Pray & Praise

We want to thank everyone for the prayers, thoughts and wishes we received on Tuesday and Wednesday. Roger will blog soon with all the details from yesterday and what the next steps are. Many people asked us how they can help or what they can do. There are only two things you can do for us: pray and praise. Pray for God to give Roger strength and courage to go through this again, pray for guidance from the Holy Spirit to make the right decisions for treatment and pray for protection from Satan's attacks and lies. And praise God for all he is, all he has done and all he is going to do. We can't thank God enough for blessing us with the ability to go to MD Anderson Cancer Center for great treatment, our experience there yesterday was unbelievable, and we can't thank God enough for surrounding us with amazing family and friends to keep us encouraged, hold us up and make us laugh. We love you all, thanks again. ~ Holly

Cancer Round 2

The fine doctors at MD Anderson Cancer Center have confirmed our suspicions… the tumor appears to be growing back. But we have a plan and are ready to fight it again. I'll have more details later today on the blog. We are driving back from Houston now and can't wait to get home. Thanks for the prayers.

-roger

Headed to Houston

It is Tue afternoon and Holly and I are heading to Houston. We will be
staying with Holly's friend Tina. They were battle buddies in Army
Basic Training and have not seen each other since 1994! So it will be
a nice visit. We head out early Wed morning for our 7am appt. We will
both try to update on facebook and Twitter tomorrow. If you go to the
blog site there are links to our facebook and Twitter pages on the
right side of the page. Check back in tomorrow to see the heck we are
up to! I am excited to begin the process to see what may or may not be
going on. But there is always the chance they will tell us to come
back in a few months for more tests. We'll see. Thanks for the prayers.

-rog

Ready for MD Anderson

I got a call early this morning from Wandra at MD Anderson Cancer Center (MDACC) telling me that they did get my stuff and the doctor was going to review it as soon as he could.

I got a call a few hours later from Wandra telling me that the doctor could not get the CDs to work on his computer. Now me, being the IT expert that I am, knew that those CDs were going to workk fine, they were exact copies. I asked her if she had them and she said yes. I asked her if she could see if they work on her computer. And they did. She said she'd call me back later.

She called me back later and said that the doctor has to review them at Wandra's computer and that he wanted to see me and the first available appointment was next Wednesday, April 28. I said yes and took the appointment. I felt bad because we have a lot of stuff going on at work that I amm needed for, but I knew I had to take it. So there, prayer answered... thank you for praying... the doctor will see me now.

We have to be there at 7am, so we are planning to drive the three hours Tuesday evening and stay at a friend's house in the Houston area. Those of you that know me well know that I am not a morning person. There's no way I can get up at 3am to be there by 7. NO WAY! :-) They sent us some forms to fill out and instructions on where to go when we get there.

So my foot is in the door now. We just need to wait and see what they see in my head. Hopefully nothing. Wait... dang.

Getting Reacquainted With Cancer

As you might know, I had an abnormal MRI in Feb. We are not sure exactly if there is anything wrong. I was being followed by the Army hospital in San Antonio, but had a relatively unpleasant experience when I saw a neurosurgeon about this last MRI and my confidence in their care plummeted. Care at a military facility is free, but I was willing to spend some money to get better care. Last week Holly and I were looking at the slim pickings of neurosurgeons in Austin when I discovered that the doctors at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston also take my insurance. I called them up last week and was told to gather as much information for them as I could and overnight it to them. I burned a few copies of MRI CDs and some pathology and radiology reports and sent them off yesterday. I also wrote the doctor a letter that I want to share with you. For those of you that are not up to speed with my history, it is a quick overview:

April 19, 2010

FEDEX PRIORITY OVERNIGHT 793461030701

Dr. Frederick F. Lang, Jr., MD

MD Anderson Cancer Center

1515 Holcombe Blvd

Houston, TX 77030-4000

Attention: Wandra R 7.1651

Dear Dr. Lang,

Thank you for reviewing my case.

