If you preach, please don't steal this...
On second thought, take it and run with it, but only if it's biblical instead of a mindless rant from a guy that's far from figured it out.
Every now and then, God gives me an example from my life to teach me something. Imagine that. The latest (today) is no different.
Y'know, as a vocational minister (if that is an actual term that isolates one profession from another rather than the lifestyle Christ-followers are called and created to live), it's easy to get somewhat frustrated with oneself and others. It's those moments that God really likes to get my attention (give you three guesses how!) and show me that I have no right. I'm a sinner. I struggle with doing the right thing. I fail frequently. I succeed on rare occasion. But here's what I've seen in my life and get disgusted with myself over.
I want God, through my relationship with Him through Christ and being guided and comforted by the Holy Spirit, to change my life. Seriously. I love my life and am so filled with joy with the things and ways God has proven Himself over and over and over and over again in it. But I need change in my life to show Him the love I have for Him. I want God to change my life. Daily. Hourly, even. Change my life. This is and should be a common prayer and desire we Christ-followers should have. "God, change my life." Not a prayer of bail out, but one of dedication and desire for the perfection Christ lived. Sure, on a long enough timeline, I will fail. But that doesn't change my desire to want to stretch that timeline as thin as I've never stretched it before. God, change my life. And as I attempted to honestly pray this today, God showed me the error of my arrogance and dishonesty. How many times have I prayed, sought after, begged, pleaded, and so on for God to change my life, yet when presented with that opportunity to change, I quit. I backed down. I walked away from the proposal. What I meant when I "prayed" wasn't really for God to change my life, but rather to change my circumstances. Change the temporary. Change the little things I want different, regardless of why they exist in the first place. How pathetic...
We Christ-followers get caught up in the prayer implying "God, change my circumstances," when we say, "God, change my life." The 'change my life' prayer is very intimidating and can be scary...when we lack faith. But it's easy for us to see the little things (inconveniences that God probably placed there for His glory, by the way) that we want a specific desired outcome for, rather than live out a God engineered design that requires us to do what we don't want to do (shout, Paul).
Do you really want God to change your life to look more like Christ's? Or are you simply wussing out and implying for God to just change your circumstances? Do you have faith that God wants something BIGGER for your life than you do? Do you even have a clue what a changed LIFE looks like (i.e. - Have you ever let Him really do it?)???
What are you waiting for...
...chicken?
Monday, April 5, 2010
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Descriptions vs. Definitions
Ok, here we go again...
Once upon today, I finished up one act and left the room to pursue another, and along my way...
How would you define yourself?
What words do you think describe you? Go ahead, I'll wait.
I went over this today in my own strange, little head while walking between buildings. In the constant search for the answer to the question we all daily battle known as "Who am I?" I found myself mulling over the realities and not-so's of the results. Here's a few I came up with: tall, hungry, somewhat discouraged, chilly, and who. Yes, I answered a question to myself with my own question. I am confused...oh, add that one to the list: 'confused.'
At that point, I decided not to answer the question itself, but rather define the question, and that's how the slope drifted downward. How could I "define" the question that would help reveal how to "define" or "describe" me?
My first notion was to use outside sources and influences to answer the question regarding the question. Think about how other people answer it according to their life or choice. No, can't do that! The reason being is that the only answers that come to mind while seeing other people answer the question typically are examples of the way you DON'T want to answer the question, which leads to you being judgmental, or self-absorbed, or justifiable to your own unchanged identity. So that approach is no good...
Uh-oh, somebody left their tailgate down...or did they do it on purpose to save gas?
Next I tried to use the boring approach -- you know, the Adjective Theory that uses one word answers to attempt to help put a finger on that one (or many) little thing you can't seem to identify NOR get out of your head. That's where I came up with the list aforementioned. Boring. Boring. Boring...and ineffective. And THAT'S when I caught a quick glimpse of the answer that left me immersed in simple thought that I hadn't seen before because of my stupid desire for an intelligent solution!
