1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:06,880 I was having a lot of fun trying to put on my Christmas tree hat, but I don't think I made it in time. 2 00:00:06,880 --> 00:00:13,280 Anyway, here we are. I've got the three Js with me. I've got Jesse, Jordan, and Jessica. 3 00:00:13,280 --> 00:00:18,880 We were just saying all they need is Jesus in their midst, which they could be the fantastic four. 4 00:00:18,880 --> 00:00:24,240 But maybe we do have Jesus in our midst anyway. Well done for being the J crew. 5 00:00:24,240 --> 00:00:28,800 Thank you for joining me on this third Sunday of Advent for our Trinity Talks. 6 00:00:28,800 --> 00:00:34,400 We heard in the sermon today about giving more. I was hoping that because you guys are a life group 7 00:00:34,400 --> 00:00:37,680 and you have some people in a life group together, we could go through some of the life group 8 00:00:37,680 --> 00:00:43,040 questions together, our sermon questions, and talk through those. How does that sound? 9 00:00:43,040 --> 00:00:48,160 Yeah, sounds great. I'm excited to hear some of the responses in our conversation. 10 00:00:48,160 --> 00:00:52,400 But we're getting close to Christmas, and I thought it would be a lot of fun if we played 11 00:00:52,400 --> 00:00:56,160 a little game before that. Do you all have your A and B cards in front of you? 12 00:00:56,160 --> 00:01:00,320 We do. Can we play a little Christmas Would You Rather? 13 00:01:01,040 --> 00:01:04,080 We're going to learn a little bit about all three of you, and you might learn a little bit more 14 00:01:04,080 --> 00:01:09,360 about each other as a small group. I've got some questions for you. We'll go through these quickly 15 00:01:09,360 --> 00:01:15,120 before we get into our sermon questions. All you have to do is just in front of you, put up 16 00:01:15,120 --> 00:01:21,120 the A or the B, depending on what your answer would be. The first question is, would you rather A, 17 00:01:21,120 --> 00:01:25,440 hot chocolate or B, eggnog? Oh, that's an easy one. 18 00:01:25,440 --> 00:01:33,440 That's an easy one. It only comes up once a year. Hot chocolate I can get all the time. 19 00:01:33,440 --> 00:01:37,440 That's right. Eggnog. December 25th, it comes off the shelves, doesn't it? Amen. 20 00:01:37,440 --> 00:01:45,440 All right. So we have the next one is, interpret this as you will, but A or B, A, Rudolph or B, 21 00:01:45,440 --> 00:01:51,440 Frosty? A little bit not as easy to choose this one. I could eat a Frosty. 22 00:01:51,440 --> 00:02:01,440 That's right. We don't want to eat a Rudolph. Okay. Question number three, A, skiing or B, 23 00:02:01,440 --> 00:02:06,480 tobogganing? I don't need skill for tobogganing. I can slam into trees all I want. 24 00:02:06,480 --> 00:02:09,440 I love skiing. All right. We're split on that one. 25 00:02:09,440 --> 00:02:14,080 Tough choice. Next one, this might be more appropriate for next week, but are you more 26 00:02:14,080 --> 00:02:19,600 of an A, early Christmas Eve service person or a late Christmas Eve service person? 27 00:02:22,640 --> 00:02:27,200 Early, oh, split again. All right. Depends what the family's pulling towards, 28 00:02:27,200 --> 00:02:29,600 I guess. That's right. It might change every year. 29 00:02:29,600 --> 00:02:31,360 Yeah, that's right. All right. The next question, 30 00:02:31,360 --> 00:02:36,240 I'm sure you've never been asked before, and this could be a three-parter, but I think gold 31 00:02:36,240 --> 00:02:42,000 would always take number one in this. So instead, I'm going to split it into two. Would you prefer 32 00:02:42,000 --> 00:02:49,920 A, frankincense or B, myrrh? You're supposed to laugh. I don't even know. 33 00:02:50,960 --> 00:02:53,040 I'm just trying to figure out which one smells better. 