This is a brilliant idea! A gift card that allows the receiver to choose which charitable cause they’d like to give to. The purchaser can send the receiver a card in the mail, email it to them, or print off a paper card and give it personally. The site is called http://www.networkforgood.org/ and the gift cards are called “good cards.” Go straight to the good cards at http://www.networkforgood.org/goodcard/
Unfortunately, not all of my favorite charities are listed on their site. Here are a couple that are:
Save Darfur
World Vision
Perhaps this idea will catch on and be more popular in Christmas of 2008...and include more of my faves!
Happy Giving! Merry Christmas!
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
The Junky Car Club
My sister sent me this article today. It's a clever concept and I'm thinking of joining. Be sure to check out their website: http://www.junkycarclub.com/
'Tis The Season To Be Junky
via Collide Magazine by Scott McClellan on 12/17/07
Normally, we don't support junk. But in the case of the Junky Car Club, we're willing to make an exception. If you're not familiar with the club, here's a little bit of info scraped from their website:
Junky Car Club members are learning to live with less so we can give more. We're a bunch of happy drivers who are politely rebelling against consumerism by driving junky cars. We encourage our members to use their dough to support social justice causes instead of making fat car payments. We believe in environmental stewardship and hanging onto things a little longer. Junky Car Club members sponsor kids living in poverty through Compassion International.
This Christmas, the Junky Car Club is inviting you to help them raise money for homeless kids by purchasing a 2008 Junky Car Club Calendar. Rather than traditional pin-ups, the calendar features great design work and pictures of Junky Car Club members with their junky cars. The concept of living with less in order to give more is so powerful (although rarely evident in my own life) that I hope you'll consider supporting the Junky Car Club this Christmas.
'Tis The Season To Be Junky
via Collide Magazine by Scott McClellan on 12/17/07
Normally, we don't support junk. But in the case of the Junky Car Club, we're willing to make an exception. If you're not familiar with the club, here's a little bit of info scraped from their website:
Junky Car Club members are learning to live with less so we can give more. We're a bunch of happy drivers who are politely rebelling against consumerism by driving junky cars. We encourage our members to use their dough to support social justice causes instead of making fat car payments. We believe in environmental stewardship and hanging onto things a little longer. Junky Car Club members sponsor kids living in poverty through Compassion International.
This Christmas, the Junky Car Club is inviting you to help them raise money for homeless kids by purchasing a 2008 Junky Car Club Calendar. Rather than traditional pin-ups, the calendar features great design work and pictures of Junky Car Club members with their junky cars. The concept of living with less in order to give more is so powerful (although rarely evident in my own life) that I hope you'll consider supporting the Junky Car Club this Christmas.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
the present Kingdom
Any Dallas Willard fans out there? When released in the late 90's, Willard’s book, The Divine Conspiracy, sent shockwaves through the church as it challenged church leaders to rethink Jesus’ message of the Kingdom of God. This quote captures the essence of Willard’s premise:
“The eternal life that begins with confidence in Jesus is a life in his present kingdom, now on earth and available to all. So the message of and about him is specifically a gospel for our life now, not just for dying.” Willard, Dallas, The Divine Conspiracy (New York, NY: HarperCollins, 1997) Introduction XVII.
When I asked my friends at The Well what they had been taught that the Kingdom of God is, nearly every person said that it was either a reference to heaven or it was merely a reference to the worldwide Christian family. Clearly, this is not what Jesus had in mind. What about you? What has been your understanding of the Kingdom of God?
“The eternal life that begins with confidence in Jesus is a life in his present kingdom, now on earth and available to all. So the message of and about him is specifically a gospel for our life now, not just for dying.” Willard, Dallas, The Divine Conspiracy (New York, NY: HarperCollins, 1997) Introduction XVII.
When I asked my friends at The Well what they had been taught that the Kingdom of God is, nearly every person said that it was either a reference to heaven or it was merely a reference to the worldwide Christian family. Clearly, this is not what Jesus had in mind. What about you? What has been your understanding of the Kingdom of God?