"Who am I?" We try to answer that in so many ways based on temporary circumstance. 'How would I (or someone else, if using the comparative theory) would react or should be in this scenario?' or 'How should I react?' or 'What's best for the whole (person, situation, outcome, you name it)?' or the Sunday morning 'What would Jesus do?' that doesn't even make sense when paired with the original question.
Today, there are two answers: how you describe yourself and how you define yourself. See, these are two entirely different areas that intertwine and often confuse. But it's SO SIMPLE!!! What defines you are the things in life that cannot change. What describes you are those things that can be altered in some way or another. Here we go: I am defined as a father, because no matter what, I will always be the biological father of one Claire Denise McAlpin, regardless of either of our states. This cannot be taken away from me, therefore, partially defines me. I am a follower of Jesus Christ...a disciple, if you will. Nothing, no power on Earth or under the Earth, can take me from my God's hand. It defines who I am as a living, breathing, loved person.
On the other hand, I can be described in ways that may not describe me tomorrow. I am tall, but chop my legs off, and suddenly, I'm not first pick for a game of hoops. I am cold. Give me a coat and let's start again. I am a jerk. No, this does not define me, so give me a sandwich, a hug, and maybe a little encouragement and let's get back to the drawing board. I am a South Carolina resident...until the tidal wave makes landfall at Myrtle Beach, then I'm in line for a new driver's license! We let temporary things describe us, but allow the repercussions from these descriptions to permeate our self-image, self confidence, outlook, and the way we treat others, just to name a few.
Look, maybe I know you, maybe I don't, but today...just try it for today...live what defines you. Let the petty descriptions that hold you back or handicap your ability to make the next step wash away with the dust of yesterday. Embrace who God made you to be, and how He went about doing it. Stop basing your life on a poorly timed knee-jerk reaction to something beyond your control or ability to change. Take responsibility for who you are and stop worrying about the comings and goings of circumstance and situation.
It's going to be alright.
You're going to make it.
You were made for greatness.
You are defined by it.
And just like that, I stumbled into my next act...a little less confused, a tad more confident, and faced with more questions I'm sure I couldn't answer.
Once upon today, I finished up one act and left the room to pursue another, and along my way...
How would you define yourself?
What words do you think describe you? Go ahead, I'll wait.
I went over this today in my own strange, little head while walking between buildings. In the constant search for the answer to the question we all daily battle known as "Who am I?" I found myself mulling over the realities and not-so's of the results. Here's a few I came up with: tall, hungry, somewhat discouraged, chilly, and who. Yes, I answered a question to myself with my own question. I am confused...oh, add that one to the list: 'confused.'
At that point, I decided not to answer the question itself, but rather define the question, and that's how the slope drifted downward. How could I "define" the question that would help reveal how to "define" or "describe" me?
My first notion was to use outside sources and influences to answer the question regarding the question. Think about how other people answer it according to their life or choice. No, can't do that! The reason being is that the only answers that come to mind while seeing other people answer the question typically are examples of the way you DON'T want to answer the question, which leads to you being judgmental, or self-absorbed, or justifiable to your own unchanged identity. So that approach is no good...
Uh-oh, somebody left their tailgate down...or did they do it on purpose to save gas?
Next I tried to use the boring approach -- you know, the Adjective Theory that uses one word answers to attempt to help put a finger on that one (or many) little thing you can't seem to identify NOR get out of your head. That's where I came up with the list aforementioned. Boring. Boring. Boring...and ineffective. And THAT'S when I caught a quick glimpse of the answer that left me immersed in simple thought that I hadn't seen before because of my stupid desire for an intelligent solution!
"Who am I?" We try to answer that in so many ways based on temporary circumstance. 'How would I (or someone else, if using the comparative theory) would react or should be in this scenario?' or 'How should I react?' or 'What's best for the whole (person, situation, outcome, you name it)?' or the Sunday morning 'What would Jesus do?' that doesn't even make sense when paired with the original question.
