God commanded his people, “Give generously to the poor, not grudgingly, for the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do. There will always be some in the land who are poor. That is why I am commanding you to share freely with the poor and with other Israelites in need” (Deuteronomy 15:10-11, NLT). This was a command, yet God said they should “share freely.” He cares about the state of our hearts as we give. That means it’s not just generosity that’s the good life; it’s generosity that flows out of love. We all instinctively imagine that spending on ourselves will make us happiest. But Jesus said our greatest joy comes when we give to others: “There is more happiness in giving than in receiving” (Acts 20:35, GNT). Jesus doesn’t want us to give out of spite or fear, but out of the genuine goodness of our hearts. When I was eleven years old, my parents decided that our family would focus on the spirit of Christmas versus the gifts we received from it. What was that Christmas spirit? We thought of it as the fruits of The Holy Spirit! Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. We even called it, RAOK: Random Acts of Kindness. In the month of December, we spent 25 days doing many different activities that benefited other people instead of ourselves. We paid a family’s electric bill, bought a person’s meal in the drive-thru, left a special treat for our mailman, and even took balloons and Christmas gifts to children in the cancer ward of the OU Children’s Hospital. I remember being overcome with emotions while we were in the hospital, and at that moment I truly began to understand how blessed I was and how thankful I was for my healthy family. We too often let ourselves get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the holiday season and become passive to the season of giving and reflecting, which is easy to do with our full calendars this time of year. We never take the time to give out of love. During this holiday season, I am choosing to have that same heart of giving as we draw nearer to The House’s annual Feed a Family event on November 18th! The House is giving you a chance to help someone who wouldn't have a Thanksgiving turkey if not for your generosity. It's time for The House FM's Feed A Family event, on Saturday, Nov 18th from 11:00 am -2:00 pm. Bring your turkey to donate and leave with a brand-new "Joy in the House" T-shirt, only available at this event. Plus, be entered to win TWO tickets to see Zach William's Christmas Concert coming to Bethany on Dec. 2nd. Wait there's more! The grand prize winner will receive TWO Eat & Greet tickets which include dinner prepared by a professional chef and hanging out with Zach! You don't have to wait to help! You can donate a turkey right now for $30. You'll still be entered to win the tickets AND we'll mail you the new "Joy" House FM shirt!