Kookie Cut-Outs by Rachel Britz

Delivering cookies and good news.

In Honor of Grandpa #Sharejoy

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This Minnesota girl knows a thing or two about the farm. If you’re from the midwest I’d venture to guess you do too. I know that bouncing on hay bales in the hot July sun can trigger an onslaught of asthma attacks, cows are generally boring unless they escape from their pen and run rampant through grandma’s garden, a load of soybeans make great play, and chickens dance even after their heads are cut off.

I didn’t grown up on the farm. Nope. I was the city kid coming to play on grandma and grandpas farm for the weekend.

{On the farm with Grandpa Roy, Grandma Dorothy, and brother Matthew. Circa 1979.}

Grandpa was the farmer. He raised cows for beef and dairy, chickens for eggs and poultry, pigs, and sheep. Farming was his livelihood. It was the way he provided for his wife and 10 children. Life wasn’t easy, farming is hard work, but God blessed his toil with sustenance.

In 2009, my grandpa Roy died. Leaving the farm to his sons, his legacy lives on. That summer during the annual Livestock Music Festival my mom pulled me aside to share that she desired to give the gift of a cow in honor of her dad. Later on she was able to give my grandma a special card sharing the gift she had donated in his honor.

Are you looking for an easy way to give a meaningful gift this Christmas? Is there someone whose legacy you’d like to honor this year?

World Vision’s gift catalog is the perfect way to express your hearts desire. Giving a gift from the catalog does more good than you can imagine. The animal you choose is distributed to families and community groups in need. Each animal comes with its vaccinations and feed. Families are trained in animal care and agriculture so their children have healthy diets. Soon, when the livestock produce offspring, they have the power to sell for income or pass the gift onto another family. You see, the gift multiplies.

So, who do you want to honor this Christmas?

Keep it simple. Here are a few ideas:

A pair of chickens = $25

Share of a cow = $50

One pig = $205

Farm animals = $531

Or browse the entire World Vision gift catalog for more gift ideas.

Once you order, you can have them send a personalized card directly to your honoree.

*****

{The Gift Giveaway}

This week I’m telling stories with World Vision that #sharejoy. I’m also giving away this gift package!
The Hole in our Gospel book, Zakale Christmas Ornament set from Kenya,  Artisian necklace, and Staci Frenes Wise Men & Angels CD. 

{How it works}

1. Share this post using #sharejoy and you will be entered into the drawing. That’s it… just SHARE and you’re entered! No strings attached. 
2. Give a gift. If you respond by giving, leave a comment on my blog with your families gift, and you will again be entered into the drawing.
3. Throughout the week your Sharing and Giving will accumulate, giving you more chances at winning the gift this Christmas. **WINNER will be announced Saturday, December 21st** 
Are you ready? Let’s #sharejoy this week.
Share Joy – Gift Catalog – For Bloggers

Share Joy: Making a Difference with World Vision

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The moment is here. We stand together in the thicket of Advent. We wait, we’re waiting… It’s about this coming day, a day we remember and reflect and rejoice the great tiding God ushered into this forsaken world oh so long ago. It’s Christmas.

Yet, it’s more than a moment, a season, a day.

-Ann Voskamp

Christmas is a garment and if we who really believe claim this baby, this child come to earth to save us, then we will live this life cloaked in Christmas. 365. We stretch our limbs and tie it snug, we gather to remember, reflect, and rejoice. Together.

But wait, we share too. Share Joy!

Giving is a natural response of love. True giving comes from a place in the heart that cannot be seen by man. We give in this season because we have been given much.

And so, today, I want to invite you to come and gather with me. All week long, let us gather, here in this space. I will tell you a few stories, ones from a distant land, about people like me and like you who have been given gifts. And others, who are waiting…who are waiting with hope and prayers for theirs to come.

This Christmas, World Vision is sharing stories of joy from across the globe. I’m joining the chorus and you can too! If you come with me and share these stories and give from your heart then, at the end of the week, on Saturday, you could be the recipient of a gift.

Beginning tomorrow I will share a new story with you. One about hope and gifts and life. Then, I will give you an opportunity to respond.

{The Gift}

The Hole in our Gospel book, Zakale Christmas Ornament set from Kenya,  Artisian necklace, and Staci Frenes Wise Men & Angels CD. 

{How it works}

1. Share this post using #sharejoy and you will be entered into the drawing.

2. Give a gift. If you respond by giving, leave a comment with your families gift, and you will again be entered into the drawing.

3. Throughout the week your Sharing and Giving will accumulate, giving you more chances at winning the gift this Christmas.

Are you ready? Let’s #sharejoy this week.

Share Joy – Gift Catalog – For Bloggers

I Wanna See You Be Brave

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My daughter confided in me yesterday. She told me about this boy in a class. He is different. Something sad, his head is always down. She told me about these other boys. Mocking, laughing, always picking. She is sad, for the one boy.

Oh, a mothers heart hurts. The boy. He has a story. What is it, boy? Who has told you lies? Who broke your neck, the way it hangs?

Oh, a mothers heart leaps. The daughter. She has learned to love. She wants to fight, defend. Oh daughter, I pray, be brave.



One time, years ago, I was sitting with a group of women when the conversation turned sour. One woman’s intimate situation was shared in gory detail. Except, she wasn’t present. Who would defend her? I sat in killer silence. It felt like I was trapped in a rising elevator. Taken against my will. I felt sick and I wanted off. So, I hit the red EMERGENCY button. 
STOP. 
Well, I think I used other words but at least it was something, enough to end the craziness. It wasn’t the popular thing to do, but sometimes when that Voice of justice rises up from within you can’t help but advocate. That’s the thing these days, we’ve forgotten how to truly advocate. We just want to go with the flow, meld into our surroundings, and live a quiet life. Yeah, me too! I’ve been guilty of this.

