NEW heros anyone?

Who do your children look up to? Who do they want to be like? Who influences their behavior? Who do they think is cool?

These questions are important, because their heroes and idols will captivate their hearts and minds. Often, they imitate the way they talk and sing, and will aspire to be like them.

I know that my girls want to grow up to be Belle, Cinderella, or one of the other Disney Princesses, because they have been steeped in "princess culture." They have watched all the movies numerous times, they have all the princess costumes so they can role-play as princesses, they sing the princess songs from the movies, they ask me questions about the princess' lives, and they have the princess dolls. There are probably no less than 100 items in my home that display the Disney princess brand--everything from band-aids to toothpaste, to clothes, to toys, to fruit snacks.

I don't think all this is necessarily bad. I liked the princesses when I was a young child, and I still enjoy the movies I watch with my girls. It is just precious when they "get dressed for the ball" and seek out my husband, requesting a dance and asking him to be their "prince."

As they get a little older, the princess world will probably fade away, and other people will take their place. For example the new "idols de jour" for tweens are Hannah Montana, depicted by Miley Cyrus, and Justin Beiber. (Of course, this applies primarily to girls; having two daughters, I only know about girl stuff).

Of course, as kids get older, their heroes can go from relatively harmless to those having values that are diametrically opposed to ours. Lady Gaga, the Jersey Shore cast, rock stars with opulent lifestyles, and athletes who abuse substances and brag about the number of people they sleep with are a few examples.

I cannot shield Mika and Macy from the people that our culture exalts as heroes to be captivated by, interested in, and possibly emulate, but I can at least give them some alternatives, some people who truly are heroes in God's eyes. These can include anyone, of any profession, who is living their life for God.

One of the best examples I know of "a true hero" are missionaries, especially those serving God on the foreign mission field. These heroes are unlikely to ever be on reality TV or have a sitcom made about their lives. They will never have a large following on Twitter or have a Facebook page with tens of thousands of members. They will not be endowed with a celebrity iPhone app that bears their name and likeness.

They will not have a blockbuster movie made about their lives, and they will not have hundreds of licensed products with their names and faces plastered on them.

Their greatest reward will be in heaven, for eternity. One thousand, ten thousand, ten billion years from now, they will be reaping the benefits of living a life faithful to God, often in very difficult conditions and sometimes sacrificing their very lives for the purpose of bringing the glory of God to the ends of the earth.

Ann Dunagan, author of "The Mission-Minded Child," says that "We need to instill in our children an admiration for servants of God who lived for His purposes instead of their own." So, although there are many positive role models for my children, immersing them in the lives of missionaries seems like a good place to start.

However, before I can teach my girls about missionary heroes, I have to do some reflection and soul searching. I asked myself, "other than a few missionaries that our church supports, how many missionaries can I name?" I thought for a few minutes, and could recall three: Billy Graham, John Wycliffe, and Jim Elliot.

I try to tell myself that I am so often consumed with the needs of my family that I don't really have time to learn about missionaries and the work they are doing (or have done) around the globe. But then I am reminded that in the last few weeks, I have learned about the latest celebrity divorces, the life perspectives of Cher and Jane Fonda, my favorite singer's sold-out tour, my Facebook friends' opinions of the Black-Eyed Peas performance at the Super Bowl, and the possible political ramifications to the GOP if the national debt ceiling is raised in March.

All that is required is that I turn off Oprah and Fox News, put down People magazine, and investigate some of these missionaries. I want to learn about people who do not hold anything back and are not motivated by fame, glory or money, but instead, remained faithful to God even if it cost them their lives. Resources to learn about missionaries abound, so it will not be difficult to find information once a put my mind to it.

Only when I develop a passion for missions and see missionaries as heroes worthy of my respect will I be able to teach my children about them. Mika and Macy will not learn people like David Livingstone or Amy Charmicael from public school, their friends, TV shows, music, or movies. If they are going to learn about these missionary heroes, it will have to start at home.

