It's Here! A Month of Reckless Love

It's here!  It's December 1st!  It's the month we will gather together and purposefully love well.  It is the month that we will remember beautiful Ellie Kate, our "Consecrated Princess", and show the world the Reckless Love we have learned from her life. It is time to put that love and service into action, Friends! I am so excited that you all can be a part of this dedicated 30 Days of Reckless Love.

What do we mean by "Reckless Love"?  What we mean is this (and it's very much a 'Mike and Ryan definition'):  

• Love should be a verb, an action; it's not just a feeling, because our feelings pass and fail us.  
• Reckless means to be unconcerned with the consequences of an action; to test the limits and not worry about what might happen, be it good or bad.  

Reckless Love is taking intentional action in order to benefit the life of another

without worrying about the consequences.  

It's stepping up and out and loving, even if it feels awkward, 

even if it causes a stir in your household, community or place of work.  

This month of December, as we celebrate the life and death of our Beloved Daughter, we invite you to participate in Reckless Love.  We ask you to put it into practice.  We ask that you dig deep, to open your eyes, your hearts, your mouths, your arms, your wallets, to people who are deeply hurting.  

You know who you need to start with - go and start loving that person today as you are led. Start today, December 1st, in honor of Ellie Kate. And then, after that first act of reckless love, I pray that it will get easier for you to open up and recklessly love the world around you.  I hope that you will do it every day this month, maybe even several times a day.  And our prayer is that you will do it every day this year, and in the years and days and months to come.  Our prayer is that your lifestyle will become one of Reckless Love, and that in some small way, our Ellie Kate opens you up to loving, giving and serving like you never thought possible.  

Ways to Participate in the Month of Reckless Love:

1. Donate to our book drive! All books donated will be given to chronically ill children at OU Children's Hospital during Ellie's birthday celebration on December 4th. Hit up one of our drop off boxes OR donate through our AMAZON WISH LIST, November 5th-December 4th: 
http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/giftlist/26F5I0VH3O3FZ/ref=topnav_lists_2
*Drop boxes will be removed by Monday morning, December 2nd.  If you are still interested in donating to the book drive, please email me directly at tullyryan@hotmail.com.  

2. December 1-31st: Start loving those around you in reckless ways! Give to those in need, purposefully reaching out to those who are hurting, including those with special needs and families who have lost children. Share on our page how you have loved others in Honor of Ellie Kate (see the definitions and explanations above).

3. December 4th: Ellie's 8th Birthday! Join us at OU Children's Hospital as we throw a party in Ellie's honor. This is a way for us to love on special children who are stuck in the hospital during the holidays, much like Ellie Kate. We will have a birthday party, a reading/story time, and special crafts for the patients. More details will soon be coming about this event!  

*If you are interested in attending Ellie's birthday party, or if you would like to volunteer in serving the children who will be in attendance, please contact me directly at tullyryan@hotmail.com, or message me on FB.  

4. December 19th: Share Ellie's story with someone you come in contact with. Post and let us know about your encounter, and also share your favorite Ellie Kate memory or story on our FB Event Page, on the  Carepage or here on the Blog! 

5. December 23rd: Ellie's Heaven Day! Post pictures of you and your family releasing PINK balloons in Ellie Kate's honor. Send messages with your balloons and be creative! This is a way to show our family that you remember our Sweet Girl.


FOR WAYS TO GIVE while receiving a tax write-off: 

*Give to the Ellie Kate Project through Helping Hands Ministries - This is the family medical fund, and giving goes directly to Lucy Belle's medical costs.

*Give to NKH Crusaders and help us find a cure for this terrible disease which causes GI issues, epilepsy, extreme developmental delays, mental retardation, and more. 

*Give to OKC Hope Link OKC Hope Link- - a ministry we help lead; Hope Link reaches families of children with rare, serious and undiagnosed disorders.

I'm so very excited for this first annual Month of Reckless Love in honor of our sweet Ellie Kate!  Thank you for joining in and loving the world around you.  I truly cannot wait to hear your stories, see your photos, and learn of how your lives have been changed in this month.  And a fair warning - you will be receiving many blog updates this month as we continue on this journey together!