I am often asked why I run for Team Living Water. This new video shows the very real journey that many face each day to get access to drinking water that often is not clean. When viewed from that perspective, any pain and discomfort I face as I run is insignificant as I remember that I have access to clean water almost any time I want.
How about joining the team?
I finish my first half marathon right behind my friend Jeff. It was a tough, cool run but running with a buddy made the time and distance fly by. I was proud to be the lone Team Living Water representative in the race.
Want to join me as I run for clean water? Join Team Living Water!
This year, Stacey and I are sharing the message of the Advent Conspiracy with Cypress Creek Christian Church. Our class stemmed from a message I shared last December about how we can bring Christ back into Christmas. The Advent Conspiracy invites us to celebrate Advent differently by Worshiping Fully, Spending Less, Giving More and Loving All.
As Stacey and I were planning the training, we realized that we could help our congregation accept and adopt this way of celebrating Advent quicker if we included both adults and youth in our training. This decision was quickly embraced by our youth minister and the class was scheduled.
We now are two weeks into our class and it has been amazing to see the young people interacting with our adults. As they share their stories and gain new understanding from each other, I believe that I’m witnessing the Kingdom of God in our midst. It has also been liberating for our parents to watch their youth embrace a new approach to Christmas that doesn’t rely on presents, but relies instead on presence. As the group re-learns that our love isn’t indicated by the amount of money we spend on Christmas gifts for each other, they are breathing a deep sigh of relief.
I’m already seeing tweets from our class about homemade gifts that will be shared this year. Then last week, we talked about ways to give a new life to older technology gifts. This week, we’ll be talking about ways to give the gift of presence.
I’d like to invite you to join us for worship at 9:31 AM this Sunday at Cypress Creek and then stay for our third session about the Advent Conspiracy at 11:00. Come see how Christmas can [still] change the world!
