Merry Christmas!

Oregon State offensive coordinator Danny Langsdorf has donated a kidney to the wife of Mike Cavanaugh, the offensive line coach. Laurie Cavanaugh has autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease, which enlarged her kidneys.

Langsdorf was identified as a match through tests with 18 individuals. She said the process of finding a donor took about a year and a half. Laurie Cavanaugh said, "I remember being in San Antonio at a football convention in San Antonio and he [Langsdorf] came up to me and said, 'Hey, I'm a go,'" "I was like 'Wow!' After about 18 people, I was shocked and excited. At that point I was getting kind of hopeless, I didn't think I was going to get any one," she said.

Langsdorf said: "I didn't think it was right to sit back and not do anything, when I probably could have. So I decided to get tested. The fact that I was such a good match for her was such a positive thing."

Dr. John Barry, director of OHSU's kidney transplant program, performed the six-hour transplant surgery on Laurie Cavanaugh. Dr. Michael Conlin, associate professor of urologic surgery at OHSU School of Medicine, removed Langsdorf's kidney.

"When you work as closely as a coaching staff does, you develop some really deep and solid friendships -- I guess you could say this is the ultimate in friendship," said Mike Cavanaugh, who, like Langsdorf, is in his third season with the Beavers.

Laurie Cavanaugh fought back tears when expressing her gratitude to Langsdorf, who said he was a merely a friend who wanted to help.

"It reminds you that when you're feeling OK and things are going pretty good in your life, you shouldn't have many complaints," Langsdorf said. "That's probably the biggest thing for me -- to give something to a friend and have it work out."

Stories such as this one remind us that great gifts have three distinctive attributes that make them extraordinary. First, they are worth something. Second, the gift is invested for a specific purpose. And third, there is a particular need for the gift. Worth, investment, and need are the keys to giving good gifts.

What is the greatest gift ever given to mankind?

The gift of Jesus Christ is worth more to mankind than anything else on the planet. Romans 6:23 says, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

His investment into our lives changes us to be more like Him. His gift to us met a need that we could have never met on our own. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “8For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—9not by works, so that no one can boast.”

As you open gifts with loved ones on Christmas, remember the One who gave His Son to make this holiday the most wonderful time of the year.

May God bless you with a very Merry Christmas!