Lenten Calendar 2021

My finished calendar for Lent.  A variety of templates and ideas are posted here on Sybil MacBeth's Praying in Color blog.  Her finished calendar is posted here.

Once again, I'm so glad to have done this activity of daily prayer drawings, with words and meditations layered into the lines and colors. 

Note: each drawing space is small, about an inch wide, so you may want to click on the drawing for a better view.  

• Copic markers, Uniball gold gel impact pen, white gel pen, yellow colored pencil
  
• Pen: Copic multiliners, black, sky blue, cobalt, purple
• Paper: Neenah
• Words: 
• Week 1: Ashes, Renew, Hope, Enlighten
• Week 2: Mighty to save, Thaw, Grateful, Turn, Mend/ heal, Thirst, His mercy endures forever
• Week 3: Follow, Presence, Lift up, Pray, Remember, Be still and know, Redeem
• Week 4: Give life, Believe, Grace, Learn, Promise, Connect, Inspire
  
• Week 5: Journey, Faith, Sustain, Bless, Centering, Stir, Loving-kindness
• Week 6: Embrace, Dwell in safety, Lord, Rest, Kyrie eleison, Release, Forgiven
  
• Week 7 (Holy Week): Hosanna, Help us, There/Here, Lay aside every weight (Hebrews 12:1), Given for us, God so loves (adapted from John 3:16).  The last day doesn't have words.
  

Lenten Calendar 2019

Since I didn't draw a calendar for this past Advent season, I was very ready to start one for Lent!  I've kept it simple, just a few words from the season's scriptures or prayers, as they connect to my daily events and experiences, with a bit of drawing and coloring.  Note: each drawing space is small, about an inch wide, so you may want to click on the drawing for a better view. 

Added Saturday, April 20, 2019:  This is my finished calendar update, with the drawings complete through today in Holy Week. Though my drawings end with the sorrow and darkness of Holy Saturday, there is joy in our faith of Easter's resurrection.

In the past, I've used a variety of templates (click here for more of my Lent and Easter posts, or here for my Advent calendar posts).  You can find this grid and other templates on my friend Sybil's Praying in Color blog, along with her current Lent calendar drawing. 

• Copic markers; colored pencil for April 1 bench
• Pen: Copic multiliner 0.3, 0.5, and 1.0 black
• Paper: Neenah
• Words:
• Week 1: Ash; Slow; Draw near; Wash
• Week 2: The time is now; Rough; Give me vision; Walk - put one foot in front of the other; Look for truth; Make in us new and contrite hearts; Spare your people, O Lord
• Week 3: Sustain; Gather; Trust; Seek Him; Wait patiently for the Lord; Show me your way, O Lord; Sounds of great gladness
• Week 4: Deeply; Keep me safe; Read and meditate; Come to me, all who are weary and heavy laden -
• Week 5: And I will give you rest; Teach me; Mercy; Be reconciled to God; Who gives life to the world
• Week 6: For our sake; Lift up your hearts; He remembers that we are but dust; I will guide you with my eye; Now is the day of salvation; Hide not; Forgive
• Week 7: Hosanna; Oh... hush... ; Gifts of God; Darkness.

Lenten Calendar 2017

It's been several years since my last Lenten calendar, and it felt very good to create one this year.   I used a cross template drawn by my friend Sybil, adding a few lines and a "Lent 2017" heading.

The drawing spaces are quite small, typically 3/4" - 1" wide, and in my post, the image will look a bit blurry, so please click on it for a better view.  Each day's space is very simple - a word or phrase chosen from the daily scriptures or prayers in a Lenten meditation booklet, with a simple drawing or just a bit of color.  I like the little icon spaces and the overall color and energy that emerged.

If you'd like to consider this for next year's Lent, click here for more info, including several templates.  Sybil posted her completed 2017 calendar here.  For all of my Lent and Easter drawings and calendars, click here.  For my Advent calendars, click here.

• Copic markers
• Pen: Copic multiliner 0.3, 0.5, and 1.0 black
• Paper: Neenah
• In filling in the template, I moved back and forth unevenly from the bottom, saving the spaces in the cross for Ash Wednesday and Holy Week.  So I'll list my words by row (row 1 is at the bottom) instead of by date.
• Cross: (starting from bottom) Ash Wed. We are dust. And God loves us.; you welcomed me; entrusting; (Holy Saturday) no words; (Left to right) Love one another; good; how very good; Hosanna; (Top of cross: Easter Sunday) Risen!
• Row 1: wilderness; connect us; bound by love; all things in common; our hope for healing
• Row 2: mighty to save; fellowship in Jesus; love one another; we are God's field; where 2 or 3 are gathered
• Row 3: humility; no words; if we satisfy others' needs, he will satisfy our needs; embrace and hold fast; he is our peace; revive my soul
• Row 4: we are created in God's image; do not fear; show mercy; no words; keep us; your will be done
• Row 5: in one spirit; serve one another; Christ the true bread; compassion; no words; that we may have life
• Row 6: no words; do not be afraid; varieties of gifts; glorify; grace to love; persevere
• Row 7: peace be with you; encourage one another; break every yoke; no words

Lenten Prayer Calendar (2014) - Final

My completed prayer calendar for Lent.  Updated Easter Sunday, April 20, 2014.  As always, I'm so glad I did the calendar drawings this year.

