Dare #3 - Feed the World

One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well. - Virginia Woolf

Hopefully the title of this post didn't stop you reading on. Feeding the world seems a little overwhelming, and I have a big kitchen!

So let's scale it down a little shall we?

A couple of weeks ago a friend of mine had a bike accident and put herself out of action for at least a month with a broken collar bone. She has her arm in a sling and of course, that limits what she can do. One way I could help her, beside moving in and taking over the running of the household, was to cook her family a meal for dinner. Then I enlisted the help of a few others and we have managed to give her 3 nights/week of cooked dinners.

So it got me thinking that there may be people in your world who need that little extra hand at the moment. Maybe they are unwell......or injured....or have recently had a baby....or are 8.7 months pregnant in this heat....or are just struggling in some way.

And maybe making and taking them a meal would be a great blessing to them at this time. SO that's the last BIG dare for January, make and take a meal to someone who needs one.

Now you don't have to be a great cook to pull this off. I remember a few years back when I was busy, busy and a colleague's wife was ill. I didn't have time to make anything but I was able to buy a cooked chicken, a bag of salad, a packet of wraps and a tub of ice-cream and pass that on for a light dinner for the family. Easy as!

So, get cooking (or shopping) my friends and bring a smile to someone this week...and fill their tummy too.

Comment with what you made if you like..

Blessings - Kirsty

When a man's stomach is full it makes no difference whether he is rich or poor. - Euripides

PS The bonus dare for the month is on the 'I Dare You' FB page...post a picture, anecdote or joke to make us laugh. Go on...I dare you!

Dare #2 - 2013: Treasure Hunt

"Give what you have. To someone, it may be better than you dare to think." Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Hope you are all going great with your daily (or weekly) counting of gratitudes. Is it changing you?

Remember that the aims of the Darecember blog and I Dare You Facebook page are to 'change...challenge...bless' so as you accept each dare, I hope it is not just something you add to your already busy schedules. Instead, I hope it is something you take time to consider and think about and maybe it will be something that prompts a positive transformation in you...even in a very small way.

Okay, on to the 2nd dare for January. You may have seen the recent release movie Les Miserables...and hopefully enjoyed it, even though it is incredibly sad. One of the most moving scenes is when Val Jean is accused of stealing silver from the bishop's house (which he did do) and instead of pointing the finger at him, the bishop very kindly tells the police, "Yes I gave it to him. But, you forgot the best things Val Jean, these silver candle sticks. Here, take them too." Such generosity! And it was a gift that started VJ down a totally new road in life.

In the next couple of days you are going on a treasure hunt...looking for silver to give generously. I dare you to look high and low around your house or in your wallet or car and collect all the silver coins you can. I bet you find some in most unusual places.

Now that you have the coins, can I challenge you to bless someone with them? How you do that is up to you, but here's a couple of suggestions....

• donate that amount to a charity - local or further afield. Do an online donation or write a cheque and send it or make the donation in person. It doesn't matter how small or large the amount is.
• use the coins to buy something for someone who you know needs a 'pick-me-up'. Maybe you have enough for a chocolate bar, a movie ticket, a 'shout' of coffee or lunch. 
• scatter those coins in a local park or at the library or in the pool and enjoy sitting back and watching some kids get excited about finding treasure.
• your own creative, clever idea - please share what it was in the comment section or on the FB page.

Have fun and be a cheerful giver! How great that someone, somewhere might be putting your generous gift on their gratitude list in the next few days:)

Blessings- Kirsty

2 Corinthians 9:6-8 - Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed.

Dare #1 - 2013: Gratitude

When it comes to life, the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude. Gilbert K. Chesterton 

A new year begins! Welcome to 2013. Hope and pray it is a good one for you and you feel 'daring'...ready to take on the 3 dares a month (with a bonus 4th one thrown in on occasion).

The first dare of the year will actually be something I hope you will do every day, or at least every week throughout the next 12 months. Yesterday, you were dared to get ready for it...you still have time. All you need is a notebook and pen, or jar/box of small pieces of paper and pen.

This dare is inspired by Ann Voskamp, a Canadian writer who a few moons ago was dared by a friend to make a list of 1000 things she was grateful for. Her list continues to this day with notebook after notebook filled, a book written and published, but more than that, her heart and life changed. You can check out Ann's story and beautiful thoughts and photos at http://www.aholyexperience.com 

Following Ann's challenge to write a list of 3 things every night (in that notebook or on the paper and pop it into your 'gratitude box/jar') I took up the challenge on my birthday last year and have just ticked over 300 on my list.

And what I am finding is that as I walk through the day looking for things I am grateful for, I see them. It lifts my spirits. It causes me to look beyond the dull, routine, negative and see so much more to be thankful for. And as I remember them as I get ready for bed each night, as I write 3 things down and then whisper my thanks to God for  His blessings, it is the best way to finish a day.

So Dare #1 for 2013...start your gratitude journal/jar or box. Every night, or at the end of each week, look back over the day(s) and make a list of at least 3 things you are grateful for.

Here's a sample from the past 100 days I have kept my journal: a dinner that worked, flexibility to change plans, a fresh strawberry sneakily picked, getting a ticket rather than being in an accident, curly blonde haired imp, fresh water, kangaroos grazing in my front yard to welcome the dawn, Christmas trees and decorations, kind words spoken and kindnesses shown, sand between my toes, thoughtful friends offering their help, smiles and laughter over things you can't even remember a few hours later, everything that is Fraser Island (ok, not the march flies), the first star at night, raindrops, raspberries in ice cream, a baby growing in my tummy, a husband who expresses gratitude, fairy lights, hope............

I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.  G.K. Chesterton

Blessings - Kirsty

PS - for those of you loving the current age of technology, feel free to keep your list on your phones, iPads, etc... Ann even has a 1000 gifts app you could download for free:)

PPS - please leave a comment below or on the I Dare You FB page.....you might even like to share your first 3 gratitudes for 2013 sometime this week.