What You Should Want For Christmas

Gifted Magazine (Photo credit: Creature Comforts)

On Monday I challenged you, tough girl, to try and get more out of wanting less. But here’s the thing – I LOVE getting presents. If I said I didn’t and I was too holy for all that, I’d be a big fat liar.

Not only do I love getting presents, I love giving them! I love the look on someone’s face when they tear open the paper and get all excited because you blessed them with something.

I am certainly not an advocate for getting rid of presents all together. But I am a huge advocate of doing gifts in a way that is cheap yet thoughtful and incredibly memorable. So here are some ideas to transform your Christmas asking and giving:

Under $5 presents

-Things from the Dollar Spot at Target. Okay, technically they should call it the three dollar spot. But regardless, it never ceases to amaze me what adorable things they have in that section. Things that are quirky, things that are practical, and things that are cheap!

-Michael’s and Joann’s also have some amazing and fun things for under $5. Plus, you could pick up materials there for the same price and make something totally unique.

-The Dollar Tree. It’s seriously my favorite place in the world right now. I don’t think there’s anything they don’t have. Think of it as a treasure hunt

Presents That Cost Little To Nothing

-Make dinner

-Plan a game night

-Make a  coupon book (yes, I know you think you’re too old – but if you make it for things they actually want and you actually follow through, it’s totally worth it!)

-Print out a photo colllage

-Make a gift of something of yours they’ve always loved

-At home coffee date

-Movie night complete with popcorn

-At home mani-pedi

Gifts That Make A Difference

World Vision has a gift catalog where something is donated in your/their name

Light Gives Heat offers jewelry, clothing, accessories, and so much more with the proceeds going to the African women who made them

Timbali Crafts is run by a friend of mine and the money from their bags and other fabric products go back to the women of Swaziland (I HIGHLY recommend this one)

Other Ideas

-Buy local. Find someone you know who is trying to make a living running their own business and support them.

-Go used. Spend less by getting things from secondhand stores. Clothes, books, art, etc.

-Be creative. Heart felt notes, silly songs on YouTube, or a mix CD can mean more than anything that a lot of money could buy.

-Be thoughtful. The saying is true: it’s the thought that counts.

Question: What do you want for Christmas? Do the things you want and the things you plan on giving show that you are different than the rest of the world? What’s the most meaningful thing someone could get you this year?

 

Want A Little, Get A Lot

Christmas gifts (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

So, what’s on your Christmas list this year? An iPod or iPad? New clothes? Books?

As much as we try and keep the focus on Christ, it can be really hard when we’re bombarded with commercials offering deals on things that we just have to have. We want, want a little more, and then want a little more on top of that.

What’s a tough girl to do with all this consumerism and materialism being shoved down their throats?

Be content. “Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.” – 1 Timothy 6:6-8. Before you start thinking about all the things you want, focus on what God has already given you. Then ask yourself, “Do I really need this other stuff? Do I only want it because everyone else has it? I am seeking happiness in things?” A little contentment can go a long way at Christmas.

Be practical. Instead of longing for the latest tech or fashion trends, think about things that you really need. Things like a gas card, money for a mission trip, or new socks Don’t give the lame excuse of wanting something “fun.” If people are going to spend money on you but you don’t want it to just feed your discontentment (like if you get an iPhone 5 and, in 2 months, they come out with the iPhone 5.123), then ask for things you really need.

Be cheap. Set a limit. Tell your parents you only want them to spend $50 or $100 on you. This will keep you away from expensive things you don’t really need. And, if you’re feeling especially risky, do the homemade thing! Say you only want homemade gifts or reused gifts. Do you think you could manage Christmas without spending anything at all?

Be thoughtful. You could get a new Fossil bag. Or you could find an organization that sells bags and the proceeds go to help out women in Africa. You could get a cute new scarf in your stocking. Or you could get a card that says a chicken was bought in your name through World Vision and given to someone who needs it. There are so many gifts out there that not only give you something, but they help out someone you will never meet.

