Author: Wick

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

more important than Jesus?

Posted on by Wick

What’s more important than Jesus?   The obvious answer here is: Nothing.  Right?

But shortly after the resurrection, we read a story that might make us think a bit more about our response.  The women had told the disciples about finding the empty tomb, and the words of the angel.  But when a few of the men arrived at the tomb, there was nothing.  No angel.  No bright lights.  Nothing.  They were confused, disappointed, and a bit saddened.

As they walked to the nearby town of Emmaus, they were joined by another man.  “Their eyes were kept from recognizing..” that it was Jesus.  He knew they were down, and yet the number one priority for Jesus in that moment was NOT to reveal His presence was with them.  There was something more important than Jesus simply walking along the road with them.  But what?

He asks them why they’re down, and they can’t believe this man’s question.  Has he been under a rock for the past week?  Surely everyone would know what was going on.  He responds to them by explaining that it was necessary for the “Messiah to suffer these things and then enter into his glory…

…then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.” – Luke 24:27

Jesus knew that he could change their sadness into celebration in an instant, simply be revealing who he was.  But that wasn’t the top priority.  He wasn’t walking along-side them simply that they would know he was walking along-side them.  His number one priority was to reveal not only Himself, but the purposes God was actively moving to accomplish – and HAD BEEN moving to accomplish throughout all of history!  Jesus wasn’t simply an idea God finally came up with about 2,000 years ago.  The purposes and activity we see being fulfilled in Christ are the same that God is moving toward way before then – and continues to be moving toward and through even today!

Later, when they break bread together, “their eyes were opened”.  As soon as they recognized him, he vanished from their sight.

In a similar vein, Jesus hasn’t offered us his presence, simply for us to cuddle up to or high-five him – pumped and doing chest-bumps that he’s defeated death and now we can walk together into the sunset of a future eternity of sunshine.  There is an active purpose and reason God has been at work fulfilling since the earliest days of His covenant with Abraham, Moses, and the people of Israel.

And so, as we respond to God’s invitation to join His redeeming/healing/restoring/loving work among humanity and for all of creation…may we never think that Jesus “just wanted to take a walk with us”….;)

Posted in Different Thoughts

peace.

Posted on by Wick

It was so peaceful I had to snap a picture of it.  Sure, she requires a light, or a noisy fan/radio, or mom/dad laying with her usually.  But here she was, sleeping peacefully in her own bed.  Here we are in the 4th week of Easter, and I”m struck by this concept of Peace that we haven’t heard much about since Christmas.

It’s right there in the midst of the “Hallelujah Chorus”.  He’s the “Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6)!  (Hallelujah!)  But this is so much more than a holiday icon.  More than words meant to flavor a Christmas card, & give meaningful alliteration to worship pastors who like to shout out short phrases during singing while surrounded by poinsettias.  Sidenote: You may wonder, as I did, why “Prince” of Peace?  Why not “King”?  The answer might be simple, as seen in definitions of “Prince” here.  It’s not always a statement of royalty, but also “the one of highest rank, the chief of any body”.

He is actually the foremost authority on all things peace related.  The source of Peace above all over peaces.  (read “peace” here as so much more than cessation of war)  This God-man who we see hanging on the cross, battered and scarred.  The resurrected Jesus who walked with his followers on the road to Emmaus.  In many cases, these moments of death and resurrection become reduced to a mathematical equation:  Sin created a “negative”, and Jesus was the only positive large enough to bring us back “out of the red”.  God paid the giant debt, and now we’ve all got great cosmic credit scores again.

But what we see happening on the cross, through the resurrection, and so on – is not an objective math lesson.  As cute as it might be to say “3 Nails + 1 Cross = 4Given”, there is so much more happening here than the clearing of our sin-debt.  Jesus is actually blazing a trail for all of humanity to follow.  God became man, and by his life He created a way for humanity to live a life of sacrificial love for others, dying to self and being given a new source of life.  Redefining the human experience, and providing new foundations for us to build on.  He accomplishes nothing less than the birth of a New Kingdom of Love, one that will never end.  He then gives us His Spirit to actually be our source – so that our efforts are not merely “attempts at looking like Jesus”, but are actually the presence and work of Jesus Christ breaking through into a world that is desperate for the presence of it’s Lord.

And so, in my frustrations with my daughter, I feel like maybe God often looks at me with the same fatherly love.  Wondering why I don’t rest in His peace more often.  Why we feel ourselves tossed about by the waves of anxiety, pressures of false foundations, and so on.  Wondering why I feel the need to always be busy doing something, instead of napping in His presence (or at least breathing slower).

And so I will remember this week, as I continue to proclaim the resurrected Lord as my King – He is not only Lord of all.  He is the very source of True Peace.  As His Spirit continues to become our source, we will find ourselves more and more founded on a peace, even one that is beyond our understanding…:)

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4:7

Posted in Uncategorized

a “different” journey – adoption

Posted on by Wick

We’d been dating for quite a while, and the topic of marriage had come up. She looked at me with tears in her eyes, not sure how to say it. “What if I feel God calling us to move to Africa?” I assured her, if God was calling us, we’d follow that call together. Here we stand, in our 10th year of marriage, and we believe God is issuing a call.

But it is not a call for us to go to Africa.

We believe it is a call for us to make room in our home and family for Africa. More specifically, we believe God is moving us toward an international adoption. To offer our home and family to a child who would not otherwise know they are loved and precious in the sight of God. Not simply to offer them the last name “Anderson”, but to offer them and our own children an identity much larger and foundational – child of God.

Ever since getting married, and especially after having children, we’ve prayed about how to “orient” our family around something larger than ourselves. To craft a story we can tell by living it out with our children and grandchildren – one that joins in the story God has been telling for millenia. A story of outward-going love. Love that goes beyond what is expected. Love that is invitational. Love that is striving to beat in rhythm with the very heart of God.

I don’t have to quote scripture here, but just in case you’re unfamiliar with a few of the many verses that reveal the Spirit’s time signature: James 1:27, Romans 8:15, Matthew 19:14, Isaiah 1:17, Isaiah 58:10, and plenty more where that came from. Of course, there are many different ways God desires His people to move and accomplish His healing and “new creation” work in the cosmos. Every family and home must discover what rhythms God is inviting them to move in – this is one that has surfaced throughout our journey of orienting our family around Christ.

As we move forward, there are many unknowns. How will we possibly afford this? (one dollar at a time) How long will this take? (one to several years) Where will our daughter/son come from? (possibly Central Africa, possibly somewhere we’ve not yet considered) How can others get involved? (prayer, fasting, donations as we begin our fund-raising efforts)

Our girls are very excited about the possibility that we may fill the empty seat in our mini-van with another sister. We’ve invited them to be praying with mommy and daddy now, toward whatever God may have in store for us. Our plan is to continue giving you updates, and we will add an “Adoption Journey” tab to www.differentparent.com so that you can follow along and pray with us.

Thank you for joining us in prayer, and for your friendship and support as we move forward – wanting to be used by God. As I’ve said, there are many unknowns at this stage – which makes us depend quite a bit on practicing dependence on God. That’s probably a good place to be. 🙂