Podcast appearances and mentions of santa switch

Today is all about celebrating the true spirit of giving. In other words, it's time to lift up everything God is doing in this season to draw people closer to Him. In this episode, Erin shares more about her family's generosity journey, what's in the Weidemann Giving Portfolio, and how they decide on how to give and to whom. She also gives you a special peek inside her personal SANTA Switch journal to share stories and experiences from this season, PLUS easy ways to implement a 'flip the focus' approach to Christmas in your own home! Be sure to check out the following resources: To learn more about creating a family giving portfolio + investing in God's Kingdom, be sure to check out TheSignatry.com Join the Truth Becomes Her Community & sign up for Erin's emails. Connect with Erin and share more about your life and leadership in this season: Instagram | Facebook

This year's SANTA Switch is officially underway! For most of us, generosity is something that needs to be intentionally nurtured and encouraged. In today's episode, Erin shares 5 simple steps for promoting generosity at home (during this season and all year long!). If you're looking for fun and easy ways to level up your generosity this holiday season, be sure to check out the following resources: To get Bible resources into the hands of girls all over the world, donate to Dawn of Grace Ministries at dawnofgrace.org. Join the Bible Belles Community & sign up for Erin's emails at biblebelles.com. Connect with Erin on Social Media: Instagram | Facebook

Even though we battle cultural norms daily, can we still be intentional and strategic about flipping the focus this Christmas? The answer is YES. In today's episode, Erin shares some of her favorite SANTA Switch memories and ways to make this new tradition the best part of Christmas for you and your family. If you're looking for fun and easy ways to pour into your girl this holiday season, be sure to check out the following resources: Register for Erin's brand new subscription, Bible Belles Monthly, at BibleBelles.com. Join the Truth Becomes Her Community & sign up for Erin's emails at truthbecomesher.com Connect with Erin on Social Media: Instagram | Facebook

As the Christmas season rapidly approaches, we all know just how easy it can be to get caught up in the hustle and bustle and lose focus on what really matters. For kids, the focus at Christmas is more about getting than it is giving. And who can really blame them? Between the Elf on the Shelf, and making lists for Santa, we as a society give thanks for all we have on one day, and spend the next 30 days talking about everything that we want. Born out of the desire to “flip the focus” from opening presents to opening hearts during the holiday season, Erin launched a new Christmas tradition called the SANTA Switch. In today's episode, she shares how to take a few intentional steps back to realign our hearts with the true meaning of Christmas and the spirit of the original Santa Claus and legendary gift-giver, St. Nicholas of Myra. Awaken the joy that comes with generosity and enjoy today's episode! If you want to join the fun this holiday season, be sure to check out the following resources: Read Erin's blog, How To Flip The Focus From Greed To Gratitude, at BibleBelles.com. Join the Truth Becomes Her Community & sign up for Erin's emails at truthbecomesher.com Connect with Erin on Social Media: Instagram | Facebook

This time of year everything changes to holiday mode. Why? Laugh as you hear what I think

We have a different meaning for SANTA in our house - SANTA stands for something: See A Need Take Action. This flips the script from gimme gimme to giving giving! In this throwback episode, Erin outlines what the Santa Switch entails and how you join the Truth Becomes Her Tribe in creating a movement this Holiday Season that will be your family's favorite part of 2020. See our social media to be featured and to see how other families are adopting this concept!