In our family, everyone gets three gifts: a book, a clothing item, and something fun. We try and keep the cost around $100 a person. We will never have piles and piles of presents under our tree, but this simplistic way of gift giving keeps the focus on Christ and the richness of family time each Christmas morning.

Wanting less can lead to you getting more this Christmas than ever before.

Question: How can you be more content this Christmas? What is on your list – and how will it draw you closer to Jesus? What can you do to want less?

Why You Should Hang Out With People You Don’t Like

Image via Wikipedia

Christmas is this weekend. Time for food, presents, and, of course, family.

Does that make you smile? Or cringe?

Chances are, if you’re anything like the rest of us, there are at least one or two people in your family or extended family that you can’t stand. That uncle who drinks way too much. That aunt who has nothing nice to say about anyone. That cousin who has to one-up everyone they come in contact with.

It’s hard to be around people that we don’t like. When we imagine the picture perfect holiday, those people are usually absent from the shot.

Wouldn’t it be easier to just stay home with the people you like?

Yes.

But is that right?

 

“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” – Matthew 5:14-16

 

Sure it’s easier to stay home where things are safe and comfortable. Sure it’s easier to surround yourself with like-minded Christians who you feel like you have everything in common with.

But what good is light where there is already light?

There are dark places in your life. There are people you know who are stumbling around without a clue as to what life really is. And you, tough girl, get to be light to these people.

It certainly isn’t easy. You will be mocked and made fun of. You will be ignored. People will go out of their way to make you uncomfortable, seeing how far they can push you before you crack or give up all together. But that doesn’t change the fact that we’re called to be light.

Question: Who can you be light to this Christmas? Who in your family is hard to love that you can go out of your way to show the fruit of the Spirit to (Gal. 5:22-23)? Who have you complained about seeing that you should be praying for instead?

12 Days of DIY Cheapskate Kind Of Christmas

Christmas time is here! It’s all about joy and Jesus, snow and hot chocolate, fun and festivities.

And money. Oh, the money!

If you’re anything like me, you’re slightly stressing over the expectation to get something for everyone. Parents. Siblings. Other family you only see twice a year but still need to do something. Teachers, pastors, neighbors. The list goes on and on. And then there’s friends…

But wait! What’s that I hear? Is it sleigh bells in the distance? No, something else. Something much more delightful.

It’s the sound of celebrating Christmas with your friends – FOR FREE!

12 Days before Christmas starts on the 14th and carries on through Christmas Day. Why not figure out a way to create super fun, super meaningful traditions with your BFF or a group of friends?

Day 1 – Write a poem. It can be as cheesy or as sentimental as you want. They are your friends, so you know what will mean the most of them.

Day 2 – Make cookies. Okay, this one isn’t totally free. But between you and whoever you are together with, I’m sure you can scrounge up the ingredients.

Day 3 – Go for a walk. Bundle up, link your arms, and spend some quality time together enjoying this winter wonderland.

Day 4 – Create a pack of Scripture cards for them. Take some paper or some index cards and write a dozen or so verses that they can carry around or hang up that will serve as encouragement and a Jesus boost.

Day 5 – Do something nice for someone else together. Rake the neighbor’s yard or shovel their driveway. Raid your cupboards for canned food and your closet for forgotten clothes and give some stuff away.

Day 6 – Go caroling. Seriously.

Day 7 – Sit down and support each other as each of you calls/texts/Facebooks three people to invite to church on Christmas Eve.

Day 8 – Head to the Dollar Store and see who can come up with the best present for $1.

Day 9 – Make Christmas cards from stuff you find around the house. Give them to friends at school or friends at church.

Day 10 – Watch a Christmas movie together. If, for some strange reason, you don’t actually own one, there’s about a million on ABC Family, Hallmark, and Lifetime. Not to mention the plethora online.

Day 11 – Read the Christmas story together in as many translations of the Bible that you can find.

