Merry Christmas Everybody!

The year 2005 will go down as a year forever etched in our minds as a great year. Why? Need you even ask? I’ll tell you in three simple words: Jesus rose again. I bet you were expecting something like “James was born,” or “James Michael Barnes,” or “we became parents,” which, I’m not denying is true, but knowing that Jesus rose again makes every year a great year and every day a great day.

I know you looked at the picture of James first. Don’t we all go for the picture, first thing? But I want you to look at that picture again and think about how the Bible says in Genesis 1:27 that we are created in the image of God himself. What better reflection of God’s image than that of a baby?

The thing about babies, you see, is their total lack of worldliness. Don’t worry. I won’t turn this into a debate about the inherent goodness or badness of mankind. That’s not my place or purpose in this letter. But I will ask you to pause and think about the last time you trusted someone as wholeheartedly as a baby trusts his or her parents.

Having James, or more accurately, being blessed with James this past summer has been indescribably awesome. It is a huge responsibility to be trusted as much as James trusts us. For everything: food, shelter, cleanliness, warmth, entertainment, we are it for him. And being everything for him is more than worth the exhaustion you experience when you’re a parenting-newbie.

We are truly blessed to have a young baby and see God’s love reflected to us every day in the things James learns every day. Here’s where I can brag about James a little bit. He was born on July 19, 2005, which makes him between 4.5 to 5 months old, depending on when I get these mailed out. He’s just started rolling over without trapping his arms in awkward places and can sit up unassisted for about 45 seconds before he bites the blanket (I thought about typing the word dust and then figured you would think me a bad mom for letting him sit somewhere dusty), literally, yes, he bites the blanket. Everything he touches goes into his mouth. Babies are like that. He has no teeth yet, and even no sign of any forthcoming, so don’t go jumping to conclusions! And he weighs a hefty ~19 pounds, so we’re getting a workout just carrying him to and fro. Speaking of fro’s, it’s too bad his Santa hat is covering up his hair. The boy has hair! Lots of it! And curly, too!

Having a baby boy, especially with the quickly approaching Christmas season, I am constantly thinking about what Mary must have experienced with baby Jesus. This Christmas is likely to be our most intense Christmas ever as we reflect on Christ’s birth and divine purpose. I am praying that you will spend some time thinking about that as well. Jesus was born for you, just like He lived for you and died for you and rose again for you. All the other things I could write in a Christmas letter are trivial and selfish. Please take the time this holiday season to think about the reason for the celebration.