The Challenge

My husband and three boys were gone on a ski trip with a church group from last Thursday until yesterday. Our daughter came home from college for the weekend, but before she left, she said she was giving her brothers a challenge.

When she left, I decided to go see what it was.  I knew it involved money because she either got some from my purse, or traded it out...or maybe just tried to trade it out, since one of them is having to share his with another brother.

And here is her challenge to each of them:  Do something good for someone else using this money. Be creative and include a Bible verse with the good deed. Then they are to report back to her and tell her what they did.

I can't wait to see what they do with this money!  I'm thankful for her challenge for her brothers.  What a great way to encourage random acts of kindness!  I have a feeling she does this, herself, for others at college :).

The Ft. Hood Tragedy and The Giving Challenge

Saturday was a week since I began "The 30-Day Giving Challenge" and many of you joined with me.  (Note:  If you don't know about the challenge, please click on the link to the right on my home page.)  When I began the challenge, little did I know that our town would be faced with a unique way to give a few days later.


On Thursday, Ft. Hood became the site of a terrible act of violence which claimed the lives of innocent people and injured many more.  Families were heartbroken to hear of the news of their loved ones.  Even though when one is in the armed forces, the fact that something could happen is acknowledged, most everyone would agree that it's not typically thought of to be something that would happen in our own country. It would more expected to be in other countries where our soldiers are sent to protect the freedom of others. But, on this day, it was here - right in our "backdoor"...so to speak..  It was at one of our own military bases.


This tragedy struck close in the hearts of our small town.  J.D. Hunt was one of the young men killed on Thursday.  J.D. was from here, having graduated from Tipton High School in 2005.  He had married only 2 1/2 months ago.


A special challenge of giving came as our community heard of the passing of J.D.  Although his family no longer lives here, but lives in another town close by, the town came together at the Friday night football game to pay special tribute to his memory.  The honor guard from Altus (OK) Air Force Base agreed to come, which made our National Anthem even more special that evening. Everyone prayed silently for J.D. and the others who lost their lives or were injured on that tragic day.


That Friday morning I had the opportunity to help one of our school teachers in organizing a way to honor J.D.  We purchased ribbon (red, white, and blue) and straight pins.  During the day the Student Council members made hundreds of ribbons to be passed out to all those in attendance at the football game that evening.  The ribbons will be warn during the week and the military past and present will be honored on Wednesday during our school's annual Veteran's Day program.


The Giving Challenge is a great way to help us think to do things for others.  Of course, I wish this tragedy had never happened and that there would not have been a need to pay honor to those who lost their lives.  But, God's Word tells us that there will be times like this and reaching out to help each other - to give comfort to each other and to all the families who lost loved ones - is what being a Christian is all about.


Please continue to give.  Please accept The 30-Day Giving Challenge.  And, please continue to pray for the victims of the Ft. Hood tragedy.  And, if we are truly going to be like Jesus, we must pray for the man accused of this crime.  Pray that his hard heart may be softened.  But, also remember to pray for his family.  It would be very hard to realize someone you loved could commit such a horrible crime.  They need prayers for strength at this time.


Have a great, giving week!

The 30-Day Giving Challenge

 

My cousin-in-law Alyssa, at Keeping the Kingdom First, is hosting The 30-Day Giving Challenge.  I have accepted the challenge and encourage you to do the same.

With November here, we automatically begin thinking about Thanksgiving.  Why not make the whole month of November a month of thanks and giving?  While going through this 30-day challenge of giving something each day, you will be blessed in return.  With each gift or act of kindness, you will feel good to have helped someone else.  You will also begin to think more about the needs of others around you.

Alyssa's preacher explained the challenge as follows:

Spend 30 days with a journal in your hand. Try it for the next 30 days and see if I’m lying. Take a journal and just jot down everything you give. Every time you find yourself being generous, write it down. Every time you feel prompted by God to give something you never would, or why would I buy THAT many cookies… from the Girl Scouts. I don’t know why, God just gave you the prompting to do something special for somebody! Write it down.

And then write down on the other side every time something comes back to you. Every time the cycle gets completed. Do it for 30 days, and you’ll never be the same again. You’ll never look at giving the same way again.

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There are all sorts of way to give during this challenge.  You can give money, of course, but you can also give supplies, food, and clothing.  Those are things we naturally think about as ways to help others.  But I want to suggest another way that you can give of yourself during this challenge:  Give of your time.

Time is a precious thing to all of us, but sometimes we become stingy and selfish with our time.  Think about the hours you spend watching TV or hours on the computer or maybe enjoying a hobby.  Could you give up some of that time to help someone else - to give of yourself to help others?

It's great to give money, food, supplies, and clothes - and in fact, it's needed.  But, we must also make sure we are giving of ourselves from the heart and not just giving to fulfill and obligation - as a sense of duty.

Because I live in a very, very small town (less than 900 people) my ways to volunteer will be different than yours, but here are some ways to give in the next 30 days:

  1.  Volunteer to read a book at school.
  2.  Volunteer to take an elderly person shopping or to the grocery store.
  3.  Volunteer to babysit (free of charge) for a family with young children.
  4.  Take a meal to a neighbor.
  5.  Take a care package to a hospital waiting room.
  6.  Go visit patients in the hospital.
  7.  Take a group of adults, teens, or children to the nursing home to visit and sing.
  8.  Send someone a card. (homemade or purchased)
  9.  Bake cookies or muffins and take them to work to share with your co-workers.
10.  Volunteer to rake leaves in an elderly person's yard (or other yard work).
11.  Volunteer to take elderly people to their doctor's appointment.
12.  In line at a fast food drive-thru, pay for the person's meal/order behind you.
13.  Take flowers to an office (ex. your bank, doctor's office, post office, etc.)
14.  Send a hand-written note to a teenager (they'll be shocked that it's not a text message)
15.  If your child is in school, volunteer to help with school events, parties and carnivals.  Even if you work, those in charge can use your help in some way.
16.  Make fall door decorations and take them to nursing home residents.
17.  Take a meal to a family with a newborn baby.
18.  Help organize food boxes to give away to families in need.
19.  Send a note of encouragement to men and women in the military.
20.  Volunteer your time at a women's shelter, a soup kitchen, or other service provider.
21.  Take the time to call or go visit widows and widowers.  This time of year can be especially lonely for those who have lost their spouses and whose children may not live close by.
22.  Invite someone to your home.  This could be for a meal, for coffee/tea, desserts, or maybe a game.
23.  Host a neighborhood ladies' brunch.  Hand-deliver invitations.  Play ice-breaker-type games that allow each person time to talk.
24.  Host a ladies salad supper with friends or Christian sisters from your congregation.  Have them bring an item from their past to tell about, as well as their favorite salad.
25.  Most people do not like to ask for help, even if they need it.  Offer to help others in a specific way, such as, "I have Monday morning free.  Why don't I come help you with whatever you need done?" 

I look forward to this challenge and know that it really will be a challenge.  It is something I will need to plan for daily.  It won't just happen.  I have to "plan" for it to happen.  On the other hand, I can expect to be blessed by God because of this challenge.

Look what Jesus told the disciples: 

Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."
Luke 6:38

So, are you up for the challenge?  What other ways can you think of that you can give during this month?