I used
to be a consummate Christmas shopper. By the time December hit, I was way ahead
of the game. I would have a mountain of bargain finds, admired goodies and toys
to die for tucked away on a shelf just waiting to be wrapped and stowed lovingly
under the tree. I found that shopping ahead spread the financial burden
throughout the year and helped me avoid the last-minute holiday shopping
rush.

Sounds like a plan, doesn’t it? I thought so, too, until several
years ago. Something happened that made me rethink my supposedly brilliant
strategy.

It was the night before Christmas, and all through the house,
not a creature was stirring, but I felt like a louse! The tree looked bulimic —
only I was the one who had binged. Brilliantly wrapped packages were
bulging from every available nook and cranny.

I slumped to the floor and
thought, “We have only two children. There’s enough here for
10!”

My husband and I stared at each other. We realized that
things had gotten out of hand. We had to ask ourselves: What message are we
giving our children?

One by one we started dismantling the swollen pile.
This present can wait for a birthday, this one for next Christmas, this one for
a special reward for hard work.

Finally the stack looked
sensible.

Right then and there, we made a decision. In the future,
Christmas gifts would be limited to three types: (1) A gift really desired; (2)
a needed item; 3) something educational. Of course, our children hated the idea
and hoped we would eventually come to our senses.

We haven’t.

And
we’ve seen a change. No longer is Christmas an endless list of “wants.” There is
a new emphasis on cherished gifts. This represents a stark contrast to the
disturbing trend among kids today to feel entitled to get whatever they want,
whenever they want it.

As I’ve listened to children move through the
hallways of our house, I’ve heard the chatter of “more.” “We have more videos
than you.” “I have a CD player in my room.” “You don’t have your own phone
line?” “I’m asking for a laptop.” “You need a cell phone to look
important.”

They get it from their parents. My favorite is the mother who
proudly boasts that her daughter will outdo everyone in the neighborhood. She
will have the best of everything — before everyone else. The daughter knows
this strategy and is horrified if anyone beats her to the material
punch.

Not understanding her conscious intention to overload her daughter
with “stuff,” I naively asked, “Aren’t you worried you’re spoiling her?” The
blank stare she gave me was enough to answer my question.

One summer the
hot ticket was a scooter. Everyone on our block ran to the stores to buy one. My
kids asked, but they knew what was coming: “Tell me again why I should run to
the store to buy you a $100 item?”

Materialism not only distorts the
meaning of Christmas but also creates ungrateful kids. It’s time to stop the
madness. Instead of a new scooter, take your kids to a soup kitchen and let them
serve. Visit a homeless shelter or a hospital children’s ward, and put things in
perspective.

I know what I am saying isn’t new, but we need to hear it
regularly. It’s so easy to indulge our kids this time of year. But we need to
examine our motives.

Is our overindulgence related to guilt from being
absent or unavailable? Is it an attempt to communicate love, compete with
others, create an identity or look successful? Is it the result of idol worship,
a lack of self-restraint or misguided thinking?

When I see kids quickly
open presents and throw them off to the side without even a thank you, I know
something is wrong. When little Suzie tells me Christmas was no fun because she
didn’t get what she wanted, I am concerned. The Grinch hasn’t stolen Christmas;
our ungratefulness has.

Christmas is about God’s giving His Son as a
glorious gift to mankind. Don’t clutter that gift with so many others that He
gets lost in the fray. This season teach the children in your life to cherish
the gift they already have — Jesus.

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Did you feel guilty on Thanksgiving-the day of all days to express heartfelt gratitude to God—because you aren’t TOTALLY content? Perhaps you offered up the obligatory thanks for family, home, job, health and the hearty meal as you sat around the holiday feast, but inside, you were aware that your heart is not quite full to the brim with satisfaction—and you aren’t sure what to do about it.

What could possibly be wrong?

There are many natural reasons for discontent, of course. Perhaps the most common is setting our eyes on something other than God—allowing our fleshly desires to take the place of hunger for Him. The solution for this is simply repenting and refocusing our priorities, putting God first and trusting Him to provide all we need.

