happy new year, happy new decade

There is way too much to post about that, and it's already late. But I have much to write about the past 10 years. Maybe tomorrow.

My name is Rick, and thanks for reading.

why i hate christmas

Well, now that I have your attention...

I don't really *hate* Christmas. I actually appreciate many of its qualities more and more each year, especially seeing them through the eyes of my kids. What I have grown to disdain is the stress. The road rage. The rude, inconsiderate people who are too distracted with the season of "thoughtfulness" that they completely forget their common sense and elementary manners. And the commercialism. I think just about all of us get caught up with it in one form or another during the season.

I expect this attitude in the world. However, what bothers me is to see it so prevalent in the church. Christians getting stressed out over Christmas plans, shopping, schedules, etc. Tonight I was reading some Christmas books to the kids and in one of them it mentioned how we exchange gifts because the "three" wise men (we don't know how many there were!) gave gifts to baby Jesus. COME ON! Now, I guess it's possible the gift giving tradition could have begun on that note, but really... how many of you are truly thinking about the gifts of offering and worship laid before our King when you are searching for that perfect sumpin' sumpin' for that special someone? I didn't think so. Neither do I.

Of course, this is our culture. I'm not going to be the one killjoy dolt on the block that completely squashes gift giving and exchanges. And truth be told, I do enjoy watching people open their gifts. And this year will be no different. At the risk of sounding like a hypocrite, I think we have more gifts under the tree this year than years past.

I hope that this Christmas season finds you truly rejoicing in the birth of our Savior and our Lord. There is still a week before Christmas, to remind ourselves exactly WHAT we should be celebrating... the hope that comes from an empty tomb that reminds us that our God LIVES and He's living in us.

Merry Christmas everyone.

My name is Rick, and thanks for reading.

happy birthday chloe

(Chloe's birthday was 3 weeks ago. Better late than never.)

My dear Chlo-Chlo,

The big 3? Come on! You are getting so big! In some ways, I knew your coming would shock me more than your big sister's. Daddy is an only child, so I have no brothers and sisters. You joining our family meant that for the very first time I would be in a multi-child family. And I suppose that most parents wonder the same thing, but while I knew we would love you just as much as your sister, I just didn't know how. And when you came, it was like my heart just blew up. It just became BIGGER. I don't feel like I ever needed to love Emma less to love you. I love you both (and now Lucy) all the same, and so much.

You were our first labor experience. When Mama said, "I think it's time," we had no idea what we were in for! We got in the van and I had that sucker up to 95 mph! (I have since gotten it up to 105 mph, but we can talk about that some other time).

Labor was... looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong. You were already a week late and still took your own sweet time. Hmmm... kind of like you do now :). 20 1/2 hours after it began, you were here and my world was rocked. I had 2 daughters!

You are often willing to just go off and try something that you feel like doing, even with no prior experience. While I don't recommend that you do that every time, I have learned that sometimes I spend too much time analyzing and thinking, and not enough time doing. Sometimes you just need to take a chance and get out there, and you have taught me that.

You are a compassionate person. You can't stand seeing other people hurting. What a great quality to have. You will be a fantastic, cherished, loyal friend. When your friends are distressed, they will want you there. That is a great friend to be!

We named you "Kiko," which means "joy" in Japanese. Who knew how appropriate that name would be for you? You are so joyful, and have brought us so much joy.

You have the special distinction of being both a little sister AND a big sister. How cool is that?

I love you, sweet girl. But as much as I love you, no one can love you as much as Jesus Christ does. He died for your sins on the cross, and rose again from the dead so that we might be saved. Without that, there is no hope of Heaven. Your Mama and I pray that you will come to know the Lord at a young age, and might live a full life pursuing Him and bringing glory to Him.

I am so thankful that the Lord put you in our family. You're my best squeezer, and you get the best milk mustaches in town.

I love you,

Daddy

why i do what I do

A couple of weeks ago I had the privilege and honor to sing at Malachi Smith's memorial service. Though I hadn't kept in touch with Wes for years, their story just gripped me. Malachi was 41 months old when he went to be with Jesus, having lost his earthly battle with leukemia. He was diagnosed at 14 months. He had been in remission twice, even having a bone marrow transplant about 6 months ago. In October it was confirmed the cancer had returned, and within a couple of weeks Malachi had left our world. So much to deal with during such a short life.

Now, one thing I have learned in the past couple of years is that no matter how much you think you can relate to a situation, everyone grieves differently. Even under similar circumstances. So I'm done saying, "I know how you feel." I'm not sure that is really possible anymore.

That said, I have experienced nothing even remotely close to what the Smiths have so I've never even pretended to mildly understand. I can try and imagine myself in a similar circumstance, but your imagination only takes you so far, and in the end you know that your imagination is fiction. The Smiths ARE LIVING THIS.

Rachel Smith has done a fantastic job documenting their journey on a CaringBridge.org blog. The blog has come to an end, and I believe she will be publishing it one day. She is my kind of blogger: wordy, lengthy, detailed. All the questions (and then some) I would never have the opportunity to ask (or even dare to) were answered through these blog posts. Though we could never know exactly what goes through the heart and mind of one enduring an unimaginable trial, she did such a great job at sharing her thoughts and feelings that you felt like you were in the same room with them. You felt like you could truly observe how they dealt with this trial.

And shine they did.

I don't think anyone would have blamed them if they complained about how unfair this was. And while there were plenty of times where the pain, hurt, and unknown came through, something else ALWAYS came through.

Hope.

Rachel always wanted you to know that she and Wes completely trusted God. They wanted you to know that God is always in control. All. The. Time. Even though they didn't always know how they would make it, they knew they would, because they had a hope in Jesus. They trust in His proven faithfulness.

