Category Archives: Conversations

Compassion | Blog 6 of the 12 blogs of Christmas

Posted on December 12, 2011 by Jeff Goins in Conversations

For years, I never understood Christmas. Admittedly, I was a bit of a Scrooge. It just seemed like the whole thing was a farce. Every made-for-TV movie I watched between Thanksgiving and New Year’s preached the same gospel: “It’s not about presents.” But then, every Christmas morning, I was inundated with presents. It didn’t make sense. Someone was lying. Everything you want? My parents, and probably yours, would conclude every December 25th with the same nervous question: “So… did you get everything you wanted?” Are you kidding me? Everything I wanted? Is this what we want to teach our children about life? That you can get everything you want?...

The gift of subversion | Blog 5 of the 12 blogs of Christmas

Posted on December 9, 2011 by Christian Piatt in Conversations

Day 5 | World Vision's 12 blogs of Christmas

I have a friend who likes Thursdays more than Fridays. He also is a bigger fan of Christmas Eve than he is Christmas Day. Kinda weird, right? But his reasoning is that the anticipation of good things is usually better than the realization of that goodness. But it actually makes strange sense when you think about it. I remember more than one birthday or Christmas morning when I’d get this lingering sense of depression when I realized that all of the excitement of waiting was over. While my cousins and friends tended to be package rippers, I drew it out as long as possible, hoping in a way that the good feelings would go on indefinitely....

Giving back | Blog 4 of the 12 blogs of Christmas

Posted on December 8, 2011 by Kristen Howerton in Conversations

Day 4 | World Vision's 12 blogs of Christmas

For me, the true spirit of Christmas is about taking the time and space to reflect on God’s love for us – a love so great that He would come to live among us. Emmanuel . . . GOD WITH US. It’s a profound and comforting notion. This Christmas, we will be reflecting on the blessings God has given us. It’s impossible not to consider our journey, as Christmases past were such difficult markers of the long wait to complete our son’s adoption. And yet, in those times, God was still with us. We anticipate a joyous Christmas this year. Our family is complete, our lives are full of blessings. Still, the memory of difficult holidays is fresh....

What I don’t want for Christmas | Blog 3 of the 12 blogs of Christmas

Posted on December 7, 2011 by Joy Bennett in Conversations

Day 3 | World Vision's 12 blogs of Christmas

In today’s world, Twitter, Skype, and email have become the most common means of communication. So an old-fashioned handwritten note is particularly endearing. When I received Joy’s submission for our 12 blogs of Christmas project, I was pleasantly surprised that it was crafted on a yellow note pad, in neat cursive, purposefully handwritten. And, as I would expect from Joy, straight from her heart. -Lindsey Talerico-Hedren, managing editor for the WV blog...

What only God can do | Blog 2 of the 12 blogs of Christmas

Posted on December 6, 2011 by Ed Cyzewski in Conversations

Day 2 | World Vision's 12 blogs of Christmas

Years of being blessed with a low checking account balance forced me to rethink my approach to Christmas. Those were not easy years as I tried to tell myself that Christmas isn’t all about the presents, while fearing that my family would consider me cheap or inconsiderate. A budget gift is a budget gift. In a happy case of irony, my focus on gift-giving led me back to a better conception of Christmas. If art thrives on limitation, gift-giving followed suit. If I only had $10 to spend on each person, I had to ask very different questions for gift-giving, the most important being: “What would this person never buy for himself/herself?” This led to a series of time-consuming projects,...