by Sharon W. Betters

1. Take a walk with a friend.
2. Meet for coffee with a friend.
3. Plan a family service day that helps someone else.
4. Write a note of appreciation to your pastor. Tell him what you have been learning from his sermons and leadership.
5. Write to missionary wives weekly or monthly.
6. Prepare and send a care package to a college student.
7. Surprise your spouse with an overnight trip.
8. Print some “homemade coupons” and give away as a gift. The coupons could be for free babysitting, spring cleaning projects, car washes, or a favorite food dish.
9. Write a thank you note on the paper towel you insert in your child’s lunch box.
10. Bake some cookies or special treats and give them to specific church members with a special note that you are praying and thinking of them.
11. Buy a book for your children and then read it to them at the park or around the campfire. (You may need to pretend with the campfire.)
12. Take a walk with your spouse, children, or the entire family.
13. Plan a lazy Saturday with your family—watch family videos, do a puzzle together, order in pizza, play board games, etc.
14. Wake up your children at midnight for a special “in your PJ’s trip.” Order ice cream or french fries at an all-night drive thru.
15. Take a friend out for breakfast.
16. Find out what your pastor’s wife enjoys doing in her spare time. Purchase items that make her hobby even more enjoyable.  Include an appreciation note.
17. Develop a prayer basket or container. Include family members, friends, church requests, missionaries, and co-workers in the basket.  Rotate the names so that each week you have prayed specifically for them.
18. If your spouse is leaving for a trip, write notes for him to read each day of his trip.
19. Volunteer to baby-sit so that a couple from your church can go on a date.
20. Visit a nursing home and talk with the residents or read the Bible to residents.

Some ideas adapted from Treasures of Encouragement.