And that is what probably blew me away the most. While you got such an insight to their family, their plight, their struggles, their humanity... you could never leave without being encouraged that God was and is on His throne. They always want you to know it is ALL ABOUT JESUS and Him glorified. That has ministered to my own heart so much.

Still, this is not how we would have written the story. As parents, we are not supposed to bury our children. Certainly not so soon. This family is still hurting, mourning, and grieving. And will for years to come. Let's remember to pray for them.

During the last couple of weeks of Malachi's life I was religiously following the blog. And as the story gripped me more and more I went back and read through a couple months' worth of posts. During that time certain things would pop out at me and before I knew it, I had a song.

On the day Malachi went to be with Jesus, not knowing how it would be received (remember what I just said about grief), I prayed about it and decided to send the song to them. I told them I was sorry if my timing was horrible and that I had no clue how to respond. All I knew is that I wrote this song specifically for them, based on Rachel's blog.

A few days later I was invited to sing it at the memorial service. I was sandwiched in between Jubilant Sykes and Christian Ebner. Talk about me being out of my element and out of my league. But the honor and privilege of being asked to participate in such a special day... wow.

Of course, I sing, play, and write for God first. He is the Giver of what talents I have, and I want to use them for His glory. But He also receives glory and is pleased when we use our gifts to serve one another. So whenever someone is ministered to by my music, it's the icing on the cake.

The last blog post Rachel did on CaringBridge (after the memorial) included this:

My emotional breaking point in the service though was when Rick Horio sang his song that he wrote that was inspired by Malachi's life. It was titled Strong Enough and it just truly hit home to me, even though I had already heard the song a million times...it just truly has a special place in our hearts. The words are so utterly perfect and fitting to the way our hearts feel and ache at this time. So, a HUGE thanks to Rick for putting that together and for singing it at the memorial...what a blessing that was to our lives and it will be a blessing for many years to come!

You never want to do things to expect a return, but it's such an encouragement to know when God has used you to touch the hearts and lives of others. This is how the church is supposed to work.

And in reality, they have already ministered to me way more than I ever could to them. When I left the memorial, I had some brief moments with Wes and Rachel. When I said, "I never met your son..." without even skipping a beat, Rachel said, "yet." Indeed. Heaven was on her mind. And if you weren't already thinking about it then, you were now.

I will meet Malachi one day (as well as one or two of my own children who I didn't get a chance to meet this side of Heaven). And when I meet them, I will be able to tell them in person how much they taught me, and ministered to me.

My name is Rick, and thanks for reading.

Photo: taken with my trusty camera phone, it's the first and probably only time I will ever share a stage at the same event with the great Jubilant Sykes.

happy birthday emma

Dear Emma,

Another year come and gone.

Sorry this birthday note is a little bit late, but I think you will agree we've all been a little extra busy for a very good reason... your baby sister Lucy!

5 years. Wow. I can still remember the day Mama drove to Daddy's work to tell me we were having you. I remember her excuse to stop by (I just had to see this tile sample... heh) and I remember the mylar balloon in the shape of a baby's head. I remember finding out you would be a she. Total glee. We wanted a little girl and the Lord gave us you.

I remember holding you for the very first time. I was the first person ever to be alone with you, you know. It is 90 seconds I have cherished for the past 5 years.

You have been the source of so many "firsts" for me, and I am so blessed to have been there for almost all of them. If God would be so kind, I hope to have so many more of these memories and times together.

I am actually amazed with just how much you think. And feel. I figured that being my she-clone, this day would eventually come, but your keen eye for observation and your sensitive spirit so early have surprised even me.

You are a fantastic big sister.

When you prayed to ask for Jesus in your heart, I hope you understand how much that meant to me. Though I don't know all that went on in your mind and in your heart in that moment, and I don't know what is going through your mind and heart now, I trust that the Lord is leading you. I trust that you are wanting to follow Him. I trust that you want to know Him. And your mother and I will try our hardest to teach you about living the Christian life. Though it's easy to get distracted with the everyday tasks of life, I hope this one thing comes through... that Christ is more important than anyone and anything. Even us. Though we teach you to obey us, ultimately we desire simply that you follow Jesus. Seek first His kingdom and righteousness; everything else will be taken care of.

I am so proud of you. Being your daddy is one of the greatest honors I've ever been given. I hope that God will give us many more years together, and that I will have the privilege of watching you grow in the grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Thank you, sweetie girl, for all that you have taught me. Hopefully you've learned a thing or two from me too.

Know that I have always loved you. Even before we met.

Daddy



My name is Daddy, and thanks for reading.

a great interview

http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Music/11/12/steven.curtis.chapman/index.html

My name is Rick, and thanks for reading.

i don't want to be...

...one of those dads.

You know the ones. The kind of glorified babysitters that just take their kid(s) to the park to stand around and be "kind of there" because their wives need a break. The kind that need to find reasons to work while hanging out with their kids. The kind that don't even seem to really know what their kids like, much less what they are like.

Now, of course I can't tell from a casual observance of a father what kind of dad he is. And I have been known to upload a mobile pic to Facebook or update my Twitter while hanging out with the kiddos.

Just sayin' I don't want to become one of those dads.

My name is Rick, and thanks for reading.

conviction from a 5 year old

I had just read my Bible and was walking down the hall with it. Emma saw me.

"Dad, where are you going with your Bible? Are you going to go out missionarying? You should. Go out and knock on every door and tell them about the Bible."

Talk about convicting...

My name is Rick, and thanks for reading.