From a Fighter to a Father

My dad grew up in a broken family. He was the type of kid that got into fights, and even gave a kid a bloody nose. But God changed him. We want to tell you a bit about the man he became.

As God does, He used our father’s lack to give him a deep understanding of the need for young men and boys to have positive Godly examples and father figures that he didn’t have until he was in his teens. So when our church put out a call for men to be Rangers for Christian Service Brigade our young father stepped up and answered the call even though he felt ill equipped to serve. This calling would continue for more than 20 years and touch the lives of hundreds of boys and men.

Dad decided that being a part of Christian Service Brigade would not only allow him to help the boys but also help him. In serving he would be served by being around other God centered men that could help him be a better father to his own children.

There was a sense of pride that went along with putting on that green shirt every Wednesday. It was never a chore, knowing that he was not only serving the church, the boys and the men he worked alongside, but also serving God in a way that he felt he was called to do. He became a steady figure in the Brigade weekly meetings, the campouts and the ever exciting Pinewood Derby. His name even changed as everyone at church came to know him as Ranger Lickey.

Eventually, Dad was asked to be Chief Ranger, a position he felt very unqualified for. But our dad learned the truth that God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called. He was an amazing Chief Ranger and enjoyed the position. Through serving as a CSB leader he impacted the lives of many young boys on those Wednesday nights. A great many did not attend any kind of church. Dad enjoyed helping direct their lives and would rejoice when he later saw many of them grow up into Godly men and fathers themselves.

“He was not only transforming his own family through his service, but transforming the lives of countless other families.

Brigade drew my dad and I closer. When he started serving, I was too young to officially participate but dad would take me anyway. It was just good to be with him, to be in the company of the men and boys, and to be excited for the day i could put on the blue shirt. I would sit on the sidelines of the gym watching the older boys play bombardment or play in the side rooms or writing on chalkboards. I couldn’t wait to be old enough to play with the other boys.

Finally, in 6th grade I made it to the point where he would not only be my dad but my Ranger. Two camping trips stand out as favorites. In Canada, we picked wild blueberries to top our pancakes and caught Northern pikes out of canoe’s. Dad borrowed my lure, got it on his rod, made his cast, and there was a big splash out in the middle of the lake as the lure went flying off the line never to be fished with again. A second memory was at a Battalion campout where I finally got the chance to touch and fire dad’s 12 gauge shotgun.

Every boy dreams of growing stronger than his father, and I remember the day I first got a taste of that growth. Someone brought foam swords to Battalion and we made up a game. If you were hit in the arm or leg, you would “lose” that limb. I had a small sword and Dad a big one, somehow hit his sword causing it to fly straight out of his hands. While he was looking up, I lunged forward to tap him in the chest, he looked down, realized where I was poking him, a “fatal” blow.

After 20+ years Dad was beginning to struggle physically and could no longer keep up the way he wanted. He would have continued serving if his body would have allowed it. Several years later we learned that he had a genetic condition called Kennedy’s Disease that caused weakness in his arms and legs.

Dad passed away in January. He was honored to be a part of Christian Service Brigade and would be extremely honored to know that his service could inspire others because he was just doing what he felt called to do.

Virginia Greer and Jon (Nathan) Lickey