New Year's Revolution

New Year's Day is traditionally a time for looking forward, when we resolve to make a fresh start, do better, try harder, live up to expectations.  But all too often these resolutions evaporate by the time we have cleared up the remains of the previous night's celebration and almost certainly by the time we head back to work (speaking from experience).

If nothing in the world around you changes--same old problems (wars, famine, injustice, disease, poverty) reported day in, day out on the news here's a thought.  As the world events unfold on your TV screen, bring about a New Year's Revolution.  Change your life by resolving to change the world!

The first thing you need is a plan of action.  Set targets for what you want to achieve.  Be ambitious.  But make sure that your plan is achievable.  Don't be afraid of failure.  Do something and try your best to succeed.

Wishing you a Happy New Year...Together Let's Make A Difference in 2010.

Holiday Recycling

CHRISTMAS CARDS...give your holiday greeting cards a future life by donating them to St. Jude's Ranch for Children, an organization for abused, abondoned, and neglected children.  The children earn money by removing the fronts of donated cards to make new ones sold in packets of 10.  This year's cards will be accepted through February 28, 2010.  Visit http://www.stjudesranch.org/ for donation and purchasing details.

REAL TREES...Wickman Garden's Christmas Tree Recycle Event  (Springfield, MO).  Wickman's is accepting trees now through January 13.  They request a $5 donation that will benefit the Kitchen, Inc.  The trees will be ground into wood chips which are available for FREE; bring your own container (great for gardens).  Mon-Sat 8:00 am - 5:00 pm, Sun 10:00 am - 5:00 pm.  Located at 1345 South Fort Avenue.

Visit http://www.earth911.com/ for recycling locations near you for various items (household, electronics, etc.).

TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

Start a Family Tradition

Share the true spirit of Christmas... give a gift that can change a life!

Before you start your holiday shopping, hold a family meeting.  Ask everyone to take out their wish list and mark one item off the list and instead apply the value of that gift as a donation to a charity of their choice.  Adults and school-age children can research a variety of charities via the internet to help determine who to support.  Or as a group pool the money together for a single family donation.  If you have trouble deciding which charity to support, put the charity names in a hat and draw a name.  Then on Christmas day, pick a time during the day to share with each other the organziation(s) the family supported and say a prayer for the recipients of your generosity.

Where to begin your search?  Go to the Yahoo-powered search engine that donates half of its annual advertising revenues to charity.  Go to http://www.goodsearch.com/.  For every Web search you launch from its site, GoodSearch gives roughly a penny to the charity of your choice (pick from over 39,000 organizations).  Tempted to think this is chump change?  Heifer International would disagree.  This world-hunger nonfprofit earned almost $400 in four months.  In Heifer terms, that's three sheep, four goats, or 21 rabbits donated to communities in need.  In GoodSearch terms, that's about 65 supppoters conducting five search.

To help you get started, search the following:  United Way, Feed the Children, Heifer, World Vision, and Share Our Strength.

What a wonderful family tradition to start...Create a spirit of giving "to others" within your home.

TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERECE!

Urgent Action Request

The American Center for Law & Justice (ACLJ) dba Christian Advocates Serving Evangelism, Inc., a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit religious corportion, has sent out an urgent plea for support. 

Below are two of many critical cases they are currently fighting:

• ACLJ has joined pro-life House Republicans and Democrats to intensify the fight against the government-run health care plan that makes abortion a "health benefit."
•  Working with Rep. Walter Jones to protect the constitutional rights of military chaplains to pray according to their faith (HR 268).  Urging President Obama to issue an Executive Order to lock in the rights of chaplains, regardless of what happens to the bill in Congress

Your generosity will be doubled in impact up to $875,000 through the JUSTICE, LIFE & FREEDOM Matching Challenge.  Prayerfully consider the amount you can give. 

Visit http://www.aclj.org/ for more details.  Jay Sekulow, Chief Counsel, has a live radio-talk show weekdays at 4:00 pm on 90.1 FM (Springfield, MO area) or listen online.  ACLJ has offices located in Washinton, DC, New York, NY and Jerusalem, Israel.

Most of all, please pray for this organization in it's efforts to preserve our constitutional freedoms.

Today, I'm signing a petiton to PROTECT MILITARY PRAYER that will go to both US Representative Roy Blunt and President Barack Obama.

Together Let's Make A Difference!

Watch Your Language

"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me." 

WRONG!  "Words are weapons, sharper than knives..."  They can cut to the heart, leaving gaping wounds. 

Are words more powerful when they build up or when they destroy?  This is a question in my Sunday School quarterly this week.  We're studying the book of James (Chapter 3)...Taming the Tongue.

The Awesome Power of Words
What we say and don't say are both important.  Saying the right words at the right time is good, but controlling our desire to say what we shouldn't is important too. An uncontrolled tongue can do terrible damage.  Once our words are out there, we can't take them back.  A few words spoken in anger can destroy a relationship that took years to build.

Dual Nature of Words
Our contradictory speech often puzzles us. At times our words are right and pleasing to God, but at other times they are violent and destructive. 

The Wise Use of Words
When our speech is motivated by God and His wisdom it is full of mercy, love for others, peace, sincerity and impartiality.

When our speech is motivated by Satan it is full of bittter envy, selfish ambition, disorder, evil.

The tongue gives us a picture of our basic human nature...our true identity.

Thank a Teacher

In this season of thanksgiving, take time to Thank A Teacher.  Children are the future of the world, and if you think about it, teachers spend more waking hours with them than their parents do.  Let the teachers know they're valued and respected.

Ideas:

• Write a thank-you note
• Give a gift of homemade goodies
• Buy a book on a topic that interests them
• Gift a gift card

FACTS:
-There are 3.8 million teachers (2.6 million teach K-12).
-In 37 states, teacher salaries do not keep pace with inflation.

Teachers help shape everyone's world...including yours!

October - National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (NBCAM)

The American Cancer Society's NBCAM program is dedicated to increasing the awareness of the importance of early detection of breast cancer (http://www.nbcam.org/).

Two local ladies are sponsoring fundraisers this month through their employers to help raise money in the fight against cancer. Please visit the links below for further details.

A Cut Against Cancer - Sarah Horton http://www.acutagainstcancer.com/
Making Stides Against Breast Cancer - Dawn Krueger www.pamperedchef.biz/dkrueger

Also, the Breast Cancer Foundation of the Ozarks seeks to reduce the physical, financial and emotional burdens of breast cancer on the communities served by the foundation. Please visit http://www.bcfo.org/ for more information. 

United Way's Missouri 2-1-1 Help Line

With today's economy, the number of people seeking assistance for help with every day and urgent needs such as utility, rent/mortgage and food assistance is increasing.

Did you know the state of Missouri has more than 10,000 health and human service organizations and government programs? That's great, but it's hard to know where to turn to first when assistance is needed.

Check out United Way's Missouri 2-1-1- Help Line. It's fast, free, and confidential. The call center operates 24/7, 365 days a year. Missouri callers can dial 211 from a landline or AT&T cell phone. Other cell phone users should dial 1-800-427-4626. A trained specialist will determine the area from which the person is calling, and what services are needed, and then provide contact information for all available services in the person's community.
Information and resources including a searchable database of services available can be found at: http://www.211missouri.org/.

Volunteers and donors also can use 211 to find out where their services or donations are most needed and appropriate.

If you know of someone needing assistance right now, why not refer them to 211.

NOTE: 211 is NOT an emergency hotline. Residents should continue to call local emergency numbers for medical emergencies, fires and police assistance.

Spread the word - Make A Difference Today!

I'd love to hear your feedback.

Recycling Old Cell Phones

Below are a few options for recycling cell phones:

• Donate It: Whether or not your old phone works, consider donating it (and the charger) to the Wireless Foundation's Call to Protect program, which refurbishes phones for survivors of domestic violence. Log on to wirelessfoundation.org/calltoprotect to find drop locations.
• If your phone powers up and the outside is intact, GreenPhone will pay you for it. Visit greenphone.com and find your model to see how much you'll get--usually between $1 to $10.
• To search for local drop locations: Go to earth911.org or rbrc.org (Call2Recycle's site) and enter your zip code.
• Or log on to recyclemycellphone.org and print a prepaid postage label. Put your unwanted phone and charger in a padded envelope and leave it for your mail carrier.

Be sure to read Terms and Conditions on each site prior to participating.

Properly Dispose Old TV's

The DTV conversion is now complete. If you've upgraded to a new TV set, how do you properly dispose of the old set (television sets contain potentially harmful materials)?

For Springfield-area residents, The Computer Recycling Center, 1434 N. National Avenue, is a state-certified electronics waste recycler. A fee of $20 to cover transportation and disposal costs will apply. The center also accepts computers, VCR's, microwaves and other "e-waste".

For more information, visit: www.computerrecyclingcenter.org.

Americans toss about 2 million tons of "e-waste" each year, according to the EPA. Those heaps of electronics won't biodegrade anytime soon. They're busy leaching lead, arsenic, mercury, cadmium, and other toxic elements into the environment.

Your Life Is Your Message

A well-lived life can be a powerful force for good in this world Your actions speak louder than words. What you are, expressed in words and actions, really counts. Your personal integrity and the way you live your life can be a beacon of light in a world where there is great disconnection between what people say and what they do. When you live in harmony with your deepest values, your life reflects it. There's no need to advertise--people see it without being told. Remember that the way you live your life is your message to the world!

Biblical Scripture to back this up: James 3:13

Cancel a Phone Book

Millions of phone books hit American doorsteps unsolicited every year at the expense of 19 million trees. If you don't want yours, say "no thanks" at the new http://www.yellowpagesgoesgreen.org/.



I use the internet to locate phone numbers and addresses. Go to http://www.whitepages.com/ or http://www.yellowpages.com/.

Thank you Followers

I want to say "thank you" to my first two followers (Angie and Kerri). I appreciate your interest. Please feel free to share this blog spot with family and friends. Together we can make a difference!!

Say Goodbye to Catalog Waste

Americans get an estimated 19 billion catalogs a year (at a cost of 53 million trees). If going paperless interests you, join me in using Catalog Choice (http://www.catalogchoice.org/). This non-profit organization offers a FREE service which allows you to indicate which merchants' mailing lists you wish to opt out of, and say goodbye to waste.

By participating, you will reduce:

• energy consumption


• carbon emissions


• lost forest land

NOTE: Once you register, you will need to activate your account (from an email confirmation).

I just eliminated four catalogs within minutes. Since I can't remember all that I receive, as the catalogs come in, I will log on to Catalog Choice and update my preferences.

Help Make A Positive Impact On Our Environment!!!

Pay It Forward

Help raise another generation of givers. Encourage the young people in your life to check out volunteer opportunities at dosomething.org. Enter your zip code to search ideas to find plenty of ways to help the world, one cause at a time.

Share Life

Statistics show that every two seconds someone in America needs blood. World Blood Donor Day is June 14, and in honor of this event, make a pledge to boost the national supply by giving a pint. As many as three lives will be saved with each donor's gift of blood. Log on to americasblood.org to find a donation center near you.