{"id":113714,"date":"2025-11-22T11:28:41","date_gmt":"2025-11-22T18:28:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/?p=113714"},"modified":"2025-11-22T11:28:41","modified_gmt":"2025-11-22T18:28:41","slug":"as-easy-a-way-to-do-good-as-can-be-imagined","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2025\/11\/as-easy-a-way-to-do-good-as-can-be-imagined.html","title":{"rendered":"As easy a way to do good as can be imagined"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>
At Thanksgiving and throughout the Christmas season, many of us enjoy \u2014 even over-indulge in \u2014 the abundance of yet another year\u2019s bountiful harvest. But many, and especially many worldwide, don\u2019t. They can\u2019t. \u00a0Can we help? Yes. Easily. (As will be shown below.) \u00a0In ways both large and small. Even something small is better than nothing.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

At Christmastime, which can sometimes become a mere orgy of consumerism and materialism, many of us know and understand that it is more blessed to give than to receive.<\/p>\n

An interesting phrase, that. \u00a0It comes from the Lord Jesus Christ. \u00a0No surprise there. \u00a0But it may surprise some to realize that it doesn\u2019t appear in any of the four New Testament gospels. \u00a0Rather, it is cited by the Apostle Paul at Acts 20:35. \u00a0He is speaking to the elders of the Church at Ephesus, who had gathered to Miletus, to the south of Ephesus, to join with him for what we today might call a priesthood leadership meeting. \u00a0Clearly, Paul is quoting from a source \u2014 from someone\u2019s memory, perhaps, or from a lost written account \u2014 that doesn\u2019t appear anywhere in Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John. \u00a0(It isn\u2019t likely to have come from Paul\u2019s<\/em> memory, since there is no indication that he ever met or personally saw or heard the mortal Jesus.). Obviously, the gospels as we have them don\u2019t contain everything that Jesus taught. \u00a0(See, on this, my recent article in Meridian Magazine<\/em>, \u201cThe Case Against Sola Scriptura: From the Bible Itself.\u201d<\/a>) \u00a0Wouldn\u2019t it be wonderful to have more such teachings from the Savior? \u00a0Anyway, here is what Paul tells the Ephesians at Miletus:<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cI have shown you all things, how that by so laboring ye ought to support the weak and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how He said, \u2018It is more blessed to give than to receive.\u2019\u201d (Acts 20:35)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

And most of us know from personal experience that this teaching is true. \u00a0That we find great joy, perhaps our greatest joy, in giving to others. \u00a0So I\u2019m delighted at what the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints<\/a> is doing during this season. \u00a0Here\u2019s an example: \u201cChurch Makes First Food Deliveries in America250 Initiative:\u00a0Food banks in five cities receive donations\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Giving<\/a>
An infographic for the Giving Machines (from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But the big news for this Christmas season, yet again, is the Giving Machines. \u00a0(See this 2:38-minute video, \u201cLight the World Launch 2025.\u201d<\/a>). Some, I think, are already in place. \u00a0Others will open on or shortly after Thanksgiving Day \u2014 which falls this year, in America, on 27 November. \u00a0That\u2019s this coming Thursday.<\/p>\n

In my opinion, the Giving Machines represent an absolutely brilliant idea: For the ninth year in a row, charitable giving will be as simple as buying a soda or a candy bar. In less than a minute, people imbued with the spirit of the season can use the vending-machine-like Giving Machines to purchase items that range from chickens and goats to blankets, hygiene kits, solar lamps, a hot meal for someone in need, polio vaccines, school desks, and even a community water well. \u00a0Each city\u2019s Giving Machines will contain items for \u201cpurchase\u201d not only from international charity partners (such as UNICEF, American Red Cross, Care, WaterAid, etc.) but also from hometown charity partners that will benefit the local community. \u00a0This will allow participants to choose to help either their neighbor around the corner or a stranger around the world or some combination of the two.<\/p>\n

This year, Giving Machines are or soon will be located in 125 cities in thirteen countries on six continents. \u00a0For the first time, they will be in South America. \u00a0Check out this map<\/a> and see where your local Giving Machine is and the local charities that will benefit from it.<\/p>\n

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints organizes the effort each year to provide an easy way for people to make donations to vetted local and global charities during the holidays. All transactions benefit charities that are not associated with the Church \u2014 so non-Latter-day Saints should feel no hesitation about giving through the Giving Machines \u2014 but the Church covers all operational costs (including credit card fees). \u00a0This ensures that 100% of every donation goes to the giver\u2019s desired charitable cause.<\/p>\n

