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!