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Hello, Reader.

Our family is in Belgium today, eating Belgium waffles and Belgium chocolate, shopping for Belgium lace in the marketplace, and visiting some spectacular Cathedrals, at least one of which was built in the 13th century and took more than 200 years to complete.

It was a perfect day to tour these houses of worship, as today is Ash Wednesday -- the first day of Lent. Did you know that? My family isn't Catholic, but we're all in favor of focusing more attention on the great love God demonstrated toward us by sending His Son to pay the penalty for our sin.

In fact, I love that gospel truth so much, I include it under my signature every week. And since so many of my readers are Catholic -- and knowing that Protestant believers like myself can benefit from these resources as well -- I'm devoting this week's link list to the holy season that begins today. Enjoy!

Free resources for you this week:

• ​Lent Scripture Chain - use this printable to help count down the days until Easter
• ​Should Christians Celebrate Lent? - my answer to a reader's question on this topic
• ​Easter Conversation Starters - foster great discussions throughout the Lenten season
• ​Gospel Tracts for Easter - a simple way to share the good news with others
• ​Let Them Know - this original music video shares the gospel with a little help from Disney

What I'm reading this week:

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I received a question from a reader awhile back asking if I knew of a way she could earn money from home while homeschooling her kids. I could think of a couple suggestions, but knew there had to be resources out there with a lot more ideas that might be a better fit for her circumstances. So, when I saw Chris Guillebeau's 100 Side Hustles, I snagged a copy ASAP. Sure enough, the book is cram-packed with all sorts of creative, think-outside-the-box strategies that have worked beautifully for the case studies he shares. And reading through these 100 bright ideas may trigger even more he didn't mention.

This week's reader request:

I got a message yesterday from a girl who was having trouble finding my Armor of God coloring page. I sent her a direct link, but I've also revamped my coloring page index to make it easier to locate whatever coloring pages you might be looking for. I hope you'll check it out.

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On the podcast this week:

Loving Life at Home: Episode 77 ​GOOD TIMING FOR BIG DECISIONS​ This week on Loving Life at Home, I’m answering a couple of questions about starting a family during medical school. But the principles apply to other big decisions people put off while waiting for perfect timing. ​ Listen Now

Progress on last week's goals:

I checked every last item off my (admittedly short) to-do list last week: I ✅ packed bags for our trip, ✅ made a sample project for leather class my friend will teach in my absence, ✅ cleaned out both our fridges before we left, and ✅ settled on a light-weight embroidery project to do while traveling.

Personal goals for this week:

• enjoy the remainder of our cruise
• put together slide shows for son's/ grandson's upcoming graduation
• finish embroidering quilt squares before heading home
• complete two new pages in my Easter Journal​