\"Beehives!\"<\/a>
Shown at the end of July 2023, these women are celebrating the delivery to their village, in eastern Kenya, of beehives that were provided by donors to the Giving Machines.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Please consider visiting your local Giving Machine and calling it to the attention of others that you know, whether in your neighborhood or at work or in the PTA or at your yoga class or at the barber\u2019s shop or the hair dresser\u2019s. \u00a0I\u2019m hoping that this year\u2019s expansion of the number of locations will be so successful there will be even more<\/em> Giving Machines for the 2026<\/em> Christmas season. Here is a list of cities where Giving Machines will be located in 2025 for the first time<\/em>.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Adelaide, Australia<\/li>\n
  2. Albuquerque, New Mexico<\/li>\n
  3. Arlington, Texas<\/li>\n
  4. Atlixco, Mexico<\/li>\n
  5. Bacolod, Philippines<\/li>\n
  6. Bakersfield, California<\/li>\n
  7. Bangkok, Thailand<\/li>\n
  8. Barcelona, Spain<\/li>\n
  9. Bloomington, Indiana<\/li>\n
  10. Buenos Aires, Argentina<\/li>\n
  11. Cleveland, Ohio<\/li>\n
  12. El Paso, Texas<\/li>\n
  13. Fresno, California<\/li>\n
  14. Guadalajara, Mexico<\/li>\n
  15. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania<\/li>\n
  16. Hobart, Australia<\/li>\n
  17. Huntsville, Alabama<\/li>\n
  18. Idaho Falls, Idaho<\/li>\n
  19. Iowa City, Iowa<\/li>\n
  20. Kennewick (Richland), Washington<\/li>\n
  21. Kona, Hawaii<\/li>\n
  22. Los Angeles, California<\/li>\n
  23. McAllen, Texas<\/li>\n
  24. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania<\/li>\n
  25. Pocatello, Idaho<\/li>\n
  26. Portland, Maine<\/li>\n
  27. Queen Creek, Arizona<\/li>\n
  28. Rexburg, Idaho<\/li>\n
  29. Riverside, California<\/li>\n
  30. Rome, Italy<\/li>\n
  31. San Clemente, California<\/li>\n
  32. Santiago, Chile<\/li>\n
  33. S\u00e3o Paulo, Brazil<\/li>\n
  34. Scottsdale, Arizona<\/li>\n
  35. Show Low, Arizona<\/li>\n
  36. Spokane, Washington<\/li>\n
  37. Tampa, Florida<\/li>\n
  38. Tegucigalpa, Honduras<\/li>\n
  39. Tokyo, Japan<\/li>\n
  40. Torre\u00f3n, Mexico<\/li>\n
  41. Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada<\/li>\n
  42. Victoria, British Columbia, Canada<\/li>\n
  43. Vienna, Austria<\/li>\n
  44. Waco, Texas<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
    \"Giving<\/a>
    Making a donation through a Giving Machine in Atlanta, Georgia, in December 2022<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    If you live in one of these new areas (or, of course, if you live in a place where Giving Machines are back this year for a return engagement), please pay a visit to your local Giving Machine.<\/p>\n

    In the meantime, I think that you\u2019ll enjoy this two-minute video: \u00a0\u201cHow Thousands Helped Light the World in 2024\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

    Take your children or your grandchildren. \u00a0Make it fun. \u00a0This is an opportunity to teach something of the real meaning \u2014 and the real joy \u2014 of Christmas to members of your family. \u00a0Invite your neighbors to visit the Giving Machines. \u00a0Invite them to accompany you<\/em>. \u00a0And, if you\u2019re so inclined, you can even share this blog post with others. \u00a0I\u2019m hoping that we can make this the most bountiful harvest ever for the Giving Machines initiative, so that it will come back again next year even bigger and even more productive.<\/p>\n

    You can locate the nearest Giving Machine to you by means of this site: \u00a0\u201cShare Your Light at a Light the World Giving Machine:\u00a0Provide clothing, shelter, health care, education, and more through a unique giving experience this Christmas at the Giving Machine kiosks. Every donation makes a positive impact on someone\u2019s life\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

    Many local areas have specific local Giving Machine websites. \u00a0There are probably others, but here are five of which I\u2019m personally aware:<\/p>\n