I'm not sure how to describe it, this feeling today had. I guess the best way is to say the day felt exactly like what it was...the day after a funeral.
I woke up this morning to bitterly cold temperatures outside. It was so cold that last night Heather and I boiled water, threw it up in the air outside and it never touched the ground. All that was left was plume of steam hanging in the air. The morning was no different, cold and a day that you would rather just stay in bed. School was even closed because it was too cold. But I got up knowing I had lots to do. I got in my car, turned it on and began to scrape the frost off the windshield. Now, in the past I have had some trouble with my tires. When it gets cold the seals don't hold and air leaks out and I noticed that this was the case in my front right tire (it's always my front right tire). It didn't look too bad and I thought I would make it to the gas station, fill it up and be on my way. I did make it to the gas station, however, I tried to fill it up but the tire was not taking air. This was not good. Here I was on the coldest day of the year, no, the past 5 years and I had a flat at the gas station. Great! I called my brother, Mari, and Heather but no one answered. So there I sat, worrying about what I was going to do.
It's times like these I really hate being an adult. I find myself crawling back to my adolescent self and wishing my Dad was there to take care of everything. He always had a level head. But not this time, I was on my own. Now, as a side note I have changed my tire before and am quite handy with car repairs, but you throw in -35 degree temps where bare skin can freeze in less than 10 minutes, and I start to worry and to put it mildly...freak out.
Well I had waited long enough and I thought I would at least try and fill the tire again. To my great surprise and relief the tire took the air! Praise God! I filled it up and checked the pressure. It was holding. I decided to head down the road to the next gas station and recheck the pressure. Still holding. It looked as though I was in the clear.
When I arrived at church I soon realized that the stress I had just put myself through completely drained any energy I had stored up during sleep last night. When Mari arrived she looked like she was also down in the dumps as well. I asked her what was up and she told me that the brother of a good friend of hers passed away last night. I'm pretty sure the last news you want after going through a tough emotionally draining day is finding out that someone closer to you has died. So Mari and I decided that this day would have been better if we had skipped it.
My last surprise came Wednesday Night. I didn't really realize that it was such a surprise until I thought about it a little more. My friend and youth volunteer Jackie, who is also a school teacher, told me that she received a call saying that she would, in spite of the cold, be having school tomorrow. I was bummed that she wasn't going to get a "cold" day (as opposed to a snow day) and it was her response that caught me off guard. She said that it was important for the school to remain open because it was warm and had food, which was more than most of the homes the kids come from can offer.
Wow, surprise. I drive by this school everyday. It is not far from where I live. To me it seems like the school is in a decent neighborhood. But Jackie knows, as do the people who go to school there, that the outside appearance doesn't always reflect what is going on at home. The school was serving a double purpose: education and learning and also shelter and life saver. The sad part is the kids can't stay there all day, they have to go home and possibly suffer through a very cold night.
It made me realize again what I learned on our mission trips this past summer. There are so many places that we think need help: the big city, the rural dying town. But there is also your home town that needs help. There are people everywhere that need help. Whether it is someone that is homeless on the street or someone who has a flat tire on the side of the road. If only were weren't farsighted when it comes to charity. I hope in the days to come I can look for places I can help.
Peace,
dain
Friday, January 16, 2009
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Surprise Me God - Day 3
I think it is safe to say that the temperature outside would be some of the coldest weather I have ever experienced. If I am not mistaken, the temp right now is somewhere between -21 actual and -41 windchill. Yikes! So, because I was cold and tired I decided to make this morning a lazy morning and do my surprise blog before I go to work. Maybe that will give the sun a little time to prime my car for startup.
Yesterday was a day filled with craziness. The first being the funeral of Mark Frain at Word of Peace. Mari, my wonderful assistant, is also the volunteer funeral coordinator. She is insanely busy on these days. So knowing how much she helps me out, I try and do the same for her. I was in charge of video and media for the service. I have a little knack for it, so when it comes to in house questions about the sound board, media, or anything contained in the wooden roll-top desks in the sanctuary, I am the man to come to. This is a blessing and a burden at the same time.
