Report: Giving More is Cool

I feel guilty. Our kids did such a great job decorating Christmas cards for families affected by the hurricane, and our families gave over $800 in gift cards and cash to those same families this past Sunday. Then I got to experience the joy of delivering those gifts today, which really cool but a little unfair. Every person who gave should have had the privilege of delivering those gifts personally. This post is my best effort to help each of you feel the way I did Monday.

I delivered a small gift and several cards to a family in Galveston whose home we had worked on after Ike. It was my first time to see the neighborhood since our last trip down there. The neighborhood itself is largely empty now except for construction workers. None of the families we helped are able live in their own homes yet. But the homes are starting to look like homes again, and demolition has given way to reconstruction. One of the homeowners showed me around today to see the progress, and I couldn't help but think that even if I had arrived empty-handed, just showing up today was a reminder that they were not forgotten.

We gave gifts to 4 families, including two single-parent households and a family of four in which both parents were laid off in the aftermath of Ike. When it was discovered that every Christmas card contained a gift card, I was actually questioned about whether I had made a mistake in giving so much to only one family. No, I said, no mistake. "It's Christmas."

"You all are wonderful people." If they only knew you as I do, they would know how true that is.

Spend less. Give more. Worship fully. May you and your family experience all the joy that Christmas represents. God is with us!

The Springs Hits the Front Page

A feature story on Church @ the Springs made the front page of the Galveston Daily News today. It was great to read Rick Cousins' take on our church as an objective journalist. For the most part, I think he "gets us." As a Galveston reporter, he's seen many, if not most, of the island's church buildings damaged by Ike. Viewing the Springs through that lens, he asks an important question about church: "So if a major disaster can strip a fellowship down to its essentials, to an experience that lacks both ornateness and overhead, what’s the irreducible definition of corporate Christian practice?"

That is exactly what we envision for the Springs: Christ-following reduced to its most basic and fundamental elements, which also happen to be its most vital and important elements. Christianity stripped of ornateness and overhead by choice rather than disaster. It's a great line of questioning to assess the health of any church. What would happen if the building closed down tomorrow? If the money dried up? If the committees dissolved and the offices shut down? Would a church still exist? Would it survive? Could it even thrive? We're going to know the answers to all those questions.

It's worth noting that Rick's articles about Galveston county churches do not usually make the front page. Whether Rick outdid himself on this one, or the Springs is actually that unusual, or God just decided to give us an early Christmas gift, is anyone's guess. But we celebrate it just the same, and thank Rick for his interest in us and his efforts on behalf of the Church in Galveston county.

Merry Christmas from the Simmons Family!

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Making Changes to Make Christmas Better

Ironically, our annual celebration of the birth of Christ has become our most indulgent, commercial, and stressful time of the year. But Christmas is worth saving. Join the families in our community who have committed to make 1 change in each of three areas this Christmas: Spend Less, Give More, and Worship Fully. Scroll down to see the posts for ideas in each area, and make your own suggestions that may be helpful to other families. The posts will be continually updated over the next couple of weeks as ideas come in. This could be the best Christmas you've ever had.

Many thanks to the following for inspiration and leadership in this area:

• Luke 2; Hebrews 13; 1 Timothy 6; Exodus 20
• Morgan Spurlock's excellent documentary film, "What Would Jesus Buy?"
• www.adventconspiracy.org
• Skipping Christmas by John Grisham
• How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss

Spend Less

Deciding as a family to spend less is a crucial first step in bringing sanity and meaning back to the Christmas holiday. We should all commit to avoiding debt at this and all future Christmases. Beyond that, here are several choices your family can make to spend less this Christmas.

• Give one less gift per person
• Spend half as much (total expense) as last year
• Purchase store-bought gifts for kids only
• Draw names to buy one gift for a family member
• Decide as a family that no gifts will be store-bought
• Sell before you buy (this is what I did this year. I started selling things we had and didn't need a couple of months ago, and to my surprise I raised almost enough money to cover Christmas this year. I don't recommend this as a year-to-year strategy, and it doesn't address the larger issue that spending is rather unnecessary, but it did show me how much we already have that we don't need).
• Decide as a family what you are going to do with your savings (see Give More posts below)

Give More to Family and Friends

It is possible to spend less and give more. Sometimes shopping is the least effective way to truly give at Christmastime. Here are some suggestions for giving more this Christmas, or add your own ideas as a comment to this post.

• Express yourself. Write cards or letters to family members, and tell them how much they mean to you.
• Give photos, family mementos, or small items with symbolic significance. Many years ago I gave my wife 2 playing cards, a king and queen of hearts. She still has them.
• Give time instead of money or material goods. Make plans as a family to spend time together over the holidays. Give cards that say "free date night" or "Dad and son outing."
• Give interactive gifts. You can establish a rule in your family that gifts must be something the family can enjoy together. Board games and puzzles make for good family time over the holidays. Moives can be a good choice. If you go electronic, Wii sports, Guitar Hero, Rock Band, and Dance Dance Revolution are good options.

Give More to Neighbors and Strangers

Many of us already give charitably at Christmastime, but often our kids are not involved and may not even be aware that we gave. Choose options for giving that allow the whole family to get involved; remember, this is not just giving it's also teaching. Our kids need to learn the value --and experience the fulfillment--of giving at Christmastime.

Depending on how you've decided to Spend Less this Christmas, you can choose as a family to take your savings and give it to others. Here are a few options (or make your own suggestions as a comment on this post):

• Identify a single mom, widow or widower in your neighborhood and give them a gift or service for Christmas.
• Deliver cookies or hot chocolate to your neighbors.
• Prison Fellowship's Angel Tree program (www.angeltree.org)
• Samaritan’s Purse (www.samaritanspurse.org)
• Prepare care packages for soldiers who are away from their families this Christmas.
• At the Springs, we're collecting gift cards for families in Galveston devastated by Hurricane Ike. Bring your cards to our Family Christmas Celebration on 12/21. Kids will have an opportunity during the service to decorate and personalize an envelope and Christmas card to put the gifts cards in when we deliver them.

Worship Fully

There are many worship gatherings and special events you can attend in our community, and I encourage you to do so (the Springs Family Christmas Celebration is 12/21), but don't let attending an event be the beginning an end of worship for your family this Christmas. Here are some suggestions to help you and your family worship fully this Christmas (or add your own as a comment):

• Have a birthday cake for Jesus at your Christmas table.
• Read the Christmas story on Christmas morning (Luke chapter 2). You can divide it into parts and have family members take turns reading. With a little preparation you can attach each portion of the story to a figure in a nativity scene.
• Pray on Christmas morning, giving thanks to God for the birth of His Son.
• Sing a Christmas carol together.
• Talk about what the birth of Christ means to you.