So, I'm off to read some mini-biographies about missionaries. Some ideas for giving my children an alternative to the world's heroes will be coming in another post.

"May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us, that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among the nations." Psalm 67:1-2

What do Sex, Slavery, and the Super Bowl Have in Common?

The SUPER BOWL IS COMING TO ARLINGTON! I remember bursting with pride on the exciting day in 2007 when the news came out that my hometown was playing host to the granddaddy of all sporting events, the Super Bowl. Finally, the world was going to see what a great town Arlington is!

I began to think about what the Super Bowl would mean for Arlington, and for that matter, all of North Texas. Obviously, it will be an enormous boon to the economy, which we can definitely use. In addition, as the eyes of the world are upon us, they will see that we Texans are not a bunch of ranchers sporting cowboy hats and six-shooters. Most of us don't live on large swaths of land featuring oil wells and tumbleweeds. We don't all drive pick-up trucks and eat barbecue at least once a day. Our town is diverse, friendly, hospitable, and fun. And even though I'm not attending the game, I get excited when I think of all the immense energy that will vibrate through every crevice of the Metroplex when the AFL and NFL champs arrive in town to do battle. Yea!!!

I recently came off my Super-Bowl high about two weeks ago when I was smacked in the face with this unbelievable fact: the Super Bowl (where ever it is held) is sex trafficking's biggest weekend. Now, from what I hear, there are plenty of prostitutes already in Dallas. It boggles the mind that there will be ten thousand or more additional sex workers brought in specifically for the Super Bowl--and many of them will be under-aged children who are forced to work as sex slaves.

I shake my head in horror and disgust when I watch a TV show or read an article about the selling of boys and girls in filthy brothels in places like Cambodia or the Philippines. I tell myself that we in America are far more cultured and refined; sure, there is plenty of sex sold between supposedly willing adults, but the buying and selling of children so they can be raped by the highest bidder is extremely rare. WRONG.

Why all the trafficking of children during a massive sporting event? Apparently, the Super Bowl is ripe for this kind of exploitation for the following reasons: large numbers of male tourists travelling without family, lots of drugs and drinking, and revelers with money to spend. Add to this the fact that 40,000 people come to the Super Bowl host city who don't even have a ticket to the game--they just love the party atmosphere.

According to the Department of Justice, "Children trafficked into prostitution are often found around major sporting events. Since children are often more vulnerable, they are easy to move and in high demand, they make ideal victims to travel to major sporting events." Online sites like backpage.com make it easy to "advertise" children; customers can scroll through page after page of exploited children as though they are choosing a consumable product from a catalog. Many pimps and traffickers will rent homes or apartments near the event to establish a brothel to satisfy the seemingly insatiable demand for sex with underage minors.

I have to admit, when I hear about things like this--the evil underbelly of one of our most cherished cultural and uniquely American events--I want to pretend it does not exist and hope it will go away on its own. I do not want to even consider the unspeakable atrocities perpetrated against innocent ones who are made in God's image the same as my own daughters. But in my heart I know that turning a blind eye is not the answer; only when it is exposed and dismantled will there be healing, restoration, and justice.

But what can be done? Obviously, part of the answer lies with law enforcement. I am glad to see the Texas Attorney General, the FBI, and the Metroplex police forces are taking this issue seriously and training and dispatching extra staffers, analysts, and officers to deal with this problem.

Also, I came across an organization called Love 146 (http://www.love146.org/) who is doing all they can to prevent this type of atrocity from happening at the Super Bowl and to rescue children who are brought to Arlington and surrounding areas for the event. You may be curious how Love 146 got it's name. I read the story behind the name on their website and it is so disturbing to me that I'll omit most of the details and simply say that the number "146" was pinned to a little girl's dress in a Cambodian brothel where an undercover sting operation was taking place.

Both Love146 and Traffick 911 are planning a number of events prior to the Super Bowl. These include a screening of "The Playground" (a movie about child sexual exploitation), a community prayer service, a tailgate party to raise awareness of the issue, fliers posted in high-risk neighborhoods, and billboards posted around the Metroplex. Both groups will continue to be active after the Super Bowl, involved in the restoration of children who have been rescued.

