By Tracy Simmons SpokaneFAVS.com I’m all about deadlines, which is probably why I didn’t decide until this morning what I was going to do for Lent. Last year I gave up Dr. Pepper. Resisting from carbonated water and artificial flavoring, though, didn’t exactly create more space for God in my …

Call if Shrove Tuesday, Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras – whatever you want. Whatever you call it, tonight, on the eve of Lent, many Christians will feast on pancakes. Why pancakes, you ask? Because it's tradition. Nowadays most people give up something like chocolate or meat during Lent, but once upon …

I have been working with refugees since October of 2006, when our family agreed to host a family of five Karen refugees from Burma through World Relief, an international refugee resettlement organization with a great office in Spokane. These were the first Karen people to come to Spokane and because …

Lent started a couple days early for the ESPN editor who wrote a headline about Knicks phenom Jeremy Lin that recalled an ethnic slur against Chinese. Anthony Federico, 28,was fired on Sunday for the gaffe, which he said had no racist intent. “ESPN did what they had to do,” said …

By Tracy Simmons SpokaneFAVS.com Buddhist teachings are practical, useable and helpful. At least, they can be if adherents strive to strengthen their minds, Ven. Bhante Seelawimala said Saturday morning at the opening service of the 65th annual Northwest Buddhist Convention. He was one of 300 Buddhists who gathered in downtown …

Next week marks the beginning of the Lenten season for Western churches. Traditionally the season is kicked off with pancake suppers on Shrove Tuesday (pancakes are eaten because many people refrain from the food's main ingredients — sugar, flour and eggs — during Lent). Then, on Ash Wednesday, many Christians …