Just a quick note. Our family chose not to exchange presents
this year. Instead we're taking a trip together. We'll be back January
4th. I'm not planning on doing any serious writing while we are gone,
though I might post something here or there. Christian Century
has two of my essays. I put a lot of time into them, and I'm anxious to
post them here. But I'm waiting for them. One of them has to go in the
magazine before I can put it online. The other is waiting for final
edits. If one goes online, I'll post a link to it.
One of the nice things that happens if you are the pastor of a
church for a long time is you get to watch children grow up. One
family came to our church in 1990 with a 10th grader, an 8th grader,
and a 5th grader. I have now married all three of them, and been there
for the birth of three grandchildren. This is the kind of stuff you
miss with the giant, "come and try us and if you don't like it try
somewhere else" churches. They miss real intimacy. But real intimacy is
hard, and it hurts when people leave. Maybe most people don't want that.
Chloe has been going to our church since before she was in
school. She's like another daughter to me. She's kind of quirky and
interesting and I love that about her. I've written about Chloe once
seriously, and mentioned her
in a few other
posts.
Here's what Chloe and I look like now. We rang Salvation Army
bells together this year at our local Walmart. She's growing so tall. I
can't believe how she has grown
She's gotten big, our little Chloe. Hard to believe. Here's
what I'm hoping for Chloe and all of the kids who grow up at our
church. They know what it is like to be loved. Not just by their
parents, but by a community of people who know them by name and let
them have their own personality and ways. Chloe prays out loud for
Gypsies every Sunday. That's her thing to do, and we take it seriously.
And it has led to our children sending money off to India on a regular
basis.
So Merry Christmas Chloe. You and your sister Brittney are
like sisters 4 and 5. We love you both.
gordon (I'm not rlp to them)
