Happy New Year!

Greetings, Readers!  2009 almost over, 2010 almost here!  Hard to believe.  We're all a year older, the kids are bigger, smarter, stronger, funnier.  Most people use this time of year(s) to reflect on how the past year went, what was good (or bad), what was learned, and also to plan and prepare for the coming year, what "resolutions" to make, and how to keep them, what activities to engage in, what activities to avoid!

It's nice to have a time to reflect and then plan, but I say we take this life inventory more frequently.  Why not once a month?  Once a week?  Daily?  Maybe some do.  "Oh, wow!  That really didn't work out.  Let's try it this other way next time."  May we always be striving to be better.

On a side, just how will we say the new year?  "Two thousand Ten" or "Twenty Ten."  I propose we say it "Twenty Ten."  It's shorter, and follows the way we've always said dates. (You know, "Nineteen Seventy One")

Have a Wonderful New Year!

Give This Christmas Away

At our church this Christmas season, we've been learning about ways that we can "Give This Christmas Away."  What can we do with our time, talent, and treasure to make this year better for others?  There's the old standby:  volunteer at a soup kitchen.  But there is so much MORE that can be done.  So many people are in great need of more than a bowl of soup.  They need a coat, a pair of shoes, the basics of every day living.  They need things for their children.  They need love.  They need Jesus.  They need to know the love of Jesus.  They need to know that the love of Jesus can be real and tangible in their lives.  So this year, I've done a couple things that, to some, may seem like not that big a deal.  But to the persons receiving what I've done, it is the world and fulfills a need that might otherwise not be met.

I don't write this to say, "Look at me!  Look what I did!"  But to challenge you to find ways to fulfill needs for others not just at Christmas, but all year long.  There are so many ways that we can "Give Away Christmas" all year long.  "Need knows no season" is a slogan one charitable organization uses.  Remember this at birthdays, other holidays, even regular days.  Someone somewhere needs to know the love of Jesus in a tangible way and it could be you that shows him or her that love.  You know what I'm talking about:  buying an extra box of cereal or jug of juice and dropping it in the collection bin at the grocery.  Donating still good items to Goodwill or Salvation Army.  Visiting shut-ins, nursing home patients, brand-new mothers, an old friend.  Get creative; seek out these and other opportunities. 

"Give This Christmas Away" this year, all year long, and every year.