Graduation Pics

A most significant accomplishment for us a family in 2011 would be Kevin graduating from seminary.  If you scroll down a few posts, you can read his thoughts regarding graduation.  We are so thankful that this season has come to an end simply because it means more family time.  However, we are not remiss of how this season taught us, challenged us, and encouraged us spiritually.  And yes, we.


Here are some pics from Kevin's graduation from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.


Kevin at the beginning of the commencement ceremony.

Kevin receiving his Master's of Divinity with honors.

Dr. Pleudemann (one of Kev's favourite profs) praying over the graduates while the other faculty surrounded them.

Kevin's dad and twin sister, Kerri, joined us for the graduation.

Proud mommy and kids with daddy.

More Christmas Pics

Uncle Paul and Sofia involved in their colouring fest.

Uncle Bruce and Isaiah sharing a bowl of jello.

Stella and Sofia

The girls put on a song and dance for the family.

Isaiah with his Grandpa Sheck.

Uncle Glen and Isaiah.

Maybe someday Isaiah will be as tall as his cousins Aaron and Ben.

Story time with the Rausers.

Girls spent a day with cousins Hannah and Caleb.

Christmas 2011

The morning of Christmas Eve turned out to be the best time for our family to enjoy a time of celebrating Christ's birth and exchanging gifts.  After enjoying a breakfast of snowman pancakes...

Daddy read the "Christmas Story"from Scripture.  Throughout the Christmas season we as a family have discussed much the why of giving and receiving presents.  God's sacrificial love of sending his Son to earth as a human in order that he may die on a cross for our sins is a pretty amazing gift.  The GREATEST GIFT ever!

Then it was time to open gifts.  Isaiah "gave" his sisters each a craft handbag, Selah gave her siblings each a little play puppy dog, and Sofia gave Selah a cozy blanket and Isaiah a Mr. Potato Head toy.

And while we don't keep our kids from believing in Santa (we try to emphasize the why and who he was), we did tell the kids that the big gifts that they asked Santa for....well, because mommy and daddy love them so much, we wanted to be the ones to give them those gifts.

Selah and her guitar.

Isaiah with his race car track.

And Sofia with her treasured American Girl doll, Samantha.

That evening we participated in our church's traditional candlelight service.  I was blessed to once again be a reader for the Lessons and Carols.  Kevin prepared us for the lighting of the fourth advent candle representing joy and Sofia actually was the one to light the candle this year.

Once the service ended we headed home to pack up the van and take off for our drive to Michigan.  We were on the road by 7:30 p.m. and arrived a little before midnight.

It was nice to wake up Christmas morning at Grandpa Sheck's house.  The kids were once again blessed with gifts and by noon most of the uncles, aunts and cousins had arrived for the family meal.

Grandpa gave all the girls animal hats.

The rest of the day was spent snacking and playing games.  The games for this year were Imagination Station, Logos, and Loaded Questions.

Kevin with brothers and nephews.

Christmas no doubt is a most favourite time of year and I believe it isn't because of the presents but because of love.  Love shared with friends and family but most all, the reminder of God's great love for us.

The classic pics with Santa.

Christmas Concert

We are so thankful for our church and the music ministry.  


Selah is a part of the Play N Praise choir which is for 3, 4 and 5 year olds.  The sweetness of hearing such little ones sing praises to our Lord is something special.

Sofia continues to be a part of Kids Praise, the choir for Kindergarten through 5th grade.   We appreciate the leaders who not only teach the kids the songs but begin each rehearsal with a devotion on how we can worship God through music.

It is our prayer as parents that their voices will always bring forth a sweet sound to our Savior's ear.

Thoughts on graduating.

I turned in my last final exam at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School a few days ago.  It feels terrific to be finished!  After six and a half years, I will finally be receiving my master's degree (M.Div.).  The ceremony is this Friday night and I will be thrilled and honored to have as my guests, my wife and kids, my dad and sister, and some of my fellow pastors at Crossroads Church.  