Today, there are two answers: how you describe yourself and how you define yourself. See, these are two entirely different areas that intertwine and often confuse. But it's SO SIMPLE!!! What defines you are the things in life that cannot change. What describes you are those things that can be altered in some way or another. Here we go: I am defined as a father, because no matter what, I will always be the biological father of one Claire Denise McAlpin, regardless of either of our states. This cannot be taken away from me, therefore, partially defines me. I am a follower of Jesus Christ...a disciple, if you will. Nothing, no power on Earth or under the Earth, can take me from my God's hand. It defines who I am as a living, breathing, loved person.
On the other hand, I can be described in ways that may not describe me tomorrow. I am tall, but chop my legs off, and suddenly, I'm not first pick for a game of hoops. I am cold. Give me a coat and let's start again. I am a jerk. No, this does not define me, so give me a sandwich, a hug, and maybe a little encouragement and let's get back to the drawing board. I am a South Carolina resident...until the tidal wave makes landfall at Myrtle Beach, then I'm in line for a new driver's license! We let temporary things describe us, but allow the repercussions from these descriptions to permeate our self-image, self confidence, outlook, and the way we treat others, just to name a few.
Look, maybe I know you, maybe I don't, but today...just try it for today...live what defines you. Let the petty descriptions that hold you back or handicap your ability to make the next step wash away with the dust of yesterday. Embrace who God made you to be, and how He went about doing it. Stop basing your life on a poorly timed knee-jerk reaction to something beyond your control or ability to change. Take responsibility for who you are and stop worrying about the comings and goings of circumstance and situation.
It's going to be alright.
You're going to make it.
You were made for greatness.
You are defined by it.
And just like that, I stumbled into my next act...a little less confused, a tad more confident, and faced with more questions I'm sure I couldn't answer.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Friday, January 22, 2010
I'm in the Menace Tree...
Clever...ain't it?!?
Well, maybe not...but true for me, nonetheless.
See, ministry stuff is by FAR the greatest thing in the world to be a part of. Seriously. I know there is nothing greater to be involved with than ministry. I'm not saying it has to be one's vocation, but ministry as a whole SHOULD involve everyone who has accepted the fact that they are flawed beings in need of a redeemer. Does it always work that way all across the board? Sadly, no. But that's not for me to decide, judge, or harp on...not today, at least.
No, today is just one of those days that it's easy to be discouraged. I am thankful and forever indebted to those who have poured into and ministered to me, because their love and words have equipped me to go through days like these. But even still, the enemy still uses daggers of discouragement to distract me. Today, it happened a lot.
Of the bogillions of things I have learned (and still learning), one of them is that ministry is God's and God's alone. Everything within the confines of ministry is only successful within the parameters of God at work. Sure, it can look successful to man's judgment and sin-veiled eye, but the truth is that true ministry is ONLY successful when God is at work in the situation or circumstance. When we attempt to take ownership or claim a ministry or part of ministry as "ours" or "mine" we have severely cheapened said ministry outlet, eliminated the possibility for 'success,' and deceived ourselves into believing we're effective for the calling dealing with that specific ministry. Too often do we find ourselves (and I say that because I have been guilty of this) believing that "This couldn't have happened or won't work without ME...or without MY abilities/talents/availability/knowledge blah blah blah." Really? So, God couldn't pull this off without the help of an INDIVIDUAL...that He created, by the way?!?!?!?!?!??
The most unfortunate thing about this scenario is that its commonplace is the church. Folks love volunteering (which, in my opinion, is where the richest ministry takes place), but it's when we get self-focused and push our own agendas do we distort real ministry. What sucks even more is that real people get burned by it. They're the ones who lose out, get discouraged, become distracted...in a nutshell, DON'T see the love of Christ in the attempt, and walk away unaffected. And somehow, we (fallen man) have labeled it "successful."
I suppose that's where I'm at. Recently, I've seen examples of selfishness, both in my own life and at work around me, and I've been discouraged. I'm thankful for the mentors and saints God has put into my life to truly minister to me, but some days it's just too easy to see the fake and false 'ministries' people claim in their own name. I suppose that discouragement from a slight miss is why I once again find myself in the Menace Tree instead of the real deal.
