Recently in Christians involved in social justice Category

Matthew West is kicking off this holiday season with a mission: to remind others of the true reason for the season wih his "Give This Christmas Away" campaign.

West was inspired by the song "Give This Christmas Away," which he wrote and recorded in conjunction with VeggieTales for its new DVD release, "Saint Nicholas--A Story of Joyful Giving." The campaign calls attention to practical ways we can reach out to those in need around us.

West explains in a press release, "What it means to me to 'give this Christmas away' is to pause long enough to look at the world from a perspective of 'How can I help? How can I give? How can God use me to help meet the needs of somebody else this Christmas instead of just checking off the list of everything I want?'"

In keeping with that sentiment, West, spokesperson for Operation Christmas Child, a division of the international relief organization Samaritan's Purse, is asking fans who attend his fall tour to donate shoe box gifts for children in need this holiday season. The collection will continue on West's "Give This Christmas Away" Christmas tour, kicking off late November.

Furthermore, West offers additional ideas for living out the Christmas spirit via a book release, 101 Ways to Give This Christmas Away, to be published by Tyndale Publishers. The book, along with a Something to Say Christmas Edition featuring the song "Give This Christmas Away" and three new acoustic recordings, will be available in retail stores this month.

Operation Christmas Child is a really fun way to get your entire family involved in sharing hte gospel with a child somewhere in the world. It's easy: you fill a shoebox with toys and other items a child in need might use (the OPC site gives you a list of suggestions). Then you bring the shoebox to a local collection site - this is collection week! - and your box is delivered to a child somewhere around the globe. This year, you can also track your box to find out which country it ends up in.

You can learn more about Matthew West on his website.

You can learn more about Operation Christmas Child on the Samaritan's Purse website.

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Marie Barlow Martin has performed in critically-aclaimed productions on stages from Vegas to Japan, performing in popular Broadway shows like "Annie," "My Fair Lady," "West Side Story, "Guys and Dolls," and "Oklahoma."

Marie won critical acclaim for not only her vocal skills, but her acting prowess. Indeed, she was a good actress that after her alcoholic husband had beaten her mercilessly during rehearsals for a Gilbert and Sullivan production that Marie was starring in, she went on with the show, without anyone knowing the extent of her injuries.

Now, remarried and with a new album, Shelter: Worship Through The Ages, Marie speaks out during October's National Domestic Awareness Month about her own experience as an abused wife, with this essay, "Follow Me Out:"

One of my favorite bands, The Wrecking, released their new digital EP, The Catalyst, last week. The six-song EP includes sneak previews of songs which will be included on the band's full-length CD set to drop in early 2010.

The first single from The Catalyst, "Sound Of The Resistance," hits airwaves this week.

The video for the song was filmed at Acquire the Fire headquarters in Tyler, Texas, and makes a simple statement about taking a stand, says The Wrecking's drummer Darren Elder. "How different would life be for most of us if our circumstances were met with love as opposed to fear or anger?" says Elder. "'The Sound Of The Resistance' is a song about deliberately taking a stand for truth, drawing a line in the sand if you will, while recognizing that our weapon is love."

Well, even I admit that this video is blatant promotion for Tom's Shoes, but when the company is committed to giving away a pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair of shoes you purchase, I can't help but share it.

I'll be honest. The first time I heard that a company was committed to giving away shoes I thought, "Shoes? Really? What about food? Water? Medicine?"

Check out the new video for Jars of Clay's song "Two Hands." The video shares footage of the band's recent journey to Africa to work with Blood:Water Mission, which helps groups and individuals empower Africans to build healthier communities through sustainable clean water solutions.

Jars of Clay is one of those bands that makes me jealous for their faith and social consciouness, if that makes sense. There's no pretense with these guys, no posturing for the media, no striving for industry accolades. Where some celebrities water down the gospel in their efforts to work towards social justice, the guys in Jars of Clay have managed to hold faithfully to Jesus while they clothe the naked and feed the hungry and bring water to the thirsty, figuratively and literally. Oh, to be that brave, that bold, that free.

Take a minute to think about the lyrics to the song - how often do we pull someone towards us with one hand while pushing them away with the other?: