Time and Talents

December is here and culture has turned its attention to the Christmas Season. It's kind of ironic how that is symbolized by a day we call "Black Friday", a day when people get up early in the morning to get great deals on Holiday gifts. I read a story on Sunday night to the kids about an employee at a Wal-mart in New York was trampled to death by shoppers seeking to get a head start on those "great deals". Somehow I doubt that the people who did the trampling were so eager because they were just so excited about "giving" that perfect gift.

So when did Christmas become about spending instead of giving?

Some of the greatest gifts i have ever been given or that i have given are simply the sharing of time and talents.

At Christmas we were given the greatest gift of all, Jesus, who not only gave his life as a gift for us, but also gave us an example of how to live our lives and give to others. If you look at His life, he never showered anyone with extravagant presents, but he did give his presence. He talked to people, spent time with them, ate meals with them, met them where they were at etc....

On Sunday night we talked about giving our times and talents as a gift to others. kids were challenged to spend less this Christmas and give more of their time and talents. God has put each and every one of us in different situations and given us different talents and abilities. He has done this so we can use these gifts to give to the people around us just as Jesus did.

Over the next few weeks we are going to schedule some events where our kids will have the time to share their time and abilities with people in our community. I also hope that this would inspire them to be more aware of the opportunities God puts in front of them in their individual lives. Please encourage your kids to be a part of this and pray that God would continue to create a truly giving spirit within them.

Peter