Archives for December 2017

A Note from Josh – College & Center Newsletter December Newsletter 2017

I have a daughter! (See picture.) Everly Kay was born on November 11th at 4:30am. Baby girl is healthy as can be. She loves eating, being held, and sleeping. The typical baby stuff. My wife and I are so glad that we get to be this little girl’s mother and father.

One of the first days we had Everly home, my toddler son, Jameson, was running around our living room yelling, rather loudly, nothing in particular, it certainly wasn’t coherent. Typical toddler stuff. His passion for life is a great source of joy for me. Whether he is banging on his toy drum set, watching Moana, or reciting Little Blue Truck from memory, he does so with gusto. On this day, watching him live his best life, untamed and unapologetic, I thought, “I love him so much.” Then, I looked down in my arms at Everly. She was sleeping quietly on my chest. Her presence in the room offered only the occasional baby coo and the warmth of her cuddles. As I looked at her, I thought, “I love her so much.” Then the question occurred to me, “How can I possibly love these two so much?” and “What kind of life is this?”

A friend of mine from Philadelphia once told me after having his second child, “Your heart will grow and you will love beyond what you know yourself capable of being.” I never understood his words until that day sitting on my couch, watching my daughter and son. I could be wrong, but I don’t think my friends words are true only at childbirth. I believe God has woven moments into our world that grow our capacity to love into the fabric of our world. A prayer I have for the First Presbyterian Nashville community is that during this holiday season, we would learn to love beyond what we know ourselves capable. Likely, it won’t come through the birth of your child, perhaps through the celebration of the birth of a child though… Regardless, may you be open to and looking for the person, place, or thing God may bring into your life that will cause you to love beyond your greatest imagination. If you would like to come meet my Everly, or Jameson, please don’t hesitate!  Jameson loves new friends to play with and Everly is always up for someone to hold her 🙂

 

Blessings,

 

Josh

A Note from Ashley – December Covenant Newsletter

I love advent. Or well, perhaps I should more honestly say, I’m learning to love advent. Growing up I just loved Christmas. My dad, a pastor for over 30 years, LOVED to shop on Black Friday. This was years ago when Black Friday wasn’t quite as wild- sinful, even?!- as it is now (read: stores opened at 6am on *gasp* Friday, none of this Thursday nonsense). He’d be gone long before we were out of bed and back around lunch time. A full day’s work. We learned later that after he shopped, my dad would take all of our gifts to my grandmother’s house, hide them in the attic, and spend some quality time with her before coming home as if nothing had happened. Dad/Santa, please. We knew better.

My dad passed away almost seven years ago. Since then, Christmas has been a little more bittersweet. That’s the thing about getting older. People we love change, even pass away. Christmas switches from the most magical morning of the year into something perhaps a little less special. Old traditions don’t quite seem the same as we and our families change and grow. And yet.

Maybe the changes and growing a little older somehow turn us a degree or two closer to the manger. In the season of advent, we are invited to sit with God and wait with anticipation for what God might do in and through us in the coming year–all because of the baby born that one crazy night.
Perhaps this season you find yourself a little more sad than in years past,a little more caught up in the busy-ness of all our culture desires to suck us into this season, or even a little more anxious about all that’s going on in the world. May we remember the message of advent: in advent, we wait. Why? Because once again we might be reminded that “God is not dead nor does He sleep.” God is very active in this world. One Christmas long ago God even put on human flesh to come show us what it looks like to love without limits, to challenge the status quo, to turn the world as we knew it completely upside down. And the world has never been the same.  Emmanuel. God with us. Hallelujah for that. Happy Advent. And Merry Christmas. See you at church and around town.

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