We can’t miss the countdown to Christmas, especially the ubiquitous ads reminding us how many shopping days are left. But our culture pays little attention to the lead-up to Easter. The biggest signs, Mardi Gras and marshmallow Peeps, have nothing to do with what we Christians celebrate on this amazing day.

Easter celebrates the central belief of our faith—that Christ conquered death so that we might live. This deserves some contemplation. Many denominations achieve this through Lent, 40 days of preparation for Easter. This year’s Lent season started on Wednesday of this week.

What does Lent mean to you? Giving up chocolate or caffeine? Or is it a special time for you?

Last Sunday I spoke at Marine View Presbyterian Church in Tacoma, Wash. The congregation is fired up to focus their Lent observance on The Hole in Our Gospel Six-Week Quest, an interactive study based on my book. Thirty small groups are working through the curriculum and DVD. The Gospel Quest turns the major themes of The Hole in Our Gospel into a visually engaging, what-will-you-do-about-it call to understand how our individual salvation gives us new life—and draws us into God’s mission of redemption and justice for the whole world.

Lent is a good time to prepare not just for Christ’s resurrection but for God’s call on your life. And the Gospel Quest is a good tool to help you do that.

As it turns out, Lent is about giving something up: ourselves. Easter can be an opportunity to dedicate all of ourselves to Christ, to live as ambassadors for Him—right here, right now, in a world that desperately needs Him.

What are you doing to prepare your heart and our world for Easter’s miraculous message?