But I believe that discontent is sometimes part of God’s plan for bringing us more fully into our destinies. He creates within us a “holy dissatisfaction” regarding our circumstances to cause us to question where we are in our spiritual journeys, where we are going and how He wants us to get there.

I experienced this type of dissatisfaction several years ago when I was a homeschooling mother of two grade-school-age boys. My roles as wife, mom and teacher certainly kept me busy—and were fulfilling to a point. But as my relationship with God grew more intense, I became aware that I was created for an additional purpose beyond what I was doing, and restlessness developed in my heart. A longing I could not explain gnawed at me throughout the day, causing me to feel frustrated and unfulfilled.

On the surface, it seemed as if I had much to be grateful for; but deep down I hungered for more. I wanted God to activate more of the gifts He had given me than I was currently employing and to use me in a wider sphere of influence to make a difference for His kingdom. I wasn’t sure what the answer to my heart’s cry would look like, but I knew God had one.

When He revealed it to me in the form of freelance writing and editing and ultimately a full-time position as an editor for a national Christian magazine, I was elated! Suddenly, the discontentment and restlessness waned, and I was filled with a sense of purpose such as I had never experienced before.

I think the early disciples must have felt the same way I did when Jesus first called them. They had spent their lives as fishermen, catching and selling fish to feed their families and earn a living. It was necessary work and served an important purpose; but it had few eternal implications.

Then one day Jesus came along and said to them, “‘Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men'” (Matt. 4:19, NKJV). Wow! What a proposition! He didn’t offer them simply a job; He offered them the opportunity to partner with Him in bringing God’s kingdom to Earth.

Peter and Andrew didn’t hesitate for even a second to respond to Jesus’ call. The Bible says “they IMMEDIATELY left their nets and followed Him” (v. 20, emphasis added).

James and John had the same response. When Jesus saw these two brothers in a boat with Zebedee their father, “He called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him” (v. 22).

Unlike the disciples, I do not have the liberty to forsake ALL to follow Jesus. Undoubtedly that is why God has not asked me to. My roles with my husband and children are still a priority, and I try to use every opportunity I have to love them, care for them and influence them for Him.

Now, however, I do it as a part of the call on my life, not the entirety of it. As a result, the holy dissatisfaction I once felt has been greatly reduced. I don’t believe it will ever go away completely—nor do I want it to—for it is the sign to me of God’s continuing to compel me along the path of destiny.

Today, if you have been struggling with a similar dissatisfaction, don’t beat yourself up over it; thank God for it! Ask Him to show you how He is using it to take you a step further into purpose. When He answers, do as the disciples did: Immediately follow Him!

To contact the organizations included in Charisma’s report on ministries assisting America’s homeless, click on the links below.

Convoy of Hope

Convoy of Hope exists to feed millions of people in need in the United States and around the world through children’s nutrition initiatives, citywide outreaches and disaster response.

New York City Relief

New York City Relief exists to connect the poor, oppressed, and addicted with a pathway toward help and hope. Through outreach partnerships, we seek to be a bridge between the needs on the street and resources in the community to meet those needs. These things we do…that others may live.

Word of Life Assembly of God

Through its Hands Extended ministry, Word of Life Assembly of God reaches out to the homeless in the District of Columbia with food and the gospel.

Rescue Atlanta

Rescue Atlanta is a church that is made up of more than 70 percent homeless. It provides food, as well as showers, laundry facilities, and a medical clinic for those in need.

A prominent ex-gay ministry is speaking out against a proposed law in Uganda that could penalize anyone involved in same-sex sexual relationships and anyone knowledgeable of those affairs.

Exodus International leaders said the Anti-Homosexuality Bill of 2009, introduced into the Ugandan Parliament on Oct. 14 to affirm traditional family values, discriminates against people with same-sex attraction.