Anyway, the funeral was very nice. It is really hard seeing someone you know in such a broken state. Mike and Terri Frain both are wonderful people and very active in the congregation, so the whole community felt their pain this day. As it turns our, what I learned yesterday about some strange connection between me and the Frain family was not entirely true. As it turns out, it is more connected than I thought. After the funeral was done, I talked to Kathy, the wife of Mark who died. (Here comes my surprise for the day) Kathy and Mark attend St. Andrew's Methodist Church in Highlands Ranch, Colorado. Derek, my brother, worked for St. Andrew's for a summer at a place called Lifespot. Mark volunteered at Lifespot while Derek was there. It gets stranger. Kathy is a preschool teacher and a few years back interviewed for a job at St. Luke's Methodist Church. The director of that preschool is my mom. So Kathy knows my mom, Derek knew Mark and I found out how small of a world this world can really be.
Now I know I was not the main source of comfort during the funeral, I was only a lowly camera and media person in the back. But I still have to believe that the connectedness that I have with this family is not a coincidence. That somewhere along the way our families crossed for a reason. Maybe this reason was because this funeral was coming up. Maybe the reason the family felt so comfortable at Word of Peace was because of a deep down feeling inside of knowing someone there? I truly find God to be amazing in these situations. I never knew I would be a comfort to someone I didn't know.
Has that ever happened to you? Do you ever seem to find yourself in a place you didn't intend, only to realize that it was a good thing you were there? I think this happens more often than not. God is constantly placing us in the right place at the right time. Preparing us for the moment where we can spread his love and grace to people we may not know. But because of our experiences in life and remembering the times someone was there for us, we can't help but want to do the same for others. What a wonderful surprise.
I hope today and always we can be willing to reach out to others that need what we have to give.
Blessings,
dain
Yesterday was a day filled with craziness. The first being the funeral of Mark Frain at Word of Peace. Mari, my wonderful assistant, is also the volunteer funeral coordinator. She is insanely busy on these days. So knowing how much she helps me out, I try and do the same for her. I was in charge of video and media for the service. I have a little knack for it, so when it comes to in house questions about the sound board, media, or anything contained in the wooden roll-top desks in the sanctuary, I am the man to come to. This is a blessing and a burden at the same time.
Anyway, the funeral was very nice. It is really hard seeing someone you know in such a broken state. Mike and Terri Frain both are wonderful people and very active in the congregation, so the whole community felt their pain this day. As it turns our, what I learned yesterday about some strange connection between me and the Frain family was not entirely true. As it turns out, it is more connected than I thought. After the funeral was done, I talked to Kathy, the wife of Mark who died. (Here comes my surprise for the day) Kathy and Mark attend St. Andrew's Methodist Church in Highlands Ranch, Colorado. Derek, my brother, worked for St. Andrew's for a summer at a place called Lifespot. Mark volunteered at Lifespot while Derek was there. It gets stranger. Kathy is a preschool teacher and a few years back interviewed for a job at St. Luke's Methodist Church. The director of that preschool is my mom. So Kathy knows my mom, Derek knew Mark and I found out how small of a world this world can really be.
Now I know I was not the main source of comfort during the funeral, I was only a lowly camera and media person in the back. But I still have to believe that the connectedness that I have with this family is not a coincidence. That somewhere along the way our families crossed for a reason. Maybe this reason was because this funeral was coming up. Maybe the reason the family felt so comfortable at Word of Peace was because of a deep down feeling inside of knowing someone there? I truly find God to be amazing in these situations. I never knew I would be a comfort to someone I didn't know.
Has that ever happened to you? Do you ever seem to find yourself in a place you didn't intend, only to realize that it was a good thing you were there? I think this happens more often than not. God is constantly placing us in the right place at the right time. Preparing us for the moment where we can spread his love and grace to people we may not know. But because of our experiences in life and remembering the times someone was there for us, we can't help but want to do the same for others. What a wonderful surprise.
I hope today and always we can be willing to reach out to others that need what we have to give.
Blessings,
dain
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Surprise Me God - Day 2
Day 2, could it really be I only have 28 days left in the crazy experiment? How time flies. No worry, I think God has lots of time to work through me. Speaking of which, my friend Kate and I were driving to choir practice tonight (I sing in the National Lutheran Choir nlca.com) and it turns out her and I had a similar reaction to beginning the Surprise Me God prayer. She said she decided to write it on the white board in her office so she would remember to pray the prayer when one of her co-workers came and asked her what it was all about. She told her and her reaction came in the form of her saying "That sounds like you are asking for trouble."
"That's exactly what I thought" I told Kate. Soon after she confessed that she too had thought about how this is opening doors and windows for God to work in our lives. But Kate and I know better than that. We both realized at that comment that God doesn't need our permission to work in our lives. God is all powerful, you think something as little as permission will keep his plan from coming true?
