Christmas Give-A-Way #1!

"What if I told you, you have the power
To give someone hope far beyond their wildest dreams.
What if I told you, it's right there in your hands, in your hands.
It's hard to imagine how something so small
Could make all the difference, tear down the tallest wall.
What if December looked different this year?

"What if we all just give this Christmas away
If there's love in your heart, don't let it stay there.
Give this Christmas away
And your life will be changed by the gift you receive,
When you give this Christmas away.

"It's feeding the hungry, serving the poor,
It's telling the orphan, 'You're not forgotten anymore.'
It's doing what love does even when no one's watching you.
For God so loved the world that He gave us all His son,
So we could be His hands, His feet, His love... His love.

"What if we all just give this Christmas away
If there's love in your heart, don't let it stay there.
Give this Christmas away
And your life will be changed by the gift you receive,
When you give this Christmas away."
--from the song "Give This Christmas Away" by Matthew West

Want an uplifting moment?! You can watch the video and hear the song if you click here. What a great message for Christmas this year!

I'm giving away the book that was written based on the song, by Matthew West. It's a great book with LOTS of wonderful ideas for spreading love and cheer throughout the season - by giving Christmas away with money, actions, smiles, kindnesses, etc. (It's so neat, I bought myself one, too!)

So to enter the give-a-way for this fun little book, this is what you do:
1) leave a comment on this post for an entry
2) mention it on your blog for another entry (and let me know!)
3) post the link to the give-a-way on your Facebook for another entry (and let me know!)
4) become a "Follower" of this blog for another entry!

That gives you 4 possible entries! (And this is a practice round... There will be another give-a-way every week til the end of Advent!)

All entries need to be in by noon on Thursday, Dec. 10th.

Time with God

"I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love... that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."

--Ephesians 3:18-19

Into the busy-ness of this hectic season your word invites me to stillness - to sit and consider, to grasp and perceive the impossble dimensions of your love. To dive into it... to bask in it... to be filled with the fullness of God. I can't do that without lavishing you with a certain amount of my TIME, Lord. And as Christmas encroaches (yes, it honestly feels that way!), time is a commodity in short supply for me. That is no excuse. In fact, it should be the reason I NEED to spend time with you.

"Pilate asked Jesus, 'So you are a king?' Jesus answered, 'You say that I am a king. For this I was born, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.'"

--John 18:37

You WANT me to spend time with you. You want ME to spend time with you - to listen to you. During this busy season of Advent I hope the truth sinks into my busy mind: that you spent (and spend) time with me. Isn't that what this season celebrates after all? You left heaven to spend time with humanity - to teach us the heart of your Father... to suffer and die to win us back... to rise that heaven would be ensured us. You've certainly got my attention. I'm listening.