When I was 6 years old, we spent the evening of Christmas Eve with friends of my Mom’s. It was a different Christmas for us that year. It was the first year I remember Mom decorating for Christmas since she and my Dad separated and divorced. We had our “Christmas tree” decorated ready for presents to appear under the tree. Our Christmas tree that year was a tumbleweed we found coming back from the ranch one day. My brother and I thought it was neat because we had a tree like no one else. I am beginning to think that was our tree because that’s the best Mom could do that year.
That Christmas Eve my brother and I played with Mom’s friend’s son until dinner. We ate dinner and we played some more while the adults visited and watched a Christmas movie. For me, the mystery of Christmas had started to fade. I was not sure I bought into the whole story Mom and Dad were telling me about how our presents showed up on Christmas morning.
We left Mom’s friends house way past my brother’s and my bed time. When my Mom, my brother, and I returned to our apartment there under the tree were presents that were not there when we left. My little 6 year old mind was blown away. For a few days the mystery of Christmas returned.
When I got into High School, I asked my Mom about that Christmas, because I could not understand how it happened. My Mom told me that during the dinner preparations her friends had run out of something that we had at the house. She swore up and down she poked her head in where we were playing and told us she was running to the house and would be right back. I don’t remember that. While at home she took a little time to do a little more “decorating.”
It’s hard to forget that Christmas. I remember my brother and I received what we thought were a lot of presents, though I don’t really remember what they were. What I do remember is that there’s something about Christmas I didn’t understand.
Later on during one of my classes at Seminary I began to understand something I began to learn that Christmas many years before. My professor was lecturing on our understanding of our faith and said “Too often we try to dissect a mystery to understand it. Mysteries are not to be understood, mysteries are to be experienced.”
May this Christmas Season be a special celebration with your family, not because the gifts you give but because of the time you spend with family and friends. This Christmas Season may you and your family experience the mystery of Christmas.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Hope & Encouragement
Last weekend I was able to go “home” for a couple of days. As my wife and I drove around my hometown I remembered things I have not thought of in many, many years.
I remember growing up, there were numerous things I wanted to be when I grew up. For a time I wanted to be an architect and design beautiful buildings for others to be awe-struck by. For a moment or two I wanted to be an archeologist who would unearth important artifacts relating to humanities past. There was another time I wanted to be a lawyer, to defend those who had experienced nothing but injustice in their lives. Then I wanted to be a teacher and impact the lives of my students to go on to do great things with their lives.
Growing up my parents encouraged me to think about what it was I wanted to do with my life. At times they might have encouraged me a little more in one direction than another. Through the encouragement of my parents, through my interactions with teachers, Church Leaders, Boy Scout Leaders, the adults in my life let me know that I could dream about what my future might be like as I became interested in different career fields.
The more places I live, the more people I work with, the longer I serve in places where people are in need looking for assistance; I am learning this is not what many other people experienced growing up. Too many are told they will never be this or that, they could never complete… Too many are handicapped with the restrictions placed on them by friends and family.
The Advent and Christmas seasons are about hope, about being encouraged to do more than we think is possible… Who in your life needs to be given the gift of Hope? Who in your life needs to be encouraged to dare to dream a Big Dream of what could be? Maybe you need to dream again, to be encouraged during these holidays.
May the celebration of the seasons give you hope and encouragement. May your life be changed because of this hope, and may you impact the life of someone else during the holidays.
I remember growing up, there were numerous things I wanted to be when I grew up. For a time I wanted to be an architect and design beautiful buildings for others to be awe-struck by. For a moment or two I wanted to be an archeologist who would unearth important artifacts relating to humanities past. There was another time I wanted to be a lawyer, to defend those who had experienced nothing but injustice in their lives. Then I wanted to be a teacher and impact the lives of my students to go on to do great things with their lives.
Growing up my parents encouraged me to think about what it was I wanted to do with my life. At times they might have encouraged me a little more in one direction than another. Through the encouragement of my parents, through my interactions with teachers, Church Leaders, Boy Scout Leaders, the adults in my life let me know that I could dream about what my future might be like as I became interested in different career fields.
The more places I live, the more people I work with, the longer I serve in places where people are in need looking for assistance; I am learning this is not what many other people experienced growing up. Too many are told they will never be this or that, they could never complete… Too many are handicapped with the restrictions placed on them by friends and family.
The Advent and Christmas seasons are about hope, about being encouraged to do more than we think is possible… Who in your life needs to be given the gift of Hope? Who in your life needs to be encouraged to dare to dream a Big Dream of what could be? Maybe you need to dream again, to be encouraged during these holidays.
