"Cherish Every Moment-The Dax Locke Foundation"

By Ginny (MAD21)

I really enjoy Matthew West's music. This month he has been honoring the family of Dax Locke, a little two-year-old boy who lost his battle with Leukemia almost a year ago. He was being lovingly treated at St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. In honor of their son, Austin and Julie Locke have decided that they want to raise enough money to run the entire hospital for one day, $1.6 million dollars.

I want to encourage you to listen to this video, and then go to either Matthew West's website, or to Dax Locke's website and make a donation. I really admire them for this ambitious project, and love St. Jude's for their dedication to sick children and their families.

The Greatest Gift

By Chuck (Sharing Compassion)

I will be upfront and state that this article is directly tied into our current worship series at Fork Christian Church. We are doing a study called the Advent Conspiracy. In a nutshell we are trying to go against the tide of our culture and to make a difference this season. Rather than just buying to buy and giving to give we want to get back to basics and make it about relationships. It is about making a difference both locally and globally. Think back on that first Christmas. A simple birth changed history and lives. What if this season we tried to make Christmas another life changing event??

It has been said many times that the greatest gift ever given was the gift of Jesus Christ. God freely gave of himself, through his Son, to save us. God wanted a relationship that was free from sin with us. God wanted to love us fully and for us to love him back fully. God gave us his Son in order to accomplish this. Simply put Christmas is about love and relationships. That is the meaning of the first Christmas.

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Got Boxes?

By MAD21

By now you all know what a fan I am of Samaritan Purse's program called, Operation Christmas Child (OCC). I have written before about the organization and the Graham's in a previous article. I was privileged with the opportunity to talk with a great woman named Stacey Wilson from OCC last month. The time of year to begin putting boxes together is coming very soon. Please read and consider how many boxes you and your friends and family could do this year.

How do you explain to people what you do for a living?

For the many people who pack shoe box gifts, when I mention that I work for Operation Christmas Child, their faces light up, and they start asking questions right away. For those who are not familiar with the project or Samaritan's Purse, I explain that I work on the public relations team for a Christian international relief organization that encourages people to pack empty shoe boxes with small gift items for needy children around the world - and that we share the Gospel along with those gifts.

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