Next weekend a group of middle-school aged kids will be building a cardboard city and staying there overnight. I'll be stopping down with whatever donations I can contribute to their goal on giving warm clothing and items to a local mission. The mission's thrift store burned just recently, so they're in dire need of many things.
I'm also going to be involved in a mission to "spend less, love all" this December. We're going to try and not get sucked into the consumeristic holiday culture and instead create relational gifts, (poetry, photography, a trip to a ball game), and use the money we don't spend to help bring clean water to people in Africa. The joy that I've been feeling about being involved in reaching out to my neighbors has been showing me that the more I love, the more I love.
5 comments:
Anne,
I love the practice of "spend less, love all." In conjunction with that, have you heard of "Buy Nothing Day"? Adbusters magazine introduced it several years ago, as a way to "opt out" of consumer culture. It is always the day after Thanksgiving -- the biggest shopping day of the year in the US. Then, you take the money you didn't spend and put it toward helping people, similar to your mission.
Blessings,
Kevin
I like the "buy Nothing day" I dont want any more stuff anyway aside maybe for some new sassy shoes. Just teasing - an old lady/Delta Dawn sort of thing.
MyHim and I have done some "drive nowhere days"
and have a goal of doing that at least one weekend day a month.
Anne - last sentence is so true. In all regards when I start focusing too much on whats going on with me. If I turn and focus on someone else who has "stuff" going on - I feel the love flowing from me to the person and then right back to me again. that is God All in All.
That is a key thing to remember when I am hanging by my toes, there is probably someone right next to me hanging too!
Love you all
Keren
Kevin, this project was actually started by Imago Dei in Portland, Oregon and the church I belong to is joining in this year. I like the concept of Buy Nothing Day - I'll have to check that out, but it would be simpler if I didn't have a teenage boy. He's not very spoiled, so it's nice to be able to do a little bit of that once a year. Keren, yes, exactly - the more I give out love in the world, the more I feel filled up by more of it. It flows out, it rushes in. And I hope you get some new, sassy shoes. :) Love you too!
More good food for thought . . .
I want to make the holidays a non-commercial love others do cool things event for my children. They have not had that. Receiving presents has been the focus.
My mom died on Christmas Eve in 2004 so it has always been sort of messed up since then.
[Fortunately they do have the great love and cooking of their Italian Nonna (my husbandś mom). She is fabulous.]
anne.... thanks so much for this post. i have been really out of it for the last couple months. just not wanting to even talk any more about christianity, the Bible, God, nothing. i'm so tired of all the talking, talking, talking. i just want to live and breathe and be love. i am tired of christians, to be quite honest. i am tired of all their talk. i just want to love my neighbor. i don't want to talk about it anymore. i just want to do it. i want to be a normal, every day person, living a normal life, just loving on people.....
you inspire me. always.
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