34 00:02:55,040 --> 00:03:00,000 I think either would be great. So those are good answers. All right. Next one, 35 00:03:00,880 --> 00:03:07,680 A, silent night or B, joy to the world? And whichever one you choose now, you will sing. 36 00:03:07,680 --> 00:03:17,520 I think we warmed up from the blank side. All right. Quick one, A, red or B, 37 00:03:17,520 --> 00:03:24,000 green, Christmas colors? That's a tough one. Wow. All right. We got harder questions coming up, 38 00:03:24,000 --> 00:03:31,280 Jesse. All right. Next one, real tree A or fake tree B? Oh, hands down. 39 00:03:31,280 --> 00:03:35,760 A, AAA, triple A. Gotta get the real smell, the falling needles. 40 00:03:35,760 --> 00:03:39,920 You'll never go back. Oh, you heard it here first. OK, nine. 41 00:03:41,760 --> 00:03:48,240 A, matching family pajamas or B, not matching family pajamas? You see it in ads. 42 00:03:49,040 --> 00:03:51,680 Oh, I'll go for it. Yeah, I'm a B on that one. 43 00:03:53,360 --> 00:03:54,560 Jessica has dignity. 44 00:03:57,040 --> 00:04:00,880 I'm with you on that one. We don't know. We're all unique in our house. All right. 45 00:04:00,880 --> 00:04:06,400 All right. Something to eat, A, gingerbread cookies or B, shortbread cookies? What do you reach for 46 00:04:06,400 --> 00:04:11,920 first? A, A and B. OK, you guys are very split. I love the diversity of this group. 47 00:04:11,920 --> 00:04:17,280 She makes gingerbread. I eat that. Exactly. Whatever's in front of you. All right. 48 00:04:17,280 --> 00:04:22,480 And our very last one is this. Are you an A, early Christmas gift getter or B, 49 00:04:22,480 --> 00:04:27,520 a last minute Christmas gift getter? I wish I was early, but I'm way ahead of time. 50 00:04:27,520 --> 00:04:32,400 But if you're a B, then that could actually segue nicely into our sermon series because 51 00:04:32,400 --> 00:04:35,520 there were some gift ideas that Rob was throwing out left, right and center. 52 00:04:35,520 --> 00:04:39,440 So I think that if you are a B there, then you might be able to get one of those. 53 00:04:39,440 --> 00:04:48,720 Please. Well, that was a lot of fun. So, as you know, and I'm not sure if your small group 54 00:04:48,720 --> 00:04:52,800 or your life group does this, but we have sermon questions that we put out every week. Is that 55 00:04:52,800 --> 00:04:56,320 something that your life group does? Work through some of those questions? Yeah, it depends on the 56 00:04:56,320 --> 00:05:01,040 week. Sometimes we if we have like breaks in between what we usually cover, because sometimes 57 00:05:01,680 --> 00:05:04,960 I have different topics covered by different members of small group. They submit it and we 58 00:05:04,960 --> 00:05:09,440 kind of go through a small series around their topic. But in between that, we do go back to the 59 00:05:09,440 --> 00:05:13,360 sermon questions every once in a while to kind of keep up with the church, to keep up with the 60 00:05:13,360 --> 00:05:18,560 church. Yeah. All right. So I've got some of the questions already in front of me. And I wanted 61 00:05:18,560 --> 00:05:23,840 to start just by asking you some of those questions. So to start us off, when you think back to a 62 00:05:23,840 --> 00:05:28,720 memorable gift that you've been given at Christmas, do you want to share something that sort of stands 63 00:05:28,720 --> 00:05:33,360 out to you as something that was memorable to you? And then maybe we can talk about why. 64 00:05:35,760 --> 00:05:45,120 Well, for me, I got a Taylor Swift CD and inside the CD jacket were tickets to see her show. 65 00:05:46,720 --> 00:05:50,480 As a Swifty, that was pretty exciting. That is exciting. Now, who gave that to you? 66 00:05:50,480 --> 00:05:56,720 It was my parents. Yeah. Yeah. You're a Swifty. When was this? A couple of years ago. This was for 67 00:05:56,720 --> 00:06:06,080 1989. So a few years back. Wow. No big deal. That's fun. I think for me, years ago, I