If you live in the DFW area, please consider attending a Prayer and Awareness Event at Irving Bible Church on January 28, 2011 at 7:00 p.m. (http://www.irvingbible.org/).

Really, I think the absolute most powerful weapon against the horrors of child trafficking is prayer. Prayer can be done anywhere and anytime--prompts like a billboard or TV commercial advertising the Super Bowl can remind us to offer up a prayer for any young victim whose health and life is at stake as she is being prepped to be trafficked and abused during the Super Bowl.

A few prayer thoughts that came to my mind:

1) pray for a spotlight to be shined on this type of evil--making brutalization that thrives on secrecy more difficult.

"This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil." John 3:19

pray for freedom from those held in bondage

[Jesus said] "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has send me to proclaim freedom of the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed." Luke 4:18

3) pray that justice will be manifested in the lives of the pimps, the customers, and the victims.

"It is not good to be partial to the wicked or deprive the innocent of justice." Prov. 17:5

4) pray that these precious children will come to understand God's love for them.

[Jesus said] "Let the little children come unto me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these." Mark 10:13

5) pray that a canopy of angels surround the Metroplex during the Super Bowl and that the forces of evil will be brought to ruin and destruction.

"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." Eph. 6:12

For more information, see http://www.love146.org/ or http://www.traffick811.org/.

If you happen to encounter anyone you think could be a victim or to report suspicious behavior, contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-3737-888.

SOLD OUT!

SOLD OUT in six minutes! Many are disappointed they won't be at the event, and others are going to show up at the venue and beg to be allowed entrance, even if they have to sit on the floor. There's a lot of buzz on the Internet. Facebook updates spring up about who was able to obtain a ticket and who wasn't. There are numerous pleas for extra tickets that people might have to spare.

Certainly I must be talking about the Super Bowl, a Bon Jovi concert, or the "game of the year" between two college rivalries with a slew of die hard fans. Actually, the above scenario played out recently with people trying to get into church to study the Bible!

David Platt is pastor of a church at Brook Hills in Alabama. He has travelled all over the world, including to many places where sharing the gospel will get you killed. He has met with house churches in secret. These brave and devoted followers of Christ will gladly sit in a dark cramped room for 12 hours at a time because they are so excited to hear the Bible taught and have such a passion for God's word.

So, David Platt got an idea: what if he designated six hours on a Friday night (although he never finishes on time) from 6:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. to gather and study a portion of the Bible in depth and also pray for the persecuted church around the world? There would not be a meal served, socializing, or entertainment. It would be called "Secret Church," after the many house churches he has visited around the world. Would anybody come?

Yes! Over a thousand came that first night. Before long, Secret Church was standing room only. At one point, so many thousands of people showed up for the quarterly event that many had to be turned away. So the church resorted to giving away free tickets so everyone with a ticket would be guaranteed a spot.

The latest Secret Church was held in November 2010, and tickets "sold out" on the Internet in six minutes. The 2500 free tickets, plus several hundred for an overflow room were gone quickly. A sell-out to study the Bible on Friday night? What could possibly going on?

David Platt believes that "Biblical literacy is a precursor to Biblical transformation." He is intent on teaching the Bible in a way that is meaningful and practical and that will ultimately change people to become more like Christ. He is also passionately committed to taking the gospel to the nations and supporting the persecuted church.

It is so exciting and refreshing to hear about people being so serious and interested in prayer and Bible study. The "Secret Church" page on Facebook is replete with those saying they have extra tickets they cannot use and others trying to be the first to snatch them up. The vast majority of those with extra tickets give them away, but a few are even selling tickets to Secret Church!

I definitely believe that those who have spare tickets should not sell them, but this does bring up an almost unheard of scenario: people actually scalping tickets for a Bible study!

