O Holy Night

O holy night, the stars are brightly shining.  It is the night of the dear Savior’s birth!

Tears spring to my eyes as I sing this Christmas carol every year.  Besides the beautiful music, deep truths lie within the words and remind me of the glory and power of God demonstrated in his son.

Long lay the world in sin and error pining till he appear’d and the soul felt its worth.

This line is one of the most powerful to me.  Before Christ entered the world, his creation yearned deeply for him.  The same yearning applies before we come to know him as our Lord or any time we choose to worship something else besides him.

Oftentimes in the church we are most encouraged by the testimonies of Christians with an amazing conversion story that tells of the depth of their sin prior to meeting Jesus and the dramatic change that comes after.  (These stories are awesome!)  

What we sometimes forget is that regardless of our stage of life or faith journey, we are all at risk of replacing Jesus with something else that we think will fulfill that longing for worth, that will fill that void that often displays itself as discontentment or dissatisfaction.  Anytime one of us turns from those empty “God replacements” is cause for celebration.  (Considering I was nine-years-old when I trusted Jesus as my Savior, a majority of my struggles with sin have taken place after I became a Christian.  I have had many opportunities to celebrate!)

Think about a time in your life (maybe that time is now) when that longing for something to fill your soul is so strong and the search to find something to satisfy it is coming up short.  Those are the times we are searching for our God who makes himself known to us as the Creator, as the Holy Spirit, and as Jesus who made the relationship even more personal by entering our world in the flesh.

Chains shall He break, for the slave is our brother, And in His name all oppression shall cease.

May we worship him with reverence and admiration this Christmas season.

Fall on your knees…Oh hear the angel voices…Oh night divine…Oh night when Christ was born

More Christmas...

In my last post, I shared ideas for participating in an Adopt-a-Family program for a local food pantry.  However, so many possibilities exist; some are better for getting children involved in the process as well.

While the choices are really endless, I want to mention a few that might be a jumping board for those of you who are wanting to get started or are looking for new ideas.

• If the idea of adopting a family is overwhelming or is too far out of your budget, consider donating a meal's worth of food to a food pantry.  A couple of suggestions:
• box of pasta, jar of sauce (spaghetti, alfredo, cheese), canned veggie and/or fruit, quick bread mix
• bag of rice, can of chicken, cream of chicken soup, canned veggies
• fixings for homemade pizza (pre-made pizza kit, pepperoni)
• cans of chili, cornbread mix
• can of chili, box of mac and cheese (the kind that doesn't need milk and butter)
• Make a meal for someone who may be more overwhelmed during this season, especially those working in jobs that get crazy in November and December, like retail workers.
• Buy a chicken (or other animal or milk or water or...) for a family in a third world country.  I have a special place in my heart for Compassion International and World Vision, because I have seen both of them at work in Haiti doing amazing things.
• Sponsor a child.  Again, you can go through organizations like Compassion and World Vision for ongoing monthly sponsorships, or you can help with much smaller organizations like Joy in Haiti and sponsor a child's education for a year or a semester.
• Buy a toy for Toys for Tots or any local program in your area holding a toy drive.
• If you have a passion for animals, contact a local shelter and see what their needs may be at that time. It may be a good time to collect things from family and friends to drop off for them, and it may not cost you anything but a little time.
• Consider making a visit to a nursing home.  (Call first to see if this is an option.)
• Take a treat to a neighbor (which does not have to be food related). 

Again, the possibilities are endless, and these ideas are only a drop in the bucket.

If you have children involved in this, having a visual reminder can be a good thing.  One very tangible way is to find a Christmas ornament with the theme of whatever it is you participate in.  For example, if you buy a chicken, find a chicken ornament.  (It is fairly easy to also find ornaments with children or various things that represent the world that can be used when it is too difficult to find the exact theme.  Last year, Kohl's had a good selection of cloth people ornaments from other countries.)  Write the date on the ornament somewhere with a permanent marker or paint pen.  Wrap the ornament and have someone open it first before any personal presents are opened.

One other suggestion is to take a look at the philosophy behind Advent Conspiracy.  Whether or not you share the same faith, the suggestions given are priceless on re-thinking gift-giving in order to provide for others (with clean water in their case).

Feel free to share your ideas.

Christmas Traditions

If you know me or have read much of my blog, you may know that I'm a bit of an organization freak...not that you would always know that with the state of my house!

