What kind of gift can I give to the King?

Christmas is upon us. A season of celebration- though the reason is often lost in the noise of a commercial holiday. We are celebrating the birth of a special baby. That child changed the world. That child changed the course of history (literally the calendar we use to this day). Whatever one may think about Jesus - His influence on earth cannot be denied. Thousands of years after his death he still has millions of followers. His name is still relevant because we remember it and have formed opinions on him - like or dislike. 

I count myself one of his followers. I call him "my King."

I was recently reminded of a deep spiritual truth through a children's song I knew as a child.  It leaves me asking myself an important question on this day...

What kind of gift can I give to my King?

Question:

What can I give to the King?

Give to the One who has everything?

What can I give?

What gift can i bring?

What can I give to the King?

What can I give to the King?

Answer:

Give Him a heart that's opened up wide

Give Him a life that's got nothing to hide

Give Him a love that's tender and true

And He'll give it all back to you

Yes, He'll give it all back to you

Question:

What can we give to the King?

Give to the One who has everything?

What can we give?

What gift can we bring?

What can we give to the King?

What can we give to the King?

Answer:

Give Him all glory, His people on earth

Give Him all praises, this day of His birth

Give Him all honor in all that we do

As He's given His life to you

As He's given His life to you

Question:

What can we give to the King?

Give to the One who has everything?

What can we give to the King?

What can we give to the King?

What is your answer to this question?

Neti pot users beware

You may remember that I suffered from terrible allergies earlier this year. A Neti pot was recommended (and literally forced upon me). It worked. But, one must follow the directions carefully. No tap water people. No tap water!
Here is why:
Neti pot danger? Two die from amoeba infection

The Art of Successful Grant Writing

On this blog I don't talk a lot about what I do for a living. I have held various positions over the years and the work only gets honorable mention a few times. There is a skill I have had to develop in my professional life, and it is one I am asked questions about often.

What skill is that? 

Grant writing.

In the world of change makers it is an important part of the fundraising tool belt. I was recently asked by our local Chamber of Commerce to do a lunchtime presentation on the topic. If you have 45 spare minutes, and want to mostly hear the presentation because the visuals aren't so good, then feel free to play the following video.

If you would like a copy of the Powerpoint presentation, let me know and I will email it to you.



Happy grant writing!

just Sheri, sharing lessons learned

Everyday Heroes: layaway

News worth sharing:
Anonymous donors pay strangers' layaway accounts

NOTE: The Everyday Heroes series is intended to draw attention to kindness. It's purpose is to share stories of normal people engaging in acts of kindness. Why? Because I believe kindness is what changes the world.

Encore: Tina and her girls

In the coming weeks, I will be re-posting some of my favorite posts from the past six years on this blog. Yes, I have had this blog for nearly SIX years! I have revisited some of these posts lately. It is interesting to me how much life has changed. For those who are new around here, it will give you a glimpse of the journey. I am calling this series "Encore." If you'd like, you can vote on your favorites.

Best of 2008

Here is one of the nominees from July 2008. My family is a bit, well...um...unconventional. For our family reunion, we have a talent show. It's a good thing the family is full of talent! The lead singer is my mom. The back-up dancers are my aunties, including myself. This wasn't just a one-time event. This was a snip-it from my childhood. It has been passed on to the next generation - notice the girls on the side-lines following along.


I wanted to share with you a taste of the Gonzales Family Talent Show. My mom is Tina, my aunts and I are the back-up dancers. Too fun!