remember this 68 00:06:06,080 --> 00:06:11,120 actually as a child, like when I was younger, my mom gave me a Terry's chocolate orange and I really 69 00:06:11,120 --> 00:06:18,400 wanted them just for the purpose of slamming it down on the ground and having it open up. So that 70 00:06:18,400 --> 00:06:24,560 one kind of stuck sticks out to me. Yeah. Yeah. It's a lot of fun. Yeah. For me, I remember it was my 71 00:06:24,560 --> 00:06:28,160 dad. He got it a bit earlier ahead of Christmas. I think he got it right around Black Friday. That's 72 00:06:28,160 --> 00:06:32,640 why. So it's early Christmas gift. I remember him getting the PS4 when it came out, which 73 00:06:32,640 --> 00:06:37,520 me personally thinking I wasn't thinking of getting that to like way later. So my dad getting that 74 00:06:37,520 --> 00:06:42,080 for me, like pretty much the same year it came out, blew my mind. And the best part was like, 75 00:06:42,080 --> 00:06:47,360 I remember distinctly, it was us rushing to the TV to set it up and kind of basking in the 76 00:06:47,360 --> 00:06:52,880 next generation with me and my sister. So I think the big part of the memories that it wasn't just 77 00:06:52,880 --> 00:06:57,600 kind of, it was for me, it was for everybody. And that's being able to kind of like test it out and 78 00:06:57,600 --> 00:07:02,640 play around with it and everything. So yeah. I'll just tell you one of my most memorable gifts was 79 00:07:02,640 --> 00:07:08,400 a couple of years ago. My husband Elliot had been down in the basement and all I could smell was 80 00:07:08,400 --> 00:07:15,040 like paint stain, like that really powerful stain. And he thought he was being very secretive. But 81 00:07:15,040 --> 00:07:20,960 anyway, he would just go down there and the whole house stunk like paint. But he had built me a 82 00:07:20,960 --> 00:07:26,320 board to do jigsaw puzzles on that had its own drawers to sort. And I mean, it took him a long 83 00:07:26,320 --> 00:07:29,760 time and he thought he was being sneaky, but I could smell it. And it was also in front of my 84 00:07:29,760 --> 00:07:39,360 washing machine. So I saw it. But I absolutely love it. And he spent a lot of time on it. So that 85 00:07:39,360 --> 00:07:45,360 was probably my most memorable gift. So when we think about the passage that we had today at 86 00:07:45,360 --> 00:07:49,280 church, it was actually the beginning of the gospel of John. And he brings us to the beginning of 87 00:07:49,280 --> 00:07:55,840 existence, which is quite an interesting way to start a gospel. And can we reflect a little bit 88 00:07:55,840 --> 00:08:01,280 as a group on in the beginning was the word. So when we think about the beginning of existence, 89 00:08:01,280 --> 00:08:07,280 we hear in the beginning was the word. What implications do you guys think that this has 90 00:08:07,280 --> 00:08:18,320 regarding Jesus's eternal existence? Good question. We're starting to think that we go from cookies to 91 00:08:18,320 --> 00:08:25,520 can we are red or green eternal existence? Wow. So just or even like, what are our thoughts on that? 92 00:08:27,200 --> 00:08:32,880 When thinking in the beginning was the word, I think is comforting, comforting at some level, 93 00:08:32,880 --> 00:08:39,040 because we see God as a living word. He's effectively written existence by speaking into 94 00:08:39,040 --> 00:08:43,600 it. And so especially we go into the Christmas season, we see the birth of Jesus, right? We're 95 00:08:43,600 --> 00:08:49,120 seeing it not just like, I mean, for us is kind of beginning of the Christian story. But the story 96 00:08:49,120 --> 00:08:52,560 from the perspective of God has been from there from the very beginning that we see in Genesis. 