A longtime champion of homeschooling rights around the globe, Home School Legal Defense Association Senior Counsel and Director of State and International Relations Christopher J. Klicka was called home by his Lord on October 12, 2009, at age 48, following a 15-year battle with multiple sclerosis. An attorney, spokesman, lobbyist, and homeschooling husband and father, Chris is survived by his wife, Tracy, their seven children (ages 11–21), and his parents, Ardath and George Klicka.

“Chris was both a people person and a goal person. He cared deeply about people, but was also driven to always do more!” says HSLDA President J. Michael Smith. “He was the most determined person I ever met in my life. Even with all the things he accomplished every day at HSLDA, he continually wanted to tackle new challenges and serve homeschoolers in more and better ways. He was so focused on the homeschooling world, but he was also very much focused on his family and dedicated to raising his children.”

An integral part of Home School Legal Defense Association’s staff for 24 years, Chris was HSLDA’s first full-time employee, first executive director, and first full-time attorney. He believed passionately that homeschooling was the best educational method for children and demonstrated that passion in every area of his life.

Chris and Tracy homeschooled all seven of their children. He traveled across the United States (and around the world) defending families’ right to homeschool and advocating homeschooling. He participated in countless radio interviews on homeschooling issues. He wrote five books on homeschooling, penned numerous articles, and had two more books in progress when he passed away. He lobbied state legislators, U.S. senators, and foreign diplomats to support homeschooling. He sought greater freedom for homeschooling parents and students in every area—from local school districts to sports associations, college admissions departments, and military recruitment requirements. He sought to educate the educators, truant officers, policemen, judges, and even social workers about the benefits and legality of homeschooling.

Even deeper than his passion for homeschooling was his deep love for his Lord. We may never know how many people Chris inspired to homeschool or continue homeschooling, or how many people he inspired to draw near to his Lord.

“Chris’s accomplishments as a lawyer for homeschooling are clear and of value that cannot be overstated. He was one of the most important pioneers of our movement,” says HSLDA Chairman Mike Farris. “He believed that this truly is God’s way to teach children to love God. He believed it deeply. His conviction was infectious. He was a man of single-hearted devotion that I have never, ever seen equaled. The passion that Chris felt for the mission to which God called him never, ever, ever, ever dimmed, even slightly.”

HSLDA deeply appreciates and honors Chris’s life and his dedicated contribution to our organization and to homeschooling. Our staff will miss him more than we can express, and we are praying with and for his family. The homeschooling movement has lost one of its greatest advocates and friends, but Chris leaves an incredible legacy of freedom and awareness of homeschooling to the thousands of homeschooled students whose parents have made The Right Choice.”

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day-and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.“ II Timothy 4:7-8”

Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.“ Revelation 2:10

PRECIOUS IN THE SIGHT OF THE LORD IS THE DEATH OF HIS SAINTS...

Dear praying friends,

There is a part of me that would have liked to keep this news to ourselves for a little while. Chris' journey toward home has been very public, which has been a blessing to us through your intercession and words of love and encouragement. Yet, at this moment, while his loss is so fresh, I had hoped to savor his last moments with us and his passing all to ourselves, but such is not the case.

So with great sadness and with a joy that we can barely contain, we announce that our husband/father Chris has gone home to be with the Lord. He slept peacefully lsat night, though his breathing was shallow and very rapid. Then this morning when the hospice nurse came to check him over, she commented specifically how low his blood pressure had gotten and that with the mottling around his knees and ankles, grayer skin tone and coldness in his face, that he didn't have much time left with us.

I had been sitting with Chris this morning telling him about Megan and her wedding dress and how kind God was to let all us girls be together when she found it. I told him I had so hoped he could see her in her dress before he went Home, and as I was talking two little tears trickled down his cheeks. I know he would have loved to see her! I know, too, he so wanted to be able to communicate with us at the end. It broke my heart to see his sadness. I imagine, though, too, that his tears were mingled with joy for Megan's future with Brendan.

After Anna (the hospice nurse) took Chris' vitals a second time, his blood pressure having dropped some more, she recommended that I get our kids down to see and talk to their dad.

