Tis the Season #2

This is the time of year for giving. I absolutely love to give to others but sometimes don't know what to give or how much to spend. Many times this year I have heard one gift that can mean a lot to someone and it doesn't take very much money to do so!!

1) Be giving of your time. Is there a friend or family member you haven't seen in awhile that would like to catch up with you and just spend some quality time with you? I think especially of older people during this season. Is there anyone you can give your time to?  Christmas can be very overwhelming with all the preparation and decorating. If you aren't feeling so overwhelmed yourself, maybe you can help someone who is!! This is one way that I personally love to give. I enjoy helping others bake and decorate. :]

Maybe the person you are thinking of lives too far away and you cannot go see them or you just don't have the time to make the journey or maybe money is already scarce after buying gifts and you cannot afford to go see who you would like to. So instead here is an idea...

2) Write your friends and loved ones encouraging letters. It could be short or long. Just take the time to slow down and write. Tell them what has been going on, ask how they are, encourage them, tell them what they mean to you or how you are thinking of them. (You could also do this in an email or Christmas card... but since less and less people are doing those... letters are always good too!! After all who doesn't like getting mail?!?!)

I have been hearing these ideas on the radio and in my Bible study this week. Just easy ways that can really brighten someone's Christmas! I know how much I would love getting a letter or a visit from someone I haven't gotten to see in awhile so that is my goal this year! To be giving of my time and my heart:]

Give what you can this season!

2 Corinthians 9:7

Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

I am ready for a season of giving:] Are you?

7 Days of Love DIY

I'm so excited to share with you a little DIY project to kick off your weekend!  So my husband is just about to leave for a week to attend a work training in Dallas.  This will be the longest that we have been apart since we have been married (almost 7 years!).  The only other time that we have been apart longer was when I went on an outreach to Albania in 2003 after we had been dating for about 3 years.  Needless to say I will miss him :(

Recently I came across a cute gift idea and it ended up being perfect for just this occasion!  The original idea came from The Dating Divas blog.

Here's the idea:  Find a pill box that has 7 slots and fill them up with notes and treats for your loved one to open each day of the week.  Now I chose to make one for my hubby but this would also be great for a child, a parent, a sibling, a best friend, a co-worker, or just about anyone that you can think of who could use a little of bit of brightness every day for a week!  Thankfully my silly 3 year old decided he wanted a pill box to put his coins in on a recent outing to CVS so I happened to have one laying around!  The Dating Divas have a downloadable page with 7 pre-made notes that you can print out here.  I chose to type my own out to make them a little more personal.  I chose to fill my little boxes with Nerds candy because I always used to buy it for him while we were dating and they were small enough to be able fit a bunch in!

I rolled up all of my little notes and stuck them in in the order I wanted him to read them...

Finally, I sealed them across the top with a little note and my directions to ONLY open one each day!

Here are my love notes:

This was so quick and so easy I know I'll do it again!  I'm thinking I will do it for my son for his birthday week and maybe for my mom too, just because!

The Importance of Love

“Everybody can be great...because anybody can serve. 

You only need a heart full of grace. 

A soul generated by love.”

 Martin Luther King, Jr.

So I don't know about you but music speaks to me in a big way.  It has the power to evoke powerful emotions in me.  (Interesting that Kelly's post yesterday was also about music!) Recently I was thinking of a song we had sung in church several months ago.  It was a sung that grabbed me and reached deep into my heart.  My prayer for a long time has been that my heart would be broken for what breaks the Lord's heart.  This past Sunday we sang this song in church again and I was so excited!  I want to share it with you.  

Lincoln Brewster - The Power of Your Name

Surely children weren't made for the streets
And fathers were not made to leave
Surely this isn't how it should be
Let Your Kingdom come

Surely nations were not made for war
Or the broken meant to be ignored
Surely this just can't be what You saw
Let Your Kingdom come
Here in my heart

And I will live
To carry Your compassion
To love a world that's broken
To be Your hands and feet
And I will give
With the life that I've been given
And go beyond religion
To see the world be changed
By the power of Your name

Surely life wasn't made to regret
And the lost were not made to forget
Surely faith without action is dead
Let Your Kingdom come
Lord break this heart

Jesus Your name
Is a shelter for the hurting
and Your name
Is a refuge for the weak
Only Your name
Can redeem the undeserving
Jesus Your name
Holds everything I need

The chorus is my heart's desire.  That my life would reflect his compassion.  That I could love those that are broken and that I could go beyond just religion to see lives changed.  With all of the political happenings lately I've been more conscious than ever that we cannot rely on our government alone (regardless of party affiliation) to care for this world in need.

We as Christ followers are responsible for faith with ACTION!  It's what we were born to do!  What are you doing to live out your faith?  There is a verse in the Bible that cuts straight to my conscience every time...

Revelation 3:16 But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!

Yikes!  I know it sounds severe but God makes it clear - he doesn't want us to be lukewarm Christians because if we are, we are ineffective for his kingdom and we miss out on the full life that he has planned for us.  There have been plenty of times in my life where I have been lukewarm, going about life as usual, always having God in my heart but not doing much beyond warming my seat in church on Sunday morning and praying over my meals.  God wants SO much more for us and for others through us.  It's not about church (although church gives us a place to go to learn and grow and fellowship with others).  It's not about a set of rules to follow (although the Lord's commands are there to protect and guide us).  It's about LOVING others.

1 Corinthians 13 [ Love Is the Greatest ] If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing. ...

Wow! According to God's word we can be brilliant, we can have amazing faith - even sacrifice ourselves and give to the poor but if we do it out of obligation instead of love, we are missing the point.

So, find a way that you can love on others with your own gifts!  I'll share some ideas and I would love to hear what yours are!

-Be a greeter at church, your smile may break the ice for a first time visitor
-Write a note of encouragement for a family member, co-worker, neighbor, friend, and leave it somewhere to surprise them
-Pay for someone's drink or meal at a restaurant/drive through
-Leave a little bag of candy on a neighbor's doorknob
doorknob gift
-Make a blanket for a child in the hospital or an elderly person in a nursing home
-Make a mix CD of worship songs for someone who could use a pick-me-up
-Find a program that matches you as a penpal with a woman in prison (Fresno's Samaritan Women program does this - it is a really neat opportunity!), or volunteer with a prison ministry.  
Samaritan Women

Little things done in love can have a huge impact.  I would encourage you also to say a little prayer over each gift for the person who will receive it.  You never know what it may do for them!

What are some of your ideas?  Please share!!!