I think that God is always working in our lives, however whether we know or realize that God is the cause for things happening is another question. It seems like we walk a thin line between not giving God any credit and giving him all the credit. It's easy enough to ignore God and take all the credit for yourself. "Yeah, I'm awesome! Wasn't that the greatest idea ever? I'm glad I thought of it" Or the other side of the coin is the football player that is always pointing up to the sky after he does anything. "I just ordered a number 3 at McDonald's...thank you God (point to the sky)" Ok so maybe I am exaggerating a little, but the question "when do we give God the credit?" falls in the same line as "How do I know this surprise is from God?"
I think that no matter what happens in these 30 days God is willing to work through it all, even the small things. Which means we better keep our eyes open.
One update I have from yesterday is I found out that the funeral that is happening tomorrow will in fact have some relationship to my home church Our Father Lutheran in Littleton, Colorado. From what I have figured out, one of the kids of the person who died goes to preschool at the church. It is an amazingly small world and I hope that God will use me as a comfort in this time of need.
May God continue to bless you with surprises.
dain
"That's exactly what I thought" I told Kate. Soon after she confessed that she too had thought about how this is opening doors and windows for God to work in our lives. But Kate and I know better than that. We both realized at that comment that God doesn't need our permission to work in our lives. God is all powerful, you think something as little as permission will keep his plan from coming true?
I think that God is always working in our lives, however whether we know or realize that God is the cause for things happening is another question. It seems like we walk a thin line between not giving God any credit and giving him all the credit. It's easy enough to ignore God and take all the credit for yourself. "Yeah, I'm awesome! Wasn't that the greatest idea ever? I'm glad I thought of it" Or the other side of the coin is the football player that is always pointing up to the sky after he does anything. "I just ordered a number 3 at McDonald's...thank you God (point to the sky)" Ok so maybe I am exaggerating a little, but the question "when do we give God the credit?" falls in the same line as "How do I know this surprise is from God?"
I think that no matter what happens in these 30 days God is willing to work through it all, even the small things. Which means we better keep our eyes open.
One update I have from yesterday is I found out that the funeral that is happening tomorrow will in fact have some relationship to my home church Our Father Lutheran in Littleton, Colorado. From what I have figured out, one of the kids of the person who died goes to preschool at the church. It is an amazingly small world and I hope that God will use me as a comfort in this time of need.
May God continue to bless you with surprises.
dain
Monday, January 12, 2009
Surprise Me God - Day 1
Believe it or not, the first thing I did this morning (even before getting out of bed) was pray surprise me God. I am proud of myself. The crazy part of it is, after I was done I almost had second thoughts, almost. I was a little scared of what I had just done. What was I doing letting God have permission to do what ever he wants in my life. I like things just the way they are. Does this mean I am going to have to *gulp* change....I'm Lutheran...I can't change! Can I?
Of course I can. So, rather than going back to sleep and pretending nothing happened I got up and began my day.
So what did Day 1 have in store for me? The morning was amazing. We had a fantastic storm start up around 8 this morning and the snow was big, fluffy and most of all reminded me of Colorado snow. As I left my apartment I looked out across the Mississippi River and took a moment with God to thank him for this moment.
My day went on very much like normal. I had to catch up on what happened in worship on Sunday because Heather, my wife, and I were up north in Two Harbors to celebrate Christmas with her side of the family. Over the course of this holiday season (which lasted almost a month and a half for me) I experienced Christmas with 7 different families. And all of them were vastly different. But what a wonderful way to form your own traditions, by stealing from the best of them. (due to the Christian nature of Dain's profession Dain wishes you to know stealing is wrong, but stealing traditions is ok, don't forget to make up ome of your own. ;) )
I did have a few other surprises today. Some good and some not so good. I learned that a brother of a member of our congregation died this past weekend in a snowmobiling accident and the funeral will be on Wednesday. The tragic thing about this is how we, as a church, have had at least one death like this each year for the past 3 years. I pray for their healing and understanding from this tragedy. Another side of this is the person who died is from the same town I grew up in, Littleton, Colorado and it is very possible they went to the same church as me growing up. This is unconfirmed, but would prove to be a big surprise if true.
As the day wore on I slowly began to lower my expectations as to how many youth were going to show up for tag, our monday night high school worship. The snow was not getting any better and reports were that the roads were not improving. But, I was pleasantly surprised to see an average size crew show up with a few people I haven't seen in quite some time. We talked about this experiment and I think it went well.