(Photo: Randy Thomas)

“Overall the bill’s intent is to silence, intimidate and oppress people who have same sex attraction,” said Randy Thomas, executive vice president of Exodus International, a ministry geared toward helping homosexuals find freedom from same-sex attraction. “It is very hostile toward people with same-sex attraction.”

The bill would penalize anyone caught in a homosexual relationship with a maximum penalty of life in prison or in some cases the death penalty. The bill also penalizes anyone who is aware of someone involved in homosexual behavior and does not report the person to authorities within 24 hours.

According to the current wording of the bill pastors, doctors or family members could be fined or imprisoned for up to three years for not reporting anyone known to engage in homosexual conduct.

Exodus asserts that the bill would further alienate people with same-sex attraction from seeking healing and discourage those who may want to help them find freedom.

The Clinical Advisory Board of the American Association of Christian Counselors and Moody Bible Institute adjunct instructor Christopher Yuan

joined Exodus in sending a letter to Ugandan President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni decrying the proposed law.

“While we do not believe that homosexual behavior is what God intended for individuals, we believe that deprivation of life and liberty is not an appropriate or helpful response to this issue,” the letter stated.

“Furthermore, the Christian church must be a safe, compassionate place for gay-identified people as well as those who are confused about and conflicted by their sexuality,” it continued. “If homosexual behavior and knowledge of such behavior is criminalized and prosecuted, as proposed in this bill, church and ministry leaders will be unable to assist hurting men, women and youth who might otherwise seek help in addressing this personal issue.”

The prominent Anglican Church of Uganda has not commented on the bill. As a result, Christians in the United Kingdom are supporting a petition sponsored by a gay-affirming organization calling for the head of the Anglican Church—the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams—to speak out against the measure.

“This is a rare chance for Christians of many views to stand united, whatever their beliefs about sexual ethics,” said Symon Hill, associate director of Ekklesia, a religious think tank that is marshalling support for the petition. “Given the importance of Anglicanism in Uganda, it would be right and proper for the Archbishop of Canterbury to make a statement.”

Almost 800 people have signed the petition.

Thomas of Exodus, which is not invovled in the U.K. petition, said the church rather than the government should take the lead in protecting family values.

“I think that the government needs to step back and not oppress adults who are struggling with same-sex attraction and allow the church to step forward and say, ‘We have a redemptive approach to this issue,'” Thomas told Charisma. “We don’t condemn it; we don’t condone it, but we have a redemptive approach.”

I opened
the front door and came face to face with a rather large gift basket wrapped in
clear cellophane with a gigantic velvet orange and brown bow. It was so big that
it blocked the face of the deliveryman.

The sight of such a gift was too
wonderful for words! As a young married couple, Terry and I were going through
hard times, with little money for extras, much less the basics!

The
arrival of this surprise basket of goodies was not only timely, but a miracle!

Just who was behind this?

Terry and I carefully grabbed
the gift basket from the deliveryman and raced to the dining room table to dig
in. We tore away the cellophane and bright velvet ribbon to discover, to our
amazement, treasures galore!

We uncovered each piece—first there was a
canned ham, then a fancy tin of imported sardines (with mustard accompanying it,
both of them tied together in a festive plaid ribbon). Out came two giant links
of brown sausage, followed by chunks of rich yellow cheddar and two imported
cheeses, and fresh apples, pears, oranges, three boxes of crackers, two tins of
cookies, Belgium chocolates, hot cocoa mix in an exotic tin, even a red bag of
ground coffee, tea bags and hard candies! In special boxes were two coffee mugs
trimmed in blue, two soft cream-colored cloth napkins and a small teapot that
matched the mugs. What a feast!

To our surprise, the card read: “May the
good Lord bless you abundantly this Thanksgiving, love Pearl and
William.”

Pearl and William? Love? Pearl was an older lady
who worked in the gifts department of the large bookstore where Terry worked.
Terry, in fact, hardly saw Pearl except when her retired husband, William,
stopped by every other week to take her to lunch. The only thing Terry knew
about them, in fact, was that they were Christians.