So I pray that you, as a follower of Christ, find yourself immersed in true, real, life-changing ministry...and realize you have NOTHING to do with its success.
And if you're looking for one in the meantime, just look up. Some of us could use some help getting down.
Like I said: Clever.
Well, maybe not...but true for me, nonetheless.
See, ministry stuff is by FAR the greatest thing in the world to be a part of. Seriously. I know there is nothing greater to be involved with than ministry. I'm not saying it has to be one's vocation, but ministry as a whole SHOULD involve everyone who has accepted the fact that they are flawed beings in need of a redeemer. Does it always work that way all across the board? Sadly, no. But that's not for me to decide, judge, or harp on...not today, at least.
No, today is just one of those days that it's easy to be discouraged. I am thankful and forever indebted to those who have poured into and ministered to me, because their love and words have equipped me to go through days like these. But even still, the enemy still uses daggers of discouragement to distract me. Today, it happened a lot.
Of the bogillions of things I have learned (and still learning), one of them is that ministry is God's and God's alone. Everything within the confines of ministry is only successful within the parameters of God at work. Sure, it can look successful to man's judgment and sin-veiled eye, but the truth is that true ministry is ONLY successful when God is at work in the situation or circumstance. When we attempt to take ownership or claim a ministry or part of ministry as "ours" or "mine" we have severely cheapened said ministry outlet, eliminated the possibility for 'success,' and deceived ourselves into believing we're effective for the calling dealing with that specific ministry. Too often do we find ourselves (and I say that because I have been guilty of this) believing that "This couldn't have happened or won't work without ME...or without MY abilities/talents/availability/knowledge blah blah blah." Really? So, God couldn't pull this off without the help of an INDIVIDUAL...that He created, by the way?!?!?!?!?!??
The most unfortunate thing about this scenario is that its commonplace is the church. Folks love volunteering (which, in my opinion, is where the richest ministry takes place), but it's when we get self-focused and push our own agendas do we distort real ministry. What sucks even more is that real people get burned by it. They're the ones who lose out, get discouraged, become distracted...in a nutshell, DON'T see the love of Christ in the attempt, and walk away unaffected. And somehow, we (fallen man) have labeled it "successful."
I suppose that's where I'm at. Recently, I've seen examples of selfishness, both in my own life and at work around me, and I've been discouraged. I'm thankful for the mentors and saints God has put into my life to truly minister to me, but some days it's just too easy to see the fake and false 'ministries' people claim in their own name. I suppose that discouragement from a slight miss is why I once again find myself in the Menace Tree instead of the real deal.
So I pray that you, as a follower of Christ, find yourself immersed in true, real, life-changing ministry...and realize you have NOTHING to do with its success.
And if you're looking for one in the meantime, just look up. Some of us could use some help getting down.
Like I said: Clever.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Q & A....Q, Q, Q, Q, Q, Q, Q, attempted A, then QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ...and no A
I love Winter Retreat. It is one of the funnest/most fun trips we do yearly (it's tied with all the others). The weekend consists of our own schedule, which isn't full for the purpose of enjoying one another's company and fellowship. This year, like last, was at Look Up Lodge in Traveler's Rest, SC. It's a great location to have a camp when you just want to take your group and get away. Beautiful!
And this year was no different. Our theme was 'Long, Cold Winter' and focused on community within the body of Christ. We had some incredible music led by JB "I can dance just like" Usher, with the assist from the One Man Wolfpack Trav. It was great!! We looked at how we can have fellowship as told about by Jesus and Paul and demonstrated throughout Scriptures. We played paintball, Death Hack, football, blah blah blah blah blaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah................
On to the awards for the weekend!!!!
THE WINTER RETREAT AWARDS for 2010...brought to you by CRASH Ministries!!
Most likely not to get out of bed: Erwin
Most likely to play guitar: JB Usher, honorable mention to Drakey J.
Most likely to get punched in the face: Hunter G., honorable mention to Jac Zones
Most likely to one day be a real life Chuck Norris based on skills from paintball: The Fog
Most likely to have their foot amputated from it being frozen: Jesse W.
