Growing up in a small Episcopal church in Jacksonville, I remember making palm crosses behind the church before Palm Sunday. As kids, we handed them out to celebrate the King entering Jerusalem.

What I didn’t understand at the time was that those same palm branches would later be burned. The ashes collected. And the following year, those ashes would be placed on our foreheads on Ash Wednesday.

In this Espresso Shot episode, we explore the history of Ash Wednesday, the biblical symbolism of ashes, and why this ancient practice doesn’t have to feel foreign to evangelicals. Ashes are not about earning grace. They are a visible reminder of repentance, mortality, and our need for Christ.

Tradition isn’t the enemy. But tradition without memory can become hollow.

Whether you’ve observed Ash Wednesday for years or have never experienced it at all, the invitation is simple: remember you are dust, repent, and prepare your heart.

Grace. Grit. Grounds.

#AshWednesday