A Christmas Story

(Don't forget to check out our giveaway here - accepting entries through January 2!)



   This is the last Christmas post for a long time - I promise! I just really wanted to share one of my favorite Christmas movies with you guys. I actually watched it the day after Christmas because it kind of got lost in my DVR queue and it ended up being the perfect way to wrap up the holiday season.

   Not everyone chooses to celebrate Christ on Christmas, and because of that many Christmas movies, songs, activities, etc. have themes and plots that are not blatantly Christian. This movie is one of them. The last time I watched it I was much younger and hadn't yet began to look for the deeper meaning in the movies I watched. But this year, I noticed something lingering in the undertones.

   Three Days is a pretty classic, cheesy, Christmas film that involves traveling into the past to restore a broken relationship - but the depth of characters, the realistic relationships, and the overall message were enough for me to overlook the cliche. Now I don't want to give away too many details, because I'm hoping that you'll want to watch this wonderful Christmas movie! But what I will say is this:

   One question that kept being asked throughout the movie by the main character was, "What gift can I give my wife to show her that I truly love her?" I think that is such an interesting and useful question for us to ask in our own lives (whether we have wives/husbands or not - we all have people in our lives that we love). When we are giving Christmas gifts or going about our business on any other July 15 or April 3 - what does it mean to really show people that we love them? What does it mean to love sacrificially? What kinds of sacrifices does that or could that include? How does that apply to my life right now?

   The more I thought about the film, the more clearly I was able to see the Christ-filled Christmas message displayed through it, whether that was the intention of the filmmakers or not. This was the true meaning of the Christmas Story shown through the fictional lives and relationships of others! I love engaging in those types of stories so much because they allow me to view something that has become automatic, expected, and typical in a new light. And that light usually shines on new areas of my own life that I discover the need and desire to consider and assess.

   After those original questions about love and self sacrifice are answered, bigger questions arise. How do the sacrifices I make compare to those that Jesus made for myself and for others? How does that make me feel? What does/should that mean for the way that I live out my life?

   Three Days explores what it truly means to love and be loved, as well as how that is shown. The ending gave me a new way to view sacrificial love and to meditate about Christ's work on the cross. I honestly can't remember why I initially decided that I liked this movie so much, but after viewing it recently I'd say that my younger self made a pretty solid decision (even if it wasn't on purpose;) ). 


   Has anyone else seen this movie before?
   What are your favorite Christmas movies? (My other favorites are Christmas Vacation, Elf, The Grinch, and almost anything done in clay-mation - especially Rudolph and Nestor the Long Eared Donkey.)
   Have you had a similar spiritual experience with a movie that made no blatant mention of Christ?


-Courtney
 

Christmas Shopping: The Win-Win Gift

Need some last minute shopping ideas? 
It's easy to get caught up in giving to our friends and families with commercialized things that have no real significance to the giver or receiver, so it's nice to sometimes find a deeper meaning for our Christmas gifts.

Here are 5 ways to give gifts that really do keep on giving!

1. Shop Fair Trade

    What It Is: Fair Trade is a movement committed to providing consumers with ethically produced shopping options. Members of the World Fair Trade Organization follow a set of 10 principles which include creating opportunities for economically disadvantaged producers, paying producers a fair price, ensuring no child or forced labor, and ensuring good working conditions. Fair trade employs manufacturers and producers of goods in countries where these qualities may not always be the norm.

   Why It's Cool: You can help reduce poverty by providing manufacturers and producers of goods in developing countries with the skills and resources necessary to be ethically competitive in the global market.

   Ways to Shop: Fair Trade USA, Ten Thousand Villages, Nkuku

2. Shop Non-Profit Merch

   What It Is: Non-profit organizations are just that – organizations that do not seek to turn a profit. They use their income for growing the organization, helping its cause, and paying the necessary expenses (like salaries and costs of business).

   Why It's Cool: It’s a way to buy physical gifts for people while simultaneously supporting your or the gift receiver’s (or both) favorite organization.

   Ways to Shop: American Widow Project, To Write Love On Her Arms, Empowerment Store, Your local no-kill animal shelter

3. Shop Small (Teeny Tiny) Business 

   What It Is: The internet is full of individuals seeking to start business ventures without actually starting a “business”. They offer a craft or service in order to support themselves and their families.

   Why It's Cool: You can buy a craft or service which supports that specific artisan and his/her family.

   Ways to Shop: Etsy, Novica

4. Shop Donations

   What It Is: This would be gifting money to a charitable organization (a specific type of non-profit).

   Why It's Cool: You can give monetary or physical object donations to charity in the name of someone else.

   Ways to Shop: Greater Good, Samaritan’s Purse, Your local food Drive

5. Shop Your Own Home

   What It Is: There are sometimes things that we love and treasure that aren't suitable for us anymore or that we still enjoy but know someone who would enjoy them more. You can find a collection of things to turn into a new thing, Etsy style, or decide to give an unadulterated beloved item to a new owner. 