The journey toward getting my M.Div. could not have happened without some very special people.  My wife, Keri, in particular sacrificed an enormous amount.  She managed the home-front with amazing skill and effort.  She put up with kids crying for their daddy on several occasions as I would have to leave home to go to class or to go study.  By God's grace, Keri and I committed to this endeavor, and by God's grace we continued until this endeavor was completed.  As one, we celebrate this accomplishment.  [Sweets, thanks so much for your amazing support and encouragement through it all!  Thanks, too, Sofia, Selah and Isaiah!  Along with your mommy, I look forward to spending more time with all of you.]

I thank my pastor, Steve Farish, for his encouragement, prayers and help along this journey toward my degree.  Steve met with me for all of my field education experiences and for my internship.  Steve and I read through several books together the last five years, and we were both encouraged and edified through those experiences. [ Pastor Steve, thanks for everything!]  

I greatly appreciate my church family also for their support in all of my studies.

I also appreciate Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.  TEDS is a great institution of learning and I greatly appreciate the professors, adminstrators, and support staff.  

As I look back, here are some of my highlights at TEDS.

Favorite classes and why:

1. Biblical Theology and Interpretation with Dr. Carson because he put the Bible together for me and taught me the importance of heilsgeschichte.

2. Elementary Greek I and II with Tim Swinson (now Dr. Swinson), because not only did I learn the fundamentals of Biblical Greek, but I really learned a significant amount about the English language.  [I daydreamed through those classes in middle school and high school.]

3. Theology and Methodology of Biblical Preaching with Dr. Scharf, because of his definition of proposition (as used in a sermon).  It still guides me when I proclaim the word and when I hear the word proclaimed.

4. Poetic and Prophetic Books with Dr. Monson, because Dr. Monson is, as one of my fellow classmates put it, the Christian version of Robin Williams.  The man knows the Old Testament brilliantly, and challenged us in our studies as well, but beyond that he is seriously one of the most creative and fun professors on planet Earth. 

Most poignant moments:

1. The first day of class for Biblical Theology and Interpretation.  Before class began there were well over 75 of us students in the class chattering up a storm, but when Dr. Carson opened the door of the class and began walking down the steps the place went absolutely silent.  Due, of course, to the enormous respect for the man.  He arrived at the podium, quickly looked over the class, and said, in effect: "Let us begin in prayer..."  Beginning with that moment the class rocked all semester long.

2. I had Dr.John Feinberg for two classes while he was undergoing enormous challenges in his life, primarly due to his wife's debilitating health at the time.  Considering the emotional pain that he was enduring, one could hardly tell, the man was genuinely caring and gracious to us.  One semester he gave us all an enormous gift for our final exam because he felt that he had shortchanged us that semester.  He definitely won my admiration.  

3. Dr. McCall and Dr. Plueddemann both won my respect by being genuine and transparent in class, particulary by weepng with those who weep and for weeping for lost souls. 

4. Dr. Wayne Johnson, in his introductory remarks to those of us entering the Master's of Divinity program, quoted the following words: "Theology should always lead to doxology."  That statement has helped me to pursue theology unashamedly, and, in my humble opinion, would clear up a lot of messes in people's lives and in churches if it was more passionately embraced.

I am glad to have written down these things.  With all of those great memories it makes me want to think about pursuing a D.Min.  Okay, I better stop for now.  

My daughter's heart.

Dear Sofia,

Over the past couple of weeks I've been confronted by a most wonderful reality that your heart is one that is changing for the Greater.

I was so proud of you when your teacher told me at our parent/teacher conference that you were excelling in your studies but that it was your heart that really impressed her.  She noticed it at the beginning of the school year when you asked to be a helper to some of the special needs students that your class interacts with during P.E.  Your heart is filled with joy every day when you serve Yvonne and Jason.

Last week my heart was filled with joy when a widow from our church called to tell me, "That Sofia, I don't know what it is about her but she is something special.  I really appreciate how she gives me a smile every Sunday."