I am a resident of Austin, Texas. I was living in Austin when, as a US Army Reservist, I was deployed to Washington, DC in May 2004 for an unexpectedly long time. In November 2005 I began to feel involuntary jerking in my right arm. I was being treated for a back injury at the time and my primary Doctor at Bolling Air Force Base thought that it might be related to the pain medication I was taking. It was not until February 2006, when after my back treatment was complete and the jerking continued, that my doctor referred me to a Neurologist at Andrews Air Force Base. The Neurologist performed an EEG which was normal and prescribed an MRI. I went to the National Naval Medical Center (NNMC) in Bethesda, MD for my MRI in the morning and the Neurologist set me up to see a Neurosurgeon in the afternoon. The Neurosurgeon set me up for a craniotomy to be performed in several days.

My surgery was performed at NNMC on March 3, 2006. The tumor was identified by the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP) as a grade II Ependymoma. The surgery went well with no complications other than the fact that the right side of my body was completely paralyzed. The hemi-paresis lasted ten days and NNMC transferred me to the National Rehabilitation Hospital (NRH-MedStar Health) in Washington, DC. After a little speech therapy, moderate occupational therapy and extensive physical therapy, I was able to walk again with a cane and was discharged on April 4, 2006. At that time, my right side was still very weak and the muscles from my ankle and below had not begun to move yet.

I participated in outpatient physical therapy for several more months and eventually gained limited ankle and toe movement. One month after being discharged from NRH I began radiation therapy at NNMC. I went to NNMC every day for over a month and received the fullest dosage of radiation I could get (as I understood from my Radiation Oncologist.) Also, while in DC, I suffered from three tonic-clonic seizures. All three started on my right side with my big toe; it felt like I was having a cramp in my foot with my big toe and then progressed to a full seizure. These have been controlled with anti seizure medication (Keppra 500mg AM and 500mg PM / Tegretol XR 400mg AM and 600mg PM); my last seizure was April 2007. Although my seizures have been controlled, I have always had twitching of my right foot’s big toe and also of the muscles on the left side of my right foot… consistent with the focal point of the seizures I did have. My right calf still exhibits quite of bit of muscle atrophy and my writing has never really gone back to what it used to be.

The Army insisted I stay in the beautiful Washington, DC area at Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC) to determine my disability status and after almost a year I was finally determined to be 70% disabled by the VA and the Army placed me on the Temporary and Disabled Retired List (TDRL) with 100% Army Disability. I finally returned home to Austin, TX in March 2008.

While in DC my MRIs were performed at three then four month intervals. Back in Texas, being followed by Radiation Oncology at Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) in San Antonio, I was only having MRIs every six months. All MRIs through July 2009 were normal showing no changes. My last MRI was taken February 2010 and the Radiologist report indicated a .7mm change in size of a mass and I was advised to follow up with another MRI in three months. I did receive a referral to a Neurosurgeon at BAMC who we did see, and he did look at the images, but he seemed more annoyed with us than anything and told us to have the other scan in three months and then come back and see him.

I was content to follow those instructions, but about three weeks after seeing the neurosurgeon, I started noticing that the twitching on my right foot was more forceful and moving for a longer period of time. The twitching has also moved up my right leg and is now present in my lower calf, upper calf behind my knee, right of my shin, above my ankle and seems to be moving to my hamstring. The twitching feels like someone is tapping my body, or feels somewhat tingly. It is a sensation I have not had before and that is what concerns me. With this new activity, I decided to only trust my life with the professionals at the MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Enclosed you will find my last four MRI radiologist reports, the pathology report from the tumor and four CD containing MRIs from 2006 through the most recent in February 2010. Please note that the two oldest CDs will not work on Windows Vista or 7, they only seem to work on Windows XP. The newer CDs will work on any Windows PC. You may contact me with any questions at --- or by email at ---.

I look forward to working with you to seek answers and solutions to this possible recurrence.