This is made even more remarkable by the fact that Dr. Platt's teaching is deep, hard-hitting and convicting; much of it is counter-cultural. He does not pull punches and is not afraid to offend if he feels he is truthfully speaking from the Word of God. (As my friend Karin likes to say, "sometimes I need to be offended, because otherwise, I won't ever change.")

What this tells me is that people are hungry for truth from the Bible. They do not need their ears tickled by watered down, feel-good drivel. They do not need to hear a lot of opinions from the pastor. They do not need for their pastor to apologize for the Bible because there are some passages that are difficult to accept or understand, or because they are controversial. They do not need another self-help, "10 ways to be a better person" style sermon.

The result is that more and more people are coming. Many (including me) have heard the teachings from Secret Church on the church's website. The next time Secret Church is held, there will likely be live streaming video available for those unable to attend personally.

Of course, there is a danger here. Though Dr. Platt approaches his teaching humbly and constantly aims to deflect any attention from himself and onto the Bible and Christ, there is no question that he is a gifted and anointed teacher and many people are drawn in because of him. If they ever had a "guest speaker" for Secret Church, it is unlikely the crowds would be as large or the enthusiasm so intense. Also, I'm sure his theology is not 100% perfect, because no one's is.

Still, I am heartened that he has created a lot of interest in serious study of the Bible. He and a handful of other prominent pastors in America have decided to be unafraid in their preaching. Whether 1000 people or 10 people show up, they are committed to teaching the Word unapologeticlly and with zeal. I hope this will give more pastors the courage to speak the truth, and not to base their teaching on concerns about church growth or political correctness.

In our culture, we hear a lot about celebrities who can sell tickets quickly. For example, last year Taylor Swift sold out her show at the Staples Center (20,000 seats) in ten minutes.

The venue for Secret Church (about 3,000) is small compared to the Staples center. Yet it is HUGE when you take into consideration the lackluster commitment that many Christians have to serious Bible study. Now, there is a stampede for tickets to an event where attendees spend six hours with an open Bible in their laps. Who knows, maybe someday sports and entertainment arenas will be filled with people who want to pray and learn from the Bible. That would be awesome, indeed!

For more information on Secret Church or to listen to the teaching, visit http://www.secretchurch.org/.

Advent Conspiracy

Listen to me: I know how to keep Christmas sacred! I have three nativity sets displayed in my house, a gold-plated "Jesus is the Reason for the Season" pin, and Christmas praise music by Maranatha playing in my minivan. Oh, yeah, I even show up to church service each Sunday in December AND on Christmas Eve. What more could Jesus want from me?

Well, he wants my heart. I may think I have that one covered since I gave my life to Him and became his follower long ago, but does the way I "do Christmas" reflect spiritual transformation, or are my celebrations awash in materialism and consumerism with a little "Jesus stuff" thrown in here and there for good measure?

I am teaching my daughters that Jesus is worthy of all their love and devotion and of supreme importance in their lives. But when Mika and Macy see me running like a little hamster in an elf hat on a red and green wheel, spinning furiously, trying to keep up with everyone else and then dragging myself off about midnight on Christmas Eve, frazzled, frantic, frustrated, and fried, what am I really teaching them?

After much thought and some soul searching, I found Advent Conspiracy (http://www.adventconspiracy.com/) and, in the words of Oprah, had an "ah-ha moment." They are about getting back to basics at Christmas, and their goals are simple:

Worship Fully

Spend Less

Give More

Love All

Obviously, implementation of these goals is going to look quite different in each person's/family's life. Let me give you just a few ideas that my family has:

We will be putting fewer gifts under the tree for the girls this year. They will each receive three gifts from us, plus a few things in their stockings. (This is in addition to gifts they will receive from other family members). We will focus on giving Mika and Macy our "presence" instead. "Relational giving" means we will spend time playing in the park, going to the movies, reading their favorite Christmas books, helping them bake and decorate sugar cookies, building forts in the front room, and watching them act out the story of the first Christmas. Money we save will be given to those who are less fortunate than we are.