Except, what about the boy? Who will stand up for him? Oh, Daughter. What about the homeless man you see every other day? How about the husband who moved to Splitsville, USA leaving behind some precious cargo? Who will care for this wife, this woman in her distress? Oh, Daughters. Oh, Sons. If the Voice is calling you today will you stand?

Seek justice, Love mercy, Walk humbly. 

Shine Bright in the Darkness

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I awoke this morning while the moon still hung in the black night. I tiptoed onto my porch, careful to keep the quiet. It was dark. I felt my heart quicken. Hurry, I thought as I sucked in a breath, escape the dark and turn on the light. But I couldn’t bring myself to it…an illumination beckoned.

I pressed against the window, my exhale marking my separation from the outside world. The great Walnut stretched her barren limbs casting real life shadows upon the earth. The lonely coo of an owl lilted above the trees.

I looked up as a myriad of stars sparkled in the clear sky. One caught my eye, it was smaller than the others. I stared for a long paused moment. I see you, a whisper came to mind. The star danced. As my eyes fixed on the tiny glimmer I noticed it’s licking tail. How long?, I wondered. How long have you been traveling oh, tiny star? How long have you gone unnoticed?

I see you, a whisper came to mind.

Several years ago I found myself in another dark place. This place where the comforts of certainty and security had been stripped- no, stolen from my hand. I recall going on a long walk that seemed to last for hours. My hand empty. Understanding was muddled in confusion. Why did I have to go through this pain? Not again. I cried out in vain. Don’t you see me?, I prayed.  

“You can’t understand light unless you understand darkness, because that’s where life is most often lived…somewhere between the two. It’s messy and it’s beautiful all at the same time.”- Bebo Norman

I had this silly dream to write. To be a writer. But our life at the time was in major transition and I wasn’t sure how we would make it through. It seemed everything was in flux. On my walk I pleaded in desperation. And then a gentle voice washed over me.

“Do you see the birds?” 

I looked up and noticed a few in flight overhead.

“I take care of them.” 

Oh.

“Don’t you know that I promise to take care of you too?”



I returned home and to my surprise I had an email from a magazine editor looking for a contributing writer. I had been noticed. A small lamp had been lit.

Darkness has a purpose. It is allowed to have its place in our lives. For without darkness, one could not experience light in all its splendor. Have you felt burdened by the weight of your own mess? Do you feel as though you’re laid out in a cold tomb numb and shivering from despair? Is it the lonely or worthlessness that swallows you whole?

Consider the stars, the way they shine bright in the darkness. Look up at the birds of the air, the way they fly with abandon. You’re not alone. Do not be afraid. Wait for it…for every longing you hold in your empty hand is captured. It will come, in perfect time and rare form, it will come. ~

“He brought them out of darkness and the deepest gloom and broke away their chains. Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love…” Psalm 107:14-15  


The Heart of a Kinsman Redeemer

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Imagine this: You lose your husband, your source of income to provide for yourself, and all hope for the life you had once envisioned.

This is a true story.

Ruth was a young woman when tragedy struck. Her husband had died leaving her lost and alone. The only thing she had to cling to was her mother-in-law, Naomi. A strong woman who also wore the veil of widow-hood. Together, the two of them, left behind everything they owned and traveled back to Naomi’s childhood home. A stack of horrible circumstances pushed these extremely vulnerable women to move back to Naomi’s homeland. A foreign country for Ruth. Literally.

I consider the idea of being placed in the worst possible life situation, such as Ruth and Naomi. What if my only hope for survival was to pack up my belongings and move to a foreign country.

As their journey to this new land unfolds, we witness them wrestling with bitterness and grief. The sinking reality that now they have nothing. They are completely empty.

How will they provide for themselves? How will they survive?

And thats when an unlikely character emerges. His name is Boaz and he is their Kinsman Redeemer.

In Hebrew tradition, a Kinsman Redeemer was a qualified relative, someone who could step into a situation, and assist with restoring property, financial security, and future inheritance. A typical God story where restoration, recovery, and redemption abound.

Boaz is a rich landowner who is leading his working people through the fields during the harvest. He notices this young, foreign woman trailing after his workers picking up scraps of the sheaves. When Boaz asks about her needs he finds in his good heart to give back in complete abundance to these women in need.

As we ourselves enter into this season of harvest, a great time of giving thanks, how can we consider being a Kinsman Redeemer to those in need around us? In the story of Ruth, we find that Boaz has laid out a very simple model for us to follow.

1. Notice. Open your eyes and take a look around you. Who do you see lagging behind? A foreigner, perhaps? Someone who has fallen on hard times? A widow?

2. Clothe with Comfort & Kindness. Sometimes the warmth of a hug or the soft bend of a listening ear is all that one needs. Lavishing someone with intentional kindness often times means that we are the ones who need to step out of our comfort zones. Clothing others with kindness means that we are invested in their pain. Willing to share it with them. When we begin building that kind of relationship with others we will soon discover those needs that might warrant our attention.

3. Give. Go out of your way to give. When Boaz noticed Ruth, first he showed compassion to her by listening to her needs. He made sure she was protected by instructing his workers to look after her. Boaz wanted to make sure that no further harm would come to her. Then, he continually offered her food and drink. He gave her an overflowing measure from his own harvest.

‘Tis the season of the harvest. We gather together and count our blessings. Our lips praise the good things we’ve been given. It’s the abundance. What do we do with the overflow? I encourage you to step out of your space of comfort, stretch out your hand, and bless someone with the heart of a kinsman redeemer.