Change Purse

A few years ago I saw the original Butler Bag in a boutique in Lewes, Delaware. I was entranced.

The thing that made me want the bag was the inner organizer (pictured at left), hence the name "Butler."

I didn't buy it, though. I didn't want to spend the money for it, so I spent six months shopping for a substitute. I bought another bag that didn't work. It hangs in my closet.

Finally, after listening to me lament that I didn't own the Butler, Les told me to get it the next time I was in Lewes. So I did. I bought it in spicy ginger (above right).

I've loved this bag. But now the straps are going, and they don't make this style in any fun colors anymore. So I am back to looking. I bought a bag at an amazing Coach Outlet sale and haven't even unwrapped it yet. I have found someone who works in leather who might be able to replace the handles on my Butler Bag, so I am holding out.

How many purses have you ever bought that just weren't right? Well, now you can put that bag to work. Change Purse is an organization that takes your "didn't work for me" bags and resells them to raise money to battle human trafficking. You can send purses directly to them, or you can host a Change Purse party like my friend Jen Knepper, who began the Lancaster Gifts That Give Hope Gift Fair.

You gather purses and invite your friends. The organization provides you with a DVD and information on human trafficking. You sell the purses and send the money to Change Purse. It, in turn, supports Hope House, a place of restoration for teens rescued from sex trafficking.

If you decide to host a party, I have at least one purse to contribute!

Unusual Christian Environmentalists

We are watching the long version of Pride and Prejudice—the Colin Firth version, of course—and as I began to write this, Mrs. Bennett says this to Bingley,"When you have killed all your own birds, Mr. Bingley, I beg you will come here and shoot as many as you please."

We could adapt that line for the way we are devouring so many of earth's creatures. It seems there is always a new fad food that begins to deplete the earth's stocks: Chilean sea bass, bluefin tuna, chinook salmon, and so many others.

Today I read this interesting interview in Christianity Today. Eugene Peterson, the author of The Message, and Peter Harris, talk about Christian environmentalism in a way I found unique and thought-provoking.

I encourage you to read all of it and then let me know through your comments here or on Facebook what you think of their thoughts, especially on urbanization and on how environmentalism and the Sabbath interconnect.

By the way, you're not invited to shoot any of the birds in our yard.

Give and Criticism Will Be Given Unto You

Forgive the distortion of Scripture in the title, but it seemed appropriate for this topic.

Thanks to the Six Seeds parenting e-zine, I learned an interesting story about the University of Georgia head football coach Mark Richt. He and his wife put their lakefront second home up for sale in order to donate more money to World Vision to help those in poverty. Last year they read The Hole in Our Gospel (which I blogged about here) by Richard Stearns, who was president of World Vision. As he told Chip Towers, who wrote the blog post:

So I’m reading this book and it really affected me. It helped me realize that what we have is way more than we need and that our ability to give is hindered by this property.

I love when God reaches out and talks to someone (including me) about how we personally can show compassion, about how he wants us to be involved in social justice or fighting poverty in our situation.

Unfortunately, when you do respond to what God is saying, it seems criticism is the next gift you get. For Richt, first it was speculation that he was selling the house because his job was threatened due to his team's poor record last year. Once Towers' blog was posted telling of their true motivation, more criticism followed in the blog comments section. People who wondered why he didn't have enough money to give already with his salary. People who were sure this was just a coverup for fear of a job loss. People who judged his motives, his behavior, his relationship with God.

It was a good reminder that no matter what we do, criticism will come. As the apostles Peter and John said, "It's better to obey God than men" because you can't please them anyway, I would add.

What has God ever told you to do that others have criticized you for? Les and I have experienced it multiple times when we invited people to live with us, whether for a few weeks or forever, as in the case of our daughter. I'm so glad we chose not listen to the critics because the blessings and joy have been tremendous (even in the midst of pain that sometimes came).

Don't be afraid to obey God and to ignore the critics. His voice is the one that matters. Share your story of obedience with us so we too can be encouraged (and we promise not to criticize).

A Tree of Life

Grandparents brag. It's what we do. So when our friends Art and Sue Sell began to brag about their grandson Trevor, I was prepared to listen politely but nothing more. Of course there was the initial "just graduated from Temple with a degree in landscape architecture." But then they told me he was in Haiti, and my ears pricked up.

Trevor started the Montrouis (pronounced mow-wee) Tree Project (MTP) to help reforest Haiti, beginning with the town of Montrouis.  Only about 2% of Haiti's original forests remain, and erosion means the good topsoil washes away, making farming difficult. He's made several trips over past two years, and was actually there when the hurricane hit.

MTP has set up community tree nurseries and works to educate the citizens in how caring for the trees can help them feed their families and make a living. They are teaching the school children how to grow trees and what they mean for their long-term sustainability. They hope to establish an educational community tree nursery on the school property as funds become available.

The school project will cost $3,370, if you would like to donate all or part of it. MTP is also in need of donations to support their on-site project coordinator at a mere $40 a month. Trevor is in Haiti right now planting more trees; you can view photos on his blog.

Here's someone who didn't wait until he had graduated from college to make a difference. He took what he was passionate about—landscaping—and went off and began working on a problem that needed solving. I'm impressed, and I guess his grandparents have more than enough reason to brag.