Dear Friends:
This year numerous churches, businesses, families and individuals have joined the "Gift Revolution".
What does that mean and how does it differ from typical holiday giving? Let me try to explain . .
The Gift Revolution is not about purchasing a one-time gift--it is all about developing a habit or a lifestyle of giving. Addiction specialists know it takes 28 days to change behavior or to break a bad habit. The Gift Revolution calls for a month of developing a good habit--that of a giving lifestyle based on the concept of paying it forward.
Several years ago a movie came out entitled "Pay it Forward". In the film a young boy was faced with a challenging school assignment. He was asked to develop an idea with the potential to change the world. His idea was to start a "Random Acts of Kindness" revolution using the same mathematical formula sales moguls have applied for years. The premise went like this: If the boy did three random acts for three total strangers and each stranger did three acts for three others and so on, the impact would be tremendous.
The Gift Revolution calls for participants to develop a lifestyle of giving that requires simple acts of kindness (or giving)--once a day throughout the month of December.When a participant does an act of giving they encourage the recipient to follow suit.
This movement was launched by a network of like-minded people who came together in a collaborative effort to create a movement which is quickly gaining support all across the world.
To participate is simple: Just visit the official Gift Reveolution website at www.thegiftrevolution.com. Once there, you can order some gift cards to hand out as you go about doing good deeds and distributing gifts. Remember, your gift does not have to be costly. You can give service or time. Be creative. As you commit some random acts of giving, distribute your gift cards to those who receive your efforts, then post your videos and stories online at the Gift Revolution website. This way, the impact of this revolution can be measured and shared around the globe.
One story currently posted on the website is an account of two ladies whose husbands are deployed who decided to go to Taco Bell for dinner and were amazed when the cashier told them the previous customer had paid for their meals. Another story is from a 20-year-old in Jacksonville, NC who said she makes gift baskets each Christmas to distribute at a nearby Veteran's Hospital.
There are plenty of ways you can join this year's Gift Revolution just by doing some small kind act for someone else while expecting nothing in return. Remember, it taks about a month to change behavior for better or for worse. If you start today perhaps the act of giving will carry with you throughout the New Year as well.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Friday, December 4, 2009
Living Like Jesus
Dear Friends:
I bought myself a Christmas gift. I know that's not the best thing to do in today's economy but I couldn't resist. I deliberately stay away from Barnes and Nobles because I am such an avid reader I always end up finding at least one book I either need or desperately want to read and can not finish in just one sitting.
The book I bought today is written by Ed Dobson and it is called "The Year of Living Like Jesus--My Journey of Discovering What Jesus Would Really Do". It is written like a diary or a journal and promises to chronicle Dobson's daily experiences as he "transitions from someone who follows Jesus to someone who lives like Jesus."
Wow. Isn't that the transition we'd all love to make. I know I would.
Dobson does not take this adventure lightly. While writing this book he not only tried to handle life circumstances in ways that Jesus would, he actually adopted a lifestyle that included observing traditional Jewish holy days, not shaving and personally engaging himself in not only researching, but also exploring and practicing, Judeo-Christian practices.
In prayerful response to his own degenerative illness, Dobson also put a great deal of energy into studying and emulating Jesus's response to suffering and healing.
The book has already received rave reviews from well respected pastors and rabbi's. It first caught my attention b/c I was familiar with Ed Dobson's work as an editor for Christianity Today and I knew of him through my work at the Cornerstone Music Festival. He is a member of Jesus People USA and has been a pastor of Calvery Church in Grand Rapids Michegan.
I haven't started reading it yet but I must say its overall theme and unique approach perked my curiosity. I'll write a review on this blog once I've read it. If I can go without too many distractions I can generally zip through an interesting book in a very short time.
In the meantime I encourage each of you to engage in some reading of your own and to find new ways to experience spiritual growth. Imagine what the world would be like if we all spent more time transitioning ourselves from following Jesus to living like Jesus. Wow . . .
Blessings,
Cindi (aka Poetic Justice)
I bought myself a Christmas gift. I know that's not the best thing to do in today's economy but I couldn't resist. I deliberately stay away from Barnes and Nobles because I am such an avid reader I always end up finding at least one book I either need or desperately want to read and can not finish in just one sitting.
The book I bought today is written by Ed Dobson and it is called "The Year of Living Like Jesus--My Journey of Discovering What Jesus Would Really Do". It is written like a diary or a journal and promises to chronicle Dobson's daily experiences as he "transitions from someone who follows Jesus to someone who lives like Jesus."
Wow. Isn't that the transition we'd all love to make. I know I would.