To close my night I went to the new part of our building that is still under construction and took some pictures of how people signed the concrete floor. We are getting ready to lay the carpet and as a way of blessing the building people wrote prayers, Bible verses and signed their name. My surprise was what was written on the floor. I was literally floored (yikes) by what most of the people wrote. I know that we have a spiritual bunch, but when we did a study of common church attributes we found out that Passionate Spirituality was an area we lacked. Consequently, this experiment is one way we are trying to boost our passion for Christ. But like I said, I was amazed at the wonderful prayers and Bible verses that were written on the floor. I spent 15 minutes taking pictures in all the different rooms while Derek (my brother) and Pastor Ron chatted in the background.
Seeing these prayers gave me a great sense of hope for this congregation. I have faith that God is doing great things in the community. But sometimes it is hard to see. People tend to store things like "God Stuff" deep down inside and never let them out. Why is that? What you have inside of you is beautiful and wonderful. You should not be afraid to praise God and tell the truth that God is awesome. I am excited to see how I can use these pictures.
I didn't expect so much to happen on the first day, but wow. This is fun and interesting. Let's hope that tomorrow is as well.
Blessings,
dain
Of course I can. So, rather than going back to sleep and pretending nothing happened I got up and began my day.
So what did Day 1 have in store for me? The morning was amazing. We had a fantastic storm start up around 8 this morning and the snow was big, fluffy and most of all reminded me of Colorado snow. As I left my apartment I looked out across the Mississippi River and took a moment with God to thank him for this moment.
My day went on very much like normal. I had to catch up on what happened in worship on Sunday because Heather, my wife, and I were up north in Two Harbors to celebrate Christmas with her side of the family. Over the course of this holiday season (which lasted almost a month and a half for me) I experienced Christmas with 7 different families. And all of them were vastly different. But what a wonderful way to form your own traditions, by stealing from the best of them. (due to the Christian nature of Dain's profession Dain wishes you to know stealing is wrong, but stealing traditions is ok, don't forget to make up ome of your own. ;) )
I did have a few other surprises today. Some good and some not so good. I learned that a brother of a member of our congregation died this past weekend in a snowmobiling accident and the funeral will be on Wednesday. The tragic thing about this is how we, as a church, have had at least one death like this each year for the past 3 years. I pray for their healing and understanding from this tragedy. Another side of this is the person who died is from the same town I grew up in, Littleton, Colorado and it is very possible they went to the same church as me growing up. This is unconfirmed, but would prove to be a big surprise if true.
As the day wore on I slowly began to lower my expectations as to how many youth were going to show up for tag, our monday night high school worship. The snow was not getting any better and reports were that the roads were not improving. But, I was pleasantly surprised to see an average size crew show up with a few people I haven't seen in quite some time. We talked about this experiment and I think it went well.
To close my night I went to the new part of our building that is still under construction and took some pictures of how people signed the concrete floor. We are getting ready to lay the carpet and as a way of blessing the building people wrote prayers, Bible verses and signed their name. My surprise was what was written on the floor. I was literally floored (yikes) by what most of the people wrote. I know that we have a spiritual bunch, but when we did a study of common church attributes we found out that Passionate Spirituality was an area we lacked. Consequently, this experiment is one way we are trying to boost our passion for Christ. But like I said, I was amazed at the wonderful prayers and Bible verses that were written on the floor. I spent 15 minutes taking pictures in all the different rooms while Derek (my brother) and Pastor Ron chatted in the background.
Seeing these prayers gave me a great sense of hope for this congregation. I have faith that God is doing great things in the community. But sometimes it is hard to see. People tend to store things like "God Stuff" deep down inside and never let them out. Why is that? What you have inside of you is beautiful and wonderful. You should not be afraid to praise God and tell the truth that God is awesome. I am excited to see how I can use these pictures.
I didn't expect so much to happen on the first day, but wow. This is fun and interesting. Let's hope that tomorrow is as well.
Blessings,
dain
Friday, January 9, 2009
Surprise Me God
This Sunday marks the beginning of a 30 day experiment in faith for me and the rest of Word of Peace, my church. We are following the book "Surprise Me God" written by a local author Terry Esau. I am about a third of the way through the book already and am very excited to see what happens in my life as I pray the prayer "Surprise me God"
I really don't know what to expect. I guess its going to be a surprise. Imagine that. My hope and prayer is that people will take this seriously and no longer think that God is some distant being that only shows up on Sunday or Monday or whenever you go to church. God is around us all the time and working in our lives in ways that we never realize because we are so busy all the time.