Day 12 – Pray for each other. On the phone. In person. Whatever. Take the time to thank Jesus, together for His love and life.

Question: What friend or friends can you specifically invest in this Christmas season? What kind of experiences can you give them that will mean more than any present bought with money?

Jealousy Vs. Joy – Where Do You Fit?

 

Picture it. A dream come true.

You’ve wanted it for so long, you can’t remember not wanting it. No day has gone by, no breath has been taken where it hasn’t danced at the back of your mind. Your heart’s desire, just outside of your reach for so long…

But no more! It’s here! What you’ve always wanted from the bottom of your heart! Nothing can take this joy away from you!

Except her.

You know her. That girl you call your friend but, deep inside, you cringe when she comes around. People take their eyes off of you and put them on her. People talk to you about her all the time. But do they talk about you that much? She’s everything you want to be…and you’re never quite there.

And just as you get this thing you’ve always wanted, she gets it too.

Only hers is better.

What do you do?

Picture it. Elizabeth.

Well beyond child bearing years, that yearning for a child has only grown over time. Sure, people look up to her as a wise, godly woman. But none of them could know the ache inside, gnawing at her barren womb.

Then it happens. In the blink of an eye, God grants her her heart’s desire. A baby! And not just any baby. This boy will be special. Set apart. Unlike anyone else that’s every been born.

Until Mary comes along.

Mary, her much, much younger cousin. Mary, who isn’t even married. Mary, who doesn’t even have her own house. Mary, who is pregnant with a baby. A special baby.

A baby more special than Elizabeth’s.

What does Elizabeth do?

Would anyone have blamed her if she clammed up with resentment? Would we have blamed her if she pasted a smile on her face, then threw around critical judgement of her young cousin behind her back?

Wouldn’t it stand to reason that she’d be a little more than jealous?

But she wasn’t.

“In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.’” – Luke 1:39-45

Elizabeth was overjoyed at the amazing way God blessed Mary.

Do you respond the same way when your friends are blessed? Are you genuinely excited for them, or do you resent the good that comes their way? Do you allow your jealousy to rob you of the joy you should feel?

“Rejoice with those who rejoice…” – Romans 12:15

Question: Where can you rejoice with your friends right now where you’ve let jealousy creep in? What can you do to show your friends you’re beyond excited for the good things God has blessed them with? Where do you need to ask God to remove resentment and jealousy from your heart and replace it with joy?

Video Viernes #32

I know everyone and their mom is sharing this on Facebook and via email, but it is just PERFECT for Christmas Eve! I hope all of you have a very Merry Christmas, celebrating the birth of the lover of our souls, our Redeemer and Savior, Jesus Christ!

Mock The Halls

Image by charamelody via Flickr

“For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry. With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you…” – 1 Peter 4:3-4

When is the last time you were mocked? Laughed at? Made fun of? When is last time you made someone roll their eyes, sigh, and shake their heads at you?

 

As tough girls, we’re called to be different. Sometimes it’s the things we do. Sometimes it’s the things we don’t do. But the bottom line is, the world shouldn’t understand us. We should be different. We should stand out.

 

Christmas is in a matter of days. How are you living? I’m not talking about crazy parties full of drunkenness, passions, and idolatry. But is your mind centered on yourself? Are you wrapped up in what you’re going to get? In being lazy, sleeping in, and doing absolutely nothing.

 

That’s a worldly teenager. And it’s hardly kick butt.

 

Last Christmas, a seventeen year old girl I knew told her mom she didn’t want anything for Christmas. She just wanted to help people. So her mom ordered one of those World Vision gifts where the money goes to buy little baby chicks for a poor family in Africa.

 

That’s different. That’s totally kick butt.

 

Be different, tough girl. Stand out. Help your mom make Christmas dinner. Don’t put off shopping for your family. Instead, deny yourself Starbucks and spend a little more on your parents or brother or sister. Clean the house. Water the tree.

 

Choose time with your family over time with your friends.