Sincerely,

Roger J. Mommaerts, Jr.

SFC, USAR, RET

I saw that the package was delivered before noon. I didn’t get a call from them today and decided to call them around 3pm but was only able to leave a message. I don’t know where we go from here. I don’t know if they will ask me to come to Houston to run tests or ask me to just have my next MRI with the Army at the end of May. I really just want to go to Houston and have them test the heck out of me to determine if there is anything wrong or not. I’m not going to say that I’m not scared because that would be a lie. I have cried a lot at work and at home in my wife’s arms thinking about all of this. But with MD Anderson as a possible solution, I feel a lot better. I try to keep my mind off things by working and spending time with Holly. There sure are a lot of I’s in this post, so I’m going to stop for now and just post it. When they call me tomorrow I will let you know what they say. Right now we just need your prayers… prayers for peace and for healing. And also please pray for my friend and co-worker Jay. We sit across from each other and both of us are going through quite a bit right now. But I think he needs more prayer than I do. He has lung cancer now which is a reoccurrence from when he had cancer in a different part of his body five years ago. So, yes… prayers for healing big time.

Thanks,

-Roger

New Location for the Blog

Hi everyone, as you may have noticed, the blog has moved to a new address. We host our blog with Blogger, who is owned by Google. They were no longer supporting the way we publish our blog posts so we had to move it to a different server. This really should not matter to you. If you subscribe to the emails you will still get them.

We don't post a whole lot on the blog these days, Facebook and Twitter are just more convenient. If you want to follow us there you can find us at the following addresses:

• Facebook Roger
• Facebook Holly
• Twitter Roger
• Twitter Holly

That's all for now... more soon!

This blog has moved

This blog is now located at http://blog.mommaerts.org/.
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Restore the Orphan

So I decided about a month ago I was going to put triathlon on hold this year and concentrate on my running. I have a few reasons why I want to concentrate on my running, some I am not ready to share yet. But one is that I'm just not feeling swimming for some reason. Which is strange. I love to swim. I don't know what's going on with me. But I am loving running right now. I think I am feeling running right now because my body needs it. Have you ever heard that saying about your body knows what you need. Like when you crave certain foods it's because your body needs the nutrients or whatever from that food. I think my body needs me to be running right now. My goal was to run more frequently and then longer and faster. So last week I started running three times a week. It was great. I loved it. See, my body must need it right now for me to think running three times in one week feels great. I know, I'm weird. I've heard it my whole life. "You don't like chocolate and you love to run? You are so weird." I'm used to hearing it.

So last week I ran 13.5 miles total. And I want to keep up with that for as long as I can. To help my triathlon training, I always registered for a triathlon to have a reason for all the training. But I didn't really have any running event to keep me going except for the tons of 5K's and 10K's in Austin almost every weekend. Then Sunday at church, our pastor mentioned a half and full marathon for adoption in October. For a second or two I thought, I could do the half marathon by then. I even spoke to a friend after church who's doing the full marathon and told her I'd think about running the half. Then today I got an email from another pastor at our church about a team from our church for the adoption marathon and I got excited. I always had to do triathlons by myself since no one ever wanted to do one with me, but there are tons of runners in our church and I did several runs last fall with them. It was nice to do a run with friends. God has spoken to many people at our church recently about adoption and many of them are going through the adoption process now. And I can't think of a better reason or time to have a team from our church run as a team in a marathon for adoption. It's just so cool. I love how God works. I get goose bumps just thinking about it.

So I'm registered for the half marathon. And I would love for you to join me and the team from my church. You can read more information and get the links to register, etc here: Restore the Orphan. I completely understand if you don't want to run a half or full marathon, so please consider supporting our team. If you are wondering what kind of training it would take to run a half or full marathon, check out this website Cool Running. They have lots of good training programs, for free! Not only would you be supporting adoption, but you would be improving your health. So join me. ~Holly

"Green" Easter Egg Hunt

On Saturday, April 3, 2010, the Austin Farmers' Market will have a "Green" Easter Egg Hunt starting at 10:00 am until total pick up (lasts about 15-20 minutes) in Republic Square Park.