97 00:08:52,560 --> 00:08:57,680 And it's just him kind of like that. That's the biggest chapter that I think we're currently 98 00:08:57,680 --> 00:09:02,880 the biggest chapter that I think we're currently living through right now. And that's why I think 99 00:09:02,880 --> 00:09:08,160 it's kind of the when you kind of think of it within the context of hearing him being the living 100 00:09:08,160 --> 00:09:16,080 word, it's such a big significance during Christmas. Yeah. Yeah, I would agree. Just it's 101 00:09:16,080 --> 00:09:21,360 a comforting thought, especially just what there's there's always like crazy things happening in the 102 00:09:21,360 --> 00:09:27,040 world. But just knowing that like, Jesus is always there and he's always with you. It's comforting. 103 00:09:27,040 --> 00:09:32,800 Yeah. Even like, like building on what Jessica just said, like, regardless of what's happening, 104 00:09:32,800 --> 00:09:38,960 just like his comforting words are words are timeless across all circumstances and world 105 00:09:38,960 --> 00:09:45,520 events. And it's it's almost like it's a grounding unit for a lot of us, especially as believers. So 106 00:09:45,520 --> 00:09:51,760 yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Thanks, guys. Thanks, guys. And again, another symbolic thing that John uses, 107 00:09:51,760 --> 00:09:58,160 some other words that he uses are life and light in this in this passage. And so what symbolic 108 00:09:58,160 --> 00:10:04,720 meanings sort of come to mind when we hear these words, life and light about Jesus in particular? 109 00:10:06,240 --> 00:10:11,840 I guess, like, you know, in our world, right, we're we're surrounded by so much darkness in 110 00:10:11,840 --> 00:10:20,240 the metaphorical sense, like war and suffering and poverty. And and the the illustration of light 111 00:10:20,240 --> 00:10:25,760 just represents this like washing away of this darkness. Right. And that's I guess that's 112 00:10:25,760 --> 00:10:30,880 symbolically what what Jesus is. Right. Like he is the washing away of darkness and sin. 113 00:10:30,880 --> 00:10:34,880 I love that washing away. And actually, in the Gospel of John, he uses a lot of water imagery, 114 00:10:34,880 --> 00:10:40,640 too. So I hear I love seeing that come into play. Yeah. Yeah. It makes me think of the resurrection 115 00:10:40,640 --> 00:10:48,960 story, how Jesus conquers death like he is life. Yeah. And just going on the on the darkness theme 116 00:10:48,960 --> 00:10:56,240 as well. When light comes in, it just shines on everything. And it makes me think of truth as well, 117 00:10:56,240 --> 00:11:03,600 just how light illuminates the truth, which then ties into the word. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I think 118 00:11:03,600 --> 00:11:07,360 they cover it both a lot. But I think the big thing for me in terms of life is given that, 119 00:11:07,360 --> 00:11:14,560 you know, Jesus more or less through coming through when he was born, I think that's the big part in 120 00:11:14,560 --> 00:11:21,760 terms of terms of the the context of life, that light that's there, that hope, even within the 121 00:11:21,760 --> 00:11:27,040 backdrop of what we saw last week, kind of like with how the babies were killed by Herod, there's 122 00:11:27,040 --> 00:11:32,080 that hope that Jesus is shown there. And again, filter filter prophecy, but just for his resurrection 123 00:11:32,080 --> 00:11:38,000 that he's there really bring eternal life to us. Thanks, guys. And then Rob, like he often does, 124 00:11:38,000 --> 00:11:43,200 brought up three points for us to sort of reflect on and chew on throughout this week. He suggested 125 00:11:43,200 --> 00:11:51,120 that God's gift to us, Jesus, is personal. It was his presence and it was pricey. So let's think a 126 00:11:51,120 --> 00:11:56,640 little bit about personal gifts. We sometimes think about these being more relational. So they show 127 00:11:56,640 --> 00:12:00,560 usually that