 

Choose time with your girlfriends over time with your boyfriend.

 

Teach your family what it means to have Christ at the center of Christmas.

 

Get off your toosh and start being different. Sure, you might get mocked. You might get made fun of. But is that such a bad thing? Take the focus off of yourself and your selfish desires.

 

How can you surprise the world this Christmas?

 

Video Viernes #31

Someone shared this with me last week and I just had to pass it on

The Kick Butt Night Before Christmas

Image via Wikipedia

 

‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house

 

A tough girl was creeping, stealth as a mouse

 

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care

 

But little were her family and friends aware

 

As visions of sugar plums danced in their heads

 

This tough girl they knew kept wishing she was dead

 

That she was dead to every single selfish desire

 

And the material things she wanted to acquire

 

That she would die to gossip, envy, and slander

 

And, if she couldn’t be nice, she’d be much blander

 

And that she’d stop chasing after those darn attractive boys

 

Thinking attention from them would bring her much joy

 

That she would die to the critical girl in the mirror

 

And that rejection from people she would no longer fear

 

So she crept, silent and quick, with ninja-like skills

 

Her heart racing with a secret mission thrill

 

She soon found herself in a place unexpected

 

She’d made it to the tree, totally undetected

 

With a  wink of her eye and a twist of her head

 

She instantly knew she’d nothing to dread

 

For at the foot of the tree sat a present with a bow

 

And her name on top on a label like snow

 

She didn’t need to open it or shake it to and fro

 

Because who the gift was from instantly made her know

 

That her life would never ever be the same

 

Because of that baby that so long ago came

 

And died the death that she so desired

 

And gave her more than she could ever acquire

 

And blessed her with words that brought life to those around

 

And gave her more love than any boy that could be found

 

And called her fearfully and wonderfully made

 

The love from this baby began to cascade

 

From her head to her toes, and straight to her heart

 

Changing her, humbling her, tearing her apart

 

Then building her back up, better than before

 

Because this is what He came to earth for

 

She was made to bring Him glory and love in His name

 

That was why that little baby so long ago came

 

So with a  smile on her face and joy in her veins

 

She leapt up, feeling challenged and changed

 

Wanting to spread the word to all who would hear

 

And live a life that would draw them near

 

To that baby Jesus who lived and died on a cross

 

And rose again, so that none would be lost

 

So she sang and exclaimed with all of her might,

 

“Merry Christmas to all! Let’s live for the Light!!’

 

 

 

Let It Be

Our church just finished up our annual Christmas musical. Even now, many of the songs keep ringing through my ears. My favorite was the trio of Mary, Gabriel, and Joseph. They sang this amazingly beautiful song as Gabriel announced to them their role in the birth of Jesus.

A girl from our high school group played Mary. Let me tell you, Kindra has a voice made for Broadway. And it’s her voice that I keep hearing. The words that she sings after hearing that God wants to use her to do something that seems impossible.

With eyes lifted high and her palms held up, she sings, “God’s will be done according to His word.”

It gives me goosebumps.

I never cease to be amazed at Mary’s faith and peace. God has never asked me to do the impossible, yet I’m not nearly half as willing as she was. Despite whatever emotions she might have felt – scared, excited, confused – she came back to faith. To trust.

How much do you trust God? How much do you trust His plans, His will, His calling on your life?

God doesn’t ask for much. He just wants us to trust Him as the good, sovereign, holy God that He is. He is perfect. He is all powerful. He is kind and merciful and all those other wonderful words we use to describe Him.

“And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” – Luke 1:38

Are you living that way, tough girl? With everything that is going on in your life: good and bad, wonderful and horrible, perfect and not-so perfect – do you believe that He is in charge? That, not only is He in control, but that His way is the best?

What is your attitude? Do you complain? Try and tell God that He is messing up, making mistakes, and doing things the wrong way?

Or do you look at your life, smile, and say, “Let it be to me according to Your word.”

I want to live like that. How about you?