"What are you giving up for Lent?" we are asked. Our minds begin to whirl: Chocolate? Designer coffee? Social media? Forty days later, some feel disappointed in their efforts (it was a limited-time blend . . . ), some feel surprised by their success (didn't even miss it . . . ), but perhaps precious few feel spiritually renewed.

Can such fasts alone truly prepare us to celebrate Easter? Or any other chosen time of reflection during the year?

Or could it be that before we can be duly awed by resurrection, we need to daily honour crucifixion?

40 Days of Decrease emphasizes a different type of fast. What if you or your church fasted comparison? What if your family fasted accumulation? What if your office fasted gossip?

40 Days of Decrease guides readers through a study of Jesus' uncommon and uncomfortable call to abandon the world's illusions, embrace His kingdom's reality, and journey cross-ward and beyond.

Each daily, 1000-word entry will include

• a devotional based on Jesus' cross-ward life;
• a reflection question to guide journaling or group discussion;
• a fast to inspire a tangible response;
• a thought-provoking Lenten quote;
• a sidebar into the historical development of Lent.