Reflections from “The Christmas Shoes”
Christmas is just around the corner and two events this past week heightened my appreciation of this special holiday. Obviously, as a pastor, I still highly esteem the purpose of our celebration—the birth of Christ. But I also value the culturally recognized importance of gathering as family. Yes, it can be a busy, draining, and stressful time, but it also continues to serve as a catalyst for family connections.
The first event this week was hearing the song, “The Christmas Shoes” by Newsong. It’s quickly become a Christmas classic and was so uplifting that it even inspired a full length movie. This week was the first time I’ve heard it this season, and as it does each year, it brought me to tears, reflecting on “What Christmas is all about.”
The second event was connecting with Pastor Wayne Presnell from Nashville, TN. We became acquainted as Pastor Wayne quoted from an article I wrote for Leadership in Fall, 2006 on his blog entry for 8/28/2011. My Leadership article was, “Observing a Pastor’s Grief” as I described events at my first church as a youth pastor from March 10, 1989. I’d been at the church for just four months when the senior pastor’s wife and three children were killed in a car accident. That was my first funeral as a pastor. Melissa drove safely on a country road as two cars of high schoolers chased each other at estimated speeds of 75-90 mph. Attempting to pass the other, one car hit Melissa head on, also killing two passengers in the high schooler’s car. It became more dramatic for my wife and me as she worked in intensive care at the local hospital and helped nurse back to health the only survivor—and the one who caused the accident.
Now, we’re parents with two young drivers and a third who will soon join them. We’ve learned to try and value each day, as none of us knows the future. And I’m especially thankful for Christmas—the meaningful holiday that causes our culture to slow down, reconnect with family, and reflect on what’s really important.

