Broken Tractors and Skinned Knees…

Easter 2012

It’s always interesting to me to watch and listen to people pray.  Especially in front of other people.  Over the past couple of years I’ve had all kinds of opportunity to watch various people pray.  Sometimes they hesitate as if they aren’t sure who they are talking to, Sometimes they are afraid, Sometimes people pray flowery long prayers with all types of big words, Some people say “Dear God” at the beginning of all their prayers and others say “Lord Father God” after every phrase.  What is especially puzzling to me is when people ask a pastor or church leader to pray on their behalf because somehow God will listen better, more, etc.  As if the God who created them in the first place isn’t tremendously interested in what they have to say…

I’ve always felt the best way to talk to God is as a friend.  After all, in Jesus we are given the right to be called co-heirs with him to all the Father has created (Romans 8:7) and Jesus himself calls us friends (John 15:15).  So it warmed my heart this afternoon when the tractor at the lake broke and Jadon skinned his knees on the driveway.

We had gone out to the lake to have dinner with my parents who were due in around 3 pm.  Esther, Jadon and I thought we would be helpful by going out early to mow the lawn with the tractor so they wouldn’t have to bother with that chore when they came home.  We made it a game by making it a surprise for them…  About 90% finished we stopped the faithful old John Deere to empty the bag and the motor simply wouldn’t start back up again.  Dead as a doornail.  After I fiddled with it for a few minutes I decided that the obvious was simply not going to work so Esther and I walked down to get the charger to put on it for a few minutes.  On our way back up the hill I hear from Esther:

“Daddy?”

–Yes, Esther?

“What will happen if the tractor won’t start back up?”

–I suppose our surprise won’t quite work as we thought

After she chews on that for a few minutes I hear as we are walking:

“Dear God, please let the tractor start back up again so we can give grandma and grandpa their surprise.  I love you God. Amen”

Inwardly I was amazed and grateful that the first thought my daughter had was to petition the Great King for help.  As I thought about it more I thought how wonderfully blessed she might be if God would allow her to converse with Him as a friend.  I was reminded of a story from Numbers 12 in which Aaron and Miriam complain about Moses and God explains to them that “Yes, I indeed talk to you…but to Moses I speak as a friend.”

Later on in the evening just before we left, Jadon fell on the driveway and skinned his knees.  You would have thought the world was ending as he climbed into his car seat!  But as we drove away and the cries subsided to a wimper I heard a soft voice from the backseat of the Expedition saying:

“God, I pray for my brother’s knees.  Please take away the pain and make his knees feel better.  Please help him not to cry and instead be brave and courageous.  I love you God. Amen”

She’s learning to talk to Yahweh as a friend… And I couldn’t feel more blessed!

“Yahweh God, you gave us your name because you desired to be our friend. Jesus taught us how to be your friends… Please teach my children how to be your friends as well.  I love you God. Amen”

–Greg

 

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A Well Ordered Way

 

Four Diapers.  That’s all the diapers left in Rahab’s bedroom tonight.

 

That fact is significant because tonight is the end of our pay period.  We made it.  The next 30 days will come with their own challenges but for now, just for tonight, we are celebrating the fact that during April we told every dollar where to go.

 

Every single one.

 

For us that is significant because we have never done it before.   Five years ago our lives were changed when Chris’ parents gave us a copy of Dave Ramsey’s “The Total Money Makeover.”  We cut up our credit cards and started to learn the concept of budgeting forward.  The idea is that you decide ahead of time where each dollar of spending is going to go.  We did fairly well, paying off our credit cards and making some progress…

 

Until we got furloughed.

 

When the paychecks stopped coming we did what every good American does: we went on unemployment.  When unemployment ran out, we had decided to go to Fuller Theological Seminary.  Which was good because it allowed us to live off of student loans… A lot of student loans.  I wrote a post maybe a year ago in which I detailed our loan situation.  At the beginning of our furlough we owed roughly $27,000.  At the end of our furlough we owed a slight bit more than $98,000.  We had allowed our total debt to grow by $71,000 over the course of three years.

 

Which is not good.

 

King Solomon once told his son, “Flee from debt with the intensity the gazelle has from the hand of the hunter”

 

So at the beginning of April we decided to get serious about our debt situation by living a well ordered life.  We decided we were going to simplify and get intense.  By simplify we decided to put Seminary on hold until we can pay for it in cash, upfront.  And by intense we decided to put every extra dollar we make towards our outstanding debts.  We know that if we are going to make it happen we have to be able to tell each and every dollar where to go ahead of time, something we have never been fully able to do.

 

So we prayed it over and committed our financial situation to Yahweh’s care…

 

And then we wrote a check for our entire savings account to our student loans.

 

And then we managed to squeeze an extra $1,300 out of our monthly budget to apply to student loans.

 

And then we watched, prayed, and encouraged each other to “be gazelle.”