Come be a part of a truly "green" event with no sugar, high fun! We'll have two stages of 'hunt' in Republic Square Park to let the little ones go first at 10 am sharp, then let loose the older kids several minutes later.

Please help us prepare the farmers' eggshells to fill with grass seed for the "cascarone" eggs that the kids pick up. Come to the info booth to get empty cartons to then fill up with empty egg shells that you prepare at home. Then bring them back now for the kids to fill three weeks before the event!

How to prepare empty egg shells:

Hold up your egg in left hand, smaller pointed end up. Tap gently with knife, spoon or fork to make an indentation in the top that is the size of a silver dollar. Then take your right thumb and pointer finger together to punch through the weakened shell and pinch out the shell on top to make a hole the size of a silver dollar (or larger). You will be inserting your thumb into the egg white--so don't be queasy. Throw the pinched out pieces of shell into compost. Shake out your egg into your container for cooking later. Gently rinse out the shell with warm water, turn over for drying a few minutes on a towel. Put into empty egg carton for storage until you have enough to bring to market!

Combo Loco

Sometimes I am a complete idiot. Why didn't I think of this a long time ago. I love HEB's Combo Locos. They are great. You buy one or two items and you get one to five items for free. For instance one of this week's Combo Locos is buy a Stouffer's Party Size Lasagna or Enchilada and get these four items for free, Nestle Nequick, white baguette bread, Creamy Creations sherbet, and Fresh Express Caesar or Caesar Lite Complete Salad. Not a bad Combo Loco.

Most of the time the Combo Locos have at least one or two items I don't want or won't eat in the list of free items. Like, I wouldn't get the Nestle Nesquick if I was going to get this Combo Loco. Sometimes it's the whole thing, buy and free items I don't want. So usually I just don't get the items I don't want or I don't like. I always get asked at the check out, you didn't get "blank" and I always respond, "I didn't want it." Now to my mother that is sacrilege. Her philosophy is, "It's free!" My philosophy is if I won't eat it, it will just spoil or if I shouldn't eat it, I'm not going to bring it into my house.

So today I went to HEB for our weekly grocery shopping. One item I was already going to get was a bag of salad lettuce. Roger and I eat about one or two a week. We love salads. So I ventured to the produce section and saw an HEB employee putting Combo Loco coupons on all the bagged salad. I scanned it real quick and saw I wasn't interested in the deal. It was buy one bag of bagged salad and get a four pound bag of Texas oranges for free. What was I going to do with four pounds of oranges. Roger and I eat a lot of fruit every week, but four pounds of oranges would go bad on us. It's just the two of us at home. We don't have any kids. We have friends and neighbors with kids over to our house, but how was I to know if they'd be around to help us eat them before those four pounds of oranges go bad. And I'm sorry, I hear this from my mother-in-law a lot, but I don't want to freeze them. So I started to grab the bag of salad lettuce I wanted and the lady said, "Oh don't forget your coupon. You get four pounds of oranges for free." And I said in response, "Thanks but I can't use up four pounds of oranges before they go bad." And she said in response, "Give it away."

That's when it hit me. Give it away. Duh! Give it away. Not only could I help a family by giving them free food, but it made me think of all the times I had not gotten free items because I couldn't use them or didn't like them that I could have given them away. All the families that could use the stuff I didn't like, the homeless people I drive by every day, the food bank that always needs help. I think there is even a bin at HEB where you can donate food. Ugh! Talk about wanting to kick myself in the rear. So that's what I'm going to do from now on. If I'm buying a Combo Loco and there are free items I don't want, I'm going to give them away. Why not? HEB is giving it away for free anyway.

