Do you know what this is?

Well, yes, it’s my messy basement.

But do you know what those two big boxes hold?

CHRISTMAS!

Inside those boxes are hundreds of gifts for needy kids. We’ve been collecting socks, flip flops, school supplies, toys, crafts and dolls ever since last Christmas. Target and Michael’s are our favorite as they regularly do 70% off their dollar section. Wal-mart also has some good deals in the kids’ clothing department!

In just a few weeks (November 12-19) we’ll be taking all those toys and putting them into regular sized shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child! If you’ve been around here for even five minutes you know that I love Operation Christmas Child.

It’s an easy way to give, it’s low commitment, it impacts my own children and it has the potential to change the life of a child somewhere in the world. When boxes are brought into a town, they open up a door for the Gospel. Churches and other organizations can suddenly get into subcultures and groups they couldn’t before.

Here, watch this. See how your small gift can be so big…

{subscribers click here to watch this awesome video!}

It’s just so typical of God, isn’t it? Using the small to bring big change. Using something cheap and breakable to make an everlasting, unchanging difference. Looking at those kids open up those boxes and hold those toys reminds me of the boxes in our basement. Somewhere a child will hold those same toys we’ve collected and it could be the start of a new life in their community, their family and their heart!

I know it’s only October but get ready, Pinterest is already talking about Christmas plans and decorations. Yikes! The National Packing week for OCC is in less than six weeks away. Show your kids some more of the videos about Operation Christmas Child, start scouring the 70% section at your local store and get ready to involve your kids in life-change!

Some more of my fun Operation Christmas Child posts…

Our first box!

What To Pack in a Shoebox

Operation: Deliver the Boxes

My Trip to the Operation Christmas Child Processing Center in LA

Boxes Go Full Circle

Our Operation Christmas Child Party

The Shoebox Blitz in New York City

More Shoebox Blitz

And don’t forget to check out more Operation Christmas Child posts from some of my favorite homeschool bloggers…feel free to add your own!

Have you ever packed a shoebox for Operation Christmas Child?

Linked to Works for Me Wednesday

***Impress Your Kids has some new digs at ohAmanda.com! Come visit us there for all the Impress Your Kids archives and all our new posts–including our Easter newsblast with fabulous tips for celebrating a meaningful Easter with your kids!***

One of my favorite things about writing Truth in the Tinsel was discovering (or perhaps, re-discovering) all the “light” references in the Christmas story.

Day 1 of the book focuses on Isaiah 9:2-7,

“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.”

The world was filled with darkness. But God promised a light. A Light.

Later on (Day 8 in the book), we read Luke 1:57-80. In which Zechariah prophesies after his son’s birth. He says that his son, John (the Baptist) will prepare the way for Messiah, the anointed one,

“And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation, through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.” (verses 76-79)

Do you see? More light! Jesus is the rising sun that will shine on those living in darkness, in the shadow of death!

After Jesus is born, he is taken to the temple as was their custom. In Luke 2:21-40 a man named Simeon who had been waiting on the Messiah said this as he blessed Jesus,

“Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismissyour servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.”

A light for revelation to the Gentles! LIGHT!

And of course, we know in John 12:46 Jesus himself says,

“I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.”

When I was writing the ebook and saw all of this in order, it was just so big and clear to me. Jesus is the Light of the world. And not just that–we live and breathe darkness. Our world and our hearts are full of darkness. Jesus came to dispel that darkness. It made me that much more excited about the book–I wanted to share that Light with others!

Today in church, the sermon title was, “Let There Be Light” and the pastor brought up two more awesome examples of Jesus as the light. One starts at the very beginning,

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness.”

Imagine that pre-creation darkness. That pre-sun, pre-moon, pre-star darkness. It’s like nothing we can even comprehend. Nothing I want to experience, honestly. This is the physical example of what God would do thousands of years later. What he planned before Genesis 1:1, to separate the true darkness by saying, “Let there be light!” Let there be Jesus! Let there be salvation!

And how did He announce that salvation to the world? With a light! A star! A bright star that had people following it from around the world!

When I sat down in the service today and saw the title of the message, I said, “This is Truth in the Tinsel!” This is what God taught me through this ebook and the facebook page. That Jesus is Light. I live in darkness. My flesh desires darkness. But Jesus. Oh, Jesus came to earth as a pinprick of light. A light that would soon take over the whole world. That would alter December with dead trees in our homes, red and green blinking lights and beautifully wrapped presents. He would alter kingdoms and countries and empires. He would alter people and homes and hearts.

In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:4-5)

May your Christmas this year be merry, yes, but most of all, may it be BRIGHT with the Light of Jesus!

{Watch the Let There Be Light service online today at 9am, 11am, 2pm, 6pm or 10pm! Really, it’s worth a click!}

photo source: north point ministries

***Impress Your Kids has some new digs at ohAmanda.com! Come visit us there for all the Impress Your Kids archives and all our new posts–including our Easter newsblast with fabulous tips for celebrating a meaningful Easter with your kids!***

It’s the most wonderful time of the year!
It’s the hap-happiest season of all!
Christmastime is here, happiness and cheer.
Fun for what the children call, their favorite time of year!

So, is it? Are you having the hap-happiest season of all? Is it the most wonderful time of the year? Are your kids saying that this is their most favorite month all year?! I hope so! But sometimes I know my to-do list is so long and so immediate during December, I think short-tempered, frazzled mama does not always help make this the most wonderful time of the year.

{read my full post at Motherhood Your Way…}

photo source: pipnstuff

***Impress Your Kids has some new digs at ohAmanda.com! Come visit us there for all the Impress Your Kids archives and all our new posts–including our Easter newsblast with fabulous tips for celebrating a meaningful Easter with your kids!***