After estimating that we spend approximately $150 on high-gloss photo cards, our Christmas letter, and postage, we decided to forgo paper greetings in favor of an e-card. Now, I am aware that everyone we know waits breathlessly at their mailbox to receive our Christmas card filled with a cherry-picked collage of pictures of our adorable kids and seemingly perfect family (not), and our witty, rhyming letter recapping the Jarrell's year. Yes, for our family and friends, receipt of our Christmas card/letter is the highlight of the season, and many will be crestfallen that we won't be sending them out. (yeah, right).

In any case, when we realized we could donate the $150 to Water is Basic (http://www.waterisbasic.org/) and help to provide clean drinking water for people in Sudan, we decided this was a better return on investment in the long run.

Jesus was a servant: he came to serve. So, what better way to honor him than to serve others with a heart full of gratitude for the his extravagant gift to us, over 2000 years ago? We are planning several volunteer projects that we can do as a family.

Amazingly, and I really can't explain it, but when our family takes the time to love and care for others who are less fortunate, it seems like this time is multiplied back to us! Also, the love we share greatly increases the joy and peace we feel in our hearts. It is a win-win proposition!

We don't have this all figured out; we are just trying to find some ways to tweak our Christmas celebrations and traditions to reflect the heart of our Savior. There are moments I think we go too far, moments I think we don't go far enough, and moments I feel that we're in the right spot for us.

Next year, we will probably re-evaluate again. We may decide to send out Christmas cards in 2011. We may decide three gifts for the children is too many. We may change the types of volunteering we are involved in, or what causes we donate money to.

Whatever we do, I hope that, in the words of Advent Conspiracy, we can remember that "Christmas can (still) change the world!"

Hard Candy Christmas

Pretend you are in a Christmas time machine! We are headed to the year 1945! Destination: a one room house in the Smokey Mountains, where a little Dolly Parton and her 11 siblings are overwhelmed with excitement at the thought of having a store-bought gift under the tree. Let's listen in:

"Somehow Mama and Daddy always managed for each of us to get one store-bought gift. Regardless of what it was, it was a thing of wonder to be revered, looked at with slow eyes, felt with tender hands, and relished for its newness. Best of all was that "it's really mine" feeling that could carry you around on a cloud for days, or until it was replaced by that "it's really broken" feeling.

The boys' gifts usually included fireworks, and they'd be outside announcing that fact to the world as soon as a match was found. For today, tin cans would become space capsules, finger-formed dams would be blown, and many a German matchbox would no longer threaten Allied troops...

We girls usually got a little pink plastic doll with its own white cloth diaper held in place by a tiny gold safety pin. That may sound really cheap, and I'm sure it was. But for us, just the fact that it was plastic made it different from the ordinary things we saw in the holler. There was no way this could have been homemade. Unless you're home happened to be a sweatshop in Taiwan.

Those little plastic dolls instantly became the focus of whatever motherly instances the Parton girls had. Of course we all had one, and they basically all looked alike. If you looked closely enough, and of course we did, you could see little imperfections in the plastic that identified each doll. We "mothers" would get to know our dolls intimately. Inevitably, some body's would get lost or eaten by a cow or thrown down a well by an ill-tempered brother; sometimes there would be a "baby snatching."

A fight would usually follow, consisting more of accusations and name calling than anything else. "That's my doll," the rightful mother would cry. "See, it's got two little extra globs of plastic on it's left ear." On a good day, though, each mother would care for her own plastic treasure, and all would be well with the world.

We would scavenge to find things to serve as a crib and bedclothes. The more industrious ones would even fashion clothes for the doll. I always liked mine just the way it arrived on Christmas morning, in its special cloth diaper with the shiny gold pin."

Wow! Dolly's family may have been poor, but the children were rich in appreciation for even the smallest gifts, and they used so much creativity in their play.

