A reflection on Ash Wednesday
Four years ago I was sitting among a few male friends on campus in the lounge of our University Ministries offices. We had decided, a few weeks back, to form this group so we could spend some time in closer mentorship with our University Minister. At the time, I was struggling through reconciling my journey of self-discovery and my faith. Some of that reconciliation was earth-shattering. And while I never brought that up with this particular group, I was comforted by their companionship as we talked weekly about other struggles. This particular Wednesday night also happened to be Ash Wednesday. Earlier in the evening, I had joined with my church family in Nashville to observe the ritual of receiving ashes. At Glendale, my small, liberal Baptist church, we received ashes in the shape of a circle, denoting the cyclical pattern of life and of our faith journeys. This night was my first encounter with Ash Wednesday at a church of my genuine choosing. It was also the first time I had e