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Something Different...
This quote is linked to the other one that I shared last Thursday from Shane Claiborne's book, "The Irresistible Revolution."
"I’m convinced that Jesus came not just to prepare us to die but to teach us how to live. Otherwise, much of Jesus’ wisdom would prove quite unnecessary for the afterlife. After all, how hard could it be to love our enemies in heaven? And the kingdom that Jesus speaks so much about is not just something we hope for after we die but is something we are to incarnate now. Jesus says the kingdom is ‘within us,’ ‘among us,’ ‘at hand,’ and we are to pray that it comes ‘on earth as it is in heaven.’ No wonder the early Christian church was known as the Way. It was a way of life that stood in glaring contrast to the world. What gave the early Christians integrity was the fact that they could denounce the empire and in the same breath say, ‘And we have another way of living. If you are tired of what the empire has to offer, we invite you into the Way.’ Even the pagan emperors could not ignore the little revolution of love. Emperor Julian confessed, ‘The godless Galileans feed our poor in addition to their own.’ And the Way had little cells multiplying all over that ole empire. Of course, everyone was forewarned that in this kingdom everything is backward and upside-down—the last are first and the first are last, the poor are blessed and the mighty are cast from their thrones. And yet people were attracted to it. They were ready for something different from what the empire had to offer.” Shane Claiborne, The Irresistible Revolution (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2006), 117-118.
Are you ready for something different? What does it look like? What will it take for Christians to find the courage to live differently? Sound off...let's hear what you think!
"I’m convinced that Jesus came not just to prepare us to die but to teach us how to live. Otherwise, much of Jesus’ wisdom would prove quite unnecessary for the afterlife. After all, how hard could it be to love our enemies in heaven? And the kingdom that Jesus speaks so much about is not just something we hope for after we die but is something we are to incarnate now. Jesus says the kingdom is ‘within us,’ ‘among us,’ ‘at hand,’ and we are to pray that it comes ‘on earth as it is in heaven.’ No wonder the early Christian church was known as the Way. It was a way of life that stood in glaring contrast to the world. What gave the early Christians integrity was the fact that they could denounce the empire and in the same breath say, ‘And we have another way of living. If you are tired of what the empire has to offer, we invite you into the Way.’ Even the pagan emperors could not ignore the little revolution of love. Emperor Julian confessed, ‘The godless Galileans feed our poor in addition to their own.’ And the Way had little cells multiplying all over that ole empire. Of course, everyone was forewarned that in this kingdom everything is backward and upside-down—the last are first and the first are last, the poor are blessed and the mighty are cast from their thrones. And yet people were attracted to it. They were ready for something different from what the empire had to offer.” Shane Claiborne, The Irresistible Revolution (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2006), 117-118.
Are you ready for something different? What does it look like? What will it take for Christians to find the courage to live differently? Sound off...let's hear what you think!
Thursday, December 13, 2007
sprinkle a little Jesus in...
Here's a quote from Shane Claiborne out of his book, "The Irresistible Revolution." This book had (and continues to have) a dramatic impact on my faith and the shaping of The Well.
“If you ask most people what Christians believe, they can tell you, “Christians believe that Jesus is God’s Son and that Jesus rose from the dead.” But if you ask the average person how Christians live, they are struck silent. We have not shown the world another way of doing life. Christians pretty much live like everybody else; they just sprinkle a little Jesus in along the way. And doctrine is not very attractive, even if it’s true. Few people are interested in a religion that has nothing to say to the world and offers them only life after death, when what people are really wondering is whether there is life before death.
As my teacher Tony Campolo used to ask, 'Even if there were no heaven and there were no hell, would you still follow Jesus? Would you follow him for the life, joy, and fulfillment he gives you right now?'"