Certainly, I am grateful that I can buy my girls more than one dollar store toy for Christmas, but I feel like by giving them so much, they have come to expect it as "their right," and often don't truly appreciate all the gifts we put in front of them. I would love for our house to have fewer toys. I'd like to find a balance between Mika and Macy having nothing and a having everything, like owning a few toys they really treasure and appreciate, instead of a house full of cheap, imported, lead-laced pieces of junk that probably cost pennies on the dollar to manufacture. Easier said than done, right? I may never figure out how to tame the "toy beast" in our lives, but I can smile when I think about little Dolly Parton, clutching her tiny store-bought doll with so much wonder and delight.

Priceless gifts--100% satisfaction guaranteed!

"It is more blessed to give than to receive." Acts 20:35

(also quoted frequently by my Mom when I was growing up)

If you and your family are looking for some ways to bless others this holiday season, here are some ideas. My family has done most, but not all of these. Certainly this is not an all-inclusive list; maybe it will be a springboard for you to brainstorm about other ways you can love and serve others during this holiday season.

Or, you may already have your own giving traditions--perhaps things passed down from your relatives, outreaches that your church sponsors, or other causes that are close to your heart. In that case, I would love to hear what you have done and how it has impacted you--I'm always looking for new ideas!

1) greet the troops at DFW airport--wish them a Merry Christmas and let them know you appreciate the gift of their service! Flights arrive daily: call 972-574-0392 for information about the following day's arrival times.

2)Bake Christmas cookies and deliver them to a neighbor or someone who needs to have their day brightened. (slice and bake is OK!)

3) Help your child select a new toy during the Christmas season and donate it to Toys for Tots. See http://www.toysfortots.com/ for drop-off locations.

4) During these down times, many families are struggling just to put food on the table. Buy some extra food staples and put them in a collection box at your grocery store, office, or church.

5) Have people on your list who are hard to buy for or who already seem to have everything? You can honor them by giving a gift in their name through World Vision. There are many so many things to choose from--sheep, pigs, cows, fishing kits, warm clothing, school supplies, and immunizations for people in the developing world, to name a few. You can view their Christmas catalog online at http://www.worldvision.org/; you can also request a hard copy.

6) Pick up a poinsettia at the store (optional) and visit a nursing home or retirement center. Ask the director to recommend a patient who rarely gets visitors and would enjoy a few minutes of company. This is a great spur-of-the-moment activity--it does not involve preplanning or require you to show up at any particular time.

7) It is too late to participate in this for Christmas 2010, but you might keep it in mind for next year. Fill a shoe-box with Christmas gifts to send to a child in an impoverished part of the world through http://www.samaritianspurse.org/. Shopping for and packing these gifts is one of my girls' favorite Christmas activities.

8) Take some inexpensive Christmas cards and write a personal note thanking a family for their wonderful Christmas light display. Keep them in the car with you (along with a roll of tape), and when you or your children are awed by some holiday decorations, leave a note on their door thanking them for their efforts.

9) Get a roll of quarters from the bank and keep it in your car. Anytime you or your children are about to enter a store with a Salvation Army kettle, you will have change handy to donate.

10) This year,you can adopt a child in need from the Salvation Army Angel Tree online! Simply select a recipient, buy the gifts, and then drop them off at the location you designate. It's that easy! http://www.dfwangeltree.org/

11) Donate used toys to Christian Community Action or a women's shelter--this is a great project to do before Christmas when lots of new toys will be received.

12) Write a note to someone who has lost a loved one this year--acknowledge that you know that it will be a difficult holiday season without their (brother, son, wife, mom, etc.) and let them know you are praying for them.

If you want a way to help your children really grasp the concept of giving their time/money/gifts/resources, here is an idea that a stole, er, I mean, I borrowed :) Take a shoe box and wrap the box and lid separately in wrapping paper. cut a slit in the top of the box. Make a little sign that says "gifts for Jesus" or write it directly on the box.

During the Christmas season, any time a member of your family does something nice for someone else, write it on a slip of paper and place it in the box. Then, some time on Christmas day, open the box and read all the slips of paper, reminding them that these are our gifts to Jesus for his birthday.

I'll close this post by quoting Buddha, which is something I am not typically in the habit of doing. However, he really sums up what I think all of us feel when we invest our time, money and resources in the lives of others:

"Before giving, the mind of the giver is happy, while giving, the mind of the giver is peaceful; and having given, the mind of the giver is uplifted."

