'SWAAAAAAG!!! Stuff We All Get' -Michael Scott, The
Office.
It's coming. For those of you who have known me longer
than a year, you know about a special day that is coming up
this weekend. My rapidly-growing good friend Nathan is
having his annual birthday party where he gives presents to
everyone else and no one brings anything for him. That's
right. Nope - you heard me correctly. On his birthday, he
has a better time giving stuff to all of his friends than
receiving stuff from others. Last year was a special
experience for me (and you can read about it here) and
I'm looking forward to it all over again. I only hope that
there is no snowstorm this time and that I'm in a bit of
a better mental place. (It's also only a 50 minute drive
this year as opposed to the 6-hour hellish one last year).
I was able to have a good chat with my friend Nathan on
the phone the other day as I asked him a few specific
questions about why he feels the need to do what he
does on his birthday. He basically stated that a lot of
it has to do with 'tithing'. Nathan feels that if money
is given to a church, sometimes you don't always know
where it goes (i.e. that 10% you've been scraping aside
for a year ends up being used on the purchase of a new
leather couch in the front foyer or a new crystal
fountain...but that was never made clear to you). He
also basically stated 'If I can't give to my friends and the
people who support me, how can I possibly give to a
church or call myself a follower of Jesus?'
SWAG night approaches. I have to remember, though,
that it ain't just SWAG - it's the chance to hang out
with a friend..and someone who is making a difference.
