In Search of a Nickname...

I think of Jesus’ name, which means He Saves, and His other name, Emmanuel, which means God With Us. The names were chosen because of who He would be on Earth, centered in His identity and the role that God had ordained for Him.

My given name, Erin, means peace, peacemaker. I’ve always taken it as a personal charge, in a manner of speaking to live up to my name, to pursue peace and to do all in my power to live in peace with others. My parents chose it because it fit well with Eric, my brother’s name, and it was easy to spell. Sometimes, I think of it, though, as if God ordained it for me, that He chose it as a primary part of who He created me to be.

I have to tell you, I was never really into nicknames. I always thought they were silly and childish. My mom used to call me Sissy all the time… it drove me crazy! She’s probably the only person that could get away with calling me by that name; for anyone else, it was fighting words. The rest of my family always called me Erin Leigh, and for the most part, they still do. I know I’m home when I get both names. No other nicknames ever really stuck.

Sometimes I think it would be cool to have a good nickname. I hear friends tell the stories of how they came up with nicknames, about how friends affectionately played off a strength or a quirk, or a funny story. When they share the stories, the name seems rooted in a common past, in the deep roots of many years spent together, different seasons of life, and a deep knowledge and appreciation of the person. The name almost seems to denote a bond, a special connection that is not always obvious to others, like an inside secret that is only revealed to close friends and acquaintances. Sometimes there is a nickname without a story, a name that just caught on. But usually, there is something behind the name… something more.

Maybe that’s what I want, the something more, a name rooted in what other people see in me. Something funny, something meaningful, something quirky… something that says this is me, unapologetically me, given to me by people who unexplainably accept me, for me, quirks and all. Just as I sometimes picture my given name as specially chosen by God, sometimes I think it would be cool to have a name specially chosen by my friends, by the people who know me the best; I think it would be nice to know what they see in me, what defining quality or quirk sets me apart from all the other Erins (or Aarons) in the world.

So, here’s my question, friends… what should my name be? What nickname would you give me and what would it say about who I am?

A Spark Igniting...

It was an ordinary day with ordinary tasks. Students were busy working away, trying to survive the craziness of finals week. We were discussing the latest SGA meeting and talking about their upcoming events like Sister Weekend and Dad’s Night. Conversation shifted to next semester, and then it happened – like a spark that just caught flame.

She told us about the email that students received, about the impending state budget cuts that threatened tuition grants, that threatened the money used to pay her tuition and that of many other students. But what can she do? She asks. The question hung in the air… What can she do? What can one student upset about a state decision do?

Then another student joined in, “I can’t come back next semester without the grant money.” Then another student chimed, “I’ll owe over a thousand dollars.” As student after student joined in the conversation, something magical happened. The conversation turned again to what can one do? But then it shifted to “What can we do?” They started to realize the power of many, the power of their voice. A petition began almost immediately and talks of organizing a march on the state capital followed suit. The spark ignited and as students dispersed, they took their anger and turned it into power, the power to affect change.

We talk about leadership not as the position you hold, but rather the difference you make. This week, I have seen some students get excited about making a difference, working for change for themselves, for their classmates, for fellow college students across the state.

So many times, I hear people talk about apathy in young people. Sometimes we label it apathy because they don’t come to our events or do things that we think they should. We think it’s apathy because they aren’t motivated by the same things that motivated us, or connect to others in the same ways we connected.

But I don’t see apathy. I see students who care very deeply, who want to make their mark on the world, and to leave the world a bit better. I see students who have a spark inside of them waiting to catch flame, waiting to be inspired, waiting for that catalyst to unleash their potential, waiting for a reason to get off the sidelines and get into the action.

For some of these students, the waiting is over; the call to action is now. And it is so exciting to see that passion in them, to see them realize that they do have a voice and can use that voice for good. It’s the voice of generations of students before them and the voice of generations to follow. It’s the voice of hope and the cry for a better future.

I am proud to be a part of that, to be a supportive voice cheering them on. I support their cause, and hope they win. Even if they don’t, though, finding that voice in themselves and in each other is a far more important and long-lasting victory.

Becoming a Scrooge This Christmas

As many of you know, this year has been a challenging one for me. It has been exhausting and emotionally draining in so many ways. It has been hard. And with the coming of the Christmas season, I have struggled to get into the Christmas spirit. Sometimes I think it would be easier to get rid of all the gifts and parties and eating. Sometimes I wish I could get rid of all the noise and distractions, the shopping and the planning and particularly the shameless materialism.