   Why It's Cool: People tend to have negative connotations toward re-gifting, but if done properly it can actually be a great gift – maybe even a gift that is passed on in the following years. This could be particularly cool to pass on through generations or specific life stages. 
   Ways to Shop: Books, Nice jewelry, Family heirlooms

-- Courtney
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:16

Christmas Spirit

The Giving Mentality

   The Christmas Spirit is intoxicating for many people during the time period between Thanksgiving and New Year’s. Ask any number of people and I bet you’ll get the same number of different definitions of the term “Christmas Spirit”, but an aspect inherent to most is probably an attitude of selflessness and giving. Everyone seems to be more concerned with giving rather than receiving during the holiday season and there is research to show that they act upon these feelings.  One third of charity online donations were made in December during 2010 and a multitude of opportunities see too many volunteers during this small window of the year. But it isn't just the act of partnering with and financially contributing to charitable organizations that is prevalent. There are activities such as Angel Tree shopping and selfless gift giving to friends, family members, school teachers, and mailmen that supersede the norms of altruistic behavior at other times of the year. The celebration of a season of giving is fantastic, just as celebrating love on Valentine’s Day and celebrating a person’s life on their birthday are great festivities as well! But does a problem arise when that mentality of selfless generosity disappears with the change of the calendar, wiped clean with the arrival of a new year?

    I think the first question we should ask ourselves is, why should we give at all? That one is pretty simple and straightforward. One of the places we find that answer is Deuteronomy 16:17: Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord your God which He has given you.* The Lord has given us stewardship over our time, resources, and money. As he gave, we are also to give. This is not always such a natural, automatic behavior in a nation where the cultural notion of self-sufficiency is rampant. To an extent, the idea of being self-sufficient is a very positive one, but it is oftentimes taken too far in practice. It is taken too far when all we do is expect what we feel is owed to us, and that becomes our number-one concern. It is taken too far when it keeps us from showing grace to our neighbors. And it is taken too far when we refuse to view ourselves as more than individuals, but as a loving community of many individuals. Taking pride in our ability to provide for ourselves and our families is one thing, but becoming arrogant and judgmental through that is quite another. The Lord has done more for us than we could ever hope to do for ourselves and we should find humility in that. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son (John 3:16) - and what did God owe us? What reason did he have for giving to people that constantly turned their backs on him? We should take joy in that gift and desire to give to others all the more because of it. (Not to mention, who here would be alive if it weren't for God? That's a pretty massive gift). 

   The second question is how do we give? Meaning - How much should we give? Where should we give it? And what giving is most beneficial? It seems to me that this is where we run into a grayer area. I think the stewardship of money, time, and resources that we have been given look different for everyone. I also think that each particular opportunity to serve people is unique. There are two main types of giving: monetary gifts (you know, money) and service gifts (time and energy). Both types of giving come from the same root thought processes and end goals, but allow for different talents and abilities to be utilized. The important thing is the heart behind the gifts. The important thing is that we're assessing where we store our treasures (in savings accounts?** in possessions? or in the love of Christ that we share with others?) and how we can help our community, as we are gifted and as we are able. Let's look through some examples of giving behavior in the Scriptures: 

Ability

Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have. Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hardpressed, but that there might be equality. At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. The goal is equality, as it is written: "The one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little." 

2 Corinthians 8:11-15

Joy

Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 

2 Corinthians 9:7

Heart

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman name Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all of the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!" "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed - or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."

Luke 10:38-42

Generosity

Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus' feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of perfume. But one of his disciples objected, "Why wasn't this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year's wages" . . . "Leave her alone," Jesus replied. "It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me."

John 12:3-7

   Does giving mean that I need to hand out a dollar to every homeless person I pass? No. In fact, if I did that, as a resident of the city of Austin, then I would be out on the streets with them in a very short time.*** We don't have to become poverty stricken in our giving and we have the freedom to do things purely for our own enjoyment (including giving), but we should be making an effort to ensure the comfort and livelihood of others and to shower love onto our fellow human beings. These passages show us that, like many directives and themes of Scripture, we are not called to one extreme form of behavior, but an attitude of the heart. We are called to love and to show grace and, most importantly, to focus on the Lord, letting all else flow from there. 

   So, what does it really look like to not only celebrate giving for a time, but to be a giver all the time? After all, we don't stop loving our significant others on February 15th, or stop caring about the lives of our friends and family the day after their birthdays. How can we treat the Christmas season as a celebration, rather than a radically different mindset? Should we be upset that giving is associated with a sense of Christmas Cheer, but is overlooked for the rest of the year? Or should we just be happy that there is giving being done at all? Does a person need to give regularly or can they pay/serve a lump sum during the month of December and call it good for all of the missed opportunities in the past 11 months? Should gifting and volunteering be the first things we think of when we become infected with Christmas Spirit, or should we begin with a greater focus on the birth of our Savior, and let all else stem from there? What do you think? Post your thoughts in the comments below!

Love,

Courtney

*While this particular verse is speaking of the Feast of Tabernacles, it's concept is found throughout the Bible in various instances and across a variety of situations. For brevity's sake, I'm choosing this one.

**Savings accounts are good things. I have one. But they can also be sources of anxiety (not trusting in God's provision), arrogance (hey - look how cool I am from all the money I saved up), and hoarding (I'm going to keep all this money for myself, even though I know this dude is hurting and God is speaking into my heart to give to him - I'm just going to use my savings account as an excuse to rack up more money that I never intend to use) 

***Also, it's not always the best idea to give homeless people cash if you want to do something actually beneficial for them. I know a guy that used to be homeless and we discussed this for a while.