I called them all from whereever they all were around the house, and when the last child came, Bethany announced, "Hey, Dad, we're all here. We love you!" Chris took one more breath and was gone.

I know to try and describe our sadness--the longing and aching in our hearts right now--would be impossible, so I won't try. I will share a picture the Lord gave within minutes after Chris' departure.

I saw him with his old western boots and jeans on (like he used to wear at Grove City College when he would run over to see me at my dorm--he was a senior and I was a freshman when we met there), running at top speed in Heaven. I pictured a huge smile (the one I love best) on his face and fellow saints yelling out greetings of welcome to him, some even asking him to stop and visit with them, and heard his reply, "I've got to run for the Lord up here. I'm making up for lost time down on Earth. I'm praising God and have to use my legs to do it. Stop me in about 100 years, and we'll sit down and have a nice long visit!"

Two days before God brought Chris home the Lord gave me this short verse to encourage me:

"No longer cloaked in frail humanity,
His spirit soars to gain Celestial joys,
Unimpeded by death's dark night
And free from the weight of sin's alloys.

My beloved sings! The object of his song
Is the One who bled and died for him,
No sweeter name did e'er he speak
Or treasure in his inner man."

Thank you, for both grieving AND rejoicing with us, and for your continued prayers for us these next weeks and months!

Looking forward to that day, when we too, shall see our beloved Jesus face to face,
Tracy, for Chris (one last time) and the whole Klickaclan

OH, THE DEEP, DEEP LOVE OF JESUS,
VAST, UNMEASURED, BOUNDLESS, FREE

Tonight was another hard evening. Without going into much detail, Chris was having urinary blockage, which was giving him a lot of discomfort. We didn't realize it for most of the day, but God was merciful to allow his catheter to stop working, so we would know this. The nurses were unaware of the problem as well.

Hospice came out this afternoon, changed his catheter, and flushed the line several times when a lot of blood clotting started coming through the line. When I realized Chris was needlessly suffering and was accumulating a lot of blood clots in his bladder, I felt horrible and quite sick to my stomach.

I was so thankful my friend Cathey, who has been there all through the hospital/ICU days and several days of home hospice. She came back in town this afternoon and was there to comfort me at a very critical moment. I just needed to grieve over one more example of how we must live out our lives in a very fallen world. The comfort of Christ means so much in these times!

God has given me such peace through this whole process; I marvel at His mercy. It's just when I see Chris suffering that I have a really hard time. My heart just breaks to see this brave, dear man of mine hurting. The morphine does help to keep him calm, even though I had having to give it to him. I am thankful for the relief he gets from that.

All the indicators are showing that while Chris' heart is strong, he does not have much longer in our world. His temp. is up, his pulse is weaker, he is getting quite dehydrated, and he has internal bleeding from his bladder (possibly left over from his UTI two weeks ago). I am thankful for these last hours and moments with him, and desire for him to gain a better reward, his heavenly one!

I did want to share some sweet news amidst all the sadness. Megan, who flew in late last night, along with Bethany, Susanna, Charity and I took a short break this afternoon to go to a David's Bridal in the area, just for fun, to look at wedding dresses. Brendan and Megan, who recently got engaged, have decided to get married next July.

Well, because we didn't have an "appointment" to try on wedding dresses, we resigned ourselves to only be able to "look" at some. After I asked her about several different dresses, Megan found one and asked what I thought. When I saw it, I had a pretty good idea it would be the perfect dress.

We begged the attendant to allow her to try on "just this one dress"--and to our surprise, he agreed. When Megan stepped out of the dressing room, we all knew it was just perfect for her. Absolutely gorgeous we all thought!

God was so kind to allow this non-planned shopping trip turn into an opportunity to see Him at work, bringing Megan the perfect dress at a really wonderful sales price. Thank You, Lord.

We have been praying the Lord might allow Chris to wake up just long enough to see her in it before he goes Home. I know if he could, he would just burst with joy.

Thanks for your continued prayers--we grieve with hope in Him.