Some good thoughts here, I think. Do you agree with Shane that we have not shown the world another way of doing life? And how would you respond to Tony Campolo's questions?
“If you ask most people what Christians believe, they can tell you, “Christians believe that Jesus is God’s Son and that Jesus rose from the dead.” But if you ask the average person how Christians live, they are struck silent. We have not shown the world another way of doing life. Christians pretty much live like everybody else; they just sprinkle a little Jesus in along the way. And doctrine is not very attractive, even if it’s true. Few people are interested in a religion that has nothing to say to the world and offers them only life after death, when what people are really wondering is whether there is life before death.
As my teacher Tony Campolo used to ask, 'Even if there were no heaven and there were no hell, would you still follow Jesus? Would you follow him for the life, joy, and fulfillment he gives you right now?'"
Some good thoughts here, I think. Do you agree with Shane that we have not shown the world another way of doing life? And how would you respond to Tony Campolo's questions?
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Scheming Swindlers R Us
Here's one of my favorite quotes from the late "Great Dane", Soren Kierkegaard:
"The matter is quite simple. The Bible is very easy to understand. But we Christians are a bunch of scheming swindlers. We pretend to be unable to understand it because we know very well that the minute we understand, we are obliged to act accordingly. Take any words in the New Testament and forget everything except pledging yourself to act accordingly. My God, you will say, if I do that my whole life will be ruined. How would I ever get on in the world? Herein lies the real place of Christian scholarship. Christian scholarship is the Church's prodigious invention to defend itself against the Bible, to ensure that we can continue to be good Christians without the Bible coming too close. Oh, priceless scholarship, what would we do without you? Dreadful it is to fall into the hands of the living God. Yes it is even dreadful to be alone with the New Testament."
Kierkegaard wrote these words in the nineteenth century, and we are fortunate to have Christian scholars today who are calling the church back to a proper reading of the Scriptures and to her missional roots. Interesting, though, how Kierkegaard's critique of the Church from 150 years ago is still applicable today. Do you agree?
"The matter is quite simple. The Bible is very easy to understand. But we Christians are a bunch of scheming swindlers. We pretend to be unable to understand it because we know very well that the minute we understand, we are obliged to act accordingly. Take any words in the New Testament and forget everything except pledging yourself to act accordingly. My God, you will say, if I do that my whole life will be ruined. How would I ever get on in the world? Herein lies the real place of Christian scholarship. Christian scholarship is the Church's prodigious invention to defend itself against the Bible, to ensure that we can continue to be good Christians without the Bible coming too close. Oh, priceless scholarship, what would we do without you? Dreadful it is to fall into the hands of the living God. Yes it is even dreadful to be alone with the New Testament."
Kierkegaard wrote these words in the nineteenth century, and we are fortunate to have Christian scholars today who are calling the church back to a proper reading of the Scriptures and to her missional roots. Interesting, though, how Kierkegaard's critique of the Church from 150 years ago is still applicable today. Do you agree?
Monday, December 10, 2007
My Blogs Gotta Name
As you can see, I finally named my blog. I went through about a dozen other name possibilities and Shannon thought they were too "cute." I've always loved Mustard Seed and, at one point, I was hoping to name our church plant The Mustard Seed. That got overruled, and I'm glad it did. I love that we've named our church The Well.
But Jesus chose a powerful visual image for his audience when he compared the kingdom to a mustard seed.
“Again he said, ‘What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.’" Mark 4:30-32 (TNIV)
Anyway, I’m going to get back to sharing quotes with you and I look forward to our Mustard Seed Sessions. Be a blessing and expose the Kingdom wherever you are today!
But Jesus chose a powerful visual image for his audience when he compared the kingdom to a mustard seed.
“Again he said, ‘What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.’" Mark 4:30-32 (TNIV)
Anyway, I’m going to get back to sharing quotes with you and I look forward to our Mustard Seed Sessions. Be a blessing and expose the Kingdom wherever you are today!
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