Most likely to sleep through something important: K-Town
Most Questions asked: Destiny & KReed (tie)
Most Creative use of a napkin holder (also called the Visionary award): Destiny
Talked the Biggest Game but didn't back it up by NOT playing football or paintball after telling people how he would dominate: Big Jimmy
Most likely to get out first in Death Hack: KReed
Most likely to get killed by intentional bus wreck: Justin's Bus
Most likely to use the word Precious: LK
Most likely to never recover from being victims of NERF Breach: Basement Room 1
Most likely to spread the non-contagious form of Mono: AliMatt
Most likely to beat up someone's little siser: Big Papa Neal
Most likely to ROCK the HOUSE by jumping into everything without being shy: 7th Grade Girls
Most likely to get a speeding ticket to or from LUL: You know who you are (tie)
Most likely to make people cry by the sincerity of their words: Lee W.
Most likely to be used by God to change lives: We'll see...
Enjoyed it all! Join us next year!!!
But until then, how will YOU survive a Long, Cold Winter??
And this year was no different. Our theme was 'Long, Cold Winter' and focused on community within the body of Christ. We had some incredible music led by JB "I can dance just like" Usher, with the assist from the One Man Wolfpack Trav. It was great!! We looked at how we can have fellowship as told about by Jesus and Paul and demonstrated throughout Scriptures. We played paintball, Death Hack, football, blah blah blah blah blaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah................
On to the awards for the weekend!!!!
THE WINTER RETREAT AWARDS for 2010...brought to you by CRASH Ministries!!
Most likely not to get out of bed: Erwin
Most likely to play guitar: JB Usher, honorable mention to Drakey J.
Most likely to get punched in the face: Hunter G., honorable mention to Jac Zones
Most likely to one day be a real life Chuck Norris based on skills from paintball: The Fog
Most likely to have their foot amputated from it being frozen: Jesse W.
Most likely to sleep through something important: K-Town
Most Questions asked: Destiny & KReed (tie)
Most Creative use of a napkin holder (also called the Visionary award): Destiny
Talked the Biggest Game but didn't back it up by NOT playing football or paintball after telling people how he would dominate: Big Jimmy
Most likely to get out first in Death Hack: KReed
Most likely to get killed by intentional bus wreck: Justin's Bus
Most likely to use the word Precious: LK
Most likely to never recover from being victims of NERF Breach: Basement Room 1
Most likely to spread the non-contagious form of Mono: AliMatt
Most likely to beat up someone's little siser: Big Papa Neal
Most likely to ROCK the HOUSE by jumping into everything without being shy: 7th Grade Girls
Most likely to get a speeding ticket to or from LUL: You know who you are (tie)
Most likely to make people cry by the sincerity of their words: Lee W.
Most likely to be used by God to change lives: We'll see...
Enjoyed it all! Join us next year!!!
But until then, how will YOU survive a Long, Cold Winter??
Thursday, December 31, 2009
My Top Ten List of Best Christmas Presents this year!
So maybe this sounds a bit materialistic, but I promise it's not. I got some GREAT presents this year, and I just had to share with you what they were! I'm not doing this to try and make you jealous. Promise! I am so pumped about this stuff, I just had to let you know what it was! Maybe you could see your presents in a different light as well! Who knows! All I know is that I couldn't stop smiling while compiling this list! ENJOY!
-The look on my mom's face when Claire would walk towards her with her arms raised in the “Pick me up!” fashion.
-The apple pie Nate was feeding Claire, all the while laughing his head off as she would walk towards him chanting “Nyack! Nyack!” (That's baby for 'Snack'). She learned quickly that the more she said it, the more pie he would give her! Uncle Nate = Sucker!!!
-The movies and football games I got to watch with my father-in-law, as well as the dinners and lunches we got to have together.
-The smile my wife gave while watching our daughter unwrap presents or playing in her ball pool.
-Laughs from Danny, whether it's text, phone, face-to-face...
-The numerous long conversations with my brother about life, ministry, movies, football, memories, hopes, video games, family, music, and Best Buy.