One of my traditions each year at Christmas time is to take part in the Adopt-A-Family program at my preferred food pantry in the area.  This food pantry uses this to help provide food for some of their neediest clients for the week between Christmas and New Year's when their office is closed.  One of the things I like about their approach, compared to others, is that their focus is on the needs of the clients.  (They have a different program for gifts, etc.)

After participating for several years, I realized I was recreating a list each year on what I wanted to include for the family.  Therefore, in typical Mrs. Organization fashion, the following list was born.  This has become the nuts and bolts for keeping me focused while out shopping, which I start a few months before the mid-December deadline.  Because I never see a need to reinvent the wheel, I thought I'd share how I do it.

Since each family is different, I focus on what the family might use more from my outlined list.  For instance, the presence of children and their ages, as well as the number of people in the family, plays a part in some of the food choices and toiletry items.  However, I always try to include food items that can be made into a full meal (which you will see examples of towards the bottom of the list).  Obviously, the family may not like the ideas or may have other things in mind, but I include a recipe card for my taco soup recipe, along with one for chocolate chip cookies (and anything else I may add). All of the ingredients are versatile for whatever the family may want to make regardless.

Non-grocery items are almost as important, sometimes more so, since food stamps will not cover these things.  Picking up great deals at Walgreens or other stores really helps in this area.  The items on my list marked with an asterisk (*) always go in a basket; everything else depends on variables like the make-up of the family and, quite honestly, my budget for that year.

Including a small gift for each member of the family is a priority for me as well.  It may not be something much, but it is something that allows the recipient to know that they are cared for.  Examples of small gifts include a calendar, scarf/glove set, a nice box of chocolates, scented lotion and/or body wash, a blanket, and greeting cards and stamps.

The organization suggests giving a gift card (of any size you would like) to a grocery store so the family can pick up any perishable food items they might need.

A little planning goes a long way and makes it a bit easier to plan ahead and work within a budget, especially one that gets even tighter in the month of December.

Maybe this year you are thinking about ways you can give back.  This may be one idea, but there are so many others, which I will include in another post.

Be inspired.

ADOPT-A-FAMILY MASTER LIST

Non-Grocery: Household
[] aluminum foil                                           [] tissues
[] baggies                                                   [] sponges
[] dish soap *                                             [] cleaners: kitchen, bathroom, toilet
[] laundry detergent *                                 [] toilet paper *
[] dryer sheets *                                         [] paper towels *
[] plastic wrap

Non-Grocery: Toiletries
[] shampoo *                                             [] conditioner *
[] hand soap *                                           [] lotion
[] body wash *                                          [] diapers
[] deodorant *                                           [] toothbrushes
[] toothpaste *                                           [] razors
[] shave gel

Food: Baking Items:  (Chocolate Chip Cookies)
[] flour *                                                    [] sugar *
[] brown sugar *                                        [] oil *
[] baking soda/powder *                            [] salt
[] chocolate chips *

Food: Pasta/Rice/Grains
[] pasta                                                      [] rice

Food: Breakfast               

[] cereal                                                     [] oatmeal

[] granola bars                                           [] pancake mix/syrup

[] canned fruit

Food: Cans & Jars
[] beans                                                     [] canned vegetables, various
[] jelly                                                        [] peanut butter
[] ketchup                                                  [] tomato sauce
[] tomato paste                                          [] tuna
[] chicken                                                  [] pasta sauce

[] soup

Food: Sauces
[] mayo                                                     [] dressing

Food: Snacks
[] graham crackers                                    [] nuts
[] popcorn                                                [] chips/pretzels

Food: Drinks
[] juice                                                      [] coffee
[] tea                                                        [] Crystal Light

Food: Meal Kits

[] Ingredients for Taco Soup:
     [] 28 oz can crushed tomatoes              [] black beans
     [] red kidney beans                               [] corn
     [] dry Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix
     [] taco seasoning                                   [] tortilla chips
[] Ingredients for spaghetti
     [] a good pasta sauce                             [] Parmesan cheese
     [] canned veggie                                     [] pasta

     [] quick bread mix
[] Pizza Kit

     [] Chef Boyardee Kit                             [] pepperoni

[] Burrito Bowls

     [] rice                                                    [] beans

     [] salsa                                                  [] jar of guacamole and/or cheese sauce

     [] tortilla shells                                       [] taco seasoning