HoundsGood: Chronicles of a Virtual Volunteer

Seven Rivers Presbyterian (PCA) Church has released their Christmas Wish Book for the holiday season.   It is a very different kind of wish book, as they are the wishes of children’s homes, shelters, and ministries around the world that the church supports rather than toys and novelties that we are hoping to get for ourselves.   For a small amount (as low as $10.00!) or a large amount of money, you can:

• Purchase a dresser for a child at a children’s home or kitchen utensils for the home
• Pay for a dumpster rental for a Katrina victim who is rebuilding
• Fund a children’s Bible being translated into Japanese for missions in Japan
• Buy a weeks worth of meals for a homeless shelter
• Feed a street child for one month (a bargain at $34.00)
• Help a local person get through hard times
• …and many more!

Their site allows you to instanty print out a card for someone to let them know you have given a gift in their honor.  It is in a pdf form that you can print at home, or even go to the local copy center and have it printed on heavier paper.

The link to the holiday gift catalog can be found HERE.   The card can be found HERE.  If you are looking for a thoughtful gift for someone you don’t know what to buy for, it is a great thing to consider!

It is a sad statistic, but fifty percent of marriages end in divorce.  Do we all get wrapped up in pleasing eachother that we never work on communication skills before we all get married?   The most common issue in marriage is said to be about money, but it really is about a breakdown in communication.   When you think about it, the money issues that are most often cited are usually not about the actual money, but how people communicate their priorities with it.

If you need assistance and guidance to help a hurting marriage or to strengthn a good one, the National Institute of Marriage is there to help.  They have developed a variety of programs and resources to help couples who are having challenges, and are fighting for their marriages, so that they can weather the storm.  Someone wise once told me that a marriage that is breaking does not just hurt the couple, but the community.  It also dissolves friendships, confuses children, and displaces pets.  The programs use a Christ-centered approach and focus on the fact that you are not alone in your struggles.

There is Marriage 911, which is a “first response” program with materials that you can work with at home.  When you know that you are headed for disaster, and can see the warning signs, but don’t know quite what to do, it may be something that you want to look into.  There are also intensive counseling programs where a couple works intensively with two NIM therapists in a group setting over a four day period.  The program has been proven to be extremely effective in fostering hope and giving couples a foundation to move forward with.  Of course, nothing is a quick fix, but if someone gets a little bit of hope back and takes the time to listen to others and to where their partner is coming from, they may be able to salvage and move forward in their quest to save their marriage.

I am not one to read a lot of motivational books, not that I am not into bettering myself, but many of them set out to whip you into shape when you are whipped quite enough from your day to day life.    We all have our own stuff to deal with, but on top of it it is hard to look at the news sometimes.   Sometimes it is the actual content of what is going on in the world, and another big part of it is the sensationalism used to portray it and the inability to unplug sometimes with all of the emerging media.   It is hard to know sometimes if the world is really going to heck in a handbasket, or we are really suffering from a case of “TMI” (too much information).

Afterall, movie stars of the silver screen partied just as much as stars today, but they listened to publicists and certain parts of their life just wasn’t printed.

Life Inspirations Volume I is a book of inspirational poetry written by writer, musician, and minister Ozell Adkins.   Although it is not a “self help” book per se, the intent of the poetry is to act as inspirational letters to meditate on, consider, and to convey a message of hope and encouragement, that God’s purpose for your life is greater than any problem you may have. Many people go through times where they just want to give up, and Mr. Adkins wrote this collection when he himself was at a turning point.  His wish is to inspire people in a gentle way to “reach beyond” into the next stage of your life.

I wish Mr. Adkins the best of luck with his book.  There certainly is a need for more support and encouragement towards eachother, and it is nice to see someone that has their heart set on encouraging others.  This book was recommended to me, and I will surely be taking a closer look at it.