Category: Different Thoughts

Posted in Different Thoughts

Confessions of a “Neighborphile”

Posted on by Wick

I grew up on a highway. (Well, not “on” the highway, but you know what I mean.)

There were some great things about this. I remember having a pool as kids, and not being too concerned about who saw you wearing what…or not wearing what. We played football in our front yard, and rode bikes up and down a driveway that was as long as a city block. You could sit on the roof on the back side of our house and see the sunset over miles of fields.

But then, there were a few downsides, too. I remember riding my bike for miles to be there early in the morning when our city’s very own McDonald’s opened. Or making a long list of things needed from the grocery store, because we couldn’t imagine running all the way into town just because we didn’t have ketchup for burgers that night. Mustard never tasted so good.

Then I went to college, where everything was contained in one giant bubble. Life was a bit TOO close. You ate in the same building you retrieved your mail, shopped for books, and met for foosball tournaments. Eventually, I was spit out as a college graduate. I was married, and had everything I needed to begin life as an official “adult.”neighbor-620x330

Life brought us here to Decatur, Illinois…

(Read the rest of my post over at www.redecatur.com !!!!)

Posted in Different Thoughts, Uncategorized

TMNT 2014 (spoiler alert)

Posted on by Wick

It’s not often I have a half hour of time to kill directly after watching a movie, so today you get the benefit/torture of receiving my thoughts fresh from the experience.  So here we go….TMNT 2014.

I’ll begin with this: I really enjoyed this movie.  That’s a given.  Heck, I enjoyed TMNT III.  You know, the one where they time travel and become Samurai? So there.  You know I’m gonna love it.  It had all the requirements: 4 teenaged mutant ninja turtles, 1 wise ninja rat father-figure, and 1 evil Shredder.  Add some humor, some pizza being sliced mid-air, some dialogue giving shout-outs to previous movies, some tender brotherly moments, and a news anchor with red hair in a yellow jumpsuit…..oh wait. Megan Fox.  Eh…okay.Teenage_Mutant_Ninja_Turtles_film_July_2014_poster

I do have several beefs.  This is by no means an exhaustive list, but it’s what surfaces easily:

1. Superhuman Strength? This is stated early in the movie, and seen as Raphael throws shipping containers like empty cardboard boxes.  I don’t understand why they couldn’t just be amazing ninjas.  Until we see #2

2. Shredder is a Transformer.  Ohhhh, that makes sense.  That’s right…Michael Bay (made the Transformers movies) had to get his awesomely creative, overly busy action scenes with lots of moving metal parts and blades.  He couldn’t be content with simply an amazing ninja who had to hide his face with a mask.  Which leads to #3

3. Shredder’s scarred face is shown, highlighted almost as a major plot point…but never explained or connected to the story.  We all know the scar originally came from Splinter back when they’d met previously when Shredder killed his master…but wait….#4

4. Splinter never had a ninja master who taught him everything he knows.  Nope. He totally found a “Ninja for Dummies” book floating in the sewer, and not only became an expert ninja warrior himself…but trained his turtle sons as well.  He also looks like a wise old Japanese rat…but his voice is everyone’s favorite OCD detective, “Monk”.  Huh?

Plenty of other points and sub-points that were way off.  But still….loved the movie.  Laughed several times.  Wanted to high-five the guys (we’re tight enough to call each other “the guys”), and wanted to yell “woo” for April O’Neil.  Wanted to…but didn’t.  Not only was I on a date with my amazing wife, but by using Megan Fox as the innocently attractive goofy reporter who happens to look great in a bulky jumpsuit….well….just didn’t seem so innocent.  And there was no jumpsuit.  Also…wait a minute….SHE saved the day and defeated Shredder?  Well…kiiiinda.

Close the movie out with a lead-in to a sequel, and cue the new version of a T-U-R-T-L-E-POWER hip-hop classic (everyone forgot about that one, and has been comparing it to “Go Ninja Go Ninja Go!”.  I actually liked “Shell Shocked“.  But all the things I’ve mentioned above are like the slices of a pizza that end up not looking perfect.  Taken as a whole pie, I enjoyed the movie and even look forward to the movie’s sequel if they end up making one.  Except wait…there’s no need for “Super Shredder” to return transformed by the oooze, because he’s already got a super-humanly strong transformer robot suit.  Perhaps that will become fused to his body and even larger in the next edition…

Posted in Adoption Journey, Different Thoughts, Uncategorized

Insanity of God…

Posted on by Wick

“I held tight to the psalmist David’s conviction that the weeping and tears might linger for the night, but that joy would come in the morning.  Sadly, after six years in Somalia, each morning brought only more tears.  For perhaps the first time in my life, I was dealing with something that I could not fix. Prayer and obedience and hard work and good training and Godly intentions and sacrifice – none of it seemed to make a difference.” – Nik Ripken, The Insanity of Godinsanityofgod

We are being reminded lately, that when you connect your life with the broken heart of God, it’s often heart-breaking.  It’s not a great sales pitch, and it’s not a great advertisement to convince a world that doesn’t know Jesus that we’ve made a good decision.  It’s not even a great testimony to convince other Christians we are, indeed, following God’s call on our life.  Heck, it’s not even a great assurance to ourselves as we lay our heads on pillows each night…wondering where God is.

The truth is, God’s people are suffering globally.  They are suffering in horrible and unjust ways. They are sold into slavery, trampled underfoot in the name of progress, cast aside for more important things.  They are thrown in prisons, beheaded, shot at, and sometimes – even made fun of in high school cafeterias.  Does this mean God has turned a blind eye to their needs?  Is God deaf to the cries of the suffering followers of Christ?  Why doesn’t He do something?  Lord of all creation, quiet in places that severely need His Words of healing and life.

I imagine the scene between Elijah and Ba’al, only this time it’s our God who is scoffed at, “Shout louder….Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling.  Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened.” 1 Kings 18:27

These are some of the same thoughts we have, now over 2 years into an adoption process.  2 years, and still we feel very close to where we began.  Those who know about adoption in the DRC might be quick to say something like, “What’d you expect?”  Certainly when we began the process, we knew not much about our path was certain.  But we stepped out on faith that we were responding in a way that revealed the heart of God.  Even though at times, if feels we’ve nothing to show for it….I still believe these years have been growing fruit for the Kingdom.  Not that I’d choose the same road, if I could go back in time.

Nik Ripken found himself in a similar spot, after years of suffering in Somalia.  Crying out to God, and returning to the US to see what needed to change, he set out on a new mission: to find out what good God was in places of intense suffering.  What he discovered is enough to fill many books, and encourage the heart of any broken follower.  God, and the belief in God is accomplishing great amounts of light in the midst of a darkened world.  Stories that don’t make sense, but reveal the heart and life of a God I’d give my life and the life of my family to serve.

“..before we can grasp the full meaning of the Resurrection, we first have to witness or experience crucifixion.  If we spend our lives so afraid of suffering, so averse to sacrifice, that we avoid even the risk of persecution or crucifixion, then we might never discover the true wonder, joy and power of a resurrection faith.  Ironically, avoiding suffering could be the very thing that prevents us from partnering deeply with the Risen Jesus.” – Nik Ripken

There appear to be forks in the road, very near, as we continue responding to God’s call on our family to reveal His love to a broken world.  We’re not yet sure what it will look like, but we know what it will feel like.  Heart-breaking.  As much as we have many confirmations, that we’re right in the midst of where the heart of God is…..it’s still hard.  Even as I can smile at my family, knowing we’re laying foundations for a home God can, and is using to change the world….I hold them before God, continuing to believe that He’s able to do what He has not yet done here…bring redemption to this story.