My eye went to the
phrase “May the good Lord bless you abundantly this Thanksgiving.” It was in
that moment when it became obvious to me that the Lord truly loved
us—loved us enough to have two near-strangers give something so precious to us
in our time of great need.

Isn’t that just like the Lord to love us so
much and to use others to show His love? God’s Word reveals this powerful truth
in 1 John 4:7-8: “God is love,” (NKJV) and in James 1:17, where it states:
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above.” His Word also shows
how He gives to us: “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly
above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us” (Eph.
3:20).

It further reveals to us that we are “ambassadors for Christ” (2
Cor.5:20). As ambassadors for Christ, shouldn’t you and I be called, especially
in this Thanksgiving season, to show His love through our generous giving to
others? As your sister in the Lord, I invite you to join me in doing it Jesus’
way—exceedingly abundantly.

This Thanksgiving perhaps you can give a
warmer smile of encouragement from your heart, more of your time to a friend or
family member, or give your time as a volunteer at a local soup kitchen, or give
your time as a volunteer through your church to a hospital, prison or women’s
shelter. Be open to giving a bountiful gift basket to someone, reflecting the
Lord’s bountiful love for her! Invite someone who has nowhere to go to your home
this Thanksgiving. Who knows how much they might need that.

The seeds
given to others in this Thanksgiving season can reap a powerful harvest, not
only in our own lives, but also in the lives of others as they come face to face
with the loving Lord of the harvest.

Pam Cope didn’t close her heart when she learned about vulnerable African orphans. Today she is reaching children around the world. Watch her story.

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Let’s be honest: Christmas gifts aren’t easy in a recession. Here are videos of some practical ways to make your gifts both creative and economical.

Atheists scoff at the idea. Some people deny it. But there is archeological evidence of the validity of the Bible. Watch a video montage of proof below.

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Have you ever had mixed thoughts and emotions about your spouse? I have-just this morning, in fact.

Today started out as any other day, but for some reason things just affected me differently than they usually do. I got out of bed and began my regular devotional time with the Lord, reading the Word, studying a powerful book, and praying. When I stood to my feet, I was filled with peace and gratitude.

“I feel great!” I thought to myself. And off I went to begin what I thought was going to be a wonderful day.

The kitchen was first on my agenda. I don’t know why, exactly, but I have a plaque over my stove that reads, “A kitchen is the heart of the home.” When I was growing up, my mother always kept a clean kitchen, with a pot of something deliciously fragrant simmering on the stove.

The only thing fragrant about my kitchen this morning was a hot, empty coffee pot, left sitting on the coffee maker with the switch in the “on” position, by my husband.

“I get so tired of this,” I thought. “Why do I have to clean up his mess?”

I picked up the pot and carried it over to the sink. There I discovered the spoon he’d used to stir the sugar in his cup. It had been set beside the sink and now lay in a brown, sugary puddle. I grabbed a cloth and began to wipe the counter-muttering the whole time.

“That man!” I said in frustration. “Why can’t he just put the spoon in the sink where it belongs?”

I decided to tackle the bathroom instead. You can probably guess what I found-beard clippings and blobs of toothpaste in the sink, and puddles of water on the counter top. I turned to grab a towel.

As I did, I looked at my towel, folded neatly in thirds over the rack (Mom said double is allowed, too, but not as nice looking). My husband’s towel was bunched and crumpled, as if he doesn’t care at all about being neat. I stood there staring.

After a few moments, I started to unravel and re-fold his towel. But something happened to change my whole mind-set and along with it, my feelings. I looked from his towel to mine, back and forth.

I felt myself begin to soften. I started to appreciate and praise God for our differences. Feelings of love, softening my heart, began to manifest. I tenderly touched his towel, leaving it as it had been.

Then I went back into the kitchen to clear the table, where he had been sitting and drinking his cup of coffee. My eyes caught sight of his open Bible and a yellow highlighting pen. I remembered the early morning I discovered him sitting in the same chair with closed eyes and folded hands, offering up a silent prayer to God.