I wanted to share this because I figured some people do the same thing as me. I ask that if your grocery store combines items you don't want, please give it to someone in need. Thanks-Holly

Workout with Biggest Loser Alumni

One day only! You can workout with NBC's Biggest Loser Alumni from Seasons 2 through 8 at the Texas Fit Body Bootcamp in Kyle!

What: a 50 minute workout with the BL's, followed by a meet & greet and photo opportunities

Where: Inside the Pavilion at the Plum Creek Golf Course, 750 Kohler's Crossing, Kyle, Tx 78640 (We're indoors!)

When: Friday, February 19th from 5:30 am to 6:20 am

Who: 8 to 10 of NBC's Biggest Losers and you!

Cost: Your $5 admission will be donated to Hope and Love 4 Kids, a local charity that positively impacts our community by providing charitable assistance and education to children in need.

Please see the flyer and help us, the Biggest Losers, and Hope and Love 4 Kids to make this a great event for the entire community!

Register for the 5:30 am bootcamp online at www.txfitbodybootcamp.com or email info@txfitbodybootcamp.com or call 512-850-8453 to reserve your spot.

Serve Austin Sunday: Extreme Makeover Martin

As you know by now, if there is a month with a fifth Sunday, our church serves our community and city. Yesterday, we spent the afternoon with friends from Austin New Church serving Communities in Schools (CIS) at Martin Middle School. We made over the CIS counselors offices and group therapy room. It was so much fun and the results were amazing. You can see pictures by clicking on the image to the left. You can also read a recap of Serve Austin Sunday here.

In Loving Memory, Pauline Cahill

My grandmother, Pauline Ann Slafka Cahill, passed away Tuesday, January 12, 2010. She was moved into a nursing home last August. Her health did not improve much and she actually went to the hospital while at the nursing home. About three weeks ago she was taken to the emergency room after falling out of her bed and the emergency staff said her vital signs were showing her organs were shutting down. She was returned to the nursing home but under hospice care. We knew it would probably not be too long, but when I got the calls from my mom and sister Tuesday morning, I was surprised they were calling about my grandmother. I am glad I was able to visit her numerous times while she was in the nursing home. I guess I was trying to catch up from all the years we were in DC. But I am glad she was in the nursing home receiving all the care she needed and she passed away in her sleep. I will see her again one day with our Father God and Lord Jesus Christ.

Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, January 14, at Hillier Funeral Home, 2301 East 29th Street, Bryan, Texas 77802, (979-822-1571. Rosary will be recited at 6:30 p.m. in the chapel.
A Funeral Mass is set for 12 p.m. Friday, January 15, at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 600 East 26th Street, Bryan, Texas 77803, (979) 822-2721. Interment will follow at Mt. Calvary Cemetery.

On Newsstands Now All Around Hays

I am so excited to present to you part 1 of a two part series now on newsstands in the All Around Hays monthly column "Dear Functinal Girl", Functional Guy: The Emperor's New Clothes.

Calling All Nurses In Central Texas

Nurses Open House

This is going to be a great opportunity for area nurses to get information on volunteering for the Red Cross. Information will be provided on Disaster Health Services, Education and Training, Sr. Preparedness, and Health Fairs. The Open House will take place at Chez-Zee, located at 5406 Balcones Drive, Austin, TX 78731 on Monday, February 22nd. The Open House will start at 5:30 PM and will run until 7:30 PM.

Must RSVP by February 12th to Amber Cooney at acooney@centex.redcross.org or (512) 929-1225.

God Is Enough

For those of you who have been reading our blog since the beginning (2004) or at least since Roger was diagnosed with brain cancer (2006), you might be able to relate to the following. Pastor Matt Chandler of the Village Church in Dallas, Texas had a seizure a couple months ago which sent him to the doctor where a brain tumor was discovered. Soon after he was scheduled to have the tumor removed, experienced some difficulty after surgery which kept him in the hospital longer and required rehabilitation before he could find out the pathology results to make the decision about his next course of action. He began radiation therapy today. Sound familiar? It's kind of scary how familiar this story is to us.

