regarding the 2nd thought

15, 13, 11. - they're growing up as fast as everyone warned us they would.  It's becoming tradition to watch old home videos on the kids' birthdays.  So, on Ellie's birthday we watched a hilarious video we made several Christmases ago.  It kind of felt like an Ebeneezer Scrooge and Ghost of Christmas Past moment as we peeked into happy moments of a young family.  

Later, we were talking about how hard surrounding circumstances were at the time the video was made.  Trevor was just starting his business at Edward Jones and we had recently moved away from all that was familiar.  But if we didn't know that background and all we had to go by was the video, we would assume that all was well. 

Two thoughts: 1. What a great picture of what the home should be - a safe haven.

                      2. What a great picture of how we need to be transparent with our 

                          challenges and not just record and project that everything's great
                          when, in truth, we're struggling.

I guess I'll start (regarding the 2nd thought).  I was not a good mom to my oldest son yesterday.  I was immature and easily angered.  He desires all the things we prayed he would desire and is serving God with his life; he's a terrific son.  But, I managed to nit-pick at a few irritants and ruined our day together.  Yuck.

Praying for no yuck today on my part.

Give and Take

It's not the best picture, but it's better than nothing.  Ellie snapped a few photos during warm-ups and those are the only pictures we have of Tate's 8th grade basketball experience.  See, we were planning on taking more; probably many more, but the situation changed. 

Blessed Be Your Name - it's a song we sing a lot.  The bridge of song is haunting:

      You give and take away.

           You give and take away.

                   My heart will choose to say,

                          "Lord, Blessed be Your name".

We were so amazed at the gift God had given Tate by creating a way for him to play basketball.  Tate's first game was a blast and our hearts were so full as we watched Tate shine.  Yes, he did very well on the court, but the shine came from his heart being so alive as he was doing the thing he loves. 

Then were so amazed that God took it away.  But this time we weren't amazed in a good way; not at all.  Mid-season we discovered more information about the requirements and legalities of his eligibility and he had to be done with all of it.

To some, it's just a sport.  To us it's something Tate's created to do and the loss was great.  But God injects in our minds a greater perspective and a reminder of words we've proclaimed dozens of times: that bridge.  Oh, that bridge.

Trigger Happy

Bang!

A Penske truck is a trigger.  It's a trigger for a pretty great inside joke, but that's just the beginning.  Every time I see a Penske truck it triggers the memory of our move from Bair Lake to Cran-Hill.

Driving through the night to get home from Florida would normally be followed by immediate rest, but fresh air was calling, so we all went for a walk.  (Ok, maybe we went for a walk because Ellie couldn't wait one more moment to see Sky.) It doesn't really matter how He got us out there; the walk turned out to be an awesome connection time with the Lord.  As we walked around the Ranch we were caught up in gratitude.  A year ago our hearts were in a cloud, but as we walked together we all sensed God's peace and an incredible sense of belonging.  Our cloudless hearts are an undeniable proof that God heals. So 12 months and one Penske truck later: Cran-Hill is our home.

Bang! (Oh wait, I already counted that one...)

Adding pop cans

I saw a guy struggling to ride his bike in the rain.  The poncho he wore, to keep the water away, was flapping in the wind and creating more difficulty than help.  The faster he pedaled, the more the poncho flew.  Hopefully he arrived at his destination and found relief from the downpour.

The funny thing about this guy was that in the midst of his rainy bike ride, he was holding a pop can and occasionally trying to drink it. This added item seemed to disrupt his balance and slow him down.  All I could think was, "He's making this so much harder than it has to be." 

Making my way through this world is hard enough.  Is there anything I'm holding onto that, if thrown aside, would make things a whole lot easier? 

Whether It's Easy or Not

Sometimes giving thanks is easy.  A perfect day of swimming under the span of the Mackinaw Bridge makes it easy to be thankful.  We could list all that inspires thanksgiving on a day like that: clear and warm-enough water for swimming, money for gas in our van to get us there and back again (pause for momentary tribute to Bilbo Baggins), sabbath day for Trevor from the work he's a part of at CHR, two boys who love and respect their daddy, a daddy who's crazy enough to pose for a conquer-under-the-Mackinaw photo.  The list of reasons continues in my mental vault, but I think that gets the point across.

Sometimes, though, giving thanks isn't easy. Since reading about him on the Voice of the Martyrs site, www.persecution.com,  I am haunted by the circumstances of Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani in Iran.  This is him:

He is, as I write freely in the safety and comfort of our Bag End home, trapped in Lakan Prison somewhere in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Why imprisonment? He didn't want his two boys to be required to learn the Quran at their school and he spoke up about it.  Originally the arrest was on charges of protesting, but that was somehow changed to charges of apostasy and evangelism of Muslims.  Now almost two years later, he has a family that waits daily for the announcement of his execution.  The whole horrific story could be over in a moment if he would just deny Jesus and return to Islam.  But he won't do that. And, we're praying that he has the strength to continue to be faithful.  I would be foolish to say that it's easy for him to have a grateful heart.  But I think he does.  He couldn't possibly keep proclaiming Jesus if he doesn't have a clear sense of all that God has done for him.

