It's all about Jean (the 4th that is...)

In what may have been the funniest Christmas present moments I have ever seen, Jean the 4th unwrapped a present marked for Jackson the dog. Seeing only the "J" on the package he tore into it with vigor and passion. As the package opened before his eyes you could clearly see his young southern sensibility begin to face a dramatic catharsis with his knowledge of reality and personal taste. Let me see if I can adequately describe the contents of the package: It was a small bathrobe type object with velcro closures....it looked enough like a terry cloth object you'd wrap a baby in just fresh out of the tub....Jean politely smiled, swung it around his head (at this point his grandmother- seamstress of said 'bathrobe' and I are almost dry heaving we are laughing so loud) the confusion was further perpetuated by the large "J" sewn onto the back of the bathrobe. After closing the velcro around his neck, he closed the closure around his chest and muttered, "T...hankssss" and sat down. I couldn't breathe. Toni, my mom, then told him it was for Jackson OUR DOG. As you can see from the above photo it fit Jackson to a 'T'. Addendum: following this, while our tears were still flowing, Jean opened another package, but this time it was for me. It was a Cabela's gift certificate which no one had the heart to tell him wasn't for him. I assumed he was going to buy himself some decoys to retrieve. it wasn't until yesterday when J4 offered to SELL me my own Cabela's gift certificate that I broke the news to him. After telling him I swatted him with a newspaper and sent him to the yard to bury the gift certificate. What great laughter and fun! Merry Christmas to all of our loved ones- you are deeply missed!
- J. (the daddy)

Keep 'X' in Xmas...

Someone commented to me the other night that they disliked the use of 'Xmas'.... I understand that. At first glance 'Xmas' seems to 'X' Christ out of CHRISTmas doesn't it? X (the Greek symbol Chi) was acutally used to abbreviate the name of Christ. Xmas is actually just an abbeviated rendering of Christmas. I think that Jesus might be more in favor of Xmas come to think of it....Jesus wasn't flashy and in your face. I think He would have preferred to come under the radar. After all didn't He choose Bethlehem? Wasn't He from Galilee? Wasn't He the one who was almost coy when Herod questioned Him about being King?
My personal experience with Christ has been more like that...subtle and profoundly subversive. He always seems to be at work but not in flashy ways, more like the stock guys at Home Depot- working from Midnight to 8 a.m. restocking, moving things around, changing the setup of things and then 'all of the sudden' the electrical department is moved clear across the store.
In reality Jesus likes to restock my heart, move it around and change the setup of things. I dislike it. I like the electrical department where it was. I put it there. In alot of ways that is a good description of my life for 2006- subversive movments of God that change everything. I wonder what 2007 holds. Will the electrical department be moved back again? Will the garden center move to the other side of the building? Who knows. It is a wild ride. I know what I'd like, but I'm beginning to learn that the suggestion box isn't checked too often (if at all). I was praying with Jordan this morning before he left for home and asked God to strenthen us, to make us more like Christ. Presently we are tired- retreating from the crowds, trying to rest, trying to see Jesus again- My prayer was that God would allow us to incarnate in the Bay, to be a picture of the Gospel in this place.
Ironicaly, I think that while we're seeking to do that in the Bay, Jesus himself has been doing that very thing in our lives. He has been 'incarnating', becoming more real to us, taking on flesh in our daily lives. That means less of me, more of Him, less of me, more of Him (lather, rinse, repeat.) Pray for me this year. Please do that. Pray that all I'll want for Christmas is Christ.
I'm frightened how that might be answered- I want it to look like victorious spirituality, exponential growth and a renewed devotional life. If 'X' shows up it will probably look like repentance, faith, tears, struggling and true joy. That frightens me and at the same time excites me. Narnia is thawing. God is at work. His ways are not our ways. His plans are not our plans. Exery day is Xmas- the incarnational reality of Jesus himself. That seems to be the Lagniappe way. I guess not the Lagniappe way, just His way. Merry Xmas.