Dobson does not take this adventure lightly. While writing this book he not only tried to handle life circumstances in ways that Jesus would, he actually adopted a lifestyle that included observing traditional Jewish holy days, not shaving and personally engaging himself in not only researching, but also exploring and practicing, Judeo-Christian practices.
In prayerful response to his own degenerative illness, Dobson also put a great deal of energy into studying and emulating Jesus's response to suffering and healing.
The book has already received rave reviews from well respected pastors and rabbi's. It first caught my attention b/c I was familiar with Ed Dobson's work as an editor for Christianity Today and I knew of him through my work at the Cornerstone Music Festival. He is a member of Jesus People USA and has been a pastor of Calvery Church in Grand Rapids Michegan.
I haven't started reading it yet but I must say its overall theme and unique approach perked my curiosity. I'll write a review on this blog once I've read it. If I can go without too many distractions I can generally zip through an interesting book in a very short time.
In the meantime I encourage each of you to engage in some reading of your own and to find new ways to experience spiritual growth. Imagine what the world would be like if we all spent more time transitioning ourselves from following Jesus to living like Jesus. Wow . . .
Blessings,
Cindi (aka Poetic Justice)
Tis' the Season
Dear Friends:
This is the season for random acts. This is the season for spreading joy and going out of our way to help others. This is the season for gift-giving and family gatherings and going the extra step to support worthy causes. It is the season for celebrating the birth of a saviour and spreading a bit of joy. It is the time to offer hope.
My question is why now? Why not all year round?
Perhaps I am the quintessential example of why all the time doesn't work for everyone. On September 11th I set out to write a daily blog based on random acts. I didn't even make it a month without running short on ideas and failing to sit down at the computer to type out my blog entry. October was not much better even though random acts were happening all around the blog and I was able to find some amazing stories of what others were doing. November I missed completely. I was too tied up in my own little life . . .
Great intentions with little follow-through--that's my trouble. We get caught up in our daily routines and fail to put others first. Sometimes we get stuck in survival mode . . . Sometimes we do random acts of something but don't even realize it. Other times its best to keep what we do to ourselves. The best random acts are those we do when no one is watching and we are not compelled to give ourselves credit.
Even so, I have not completely abandoned the idea of writing this daily blog. A little research shows there are thousands of folks out there doing really great things for their communities and who are blessing others in so many unique and wonderful ways. Sometimes it is OK to share our ideas and what we've done in order to motivate and encourage others to get off the couch and get busy. The cool thing about blogs is anyone can write one--the trick is keeping at it and writing something significant in the process.
In the days and weeks to come I hope to be more aggressive in writing this blog. I hope to find and share great stories of what others are doing to make a difference; I hope to provide some resources and ideas on how you can not only become a committer of random acts through the holiday season but all year round. Mostly, I hope to step out and step up my own efforts to bless others and to reach out into the community. My goal is to give more and to truly live a vibrant life made up of random acts.
Blessings,
Cindi (aka Poetic Justice)
This is the season for random acts. This is the season for spreading joy and going out of our way to help others. This is the season for gift-giving and family gatherings and going the extra step to support worthy causes. It is the season for celebrating the birth of a saviour and spreading a bit of joy. It is the time to offer hope.
My question is why now? Why not all year round?
Perhaps I am the quintessential example of why all the time doesn't work for everyone. On September 11th I set out to write a daily blog based on random acts. I didn't even make it a month without running short on ideas and failing to sit down at the computer to type out my blog entry. October was not much better even though random acts were happening all around the blog and I was able to find some amazing stories of what others were doing. November I missed completely. I was too tied up in my own little life . . .
Great intentions with little follow-through--that's my trouble. We get caught up in our daily routines and fail to put others first. Sometimes we get stuck in survival mode . . . Sometimes we do random acts of something but don't even realize it. Other times its best to keep what we do to ourselves. The best random acts are those we do when no one is watching and we are not compelled to give ourselves credit.
Even so, I have not completely abandoned the idea of writing this daily blog. A little research shows there are thousands of folks out there doing really great things for their communities and who are blessing others in so many unique and wonderful ways. Sometimes it is OK to share our ideas and what we've done in order to motivate and encourage others to get off the couch and get busy. The cool thing about blogs is anyone can write one--the trick is keeping at it and writing something significant in the process.
In the days and weeks to come I hope to be more aggressive in writing this blog. I hope to find and share great stories of what others are doing to make a difference; I hope to provide some resources and ideas on how you can not only become a committer of random acts through the holiday season but all year round. Mostly, I hope to step out and step up my own efforts to bless others and to reach out into the community. My goal is to give more and to truly live a vibrant life made up of random acts.
Blessings,
Cindi (aka Poetic Justice)
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