Wow, as I have been keeping up with Matt's condition, streams of emotion keep flooding in as I am swept with memories of our experience in 2006. Being able to relate to what they are going through and knowing how scary and overwhelming it all is, one other element is also constant in our similar ordeals and that is our God is enough. When Roger walked into my office on that Tuesday and shut the door to tell me he had a tumor and it was scheduled to be removed the next Friday, our first thoughts and prayers were God will get us through this and He will be glorified in it. We had already experienced this two years before when Roger got the call from his First Sergeant saying he was being deployed to Iraq. We knew then God was sending him there for a reason and He would be glorified through it. As most of you know, God sent Roger to Washington DC instead of Iraq, in order for Roger to glorify Him there and to show He keeps his promises as our whole church prayed corporately Roger would not go to Iraq. Amazing story there too.

But what I mainly wanted to share with you today is, again, that our God is enough. He is faithful and He loves us and He's right there beside us in everything we are going through. But He is enough. I can not lie that it didn't cross my mind on more than one occasion that Roger might die in war in Iraq or on the operating table in DC, but I always knew no matter what, God would get me through it and I had Him. That's all I needed. Him. Nothing else.

Every time we go through a struggle I think about how we get through it because of Him. Before I found Jesus, I heard a lot of testimony at the church we were attending of people going to God when they went through a tough time. I remember thinking, "I hope when I go through my first tough time I remember to go to God first." You know, since I hadn't experienced anything 'bad' yet. And when we hit our first rough spot, the Iraq deployment, not even a year into our marriage, I remembered, "Go to God first." He is faithful. And He loves us. He keeps His promises. And He is enough.

You can keep up with Matt's story by visiting a blog on the church's website. And be motivated to praise God by watching a great video made by Matt's church family here.

Thanks for letting me share with you today what I have been experiencing lately. ~ Holly

Christmas Eve Service

I'm truly looking forward to our first ever Christmas Eve services at Austin New Church. I hope you are planning on joining us at 11530 Manchaca Rd, Austin 78748 and our special guest Andy Melvin as we celebrate in a simple time of worship and communion together.

• Two identical services to chose from: 5pm and 7pm.
• Plan on coming early to allow time to park, check in the kids, and find a seat.
• Services will be approximately 45 minutes once we get started.
• Childcare is provided for birth-preschool.
• Elementary kids are encouraged to worship with their family.

Merry Christmas!

Update from the Austin Komen Race for the Cure

I had to share this as it really tore my heart in half.

Dear Friend,

The holiday season brings me joy and appreciation for family, tradition, laughter, love and blessings. I have a unique understanding of the word blessing. As many of you know, I have been fighting Stage IV breast cancer for four years now. It has been a challenging month since we finished the Komen Austin Race for the Cure on November 1st. I began to experience debilitating pain in my back and scans would later confirm that my cancer has spread. We immediately moved to a new drug with high hopes that it will slow this beast's progress. Only one drug remains in the medicine cabinet... please God, let this work. Forget needing more time to shop for Christmas. I need more time, period.

As I type this update to you I watch my son Reid sleep; Yes, bad mommy let him sleep with us tonight! I mentally cannot wrap my mind around not being here to raise this beautiful being. I struggle with celebrating the holiday season versus mourning the possibility that it may be my last. I have one more drug available to me and we are now beginning our search for trials. With all of the research being done out there, surely there is something that can see me through my 38th birthday, Reid's 6th birthday and the Komen Austin Race in 2010. That is what I want for Christmas this year....a chance to see Christmas NEXT year.

Many of you already know the name of my Race team is “Michelle’s Angels”. These amazing people have walked with me, stood by me and brought love and faith with them as we’ve experienced this journey through breast cancer together. They have helped me “eat life with a big spoon” and I like to think I’ve helped them live their life that way too.

