Advent blessings to you all.

It was a conversation among your Real Time (high school) youth on Sunday that revealed what they and we really need. The need is time. When speaking about Christmas trees, presents, and the gifts that they might be receiving this Christmas, they expressed that the best Christmas gift they could receive is to have time. They longed for unrushed time with their parents and families. A couple of our young people who have a beloved grandmother in Florida in the last lap or two of her life longed for more time with her and grieved the lack of recent time because of the distance.

Gary Chapman, in his bestselling book, The 5 Love Languages, named "time" as one of the languages. In other words, if "time" is your primary love language, then someone spending time with you is saying to you that he or she loves you and values you. Several years ago I led a couples' retreat where we used Chapman's work. Of the five languages - words, time, touch, acts of service, and receiving gifts - the most frequently named love language was "time." It was also interesting that the least favored love language was "receiving gifts." Our youth were telling us in our setting on Sunday that it is the same for them. Read more