Christmas in July

Greetings from the first annual Nicholson family "Christmas in July." Today there is no snow, and it's 85 degrees and sunny here in St. Louis. There are no trees to decorate, and I haven't heard a single verse of "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer." Perfect!

Living in Texas with my family in Indiana and Missouri means that it is the rare occasion that we are all able to gather together. In fact, today Jennifer and I had our first chance ever to spend time alone with our 8-year-old niece this afternoon.

It was a fun time talking with Ashtyn as we played our round of miniature golf, and it was really the first time that we had ever spoken with her after the divorce her parents went through. It was difficult to hear this little girl speaking about how hard it was when she first learned that her parents were divorcing, and how she wished that they were all still together. My heart melted.

The gift exchange was fun. We gave our two nieces (ages 8 and 4) some stuff, with an afterthought gift of tiny stuffed dogs. Their favorite gifts, of course? The puppies.

Mom's playing her handheld Tetris game. My brother and Dad are learning to play the new Tiger Woods golf for the Wii on my Dad's system. Jennifer's reading (Harry Potter, of course). And I'm here blogging. We're being a family. Nothing special, just some time together. Learning from and about each other. Laughing at and with each other. Making memories.

God has blessed us ("every one!"). May God bless you and your family in this time of celebration.

Life is Hard...Hopelessness is a Choice

Here is a profound statement: there are times when life is hard. Life is hard when you apply sunscreen three times in two hours and still leave the river with a terrible sun burn. Life is hard when your car starts making a knocking sound and you still have to get to work everyday. Life is hard when the electricity bill comes after a month of 100+ degree heat. Life is hard when a dear friend seems to have made incredibly disappointing choices that affect so many people around her, and you are left, with many others, to pick up the pieces. Life is hard when a loved one develops what seems to be an incurable infection that make take her life. Life is hard when... (add your own struggles and disappointments here.)

The preceding statements could lead to a deep and profound discussion surrounding the meaning of life? When will the economy improve? Why do we really need money anyway? Why do people make choices that deeply hurt other people? How do you make the choice for another person to stop treating the infection and let it run its course? Why do loved ones - or anyone for that matter - have to die? If God is a loving God, then why is life hard?

I certainly cannot answer these questions with any kind of depth and significance in a blog post. But here are a few thoughts I am having right now. Life is a series of crossroads. And while it may be the challenges of life that push us to the crossroads, once we are there we have a choice to make. Will we choose hopelessness or will we choose hope? The sunburn will eventually heal - hope for that day to come soon. The car can be taken to a shop and be fixed - hope for opportunities to invite others to serve you. Money is only money and even though it seems to be so necessary for life on earth, hope for appreciation of simplicity in this life and abundance in life that is to come. Other people will make bad choices that directly affect you - choose to view the situation as an opportunity to grow and to share hope with others who are hurting. Everyone is going to die - some people actually get to make choices about death and some die unexpectedly. Either way, the important choices are not necessarily those that we make at the edge of death but those that we make every day when life is hard. Choose hope - choose eternal life - choose to live as a child of God. Then, when life does come to an end, there is only hope in what is to come.

Great advertisement ideas

I saw an article on CNN.com about a church in Tennessee that decided it would be a good idea to post this sign in front of its church building. In awe of their boldness, I thought of some other slogans that Jenn and I might put on a sign in front of our house in an effort to reach the lost.

What do we think about these?

Jesus hates people that aren't like me

We're an equal opportunity church: We hate the sin AND the sinner

We're willing to cast the first stone

I'm open to other suggestions. Please help!