Advent Conspiracy

Earlier this year Pastor Nathan encouraged me to post from time to time on his blog about stuff I find that might be of interest and to share my personal take on it.

Here is a site I wanted to share:
http://www.adventconspiracy.org/

Almost a year ago I first heard about the "Advent Conspiracy" as I read a story about Imago Dei Community in Portland, Oregon.

Then I heard about the "Advent Conspiracy" from 3 or 4 other sources. I saw a reference to it today on a 10/31/08 post on http://swerve.lifechurch.tv/
Check out http://www.adventconspiracy.org/ for yourself. Don't miss the video on the home page.

Here are some of the thoughts that came out as I wanted to share my personal take on this...
Today I saw in the Benediction the call for help for "Crocheters, Knitters, Quilters & Those Who Sew" to help make Blessing Blankets for our Pantry families this Christmas. (Contact Joan Wong) My mother was one of those people. My dad would joke that she would "knit one, pearl two, rip three", but after she died we had to go through closets, chests, and boxes of handmade afghans, quilts, and blankets. Many were tagged as she made sure every grandchild and great-grandchild got something handmade with her love. But many items went to local retirement homes, especially those where she had experimented with color combinations popular in the 1970s.

These memories along with the message of the Advent Conspiracy brought up another memory of my mother's handmade crafts. It was while I was a teenager, (you can figure out how long ago that was?), I remember that for a year or two she crocheted "hats" for rolls of toilet paper. I don't know if you have ever seen them but the idea was that you could put a spare roll of paper in one of these "hats" and then sit it right on the back of the toilet or on the counter and it added to the decor as well as made available something that would sooner or later be needed. But it always kind of bugged me that she made and gave away dozens of these hats, in all different color combinations, and all they did was keep a roll of toilet paper hidden. Had we really solved all the worlds problems that all was left was to make wool hats for rolls of toilet paper? (In all fairness, she certainly accomplished more with her hands than my dad and I together, while watching "Bonanza", "Gun Smoke", "Red Skelton", and "Wide World of Sports".)

I am asking myself what can I do. I don't have an answer yet. But I think I should share what I do know about one of the Pantry families. The family is a single mom with four kids. Last week there was part of the sheet cake in their box. I asked if they really wanted it and I learned that it was the Mom's birthday and later this last week one of her daughters would celebrate eight years. Today as I carried the box of food in I told the kids that their box was the heaviest one I had today. I told them they should tell me if they find rocks in any of the bags as that would help to explain why it is so heavy. They told me they had never found any rocks. (Our Father is like that. If we ask for bread, He will not give us a stone.)

So what?

So I know one of the things Joan Wong is doing in her own take on "advent conspiracy". What about you? Share your ideas/plans in the comments. Or you can join me in my prayer... "Father, what would you have me to do?"