And then this past Monday night.  Wow!

I asked you and your sister to clean the upstairs toy area.  While doing so you guys decided that then would be a good time to "clean out" some of your toys and put them in the give-away box.  I observed how easy it was for you to give some toys away while other toys took a bit more thought.  And then it happened.  A sacrificial giving.  Into the give-away box you put Pinky Winky.  Pinky Winky the build-a-bear that you had recently acquired as a birthday party favor.  After placing the bear in the box you just stood there.  I could see the struggle you were fighting of not wanting to give but knowing that you needed to.  All I could do was hug you and cry with you. Your heart was expressing a learned lesson from Christ...giving is loving.

I shouldn't have been surprised that the Lord had been working in your heart about the matter of giving.  I realized it was a process for you when I found a piece of paper you had written on a couple nights earlier with the following words:

I hope you like this bear very mach
love it care for it
i hope you love it
this youst to be mine but I know you have nuthing so i what to give it to you
from Sofia to her
I am 7 and my phone cell is xxx-xxx-xxxx
You can cell me and be my friend
Hope you like me and be my BFF

Sofia, keep learning, keep giving and keep loving.  Your heart is beautiful.  And I am confident of this,
"...that He who began a good work in you will see it through completion." Phil. 1:6


Love, Mom

Oh no you don't!

I saw it in his eyes.  So before any damage could be done I let him know that he was not to touch or hit the Christmas tree.


A few minutes later...he was on the other side of the tree.


Poor guy.  So much temptation.  He just kept pointing at the tree saying, "Ball.  Ball."

Decking the Halls

I was feeling a bit apprehensive in regards to decking our halls, especially the tree, because of an eighteen month old boy who lives in our home.  So I did it in increments.

The Saturday after Thanksgiving we put up the tree.  And we left it just like this.

Yep.  We left it like this for almost a week.  This gave Isaiah time to adjust to the tree.  He loved the lights and each day would ask that they be turned on.  At first he would touch the branches and lights but soon stopped.


This past Friday, we as a family decorated the tree.  Daddy helped Isaiah place an ornament on the tree.

He LOVED the red balls.  Yes, his first instinct was to throw them like a baseball but after being told not to do so he complied.  


And now for the past week, we've had this beautifully decorated tree.  The girls did quite a bit of it themselves.

 And the boy has been AN ANGEL about leaving it alone.  Of course, he still asks that the lights be turned on every day and he will get up as close as possible to  observe the tree and its adornments but goodness, I am so proud of him.

Our girls.

Sofia and Selah.  Man.  We are so thankful for our girls.  

No doubt the Lord has blessed us with two beautiful girls.

18 months already.

Our son.  He is 18 months old (as of Thanksgiving Day).  

As the third child with two older sisters, it's not surprising that he isn't the talker of the family.  However, he is a man with a few words (around 20) and words that mean much to him....ball, car, truck, more (as in more food), apple, mama, and dada are some of them.  Actually he is in a stage that he will mimic anything you say with tones.   He has learned all of his body parts and the girls love asking him where is his bottom.  That gets a laugh every time.

Isaiah loves to laugh, wrestle with daddy, and throw a ball.  He enjoys playing with his cars and trucks, and without a doubt still loves the outdoors.   He also loves his green blanket which is supposed to stay in his bed but has been known to find its way into the play area.


Our son has already shown us that he is strong both physically and in personality.  He is stubborn and can throw a fit with the best of them already.  Mommy and daddy have had to begin some disciplining in ways that we didn't do with the girls until two years old.  Yet, Isaiah can be such a teddy bear.  He loves to give kisses and hugs.  

We are thankful that he continues to be a great sleeper.  Bedtime is at 8 p.m. and he sleeps until 7:30/8 most mornings.  In the past couple of weeks he transitioned to a one 2hour nap that usually follows lunch.


