Me, Myself and Boundless
by Candice Watters on 12/05/2009 at 3:19 PM
Me, Myself and Boundless, that was the clever title Ted gave to his imagined autobiography during yesterday's Boundless christmas party and specifically, a rousing game of Loaded Questions.
Lisa brought the game, a fantastic curried cheese dip and a special guest: big-time Boundless fan Jesse Pohle. He flew to town to record a podcast (to air in the coming weeks) and since he was in town, joined us for our annual Christmas soiree.
Speaking of visitors, Santa himself made an appearance. (That's the big man with Jesse and Lisa.)
After we all took turns sitting on his knee, and trying again to get a good shot for the Christmas card, Steve thanked the team for what was a remarkable year. In the midst of so much down-turn, Boundless readership was up 15%. Well, dear readers, we have you to thank for that!
We would have loved to welcome each of you to our party this year. Next year, how about if you bring the cheese dip?
1. John said the following at 6:25 PM on Dec 5:
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Santa?
2. Rachael said the following at 6:51 PM on Dec 5:
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Thank you for your hard work, Boundless contributors!!
You repeatedly put your hearts 'on the line' :).
If I were in your shoes, I think I'd at times feel emotionally burdened if I were to read adverse responses.
An emotional burden I wouldn't want to bear :)
I'd also feel emotionally burdened or motivated to be a better person, which could be a good thing.
(You guys) being 'public' or 'famous' (well, among your faithful readers, at least) must bring with it the responsibility of building better character.
Of course, we should all strive to be better people, but I'd guess there might be more weight on some of your shoulders because of the candid writing. At least, I think I'd feel more pressure in that department; perhaps I'd frequently think:... is this going to end up in an article or post? :)
Thanks for all you do & have a WONDERFUL Christmas.
3. Michelle said the following at 8:21 PM on Dec 5:
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I would love to come! :) Thank you, Boundless, for all you do to minister to us. I am extremely grateful for your willingness to spend time and energy pouring into us truth, encouragement, and hope. I have benefited so much from this ministry!
Merry Christmas!
4. Chris said the following at 10:50 AM on Dec 6:
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Which one of the Boundless staff is taking these photos? They all came out really nice, especially the one with the holly berries.
5. Ruth from Toronto said the following at 11:26 AM on Dec 6:
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I love Loaded Questions! What a great game - really helps you get to know your friends better.
Thanks Boundless for so many years of speaking into my life.
I started reading when I was in my early teens and continued right through high school and university. Now it's more a blessing to me than ever as a grad student experiencing the loneliness of living away from home.
Thanks for your faithfulness and encouragement.
6. Kathleen said the following at 12:06 PM on Dec 6:
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"In the midst of so much down-turn, Boundless readership was up 15%."
I also track site traffic for a project I'm assisting with, so I'm interested in performance metrics for websites and how they relate to key success markers. Is that readership based on unique hits, unique visitors, time spent, etc? And how does a readership increase relate to key success markers? For instance, an increase in sheer posts wouldn't necessarily mean more visitors.
Sorry if these seem like odd questions for your holiday-party post, but it's a topic I'm interested in.
7. Leigh said the following at 2:12 PM on Dec 6:
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I need food now.. the pictures looked too good!
8. farmer Tom said the following at 3:24 PM on Dec 6:
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Not a big fan of Satanclaus myself.
I prefer to give respect to the one True God, who is able to know whether we are "naughty or nice", as well as judging us in the final judgment.
It perturbs me that Satanclaus is credited with all of the attributes of Jesus Christ.
Your mileage may vary, I'm certainly not deeply concerned about it, if you wish to have Satanclaus as part of your Xmas celebration, you're welcome to do so, just don't complain to me when he gets his ample posterior stuck in your chimney.
9. Rebekah in Socal said the following at 6:38 PM on Dec 6:
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John #1
Yes Santa! Who better than the "patron saint of single ladies" to have at the Boundless Christmas Party?
Listen to 2008 Christmas podcasts (those should be in the high 40's-low 50's). According to legend, Nicholas provided dowries for several poor young women enabling the couples to wed.
10. Carol said the following at 9:35 PM on Dec 6:
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Farmer Tom, you make me smile. I also call Satan Claus by his real name on occasion. I just do it to see people's reactions more than anything. It's funny how far some will go to defend a mythical creature. (OK, I realize there was a real Nicholas, but I'm positive he did not live at the North Pole or have 8 tiny reindeer.)
11. Caiti said the following at 10:48 PM on Dec 6:
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soiree is such an elegant sounding word!
12. Eddie Ssemakula said the following at 5:12 AM on Dec 7:
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I will represent the Ugandan readers unless they say otherwise.
You guys have changed my life. Words will disrob all I want to say.
God has really used you.
13. farmer Tom said the following at 6:04 AM on Dec 7:
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Some people even get angry when you suggest that Jesus coming again might be more real than Santa coming.
Church Sign
And just exactly who's messed up in that scenario?
14. DannieA said the following at 6:52 AM on Dec 7:
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There are a couple of stories of Nicholas....One was the story of him providing dowries for the ladies...another is that there was a boy in a small town named Nicholas who lost his family one Christmas and he was shifted from home to home in the village as he was the "village's child"....when he switched homes, he would leave a carving of an animal or a toy carving for the kids of that house that he had stayed at....once he was grown he would come in the middle of the night and leave a carving for each child.
