2008 Christmas Letter

My friend Madison was kind enough to highlight some points from my Christmas letter on her blog, so I've decided to post it here for those of you who know me only via the blogosphere.

As I sit down to write this letter and reflect on 2008, most of the year seems like a repeat of 2007. Same church, same friends, same job, same house, same dog. Had the year come to a close in June, I could have sent a duplicate of last year’s letter. But then July came, and my story changed.

While I was working at my same job, I was offered and accepted a part-time position to teach a class called Legal Analysis Research & Writing III. My duties included teaching a two-hour class for thirteen weeks on how to draft an appellate brief and prepare and deliver an appellate argument. It looked a lot easier on paper than it turned out to be.

As I struggled with the textbook, the length of the teaching time, and the disinterest of the students, I found myself making assumptions as to why the students would not participate in class and why they lacked focus. When one student chatted online and laughed throughout my class, I assumed that she was bored and preferred chatting online over taking notes. When another student repeatedly failed to come to class and turn in assignments on time, I assumed that he was blowing off my class in lieu of some of his four-hour classes. And when one student sent me questions via email two and three times a week but did not ask questions in class, I assumed that he was not prepared for class. Somehow my assumptions convinced me to believe that they were these students’ real stories, but they were far from it.

The online chatter later came up to me and explained that the one-year anniversary of the death of a sibling was approaching and that she and her family were struggling to deal with the weight of the loss. The absent student explained that he was trying to keep a third-generation business going in a tough economy, as well as lead a family, and that, much to his chagrin, his classes were at the bottom of his priority list. The emailing student later revealed that he had a speech impediment and that it was much easier to email than to stutter through a question in front of his peers.

Hearing my students’ real stories reminded me that everyone has a story. And just as no two snowflakes are alike, neither are the stories of those around us.

Just as Mary put her focus on relationships, by spending time with Elizabeth prior to giving birth to the Savior, my prayer is that we will also invest in those around us by taking the time to listen to their stories instead of assuming that we know a story just because a person acts a certain way.

So when you see a snowflake, I hope it will spur you to find out someone’s story. And I hope that you will share your story with me because I’d love to know how your story has changed this year.

Merry Christmas!

Paying Attention

As I've thought about the Christmas song that I posted below, a scene from my trip home at Thanksgiving has been replaying in my mind.

After I boarded the train, I noticed a father and daughter sitting in one row ahead of me on the opposite side of the train. I smiled as the father drew a picture for his daughter as his daughter coached him on what to add to the picture. A text message on the father's phone interrupted the scene unfolding on the drawing pad. He quickly typed a text message back. And then another. And then another.

At some point, he resumed drawing the scene that his daughter had requested, but not before his daugher asked, "Daddy, when are we going on a vacation?"

He replied, "We are on vacation. I'm off from work."

The response did not satisfy her. But she left her father alone with his phone.

This little girl has grown up in an age of electronics and probably doesn't crave the type of undivided attention that we, who grew up without parents with cell phones, know. Or does she?

I toyed with that question: whether we are all wired with a desire to have the undivided attention of a loved one. At our core, I think we do, and I think that people will fail to fulfill that desire over and over again throughout our lives.

But there is One who awaits to give us that undivided attention around the clock. We may not always feel seen, but He sees us. And my prayer is that we will turn to Him to meet our desires, not just during the holidays, but every day.

Morning Coffee, Round 3

I posted over at Morning Coffee today, so stop by and take a read.

2008 Christmas Song

Last year, I decided to post a new Christmas song that had quickly become my favorite. I want to continue this tradition, so this year I have chosen a song by Casting Crowns entitled "While You Were Sleeping."

Oh little town of Bethlehem
Looks like another silent night
Above your deep and dreamless sleep
A giant star lights up the sky
And while you're lying in the dark
There shines an everlasting light
For the King has left His throne
And is sleeping in a manger tonight

Oh Bethlehem, what you have missed while you were sleeping
For God became a man
And stepped into your world today
Oh Bethlehem, you will go down in history
As a city with no room for its King
While you were sleeping
While you were sleeping

Oh little town of Jerusalem
Looks like another silent night
The Father gave His only Son
The Way, the Truth, the Life had came
But there was no room for Him in the world He came to save

Jerusalem, what you have missed while you were sleeping
The Savior of the world is dying on your cross today
Jerusalem, you will go down in history
As a city with no room for its King
While you were sleeping
While you were sleeping

United States of America
Looks like another silent night
As we're sung to sleep by philosophies
That save the trees and kill the children
And while we're lying in the dark
There's a shout heard 'cross the eastern sky
For the Bridegroom has returned
And has carried His bride away in the night

America, what will we miss while we are sleeping
Will Jesus come again
And leave us slumbering where we lay
America, will we go down in history
As a nation with no room for its King
Will we be sleeping
Will we be sleeping

The verses about America are haunting. What will happen while we "are sleeping" or simply not paying attention? Will we allow ourselves to be lulled by the media and become numb to the struggles around us? Or will we take a different approach and open our hearts to those around us? Will we make room in our busy lives for our King?

Technical Difficulties

I'm sorry to report that I had to leave my computer in the "kiss and cry" zone at Best Buy last Monday after the monitor started malfunctioning on Sunday. I'm hoping it will be returned soon with a new mother board and no problems, but I'm not holding my breath. I've already missed posting a handful of posts and regret that. I'll try to be up and running again soon. So stay tuned . . . .

Celebrations

A friend once wrote about how life had changed from attending weddings every weekend to going to funerals. The celebrations in our lives change along with the seasons of our lives.

In my current season of life, birth announcements have far outnumbered wedding invitations in my mail box. So it was unusual to have a wedding to attend this weekend.

The bride has been a member of my community group for the past couple of years and has a huge heart for kids. In addition to loving on kids during the day while she teaches middle school, she uses her summer vacation to go to Africa to love on orphans. Her enthusiasm is infectious. So much so that she encouraged her husband Mac to go with her, not once but twice.

Here's the lovely couple:


At times, I've dreaded weddings because they aren't a lot of fun for singles. The whole bouquet toss makes me want to hide. But God has surrounded me with some great single ladies to encourage me as we walk this path together.

So after the Christmas cards come in, I'll have to see what the next round of celebrations looks like.

Real Friends

I joined Facebook on Sunday in order to view a friend's baby's pictures. I had no idea when I joined that I'd soon find myself rushing home in the evenings to see who had "friended" me and written on "my wall." I've immersed myself in this online subculture and have been trying to figure out how it all works.

Besides the sheer volume of people on Facebook, I'm shocked by how easily people "friend" one another. Shortly after I joined, I received several friend invitations from people I consider acquaintances or friends of friends. I didn't know exactly what to do. These aren't people I would look to if I needed help but would probably speak to or wave at if I encountered them on the street. Yet, as far as I can tell, there's no "acquaintance" subgroup to put these people in. Similarly, I haven't found a subheading for those true blue friends who have seen me through some tough times and celebrated with me on the other side. Instead, each person's friend total is listed in one grouping: You have 62 Friends.

So to all of you who are addicted to Facebook like me, has it loosened your definition of what a "friend" is? If so, is that a bad thing? I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.