The sad death of Christmas Cards

Here we are in an old Christmas card photo

Has the giving of Christmas cards died a quick and sad death?

I awoke with the song “White Christmas” playing in my head the other morning. One line kept repeating over and over, “I’m dreaming of a white Christmas, with every Christmas card I write.” As this line kept looping I thought about how far from reality this seems. I admit that my wife and I no longer send Christmas cards and the majority of our friends don’t either.

I’ve also had a question rattling around in my thoughts, “How can I find ways to fully live the hope and expectation of the season of Advent, rather than stress and ‘Christmas’ for 30 days prior to the actual Christmas day.

These two random thoughts collided and I was left with a bigger question, “In previous generations, were writing and addressing Christmas cards one of the spiritual acts of Advent?”

As I understand it, Advent is a season of preparation, of spiritual and moral self-reflection in anticipation of entering the Christmas event. Christmas day is the culmination of that self-reflection capped off by the 12 days of Christmas. It seems to me this has completely flip-flopped. Christmas begins at the end of October and the entire season is a race up to the finish line- Chrismas day. I wonder if in the past taking the time to write and address a stack of cards helped slow down the pace and provide an opportunity to reflect on the season, rather than race through it.

Growing up, I remember receiving cards from family and friends and as a child I remember especially loving the ones that came with a photo of the senders family. Most of the time I knew the people in the image and sometimes I’d ask my parents who the people were. Other times the cards would have beautiful scenes and encouraging words on them. If we were lucky, they even had a check or a dollar or two for us kids.

Fast forward a bit to when my children were small, Christmas cards still were sent and received. As a family we added a “twist,” we place all the cards we got in a basket on the dining table and would  pray for the family from one card each night.

Nowadays, we only receive a handful of cards each year. More and more of my friends post a Christmas photo on their Facebook page and wish their followers Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. Facebook has killed Christmas cards. Time to write an obituary I suppose.

Thinking about how Facebook has replaced Christmas cards gave me an idea of a spiritual practice to recapture the slowness and mindfulness of addressing numerous cards. I decided to go through my Facebook “friends” list  and pray a prayer of blessing over each one. I sat last Saturday morning with this list and if you’re one of my friends I prayed for you.

Here’s what I prayed:

Numbers 6:24-26

24 The Lord bless you

   and keep you;

25 the Lord make his face shine on you

   and be gracious to you;

26 the Lord turn his face toward you

   and give you peace.

May you experience peace and blessing this Christmas season. And if you’re not sending cards, I invite you to the practice of passing on the prayer and blessing to your Facebook, and wider, friends.

Here’s the version of “White Christmas” I had playing in my head that day. I had this album on cassette back in the 90’s and wore it out playing it in the minivan with my kids.

Cultural Hooks

The Acura NSX ad hit my Twitter feed this week. In the commercial a car is crafted to the soundtrack of David Lee Roth shouting and screaming, music building with percussion, and finally Eddie Van Halen’s signature guitar. It’s the intro to Running with the Devil, a big hit from the late 70’s.

The curious twist is when the song is really kicking off, the words “What he said” appear on the screen. No lyrics are every sung. The message is clear (at least for me), if you buy this car you’re running with the devil too. It’s a brilliant piece of marketing. At least for a child of the 80’s who grew up on Van Halen and what is now called, “Classic Rock.” And with a price tag of $150,000, people my age are probably exactly the kind of people Acura is targeting.

Or are they? I watched the commercial with my 18 year old daughter who loves cars. I’m not sure where in our family this comes from, but she could be classified as a motorhead. She loved the ad, the way it played up the car, the streamlined body, the powerful engine, but when I asked her after we watched it, “What do you think ‘what he said’ meant?” She thought it had to do with the screaming; the fact this car is so awesome you too will want to scream (and maybe that’s correct). But she missed the cultural hook.

This commercial got me thinking about the Bible. Not in the, “how can I stop running with the devil” way, but rather the many times the characters or writers of the New Testament quote the Hebrew scriptures with one tiny fragment when they might have intended it to be a cultural hook.

One needs to understand that people in Jesus’ day had basically memorized the entire Old Testament. Since there were very few copies of the texts, students (which was pretty much all of Jewish society), would spend time memorizing the entire set of 39 books. When a religious leader wanted to make a point, he would quote one part of the passage and expect his listeners to fill in the rest.

For example, when Jesus was hanging on the cross, he quoted Psalm 22, verse 1, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46) And a reader can easily stop there. However, if a person reads on (or has memorized) the entire Psalm, some very rich insights emerge. I encourage the reader to do this.

Psalm 22

In addition, the writer of the book of Hebrews does something similar in numerous places in the book. For example, in Hebrews 2:12 the author also quotes Psalm 22:22 which again points to the entire Psalm and the work of Jesus.

There is more to be written on this topic, but I’ll stop for now. My commitment this week is to be more mindful of how I use cultural hooks as well as to identify where cultural hooks are being used all around me. I also want to check more closely when I find these hooks in literature, poetry, or my reading of the Bible. And I’ll especially be on the lookout for them when I watch the advertisements during Super Bowl 50 tomorrow.

The gift of skilled artisans

I was reminded today of a piece of art I saw when I was in Bogota in 2008. This quilt is one of 3 and was made by local women who had been displaced by violence in Colombia. As one can see from the photo, this quilt depicts a village scene, which, apart from the two boys fighting in the top, is happy and peaceful. The other quilts in the series present a much darker reality. (That's Emily in the bottom right, one of the leaders of the MCC - sponsored tour)

The quilt came to mind when I read this story today.

30 Then Moses said to the Israelites, “See, the Lord has chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, 31 and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills— 32 to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, 33 to cut and set stones, to work in wood and to engage in all kinds of artistic crafts. 34 And he has given both him and Oholiab son of Ahisamak, of the tribe of Dan, the ability to teach others.35 He has filled them with skill to do all kinds of work as engravers, designers, embroiderers in blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen, and weavers—all of them skilled workers and designers.36 1 So Bezalel, Oholiab and every skilled person to whom the Lord has given skill and ability to know how to carry out all the work of constructing the sanctuary are to do the work just as the Lord has commanded.”

I've read this story many times and have often thought about how cool it would be to have these kinds of abilities. My great-grandfather was a master carpenter/contractor and built a number of landmarks in Long Beach, CA. My grandfather built furniture from scratch, sometimes using just a photograph as a guide. And my mom has skills making fridge magnets and other cool items, but unfortunately, none of that skill got passed on to me.

As a teacher, and someone who would love to learn artistic skills, the phrase that really jumped out at me is verse 34. Both Bezalel and Oholiab had the ability to teach others. Not only were they skilled artisans, but they both had the ability to teach; a combination that can't always be assumed.

As a teacher, I want to be a person who combines knowledge with skill. I also want to find ways to make things with deep meaning like the women in Colombia. They used this medium to share a powerful story of hurt and loss. Their craftsmanship helped me to enter into their story.

Now I need to find more people like Bezalel and Oholiab to teach me how to hammer a nail or paint a picture.

Dark Ink

"The strongest memory is weaker than the palest ink"- Chinese proverb.


Thanks for my friends Paul and Sally Nash who write Marker Posts and Shelters. I came across this proverb this week. It got me thinking about the numerous articles, tweets, thoughts, and videos that come across my desk each day. With most I think, "This is so amazing, I'll never forget this." And yet, as the proverb so aptly states, with only a few exceptions, these great ideas soon vanish like mist. 

So, encouraged by this proverb and the practice of Paul and Sally who blog regularly. I'm embarking on a regular blogging track. I'll be writing on whatever struck me that day. It might be a video I saw on Yahoo News. It might be a tweet, or a section of a book I'm reading, it might be something I read that morning as I sat with God. 

I know occasionally this will be read by others, but my reason for writing is so I don't forget what I'm learning along the way. 

I titled this post "dark ink." I'm hoping this practice and discipline will build a bridge to memory. 

Gift Exchange

⁷ But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. ⁸ This is why it^[a] says:

“When he ascended on high,
    he took many captives
    and gave gifts to his people.”^[b]

….¹¹ So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, ¹² to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up ¹³ until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Ephesians 4: 7-8, 11-13.

Gifts are something we exchange during this Christmas time. Have you ever thought about why we do this?

