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“Nalingi Yo/ je t’aime/I Love You”

Posted on by Wick

“Much more could be said, if I thought with my head,

But I only can think with my heart.

I love you.  I love you, and yearn for the day…

The day when you’ll say, “I love you.”

– Irving Berlin, “Just One Way to Say I Love You”

When Sarah and I first were married during our senior year of college, I won a Frank Sinatra cd during a Valentines radio call-in contest.  Sinatra’s cover of the quoted Irving Berlin song above was on the collection of love songs, and immediately became a favorite one for me to sing/hum when we found ourselves dancing and in need of a tune.  It spoke well of the fact that even though my brain is great at coming up with words, my heart continues to want to communicate one simple/complex truth – I love you.

It wasn’t a stretch, then, when 5 years later I found myself singing the same song to our newborn.  It took on new meaning, as I sang the lines “..and yearn for the day…”  As a father, I couldn’t wait for my little girl (and each of her subsequent sisters) to form the words “I love you, dad.”  Still to this day, it warms me in ways I never knew possible.  As each of our girls have moved from crying, to talking, the words come less than when they were 4 or 5.  But when they come now from my 10 year old, the words “I love you, dad.” increase in depth and meaning with every year.

So today marks another year of important measurement, and another layer added to the meaning of “our song”.  One year ago this week, we were stranded in a small hotel in the middle of the DRC, in Africa.  We’d only been to Kinshasa once before, traveling there to provide emergency medical care for our daughter who we’d adopted but weren’t allowed to bring home yet, due to corrupt political situations. Finally now, we were completing final steps to bring her home.  She was with us, in that hotel, as each day we tried to move a bit closer toward uniting her with sisters who waited back in the US.

Weeks, and Easter passed, and we chatted via video with family back home, shared prayer updates, and waited with both tears of joy – and tears of struggle.  This precious little girl, who was still just beginning to know us, was opening up a bit more each day.  But she had IMG_2386been through so much already.  She’d never known a father figure, let alone one that wanted to be loving.  She would let me care for basic needs, like prepare her food.  She would let me be goofy, playing catch at times or offering a horse-ride. Otherwise, she kept her distance…both physically and emotionally.

I would find myself looking forward to the moments she would sleep, and I could come closer.  I would try to hum the same tune I’d sung to her sisters when they were newborns.  “..and yearn for the day, the day when you say – ‘I love you.”  I would pray, as I softly touched her head or shoulders – not daring to wake her.

Finally, we were able to come home.   Days and weeks gave way to months.  French became English, and emotions of “sisterhood” and “family” have taken root.  We are not done with the work of healing what has happened.   But God has brought us so far.  This morning as I left for work, she said once again “I love you, dad” as I said goodbye to each daughter.

“Much more could be said, if I thought with my head, but I only can think with my heart.”

As I let the words sink in – on each level – I realize I have a Father who continues to wait on me to say “I love you”.  Even though I’ve said it before, every time I speak the words, it includes new and deeper experiences that flavor and fill the words to breathe new life into them.  The same way that each year finds my wife & daughters communicating new depths of love as they speak the words.   I realize He continues to “yearn for the day” when humanity will collectively say “I love you.”  For now, I pray to continue guiding my family into a life of speaking those three words well – by our lives.  Both to our neighbors, and to God…

Posted in Uncategorized

Top Ten

Posted on by Wick

I’d originally posted this on my actual church website.  As it turns out, they actually DO want visitors, and this seemed counter-productive.  Posting it here instead, so that when I die, the historians will have this to laugh at.  Or present Russian hackers.  Or my mom.  You know, whoever reads…

Top Reasons to NOT Visit our church:dontvisit.big_

  1. You’re a long-time attender at another church & discovered something you don’t like. Whether worship style, new pastor, new Bible version, new parking lot, or the latest potluck recipe flop – stick with your family if possible. Community is long-term, and multi-generational. That means there will be seasons, and possibly even generations where things aren’t quite what you’d pick out. But you don’t switch family reunions because the other family is playing a cooler game. (Although you might invite them to teach you.)
  2. You’re completely comfortable w/your life right now, & want everything to stay the way it is. Certainly ANY church can turn into a social club, where we pat each other on the back and go home each week with a smile on our face. But here at Moundford we value transformation, and we invite our people to live missionally in ways that might make you and your “comfort” more vulnerable.
  3. You’re perfect. Seriously? We have a Savior already, and don’t need another one. (Although you might still want to try and come…there’s a good chance you’ve been misinformed.)
  4. You want people to see your new _______. Whether it’s a hairstyle, new car, or giant gold-plated belt-buckle; it might be better to post a picture on social media and let your mom “Like” it. We advocate humility and “freedom from the trappings of wealth”. So whether humility looks like a suit and tie (servant), or blue jeans (simplicity), we invite you to come before God with a humble heart.
  5. You want to be a part of a community where everyone is like you. Sadly, the visual diversity of congregations does often seem homogeneous. But the heart of Jesus stirs a desire within us to reach out across all socioeconomic and culture/racial barriers to build loving community and share life together. We hope to continue looking more and more like the diversity found in a global body of believers.
  6. You’re hoping to move up within a pyramid. We understand the current economy has all sorts of opportunities popping up for investment. Although we certainly welcome anyone here at Moundford, we’d rather “building your financial network” not be your foundational motivation for connecting with us. From another angle, the head of our church is not the local pastor or head of the board – it’s Jesus. We seek His Spirit together, and guidance comes as we are accountable to each other, the greater conference, and our denomination.
  7. You want a church population big enough to hide in. It can be tempting to try and follow Jesus and attend worship one day, and fade quietly away all week/month. Sure, it’s possible to attempt, but you’re missing out on so much. Connect in relationship through a class or small group. We are not formed by attending and consuming a worship service – but by including the means of Grace found in living together as worshiping vulnerable community.
  8. You’re looking for something 100% new. We believe in Revelation 21:5, God says “Behold I am making all things new!” not “Behold, I am making all new things!” We have roots in this community going back to 1880, and understandings of scripture, mission, and God that go back thousands of years. Even as God continues to do new things in and through us, we will always be connected to that “great cloud of witnesses” (Hebrews 12:1) and the ways God has been active for a long time already.
  9. For the freshly made Mexican cuisine. Okay, so this one’s just for fun. But if you haven’t yet, do yourself a favor and visit “Taqueria La Perlita” near 22nd and Eldorado. That’s some good Mexican food right there. Tell Maria we sent you. (Although sidenote: Our potlucks have been known to feature some of Decatur’s finest fresh Chinese food.)
  10. You’re Trying to Escape God. We are a community of God’s children who believe the Word became flesh in Jesus Christ, and revealed the powerful Love of God that seeks us out no matter where we are, and no matter how broken or undeserving we think we might be. When we gather for worship, it is this God we seek and encounter. This Love offers to flood our time together, and does not stay contained in our services. We invite this Spirit to empower us throughout our week, which involves reaching out to others – but also an inward transformation of our hearts as we open ourselves to His Love. So even though it’s not a great place to come if you’re trying to avoid God – now might be a good time for you to recognize – God is with you already in this moment. You cannot make His Love turn away from desiring to be with you.