we have this understanding of the other person. They're chosen specifically and 128 00:12:00,560 --> 00:12:05,600 uniquely for that individual, not like a last minute gift card that we've probably all grabbed 129 00:12:05,600 --> 00:12:11,520 off the shelf at one point or another for somebody or been the recipient of. So let's think a little 130 00:12:11,520 --> 00:12:18,640 bit about how God's gift of Jesus at Christmas time is both for everyone, but also specifically 131 00:12:18,640 --> 00:12:24,080 for you. What does that really mean to you guys? Like how do you think that's possible? 132 00:12:24,960 --> 00:12:31,760 I mean, I think, I mean, obviously it definitely means both. Like Jesus is a gift to you, 133 00:12:31,760 --> 00:12:37,920 like especially as believers and a gift to everyone, regardless of people who know that. 134 00:12:37,920 --> 00:12:44,320 People maybe are in different faiths or maybe people are agnostics or atheists. Maybe they 135 00:12:44,320 --> 00:12:50,320 don't realize it yet, but Jesus truly is a gift to everyone. And that for me resonates a lot. 136 00:12:51,920 --> 00:12:56,640 I think the relational aspect of Jesus makes it so it's very specific to you because he knows 137 00:12:56,640 --> 00:13:00,720 everyone's different on their faith journey. He knows how to make his presence known. For some 138 00:13:00,720 --> 00:13:04,880 people who've known Jesus for a long time, there's something kind of familiar with how he comes up 139 00:13:04,880 --> 00:13:08,960 in the Christmas season. Other people maybe knew the faith, like this might be the first time where 140 00:13:08,960 --> 00:13:14,480 they experience the Holy Spirit in such a visceral way. So I think that's kind of the way where, 141 00:13:14,480 --> 00:13:18,240 and I think where it's for everyone, I think that's a connection where as Christians, we 142 00:13:18,240 --> 00:13:23,760 understand kind of the basis, like feeling of how God is within your journey. So while we all have 143 00:13:23,760 --> 00:13:28,880 our individual journeys, we can still relate and kind of share our community with our faith in 144 00:13:28,880 --> 00:13:32,880 Jesus, like as Christians. So I think that's how he's able to do both at the same time. 145 00:13:32,880 --> 00:13:35,120 Mm hmm. I love that. Yeah. 146 00:13:37,040 --> 00:13:43,760 Just the fact that Jesus came to earth, came to be human, just connects both the personal and the 147 00:13:43,760 --> 00:13:50,560 fact that it's for everyone because Jesus came as a human to feel like all our personal feelings 148 00:13:50,560 --> 00:13:56,000 and what it feels like to be human and just to save everyone to be there for everyone in the world. 149 00:13:56,000 --> 00:14:01,600 Mm hmm. Yeah, it's true. It's wonderful. Thanks guys. Which one of these do you find easier to 150 00:14:01,600 --> 00:14:06,240 grasp for yourself? Do you think that Jesus is a gift for everyone or that he's a gift for you? 151 00:14:06,880 --> 00:14:12,800 I guess, I don't know, I'll say everyone. Just kind of like I mentioned before, like whether 152 00:14:12,800 --> 00:14:19,920 people realize it or not, like they will realize it at one point in their lives or even beyond that. 153 00:14:19,920 --> 00:14:26,400 So yeah, for everyone, for me. All right. Yeah, I would agree. I think it's easier for me to grasp 154 00:14:26,400 --> 00:14:34,400 that Jesus is for everyone. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So presence was the next point that Rob brought up 155 00:14:34,400 --> 00:14:39,680 for us. And as a gift, Jesus came to live and dwell among us and he used the word Emmanuel 156 00:14:39,680 --> 00:14:44,880 and that actually means God with us. What are some ways that you, maybe personally, 157 00:14:44,880 --> 00:14:50,640 or ways that you think that other people might long to experience Emmanuel, God with us? 158 00:14:51,440 --> 00:14:55,920 I think especially for people who have gone through loss around time of Christmas or like 159 00:14:55,920 --> 00:15:02,000 either in the past or even recently, you know, God can really provide that sense of comfort for them 160 00:15:02,000 --> 00:15:07,280 knowing that, you know, there's someone with them that actually cares. And especially for those who, 161 00:15:07,280 --> 00:15:11,360 you know, don't have many people with them during Christmas. I think that's a big part of it. 162 00:15:11,360 --> 00:15:15,360 And I think that's where really we as Christians as a larger community also play a big role 163 00:15:16,000 --> 00:15:20,960 in kind of acting almost as an extended family for those type of people. I love that point that we 164 00:15:20,960 --> 00:15:26,000 are the hands and feet of Christ and that we can be that Emmanuel and God with us to those other 165 00:15:26,000 --> 00:15:32,080 people. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I definitely think it's especially true in times of suffering that 166 00:15:32,640 --> 00:15:38,400 you can really feel God's presence and that he's with you because we know like through Jesus, 167 00:15:38,400 --> 00:15:44,960 God has experienced like all those depths of despair that all of humanity has experienced 168 00:15:44,960 --> 00:15:49,120 at some point in their lives. So just knowing that he's there, he's been through it. 169 00:15:49,120 --> 00:15:54,080 Mm hmm. That he understands. That's something we hear people say often. They just want someone to 170 00:15:54,080 --> 00:15:58,400 understand me. I wish I was understood and that knowing that Jesus, like you said, 171 00:15:58,400 --> 00:16:09,040 Jas, that he does know he's been there. Yeah. And so relational gifts take time, effort, energy. 172 00:16:09,040 --> 00:16:14,720 They can be costly. And again, a lot of work, more work than a gift card right off the shelf. 173 00:16:14,720 --> 00:16:22,080 Mm hmm. So in what ways, and Rob talked about it a little bit, is God's gift to us costly? 174 00:16:22,080 --> 00:16:29,360 In what ways was it costly for him? Well, I think the big one that most of us are familiar with is 175 00:16:30,080 --> 00:16:34,400 God sacrificed his life for us, right? Yeah. And when Jesus died on the cross, like, 176 00:16:35,040 --> 00:16:41,040 I don't think anyone in this room would think only once about doing something like that. So 177 00:16:41,040 --> 00:16:49,920 that, of course, was the biggest cost for him. Yeah. Yeah. That he paid that big price of his life. 178 00:16:49,920 --> 00:16:55,280 Yeah. Yeah. I think you've been touching a bit on the sermon, how his incarnation, right, he took 179 00:16:55,280 --> 00:17:00,000 on flesh. Being human is not easy. It's not like he chose an easy life either. The moment he was 180 00:17:00,000 --> 00:17:04,400 born, he was trying to kill him. And then he had to stay in obscurity for almost like 20, 30 years 181 00:17:04,400 --> 00:17:08,720 before he actually started his ministry. So it's not like he was born as a prince. He's not born as 182 00:17:08,720 --> 00:17:14,400 anyone in power. He had a leisurely life. He worked like everybody else. And then when he 183 00:17:14,400 --> 00:17:18,400 started his ministry, right, there's all this stuff that happened there. And even when he had his 184 00:17:18,400 --> 00:17:23,200 closest people as disciples trying to hammer home the lessons, like, guys, you don't know what's 185 00:17:23,200 --> 00:17:26,400 coming. You keep thinking something else is happening, right? It must be really tough for 186 00:17:26,400 --> 00:17:31,680 him having the whole picture ahead of him and everyone else missing out what was actually coming. 