Write About Jesus Workshop

DECEMBER 23 - I came across today’s song by accident as I was listening to some other songs and my iTunes played it. Honestly it felt like God tapping me on the shoulder and saying, “Don’t forget this one.” It brand new to this Advent calendar.

Something like that happens with Christmas every year for me. I think I’m all ready. I’ve got my list of last minute things I need to do as the final countdown begins. And it all seems “do-able.” Until… a get a notice that a gift I’m giving won’t be here until January 9th. And a package for “an unknown recipient” is waiting for me at my apartment’s package room. And I remember that I need to make at least one trip to my storage unit, and to the bank, and to the nail salon… and of course, I haven’t wrapped anything. Suddenly my well-ordered Christmas plan has become crazy again.

I am an incurable list maker. I live by lists. I’m constantly coming across lists I’ve made of my plans. The thing is, God’s list doesn’t always match up with mine. In fact, it almost never does.

On His list for me today is

1. Stop and remember to spend time being grateful.
2. Pray for the people you’ve promised to pray for.
3. Don’t let sacred moments pass by unnoticed.
4. Worship the One who is the only one worthy of it.

During the month of December, at the top of my list each day is “Post the advent calendar song.” So here we go.

“He has come to heal the broken
Let blinded eyes be opened
In the power of His name
Love will be his invitation
Welcome liberalion
Our God has come to save.

Glory to the newborn king!”

DECEMBER 18 - The past few months my timeline has been filled with videos of babies doing remarkable things and carrying on grownup conversations. They’re all created with AI, of course, but they can be entertaining the first few times you see one of them. Once it’s clear that they’re all fake, I kind of have zero interest in them. The end result of all the fake stuff is that I have almost no faith in anything I see or hear online anymore. Beside, babies and little kids are incredible enough all on their own, don’t you think? (I have videos of my two little “greats” that prove it, just ask me.)

I can’t help wondering what kind of baby Jesus was. Was He an easy baby? You kind of imagine he would be content and not fussy, but I can’t say for sure. (Maybe that’s why that line in “Away In A Manger” that says, “The little Lord Jesus, no crying He makes” has been rewritten.)

It’s fine to be curious about this, but I don’t think we “need” to know. Maybe that’s the reason the Bible tells us that Mary spent a lot of time ”pondering” everything that happened. not giving interviews about it.

Several years ago when Tim Lovelace was writing a Christmas musical for Daywind, he and Lee asked me to help them write a song from Mary’s viewpoint about what that first Christmas night might have been like. I couldn’t be in Nashville with the guys, but it really didn’t matter once we got started. Writing “Holding Her Baby Boy,” a song where we just did our best to imagine what Mary thought and felt that holy night when Jesus came into the world, was an amazing experience I will always remember, resulting in a song I will always be grateful to be part of.