-The 2009 Brothers Bowl (not aired on ESPN or ESPN2, but hoping for a contract)...without even throwing a pass
-A couple of free movies with some incredible guys & sticking it to Yuppietown (yes, this counts as one present because they go hand-in-hand)
-The tears in my mother and mother-in-law's eyes while Amanda and I opened gifts with that “I love you so much more than I could give you” look.
-Laughs from Afghanistan!
HONORABLE MENTION:
So these don't make the Top Ten, but worth telling you about:
-The look on my wife's face after Claire spit-up on her...face. And in her hair. And on her neck. And so on.
-Lunch and conversation at the Country Fisherman in Mendenhall, Mississippi
-Remington Drive
-Getting to have Christmas breakfast with my cousin Brett
-Whitney, Perryn, Reed the Man-Child, Dani, Torri, Christopher (excuse me, Arthur!), Gillian, War-chief Will, Bailey, and other old-schoolers
-Bragging about the students I have the blessing to know to people who probably won't meet them this side of eternity
-TOD with Mongoose
-The look on some of some former students' faces when they saw Claire...with me!
-A Playoff spot (Thanks, HG!)
And the list goes on and on...I hope you enjoyed what you were given, because the best gifts aren't found under a tree or in a box or even with a bow. So, for the final time, Merry Christmas to you, and a Happy New Year!! May you learn to thrive in the overflow and drink from your saucer!
-The look on my mom's face when Claire would walk towards her with her arms raised in the “Pick me up!” fashion.
-The apple pie Nate was feeding Claire, all the while laughing his head off as she would walk towards him chanting “Nyack! Nyack!” (That's baby for 'Snack'). She learned quickly that the more she said it, the more pie he would give her! Uncle Nate = Sucker!!!
-The movies and football games I got to watch with my father-in-law, as well as the dinners and lunches we got to have together.
-The smile my wife gave while watching our daughter unwrap presents or playing in her ball pool.
-Laughs from Danny, whether it's text, phone, face-to-face...
-The numerous long conversations with my brother about life, ministry, movies, football, memories, hopes, video games, family, music, and Best Buy.
-The 2009 Brothers Bowl (not aired on ESPN or ESPN2, but hoping for a contract)...without even throwing a pass
-A couple of free movies with some incredible guys & sticking it to Yuppietown (yes, this counts as one present because they go hand-in-hand)
-The tears in my mother and mother-in-law's eyes while Amanda and I opened gifts with that “I love you so much more than I could give you” look.
-Laughs from Afghanistan!
HONORABLE MENTION:
So these don't make the Top Ten, but worth telling you about:
-The look on my wife's face after Claire spit-up on her...face. And in her hair. And on her neck. And so on.
-Lunch and conversation at the Country Fisherman in Mendenhall, Mississippi
-Remington Drive
-Getting to have Christmas breakfast with my cousin Brett
-Whitney, Perryn, Reed the Man-Child, Dani, Torri, Christopher (excuse me, Arthur!), Gillian, War-chief Will, Bailey, and other old-schoolers
-Bragging about the students I have the blessing to know to people who probably won't meet them this side of eternity
-TOD with Mongoose
-The look on some of some former students' faces when they saw Claire...with me!
-A Playoff spot (Thanks, HG!)
And the list goes on and on...I hope you enjoyed what you were given, because the best gifts aren't found under a tree or in a box or even with a bow. So, for the final time, Merry Christmas to you, and a Happy New Year!! May you learn to thrive in the overflow and drink from your saucer!
Monday, December 21, 2009
College CRASH Christmas Party
Simply put: I love the CCC Party. Now, I'm sorry to any and all that may be offended by the following, but I must give credit to my friend "Trips" and admit that I readily agree with her presumption that it is my favorite Christmas party/event I attend yearly. It is simply unbelievable!! Here's the rundown from this year's event:
We had about 35 folks gather in the YAB (we gotta get a better name for that thing!) to celebrate. Of course, Ricardo spent the large portion of the day cooking, which happened to be spaghetti with a special sauce this year. Magnificent! Of course, the conversation was filled with stories of the freshly concluded semester, memories of times together, and simple laughter from the joy of once again being reunited....and many remarks about Stephanie's interruption of one HIGHLY emotional (and Jamaica's favorite) Prison Guard's story of God's faithfulness on the mission field!!