I will be keeping this blog daily with the hopes of giving people an idea about what God is doing and has done in my life. Just like the book, I am not expecting something amazing to happen every day, but I am expecting God to be there. That I can count on.
Well here we go....
Dain
I really don't know what to expect. I guess its going to be a surprise. Imagine that. My hope and prayer is that people will take this seriously and no longer think that God is some distant being that only shows up on Sunday or Monday or whenever you go to church. God is around us all the time and working in our lives in ways that we never realize because we are so busy all the time.
I will be keeping this blog daily with the hopes of giving people an idea about what God is doing and has done in my life. Just like the book, I am not expecting something amazing to happen every day, but I am expecting God to be there. That I can count on.
Well here we go....
Dain
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Advent Conspiracy Update
I am happy to announce that in our fundraising for Living Waters International (the orginization in which Advent Conspiracy supports) has been rather wonderful. From our middle school and high school students we have raised almost $400 towards a very worthy cause. I hope we can continue giving and contributing towards this wonderful cause this Holiday season. I hope everyone has a wonderful and beautiful Christmas. Safe travels and God Bless
dain
dain
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Sacrifice vs. Responsibility
A couple of things have come across my desk this past week and I have recently noticed that there is a bit of a theme in all of them.
The first: Advent Conspiracy.
The second: A story from a friend of mine.
Setting: A girl around age 24, who has been searching for jobs but with no success and who was home for Thanksgiving, goes over to her Grandparent’s home. She finds this weird because she has never been there by herself, only with family. They spend a little time on the computer, her grandpa leaves and then this happens: She writes:
“Then my grandpa walks out and comes back with an envelope. They tell me to open it, and it is a check, a very large check, one that will cover a third of my student loan debt. I tell them, "Thank you" and that it was completely unexpected. My grandpa keeps apologizing that he wishes it could be more, but you know, they have money in the stock market as well. I keep telling them that it will help out so much. I don't even realize how much it will help out until I get home. I realize that I can pay off my smaller, higher-interest rate loan. I had been paying more money on it to try to get rid of it sooner and not pay so much interest. So now my monthly bills are reduced by $200, and I have one less loan.
I still can't believe that my grandparents were willing to sacrifice some of their financial security to provide for me, to erase some of my debt. And I never asked for any of it.”
In light of all the requests I have received to donate to any number of charities this holiday season I have come upon a huge dilemma. As Christians knowing the sacrifice that Christ made for us how do we go about following His lead and make sacrifices of our own?
I struggle with knowing what a true sacrifice is. I know that it is good to give money and donate my time to others and charities. But if it is in my schedule and budget then I don't think I am really sacrificing much at all. A true sacrifice is giving up something, Jesus' life for instance, for something that you deem greater in value, our salvation according to God.
Christ put our lives above his own. He suffered death on the cross so that we may have eternal life: The ultimate sacrifice.
And so what do we do every Christmas? We plan ahead and make sure we look for the sales and even get up early the morning after Thanksgiving to save some money so that everyone has the same number of gifts under the tree. We don't want anyone to feel left out or unimportant during the Christmas season. Hardly a sacrifice.
But what if we did what the advent Conspiracy suggests? What if we were to take time and think about some real sacrifices we could make so that those people who are dieing can have a fighting chance at life.
I find it a little ironic and funny even to think that our nation is going through some hard times these past few months. The stock market has gone rogue, jobs are being cut, families are spending less, and saving more. We are feeling a little pinch because we are not as well off as we normally are. I say good, let us feel the pinch. Then maybe we will reposition our priorities and align them more with Christ and not focus so much on our own happiness and more on the happiness of those needing things like clean water and food.
My brother made a comment the other day that made my stomach turn because of the truth in the statement. He said "Organizations with alternative gift options are great...but you can't help but notice how people feel slighted when all they get for Christmas is a slip of paper that says 'a portion of a cow has been donated in your name.'"
It's true. People are so used giving with the assumption of receiving something in return that they have taken the joy out of giving.
What about those people who have no money to give gifts, what happens then? They get creative, they give of their time. They love, they spend time together, they sing, dance, and laugh.
Sacrifice and Responsibility are not different from each other. They are more connected than we realize sometimes. Because of the sacrifice God made we are responsible to make sacrifices of our own so that others may benefit. It is my responsibility. It is your sesponsibility. As Christians, it is our responsibility. This is what the world should wish for. Because out of this self sacrifice comes peace and harmony the world over. Lives are saved, mouths are fed, thirst is quenched and love is shared. And all in the name of Christ.