Santa isn't an evil figure, yes he's been altered quite a lot, but the symbol of Santa is one of giving...which maybe we should take good note on.
cheers....Santa makes an appearance at our house Christmas Eve at our family gatherings.....BUT not after our Christmas pageant that the kids and some of us participate in within our family....
15. Esther said the following at 6:56 AM on Dec 7:
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I've been intending to drop by here and leave a note...this seems the perfect place to do so:
I know that Boundless is dedicated to the young and single. But as a mom and also a widow, I enjoy the podcasts and blogs as much (or maybe even more!) than my children (one of whom is now happily married, with help from all Boundless' great articles!)
Mostly I listen to the podcasts while driving or cleaning, and I appreciate the youthful freshness of the hosts and subjects, yet the serious and scripturally sound subject matter, which is also important to me because I hope one day to remarry.
I hope it blesses you to know that "older" (50-ish) people enjoy this blog and the podcasts, too. Thanks for all you do.
16. Candice Watters said the following at 9:35 AM on Dec 7:
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Wow, thank you all so much for taking the time to drop notes of encouragement! What a blessing you all are to us!!
Farmer Tom, lighten up--Santa's married to the Boundless Team's assistant!! He's a godly man and a delight and he was a guest on a past podcast.
Chris (4), thanks. The photographer is yours truly. I'd do that full time if I didn't have other things on my plate! ;)
17. Jason said the following at 10:17 AM on Dec 7:
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I can honestly say that this is the first time I've ever heard the term "Satan Claus" in my 30 years.
Wow.
18. Alison said the following at 10:33 AM on Dec 7:
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Boundless you give me the confidence as a single woman to keep looking and stay positive.
I actually wish that some of you guys would try and get published in some secular publications. Outside the Christian community there isn't much discussion about abstinence. Its so disheartening the lies that young people are told about relationships.
I just think it would be great to see Candice write an editorial for New York Times!
19. farmer Tom said the following at 11:43 AM on Dec 7:
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Hey, it wasn't me that brought it up!!! :(
Blame John.
However, I do in fact have problems with describing a fictional character with the very same attributes as the very Son of God, Jesus Christ. As long as we all understand that Satanclaus is a big joke, used for the express purpose of lying to our children about the fact that we actually bought them presents, have your fun. I'm not a fascist, I'm not going to try to force you not to have Satanclaus at your Xmas celebration.
But, when you start pretending Satanclaus is real, and that he in fact does have powers of omnipotence, omniscience, etc, I'm going to call it heresy, cause that's the way I see it.
BTW, maybe that would be a good poll question of your Boundless readers.
20. Alison said the following at 1:04 PM on Dec 7:
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"Reason is the natural order of truth; but imagination is the organ of meaning"
C.S. Lewis
21. IMO said the following at 1:05 PM on Dec 7:
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"Is Satanclaus a useful thing for believers in Jesus Christ to include in their Christmas tradition?"
Maybe some people can tell their children where the idea of Santa Claus came from.
I hear the story on Moody Radio every year.
There's a website that popped up from my google search:
http://www.stnicholascenter.org/Brix?pageID=23
22. Loris said the following at 2:08 PM on Dec 7:
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All right, farmer Tom, I'll take a nibble on your question. I don't particularly care about the current incarnation of Santa Claus, which evolved from the "Twas the Night Before Christmas" poem and early 1900's Coca-Cola ads. However, I really like the legends surrounding the historical Nicholas. I have no problem with the idea of an elderly clergyman leaving gifts for impoverished children or dowries for poor girls, which could fall under the modern definition of breaking and entering. Of course, in those days it was probably just entering as locks were probably not that great.
I've always understood that the tradition of giving gifts is to emulate the Wise Men. St. Nicholas was emulating the Wise Men and additionally caring for the poor. I don't see an issue with saying, "Though Jesus was most likely born in the spring, this is a symbolic day we celebrate His birth. The Wise Men gave him gifts. Then a man named Nicholas started giving gifts to the poor secretly in honor of Jesus. So, like St. Nicholas, we give gifts to our loved ones and to charity to honor Jesus' birth."
My dad loves to ask me what I think Santa brought me. He's of a certain age, and grew up in an unbelieving household. Mom has always rolled a tolerant eye because they made sure I knew from an early age that Santa Claus is pretty much just a poem, St. Nicholas was an admirable real person, and Jesus is the focus of the holiday.
I do think the term "Satanclaus" is going overboard. Sure, protest the secular materialism of what should be a spiritual holiday. But that's a very heavy-handed treatment when the origin of the legend is actually something quite praiseworthy.
Sorry if any part of what I said isn't too coherent. My mileage varies on how well my brain is working. Having some thyroid treatments, and while I'm being medicated, the stuff I'm on has a very slow, cumulative effect, and I'm nowhere near normal yet.
23. Tammy said the following at 3:16 PM on Dec 8:
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How did this become a debate on Santa Claus?
Boundless, I only discovered you this year, but how I wish I had discovered you sooner! As a 27 year old single woman waiting for a godly husband and battling loneliness in this crazy sinful world, Boundless is sometimes the only thing that reminds me that I'm not alone, I'm not crazy, and that other people think and feel like I do. Thanks for all the great insight, advice, and points to ponder!
24. Jo said the following at 12:18 AM on Dec 9:
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"How did this become a debate on Santa Claus?"
As soon as I saw Santa in the photo, I KNEW it was going to happen. :)
farmer Tom, I know you like to use your own names for people/things, but it seems odd that you'd go for the unambiguous 'satan claus' when you say yourself that you don't have particularly strong feelings against the character. I assume you do have fairly strong feelings against Satan, so why mix the two?