We had our annual Board of Directors party two days ago- it was awesome! The following, from December 19, 2006, is about a gift I took to the Christmas party that year.
We had our faculty-staff Christmas party this afternoon at Westbury Christian School. By tradition, it is held during first semester finals when our school day concludes at 1:00 PM. Our board of directors serves an Italian catered meal and words of praise for the job we are doing. (I can't neglect the envelope with the TARGET gift card, either!) It's an enjoyable time where we sit down as a school family for the first time since inservice in August. A relaxing moment during the hectic days of exams is welcomed, especially when combined with the public pronouncement that we, as a group, are making a difference in the lives of children. Part of the program each year is a gift exchange. We are instructed to bring a wrapped present, (or in my case, a gift bag in which I received a tie) worth a minimum of $5.00. We play a game where we pass the presents to the right, left, or to the person across from us based on the words in a Christmas story read by school president, Robert McCloy. I don't much like party games but this one is fun. After being temporarily in possession of perhaps twenty-five items while the game progressed, I ended up with a pumpkin-scented candle. That was fine. My big dilemma was what to bring as a gift. I hate shopping and I have no idea what others might like to take home from the party. Yesterday, I had a brainstorm. When I purchased my Dell Computer last spring, it included a mouse as part of the package. Since I already had a nice model which functions without a roller ball, that Dell mouse sat unused on my desk for nine months. What a perfect solution! The mouse would retail for more than five dollars, it was certainly practical, and I didn't have to make an additional trip to the store! I have no idea who ended up with the mouse. My hope is that it came to rest with a worthy family who will give it the love it never found in Apartment #3329. I never even named it.
Yesterday, I gave my traditional Christmas presents to the new players on my middle school girls' basketball team. As always, the gifts were One Year Bibles from Tyndale Publishing. Divided into three-hundred-sixty-five readings, these Bibles allow one to read through the scriptures in a calendar year at a manageable pace. But each Bible has much in common with that mouse which found a new home this afternoon. If it sits on the desk unused, it has no value. If it is never plugged into the life of the young lady, it might as well contain blank sheets of paper. Its effectiveness will never be based on the contents but on the holder of the pages. I gave the book but God gave the words of life inscribed between the covers. In the coming twelve months, those One Year Bibles can produce life altering changes in a bunch of teenage girls...or just end up being swapped in some gift exchange next December. I made that pretty difficult by personalizing each of them with a note. There was a positive sign today; I saw Chelsea carrying hers in the hall after finals. Chelsea will give the Bible a good home. I am confident it will make a home in her heart.
Applicable quote of the day:
"Do give books- religious or otherwise- for Christmas. They're never fattening, seldom sinful, and permanently personal."
Lenore Hershey
God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
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