Christmas 2008: The Redemptive Power of Guns (nerf guns that is)

Disclaimer:
I got pretty carried away in telling my story, but be sure to check out the crazy videos at the bottom...if your looking on facebook make sure to look at the "original post." They are priceless....truly priceless....
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Wow it's hard to believe that another Christmas has come and passed us by! It's crazy how fast time flies. This year was no exception. In the midst of the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season, it's easy to lose focus on why we celebrate Christmas. Today, we celebrate Jesus birth. We remember that because of his birth in a manger over 2000 years ago we have an eternal. The God of the universe sent His son to leave the riches and powers of heaven to be born into poverty and eventually die for the very creation He created. Thanks to His birth, I have a reason to smile, to laugh, to live life to the fullest.

This Christmas was no exception. Every Christmas, my extended family gets together to eat and enjoy one another's company. We usually gather around great food and after we eat the older people separate into their group and play scrabble and the younger kids hang out and find things to pass time usually with karaoke or something. But this year was markedly different. First of all, the past few years I have celebrated Christmas with my family in Los Angeles. But this year, we stayed in Phoenix. So all of us cousins decided we were going to have a Secret Santa gift exchange. We all picked names and were set on getting gifts for one another. However, a couple days before Christmas, my cousin Rhoanne and I were in the car talking about the gift exchange. While were driving, we had this random idea of pooling our secret Santa money together and buy some board games instead of buying each other presents. We figured it would be a lot more fun if we started some kind of family tradition where our cousins could gather together each holiday and look forward to doing something fun. The adults always play Scrabble, so we wanted to do something that would mark our generation and those to come.

That night we had dinner with most of our cousins, and we proposed the board game idea. They all were on board with the idea and like the fact that we could do something fun together. We then decided to all go to Target together. It was Dec. 23 so it was pretty busy. We braved the busy store and went searching for the perfect board games for our family. As we went down the game aisle, we came to decide we were going to pick Catch Phrase and Apples to Apples. We had those games in hands when my brother and Patrick had the spontaneous idea of buying a Nerf Gun. We all thought they were pretty crazy, but my brother was pretty adamant about getting a gun. We all turned down a game that he wanted to get earlier, so we all decided that we would get a Nerf a gun and play tag with it or something. It was settled, and we got a cool gun with glow in the dark darts and 8 dart shooter.

So fast forward to the day of Christmas. My brobro brings the gun to the family party and starts showing it to the rest of the cousins telling them how cool it is because he messed around with it the night before. They started shooting at the window at it and have this bright idea of drawing a target and playing a shooting game of sorts. One of my cousins, Leo, got a dry erase marker and began drawing a makeshift target on the television. Soon, all the guys began lining up and shooting at the target on the television. My uncle walked in and saw what we were doing and wanted to try joining in the fun. He got the gun and started shooting at the target drawn on the television as well. He missed the first couple of times, and it was pretty funny. But he soon got the hang of it and was pretty good with his aim.


So with this in mind, the scene was now set for an Epic showdown that would define the night and quite possibly the rest of our lives. We put the gun away as the family trickled into the house. I have a pretty big extended family. There are about 11 of us cousins, two of them have fiancees, and 4 younger cousins, and all their families. So we have a pretty big crowd. We sat around the table, and my uncle got out his guitar and led us in some Christmas carols. During the last song, he made the family divide into tenors, altos, and sopranos to sing Silent Night. It was quite funny but entertaining. We then prayed and sat together and enjoyed a scrumdidlyumcious meal! Then, history was made.

After dinner, my uncle, who had played with the Nerf gun, challenged the youth to a showdown versus the adults to see who were best sharpshooters in the family. So the stage was set - adults versus youth - who would come out with a victory in a game of a skill and momentum. I kid you not - it has probably been one of the most intense things I have ever been a part of. Each side picked 5 representatives - 5 adults versus 5 youth. We then began to spontaneously make rules left and right - mostly because I like to be a control freak sometime and make things entertaining and interesting. We had each time pick team captains, and they convened in the middle for the coin toss. The adults won the toss, and the youth decided to go up first. Each team alternated shooters. A youth member would go, and then an adult member would shoot. We created a point system based on where the dart landed on the target and tallied up the points.

After the first round of shooting, the youth blew the adults away by a score of 67 to 47. But the adults were resilient. They were not about to be undone by a group of scrappy young people. They challenged us to a best 2 out of 3 shoot out. So, they all lined up again alternating who would shoot at the target. At the end of the shootout, the adults pulled away with a narrow victory of 59-56. It was a close fight, but the adults would not be easily defeated. The youth visibly grew overconfident and less interested in the game, but the resolve of the adults steadily grew. The stage was not set for a tie breaker. The final 3rd set was truly historic.

