The www.SpiritualDisciplines.org
Christmas Newsletter from the Don Whitney Family
Christmas greetings from the Whitney family! Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Reversing the usual order of my newsletter, I'll start with family news and conclude this brief piece with ministry information, including a bulletin insert on "Ten Questions to Ask at a Christmas Gathering."
I'm wrapping up the process of grading finals and wrapping up gifts. Regarding the grades, I'm spending a lot of time in front of the woodstove this week with fountain pens of various colors, grading—or, as my Canadian and British friends would say, "marking"—papers. I'm putting the finishing touches on the toughest semester of teaching in my nine years as a seminary professor. Most of the difficulty involved the process of preparing my Worship Leadership class for video recording. People—whether those seeking academic credits or auditors simply wanting to learn—will watch the class sessions over the Internet this spring. But a lot more was involved than simply teaching my class in front of a camera. (By the way, if you're interested in the class, you may get more information at http://www.mbts.edu/s2_online_education.asp or by calling 800-944-6287 and asking about classes online.)
Regarding the gifts I'm wrapping, don't tell Caffy and Laurelen, but each is getting a vintage fountain pen that I got on eBay and restored myself. Pen restoration is a new skill I've been learning this year. Those who know me well know that unlike Caffy, I'm a disaster when it comes to skilled work with my hands. Other than athletics and amateur calligraphy, I've just never been able to "get it" when it comes to dexterous handwork. I've often joked that it's a good thing the Lord called me to preach; otherwise I might starve to death! So learning to take a useless, non-functioning, scarred old fountain pen and turning it into a shiny writing instrument that works as well as it did fifty or a hundred years ago has been very satisfying.
Speaking of the girls, Caffy has also completed the grades for the high school art class she taught in a Christian school and for the "Personal Spiritual Disciplines" class she taught on Tuesday nights to student wives at the seminary. She also just finished a marvelous oil portrait commissioned by a family member as a Christmas present. It causes me to give glory to God to see how He has given such skill to people to make such beautiful things. Laurelen turns ten the day after Christmas. Hard to believe. She wasn't even two when we moved to Kansas City. She sang "What Child Is This?" so sweetly at our church's Christmas sing on a Sunday night earlier this month. Sledding with friends after a seven-inch snowfall here last week has been one of the highlights of the month for her so far.
We thank the Lord for each other, for family and friends, and for you who pray for us. These are all gifts from Him "who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy" (1 Timothy 6:17). Most of all, "Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift," the Lord Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 9:15).
Here's a new bulletin insert you may find helpful when you gather with family or others this Christmas season. Many of us struggle to make conversation at Christmas gatherings, whether church events, work-related parties, neighborhood drop-ins, or annual family occasions. Sometimes our difficulty lies in having to chat with people we rarely see or have never met. At other times we simply don't know what to say to those with whom we feel little in common. Moreover, as Christians we want to take advantage of the special opportunities provided by the Christmas season to share our faith, but are often unsure how to begin. Here's a list of questions designed not only to kindle a conversation in almost any Christmas situation, but also to take the dialogue gradually to a deeper level. Use them in a private conversation or as a group exercise, with believers or unbelievers, with strangers or with family. To read or download the bulletin insert, Ten Questions to Ask at a Christmas Gathering,go to the homepage and click on "Bulletin Inserts."
FamilyLife Today has scheduled Don's five, thirty-minute interviews on Ten Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health for nationwide broadcast on January 5-9. To find the station nearest you that broadcasts FamilyLife Today, as well as the time the program airs, go to http://www.familylife.com/fltoday/stations_search.asp.
For those of you in the New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania area, a five-station network for "America's Keswick" plans to air interviews with Don daily on January 26-30. For information about the stations and times where you can hear these interviews, go to http://www.gospelcom.net/keswick/KeswickToday.shtml.
The Founders Study Center is offering an online, audio course for ministers on "Maintaining Your Spiritual Health." The course is based upon Don's Ten Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health book. Those enrolled in the class will hear ten lectures Don recorded in the summer. Registration is open until February 20. More information is available http://study.founders.org.
May the Lord greatly bless you this Christmas season!