The Christmas Gift

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and all your strength. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: love your neighbor as yourself."
Matthew 22:37-39

So, this is Artie and I's first Christmas! So fun! This will probably be one of the few times that all the Christmas shopping is done so early ... simply because of our excitement and anticipation of giving our very first Christmas gifts to each other! We are so excited to wake up next to each other on Christmas morn' (for you Charlotte - haha)! Even though, every morning Artie wakes up and says - "Can we open our presents today?" And also, when we walk through our 'hallway' we pass by our already stuffed stockings and mention our temptation to just rip that thing off the wall and see all the goodies inside! Artie constantly threatens to shake the gifts wrapped for him out of his desperate need to know (our rule is no touching - really because I grew up where my brothers would measure the box they were getting to see if it matched the size box of the item they had asked for - yes, Justin I ratted you out!)! We'll probably wind-up with children that prohibit us from keeping the presents under the tree because daddy will always be joking and teasing about it too (thanks Artie!).

Excited - gifts make us that way, don't they? Whether you're receiving or giving - there is so much excitement! Christmas is all about gifts - the gift of salvation through God's Son, Jesus.

Just this past Sunday, I had the opportunity of watching the greatest gift ever given be received. Back in September, Artie and I had a sweet young couple move in our apartment building ... Milo and Alicia. We quickly adored them and they were immediately placed on our prayer list. Through various ways Alicia and I began to hang out (the power has gone out a couple of times so we hung out by candle light, we've gone Christmas shopping together, we've had Laundromat hangouts, etc). Through my time with her, there was one thing completely evident ... God was working in the privacy of her heart, through questions of existence, of Christmas, of purpose, of why, etc. Late on a Saturday night, she called and said that she would like to take the invitation to go to church with us. She came and expressed how much she loved the family-like atmosphere of DIBC. Throughout the week, I got phone calls and emails about hanging out some more and that she was very interested in going to church again. She came with us this past Sunday night and heard the message of Christmas - Who Jesus Is, Why He had to Come and lastly - What is our response? She decided to respond in faith! God extended the gift of forgiveness of sins and of life eternally with Him and she accepted it! Something she said to me on the way home rings true of this Christmas gift - "Lela, I don't know much and I have a lot to learn, but I'm so excited about my brand new life!" What better Christmas story than this?

So, as we celebrate Christmas and wrap gifts for our loved ones and unwrap with gratitude - let's turn our attention to the Giver of all good things - especially through the gift of Jesus! Love to you all!

Christmas-Flustered-with-Christmas-Gear

What is it about the Christmas holidays that allows people to be so hostile? You hear jokes about how crazy people get during the Christmas preperations, and I suppose I was a little ignorant and naive of this reality until the start of my own family. I am now (in a small scale, w/ no kids) apart of the hustle and bustle of Christmas card deadlines, purchasing gifts, shipping gifts, the best yet cheapest "finds," etc.

Just the other day, I was in SAM's Club attempting to quickly pick up Artie and I's first Christmas card package on my way on another errand and up walks a Christmas-flustered woman in her Christmas shopping gear (ponytail, tennies, Christmas vest, and a scribbled list in hand). She interrupts all the other customers standing in line waiting (including myself) and says, "I'm here to pick up my PROMISED BY TODAY pictures. The man yesterday promised me they would be ready no later than today." The completely exhausted photo developers (with all eyes watching their every move) scratch their heads and begin their search through the mountainas piles of photo packages. Once again, Christmas-flustered-with-shopping-gear woman tells her 'promise made yesterday' story several times, repeatingly saying "this is unacceptable," rolling her eyes, loudly sighing, stressing the fool out of these poor ladies trying their hardest, calling every SAM's worker over to the photo department, hair beginning to fly from her nicely tucked pony tail, etc. She attempts to stomp away and find the manager when one of the photo developers calms her down by telling her what she wants, "I can do them right now for you, mam."

After she is calmed and back in her Christmas spirit, she attempts to make pleasant conversations with the other Christmas-flustered customers. She speaks to me, asking where I got married because she noticed the wedding pictures I was having copied and had noticed the colorful stained glass window. I gladly told her, at my church on Davis Islands. She says, "Wow, I didn't even know there was a church on the Island and I live on the Island." Well, I ceased the opportunity and invited her to come and check us out. She says, "Nope, it's a Baptist church and that's why you won't find me there, I'm Lutheran and I don't attend Baptist churches. You see, I'm from Germany and I came here to America to teach German immigrants how to be good American citizens! And I'm true to my German roots..." And just like you, I tuned out thinking "good American citizen - and you're the leader of the group, well let's all tip our hats to your gracious hospitality to our country by LEADING BY EXAMPLE." I quickly caught myself in thought and kindly finished our conversation with, "I hope you have a Merry Christmas."

This encounter challenged me, to see what I look like from the outside and to let the little things be the little things (for instance, our Christmas cards had a grammatical error, but after this episode - I just let it go). Like Pastor Jeff spoke about on Sunday, God has the hour glass tipped and we're all working within the falling sand - and I found myself asking this question, How am I handling the sand that is left to fall? You know, people are the most important thing in this life! That's why Jesus leaves us here after salvation in the first place. I pray that the important things would reign important, especially in the hearts of us who represent the Lover of Every Soul! (even the Christmas-flustered-with-Christmas-gear ones).

Love to you all! And Merry Christmas!



Our very FIRST Christmas Tree! Our Christmas Tree Decorated!

Beginnings...

'Blog' - is that a nice way to say "Blah, Blah, Blah"? Americans just can't stop talking about ourselves now, can we? And I'm a guilty party too, because several of my friends are "Blah, Blah, Blah"ing about themselves and I thought, "I want to do that too!" No, all kidding aside - I am so excited to have a blog! I have loved reading the blogs you send me and I hope to bring you some of the laughter, tears and whispers of hope that I have shared with all of you (Molly, once again an inspiration)!

I want to start this blog page off by clearing something up ... the site is called "The McCall Family" but I can assure you, only myself will be posting the main events of the McCall family, so beware - it is all from my perspective!

"For the Day ~" ... a thought that has become a close friend of mine. As a young & newly married, staff member of a church where God is ever so working, teammate to one of the most servant-hearted men in the world (my husband, Artie), friend to incredible women doing God's work in and out of ministry, attempting to be a teacher to the cutest college girls you'd ever meet (Hey girls!), and most of all disciple of the Man who changes the world through changing lives, especially my own. I find myself many mornings, asking Jesus for ...

• Strength ... For the day
• Wisdom ... For the day
• Grace ... For the day
• ENERGY ... For the day
• Creativity ... For the day
• Laughter, custom-made ... For the day
• Submissiveness ... For the day
• Maybe a nap ... For the day
• Belief enough to trust ... For the day
• Love to give ... For the day
• With all my heart ... For the day

I feel through these prayers, I have discovered the way to meaningful living (just as Christ did, so He's teaching me) ... One day at at time. Not a day free of challenges or hardships, but one day given, just one. My husband says to me often, "You'll be better because of it. It'll pass, Babe." Because all things do.

A friend once described her life in a way that I unexpectantly relate to ... holding on to the coat-tails of her husband. You see, I always wanted the life of little to do, and lots of time to do it (perfecting it), yet what a real picture for me she described ... like today, right now - gotta get dinner on, drop off the Christmas cards, buy mom-in-law a Christmas gift (to get in the mail before New Years), take the dry-cleaning on the way to the movie because the college clan can't get there before we do! Life - just right, for me.

You see, "Blah, Blah, Blah" - but straight from my heart!