Rooney and I stopped by HomeGoods a few days ago to get some Christmas placemats for our kitchen table. It took all but five seconds before she abandoned our hunt and went meandering down the toy aisles that were overflowing with ‘stuff’.  She walked with purpose up and down each section, pointing out toys and games and figurines and dolls and cribs for the dolls and strollers for the dolls that were all going on her Christmas list. Hold on a second. In our house, we haven’t really decided on the Santa thing in general. She asked me about it last year and I told her the truth. “The people who love you have purchased these gifts for you. Now, let’s write our thank you notes.”   We don’t really have a clear-cut approach to this whole Santa business, but we definitely have not discussed writing out an entire list of things we want for ourselves. Moms, even though we battle cultural norms DAILY -- like selfishness over service-- can we still be intentional about flipping the focus this Christmas? You bet we can.  As a family, we've been having a blast doing the SANTA Switch this month to get ready for Christmas! I seriously can’t tell you how uplifting it has been these last few weeks. A BIG thank you to every one of you who sent in stories of how your family is noticing the needs of others and taking action to meet those needs. It's so cool.  In my original podcast episode from a few weeks ago, I talked about our family's first entry in our SANTA Switch journal where we had to track down a homeless man outside of the grocery store down the street from my parents’ house while we were there visiting. Check it out here. Need some inspiration? Here are a three stories from last week to get your creative juices flowing.  :) November 11, 2018 Today is Veteran’s Day. While we were sitting in church we watched a video that paid tribute to the men and women of our military. Our pastor asked all of the veterans to raise their hands so we could honor them as a church family. My husband elbowed me. “I want to ask the people sitting in front of us who raised their hands if we can take them to lunch after church,” he whispered. Once the service was over, he got their attention and asked if they wanted to go. They did! So we met them at In N Out down the street, chatting with them over hamburgers. Jim was from Indiana and lives with his wife just a little south of us. Tony had just moved here from Detroit and he’d only been in town for two days so far. It was great getting to know that they hadn’t been attending our church for that long. They also showed us how to order Flying Dutchmans off of In N Out’s secret menu. :) November 26, 2018 I was in New York City with my husband last week. We were walking down the street on the way to Times Square to decide where we should eat lunch. We noticed a mama, standing on the sidewalk in front of us. She was holding her infant son. It was cold and windy, and the baby had no hat. My husband was holding his new beanie in his hands when we saw her. He walked straight over to the woman and gave her the hat for her baby. November 28, 2018 We were driving to Home Depot to get our Christmas tree. On the opposite side of the street, going the other direction, an ambulance passed us with its lights flashing and its sirens going off. After a few moments, my daughter (totally on her own) said, “Hey, we need to pray for those people the ambulance is going to help.” We prayed together in the car for wherever that ambulance was headed and for healing and safety for whoever was involved. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. John 13:35 It’s not too late for you to hop on board the SANTA Switch Express! Start this fun and intentional Christmas tradition with your family. All you need is a journal, something to write with, and a commitment to notice the needs you see out in the world and do something about meeting...

Rooney and I stopped by HomeGoods a few days ago to get some Christmas placemats for our kitchen table. It took all but five seconds before she abandoned our hunt and went meandering down the toy aisles that were overflowing with 'stuff'.  She walked with purpose up and down each section, pointing out toys and games and figurines and dolls and cribs for the dolls and strollers for the dolls that were all going on her Christmas list. Hold on a second. In our house, we haven't really decided on the Santa thing in general. She asked me about it last year and I told her the truth. "The people who love you have purchased these gifts for you. Now, let's write our thank you notes."   We don't really have a clear-cut approach to this whole Santa business, but we definitely have not discussed writing out an entire list of things we want for ourselves. Moms, even though we battle cultural norms DAILY -- like selfishness over service-- can we still be intentional about flipping the focus this Christmas? You bet we can.  As a family, we've been having a blast doing the SANTA Switch this month to get ready for Christmas! I seriously can't tell you how uplifting it has been these last few weeks. A BIG thank you to every one of you who sent in stories of how your family is noticing the needs of others and taking action to meet those needs. It's so cool.  In my original podcast episode from a few weeks ago, I talked about our family's first entry in our SANTA Switch journal where we had to track down a homeless man outside of the grocery store down the street from my parents' house while we were there visiting. Check it out here. Need some inspiration? Here are a three stories from last week to get your creative juices flowing.  :) November 11, 2018 Today is Veteran's Day. While we were sitting in church we watched a video that paid tribute to the men and women of our military. Our pastor asked all of the veterans to raise their hands so we could honor them as a church family. My husband elbowed me. "I want to ask the people sitting in front of us who raised their hands if we can take them to lunch after church," he whispered. Once the service was over, he got their attention and asked if they wanted to go. They did! So we met them at In N Out down the street, chatting with them over hamburgers. Jim was from Indiana and lives with his wife just a little south of us. Tony had just moved here from Detroit and he'd only been in town for two days so far. It was great getting to know that they hadn't been attending our church for that long. They also showed us how to order Flying Dutchmans off of In N Out's secret menu. :) November 26, 2018 I was in New York City with my husband last week. We were walking down the street on the way to Times Square to decide where we should eat lunch. We noticed a mama, standing on the sidewalk in front of us. She was holding her infant son. It was cold and windy, and the baby had no hat. My husband was holding his new beanie in his hands when we saw her. He walked straight over to the woman and gave her the hat for her baby. November 28, 2018 We were driving to Home Depot to get our Christmas tree. On the opposite side of the street, going the other direction, an ambulance passed us with its lights flashing and its sirens going off. After a few moments, my daughter (totally on her own) said, "Hey, we need to pray for those people the ambulance is going to help." We prayed together in the car for wherever that ambulance was headed and for healing and safety for whoever was involved. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. John 13:35 It's not too late for you to hop on board the SANTA Switch Express! Start this fun and intentional Christmas tradition with your family. All you need is a journal, something to write with, and a commitment to notice the needs you see out in the world...