I love this song by Sovereign Grace Music, from their album, Come Weary Saints, and plan to go to sleep listening to these words:

Oh, the deep deep love of Jesus
Vast, unmeasured, boundless, free
Rolling as a mighty ocean
In its fullness over me
Underneath me, all around me
Is the current of Your love
Leading onward, leading homeward
To Your glorious rest above

Oh, the deep, deep love
All I need and trust
Is the deep, deep love of Jesus.

Tracy, for Chris and the Klickaclan

Praise the Lord! Megan should be arriving soon.... Please continue to lift up the Klicka family as they say farewell to Chris and look forward to a place of no more pain, no more tears, and no more goodbyes...

WHEREVER TWO OR MORE OF YOU ARE GATHERED...

Dear praying friends,

I wanted to write and let you know that Megan is on the plane and should be landing in Denver in about an hour and a half! God is good!

Even more than thank you for praying (which I am VERY grateful for), I want to say THANK YOU for being such a visible witness to the world of the love God's people in Christ Jesus have for each other. This is so pleasing to Him! (remember Jesus' high priestly prayer in John 17)

May the world look on and marvel at the love He has given to us, and gives through us...and may they long to know that same Love, to the glory of God our Father!

"As Thou didst send Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world...that they may all be one; even as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be in Us; that the world may believve that Thou didst send Me.

And the glory which Thou hast given Me I have given to them; that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, that the world may know that Thou didst send Me, and didst love them, even as Thou didst love me." ~John 17:18, 21-23

Thank you for loving us, yes, but even more, loving Him. Soli Deo gloria!

With so much gratitude in our Jesus,
Tracy, for Chris and the Klickaclan

Please continue to lift the Klicka family up to the throne of grace... in these last hours with Chris in this weary world before he makes it finally Home.

PRAYERS NEEDED ASAP FOR A FLIGHT/TRANSPORTATION ISSUE!

Dear praying friends,

We would be so grateful for your prayers right now for our daughter Megan. She is scheduled to fly out of Atlanta at 6:55 into Denver, but the weather is bad here (icy, 22 degrees). The flight out has already been postponed until 8:30pm, but they may need to postpone it longer.

If there are no further delays, she will now not arrive until 10pm, and it's a 2 hour drive in less than optimal road conditions (my trip up to Denver to pick up Ben & Bethany this morning took an extra 45 minutes because the roads were icy).

Megan is trying to get here before her dad passes away, and we know this would be VERY hard for her is she misses him (Chris took a distinct and definite turn for the worse this morning).

Please pray for the following:

1. That God might just miraculously clear up the weather in Denver, allowing Megan to fly out here sooner, rather than later

2. That she would not get stuck in the Atlanta airport overnight (she's all by herself; is this not a mother's nightmare?)

3. That Chris would hold on until Megan can get here and be able to connect with him.

4. That Chris' breathing will not be so labored that we'd have to put him on Morphine to smooth it out. It has been very labored on and off today. Once on Morphine, he will not be able to engage with any of us, including Megan.

5. That God will grant safety and good road conditions tonight for Bob (in a good 4-wheeler, pick-up truck), who is bringing Megan back to the Springs.

6. That I might not be anxious for Megan or Bob (okay, I already am); that I might keep my eyes fixed on my Lord in all of this and trust that His timing is perfect and He is holding everything together!

7. Some of our other children are agitated; I think they sense my concern and are also concerned--it just looks to me, however, like fussy irritability to me, garbed in teenage vocabulary and I'm having a little trouble being patient with them :)

THANK YOU for praying for us!!!

God IS good...ALL the time,
Tracy, for Chris and the Klickaclan

Romans 8:38-39 -- "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord".

BE STILL, MY SOUL, THE LORD IS ON THY SIDE...

I love this hymn and as I was reading the words tonight, I was greatly comforted in the Lord as we wait, and wait, and wait.

