Is Christmas Just A Racket?

By Heather (Balance With Purpose)

 

“Let’s face it. We all know Christmas is just a racket
set up to make people buy lots of stuff they don’t need.”
~ Lucy Van Pelt

Is Lucy from Peanuts right? Is Christmas a racket? Are we sucked into buying more than we can afford by retail ads promising the “lowest prices of the season?” Do we buy items we wouldn’t normally buy just because they were truly low prices?

So, how have you fared this holiday season? Did you overspend? Did you keep to your list? Did you set and stick to a budget?

Click to read more ...

Housing Agreements

By MAD21

Everyone deserves a second chance. An opportunity to get back on their feet again after making some poor choices in their life, or after just plain bad luck. It's our responsibility as followers of Christ to help take care of each other, but how do we help others without being taken advantage of (i.e., doormat). We need to be available and willing to help those who need it, but we also need to be responsible with the resources that God has given to us.

I had the opportunity to help a friend out a number of years ago who had dealt with long-term addiction and all the problems that went along with it. She desperately wanted to get her life together, which included having a safe place to live.

I had a good job, and was renting a great little house from a friend of mine at the time I began considering helping her out. I told her that before I would even entertain the idea of her living with me, that she had to do certain things before I'd even talk to her about moving in. For example, she had to be sober and hold a job for a year.

Click to read more ...

Works For Me Wednesday: Christmas Cards

By MAD21

Since our girls were born, I've tried to get Christmas Cards out every year that include something that tells our family and friends what we've been up to during the year. In this stage of our lives, I've found it so hard to keep up with them because we are always so busy. So it's a good way to reconnect.

Something I have always done when we send cards to people, is trace my girls hands in the cards. I think I started doing it because my entire family lives 3000 miles away, and by including their handprints it was a way for them to see my girls grow. I realized after awhile how much I liked including that handprint because it was almost like sending part of my girls with the card. In the same way that we sign our own names.

Click to read more ...

One Word At A Time: Church

By MAD21

The word for this week's One Word at a Time blog carnival is: Church. The first thing most of us probably think of when hearing this word is probably a location or a building. But in reality, at least in God's eye, the church is... get this... US. The people are the church. Not a building.

Back in April, I wrote a short post on The Commercial Church. I had read an amazing article by Aaron Van Voorhis from Relevant Magazine about how it seems that with the decline in church attendance, church leaders feel they have to draw people in using all the latest gadgets and technology. Unfortunately, in some ways it's like church has forgotten that we are not coming to be entertained. We come together to worship our God and learn about how we are to live and serve others.

Click to read more ...

My Birthday

By Lara

It seems strange to me to talk about the Year of the Birthday without actually addressing my birthday party. I didn't do anything on the list on my birthday, but I did turn 30. That is impressive in and of itself.

My birthday was May 10 of this year. Since my birthday fell on Mother's Day, I decided to have my party on the 9th and tell people that I was celebrating the last day of 29.

Beth had mono the week before my birthday party. I was afraid that she would be unable to join in the festivities. She did, however, get enough antibiotic in her system to be present. She even brought Nicole, another friend from middle school, with her for the weekend. They showed up while I was fighting a losing battle with the pink petals that fall off the tree outside my apartment and get tracked into my house...

Click to read more ...