Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1308280
WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM NOVEMBER 11-17, 2020 UCW 17 DAN DEBRULER, General Manager, WCLN. Comments? Editor@upandcomingweekly. com. 910-484-6200. FAITH You're probably ready to move on from much of what 2020 has brought. But before we get too far down the road, let's pause long enough to recount some of the many things we have to be grateful for – even amid the weirdness, the separation, and the strange sense of isolation the past seven months have sent our way. Don't misunderstand. I'll gladly bid farewell to nearly all of it. Besides our collective struggles with shifting epi- centers of a pandemic, cultural divi- sion, political tension and economic strife, my family has walked through some of the worst events of our lives. And maybe you have too. There's a chalkboard next to the main entry door of my home. We pass it every time we go out. Among the messages scrawled on it are a recounting of a few simple events that occurred: a New Year's Day stroll, making wreaths with our daughter, adopting our dog, Champ. It may not seem like much, but it's a small piece of something larger. It's part of a shift from noticing all that has gone wrong to reminding oursel- ves of the good things along the way. Think of the bigger picture as 'grati- tude journaling.' It all started as a new fall tradition in my family a couple of years ago, and I thinks it's a good exercise in humility. The gratitude pumpkin. The concept is simple: get a pump- kin, place it where it's easily visible to your family and guests, and use a permanent marker (or paint, for the really artsy among us) to write down things you're grateful for. It doesn't take long to get past the cool stuff and start writing really simple things like health, family, or a home. And that's where the gold is. Realizing how immensely blessed we are in our everyday lives. Life – even abundant life – isn't about money or cars or possessions. It's about the relationships we build. It's about the joy we get from, or bring to others. There is an undeniable joy in the laughter of a toddler, or the tender moments with a newborn. There is cause for joy and much to be thank- ful for all around us. It just takes us pausing long enough to recognize it. The gratitude pumpkin at our house was so filled with the thankful thoughts we wrote on it last year you could hardly tell it was ever orange at all. And that's how I want to live. I'm ready for the negativity and the pain and the ugliness we see in this crazy, divided world to give way to a sense of gratitude for what we have. There is freedom in that place. There is joy in that place. And there is love in its truest form in the place where grati- tude lives. Beyond the Thanks by DAN DEBRULER Making a "gratitude pumpkin" can be an act of humilit y. Curbside drop-off sites to open for Operation Christmas Child a STAFF REPORT Operation Christmas Child, a project of Samaritan's Purse, seeks to demonstrate God's love in a tangible way to children in need around the world and, toge- ther with the church worldwide, to share the good news of Jesus Christ. Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has collected and delivered more than 178 million gift-filled shoeboxes to children in more than 160 countries and territories. This is a project that everyone can still be a part of, even with COVID-19 restrictions. More than 4,000 locations nationwide will offer a curbside drop-off option for OCC this year. Volunteers are preparing to col- lect shoebox gifts during National Collection Week Nov. 16-23. There's still time for individuals, families and groups to transform empty shoeboxes into fun gifts of school supplies, hygiene items and toys. The project partners with local churches across the globe to deliver these tangible expressions of God's love to children in need. Find a step-by-step guide on the "How to Pack a Shoebox" webpage. Participants can choose to pack a shoebox online. "In the midst of the pandemic, the needs are greater than ever before," said Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan's Purse. "Children around the world need to know that God loves them and there is hope. A simple shoebox gift opens the door to share about the true hope that can only be found in Jesus Christ." Participants can find the nearest drop-off location and hours of ope- ration as they make plans to drop off their shoebox gifts. The online lookup tool is searchable by city or ZIP code. Signs at each location will identif y the curbside drop off. The following locations are sche- duled for local drop-off: Faymont Baptist Church at 3663 Cumberland Road in Fayetteville, Nov. 16-23 from 2:30 to 5:00 p.m. daily. Northwood Temple Church at 4250 Ramsey Street in Fayetteville. Nov. 16, 17, 19 from 5 to 7 p.m. Nov. 18, 2 to 6 p.m. Nov. 20, 2 to 5 p.m. Nov. 21, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nov. 22, 2 to 4 p.m. Nov. 23, 9 to 11a.m. Stedman Baptist Church at 7750 Clinton Road in Stedman. Nov. 16, 17, 18 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nov. 18, 6 to 8 p.m. Nov. 19, 20, 21, 23 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nov. 22, 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. For more information on packing a shoebox, volunteering, donating or to find a drop-off location, visit w w w.samaritanspurse.org/what- we-do/operation-christmas-child/ FREE HEALTH CARE • for uninsured Adults call 910.485.0555