As for growth, well, he is still a big boy but has dropped in percentages. Here are his stats and the girls at 18 mos:
Isaiah     H:  33 1/2 in.     W:  26 lbs. 10 oz
Selah      H:  31 1/2 in.     W:  21 lbs. 5 oz
Sofia      H:  31 1/4 in.      W:  21 lbs. 3 oz

Isaiah, we pray that you will continue to grow physically, emotionally and spiritually.  We pray that you will be a man who reflects the character of your name, "God to the rescue".  You are loved and we are so thankful for the gift you are to our family.

Thanksgiving 2011

"Down the tollway and around the lake, to Granpa Sheck's we go!"


We are so thankful that we live close enough (four hour drive) to be able to spend such a wonderful holiday as Thanksgiving with family.  No different than the past six years, we made the trek to Sparta, MI on Wednesday and came back on Saturday.


We stayed at Grandpa's house but Kevin's older brother, Jim and his wife Sunde, hosted the Sheckler festivities.  The numbers were low this year due to some family members being with their "other side" of the family and sadly some aunts and uncles who are simply dealing with health issues.  


No matter the number, we were all grateful.  Grateful for the Lord's provision in our lives.  Grateful for the life we have in Christ.


Here are some things the kiddos are thankful for --- 
     Sofia:  God, Jesus, family, and school.
     Selah:  Jesus, mommy, daddy, Sofia, Isaiah and the whole world!
     Isaiah:  grunt, grunt...cars, trucks, food.:)

Hope is gone.

A couple of months ago I blogged about how hopeful I was that Isaiah would be a lefty just like his momma.  My hope stemmed from the fact that he used his left hand for eating whenever given an eating utensil.  Well, that hope has been smothered.  Look at this picture.

See the crayon?  It's in his right hand.  Yes, his right hand.  Isaiah has never wavered when it has come to which hand he prefers for colouring.  I thought maybe he was just trying it out but no, he ALWAYS uses his right hand.  I've even tried to place the crayon in his left hand to see what he would do and he automatically moves it to his right hand. 


As for eating, he still eats mostly with his left hand but recently has begun using his right hand.  Oh well, I will just have to think of myself as special being that I'm the only left-hander.  


And this guy thinks he's pretty special just because.  And he's "right". 

Celebrating Seven.

 Sundays are quite busy for our family and Sofia herself had quite a day planned.  So our family birthday celebration was different than years past.  We have no picture of her cake because we took it to a church potluck Saturday night.  It was a yummy pumpkin crunch and Sofia had three helpings.  Her birthday breakfast was a croissant and hot chocolate from Starbucks on the way to church.  We did, however, manage to have her open some presents before heading to church.

Presents bring smiles!!!

Sofia was sooooo excited to receive a camera attachment for her leapfrog.  She was also happy to receive needed winter wear and accessories from friends and family.

Her birthday day, again, was quite full.  After church Sofia joined her birthday buddies Mrs. Bloom and Mrs. Hanbury for lunch at Applebees.  Sofia arrived home around 2p.m. only to get ready for a three o'clock party with her neighbour friend Sai who was also turning seven.  The girls love sharing a birthday. (Us moms figured out that even though they were both born 8:30 at night, Sai is older because she was born in India.).

Sofia got back home at 4:45 p.m. and we immediately left for AWANA.  It was a special night partnering with Operation Christmas Child.  The kids packed 60 shoe boxes for this outreach.

By the time we arrived home that evening, Sofia was spent.  There might not have been a traditional party or family gathering, but I'm pretty sure our seven year old daughter dreamed sweet dreams that night.

Birthday prayer circle for Sofia.

Tomorrow this beautiful young girl turns seven years old.  We are so thankful for our sweet pea; the little five pound baby who came into the world five weeks early.  She would be the first one to call us mommy and daddy.

Sofia Jane is a gift from God.  And the gift we treasure giving her each year is a circle of prayers from our family and friends.

Join us in celebrating Sofia’s 7th birthday through prayer.  