Be grateful for what you have because you are blessed. Be creative this Christmas with your gifts. Give without expecting to receive. Love unconditionally. Live the story of Christmas.
Blessings,
Dain
Advent Conspiracy
www.adventconspiracy.org
ELCA World Hunger
www.elca.org/Our-Faith-In-Action/Responding-to-the-World/ELCA-World-Hunger.aspx
World Vision
www.worldvision.org/
Samaritians Purse
www.samaritanspurse.org/
Ten Thousand Villages (Fair Trade Gifts)
www.tenthousandvillages.com/
The first: Advent Conspiracy.
The second: A story from a friend of mine.
Setting: A girl around age 24, who has been searching for jobs but with no success and who was home for Thanksgiving, goes over to her Grandparent’s home. She finds this weird because she has never been there by herself, only with family. They spend a little time on the computer, her grandpa leaves and then this happens: She writes:
“Then my grandpa walks out and comes back with an envelope. They tell me to open it, and it is a check, a very large check, one that will cover a third of my student loan debt. I tell them, "Thank you" and that it was completely unexpected. My grandpa keeps apologizing that he wishes it could be more, but you know, they have money in the stock market as well. I keep telling them that it will help out so much. I don't even realize how much it will help out until I get home. I realize that I can pay off my smaller, higher-interest rate loan. I had been paying more money on it to try to get rid of it sooner and not pay so much interest. So now my monthly bills are reduced by $200, and I have one less loan.
I still can't believe that my grandparents were willing to sacrifice some of their financial security to provide for me, to erase some of my debt. And I never asked for any of it.”
In light of all the requests I have received to donate to any number of charities this holiday season I have come upon a huge dilemma. As Christians knowing the sacrifice that Christ made for us how do we go about following His lead and make sacrifices of our own?
I struggle with knowing what a true sacrifice is. I know that it is good to give money and donate my time to others and charities. But if it is in my schedule and budget then I don't think I am really sacrificing much at all. A true sacrifice is giving up something, Jesus' life for instance, for something that you deem greater in value, our salvation according to God.
Christ put our lives above his own. He suffered death on the cross so that we may have eternal life: The ultimate sacrifice.
And so what do we do every Christmas? We plan ahead and make sure we look for the sales and even get up early the morning after Thanksgiving to save some money so that everyone has the same number of gifts under the tree. We don't want anyone to feel left out or unimportant during the Christmas season. Hardly a sacrifice.
But what if we did what the advent Conspiracy suggests? What if we were to take time and think about some real sacrifices we could make so that those people who are dieing can have a fighting chance at life.
I find it a little ironic and funny even to think that our nation is going through some hard times these past few months. The stock market has gone rogue, jobs are being cut, families are spending less, and saving more. We are feeling a little pinch because we are not as well off as we normally are. I say good, let us feel the pinch. Then maybe we will reposition our priorities and align them more with Christ and not focus so much on our own happiness and more on the happiness of those needing things like clean water and food.
My brother made a comment the other day that made my stomach turn because of the truth in the statement. He said "Organizations with alternative gift options are great...but you can't help but notice how people feel slighted when all they get for Christmas is a slip of paper that says 'a portion of a cow has been donated in your name.'"
It's true. People are so used giving with the assumption of receiving something in return that they have taken the joy out of giving.
What about those people who have no money to give gifts, what happens then? They get creative, they give of their time. They love, they spend time together, they sing, dance, and laugh.
Sacrifice and Responsibility are not different from each other. They are more connected than we realize sometimes. Because of the sacrifice God made we are responsible to make sacrifices of our own so that others may benefit. It is my responsibility. It is your sesponsibility. As Christians, it is our responsibility. This is what the world should wish for. Because out of this self sacrifice comes peace and harmony the world over. Lives are saved, mouths are fed, thirst is quenched and love is shared. And all in the name of Christ.
Be grateful for what you have because you are blessed. Be creative this Christmas with your gifts. Give without expecting to receive. Love unconditionally. Live the story of Christmas.
Blessings,
Dain
Advent Conspiracy
www.adventconspiracy.org
ELCA World Hunger
www.elca.org/Our-Faith-In-Action/Responding-to-the-World/ELCA-World-Hunger.aspx
World Vision
www.worldvision.org/
Samaritians Purse
www.samaritanspurse.org/
Ten Thousand Villages (Fair Trade Gifts)
www.tenthousandvillages.com/
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