Spread the Warmth!

Those of us in the leadership training program at work were required to do a whopping one hour of community service this fall. A few of us got together and decided to do something a little bigger - we organized a blanket and jacket drive in our office. The goal - 200 blankets and jackets in 5 weeks.
It was a little stressful -by the beginning of the final week, we had only collected 120 items, which was pretty disappointing, as almost 150 people work in the office! Thankfully, we heard that Superstore was selling fleece blankets for only $3, so we started collecting money. Cam B. went to Superstore on the weekend, and completely cleaned it out! In the end, we blasted through our goal, with over 310 blankets and jackets, which were donated to Triage the following week.

This is one thing I love about my company - it has a huge commitment to giving to the poor. Even though the blanket and jacket drive was a small thing, I felt like I was making a difference.

A Dollar A Day

And here I am, a few days after the experiment ended, and I'm sure of two things:
That what I call "liking nice things" or "looking after myself" or "spending the money which I earn to treat myself" has another name. Gluttony. Forget images of clinically obese, aging emperors gorging themselves on global delicacies, the truth about gluttony in the 21st century is that it wears a thousand perfectly respectable, blinking, flashing, shining, enticing masks. Gluttony is not the preserve of the ultra wealthy; it is the driver that powers our materialism.
And if I'm sure that I've got a long way to go, then I'm even more assured of this eternal truth: that change is possible, that my life does not have to conform, that nothing is written.
850 WORDS OF RELEVANT :: 06.19.06

This is a quote from an impacting article I read by Craig Borlase who lived on 53 English pence a day, for one week. Details on his blog, nothing is written.

One by One

This weekend my good friend Ellie hosted a fistula "party". A fistula is condition suffered by women who, because of prolonged and difficult births, develop a permanent leak in their bladders. In the Western world, fistula was eradicated in the mid 1800's. It takes a simple operation to repair the condition. However, in developing countries the problem is rampant, due to a combination of poor nutrition, early motherhood, and lack of basic medical services.

In many developing countries, when a woman develops a fistula, she is often completely rejected by her community because of the odour that accompanies her constant leaking. Sadly, the $300 that a repair operation costs is often beyond the woman's means.

A few years ago in the US, a couple of women learned about this tragic situation and decided to take action. They formed a grassroots organization named One by One and began hosting Giving Circles, groups of 10 women who would give $30 each, in order to pay for these fistula surgeries and free their sisters overseas One by One! So far they have been amazingly successful! Women all over Canada and the US have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars.

At Ellie's place on Saturday, about 15 women attended, and $1280 was raised! That's enough to give four women back their lives! It may be small, but it feels great!!

To find out more, go to http://www.onebyoneproject.net/.

The Changing Of The Guard

With yesterday's election has come a changing of the guard. My sincere hope is that this is much more than just a shift from Liberal to Conservative, or Left to Right, but a change in the fundamental morality of our government.

I don't expect every Conservative MP to share my values, but it will be nice to at least have them represented on Parliament Hill. Take same-sex marriage. It doesn't matter whether I am for or against it, the Liberal government never gave me, or any of it's 30 million constituents an opportunity to even discuss it.

Or abortion. In the last two months, Martin has repeatedly accused Harper of having a hidden agenda, perhaps to change our abortion laws. Well, I wouldn't mind a few changes. Whether pro-life or pro-choice, I believe the vast majority of Canadians would be appalled to know that in Canada, abortion is legal right up until the woman begins giving birth. I think all but the most extreme would be willing to discuss some limits on that. Perhaps our new government is a first step toward a more moderate abortion policy in the distant future.

The Conservatives have for years been painted by the media as extremists, but the platform they ran on in this election has been very balanced. Perhaps we have become so used to gun-registering money-stealing constituent-ignoring pro-everything Liberal extremism, that we've forgotten what Normal looks like.

I, for one, can't wait to take a fresh look.

The Significance Of Celebration

It's almost December, and honestly, I still feel like it's July. As Christmas lights have begun to appear, and holiday commercials have flooded the airways, more and more I have been feeling like I was scooped up this summer and sent 'back to the future'. Some part of me has failed miserably to adjust to the passing of the last several months.

Of course, I've been wondering why I feel this way. How did I end up an alien in my own time?

After much in depth soul searching (well, a little at least), I realized I have had no milestones to mark the latter half of this year. This summer I moved to a remote area where time meant nothing. I worked two to three weeks at a stretch. Sundays were meaningless. Statutory holidays were tagged onto my days off. Thanksgiving was spent alone in my cabin, where I ate a chicken burger for dinner once I realized what day it was. Each day was the same as the one before, and the one after.

Now that I have returned home, I am beginning to have a new understanding of the significance of celebration. In the Old Testament, the Israelites were commanded to feast several times a year, in remembrance of blessings and miracles God had worked for them at different times. They were also commanded to take it easy one day a week. This is how they divided up their year, and it is how we divide up ours. We look forward to our weekends, our long weekends, Easter, Christmas, New Year, and a couple weeks vacation to someplace special. It is these milestones that define time for us more than the moon, the stars, or any calendar.

Historically there has, and continues to be, much debate over which day God commanded us to rest every week. More than ever I believe our sin is not in choosing the 'wrong' day, but to let it pass by without regard. It is a day to 'rest' - really to wrest ourselves from the rush and routines that define us all week - and allow ourselves to be redefined by the One who transforms our hearts.

This Christmas has become for me much more than a family weekend, or even a spiritual event. I realize as I purpose to celebrate Christmas in all its fullness - venerating the spiritual, enjoying my family, and honoring special traditions - I will be transformed by it. I hope as I look back I will remember a rich and defining milestone.