A Christmas martyr--ME!

"I'm just trying to survive December."

"We are unbelievably busy." "

If I don't get all this done, Christmas won't happen at my house."

When someone asks me how I am doing during the holiday season, are statements like the above the best testimony I have to offer as a follower of Christ? Does anything about my mindset and frenetic pace resembles the peace, love, and joy that I claim Jesus came to give me?

Who will be drawn to a Savior who appears to induce his followers to stampede through the mall, dive into debt, drag themselves to party after party, wrap gifts in coordinated paper and bow sets, set out a lavish display of lights, moan and groan about how busy they are, and then wind up exhausted, all in honor of his birthday?

Don't get me wrong; I LOVE the Christmas season!!! I look forward to decorating our tree with ornaments made by my grandmother, I love to make sugar cookies and other treats with my girls, I love to listen to Christmas music and drive around looking at our neighbors' light displays, and I enjoy the looks on my daughter's faces as they exuberantly rip the paper off a brand new Barbie doll or razor scooter.

But, especially since I have had children, I have begun running myself ragged at an increasingly alarming rate. I feel I have lost all balance; often, I don't enjoy the things that I am doing. Instead, I am just doing them because I believe I'm obligated, or because "we've always done it that way." Sometimes my attitude stinks, and I snap at those I love, which my family can attest to. The expression on my face as I don my holiday sweater says it all: "I am a martyr for the cause of Christmas merriment, suffering to make everything appear perfect so my family can have the holiday season of their dreams."

I have decided it is time for a redo! So, our family is going to still celebrate Christmas and do the things that we really enjoy, but we are going to delete other things that drain our time and money and leave us frazzled and broke.

Here are a few things we are going to do differently:

1) I have cooked a bunch of soups and casseroles this fall and put them in the freezer. I have enough food stocked to feed us most nights when we don't have a party or other engagement. I don't have to worry about what my family is going to eat for dinner. That means when I am whipping up something in my kitchen, it will be a seasonal favorite (like Hello Dollies or chocolate bon-bons) that I relish making!

2) We are going to learn to say "no," even to some good things. Neither we nor our children have to go to every party, event, or celebration that we are invited to. Some nights, it would be more enjoyable and soothing for all of us to sit in front of the fire and the Christmas tree eating popcorn, drinking hot cocoa, and listening to Christmas music, so that is what we will do.

3) I am a huge fan online shopping! In a few hours, I can get the bulk of my shopping done, and have gifts delivered right to my door! This can be done while the girls are in school or after bedtime, and there is no hurry, rush, and stress of going to a zillion different stores, fighting crowds, and trying to find a parking place.

4) We are going to reach out to others this season who need love and assistance. Our goal is to not spend more time and money on ourselves than we spend on those who are poor, hungry, afflicted, sick, and lonely. I am sure we will fall far short in this area, but I believe it is a worthy goal. If we want to truly honor Jesus' birthday, there is no better way than to genuinely care for the people (all of us) that he came to save! (Some ideas for this will be coming in another post).

Ironically, I expect that doing and spending less this Christmas will not decrease the joy, peace, and love that we claim we desire, instead, I believe it will increase it. My hope is that on December 26, we will not be staring at piles and piles of wrapping paper, Christmas decorations which have to be taken down, gifts and toys that have already lost their shine, bloated credit card bills, and wonder why we went to so much trouble and stressed ourselves out in the first place.

Instead, I hope to look back on a month that, although harried at times, was calm, enjoyable, and had many memorable moments. I hope that we will feel blessed and like we have blessed others as well. I hope to have taken the time to slow down enough to really spend time with Jesus (it's his birthday, after all), and feel we have honored Him with our thoughts, our time, and our pocketbooks.

Perhaps, this year, for the first time, my response when asked how I am doing during the holidays can be:

"I can't believe how blessed I am."

"I am thoroughly enjoying myself."

"God is good!"