 

And then we made it to the end of the pay period…

 

Four diapers ahead of schedule…

 

“May the God who wants immeasurably more for your life than slavery to debt, bless and encourage you as He has us this month.  Strive with us to be good stewards of Yahweh’s blessings by living a ‘well ordered life’”

-Greg

 

 

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4 Months

Yesterday Rahab turned four months! She is growing up so fast! Her smiles and giggles are part of everyday life around here. It doesn’t get any more precious than that!

She can now:
Roll to her side from her back
Interacting more with her toys – talking to them and grabbing them more consistently
Sit up (tripod style) – See video & picture

She has discovered:
*Her tongue can make noises – Boy does she love making these noises
*Her feet – I love watching her grab her feet
*Her voice – She is talking up a storm

This is a video of Jadon Welcoming Rahab home after our Mother/Daughter trip. He is so sweet!

-The Stats are in! 4/30/12

  • 13 pounds 4 ounces (41%)
  • 24 1/4 inches (48%)
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“What route are you on?”

I have officially been back to work at Alaska Airlines for 269 days today.  One of the things I’ve often been asked over the course of my flying career is, “What route are you on?”  It’s a seemingly simple question with a surprisingly complex answer because I have no particular route.  The junior pilots in each seat (Captain & First Officer) are given “reserve” schedules that essentially require you to be on call a certain number of days each month.  On the days that you are on call you are liable to go wherever the airline goes.  It is simply a matter of who calls in sick for that day.  Because I get asked where I fly quite often I made up a little route map of all the segments I’ve flown since I’ve been back to work…

–Greg

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Mother/Daughter trip

Rahab and I have been on quite the trip this past weekend!

At Seatac heading to Minneapolis

We started with Uncle Tim! He picked us up. It was great to see him even if it was short. We even got to see Auntie Kaley, who was glowing, for a few minutes.

Waiting for Uncle Tim in Minneapolis

Our next stop was watching my cousin Parker run his first outdoor track meet of the season. He is an amazing runner and one of the top mile & two milers in Minnesota. It was great to finally have a chance to see him run! I can’t wait to see how his season finishes out. Afterwards the whole Wharram family met Rahab.

Parker and I

Parker getting ready to run

The Star!

At the track meet with Aunt Linda & Parker

 

The next morning we got up slowly and headed to Uncle Mike’s apartment.  This was the start of our road trip with Auntie Tricia, Grandma Becky, & Grandpa Tim.  It was a great road trip with my siblings and parents.  We haven’t done that in a long time.  Let the record show this was the first trip my parents didn’t buy us lunch!  In fact we bought before they even knew what happened.  :)

On the rode again...

silhouette of my family

Rahab chillin' with Uncle Mike

We made it to Trego/Spooner, WI where we attended Anne Reinke’s wedding.  My family and her family have been friends for the past 20+ years.  I was so thankful to be able to attend the wedding!  Congrats to Travis and Anne!!

Getting ready... do you see my sister (Tricia, not Esther:) in the background?...

Reinke & Barrus girls!

 

The sweet couple

Grandpa loving on Rahab

My family

We had a great time!  After we left the wedding reception at midnight.  My family stayed up and talked with each other until 2am!  It was so nice to get caught up with everyone.  We had a nice relaxing day on Saturday.  We walked the trails, played frisbee golf, hung out with the Reinke family, and learned how to play cribbage.  I have seen my parents play this game for many years, especially with my Dad’s family, but never learned until now.

More Uncle time.. she did hang out with her Aunt too, I guess I didn't get a pic though :(

Notice anything different?

Mother of the Bride -Sue

Cribbage!!

On Sunday, we headed back to Minneapolis.  We made our last stop at my brother’s place.  I got to meet his roommate Kassie!  I also, introduced them to the show “Duck Dynasty.”  If you haven’t seen it, check it out on Hulu.  It is so so very funny!

Mike and his roommate

Grandparents - at Mike's place

Rahab and I then headed home.  We were both excited to see the rest of our family!  It sure was nice to see everyone and have some quality Mother/Daughter time!

One tuckered out girl

Thanks Alaska for making it affordable!

Our ride home!

I’m hoping Greg will write his adventures with the kids while I was gone.  He has some exciting news to share!

-Chris

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Teaching our kids about Easter

I have a passion for equipping families with training their children to know the Lord. I know I’m still in the very early stages of training my children. But I’m clinging to the promise from
“Proverbs 22:6 Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.”
As I come across encouraging words I get very excited! I want to share what I have learned.
I was praying about how to prepare my young children for the Good Friday service at our church, I was starting to question my efforts. I knew it could be a challenging service for Jadon to sit through. It’s a sober service, lots of prayer and reflection time. As I was in prayer, I was reminding of the training he receives every Wednesday at BSF. He has been learning to have a quiet time with the Lord. Before service I sat down and talked to the kids about what the service would be like and compared it to the quiet time my children have experienced. At the service, we would pray, take communion & and hear about what Jesus did on the cross for us. They seemed to grasp it and oh how I was praying they would grasp something!
Praise the Lord for his favor with our children. They did so amazing participating in the worship service. No Jadon didn’t sit still through the whole service. That’s not the point. They are learning how to worship God! And they did!
That night during prayer time. I asked Jadon if he had a special prayer. He usually says no, but tonight he did. With leading from me we thanked Jesus for dying on the cross for you (Jadon) and me (mom). He looks at me and says “and Esther”. Oh this little boy is getting it! Thank you Lord for showing your love to this boy!
The Lord is so faithful! To add the cherry on top I was so encouraged by this broadcast. It confirmed my efforts for the service. It also taught me some interesting facts about the roots of ‘secular’ Easter traditions. I pray you find 30 minutes in your day to listen to this. I pray it will encourage you also!