"See A Need. Take Action."  My guest for today's episode is absolutely no one. Friends, it's just me. I wanted to discuss a topic that's been on my heart for the last several months.  Over the summer I was asked to write an article for the Christmas issue of World Vision magazine and talk about how all of us can do something powerful in the world when we operate from a place of radical generosity. As I brainstormed what to write about, I thought about a sweet little book Rooney has in her room about St. Nicholas of Myra. We read it here and there throughout the year, but now it carries a special meaning for our family this holiday season. The book tells the story of the 4th century Christian bishop who inspired the Christmas gift-giving character of Santa Claus. Born in Patara, a land that is part of present-day Turkey, circa 280 A.D., a man left with a large sum of money when his parents passed away used it to help the poor. After his own death in 344, the legend of his generosity grew. St. Nicholas transformed into the fabled character Santa Claus, the beloved old man who brings presents to children around the world on Christmas Eve. Over the years, while advertising and culture have popularized the image of the jolly, red-suited sleigh operator, many influences have made Santa what he is today. It’s surprising how easy it can be to get caught up in the commercialization of Christmas and lose sight of what is truly important. I’m guilty of working tirelessly to try and set the right tone and atmosphere for my family during the holiday, without thinking beyond what lies inside and what hangs outside the four walls of our home. We end up devoting a lot of time and energy into placing decorations, preparing events, preserving traditions and planning meaningful experiences for those closest to us, all the while missing the real blessing that comes from thinking like the original St. Nick. If we aren’t careful, our attention can quickly switch to a focus on what we want, leaving little room for thinking of others and what they need. This year, our family decided to take a few intentional steps back to realign our hearts with the true meaning of Christmas and the spirit of the legendary gift-giver. We wanted to make some changes this holiday season to awaken the joy that comes with generosity. It was time to decide, as a family, how we could ask, “What can we give?” instead of, “What can we get?” So we decided to do what I'm calling a SANTA Switch.  See A Need. Take Action. We're going to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas by:  1) encouraging each other to notice the needs of others and then 2) empowering each other to meet those needs Check out today's episode to find out how you can make the SANTA Switch a fun and intentional Christmas tradition that flips the focus from "What can I get?" to "What can I GIVE?"

"See A Need. Take Action."  My guest for today's episode is absolutely no one. Friends, it's just me. I wanted to discuss a topic that's been on my heart for the last several months.  Over the summer I was asked to write an article for the Christmas issue of World Vision magazine and talk about how all of us can do something powerful in the world when we operate from a place of radical generosity. As I brainstormed what to write about, I thought about a sweet little book Rooney has in her room about St. Nicholas of Myra. We read it here and there throughout the year, but now it carries a special meaning for our family this holiday season. The book tells the story of the 4th century Christian bishop who inspired the Christmas gift-giving character of Santa Claus. Born in Patara, a land that is part of present-day Turkey, circa 280 A.D., a man left with a large sum of money when his parents passed away used it to help the poor. After his own death in 344, the legend of his generosity grew. St. Nicholas transformed into the fabled character Santa Claus, the beloved old man who brings presents to children around the world on Christmas Eve. Over the years, while advertising and culture have popularized the image of the jolly, red-suited sleigh operator, many influences have made Santa what he is today. It's surprising how easy it can be to get caught up in the commercialization of Christmas and lose sight of what is truly important. I'm guilty of working tirelessly to try and set the right tone and atmosphere for my family during the holiday, without thinking beyond what lies inside and what hangs outside the four walls of our home. We end up devoting a lot of time and energy into placing decorations, preparing events, preserving traditions and planning meaningful experiences for those closest to us, all the while missing the real blessing that comes from thinking like the original St. Nick. If we aren't careful, our attention can quickly switch to a focus on what we want, leaving little room for thinking of others and what they need. This year, our family decided to take a few intentional steps back to realign our hearts with the true meaning of Christmas and the spirit of the legendary gift-giver. We wanted to make some changes this holiday season to awaken the joy that comes with generosity. It was time to decide, as a family, how we could ask, "What can we give?" instead of, "What can we get?" So we decided to do what I'm calling a SANTA Switch.  See A Need. Take Action. We're going to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas by:  1) encouraging each other to notice the needs of others and then 2) empowering each other to meet those needs Check out today's episode to find out how you can make the SANTA Switch a fun and intentional Christmas tradition that flips the focus from "What can I get?" to "What can I GIVE?"