187 00:17:31,680 --> 00:17:36,080 And obviously you saw in the Garnet Gasset, even he was in like, you know, fully, like he was on 188 00:17:36,080 --> 00:17:40,400 board, obviously, but he still struggled with the whole aspect of the sacrifice that Jorn was talking 189 00:17:40,400 --> 00:17:47,680 about. So I think that's definitely a big part of it. Yeah, absolutely. And as we consider what it 190 00:17:47,680 --> 00:17:54,320 means to give more and put relationships first in that giving, what excites you the most? I don't 191 00:17:54,320 --> 00:17:58,960 know if you have any stories about things that you've done, maybe a gift that you've given, 192 00:17:58,960 --> 00:18:04,160 or even thinking forward into the future. What makes you feel joy when you think about this type 193 00:18:04,160 --> 00:18:11,680 of giving? Me, for me personally, I've given gifts like this before where my background is in graphic 194 00:18:11,680 --> 00:18:17,280 design. So I've been able to like Photoshop certain things for people, like humorous things 195 00:18:17,280 --> 00:18:24,320 and like memories that we've shared together. And it makes me happy knowing that like I'm about to 196 00:18:24,320 --> 00:18:29,200 put a smile on someone's face to bring up that funny memory from the past or a joke, like an 197 00:18:29,200 --> 00:18:36,800 inside joke or whatever. So it does give me more joy than giving someone like a gift card, which 198 00:18:36,800 --> 00:18:43,040 is easier. But I think it's worth it to go the extra step in the more relational gift where we 199 00:18:43,040 --> 00:18:46,480 have more in common in life. Well, that's great. You'll have to share one of those with the church. 200 00:18:48,160 --> 00:18:51,280 So if you need a last minute gift, Jordan can Photoshop something for you. 201 00:18:51,280 --> 00:19:00,400 Oh, that's fun. Yeah, I think just the thoughtfulness that goes behind these 202 00:19:00,400 --> 00:19:05,920 types of gifts and the time spent on it, like even just if you're making a gift, let's say, 203 00:19:05,920 --> 00:19:08,720 like you're knitting something. I don't know how to knit, but I wish. 204 00:19:09,920 --> 00:19:11,600 There's still time. You and me both. 205 00:19:11,600 --> 00:19:16,320 Just the time it takes to make that and like even thinking about the person as you're making that 206 00:19:16,320 --> 00:19:22,880 gift for them just makes it extra special. Yeah, I think the biggest I mean for me is kind of the 207 00:19:22,880 --> 00:19:28,080 surprise on the person's face, especially if you like really plan ahead of time. Usually if it's 208 00:19:28,800 --> 00:19:33,200 tied more to an event or you're doing something specifically with them, it's their surprise that 209 00:19:33,200 --> 00:19:37,040 comes from that. I think really, you know, it's home that you've done a good job. 210 00:19:38,480 --> 00:19:40,640 Preferably like happy surprise, not bad surprise. 211 00:19:40,640 --> 00:19:40,880 Right. 212 00:19:40,880 --> 00:19:47,120 Right. Jesse drew me a Kermit face on one of my birthday cards and there's just an inside joke 213 00:19:47,120 --> 00:19:51,600 about that and I just I howled like opening that card. So can we consider that to be a good 214 00:19:51,600 --> 00:19:56,560 surprise? Oh, absolutely. Oh, so much better than a Hallmark card. 215 00:19:58,080 --> 00:20:00,320 All right. So Jesse can draw you a card, everybody. 216 00:20:02,800 --> 00:20:07,520 So we talked about what excites you most, but then we did talk about this being costly and pricey 217 00:20:07,520 --> 00:20:12,560 in some way or another. So what about giving relationally do you think is the biggest 218 00:20:12,560 --> 00:20:18,960 challenge for you? Because let's face it, not all of the gifts that we've given have had that 219 00:20:18,960 --> 00:20:26,000 heartfelt, I guess, that meaning behind them. So what do you think is third of the biggest challenge? 