Writing, Conversations, and the Word

Hi Friends!

I’ll tell you, though it feels like every year the Christmas season seems to expand by a few days in either direction, it always feels like the season speeds up as well. It’s hard to believe that Christmas is just TEN days away!

Let’s dive right in.

A Thought.

Over the past couple of years, I have found myself at various times wanting to make sure I remember certain things, but struggling to actually make that happen. Have you ever had one of those moments when you’re certain that you could remember exactly what your spouse told you they needed from the grocery store, only to arrive and have NO idea what in the world they needed? The problem is, we took in the information but then didn’t have a way of storing it for later. So by the time we needed that information, it was gone.

This seems to happen for me with a lot of different things. It’s not just about lists, but it’s memories as well. I find myself wanting to remember certain details about things but then struggle to piece things together later on. I wrote previously about how important it can be to take pictures, whether it’s of your kids, your dog, or a sunrise. You carry around a really awesome camera in your pocket all the time, and it can be such a great experience to go back and relive memories that happened in the past over and over again.

But let’s take things a step further and bring back a lost art form: writing.

My grandfather has been keeping a daily journal for as long as I can remember. Really, as long as any of his kids can remember. And it’s nothing crazy, but at the end of the day he jots down a few things that happened that day. Someone he talked to. A house he appraised. Maybe what they had for dinner.

It may sound like nothing, but there have been multiple occasions when we pulled out some of these old journals to see what was happening back in the 80s.

When my son was born, I made it a point to write down seemingly everything that happened from the time we arrived at the hospital to the day we went home. I didn’t want to miss a thing. I wanted to remember it all, but I knew that there was no possible way that I would be able to recall everything if I didn’t have some kind of external method for getting things out of my head and onto paper.

What if you just started writing things down again? Take a note about something someone said in a conversation that you knew would be important later. Jot down something that you saw on your morning walk and thought you might forget it. Sit back on Christmas when your whole family is opening presents or sharing stories and write down some of the things you’re seeing and hearing.

You might choose to use something like Field Notes, a small, pocket-sized notebook that fits in your back pocket. Or maybe just the Notes app on your phone. Whatever the method, try writing things down this week that are important in your life. Review them at the end of your week and relive the little moments.

Trust me, it’ll be worth it.

A Resource.

Okay, I’m going to be a little bit self-promoting here, but bear with me.

For the past couple of weeks, our church has been walking through a series of conversations about the core beliefs, identity, and practices that shape the way we follow Jesus and live a life of faith. As a staff, we’ve had a lot of fun sitting down to think deeply about the “big rocks” that shape who we are as individuals and a community.

For folks who may not have been able to join us in person (or even if you’re not a part of our local church), we’ve created video versions of these conversations that I hope you’ll check out. Regardless of where you are on your faith journey, from atheist to lifelong disciple, I think there’s some meaningful stuff here for everyone.

Check out the first video about Core Beliefs here, and the second video about Core Identity here.

Remember the book I shared with you last week, Praying Like Monks, Living Like Fools. Y’all, I started it over the weekend and it is SO GOOD. Please pick up a copy for yourself or someone you love. It is worth every penny and I’m believing it’ll change your life.

A Verse.

And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.

—John 1:14 (NRSV)