What’s the point anyway of giving gifts when people often prefer gift cards? What’s the point of giving, when people give you their wish lists and tell you what to get them? What’s the point of giving when it all seems caught up in stuff? Sometimes I just start to wonder the reason behind it all.

And then I remember the reason behind it all - to celebrate the greatest gift of all, God choosing to become one of us - Emmanuel, God With Us. Suddenly all the other gifts and wish lists and parties seem to fade. All that is left is love, abundant love, extravagant love, God’s extravagant love for us given to us, first in the newborn baby Jesus and then in allowing that only beloved son to die for us. His extravagant love made a way for us to have life, eternal life and abundant life.

When I meditate on that love, I can’t help but think I want to be a Scrooge this Christmas – not the way he was at the beginning of the story, but the way he was at the end, with a heart full of Christmas, celebrating a second chance, overflowing with joy and thankfulness for all the real “gifts” in his life. I think about the woman who broke the alabaster box at Jesus’ feet and lavished the expensive perfume on Him in an incredible act of worship (John 12:1-3). I think I want to find a way to be like that this Christmas.

Beyond everything else, I want to find a way to lavishly worship, to extravagantly pour out my love to Him and for Him. I suspect that kind of worship doesn’t require money or parties or food. It probably doesn’t even require a tree or decorations, even though those are nice. I suspect that all it requires a willing and open heart, a heart full of God’s love for me and overflowing with His joy, His hope, His peace.

Wow, I suddenly feel a little more ready to celebrate Christmas…maybe even “scrooge-like.”

As Tiny Tim says, “May God bless us everyone!” May He bless us as we worship Him this Christmas season.

Merry Christmas!

Learning to sweat the small stuff

There are so many strategies (and a very popular book) that exists to help us learn how to not sweat the small stuff, how to keep all the mundane details of life from overwhelming us, how to de-stress and focus on what’s really important. And it’s true, sometimes the insignificant things in our daily lives weigh us down, frustrate us, and seem to be completely frustrating.

I had one of those kind of days yesterday. I walk in the door to our office suite after the long Thanksgiving holiday only to discover a fuse had shorted out, cutting off the power to the refrigerator, shutting down the computer network across campus, and to make matters worse, disabling the coffee pot for the morning. After my boss cleaned out the freezer, and the IT people restored connectivity… I discovered the day was just beginning. The network outage screwed up the links in our newly implemented online course evaluations and all the links had to be re-done manually; my classroom door was locked; my co-instructor didn’t show up; the computer didn’t work in class… and before I knew it, the day was just mildly chaotic (and that’s an understatement). Go ahead, laugh... I know you want to!

As the day’s events started to pile on, I lamented the lack of an office door to shut the world out and recover in peace and solitude. Students came by all happy about the impending end of the semester, all excited to share about their breaks, all peppy wanting to hear about mine. One by one, I blew them off and ignored them. One by one I tried to explain that it was a bad time, that I needed to focus and to re-group, that I would catch up with them later.

Then, it happened. Two of my co-workers were out shopping for a project they were working on and they returned with peppermint milkshakes from Chick-Fil-A. Wow, those are good shakes! And words cannot express how much that small act made a difference in my day. It was a small and unexpected act of kindness that quickly became the bright spot in my day, for sure. It didn’t even phase me when I went on to spill some of said milkshake on my dry clean only, nice dress pants. Maybe I even just smiled at that point.

Yes, sometimes it is easy to be overwhelmed by all the small stuff of life. But as I was thinking about my day later, I also began to wonder if sometimes life isn’t in the small stuff. Maybe life is not always about the big picture and the big tasks that God gives us to do. Maybe sometimes it is more about the little stuff, how we handle (or don’t handle) all the little mishaps along the way; maybe it is about the little celebrations and acts of kindness that we do for others that truly demonstrate our faithfulness and our heart.

I look back at the chaotic events of yesterday, and I realize how quickly I became caught up in everything that happened to me, how quickly I abandoned the conversations and joys that I have with students. And then I also realized how much of a difference the small but thoughtful act by my coworkers made in my day. And I wonder who made the most difference. That’s an easy answer.

I want to learn to sweat the small stuff… to be faithful in the small stuff, to be thoughtful and compassionate, to show God’s love in small ways, just as much as in the larger positions and service that I do.

“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with very much, and whoever is dishonest with very little, will also be dishonest with very much.” – Luke 16:10 NIV