The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

It's time again. The most wonderful time of the year!

That is still how we see it, right?

Despite the shopping lists and the overbooked calendars and the credit card bills and the cooking that needs to be done, it's still the most wonderful time of the year, isn't it?

Living outside of the US this year for the holidays is both a blessing and it brings a bit of sadness.

On the one hand, we would love to be spending the holidays with the fam, toting around our funny, goof-ball of a two year old and our brand new baby girl to all the get-togethers. I'd be lying if I said that we weren't going to miss the turkey and dressing and sweet potato casserole and PECAN PIE! Oh, how I will miss you pecan pie.......

But on the other hand, it's kinda peaceful here. The only sign of Christmas I've seen was when we went to the mall and let me just tell you, it's a shock to the senses when you walk in from 90 degree heat into a Winter Wonderland complete with giant Christmas tree, snow flakes galore, and Santa all decked out, waiting to hear the Christmas wishes of boys and girls. There just something weird about that....

Anyway, it's nice to be away from the hustle and bustle that the Christmas season has become in the US. I see so many FB statuses of long lines and empty shelves and stress and exhaustion... and it's only November!

No thanks.

But then again, Richard and I made a decision back a couple of years ago when we became parents to do things differently, no matter where we were on the globe. We just didn't feel right about what Christmas had turned into in the US, even among Believers. It just all seemed very.... wrong.

To take this season as a license to gorge ourselves on gifts and decorations and STUFF all in the name of "celebrating the holidays" just didn't mesh with what we found in the Bible.

Not the having fun part. Not the spending time with loved ones part. Not the enjoying part.

The gorging part.

So we decided to do things differently. Not because we're awesomely spiritual people. Not because we don't like to get new things or to give our kids new things. Not because we think Christmas trees are of the devil or that if you hang stockings and tell your kids that Santa is coming then they will grow up to be cult leaders.

But because we realized that while these things can be fun, there are things that are best. Things eternal.

So here are some things we've chosen to do differently. No guilt trip here, just some ideas to ponder and challenge you to ask, "Do I even remember what I got for Christmas last year? Do my kids even play with the toys we are still paying off? Do I need new Christmas decorations when I have 17 boxes full in our storage building? What are we teaching our kids about eternity through this season?"

• We don't really do the whole decorating-every-square-inch-of-the-house. First off, it's costly. And secondly, most of the items are "Made in China" where child labor is a huge problem. Last year, we had a simple Christmas tree that fit on our TV stand with some ornaments, a wreath on the door and some yummy Christmas smelling candles. We played a lot of Christmas music and it was simple and fun and inexpensive.
• We don't tell Elliott that "Santa is coming". We don't think Santa is evil and we don't cover Elliott's eyes when we pass by Santa at the mall. Right now he is only 2.5 years old so he doesn't really care or take notice, but if and when he does ask about Santa, we'll be happy to tell him about him and what the story is. But we don't emphasize "believing" in Santa. Personally growing up, we always had presents from "Santa" under the tree and it was fun. For our kids, though, we just realize that it's a dead end road... nothing eternal to teach unless you go back to the TRUE story of Saint Nicholas. That's a good idea!
• We don't buy Elliott a ton of presents. In fact, I think for his first Christmas (which we spent in the Amazon), we bought him two presents... neither of which he played with. Last year, I don't know that we got him anything ourselves because we knew the Grandparents would be buying him things. This year, we will probably go with the saying, "Something you want, something you need, something to wear, and something to read"... I think that's very practical and a good way to teach balance between wants and needs.
• In terms of gift GIVING, we are making an effort each year to give gifts in honor of our family members to organizations and ministries making an eternal impact in the world. There are SO many great organizations out there. Here are a couple of ideas from what we've done:

Last year, we bought our family members chickens. Yep. Chickens. We did it through Heifer International and it was something lasting. Heifer is a ministry that provides livestock to impoverished communities to help provide food as well as income for the families.

Check out Heifer International here: http://www.heifer.org

For Elliott, we decided to sponsor a child through Amazima Ministries. So for the last twelve months (and for many months to come), we've helped provide food and education for a 9 year old little girl in Uganda. Better than any toy that he would play with for approximately 3.2 seconds before preferring his drumsticks, pots, and pans anyway.  

Check out Amazima Ministries here: http://www.amazima.org

For Elliott's first birthday (but you could do this for Christmas), we asked people not to buy gifts, but to instead buy gift cards or make a cash donation to a needy family from our church. I have no doubt that there are families right in your neighborhood or church family that have real needs right now... things like food and clothing, not the newest electronic gadget or toy. Ask your Pastor or small group leader... I bet they can think of someone!

