside giving up meat on Fridays. Focusing on being a better Christian in general, being more concerned & in tuned to God’s plan for me & my family as opposed to ‘our plans’ for our lives.” – Erika
- “Getting to the 3rd floor using stairs not escalator/elevator.” – Francisca
- “I’ve adopted a priest in Chile…… I offer daily prayers and sacrifices for Father Juan Nunes!!!” – Tony
- “I’ve never done it, but I’ve heard of people giving up the snooze button on their alarm clock. They said that it was harder than they thought, but it taught them a lot about discipline.” – Jessica, a Life Teen Missionary
- “I didn’t do it for all of Lent, but for Holy Week last year I gave up my pillow. Honestly, at first it was fun, but it proved to be hard. But it made me realize how blessed I am to even have a bed.” – Sara, a Life Teen Missionary
Need some more inspiration? Check out our 20 weird things to give up for a Lent that will make you holier.
39 Trackbacks
http://www.lifeteen.com/what-to-give-up-25-creative-ideas-for-lent http://fb.me/JfXKzkQH
Maybe you could use some inspiration. http://fb.me/RpjHD1TW
RT @lifeteen: What to Give Up? 25 Creative Ideas for Lent http://bit.ly/gXu1e4
Don't know what to give up for Lent? Here's some help: http://www.lifeteen.com/what-to-give-up-25-creative-ideas-for-lent
RT @lifeteen: What to Give Up? 25 Creative Ideas for Lent http://bit.ly/gXu1e4
RT @lifeteen: What to Give Up? 25 Creative Ideas for Lent http://bit.ly/gXu1e4
http://www.lifeteen.com/what-to-give-up-25-creative-ideas-for-lent
[...] What to Give Up? 25 Creative Ideas for Lent [...]
[...] to move beyond just giving up chocolate? Last year we gave you 25 Creative Ideas for Lent. This year, we wanted to expand upon that list. Except, if you know us, you know we like to make [...]
[...] From Life Teen – 25 Creative Ideas [...]
[...] What To Give Up For Lent: 25 Creative Ideas by Lifeteen [...]
[...] have so far. As LENT goes on I’m sure I will think of some more ideas. My friend Alli shared this blog post with me over the weekend on unusual Lenten Practices. As I read through the list the [...]
[...] Die amerikanische missionarische Bewegung Life Teen hatte unter ihren jugendlichen Missionaren und unter den eigenen Facebookfreunden nach Fastenopfern gefragt, welche sie schon einmal erbracht haben; kath.net hat 25 davon hier aufgelistet, hier gibts das Ganze im Original. [...]
[...] one of the twenty-five ideas on this list compiled by some creative teens, some of whom gave up their beds and indoor [...]
[...] up your pillow. Some folks on this excellent post (which inspired a lot of these ideas) even gave up their bed. I’m going to say that falls [...]
[...] op te geven? Vorig jaar gaf Life Teen 25 creatieve ideeën voor de vastentijd op hun website (http://lifeteen.com/what-to-give-up-25-creative-ideas-for-lent/). Dit jaar willen we die lijst uitbreiden. Maar als je ons kent dan weet je dat we het leuk vinden [...]
[...] What to Give Up for Lent: 25 Creative Ideas (Life Teen) [...]
[...] Creative Ideas for Lent [...]
[...] I found this on a website listing 25 ideas of what to give up for Lent. [...]
[...] a few articles recently that offer some more creative Lenten fare. Two of my favourites include What to Give Up for Lent: 25 Creative Ideas and What to Give UP for Lent: 20 Weird Ideas. I especially like the ones about not using the [...]
[...] What to Give Up for Lent: 25 Creative Ideas [...]
[...] Life Teen offers 25 ideas about what to give up for Lent [...]
[...] Sì, insomma. La Quaresima si avvicina lentamente, e voi non avete ancora deciso a che cosa rinunciare? Ecco venticinque idee creative, così come vi sono suggerite da venticinque ragazzini che vivono il loro cattolicesimo in quel pazzo mondo che …. [...]
[...] up one thing- Check out the Lifeteen website for some creative ideas (like giving up the elevator/lift, the snooze button or even pillows!) or weird ideas (like [...]
[...] We LOVE this list from Lifeteen.com [...]
[...] ideas from LifeTeen here and here. Got any other sites with good [...]
[...] – I know that most of this would go against Simcha’s (wise) caution to avoid getting too cute about our Lenten sacrifices, but I enjoyed reading this list of 25 unique things teens gave up for Lent. [...]
[...] http://lifeteen.com/what-to-give-up-25-creative-ideas-for-lent/ [...]
[...] at the end of Lent (cue pre-thought-up blog post)! To fuel some ideas of your own, I found this blog post which is sure to give you some ideas of what you might be willing to give up for [...]
[...] more ideas on what to give up for Lent this year check out the links here and here and [...]
[...] WHAT TO GIVE UP FOR LENT: 25 CREATIVE IDEAS by LifeTeen [...]
[...] lifeteen.com [...]
[...] What to give up for Lent–twenty-five creative ideas, and twenty more weird ones. [...]
[...] up with 25 creative ideas for Lent, and some of these are amazing. A letter a day for 40 days to people you appreciate? [...]
[...] http://lifeteen.com/what-to-give-up-25-creative-ideas-for-lent/ [...]
[...] What to Give Up for Lent: 25 Creative Ideas [...]
[...] http://lifeteen.com/what-to-give-up-25-creative-ideas-for-lent/ [...]
[...] Some more ideas from the LIFETEEN site. I especially love [...]
[...] like “anywhere I have to wear shoes,” “the last bite of my food,” and “spoons and forks.” As tempting as a barefoot jaunt through the snow is, I figured I should perhaps put a little more [...]