Each team got up again for their last set to assert their dominance over the other. The atmosphere was electric. This might sound like a crazy satire, but it is all true. Stay with me. I have video down below to prove it all. Everyone eagerly watched each shot. People rejoiced and cheered with each bulls eye and skill shot; likewise, they cheered and poked fun of missed shots and miscues. It was really really funny. Adults were making fun of each other and pressuring the youth to mess up. The youth initiated the standard chants you hear at any competitive game. We cued up the stomping and clapping while we chanted "We Will We Will Rock You!" The chants reverberated throughout the room as the youth put the pressure on the adults to respond. After 3 shooters, the score was tied 51 to 51. It would go down to the final two shooters. The adults responded with their own chants, and we just laughed it off and came back with the "Hey Song" and other miscellaneous chants. I'm telling you this was really intense.

It came down to the wire. The final two shooters were up to shoot. My brother was one of them. The competition was so crazy family members were pitted against one another cheering on their team. In the video below, my brother is up to shoot when my mother, of all people, tries to distract to lose focus on the shot. It's really hilarious. Pay special attention to the seriousness of my brothers face and the terror tactics of my mother.




Pretty crazy right? Notice the ensuing argument over whether the shot was on the line or not. If the shot was on the line, it counts as a lower value. It was really close, but in the end, this shot ended up costing us the game in the slimmest of margins. I'm seriously not joking around in telling you this was a hotly contested shootout.

So get this, after all 5 youth shooters had gone, we were ahead by only ten points with the last shooter to go for the adults. The last shooter was my uncle, who had suggested we have a shootout in the first place. As he stepped up to the line, the youth section put significant pressure on the adults as they chanted, "Na Na Na Na, Na Na Na Na, Hey Hey Hey, Goodbye!" He calmly stepped up to the line and had some incredible shots. He had hit the bulls eye and some other good shots and only needed two more points for the out right win. The youth watched with agonizing tension with the thought of being defeated by the adults. The pressure was on. My uncle geared up for his second to last shot. He put the gun into position, shot, and.... MISS. He missed the target! The youth section cheered with glee! The adults were shocked in silence. He had one more shot - bull's eye for a two point victory, two-point shot for the out right win, or one pointer for the tie. All he had to do was hit the target. He cocked the gun into place, pulled the trigger, and bam! He hit the one point target! The game was tied! Can you believe that? After all the agonizing tension, the was going into extra periods! We didn't even anticipate such a scenario happening!

After some discussion, the group decided we would do sudden death shootout. Each team member would have one shot. After each member shot, the fiver members total would be added up and the team with the highest total would win. We had another coin toss. The adults lost, and the youth decided to shoot first. The youth had some sub par shots and were beginning to melt under the pressure. The adults had some solid shots. At the end of the youth member's turn, the score was tied, and it came down to the last shooter, my dad. All he had to do was hit the target for the victory. The video below is the result of the crazy competition that came down to the very last shot in overtime!


Notice, the clutch performance by dad and the ensuing victory dance - A Kodak moment indeed! It was devastation for the youth and an "I told you so" moment for the adults. For yet another year, the oldies would not be denied. Their tested and tried perseverance won out and the youngins were left in stunned silence. The adults cheered and were excited to exert the dominance once again. At the end of the game, the adults got together and gave a final chant. It wasn't a jeer or a taunt, but nevertheless it stung. They gathered together and chanted, "We Wish you a Merry Christmas; We wish you a Merry Christmas; and a Happy New Year!" Ouch! Nothing like a Merry Christmas marred by defeat. Better luck next year youngins!

Hahaha......ahhh I crack myself up! Ahh, this was seriously such a great night though! It has been such a long time since I have seen so much laughter and joy exhibited by family. It has been two years since a big church break-up brought so much pain and devastation to my family. It caused a big split and many hurt emotions, but tonight all those painful memories seemed like the distant past. I saw a sense of unity and community that hasn't been there for so long. It is so awesome to see our family gather together and enjoy one another. A generational gap was bridged today, and new family tradition was born. Afterwards, the kids played Catch Phrase and the adults eagerly watched us waiting for their turn. They got their turn alright, and boy were they hilarious. So much laughter and joy today!

This past weekend I have been praying for healing and reconciliation for my family during this Christmas season. That is what I wanted for Christmas. My two Secret Santas from previous parties had failed me, but tonight, God showed up in a special way and didn't let me down. Tonight was a big step towards the healing of past wounds and a step towards unity and love. It was sooo goood! Thank you Jesus for being so cool.

But this blog entry would be incomplete with testifying to the other joys experienced today. I got to talk my friend Sara again today after almost a five month gap. It was so amazing to hear the awesome things God has been doing in her life. It was a very encouraging conversation, and it was so awesome to be able to talk again as if we hadn't missed a beat! The future ahead is looking bright. What a happy day! Thank you God for Christmas!

Dear God, as we take time to remember the birth of your son Jesus on this special day, I would also like to thank you for answered prayer. Thank you for being ever present at our family party tonight, and thank you so much for continuing to bring healing and reconciliation to our family. You are an amazing God and worthy to be praised! Thank you for renewed excitement and the joys of friendship. Thank you for greater things to come ahead! I pray for more healing and reconciliation and for more clarity and vision. Work in wondrous ways as you bring us into the New Year. We're believing for the Year of the Lord's favor in 2009! Thank you God for this day to remember your son's birth. Jesus is the true reason for the season! In Jesus Name, Amen!