Before you click on the next whatever, please stop and pray right now for him and his family.  Facebook can wait a few more minutes. 

wickes fam: 1, stinky: 0

I have fond memories of the song we used to sing at Camp Albright - 'It only takes a spark to get a fire going...' One of our favorite parts about camping is the challenge of building and lighting a one-match fire.  Somehow we've managed to pass on the thrill of this challenge to the kids.  It could have something to do with the fact that we began their fire-building instruction around age 2 (it's true!), or it could be a genetic phenomenon, but whatever the reason, now all five of us love campfires.  

Camping was great.  The skunk was thrilling and the food was filling.  Tate tells the skunk story best.  Walking to the bath-house in the dark, Tate found the cat (no, skunk!) and Mommy cried "RUN!".  To protect their family, Tate and Daddy flash-light hunted pepe le'pew and ran him off into the woods; the same woods that met the back of our tent.  

Truth: Even in the midst of a peaceful camping experience, there's an enemy lurking trying to make a stinky mess. 


 

unexpected gifts

These three people were part of a tremendous gift to us from the Lord. They brought life and laughter into our home this past year. We needed them and we thank God for their friendship.

It's hard to believe that it's almost been a year since our transition to Cran-Hill. A lot has happened in a year.

More than just the luck o' the Irish

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Thanks to Veggie Tales, we've heard the story of St. Patrick many times. A simple man used a simple plant to teach a profound Truth to the locals. If we're looking for them, there are teaching tools all around us.

God loves variety

One of my favorite quotes from That Hideous Strength (C.S. Lewis) - "He doesn't make two blades of grass the same: how much less two saints, two nations, two angels."

I wish I was better at appreciating the beauty of our differences. I want to learn this art of seeing. I want to trust that the way God speaks to me may not be the way He speaks to others. I also want to keep learning to love other nations without measuring their ways with my North American culture.

Lately, A Wrinkle in Time (Madeline L'Engle) has been a conversation-inspiring read for the five of us. What an accurate picture of our struggle to take every thought captive as we fight against succumbing to the beat of this present world. We cannot forget the reality of this moment-by-moment struggle or the beat, the rhythm, the pattern of this world will gradually form us.

We're so thankful that God uses such variety in His efforts to reveal Truth to us. Even fictional stories written many years ago.

How many Hobbits can Bag End hold?

If this really were a hobbit home, we had a few extra hobbits this weekend. As hobbits are known for the enjoyment of meals and joyful music, we truly could have been mistaken for Bag End! Scout, Grace and KJ are such sweet girls and we love it when they come to visit.

I Love a Worth-my-time movie on Sunday afternoon

We just watched The Legend of the Guardians (the owl movie). It's a very artistic movie with a strong message. I love to walk away from a movie and feel motivated to keep doing the right thing and to keep fighting. "You do the right thing and you keep doing it over and over again..." Loved this film.

Life at the Ranch

What a gorgeous January day it was - perfect for x-country skiing. We all started out pretty strong until Ellie and I discovered that we both fell just by watching someone else fall. It was kind of like the contagious yawning phenomenon. Laughing made it very difficult to get back up!

Watching all the local ice fishermen on the ice has been so interesting but we hadn't made it out on the ice yet this year. So, we skiied out on Hillview Lake, with Trevor trudging through the foot of snow trying to blaze a trail for rest of us. As we roamed around the Ranch we were awed once again by the beauty of this place. This winter day was a gift from the Lord.

It's the best - It's WINTER FEST!

A few days ago the ground was bare and, except for a few snow fort remains, all the snow had disappeared. But today it's gloriously white everywhere I look. All this fresh snow is going to make this Saturday a wonderful day at Cran-Hill. Saturday's our Winter Fest and we hope to serve and love on many people from the community. I still can't believe all this snow!

I saw on the news today the story of a homeless man named Ted Williams. His life has found new hope all because the right person with the right connections discovered his talent. This makes me wonder how I'm being responsible with the talents I have. His story is pretty amazing and I wonder how he knows who to trust. It seems like people are just being kind to him because of what he has to offer. I hope he aligns with people who really have his best interest in mind.

Back in the saddle

II'm not sure how to begin again. I know that blogging is something I really enjoy, but for some reason (or reasons) I've neglected it. Actually, there are many things I've neglected this past year. This entry could very quickly turn into a summary of 2010. It could serve as a way to process the events and changes in our life. Instead I think I'll look forward and begin to sense the wonder of all that God's doing.

So, what is He doing? Well, He is blessing us with a home, a ministry and friends at Cran-Hill Ranch. He is positioning us closer to parents, siblings, grand-parents, aunts, uncles and cousins. He is giving us a place to worship and be equipped at Trinity Fellowship. He is surrounding us with 300 acres of beautiful creation. He is giving us the joy of horses. He is walking us through grief and is being our perfect peace. He is restoring our hope and renewing our assurances in Him.

It sounds like life is great and therefore it's easy to be positive and hopeful. Actually life is really hard and it's only because He walks through it with us that I'm able to write such expressions of life and joy.

The miracle of Emmanuel is ringing true for tletj.