Be still, my soul, the Lord is on thy side;
Bear patiently, the cross of grief or pain;
Leave to thy God, to order and provide;
In every change, He faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul, thy best, thy heavenly Friend
Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

Chris has been largely unresponsive today, and mostly sleeping. He was awake just a little this morning, again mouthing words we tried but could not make out, so faint was his voice. He did seem generally at peace, and still free from physical pain. How we thank the Lord he is, and is also free from any mental anguish that we can observe. God's kindness to him and to us is so great in this.

I do long for him to be able to jump up and run to His Savior, Jesus though, and so, though I am glad to have him with us a little longer, have been impatient for his COMPLETE healing. Any healing he might miraculously experience on this earth could never come close to what he will experience when the Lord calls him Home!

The Lord gave Chris a special blessing several months ago when he had an opportunity to meet by email one of his greatest heroes of the faith, Joni Eareckson Tada. They have periodically written to each other and have prayed for the other's joy and contined trust in the Lord while living in bodies that wait for the resurrection.

One of the last things Joni and Chris said to each other was that they were looking forward to clogging in Heaven. What a day that will be to see the two of them, wrapped in a boundless joy, dancing before their King together!

As Chris' breathing gets shallower and shallower, I know his soul is expanding more and more, so that he might be able to experience more fully the delight of seeing His Savior Jesus face to face. This afternoon, as I sat reading the Psalms to him and praying for him, he woke up slightly and for the first time that I could make out his words, slowly said, "I love you." And then followed with these words, "I'm ready to die," to which I responded, "Honey, I love you!" and only wished I had added, "No, you're not ready to die; you're ready to REALLY live!"

Lord, we trust in You and Your perfect timing...

Be still my soul, thy God doth undertake
To guide the future as He has the past.
Thy hope, thy confidence, let NOTHING shake;
All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul, the waves and winds still know
His voice who ruled them while He dwelt below.

Be still my soul, the hour is hastening on
When we shall be forever with the Lord,
When disappointments, grief, and fear are gone,
Sorrow forgot, LOVE'S PUREST JOYS RESTORED.
Be still, my soul, when change and tears are past,
All safe and blessed we shall meet at last.

With love and gratitude for your prayers for my beloved's soon Homecoming,
Tracy, for Chris and the whole Klickaclan

IN GOD WE REST SECURE

It has been a very difficult past 24 hours. Chris slept for a very long time from Sunday evening to Monday evening without pain and remained calm throughout this time frame. How we thank the Lord for His mercies.

Starting around 1am however, Chris became restless and started talking out loud. Jesse was sleeping with him last night, so was up with him for almost three hours, while Chris engaged in a fair amount of nonsensical conversation.

At 4am, Beth and I woke to him yelling and sounding distressed. We ran upstairs, relieved Jesse and sent him upstairs to bed, and then called hospice to ask if Chris needed some anxiety relief medication, which they confirmed he did.

From 4-6:30am I stayed with Chris while he continued to keep talking, and seeing and hearing things no one else could. He wasn't upset or distressed, but certainly wasn't going to sleep.

At 6:30am, with a splitting headache, I came down to the kitchen to get some water and tylenol. I found Beth lying awake on the couch and ready to relieve me, which she then did for two hours, as she sat with Chris, who remained fully awake and engaged in conversation.

While he didn't always make sense in the early morning hours, God did give us the blessing of hearing him declare God's sovereignty and love for him. He said he knew he was dying, and that while he wanted to live until he was 80 and keep working and serving the Lord, he could rest in knowing God was bringing him home. He truly did seem at peace. How kind God is to answer my prayer that I would know this!

When Bob arrived early in the morning to join Beth, Chris' conversation continued by laying out his desires for some of the children, particularly Jesse that he would carry on with spiritual and practical instruction in several areas, and he commissioned him to come alongside me as his mom. Jesse and I were asleep when Chris shared all this, but Bob and Beth did a great job writing everything down to share with us later.

As the morning progressed, Chris remained fully awake, but started showing greater signs of mental distress and less clarity in his thinking and communication. He also became more and more physically restless, and we tried to make sure he was both as comfortable as possible and safe from harming himself in any way.

