Month: June 2012

Posted in Uncategorized

spoken words.

Posted on by Wick

I remember back when I worked in the Church of the Nazarene, and began my journey toward ordination.  I was asked if I was seeking ordination as an “Elder” or as a “Deacon”.  I asked what the difference was.  “An Elder is someone who feels called to preach.”  I definitely felt/feel called to preach, and enjoy the opportunities I get in my ministry.  I get to preach on a regular basis to our youth, but once in a while I also get to preach in our general Sunday morning services.  I figured it’d be fun to share a few with my reading audience…so you know I enjoy speaking as well as writing. 🙂  I believe God uses it also, in my own life as well…

1. Learning from Covenant – Be Blameless – Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16 – March 4, 2012

2. Learning from Covenant – Live Long & Prosper – Exodus 20:1-17 – March 11, 2012

3. Who Are We? – We Are Confident – 2 Corinthians 5:6-10 – June 17, 2012

Or if you’re in a hurry, here’s a boiled down sermon from Jan, 2011 with some funk to it.

And here’s a “Spoken Word” I wrote as a benediction for my recent June 17th message.
“Do not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves.  Do what it says…” (James 1:22)

Posted in Different Moments

morning without her.

Posted on by Wick

I awoke as the natural alarm clock within me suggested, without offering a chance to press the snooze button. It was 5:15am, and the mental post-it note from the night before reminded me I’d not yet taken the garbage to the fence. I was still unsure what time the morning men came and gathered refuse, but I did not want to find out after it was too late. I quickly came to find myself with shorts and flip flops on, crossing the dewy grass toting a giant wheeled garbage can over a yard in need of mowing. Wiping my feet on the kitchen carpet, I patted myself on the back for a responsible use of morning, and paused to decide my next course of action.

Should I wake her?

I decided to make some coffee, and she continued to slumber. In our old house, the kids would have heard dad walking just outside their door, but here I had the privilege of tip-toeing around the first floor while they completed their sleep cycles in peace. A few roads waited passively ahead of me: I could enjoy a bit of uninterrupted reading, wake her up, or begin to prepare for the day; among other things. I chose to wait until just enough coffee was in the pot, to pour myself a tall hot mug of focus (You have to love a coffeemaker that will continue to brew patiently until you return the pot.) and find my book.

I was reminded briefly of important things I needed to get with her about today. But they could wait.

I’d been reading a book on hiking the Appalachian Trail. This morning contained incredible views of nature, combined with interesting stories of locations off the beaten-path, but well worth a brochure – if not a movie. Then it happened – I heard the patter of feet above me. I listened as they quietly traveled the distance of the 2nd floor, down the stairs, and out into my area of the house. Thumb still in her mouth, our 2nd born smiled and mumbled an excited whisper, “daddy!” as she climbed into my lap.

I was thankful I’d chosen not to wake her still. Mornings with my daughters are much better without her. We cuddled, and Sophie willingly recorded a new ring-tone for daddy, before her sister joined us in the moment. It wasn’t long before they returned upstairs to find something interesting from the previous night. Again, I chose not to wake her. Not just yet.

I went upstairs after them to see what was going on, and lovingly shared a few moments where they enjoyed a bed-making lesson from an OCD father. Proudly, I allowed my toddlers to make their own beds, without commenting on crooked sheets or untucked corners. There will be time for that someday.

Oh, the things I would’ve missed if I’d woken her earlier. Sure, there were enough compelling reasons to wake her. Important things. Unimportant things. We hadn’t seen much of each other the day before, and no doubt she had plenty of updates for me.

But as my three girls and I climbed back into our giant, queen sized bed with mommy to talk about the day ahead, and laugh a bit together….I was thankful I’d not turned on the computer yet that morning.

Of course, I had to use her eventually….or I wouldn’t have been able to tell the story of my morning without her. 🙂

Posted in Different Scriptures, Different Thoughts

fathers day.

Posted on by Wick

I’m a father.  3 Daughters, and pursuing our 4th.  Father’s Day is always a day of rich thankfulness for me.  Without going into a huge amount of background, I was raised a large chunk of my “growing up/early teen” years without a dad around.  Mom did a crazy good job raising 5 kids, and figuring out how things would work…but these years still left me feeling a bit like I’d “missed out” on something important.

Even in college & as a young adult, when approaching some things, the thought would come to mind: “People who had a father growing up are probably more prepared for this than me.”  As if I was something incomplete, because of what I’d experienced.

So when we moved toward starting a family of our own, there was the fear that becoming a father would somehow “reveal” what I’d been lacking.  When I actually took time to think and pray about this, I knew it was a silly thought.  Nevertheless, it was a quiet humming in the background of my life’s musical score.

In 2 Corinthians 12:9, Paul writes “But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”

This verse has definitely rang true in my life.  Am I different because of going through many years without a dad at home?  Yes.  But do those differences do anything to weaken/make less of what God is accomplishing through me?  Not at all.  If anything, as the verse above declares, God’s power is all the more evident in these areas.

I’ve always known this verse, and even declared it to be true.  It has definitely been a blessing in ministry, to be able to look at teenagers going through rough times and say “I know what you’re going through, and I can speak Hope into your life.”  It wasn’t hard to embrace these areas of my weakness as being useful for ministry.

But what I’m learning is that it’s not simply that God wants to use these for my moments of “professional ministry”.  God wants His power to be manifested in my home as well.  The areas that I don’t know, where I’m humbled, and where I’m lacking….allow me to turn and point to Jesus Christ.  For my own sake, and for the sake of my family.

It’s counter-intuitive these days.  But it remains, as cheesy as it sounds.

I’m not an amazing father when I provide for my family financially, buy great gifts, and take them to Disney World (whew).  I’m not a great father when I fix the car engine (thankfully), clean our gutters, or patch a hole in the wall.  I’m a Father when I’m pointing my family to Jesus as their source of strength and wisdom.  And for that…I am more than well-equipped for the task.  🙂

And thankful…