The Spirit of Christmas

Repost from Facebook Message to Legacy Student Ministry Group:

I have a few thoughts I'd like to share. I hope they are clear; I feel passionate about this, and when that is the case, and will sometimes leave things out or know what I'm trying to say but not express it properly.

I'm convinced more and more that the spirit of Christmas is really in loving and serving people. Jesus was born into an ordinary, perhaps relatively poor, family. Jesus was born in a feeding trough. In a barn. With his birth came a new law, where the greatest commandment is love in place of rules and regulations. At the height of his ministry, he was eating and hanging out with people who soaked up his love like a sponge. Often poor or otherwise unloved people. It is baffling, then, to think that the celebration of his arrival into our world is marked by gifts and largely, materialism.

Yuck.

I can think of at least a few better things to do to celebrate Christmas, some of which include volunteering. I know that not everyone is able to do the same things, has the same amount of time, or the same amount of money. But we are responsible for the choices that we make with the allotments we DO have.

A few ideas: drop change into those Salvation Army buckets. Be more considerate of people you come across and smile. Donate food. Or just take a little time to uncover a few volunteer opportunities. You may not have time or money to do as much as you want, or as much as someone else. Service cannot be a comparative thing; service is about the heart. Service is about love. Just like the parable about the 3 servants who were entrusted with different amounts of money, people are not identical and will not carry identical abilities. Do what you can with what you have. Strive to learn to love, and doing those things will pour out of you. But don't wait to learn to love to do them, because if you really want to learn, you will learn to love as you serve. And learn to serve as you love.

This is not (meant to be) a guilt trip. Just an encouragement to look outside yourself, look for needs, and follow our greatest commandment ( which is essentially love God and love others.)I have been learning a lot by looking at these ideas.

PS. If you're a female going to the brunch this Saturday, I'll be speaking more about what the arrival of Jesus means, and what we can do with that knowlege. I will also say that preparing to speak has given me a lot to think about.

My Clay is Still on the Wheel

There is something great about writing- it means I can look back and read about what I've learned, thought about, struggled through, and where I came out. It's beautiful; it's therapeutic.
It seems my ideas and goals are almost always in a slow but steady evolution. I like to read, discuss, analyze. And to tell the truth, I am almost never satisfied with the finished product- on those few occasions that I am, I quickly shift from satisfaction to looking for the next thing I can tweak.

One thing that has (slowly!) happened is that I am not afraid to fail. This is in large part due to my husband who encourages me to try anything I deem worthy of pursuing: writing, teaching, organizing a running club, event planning, organizing a group of service-oriented people. I often have big ideas- I had big dreams for the running club, and I wanted my service-project group to be "big," as well. But I think that it is possible that people weren't ready for it. And by that, I mean that hearts and minds weren't ready. Perhaps the timing was off.

It seems to me that any big undertaking that I attempt to install into the youth group on my own excitement, passion and power, will most likely fail. Legacy Student Ministry is not for me; it is for my kids. I am convinced that anything big and powerful that happens within the confines of student ministry will be most successful if it comes from the students, because that means internal change and movement, as opposed to the external that comes from me.

Summer will, of course, be full of retreats, service projects, youth group outings, and quite possibly, running on Sundays. But those are only activities (and good activities at that!). What I want and what I pray for my kids is hearts that burst with love, and the desire for the action which follows it, which is service.

It is easy for me to fixate on the choices I've made that could have been better, but the truth is, there is no benefit in that. I can choose to take life moment by moment and make the best choices I know how to make within each timeslot. Those choices will be imperfect, which I will learn with hindsight, but my hope is that I will keep moving forward, despite obstacles, confusion, and frustration.

It is hard for me to live without knowing what the "perfect" decisions are, but I do know that I am not a finished work and that God will be faithful to complete the work that he started in me. Truth be told, I am an impatient person, and I want that work to be completed NOW. I want to have arrived. I want to know all the answers in black and white.
But I'll continue to make the best choices I know how to make, and then I'll revise them as I go.

A MONTH Has Gone By?!

If you want to see a funny look on someone's face --- pay for the coffee of the person behind you in drive through and leave a smile card with the cashier to hand to them! As a society, we are not used to people being nice for no reason. I saw her in my rearview mirror and the look on her face was priceless. -story stolen from HelpOthers.org

Other ideas to: Lend a Hand to Parents
Baby sit. Deliver a cooked meal for the entire family. Let their children spend the day with you or have an "overnight" with your children. Run an errand for them. Give them a night out on the town (meal, movie, etc.). Volunteer to pick the children up from school. Offer help with homework or tutor a child that is having trouble at school. Take a parent out to dinner at their favorite place. -also stolen from HelpOthers.org-I LOVE that site!