I suppose it could be due to the Wise Men. We all know they brought their gifts to Jesus. I also suppose it could be because of St. Nicholas, the real person, who lived in Turkey in the in the early 300’s and used his inheritance to help the sick, needy, and suffering.

Today’s passage leads us to a different place. Maybe we give gifts because Jesus also gave gifts to us. The gifts from Jesus include people: you and me, and the special abilities that we uniquely bring to our faith communities.

Here at Tabor College this year we exchanged gifts with one another. However we did something completely different than any gift exchange I’d ever experienced before. We exchanged the gift of prayer. Each person was given the name of a colleague in the office and invited to pray for that person and his or her family for a week. We were instructed to write down any verses, words, or pictures we had while we prayed for the person; and finally, at the “gift exchange” we shared those words, pictures, verses, etc. with the person.

I have to say this is one of the most memorable staff Christmas times I’ve ever experienced. I’ve loved the laughter of funny White Elephant gift exchanges, but for the impact and meaning, it will be hard to beat this year.

For whom can you give the gift of prayer? What true gifts can all of us give to those we love this Christmas?

Reflections on Tabor e-Lab

“How was the e-Lab event last week?” The questioner looked at me intently, wondering how I would respond. I think I confused him with my reply, because at that moment “I heard it was good,” was about all I could say.

Why would I, the facilitator and planner of this event give an answer like this? Because, as I've learned by planning and running numerous big events over the years, when I’m in charge I’m unable to fully participate in the spirit and flow of the event. Maybe I'm unique and other event planners/organizers can be more present in the sessions, but I’ve found that my mind is too focused on what’s coming next to really engage as I would if I was just attending.

Since the event happened just over a week ago, I now have a different answer to the question. I'm very pleased with the day and I know it was a valuable contribution to the Wichita community. I’ve read over the evaluations, I’ve spoken to participants, and I participated in a panel discussion in the Tabor College chapel where I heard from students the impact of the event. The overall message I’m hearing is very positive, often capped with, “When are you doing it again?”

What was e-Lab? The quick answer is a day-long event with a wonderful mix of speakers, music, drama, and art. The event was filmed for later playback and was live tweeted throughout the day. However, for a complete picture, more info is needed.

When I was hired at Tabor College, I was tasked with creating an online MA degree in Entrepreneurial Ministry Leadership. I worked for a year writing the proposal, courses, outcomes and program and I’m excited to say the program will start with it’s first cohort in the fall (there is still room to apply if interested). As part of the course creation I was also asked to “make it free” a clear nod to the book by Chris Anderson - Free- The Future of a Radical Price.

I racked my brain through a year of MA program preparation trying to think of how a college could give away free courses when they don’t have the resources to offer MOOC’s. (I did find a way to give courses away, more on that coming in future blogs). However, one idea that lept to the front was to offer a TED-style event in the city of Wichita. I’m sure most readers of this blog have heard of TED and have watched at least one of the talks online. I looked into sponsoring a TEDX-event in Wichita, but in my research I discovered TED leadership have decided not to allow any religious-themed events and that is what I wanted to do. So the decision was made by Tabor College to sponsor our own event.

e-Lab emerged as an event focused around this central theme: “Conversations from the Intersection of Faith and Human Need.” Speakers came from a variety of expertise: church leadership, author, CEO, and mission director. They all had a common thread, they saw a need and filled a need within their sphere of influence.

As someone who has organized and run numerous camps and events over the years, the timing of e-Lab provides one unique benefit for helping me feel more connected to what happened on the day. Because we're in 2014 this event happened within the hyper-connected world of social media like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Through the technology of hashtags (#TaborELab) I am now able to reenter the event through reading the tweets of those who were able to engage fully in the content. For me, it’s the next best thing to participating as a guest.

Here are some of the tweets that jumped out at me.