Happy Easter!
He has risen!
-Chris

Teaching kids about Easter Broadcast

 

 

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Rahab 3 months

Rahab turned 3 months last week.  I know I say this a lot, but where did the time go?  She is growing way too fast!

The latest and greatest from Rahab:

Rahab is trying to sit up.  What I mean by that is she is lifting her head and toes up while laying on the ground.  Also, when she is in your lap she will lean forward trying to sit up on her own.  She still needs lots of support, but she is trying!

She likes to face out when she is in your arms.  This way she can learn all those great habits from her siblings :) In fact, if you don’t have her facing the right way, she will let you know!

She is starting to find her voice.  It is really fun watching Esther and Jadon talk back and forth with her.  Jadon will say “Hi little girl” over and over again.  It is in his sweetest voice – I need to record it.

Rahab has found her tongue!  I love watching her stick it out.

She is becoming more and more aware of her surroundings.  Which means feeding her is getting more and more difficult because there are a lot more interesting things going on than eating.

Oh, and the toys she is discovering!  She is really starting to reach for those toys.  Of course she enjoys the help her siblings give her to make all those toys work properly.  Esther was stacking blocks for Rahab and teaching her how to knock them down.  I hope and pray they will be good friends.

Here are some videos of the sweet voice and giggles.  It doesn’t get any better than this!  (Proud Mama :) )

 

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Happy 30th Birthday to Greg!

Yes, his birthday was yesterday, but he was flying almost the whole day. Alaska Airlines idea of “good” 30th birthday present would be to fly to Mexico City and back all night long!

Because he was gone all day yesterday, the kids and I did our presents this morning! We had a lot of fun shopping for Daddy.

 

30 bouncy balls from Jadon

 

 

30 bags of buttery popcorn from Rahab

 

 

30 rocks from Esther

 

Opening his precious "father" gifts :)

 

Happy 30th Birthday!!  Can’t wait to have our family day at the Wings and Waves Waterpark!

Love, Chris, Esther, Jadon, & Rahab

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North Dakota Trip

Day 1: February 17th
We actually started in Hutchinson, MN were I received my Hutchinson t-shirt! Super excited to show that off! Thanks Tim and Kaley :) We went there to visit Tim, Kaley and soon be baby Ireland! Yep, I’m going to be an Auntie!! Tim and Kaley took Esther iceskating on their pond and Jadon rode on the sled! They had a blast! Of course we had time to snuggle with our little Rahab!

Day 2: February 18th
After long days of traveling, we made it to Fargo, ND! We didn’t have much down time, as family was anxious to meet Rahab, and we were only going to be there a few days. So, we found a rink, the rink I played broom ball on for gym class in middle school, to take Esther ice skating again! I got to see my Dad on skates for the first time! He had pretty sore feet :) They even had a pair of skates for me to use!
Our day didn’t end there, we headed off to the hotel to swim in the pool and eat pizza! My Dad’s brothers, sister, and their kids were there! So fun to hang out with family!!! Love you guys :)

Day 3: February 19th
More family time! We played games and went shopping!
My brother came down for the weekend from Minneapolis. Esther, Rahab, and I actually rode with him to Fargo. It was great getting caught up with him.
My Dad made his famous omelets after church. Yummy!!

Day 4: February 20th
My Aunt Annie stopped by for a quick trip to meet Rahab!
Of course we went sledding! Fargo had just gotten some fresh powder. We couldn’t resist going down those man made hills in ND :)
For supper, this is a term used in the midwest for dinner, we went over to Great Grandma Lois’ for her famous Norwegian pancakes! Love them!!

Day 5: February 21st
It wouldn’t be a proper trip without going to Scheels, a local sporting goods store. Grandpa Tim, my Dad, had to take his kids and grandkids on the ferris wheel! Jadon wasn’t so sure, but did it anyway and loved it! Esther of course had a great time! Thanks Grandpa Tim!
My favorite part of the day was watching Esther play sorry with Grandma Becky, Grandpa Tim and Great Grandma Lois. This just doesn’t happen all that often! Precious moments!!

We had such a great trip! Can’t wait to see everyone again! I sure miss seeing my family. With both Grandma’s turing 80 this summer, I know I will see them all soon!

-Chris

Here is just a sampling of the pictures that were taken this trip. Enjoy!

Click here to view these pictures larger

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Haircuts

Esther and I both cut off our hair recently. I have been able to donate my hair to Locks of Love with every pregnancy. My hair grows so fast when I’m pregnant I thought I would donate it. It has become a tradition now. Esther decided to join me as well!

-Chris

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