Pray that…

Sofia will continue in good health and grow developmentally.

Sofia’s compassionate spirit will always be a part of who she is.

Sofia's relationship with Jesus (that began 1/11/11) will deepen and strengthen. 

Sofia will know and live out the meaning of her name , “wisdom of God”.

Sofia, whom God put on this earth for His enjoyment, will bring glory to God by enjoying Him.

Another reason why I love halloween.

Halloween is one of the few times a year where I feel creative.  Over the years  I've "created" a mouse, christmas present, robot, and kitty cat. All ideas of Sofia.  This year was the first year that Selah actually had her own idea of what she wanted to be.  

The most rewarding aspect of the costume creating is the interaction I have with my girls.  Allowing them to use their imagination and together bringing it to life.  They may not win the best costume trophy but you can bet your bottom dollar their giddyness, joy and pride in their costumes is THE BEST!


Sofia:  Fancy Nancy  

Those of you not familiar with Fancy Nancy, here is a link.

Selah:  A flower.

Isaiah:  A monkey. (This outfit is courtesy of our neighbour.)

I love halloween.

Over the past couple of years I've really come to appreciate Halloween.  Unlike holidays such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter that are spent with family, Halloween along with July Fourth are to me, celebrations spent with neighbours.

Last year for the first time our church had a Reformation Party.  Being that Halloween landed on a Sunday it seemed fitting.  However, I was really, really ill that weekend and ended up being at home with just Isaiah.  And  you know what?  I was really glad I was.  That evening I answered the door to so many of our neighbours as they brought their children around for trick or treating. And many of them I didn't see again until Spring.

That's right.  In these neck of the woods, Halloween is one of the last times you see your neighbours before the weather seems to take a dive and it is cold and snowy.  Then so many of us simply open the garage door, pull in and close it.  But back to why I love Halloween. The relationships.

I treasure opportunities for building relationships.  I treasure opportunities to be a light in this world.  I treasure opportunities to share the gospel.  It's hard to do so when you are not interacting with others.  And Halloween lends itself to being a time to hang out with others.  And that is just what we did this year.

Sofia returned home from school at 4:00 p.m.  By 4:30 p.m. we met up with Viola and her two girls to begin our trick or treating.  (The village allowed for trick or treating only between the hours of 4:00 to 7:00 p.m.)

The picture above is our five kiddos.  Within 10 minutes our group grew as we met up with Saritha and her girls.

Unfortunately I don't have any more pictures of the group but it continued to grow.  We added Bianca and her son, Alicia and her son, and Sal and her two kids.  We were having so much fun going to every home in our subdivision that had a light on.  And then there was this dad and his son whom I had never seen before that was following in our footsteps.  Turns out they moved to our neighbourhood about six months ago.  After introducing myself and asking a few questions, it turns out they are looking for a church.  Well, I just happen to know of a great one so I shared.:)

Before we knew it, it was a little after 6:00 p.m.  The sky was getting dark, our hands were cold, and the buckets of candy were getting really heavy to carry.  Time to go inside. 

I love Halloween.  But really, I love my neighbours.

That elusive dream.

We all do it.  Especially parents of more than one child.  We DREAM of taking a picture with all of our children looking at the camera and giving us their best smile.  Not a cheesy smile but one that shows how happy they are to be right where they are at that appointed time.  HA!   

Needless to say, this past Saturday I did some dreaming.  I dreamt that I would take the cutest picture of my three kids atop a John Deere tractor.  Oh boy.  What was I thinking? 

This is what I got.  In this first picture Selah is crying because Sofia got to hold the steering wheel.  Isaiah isn't very happy because he was being squished by big sister.  And Sofia. well, she wasn't crying or complaining at all because she was in her own world not paying attention to brother or sister.  Ugh! 

So after failing to get the dream picture I settled for these two pictures.  Here are the girls with "smiles".

 While the boy was here and not too happy about it all.  You can't really tell but he was in the middle of crying.