Click here for more info, including a template link.  Also, each drawing space is small, about 1 inch wide, so you may want to click on the drawing for a better view. 

• Copic markers
• Pen: Copic multiliner 0.3 black; 0.3 cool gray for March 24-28 and April 19; 0.3 cobalt for April 6; 0.3 purple for April 7; 0.3 purple and olive for April 16; 0.3 brown and wine for April 17.
• Paper: Neenah
• Words March 5-8: Ash; Broken; Center, enter in; Peace, be still; 
• Words March 9-15: Prepare with joy; Trust; Renew; In Your mercy; Journey; Fallen; Repent and return
• Words March 16-22: Seek where he is found; Rest; Grace; Healing; Faith; Steadfast; Be born of the spirit
• Words March 23-29: For our sake; Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world; Have mercy on us, grant us peace
• Words March 30-April 5: 40 days/nights; Fasting: Live as children of the Light. Ephesians 5; Hope; So shall all be made alive; Refresh us; Gratitude 
• Words April 6-12: Lord, hear our prayer; Wait for the Lord; (no words); Love-Break-Mend-Repeat; Cast your burdens upon the Lord; Out of the depths have I called to you O Lord; For there is forgiveness with you
• Words April 7-19: Hosanna - Palm Sunday; O Savior of the world; Guide us; Amen; Body blood; Goodness and mercy; (no words)

Lenten Calendar 2014 - Templates

We're in the church season of Lent, starting on Wednesday, March 5.  My friend Sybil created two templates for a Lenten prayer calendar on her Praying in Color blog.  I'm using her calendar box format this year. 

Adding some daily words, colors, and doodles will help me focus and reflect as we move through Lent to the celebration of Easter.  To see my past Lenten prayer calendar drawings, click here.

Lenten Calendar 2013 - Templates

For Lent, which begins this year on Wednesday, February 13, my friend Sybil has posted several different Lenten prayer calendar templates on her Praying in Color blog. I'm planning to use her "path" calendar.

I may keep it very simple this year - just a daily word and some coloring.  Or maybe I'll also do some drawing and doodling.  Either way, it will help me reflect on the season and prepare for the joy of Easter.

To see my past Lenten prayer calendar drawings, click here.

Lenten Prayer Calendar (2012) - Finished

Since February 22 (Ash Wednesday), I've been drawing daily in my Lenten prayer calendar.

Tomorrow is Easter Sunday, and I've finished my honeycomb of drawings. Simple but satisfying to my eye and heart. Click on the drawing for a better view.

For more information and a link to the template, see my previous post (scroll down or click here.)

• Paper: Neenah

Lenten Prayer Calendar (2012)

For Lent this year, I'm drawing a honeycomb of daily prayers. Each hexagon is 1-1/4" wide, point-to-point.

• If you'd like to try something like this, please click here for my friend Sybil's template to print or download, with daily blank drawing spaces. (Thanks, Sybil, for the hexagons!)
  
• Click here for my 2011 Advent Calendar. Its drawings are more complex. I will probably keep my Lent drawings pretty simple.
  
• Click here for my 2010 Lenten Calendar.
  

Lenten Prayer Calendar (2010) and Perspective

Tiny daily prayer drawings, each a little less than 1" wide. To put things into perspective for me.
It's my picture of Illustration Friday's word for the week, "perspective."

• If you'd like to do something like this, click here for a PDF calendar template to print or download with daily blank drawing spaces for Lent 2010 (February 17 - April 3). It prints on 8.5 x 11" paper, and then can be enlarged on a copy machine to 11 x 17" if you want more room to draw. (Created by my friend Sybil, and used with her permission.)
• Click here for Sybil's "Praying in Color" blog to see her prayer drawings.
• Click here for my 2009 Advent Calendar. Larger and more complex drawings than the ones in my Lenten calendar.
  

Parting of the Red Sea

In the Exodus story, the pillar alternated between fire and cloud. But at our church's Easter Vigil service, during the reading of this passage, my mind's eye saw it as fire and cloud together, with a deep V of water, so that's how I drew it.