Be a Christmas Miracle....

I accidentally watched a movie last night that is a huge inspiration to me.  Papa Joe Bradford has an amazing story and should be an inspiration to all of us.  If you have the opportunity to watch Unconditional I would recommend it.  Joe Bradford understands the needs of inner city children and has dedicated his life to meeting those needs and brining meaning to the lives of young people who often struggle to just to eat.  "Papa Joe" as the kids call him, works each day to build community, creating a strong and functional network.  We have a great privilege to participate in community on the local, state, national and even world level.  However, we have a great challenge in that we no longer know our neighbors and find it far too easy to just turn a blind eye to the needs that are right in front of our eyes.

Our challenge today is to look for the needs we can meet in our neighborhood (local or global) and then to take action.  Start small because every life blessed is a life with new found hope and purpose.  I will share some needs, but I would love to hear how each of you is being a Christmas miracle to someone.

Needs
local food shelves
Local schools can always use donations of tissues, backpacks and school supplies for those who cannot afford them
Feed My Starving Children
Feeding America
The Red Cross
A Walk of Love
The Brain Candy Project
Doctors Without Borders
Heifer International

These are just a few.  Most of us know a family or individual that could use a boost.  Consider giving a family in need a gift card or paying their heat or even a doctor bill.  Perhaps you would like to donate to an organization or donate in someone's name.  Think of the single parents in your neighborhood.  Buy them a coffee or pay for hair cuts for the children.  There are a million ways to reach out that seem like they are too small to have meaning.  Perhaps the smallest things we do for one another are the most meaningful.  The one thing that is for certain is that people need one another and we need to build a strong community if we are going to have a healthy society.  And if today's children are to grow up to take care of this world, then they need a world community that is based in love and care.  We can all do something to be a Christmas miracle to someone we know or to a complete stranger.