There are literally hundreds of other ministry opportunities that your family can get involved with and missionaries around the globe working to spread the Gospel. Search them out! Find little ways and big ways to give back and make a lasting impact for Christmas this year.

I don't know that I have ever heard someone regret giving generously. I know we never have.

"No one ever became poor by giving." -Anne Frank

People have, however, become poor by gorging.

Next year, you'll remember what you gave and so will your kids. And eternity might just be changed because of it. 



Some great blog posts about transforming your Christmas:

Quit Spending Money You Don't Have Just Because It's Christmas-Sheesh!- Brant Hansen
http://www.air1.com/blog/brant/post/2011/12/04/Quit-Spending-Money-You-Dont-Have-Just-Because-Its-Christmas-Sheesh.aspx

Here's a Money Tip: Be Reckless- Brant Handsen
http://www.air1.com/blog/brant/post/2012/11/23/Be-Reckless-with-Your-Money.aspx

The Christmas Conundrum- Jen Hatmaker
http://jenhatmaker.com/blog/2011/11/29/the-christmas-conundrum


Some more great ministries to give to:

Buy coffee for a cause! Seeds Coffee Co. seeks to have an eternal impact from the plowing of the coffee fields to the steaming brew in your mug. Check out this awesome ministry... who doesn't love a good great cup of coffee??
http://www.seedscoffee.com

Help send a Panamanian Indian to summer camp! Our good missionary friends in Panama, David and Marianella Bueno, have a vision to send 100 Panamanian Indian kiddos to summer camp where they will get the chance to swim in a real pool, meet new friends, eat good food, and most importantly hear from the Word of God. For just $40, you can pay for a life changing week for one of these kids and be part of impacting them for eternity. How's that for making a kid smile for Christmas??

For more info, contact David and Marianella at mariaydavid@hotmail.com. 

Help reach uncontacted people groups with the Gospel! Several weeks ago, God laid on our hearts the desire to start a program to support the efforts of the Indian nationals in Brazil to reach their own people with the Gospel in areas that foreigners have no access. That's when Project Javari was formed.For just $20 a month, you can support an Indian national who is being discipled and trained to 

carry the Gospel to his own people group. In fact, next month, three of these Indian men will be traveling by canoe to share the Gospel with their people for the very first time. If you want more information on how to be a part of this effort, e-mail Richard at b.r.whittemore@gmail.com.

Help build a school in Haiti! Blogger Jen Hatmaker has teamed up with Help One Now and Pure Charity to build a school in Yaveh Shamma, an orphanage in Petionville, Haiti, to benefit the 30 orphans and 120 vulnerable children that currently attend a tent school. Click here to find out how you could get involved: https://www.helponenow.org/legacyproject/

(I see this picture circling Facebook, and maybe we're becoming desensitized. Maybe it's becoming cliche. I don't care. It makes me physically sick to my stomach when I picture Elliott's little bitty face and arms stretched out like that. God have mercy on us.)

Alone in the City: Day Eight (Election Edition)

Being out of the country during election season was quite the blessing. No commercials, no campaign ads, no daily banter. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh.... sweet peace.

Yesterday being election day, however, I wanted to keep up with what was going on. But there is a two hour time difference here so by midnight my time I was spent and off to bed I went, knowing that me staying up til 3am to find out the results would not, in fact, make any difference whatsoever in the outcome but me losing more sleep would make for a long day today.

Being 8.5 months pregnant, there are only about a million and one middle-of-the-night bathroom wake-ups so about 2:45 I woke up to go and thought I'd check Facebook for the results.

It was very clear right away that Obama had won the gold.

What was my reaction? I turned over and immediately fell back to sleep. (Cut be a break, the sun comes up at 4:45 am here!)

When I woke up again this morning, I began to feel the tinge of disappointment. But it wasn't actually disappointment that Obama won and Romney lost. It was a disappointment with the response of Believers to the outcome. Hear me out.

Some of the status updates I've seen have been so gloom and doom, so hopeless and depressing.

I can't help but think that last night as America awaited the results, Jesus was in fact NOT pacing the floors of Heaven, updating his FB and Twitter feeds every 30 seconds and watching FOX News to see the latest poll closings.

He knew this would be the outcome a while back.... like, before He created the world. And what's even more is He planned it that way.

While we sit back thinking that if more people would have just voted, things could have been different, Jesus sits comfortably at the right hand of God knowing that is actually not true. He controlled the polls yesterday, not us.