In the past month, I have:

1. Decided to make more vegetarian meals than I currently do. The reason is, although I really enjoy meat, it does require a LOT more resources to produce than many vegetarian options do. And there are many people without enough to eat.
2. Tried to roast pumpkin seeds. I didn't eat them.
3. Decided I'd like to try to grow a garden INSIDE. I have yet to begin that project. Considering that the lone plant I do own is dying, I think my inaction may be a wise choice so far.
4. Set up a Real Beauty Seminar with Amanda!
5. Learned to make Rachael Ray's absolutely delicious tomato-vegetable-pasta soup with Rebekah, Carley, and Danielle and distributed it.
6. Took a KNITTING CLASS (with Carley and Danielle)
7. Spent lots of time with my husband -they say this is a must if marriage is going to work, and I have to say, no matter how MUCH time I spend with him, I wouldn't mind having a little more.
8. Explored sections of Shillington with Rebekah on early Thursday and Friday mornings.
9. Celebrated my sister's birthday.
10. Done a lot of writing, exploring, and analyzing. (Too read some of the products of this, click here: http://letterpop.com/builder.php?newsletter_id=62107 and here: http://letterpop.com/builder.php?newsletter_id=68554.

One thing I've realized during all of that analyzing is that in my effort to try new things and live a satisfying life and love and serve people, I often end up with a genuinely good idea as to how to do those things. But I don't know how to start small. I want a running club, but I want it to be BIG, and I want to use it as a basis to organize races. I want to learn how to actively love and serve "like Jesus did," but I want to do BIG projects.

I think those things can be done. And I think there is merit in "dreaming big." But in leaping right to the big things, I am discounting the processes that get me there. I am assuming everyone wants to do what I want to do. I am not sure the running club was ever supposed to be something "big." Maybe it is something for kids to do in the summer, if they feel like it. Maybe a community-wide "date night" for parents (with entertainment, a fancy dinner, ambiance, and baby-sitting included, of course!) is a little too big for the ten people who might be interested in helping. Maybe we start where we're at. Start providing free baby-sitting for a couple at a time. Love people that way.

It is quite a step for me to tone things down. I am a woman with wide eyes. But I also want to be careful, in my zeal to do "big" things, that I don't rope my kids into just doing things because those things are a good thing to do. Our lives are a gift from God; what we choose to do with them is precious. Absolutely precious. While youth group, or otherwise church events, may sometimes be the best place for them to be at, sometimes the BEST place is somewhere else entirely. And while I still want to continue to invite my kids to do mini-projects with me, in the name of loving people, I think it is also important that I stress that my love for them is NOT performance-oriented.

15 October 2007: Assignment(s)

1. Get me a copy of your Child Abuse Clearances once you receive them, OR give me the original and I'll make a copy for you.

2. Take cookies, flowers, or simply VISIT someone who you think might be in need of a visit.

3. Post about your experience here.

4. Fill out the poll found on this website.

5. Know that I love you. If you don't, let me know what I can do to LET you know.

8 October 2007: Assignment

1. Go here: http://www.dpw.state.pa.us/General/FormsPub/003671038.htm to download a Child Abuse Clearance form. You will need a $10 money order. If you need one of these, please ask me when I return on or after 17 October. I'd be glad to get you one:). You will need this for our baby-sitting projects.

2. Go here: http://www.helpothers.org. Order the (free!) smile cards ASAP. If you have a bit of free time, explore the site. It's a pretty good one.

3. If you have any free time after that, that you'd like to spend on this project, brainstorm ideas, questions, or stories of acts of love that you have seen or heard about (or have been personally involved in!)

The Genesis of Acts of Love, Shillington PA branch

I think I'm not into the idea of adding more and more "programs" to Legacy Student Ministry in the name of doing good things or staying busy or having more things to choose from on a Saturday afternoon.

We have better reasons for our actions.
In Matthew 25: 35-40, Jesus says, "For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?

When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'"
Jesus seems to advocate more of life of love, sacrifice, and generosity than a life that is about doing things just because we are "supposed to." 2 Corinthians 9: 6-8 says, "Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work."

In August, I held a meeting about WHAT it looks like to love people like Jesus loves them.There was some really good discussion and some really good ideas. Some of those ideas are still "in the works," and some have been tried. However, I have run into a few problems since then: There are people who say they want to help because they think that is what they are "supposed" to do, but their hearts are not really in it. There are people who really want to help, but whose schedules do not allow them to participate during scheduleds events, and then there are those people who want to help but are frustrated because they don't know WHAT to do.

Well, I am certainly willing to try something new. One of the biggest blessings I have received in life is my husband, Timothy. Because of him, I am less afraid to fail, and more afraid to NOT TRY. I have devised a new plan. One that includes filling needs as they arrive (and they already have!), planning ahead for more formal events, passing out weekly "assignments," and sharing ideas corporately on what it means to love and actual steps that can be taken.

This website is for those who are interested in participating in Acts of Love. It is a place to post ideas, assignments, comments, stories, and questions.

A few simple kindness ideas to get the kindness ball rolling:
Clean out your closet and take the extra clothes to a local nonprofit organization. If you have flowers blooming in your yard, leave some in your neighbor's newspaper, mailbox or front porch. Keep some cold water bottles in your car, and give them to city workers that may be working hard in the sun. Take a child (or an adult) out for for a fall treat. Go to a local farmers market, pick up baked goods or produce, and invite some people who might need some company over.