220 00:20:26,560 --> 00:20:31,200 Personally, I oh, no, no, you're the first. OK, I personally I was going to say a time. 221 00:20:31,200 --> 00:20:36,800 Time is one of the most valuable resources on planet on the planet because we don't get it back. 222 00:20:36,800 --> 00:20:43,360 So, you know, investing time to make a relational gift, I argue it's worth it, but it is it is 223 00:20:43,360 --> 00:20:48,160 costly in that sense, especially as we find ourselves probably increasingly busy, at least 224 00:20:48,160 --> 00:20:53,920 in society, right? Getting busier, more demands on our plates. Yeah, absolutely. It's kind of 225 00:20:53,920 --> 00:20:58,560 tied to time, but it's kind of like it depends how long you know the person because it's almost like 226 00:20:58,560 --> 00:21:02,640 it's almost like a lot of diminished returns. At some point you start running out of ideas. 227 00:21:03,840 --> 00:21:07,440 And you're the better you give them the gift, the more you kind of feel like you have to one up 228 00:21:07,440 --> 00:21:12,000 the what you've done already. So it's just a matter of like you want to show you've put enough effort, 229 00:21:12,000 --> 00:21:16,640 but the same for you're not sure what you can do that's quite different enough to make sure 230 00:21:16,640 --> 00:21:21,280 you have the same level of impact. Right. So there's some uniqueness here. So not just time, 231 00:21:21,280 --> 00:21:27,760 but there's a creativity factor. Yeah, that makes sense. Anything else? I agree with the time. 232 00:21:27,760 --> 00:21:34,080 Just finding and setting aside the time to make something intentionally. Yeah. And I don't think 233 00:21:34,080 --> 00:21:39,520 it necessarily has to be in making something like you said, for example, getting the Taylor Swift 234 00:21:39,520 --> 00:21:45,280 tickets. I assume it wasn't just one ticket. No, it was two. Right. So they're spending time together 235 00:21:45,280 --> 00:21:50,960 too. I think for me, other than those three different reasons that you suggested, also 236 00:21:50,960 --> 00:21:57,680 sometimes worrying or a fear that it's not going to land in a good way or it might not turn out 237 00:21:57,680 --> 00:22:03,680 great or I saw Sally's sweaters, but I, you know, I couldn't make something like that. So is it good 238 00:22:03,680 --> 00:22:07,760 enough to give that person? And then I think sometimes we have to remember that it is the 239 00:22:07,760 --> 00:22:12,880 meaning that if someone were to give something to you, it's more about the thought necessarily 240 00:22:12,880 --> 00:22:17,920 than always about the actual outcome. It's like when your kid makes a macaroni necklace and you 241 00:22:17,920 --> 00:22:23,600 put it on the fridge and you don't criticize the child for missing a macaroni noodle on the necklace. 242 00:22:23,600 --> 00:22:28,560 You thank them for that because they thought about you and they made that gift. That's right. They 243 00:22:28,560 --> 00:22:35,200 took the time to do that. No, it's very true. So thanks guys for those questions. And I just 244 00:22:35,200 --> 00:22:39,760 want to, yeah, thank you for joining me. And I'm not sure if you've taken the time to go to the 245 00:22:39,760 --> 00:22:45,680 website yet, but we do have some resources on, if you go to the Christmas tab and click Advent 246 00:22:45,680 --> 00:22:50,640 Conspiracy, there are, I think there's five different sections of different types of relational gifts 247 00:22:50,640 --> 00:22:55,680 that you can give this Christmas. Some take longer than others, some great ideas out there. 248 00:22:55,680 --> 00:23:00,320 So if you still have some people on your last minute shopping list to give to, feel free to 249 00:23:00,320 --> 00:23:04,640 take a look at that. And I'd encourage everyone else to as well here in Trinity. So I just want 250 00:23:04,640 --> 00:23:20,640 to thank you. Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas.