I’m not exactly sure what the assignment was for my son’s high school freshman art class some 15 years ago, but I sure got a special Christmas gift that year.
I believe my youngest son David intended to create a football-like coffee mug. It’s light brown and has “laces” on one side so if you use your imagination, you can kind of see it. The creation didn’t turn out quite as planned, however, as it was too narrow and not completely balanced making a hot cup of coffee an interesting challenge trying to get it to sit on the table without toppling over.
I love that quirky little mug. The craftsmanship is underwhelming; it’s full of imperfections and flaws; it’s impractical; and only a mother or father would be able to love such a gift.
In other words, it’s perfect.
One of LOGOI’s very first employees was an imperfect man. I grew up calling him Uncle Noé and only learned his story when I was an adult. One day, he came into my dad’s office and quit. He explained he was leaving his job, wife, family, and God. “I don’t believe in any of this anymore,” he angrily told my dad. With that, he turned and walked out leaving everyone he knew confused and hurt.
A few years went by and one day, Noé walked back into LOGOI’s office. My dad recounts how his proud and angry demeanor when he walked out had become quiet and humble. “I’m here to ask for your forgiveness,” he told my dad — who could not recount this story without great tears of his own. “I tried to leave and forget everything I knew — my wife, my kids, my job, even my God. I ran away as fast as I could. But God ran faster…he wouldn’t let me go.”
It didn’t happen overnight, but Uncle Noé got back together with his wife and was able to mend fences with his family. And while my dad confessed he wanted to punch Noé in the nose and kick him out the door for all the harm he had caused, I suppose it won’t be a surprise to learn that he rehired him. Noé became a valuable part of LOGOI’s early ministry and he and his wife remained together until he passed away a few years ago.
There are thousands of “imperfect and flawed” pastors and leaders in our LOGOI family — every one of them, in fact — starting with Uncle Noé, and me. But for reasons only our Heavenly Father knows, He loves us anyway.
Christmas is such a good time to ponder the wonder of God’s love and grace. Like the mug David gave me, we are so flawed you’d think God would toss us out for a “better” design. But because of Jesus, we have a Savior who “understands our weakness, for He faced all of the same testings we do, yet He did not sin” (Hebrews 4:15 NLT).
We are so thankful for your prayers and financial partnership with us at LOGOI. Wonderfully, every $5 still provides one of our imperfect and flawed national Spanish-speaking pastors and leaders with the Bible resources helping them tell others “the good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David” (Luke 2:11).
I still have that quirky little mug David gave me. It didn’t work well as a coffee mug, so I repurposed it for a far more useful and perhaps higher calling — my toothbrush and razor holder. While I have other items that specifically remind me of my other son and daughter, I’m reminded to say a little “thank you” to Jesus for David every time I reach for my toothbrush.
You see, without knowing it, with all the imperfections and flaws of that Christmas mug, it fits me perfectly. Because of Christmas — because of Jesus — we are dearly loved and acceptable to our Heavenly Father. There is no greater gift!
Merry Christmas Forever!
Ed Thompson
President of LOGOI Ministries
P.S. Click here if you'd like to help equip LOGOI’s national Spanish-speaking pastors and teaching leaders with ongoing Bible training so they can tell others “the good news that will bring great joy to all people” (Luke 2:11).
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