Become a "Pink Angel" this Holiday...

This holiday as we search for ways to show the people we love how we feel, I want to encourage you to reach out for the intangible holiday gift that will impact not only you and the one who receives your gift, but also the many women just like me that Komen Austin supports with your generous donations throughout the year. Donate to the Pink Angels Holiday fund on behalf of a family member or friend and help Komen keep their promise to all people at risk, including me: to end breast cancer forever.

After you make your donation you will be able to email or download and print a Pink Angels Holiday eCard to let your loved one know they have been honored by you this season. There are many gifts we can choose to give but a gift of hope is eternal.

Thank you for all you do for the cause. With supporters as passionate as you, it is not a matter of if we will find a cure but when. Your continued love, hope and blessings ensures there will one day be a world without breast cancer.

My warmest wishes and blessings for the holiday,

2009 Honorary Race Chair
Austin Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure

P.S. Don’t forget! Your year-end contribution to Komen Austin helps save lives AND is tax-deductible. Thank you again for your generosity!

Ways to Enjoy the Holidays Without Ruining Your Fitness

I get a newsletter every week from USA Triathlon (USAT) with good articles regarding fitness, nutrition, triathlons, etc. And this weeks newsletter had a great article about ways to enjoy the holidays without ruining your fitness. Even if you aren't training for triathlons or marathons, I think the tips in this article apply and can be used by anyone who doesn't want to over do it during the holidays. So check out the article "11 Ways to Enjoy the Holidays Without Ruining Your Fitness" from active.com. I personally won't be doing tip number 11. ~Holly

Advent Conspiracy Alternative Ideas

Below is a post from our church's blog about other ways we can take back the story of Christmas. There are some good options to think about and meditate on how we can change our Christmas stories.

Advent Conspiracy: Alternative Ideas

Posted on December 13, 2009 by Brandon Hatmaker

As a part of our pursuit to “take back the story of Christmas”, our hope is that we can encourage one another by providing practical ideas that accompany the heart of the simple and humble biblical story of Christmas. Most the people I know are frustrated with the patterns they’ve established with their Christmas spending. While the credit keeps piling up as well as the anxiety that goes along with it, often times the very joy we’re chasing is lost in the shuffle. And most certainly the story as well.

Here are a few alternative ideas to make a difference this Christmas. Feel free to add any that you might have:

1. Simplify: If you’ve got kids, instead of buying a ton of things that probably won’t be remembered six months from now, narrow it down to four key things: (1) Something you want, (2) something you need, (3) something to wear, (4) something to read.
2. Match It: Make a commitment to give away as much as you keep. For every dollar spent, donate a dollar to a favorite charity or non-profit organization. To see more about Austin New Church’s non-profit partners click HERE.
3. Give Presence: Do something designed to spend time with your family or friends this Christmas. Take a trip instead of spending money on presents. A cheaper alternative is to do the same thing locally. Maybe a family game day or a day spent around town doing other things together.
4. Volunteer Together: One of my favorite organizations and partners of ANC is Mobile Loaves and Fishes. Early Christmas morning they invite families to join them (before they open their own presents) and do truck runs to feed the homeless, give warm clothing, and more than anything, let them know they’re not forgotten on one of the hardest days of the year to be alone.
5. Forego Your Gifts: Ask friends, family, co-workers to donate to the non-profit of your choice instead of them buying YOU a present. Maybe that’s a $20 donation to “Charity: Water” or a $50 micro-loan to KIVA. Either way, that’s a great way for YOU to be the one making the sacrifice, while increasing awareness in others.
6. ReThink Christmas: Check out the website “Rethinking Christmas” to see what other “Advent Conspiracy” Churches are doing. There are some great ideas found on their website.

There are many, many, many more things we can do. Bottom line, it just takes some thought and maybe a little creativity. The reward and impact goes far beyond a single morning in December. Maybe you’ll even find a new family tradition that will pass down to your children and their children.