The season of Lent - the 40 days before Easter - was designed by the church as a period of penitence that traditionally calls for individuals to fast. In the past, such fasts meant abstaining from certain foods, but in our noisy, technology-driven era, church leaders and individuals are beginning to consider fasting from certain types of technology.

Eric Bonness, lead pastor of the Real Life Church of the Nazarene, recommends people planning to fast - for Lent or otherwise - consider something other than a traditional food-based fast.

"I recommend fasting from noise - for some that will mean cell phones, for some texting, for some the Internet or TV," Bonness said. "Consider eliminating any of these different things we do that don't allow us to be quiet and concentrate on our inner, spiritual side."

Bonness also said it is important for people in our culture to consider giving up simple comforts and things that cause us to be overly busy.

"Our culture is so comfort-oriented that fasting is very critical," he said. "Many of us are addicted to luxuries and comforts. What fasting does is strip away those comforts that might be keeping us from relying on God."

Bonness said that anything a person relies on for comfort can separate one from God.

"For me," he said, "it can be as simple as my desire to veg - you know, just be still and not think and watch TV or whatever. It's not that any of these things on their own are particularly bad. But in giving them up, we are able to better align our hearts with Christ."

Bonness noted that the practices of Lent and the practice of fasting in general are for purification. He also said that sometimes giving little things up can help people to identify idols in their lives. He also made the point that preparing for a fast is just as important as fasting itself.

"It is very important to spend time praying before a fast about what you should fast from," he said. "Sometimes people choose something that's not that much of a sacrifice. Plus, for food-related fasts, you need to prepare physically."

Annie and Jacques Daniel are youth leaders at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, and prior to Lent, they prayed about what to give up as a family.

"As a family, we have given up TV," Annie Daniel said, "which my 3-year-old thinks is killing him."

Daniel said that one of the reasons she and her husband decided on TV for their fast was to filter out cultural noise - much like Bonness mentioned.

"We are trying to be quiet enough to hear the voice of Christ and what he's calling us to," she said. "As parents, what we're hearing is how Christ is calling us to love our children."

Another reason the Daniels chose TV is because they wanted to make a stark point for their children.

"We knew we needed to choose something that would affect our whole family and something that would be, for us, a sacrifice," Daniel said. "Because the children are so little, we had to pick something really obvious like television."

Although both parents said that after the first few days they stopped missing TV, Annie Daniel said that it definitely has been a sacrifice.

"To have to focus on my children more and engage with them constantly has been difficult," she said. "When my kids are cranky in the evening, it's nice to have the TV on."

Giving up TV has been an extra sacrifice for Daniel because it means she has had to miss out on the final episodes of "Project Runway" - but for her, that sacrifice is an important point in fasting for Lent.

"I believe that Jesus came as the savior of the world and he laid down his life for us through death on a cross. During this season of Lent, I want to enter into that suffering, because my suffering can help me better understand Christ's suffering and there's redemption in that suffering -even if it means giving up my 'Project Runway.'"

The Daniels also are incorporating some extra activities into their routine during Lent to emphasize spiritual points for their children.

"I made a salt-dough braid and the kids put toothpicks into it and we baked it," Daniel said. "So it looks like a crown of thorns. When they do something kind, they get to take out one of the thorns."

The Daniels' oldest son, 4-year-old Max, got to remove a toothpick from the crown of thorns on Monday because he helped set the table. His younger brother Philip, 3, also was allowed to remove a toothpick Monday because he helped his brother take toys downstairs.

The Daniels also take advantage of their quiet evenings to work on a project as a family.

"I downloaded a Stations of the Cross coloring set," Daniel said. "We're putting them up at the kids' height in the hallway, so that they can see them every time they walk down the hall and be reminded of the season."

When the set is completed, they plan on praying through the 14 stations as a family.

"We are also doing the traditional fasting where we don't eat meat on Fridays," she said. "We have been eating some traditional foods like pretzels and hot cross buns. It has been very special to be with the kids while I'm making those foods."

Daniel said she knows that her family's practices seem crazy to some, but she wants to help her children enjoy and understand the importance of the season.

Wilbur Holz, senior pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church, also said that the tradition of fasting during Lent doesn't have to be about food. He emphasized that celebrating the season doesn't require believers to give something up.

"So often when we think of fasting, we think of food," Holz said. "But fasting is a celebration of discipline. You can fast from just about anything - the telephone, television, chat rooms, list serves, all those sorts of things."

Holz said the purpose of fasting during Lent is to remind people of Jesus' 40 days of fasting and temptation in the wilderness. He also said that adding a discipline can be a beneficial practice to celebrate the season of Lent.

"Some add a discipline into what they might normally do - like prayer - and during the season they work to become better at that additional act of discipleship," Holz said. "Perhaps a person will to try to become more of a servant and do things like shovel the neighbor's driveway."

The benefits of these practices can provide perspective, according to Holz.

"These things that seem to be so important to us - when we give them up - we realize aren't so important," he said. "And this gives us more time to focus on faith, discipleship and on our Lord and savior."