Amazing insights from amazing individuals at #TaborELab today. Blessed to be there behind the scenes. Wisdom. Creativity. Courage.@lensweet
— Jeremy Johnson (@Jeremy_1COR3) April 25, 2014

Families..when you gather around your table, eat together and tell your faith story. @lensweet #TaborELab
— Dave Buller (@davebuller) April 24, 2014

Our story and identity is found when we find ourself in the Jesus story. #wheredoIfindmyself #soulseaching #TaborELab @TaborCollege
— Elizabeth Nesser (@bethh_nesser) April 24, 2014

Thank you @usmbchurches for making the #TaborElab event possible. @lensweet @joeskillen @monicaepperson @mbmission Bill Vann
— Brett Andrews (@drbrettandrews) April 24, 2014

The religious quest is hospitable to questions. Bring 'em on. Dialog about the story. @lensweet #TaborELab
— JulesGlanzer (@presglanzer) April 24, 2014

This culture has got to have a soundtrack, this culture is a story wrapped around an image without words. #TaborELab
— Tabor College (@TaborCollege) April 24, 2014

Jesus is not our meal ticket. He is the bread of life. - Randy Friesen @MBMission #TaborELab pic.twitter.com/oqu8nMBRGK
— Kim Bontrager (@kimbontrager) April 24, 2014

@MonicaEpperson saw a need and filled a need with her firm, The Child of Divorce #TaborElab. @rbb2nd
— Brett Andrews (@drbrettandrews) April 24, 2014

"The resurrection surely must have greater implications than how many people we can pack into a room 1 day a week." @joeskillen19 #TaborELab
— Aaron James Coleman (@aaronjcoleman) April 24, 2014

There were many other informative tweets out there at #TaborELab I encourage readers to check them out. Will we do this again? We'll see...  

Thinking about Creativity

Thinking about Creativity

My great-grandfather was a master craftsman. He was a general contractor who built numerous structures in and around Long Beach, CA in the 1920’s-’50’s. One bit of family lore- “Pop” (as he was known) was building the Long Beach Mausoleum which features a  Foucalt Pendulum. The story goes that the architect couldn’t figure out how to install the pendulum in a way that it would actually keep accurate time. Pop went home, figured it out, installed the pendulum,  and it still works to this day.

My grandfather was also a craftsman. In later life he demonstrated this skill through his work with wood. If any of us in the family wanted a piece of furniture, all we’d have to do was bring him a picture and he would figure it out and build it. Here’s a picture of a hat rack that he built for himself but which was passed on to me when he died.

This “construction creativity gene” wasn’t passed on to me. I got a C- in woodshop in High School and now the closest to woodworking I get is cutting up firewood with a chainsaw.

For many years I struggled with questions about my own creativity. As I grew older I definitely had moments of creative thinking- like planning out activities for a summer camp where I worked in college. However, these “creative times” usually involved large quantities of Diet Pepsi.

Over the past years there have been a number of circumstances which have shown I do have more creativity within me than I originally thought. I’ll share just a couple here.  

The first circumstance involved living in an entirely different culture. In 1993 my wife and I moved to the UK where we lived and worked for seven years. During that time I was pushed and stretched outside my embedded culture and was exposed to different world-views. I was able to experience life from different perspectives and was challenged to defend the way I thought about a number of beliefs.

During our time in England because I was outside what, up until that point had been my “norm,” I practiced creativity in a variety of new ways. For example, I found I could “see” how a program or plan would work and could make tweaks and changes to that program before implementing it. I also grew to appreciate the unique creativities of others and was stretched by how I might apply what I was learning to my own context.

The second circumstance that helped me accept my creativity came when I took the Predictive Index. When we returned from the UK, my new employer required this inventory of all new employees. The Index indicated I was a “craftsman.” At the time I didn’t think much about this designation, but as time has gone by I’ve come to embrace this description of me and the link it gives me to my grandfather. The Craftsman designates someone who takes existing materials and creates something new and beautiful with them. This fits my experience in the UK.

Currently, I work in Higher Education. I’m designing an online Master’s program from scratch which allows me a lot of flexibility and opportunities to be creative.  In the next two weeks I have to complete a proposal to send to our accreditation body and I’m almost finished with the design for the program. Last week I was talking through my plan with the President of our institution and he affirmed my progress and the creative direction I was headed.

Then this week I took the Creative Style Estimation Exercise. I scored in the mild adaptive category which again confirms the creativity I express comes out in more conventional means. This exercise was a good tool to help me explore my own unique expression of creativity.

In the past few years as I’ve become older (and hopefully wiser) I’m coming to see that although I’m not a master carpenter or woodworker, I have been wired with creativity that comes out in different ways. I’m looking forward to pushing that creativity one step further through the Creativity, Innovation, and Change MOOC. #cicmooc