This year, as a Lenten practice, “add” something new, rather than giving up something. And as you do these things, take a moment to thank God for giving you this opportunity, and ask God what God wants you to learn from it. God bless your Lenten journey!

  1. Compliment a stranger
  2. Adopt a pet
  3. Drink more water
  4. Read a book by a person of color or a young person
  5. Read a classic novel you’ve always wanted to read
  6. Call a high school friend
  7. Walk a mile every day (or a block or 2 miles, whatever would be challenging)
  8. Pray a new way – sit in a different place, walk, try silent meditation
  9. Forgive someone
  10. Sing in the car
  11. Clean out a closet
  12. Stop gossiping
  13. Throw out 40 unused items in 40 days
  14. Donate. Clothes, money, volunteer hours, an old car
  15. Write a short story
  16. Write a letter to a dead parent or friend
  17. Write a love letter to yourself
  18. Meet a neighbor
  19. Invite someone to Easter service
  20. Journal every day for 40 days
  21. Think of 3 things you are grateful for every day
  22. Talk less, smile more (From the musical, “Hamilton”!)
  23. Thank your mailman or delivery people
  24. Eat a fruit or vegetable at every meal
  25. Read poetry
  26. Go to a museum
  27. Take the train somewhere
  28. Watch less television
  29. Take a boat ride
  30. Buy new socks for yourself. Buy a pair for someone else while you’re at it
  31. Write thank you notes every Sunday. Or every day.
  32. Try a daily devotional on your phone, online or by book
  33. Pay cash for everything for a day or a week or a month
  34. Give up Starbucks for a month and donate that money to a charity you admire
  35. Clean out your refrigerator
  36. Clean out your garage. Or pay a nice kid to help you clean out your garage.
  37. Read a biography on someone you admire. Or someone you’ve never understood
  38. Read an entire book of the Bible, maybe in one sitting
  39. Create something worthwhile. This might be as simple as an omelet.
  40. Take deep breaths at least once an hour