May the celebration of the seasons give you hope and encouragement. May your life be changed because of this hope, and may you impact the life of someone else during the holidays.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Family
This past weekend I had the honor and privilege of officiating my “little sister’s” wedding. Terra is not my biological sister, but she has become my sister over the last 16 years. Terra’s family invited me to become a part of their family not long after my mother past away. Missy & Bobbie (Mom & Dad), Keith, Sarah, and Terra have become family.
My in-laws took our children for the weekend so that my wife and I could be a part of this weekend. It was interesting driving around my home town and seeing the changes that have taken place over the past few years. Since my wife and I were childless for the weekend, we had opportunities to visit with family and friends that we had not had a chance to really visit with in awhile (because we are usually chasing 4 kids around).
To be honest I was a little nervous as I prepared to stand before family and friends (many of whom I had not seen in some time) as Terra and her fiancé, Tyler joined their lives together. Tyler not only committed to share the rest of his life with Terra, but also to Terra’s almost 7 year old little girl, Gracie. They included Gracie in the wedding ceremony and in the reception after. Tyler not only proclaimed his vows to Terra, but he also got down on his knees and offered vows to Gracie. Tyler and Terra exchanged rings and gave Gracie a charm bracelet with special charms that will remind her of them coming together as a family.
It was a privilege to watch Tyler’s and Terra’s faces as we rehearsed the ceremony and then as we preformed the ceremony. There were expressions of relief on their faces; this day is finally here, and all our planning and work and stress have finally come to fruition. There were expressions of joy and love as they professed before family and friends their commitment to each other. There were also expressions that are hard to put into words, but I think I have an idea of what some of the expressions were…
No matter how much premarital counseling Tyler and Terra had, no matter how much advice given to them before their big day, they will be facing things they never could have prepared themselves for. When you become family you don’t know what exactly that means for the future, you might have an idea of what it means here and now, but very little of the twists and turns that come because you have chosen to share your life with others…
Missy & Bobbie could not have expected everything that has happened over the past 16 years when they invited me to be a part of their family. My wife and I could never have expected everything that has happened over the past 10 years when we made a decision to become a family. Tyler and Terra cannot expect everything that will happen over the rest of their lives as they make decisions to be a family.
We may not know the good or the bad the future holds, but that is not what really matters. What really matters is that we have made a decision to share our lives with other people who become “family”. Sometimes that decision takes everything we have to stay committed to it. At other times it is the easiest thing we have ever done. Who have you chosen to share your life with? Who has become a part of your family, or “family”? Take some time during these seasons of Advent and Christmas to thank them for being a part of your life, for sharing their life with you, and for walking with you through the good and bad of this journey of life.
My in-laws took our children for the weekend so that my wife and I could be a part of this weekend. It was interesting driving around my home town and seeing the changes that have taken place over the past few years. Since my wife and I were childless for the weekend, we had opportunities to visit with family and friends that we had not had a chance to really visit with in awhile (because we are usually chasing 4 kids around).
To be honest I was a little nervous as I prepared to stand before family and friends (many of whom I had not seen in some time) as Terra and her fiancé, Tyler joined their lives together. Tyler not only committed to share the rest of his life with Terra, but also to Terra’s almost 7 year old little girl, Gracie. They included Gracie in the wedding ceremony and in the reception after. Tyler not only proclaimed his vows to Terra, but he also got down on his knees and offered vows to Gracie. Tyler and Terra exchanged rings and gave Gracie a charm bracelet with special charms that will remind her of them coming together as a family.
It was a privilege to watch Tyler’s and Terra’s faces as we rehearsed the ceremony and then as we preformed the ceremony. There were expressions of relief on their faces; this day is finally here, and all our planning and work and stress have finally come to fruition. There were expressions of joy and love as they professed before family and friends their commitment to each other. There were also expressions that are hard to put into words, but I think I have an idea of what some of the expressions were…
No matter how much premarital counseling Tyler and Terra had, no matter how much advice given to them before their big day, they will be facing things they never could have prepared themselves for. When you become family you don’t know what exactly that means for the future, you might have an idea of what it means here and now, but very little of the twists and turns that come because you have chosen to share your life with others…
Missy & Bobbie could not have expected everything that has happened over the past 16 years when they invited me to be a part of their family. My wife and I could never have expected everything that has happened over the past 10 years when we made a decision to become a family. Tyler and Terra cannot expect everything that will happen over the rest of their lives as they make decisions to be a family.
We may not know the good or the bad the future holds, but that is not what really matters. What really matters is that we have made a decision to share our lives with other people who become “family”. Sometimes that decision takes everything we have to stay committed to it. At other times it is the easiest thing we have ever done. Who have you chosen to share your life with? Who has become a part of your family, or “family”? Take some time during these seasons of Advent and Christmas to thank them for being a part of your life, for sharing their life with you, and for walking with you through the good and bad of this journey of life.
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