Author: Wick

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

Tummies & Jail

Posted on by Wick

Last fall, I was at the breakfast table with my girls before church.  Sarah had made some homemade apple muffins that morning, and they were just about ready to eat.  Just then, Addie dramatically put her hand on her side/belly, and said, “My tummy hurts…”  To which Sarah and I, not really worried but wanting her to know we love her…asked her why her tummy hurt, and if she was just hungry for breakfast.  But before Addie could reply, a voice came from across the table…Sophie wasn’t waiting to hear anything:

“Dear God, please help Addie’s tummy to feel better. Aaaaa-Mennn!!  (then turning to Addie)  Now your tummy don’t hurt anymore!!”

Which would be the cutest event that week, until Childrens’ Church.  I went with Addie, because as a 4 year old, she still wasn’t quite comfortable being left alone in a new class of older kids.  So we sat/listened together.  They talked about Jesus “paying the price” for our sin, and enacted a scene to illustrate.  Each child stood before the “Judge” (a nice older lady, who couldn’t help but smile as she pretended) and read a card handed to them.  The card told them what they were guilty of (bad words, stealing, etc.), and the judge told them how much they owed.  No one could pay, so all had to head to the “Jail” (row of chairs), from which Jesus rescued them all later on.

Addie and I were last.  I didn’t know how she’d respond, but figured it was good to find out anyway.  We walked up to the judge and were handed our card.  “Lying to your parents” was our offense.  I looked at Addie with a wink to let her know we were just pretending and said, “Uh oh Addie, we lied to our parents.”

It didn’t take long for the fun smile to leave her face and her eyes to get larger.  But instead of the tears I thought may come from such an accusation, she didn’t miss a beat before defending herself: “No I didn’t, dad, it was Sophie!!”

Needless to say, me and the judge were cracking up. 🙂

I love my girls. 🙂

Posted in Different Learning

Evil Flute

Posted on by Wick

Just an important announcement I felt I should make.  To anyone who is thinking to themselves “I love music.  I want my child to develop musical abilities.  I want my kids to grow up being able to express themselves making creatively audible noises.  I remember playing the recorder when I was young, and I want my little girl/boy, even at age 3, to begin enjoying such an experience.”

If you’ve had any of these thoughts, you may have looked at the Little First Act Discovery – My First Recorder.  Click the link.  See how cute the kid looks?  See how happy he is to be able to create music?  See the list of amazingly simple tunes your child will be able to perform before family and friends, proving once and for all that your kid is the cutest thing since sliced bread (the cute kind).

It’s a lie.

That kid was totally faking it.  He wasn’t happy.  Or at least, his parents weren’t.

Granted, the recorder definitely makes noise.  But even from a trained recorder playing professional (I played 2 years all-pro in my elementary days.), the notes available don’t allow for much of any actual music to be played.  I did learn that by covering the bottom hole, you can play notes a little more agreeable to the human ear, but still off by quite a bit from anything you could piece together into a song.

Giving this recorder to your child will do nothing but encourage bad pitch recognition, make your ear drums want to pack their bags, and teach your future musician that Mary Had a Little Lamb is best played with sharps and flats that aren’t anywhere near the Barney song they’ve heard before.

And you will want to break it.  But your kid may give you the fake “this musical instrument fulfills something within me” smile similar to the child in the link above.  Don’t buy it.  I have yet to gather the emotional strength it takes to shatter the thing….but when I do….I will rest easier.

That is why I’m warning you, before you make the purchase.  Or open the present from a loving relative.  Quick…exchange it for something else before it’s too late!!!

Posted in Different Thoughts

Something Different

Posted on by Wick

I was told recently that if I wanted to publish a book, it may be helpful to have a blog where my focus is consistently flowing in the same stream as the topic of my book.  That makes sense.  So here we go: “DifferentParent.Com”

A quick introduction to me: I love Jesus.  I’m a husband, father of three girls (currently aged 2, 3, and 4), son, brother, friend, avid NHL fan, nerd, coffee connoisseur, once-a-year-kayaker (be impressed), reader, Wheel of Fortune Champion, writer, etc.  I grew up in a family that longed for God to do something new, and surrounded by people who declared God WAS offering to do something new in my life.

I believe God desires to use every aspect of life in His process of making us New Creations.  Sometimes that can be instantaneous, like the explosive charges placed on a giant cartoon mountain, that explode to reveal some awesome new image in the rock.  Parenting can definitely contain those moments!  I remember the first time we had to take one of our girls to the Emergency Room.  It was as if tiny sticks of dynamite had been placed all over my heart and mind, and they were exploding left and right, revealing the image of a loving father God was writing on my life.

(our oldest, Addie, years ago @ her first Easter)

As incredible as these moments can be, I also believe God wants to use the simple (or not-so-simple) act of parenting to transform who we are wholly.  That parenting can be every bit as important to our spiritual formation as the traditional disciplines of prayer, scripture reading, fasting, and serving others.  Which may be simply because in order to parent, we find ourselves running to these things on a regular basis!

The truth is, anyone who becomes a parent hears the words “Treasure those moments, because they go so fast.”  I don’t want to find myself in 20 years, looking back on my years as a parent of young children thinking “Man, those years flew by.”  I’d much rather look back and have one of my first thoughts be, “Wow, God really used those years to mess up my life in some great ways!”.  I believe He has, He is, and He desires to continue that work in my life.

By inviting/pursuing God in the constant act of parenting my children, I am becoming DIFFERENT.  That can hurt.  That can tickle.  That can be an amazingly new experience.  That can be macaroni and cheese getting crusty on the carpet.  I invite you to join us on our journey, and pray/believe that God can do something “New” in and through your family as well…