Author: Wick

Not quite like Mufasa allowing Rafiki to lift up Simba so the other animals can bow….more like me just publicly making a prayer for both of them. God is good. I’m thankful for their lives, for the futures that lay ahead of them, and that I get to be involved in raising/loving them. I pray about a million things for the years to come, and for their relationships with God, our family, and others. But in reality, there are immediate prayers too. 🙂 More than I could list, but here’s 2.

For Sophie. That she would learn how to poo. I can’t imagine being at a stage where you have to poop so often, and not knowing how. The grunts she makes on a regular basis make you wish somehow you could just transfer that knowledge to her. Someday, Sophie…you’ll get the hang of it. And it rocks.

For Addison. That she would know how much her parents love her. She’s so excited for “baby!” to be here, she’ll climb on Sophie just to get close. Asking her to be careful sends her off crying at times. What’s going on in her mind/heart…we can’t know. But a lot is happening. May God bless your new independence as well, we’ve seen your imagination grow steadily!

The new routine is working so far. The diaper champ never filled up so quickly. We go to bed not long after Addie has. The car has a full back seat and trunk. Hopefully we’ll get settled in to a normal routine just as Playoffs begin. 🙂 (not so that I can ignore the family and watch hockey, but so that we can all enjoy them together, as God intended.)

In April, I’ll be attending the SHIFT Conference at Willow Creek. I will be representing the Gateway Conference of the Free Methodist Church, for the National Student Ministries’ Team.

Starting to get a little excited. I’ve attended many conferences and seminars over the past 5 years since graduating, but so far I’ve either been volunteering, in charge, or it’s been combined with taking a group of teens somewhere as well (IYC 2007). So it will be nice to just attend, take notes, soak up some good teaching, and figure out what I’m doing a little bit more. Sometimes I feel like I have no clue. But I cling to personal growth and development, caring for my family, and hoping that my church won’t fire me while I try to navigate being a Youth Pastor as well. My shortfalls? I’ll confess them: organization, communication, fund-raising, planning ahead, etc. I get afraid that I’m already asking too much of my volunteers, that I don’t arrange “planning” meetings very often….and that probably gets read as nothing’s happening, which makes them wonder why they give so much of their time…etc. But I probably overanalyze it all.

Thankfully, the crew the previous Youth Pastor gathered around him, has put up with me….and hopefully they’ll stick around if it takes me a while. They pretty much rock, and are a LARGE reason things here are happening.

SO anywhoo. I took a Hermeneutics Quiz as part of preparing for the conference. I scored a 68, which puts me just over their “Progressive” mark (66-100). Being so close to the mark, it also means I lean a bit toward their “Moderate” category of Biblical Hermeneutics as well. I could see that. Although it’s strange that my score is higher than the likes of Dan Kimball…one of the “Emergent” guys. I wouldn’t have guessed that. I suppose it’s a reminder that in discussions like this, categories and labels only go a certain distance. Our relationships with God and each other, community, discussion, and journey of faith together plays a lot larger of a role. But it’s a good conversation starter.

So yeah…really looking forward to the conference, but at the same time, weary. I’ve given up books for Lent, and although hard for me, it has reminded me of an important thing: New trends/books in ministry/theology come about 10 a day. Giving up books for Lent has allowed me to be content with not having read the newest book by the newest author, or even the oldest book by the newest rediscovered author, so that I can “keep up” with certain thought circles.

One of my mentors once told me, as I headed into ministry, to beware of being caught up in “ministry fads”. Having that advice with me over the past 5 years has been very valuable. Not that I’m close-minded to new views/thoughts/movements. But I’m very cautious of what I invest myself in. Thanks Papa Boone.

SO yeah…learning, growing, soaking up….and hoping to be better at everything in 20 years, but still with a sense of humility that allows for continuing growth. That’s me.

Just e-mailed the parents of our teenagers, and I thought it was worth posting something. I’m a young parent, so I don’t know a ton. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned so far, is that parenting does NOT just happen. It takes an active effort, and a life change motivated by love and hope for what lies ahead, etc. You can’t just assume that because you’re a parent, you’re parenting.

That being said, I’ve found a website that I think families should be taking advantage of, and parents should be involved in. Granted, there are many sites out there like this. But most sites that I’ve seen are also hooked into other organizations or faiths, which may end up limiting their impact, reach, or skew the facts.

Let’s face it: the internet is here. Most of us have grown up with it since our middle school years, and our children have already begun their addiction. Content and advertising on the internet alone is threatening innocence, but then you add in the social interactions possible, and communication that happens even between the youngest of students, and it’s a whole new area of development.

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH started in 1994, has a TON of information, articles, printable resources, and links to downloads that can help a parent of any age group learn how to safely allow their child to use the internet.

What I like about this group is that it isn’t just stopping at providing all of this useful stuff out there. This is an active group, that (scroll down on this page to the legal stuff) is helping to steer the development of technology at least a small way towards decency.

1. If you don’t have a filter on your computer….GET ONE NOW. Even the greatest Biblical characters faced temptation.

2. If you have a child or teen with a computer in their bedroom….GET IT OUT NOW. Only allow computer usage in a public area of the house. Even if it’s a laptop. No internet after mom and dad go to bed. Seriously, there are other things to do. Most teens are sleep deprived, anyways.

3. Go through safe internet usage tips with your child!!! In any parenting circumstance, if your child could potentially harm themselves, you slowly guide them through safety precautions. Why should the internet be different? Go through their friends on myspace/facebook or on their chatting buddy-list once in a while, ask them who each person is.

4. KNOW if your teen has a website, profile, or a blog online somewhere, and check it out regularly!!! Be involved, and if there are places online you don’t want them, don’t let them go!!! Don’t buy into the “they’re an individual, and need to have a world where I’m not in it” mentality. Our children need parents.

I’ll do it if you will.