Once the meal ended (and the laughter grew), we re-arranged for our annual College War over who could walk away with the finest prize found in the wrapped packages!! There were many candidates for best gift: Terminator movies, G.I. Joe, Nerf Shotguns, Snuggies...all great gifts. The most popular gifts (those most traded) were items like a Hello Kitty Toaster, a Mag Lite, some other kind of flashlight, an iTunes gift card (illegal), the Bump-It, and a funny-yet-awkward board game. But the most desired gift above all was the shirt. Now this isn't just ANY shirt. No no, this shirt was special. It was from my friend K-Town, and this shirt had to change hands at least 20 times or more!! I'd love to tell you more, but it just couldn't do it justice. Once the smoke cleared and we all realized what we had done, we smiled, laughed, loved, and cleaned up. It was beautiful.
Is this post meant to inspire you? Remind you of what you missed? Bore you? While it may have accomplished all of this, the purpose of these words were to remind you to do one special thing this Christmas: spend time with the people you love, and love every minute of it by loving them. One of the best gifts you get every year, but rarely take the time to stop and be thankful for, is the people in your life that make the most of your life. Enjoy your parents, friends, siblings, cousins, grandparents, neighbors, in-laws, or whoever else you absolutely adore. Your Christmas would be quite lonely without them. You can always find new presents, but those beautiful people God has placed in your life are the true gifts. And just like all presents, Remember, don't shake too hard!
Of course, THE GREATEST GIFT is Jesus Christ, which is why we celebrate Christmas at all. Praise God for the greatest Christmas present I could never find on my own: Salvation.
Merry Christmas to All!!! Much love...
We had about 35 folks gather in the YAB (we gotta get a better name for that thing!) to celebrate. Of course, Ricardo spent the large portion of the day cooking, which happened to be spaghetti with a special sauce this year. Magnificent! Of course, the conversation was filled with stories of the freshly concluded semester, memories of times together, and simple laughter from the joy of once again being reunited....and many remarks about Stephanie's interruption of one HIGHLY emotional (and Jamaica's favorite) Prison Guard's story of God's faithfulness on the mission field!!
Once the meal ended (and the laughter grew), we re-arranged for our annual College War over who could walk away with the finest prize found in the wrapped packages!! There were many candidates for best gift: Terminator movies, G.I. Joe, Nerf Shotguns, Snuggies...all great gifts. The most popular gifts (those most traded) were items like a Hello Kitty Toaster, a Mag Lite, some other kind of flashlight, an iTunes gift card (illegal), the Bump-It, and a funny-yet-awkward board game. But the most desired gift above all was the shirt. Now this isn't just ANY shirt. No no, this shirt was special. It was from my friend K-Town, and this shirt had to change hands at least 20 times or more!! I'd love to tell you more, but it just couldn't do it justice. Once the smoke cleared and we all realized what we had done, we smiled, laughed, loved, and cleaned up. It was beautiful.
Is this post meant to inspire you? Remind you of what you missed? Bore you? While it may have accomplished all of this, the purpose of these words were to remind you to do one special thing this Christmas: spend time with the people you love, and love every minute of it by loving them. One of the best gifts you get every year, but rarely take the time to stop and be thankful for, is the people in your life that make the most of your life. Enjoy your parents, friends, siblings, cousins, grandparents, neighbors, in-laws, or whoever else you absolutely adore. Your Christmas would be quite lonely without them. You can always find new presents, but those beautiful people God has placed in your life are the true gifts. And just like all presents, Remember, don't shake too hard!
Of course, THE GREATEST GIFT is Jesus Christ, which is why we celebrate Christmas at all. Praise God for the greatest Christmas present I could never find on my own: Salvation.
Merry Christmas to All!!! Much love...
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