Make a difference Monday: a little more personal...

This week's MaD Monday is a little different. :)

Last week... my Valentine's included giving one to a coworker of a friend (who is now my friend!). I knew she had gone through some tough relationship stuff recently and she needed to see the love of Christ. So I wrote her a note, made her some homemade sugar scrub (thank you, Pinterest), and I took her some Starbucks hot chocolate while she was on break at work! :)

My second Valentine was a little more... unexpected. Call me crazy if you want, but a year or so ago, there was a huge fraud case broadcasted online for EVERYONE to know about. The guilty party's name is Bernie Madoff... heard of him now? Well, when I saw it on the news, I noticed that they included his prison information at the bottom of the screen. Don't ask me why. Easier to send hate mail??? Anyway, for some reason, I jotted it down. That address to his prison has been sitting in a note on my desktop since then. So, I USED IT. I wrote a Valentine to Bernie Madoff. Will it make it to him? I have no idea. Will I hear back? Probably not. But he needs the love of Christ as much, if not more, than so many people I see day to day. So I did it. I took a leap of faith and reached out in an unexpected way. And it was THRILLING. :)

This week: (comes in two parts) I told you it would be a little more personal. Part 1. I want you to write down five verses of encouragement on notecards. Then KEEP THEM WITH YOU ALL WEEK. When you're stuck at a red light, or in line at the grocery store, or waiting for gas to pump, or in the waiting room at an office... READ THEM. Better yet, MEMORIZE THEM! This week's MaD Monday is going to start from the inside out... like a cleanse. :) Part 2. When you're in the car this week, do NOT turn on the radio. Take that time to pray. If you're walking across campus or to class... PRAY. Don't know where to start? Pray for people you see, whether you know them or not. Pray for people that own cars like the ones you see on the road. I know that when you drive, you see things that trigger memories (Matt has a car like that, or Katie has been wanting that SUV for a while!)... so pray for Matt! Pray for Katie! If we made some extra quiet time in our day, we could MaD from the inside out. :)

Praying for you this week. I want to hear ALL about your unexpected Valentines!

Make a difference Monday: Valentine's Day!!!

Last week: Monday, I left school feeling under the weather, so it didn't happen Monday. Tuesday, I had EVERY intention of leaving the notes between cereal boxes at the grocery store. But a few incidents on Tuesday left me a little extra distracted. So it took me until Wednesday to complete mine, but better late than never! :)

This week: Give a Valentine to someone you weren't already planning on giving one to, like someone who is widowed or single. It won't take you long, but for someone who isn't expecting a Valentine, it might just make their day. Or week. Or year. :) [Going above and beyond: flowers, handwritten notes, homemade cookies...] I have a little plan for giving out Valentines tonight. I'm not sure how it's all going to work out, but I'm really excited for the possibility. Can YOU handle the suspense??? ;)

But what about YOU!?! I would LOVE to hear about who is taking the challenge with me? Leave me a comment about what you've done to make a difference! :)