IVP - Behind the Books - A Lenten Blog Tour

A Lenten Blog Tour

On February 22nd, we enter into the season of Lent. Many may misunderstand this time or feel indifferent to it, but this is a transformative period. Kimberlee Conway Ireton, in her book, The Circle of Seasons, describes it this way:

Lent has begun, and I need—we all need—to live in this space, this dark place between the ashes and the bread and wine, between the declaration of our mortality and the declaration of Christ’s redeeming work on our behalf. That is what Lent is, a time to reckon with the reality of darkness and death. We do so with hope, because this season of darkness ends in Easter, in resurrection, in new life. But we can be raised to new life only if we have first died to the old one. That is the challenge—and the gift—of Lent.

We hope to accept this challenge and feel gratitude for this gift throughout the coming months. To help us, we’ve invited several IVP authors to contribute their thoughts and devotions to a Lenten blog tour.

Every Monday until Easter, a Lenten reflection by one of our authors will be posted on his or her own personal blog. A variety of authors have volunteered, and we are excited to share the different perspectives of each during this holy season.

Follow the tour—

February 20th (Available now!): Rachel Stone, forthcoming author

February 27th: Margot Starbuck, author of Girl in the Orange Dress, Unsqueezed and Small Things with Great Love

March 5th: J. Brent Bill, co-author of Awaken Your Senses

March 12th: Logan Mehl-Laituri, forthcoming author of Reborn on the 4th of July

March 19th: Andrew Byers, author of Faith Without Illusions

March 26th: Valerie Hess, author of Spiritual Disciplines Devotional

April 2nd: Beth Booram, co-author of Awaken Your Senses

Good Friday, April 6th: Chad Young, author of Authenticity

Share this schedule and follow with us as we explore this sacred season of Lent.

If you’re interested in other Lenten resources, two new books from IVP can help you in your own reflections throughout the season—

On the Way to the Cross: Edited by Thomas C. Oden and Joel C. Elowsky; Compiled by Cindy Crosby

A 40-day guide featuring Scripture readings, reflections from the Church fathers and a closing prayer each day.

Shaped By the Cross: by Ken Gire

Seven meditations on the suffering of Jesus from reflections on Michelangelo’s majestic Pieta, in which Mary gathers the suffering Jesus into her arms.