As much as we like to think we have a say in things, the fact of the matter is, we don't. And most of us like to say that we know God is sovereign and in control.... until His sovereignty and control look a little bit different than what we thought they should looke like.

Jesus isn't disappointed with the election results. In fact, I think He's waiting for His Body to step up and be the hands and feet we were called to be. And He's giving us all the opportunity in the world.

So here's what I say:

Instead of fearing the next four years, praise the Lord that He is in control and that we aren't!

It's time for us, as believers, to stop standing up for these big-time events like Chick-fil-a rallies and Presidential elections and start working out our roles as Believers in the day-to-day.

Don't want to see more abortions? Romney wouldn't eliminate abortion. So, instead, if you're really passionate about it like we all like to say during election season, get in touch with your local crisis pregnancy center and donate your time like my friend Shannon Conner did after the last election. She says:

"Another positive (for me) about this Obama administration is...I can't stand his views on abortion! So instead of being mad about it for 4-years (or 4 more) I started volunteering at Sav-a-Life in my community and have met some wonderful godly women who can pray the house down if they have to!"

Can't volunteer? I bet you can give sacrificially to provide diapers, formula, clothing, and other essentials to new moms who have made the scary choice to keep their babies, despite pressure to do otherwise. Don't have a crisis pregnancy center? Start one! Or at least get on your knees and beg God to lay it on someone's heart to do so.

DO SOMETHING!

Upset about the unemployment rate? Romney wouldn't eliminate unemployment. Get in touch with your local homeless shelter and start volunteering to serve. Search out families in your area who have lost their homes and take them in. Start regularly donating to the local food bank. Participate in fundraisers to fund these organizations.

Before we moved to Brazil, I had met a homeless lady in downtown Chattanooga on night as Richard and I walked back to our car after dinner and a movie. Her name was Angela. God laid it on my heart to begin meeting with her one day a week for Bible study and we did just that for about six months. I assure you that she impacted my life much more than I impacted hers! Was it hard? Yes. Were there days I didn't want to do it? Yes. Was it totally worth the time and money we invested in her? Absolutely!

DO SOMETHING!

Upset about public school underfunding? Romney wouldn't fix our problems in the schools. Instead, find out if your local schools have tutoring programs that you can volunteer for. If there are children in your neighborhood who come home to an empty house every afternoon, invite them over for snacks and games. See if you can donate school supplies to kids in need during the year.

My friend Shannon also says:

"I really don't care for how the administration wants people to be dependant on the government so I'm going to check out volunteering at a youth detention center and hopefully inspire at least one person to pull themselves up and better their life and NOT depend on the government for a handout. I can't save the world but I'm just looking for one."

I know of a couple who sold their big house in the suburbs and moved to the inner city to reach at-risk youth. Sound radical? Sounds like Jesus to me.

Upset about the Health Care crisis? Romney wouldn't make it all better. Start making healthier life choices and living simpler to save money and improve your health, decreasing the need for health care and preparing for the future. Take up an exercise routine. Participate in walk/run fundraisers for cancer, diabetes, March of Dimes, etc. Eat real foods. Research medicines before just taking them because the doctor prescribed it. Look for natural alternatives.

We live in a society that has quickly put their faith in a health system that doesn't have us as its best interest. Start taking charge of what you do to your own body!

DO SOMETHING!

Just don't like Obama for his lack of principles, lies, and corruption? Let's not forget Romney is a politician, too. And a Mormon.... doesn't stand for our core beliefs either. So make it a point to pray for him. Every single day. How much did we pray for Obama over the last four years? Do we not think God is big enough to change him? If we really do think God is that big, let's pray like it.

In other words, stop fearing and dreading and being depressed. Do something!

Live simpler to give more to what REALLY matters: spreading the Gospel around the world. Sponsor a child. Volunteer at a school, homeless shelter, or pregnancy center. Pray for our leaders and teach our children to pray for our leaders. Adopt. Foster a child. Simplify your life so you can serve and give more. Start a program for at-risk youth. Write encouraging e-mails and letters to people you know are struggling. Buy groceries for the family whose husband just lost his job. Cook meals for the sick. Visit the nursing homes.

Give. Go. Serve. Do. Pray.

The people I know who are doing these things, don't have much time on their hands to complain about what isn't happening....

Let's take this election result as a hint from God that it's about time we step up our game.

The world isn't going to know us by who we vote for, they are going know us by how we love.

"By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13.35