This past summer, one of my former staff members got married. Being a bit older, they have plenty of things already, and I was really struggling with what gift to give them. Then I remembered a friend telling me about an organization called Charity Water, which works to bring clean drinking water to people in Africa.
I went to their website and found out that for a $40 donation, two people would be able to drink clean water for 20 years. That’s right. It’s hard to believe, but for $10 billion dollars, we could eliminate this health crisis which kills more people in the world than all forms of violence combined. Americans spend about $450 billion on Christmas gifts each year.
Well, I sent off my check to Charity Water, thinking that when Scott and Erin celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary, someone would still be benefitting from my gift to them.
So, why am I talking about this on the second Sunday of Advent?
There’s another organization I learned about last year called Advent Conspiracy. I hope you’ll watch this video clip and give it some thought. Please don’t misunderstand. I’m not telling you what you should or shouldn’t do with your money. I just want you to think about the “why” in Christmas. Be sure the meaning is not lost to you and those who will be receiving your gifts . The “why” is huge and shouldn’t be forgotten.
