Our 2010 Christmas Letter

Dear Beloved Reader,

This is the 2010 Nelson family Christmas letter, written (mostly) by me, Elliot. Well, there’s no time for pithy introductions. Let’s get down to business.

Emily is in 10th grade and finds that school is no longer usually miserable. She continues horseback riding and was especially excited to take her horse Coda for a gallop on a cross country course. In the past few months Emily has also discovered the band “Needtobreathe,” which she describes as “fun, with lots of catchy tunes.” When asked about her life, Emily observed “I like to make things and I think I like to do stuff.” Emily is a fashion expert and has designed her own unique dress. Thus, we ask her:
--Interview Question: Emily, rank the 5 Nelsons in terms of the quality of their clothing and style.
--Emily: “Me first...[long pause]...I guess mom is next, Jeremy sort of knows how to put himself together but I don’t like his sporty style, it’s not cool...I guess then Dad. Elliot is pretty low down.”

Jeremy graduated from high school with numerous awards in art and lacrosse (his high school was promptly renamed Jeremy Nelson Senior High School). He is now a freshman at Gordon College, where he plays lacrosse and is majoring in art. It’s a busy life for an exceptionally hard worker; when asked about his college experience, Jeremy commented, “I play lacrosse and work out, study, eat, and sleep. That’s it.” Getting to know the guys on the team has been a highlight for Jeremy. When asked about the social position of an athlete in art classes, Jeremy commented, “I am the only non-artsy art major: I show up in sweat pants and literally every single girl in the class is wearing a scarf ... for no reason.” As the only guy in the class, at least he has good odds.
--Interview Question: Jeremy, which family member is the most confused?
--Jeremy: “Mom’s definitely most confused ... when we’re talking about something, she somehow tends to start thinking we’re talking about something completely different.”

[This paragraph from Peter:]

Elliot is in his second year of graduate school at Penn State, doing his best to understand Einstein’s theory of general relativity. In the next year or two, he hopes to get more involved with Penn State’s gravity group, where research focuses on understanding the Big Bang and describing gravity at a quantum scale. This summer Elliot became a big fan of the writings of N. T. Wright and Peter Kreeft. On the topic of the historical beginnings of Christianity, he eagerly recommends Wright’s The Resurrection of the Son of God and Richard Bauckham’s Jesus and the Eyewitnesses. Elliot is often seen with a book under his nose, or at least under his arm, wherever he goes, and he pairs his reading with writing as an avid blogger (see Unless a Seed Dies, where he ponders physics, atheism, Christianity, Harry Potter, and many other things).
--Interview Question: Elliot, how would you explain the phrase "gravity at a quantum scale" to a three-year-old?

--Elliot: "Gravity makes things fall down, but nobody knows what gravity does to really really really really tiny things...at the Planck scale. It's God's secret."

[Now from Elliot again:]

Cheryl described 2010 as a "stable" year. She is involved in Bible studies and spends time welcoming and encouraging people at church, especially those who need a helping hand or a listening ear. Since Jeremy’s college departure, Cheryl was delighted to discover that the grocery bill fell by a factor of 5. One can only conclude that Jeremy’s diet is of Phelpsian proportions.
--Interview Question: Mom, who is the most mysterious family member?
--Cheryl: “Dad ... he's always bolting off to snap some artsy picture.”

After multiple deadline extensions, the legendary Peter Nelson finally managed to publish his book Spiritual Formation: Ever Forming, Never Formed, in which he tackles the questions, “How can we strive for holiness and Christ-like perfection, knowing that we will fall short? How will God help us in this endeavor, and what does he really expect of us?” Contrary to misrepresentations of God as a crotchety fellow always ready to zap you for breaking his rules, God embraces weak and imperfect people, even sinful failures, as his children. Peter’s blog count took a real spike this year. Jesting aside, we have conducted an official tally: Peter Nelson is the proud creator of no fewer than 18 blogs.

--Interview Question: Can you share something pithy?

--Peter: "When driving, look far ahead and you'll stay in your lane."

It was an exciting year for Charles, the family dog, who acquired an enthralling new toy known as “toy.” When he is not otherwise engaged, Charles struggles to grasp the nature of reality and find his place in the circle of life. He often has a look of deep contemplation on his face. Sometimes he vents his mind's momentous contemplations with his Facebook friends.

And so we end as abruptly as we began. If your appetite for the great saga of our lives has been insatiably whetted, you can find pictures below that chronicle the growing tale.

Merry Christmas!

Peter, Cheryl, Elliot, Jeremy, Emily

(610-430-1231)

(peterknelson@gmail.com ; cherylbj@gmail.com; elliot137@gmail.com ; jerm912@gmail.com ; emilynelson23@gmail.com)

“Though he, Christ Jesus, was in the form of God, he did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.” - Philippians 2:6

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