(If you’ve made it this far into reading, I hope you’ve been stirred. If you’d like to talk more, or for someone to pray with/for you, I hope you’ll connect. Visit, call, or e-mail!)

Posted in Different Learning, Different Moments, Uncategorized

“Uber” Exciting

Posted on by Wick

This past week, ride-sharing app “Uber” opened up in our city, only to be followed the next day by “Lyft” as well.  Decatur, IL was finally getting “on the map” in a way that seemed to echo finally being included in “Craigslist” a few years before.  Certainly we’re no Chicago, but we are a greater-area population of about 85,000 – and potential for growth as we were also recently identified as #3 most affordable housing market in the WORLD.

uber-redesign-russellwarwickI’m a confessed extrovert, and love meeting new people.  So it wasn’t surprising to my wife when I joked about signing up as an Uber driver, not as a money-making venture, but for fun.  Even after quickly moving through the process, snapping pictures of my documents like insurance and registration, and getting notified I was approved – I didn’t think I’d find myself driving anytime soon.  Although as a pastor there was another layer of appeal.

Fridays are my “day off”, and the rest of my family was occupied at our homeschool co-op.  My wife told me to take the morning to enjoy.  As I sat at Panera, reading the latest edition of Harpers, I flicked the “Online” toggle on my Uber-Driver App, and officially became available.  I figured, it would be fun to give a ride or two, in the midst of my morning coffee.  Ten minutes later, it was obvious Decatur didn’t need many Uber drivers around 9am on a Friday.  Almost an hour in, I realized it wouldn’t be so bad to just spend the morning reading with coffee.

Then it happened.  I don’t even remember much about what the alert looked like. All I could think of was “There might be several Uber drivers getting this same notification, I’d better accept it quickly!”  Boom.  I accepted.  Then I looked at the address.  It wasn’t far, so I loaded up, made sure the radio wasn’t blaring princess music, and began to follow the built-in navigation system within the Uber app.

As I eased my family mini-van into the driveway of a nice quiet neighborhood, a smiling middle-aged man and his wife emerged with two suit-cases.  I quickly asked his name to confirm, though it seemed pretty obvious he was definitely my fare.  I helped load his luggage into my trunk, and opened the door for both he and his wife.  As I started the van, I slid the “Start” button on the Uber app, and asked him where they were headed this morning.  He smiled and said the airport, which I’d kinda anticipated from the luggage.  There was only one issue:

The airport he was talking about was 1.5 hours away in Peoria, IL.

For a brief second, I thought he was joking.  I think he caught my surprise, because he clarified, “You saw that when you agreed, right?”  I looked at my clock, and saw I had just enough time to get there and back before the family came home for lunch.  Why not?  I was honest, however.  Laughing, I confessed I’d not seen it, but it was no problem – let’s go!

He and his wife were very kind, and were in good spirits as they were heading out of town on vacation.  Their flights had been changed last minute, and they decided to try Uber since it had proved useful in previous times of transportation need when they’d visited larger cities.  They even tipped well, although Uber does not require this habit.

Altogether, I enjoyed my coffee and met some new people whom I was able to offer God’s blessings to for their journey ahead, as I dropped them off for their flights.  They’d paid Uber about $75, and I received about $55 of that (plus their gracious tip!).  Probably the most I’ll ever cash in with Uber, since I was just doing it for fun.  I was thankful that their few hours of need happened during my few hours of availability.

I also learned an important lesson: Before you agree to help someone get somewhere, make sure you know where they want to go.  (That’s probably a deep profound truth, eh?)  Next time I’ll make sure I check the request fully, before accepting.  I suppose I could be glad they weren’t heading to an airport in Chicago, or Canada…? lol

Thanks, Uber.  That was fun.  Maybe we’ll do it again someday.