Author: Wick

Husband, Father, Pastor, Missionary, Writer, Poet, Friend, reader, coffee enthusiast, hockey Wing-Nut, musical participator, etc...
Posted in Different Scriptures, Different Thoughts

ponies and caring.

Posted on by Wick

It happens a thousand times a day.  Okay, that may be a hyperbole (exaggeration for emphasis), but it happens daily, and usually several times a day.  One of our children will come up to us with a request.  We love our children, and would LOVE to give them every good thing.  But on many occasions, the thing they’re asking for would not quite be the best thing for them.

Case in point: ponies.

They’re great at a birthday party, or a state fair.  They’re even awesome at a friends’ house.  Some people may have the ability to own one as a pet, and take care of it well.

We do not.  Even if our daughters would love one.

In Luke 23:43, we see Jesus loving one of God’s children, by responding to His request a bit differently than expected.  We hear about this story all the time.  It’s about the men who were hung next to Jesus at Golgotha, crucified for what they’d done against Rome and the people.  Both mock Jesus, but one has a turn of heart and eventually asks Jesus, “remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

At this point we generally hear something about how Jesus spoke His agreement, and the man attained “salvation”.

But as we look closer, we see Jesus not quite giving the man what he was asking for.  We know that Jesus was viewed by many as not just a theological savior, but as a political savior also.  The “messiah” who would free them from Roman rule, and establish the Kingdom of God (think Rome, but with God instead of Caesar) on earth.  This man is suddenly convinced that Jesus is the messiah, and wants to be remembered when this Kingdom of God comes about.

To this, Jesus smiles with love, and offers the man something even better.  Freedom from the desire to be in power over Rome.  Jesus points the man toward “paradise”, a place of existence in the presence of Jesus, to await the completion of what God has begun.  Sure enough, the Kingdom of God is launched in Jesus Christ.  But even in His dying moment, Jesus takes the time to redirect someone who wants power and “being”, and offers something even better – His presence.

Isn’t it good to know that when we pray, God loves us enough to give us more than we even know to ask for???

Posted in Adoption Journey

Adoption Update – training day

Posted on by Wick

How about a short update on our adoption journey?

Yesterday we received our acceptance from the Adoption agency doing our home-study! There are three levels of “acceptance” needed, and this first layer is generally pretty easy. The next layer, getting through the state of Illinois – can be a bit more difficult sometimes.

It came on the perfect day, because we were also heading to Springfield last night to spend 4 hours in a required “Adoptive Parent Training” of sorts. There were about 7 other couples, and they were all adopting from China. It was neat, overall, to do something tangible in the direction of our adoption. As in any classroom setting, my wife’s presence was a healthy protection against becoming the class clown. But here are a few examples of the humor in my head:

I understood what she was saying, but when the woman leading the session talked about a child she’d known with a disability, I laughed at how she described it. “He was missing a hand, and he could do ANYTHING!” I imagined a young boy with a cape, obviously.

Again, I understand her heart in asking, but one woman asked “I’ve heard ________ (a sappy saying)…is that a saying?” (Yes. You were just saying it.)

And so on. As you can see, it’s good for me to have my wife there, so I don’t come off as insensitive. These would have been horrible times to laugh noticeably.

We are learning a lot about the small, everyday adaptations that can help bring our daughter not only into our home – but welcome her into the family as well. The way we talk about the process. The time we spend purposefully bonding at home. With the session last night, and beginning to read “Parenting Your Internationally Adopted Child”, I feel like we’re off to a good start.

Now we’ve just got some mountains of paperwork (hyperbole), and some stuff to learn about the Congo.  (beyond reading Michael Crichton)  We kept getting asked questions about the Congo last night, and it made me feel like I was a bit unprepared/irresponsible. How could I not know what they eat there? 🙂

Answer? (which I probably should have known, and my wife was quick to say when I let her speak) Probably lots of rice.

Posted in Different Moments, Different Scriptures

helper.

Posted on by Wick

Ever since the gluten-free beignets incident, I’ve wanted to try and make some home-made donuts worthy of some hot apple cider.  Our daughters aren’t currently eating gluten-free, because we hope to get them officially tested soon – so I wanted to use this to my advantage.  Yes, I will confess – I believe gluten tastes amazing.

So this past week, I found a recipe that sounded awesome.  I waited until the girls were all awake, and I got the oil heating on the stove.  As I stirred in the cinnamon, and the nutmeg, I’m pretty sure I was more excited than they were.  Finally the dough was ready, and I went to check on the oil.  It seemed like it might be a bit too hot, so I turned it down and waited a minute or two.  I cut the first couple donuts, and gently dropped them into the oil to fry.

They turned black almost instantly, as a sizzling cloud of smoke rose from the pot.

So I turned down the heat, and waited a bit longer.  Finally, I cooked the rest of the donuts to a crisp golden-brown, dusting them each with cinnamon/sugar when they were finished.  They looked amazing.  We sat down together at the table, each with a cold glass of milk.  One by one, as we bit into our donuts, we realized that even though they looked amazing, and ready to eat – the middle was a bit soft.  Okay, it was pretty much still dough.  One out of 3 daughters still loved them.

One of our daughters looked at me, and with a cuteness I could not resist, she offered, “Daddy, why don’t you let mommy help you next time?”   🙂

“The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” – Genesis 2:18

I’m thankful for my helper. I realize there are moms and dads out there who, for different reasons, find themselves parenting on their own with His help. But I’m blessed to have an incredible woman, to do so much more than help me not burn the donuts.  This moment comes as a reminder to us as parents:

We are only the best parents we can possibly be – when we understand we have a helper.  We are doing this together, and ultimately – together with The Helper.  You’re not alone, even if you’re reading this as a single parent.  We each have a God who sees what we need, and is working to provide for those needs.  May we turn to toward Him, thankful for what He has given us, and looking forward to the day that, with our children, we will experience healing and newness as never before…

And even now. 🙂