Waiting what seemed like forever for the hospice nurse to come and medically assist Chris in calming down, and seeing him become more and more anxious finally broke me down. I've been holding up pretty good so far by God's grace, but this just undid me. I cried out to the Lord for mercy for Chris and called our pastor Tito for prayer, advice and encouragement. It is a horrible thing to see the one you love in mental anguish and you can't help.

Once the nurse did arrive and adjust his anxiety medication, she also prescribed medication to help calm down Chris' hallucinations. It took a while for the meds to work since Chris had gotten to a pretty advanced state of distress, but once they started working, he was noticeably calmer.

I was so hoping he would be able to finally sleep since he had now been up almost 24 hours. No go; he was still wide awake and is just now starting to show signs that he is ready to sleep. I don't think he is anxious at all, but Chris is really non-communicative at this point. This could change, but he is giving every indication that he is in the final stage of life here with us.

I would be so grateful for your prayers for Chris for the following:

1. that he would be able to get solid, peaceful sleep
now for many hours
2. that he would not be troubled by any more mental distress and that the anti-anxiety meds would work to ease him and keep him calm
3. that whatever time he has left with us would be sweet; I so desire for him to hear our words of love, comfort and God's Word until he runs into the arms of Jesus
4. that if he isn't taking in food and fluids any longer, that God would bring him home very soon (It doesn't look like he'll be eating or drinking anymore as he didn't eat at all today and drank about only 4oz. of EmergenC water--it's getting much harder for him to swallow.)
5. that in his last days and hours, Chris would feel the arms of his heavenly Father wrapped around him; that he would actually begin to anticipate with joy (even if we can't see it visibly) his homecoming with the Lord!

Thank you for your prayers, faithful friends and family!
Tracy, for Chris and the Klickaclan

"Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in Him, for he shields him all day long, and the one the Lord loves rests between His shoulders." Deut. 33:12

"You have rescued me from death; You have kept my feet from slipping. So now I can walk in Your presence, O God, in Your life-giving light." Psalm 56:13

HOW DEEP THE FATHER'S LOVE FOR US...

Today was a good day.We so feel your prayers for us and the Lord has been so kind to answer them!

This morning all of Chris' vital signs were at normal levels. No pain meds were needed as he had no pain today. His urine output was good; his breathing remained very steady (with only a few bouts of labored, staggered breathing); he was able to get water from the swab we gave him several times today.

In addition, although his lungs have fluid in them, they are not causing him as much of a problem since we stopped hydrating him by IV. The congestion has also settled down.

Chris slept a lot today, but when he was awake, he was able to smile, reply in very short phrases after long pauses to other's questions, and truly enjoyed having the children and me with him.

I was especially thankful that he had NO pain today! God is SO very kind to Chris and to us, to keep him engaging with us a little longer.

I even was able to take a short nap with him, and could only praise my Father for letting me have some precious time with Chris alone, even if he was only sleeping.

Most of the children were able to have one-on-one time with their dad today, and I'm hoping the rest of the children will have that opportunity tomorrow. I am hoping to have some time with Chris tomorrow too, where he is lucid and communicative. I have so much to say to this dear man of mine!

Please pray that God will continue to grant peaceful sleep, little pain, and good breathing to Chris through the night and tomorrow. Pray too, that Amy, Megan and I would all have some meaningful time alone with Chris, and that if he develops pain that requires him being put on pain medication, it wouldn't be until after we have a chance to talk to him when he's lucid and communicative.

Thank you, so very much, for your prayers for us. May God be glorified in your answered prayers.

"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning; great is Thy faithfulness." Lamentations 3:22

With deep appreciation and gratitude for your encouragement and prayers; God IS good…ALL the time,

Tracy, for Chris and the Klickaclan

Please continue to lift up Chris Klicka and his family before the throne of grace.. as he plunges into that last river and meets our beloved Savior on the other side.

We want to give you an update on how Chris is doing. He is still with us, but is making a steady transition toward going home to be with our heavenly Father.

Yesterday morning, John and his daddy had a blessed reunion. He spent a long time on the bed with his dad, just resting his head on his daddy's shoulder.

Later in the afternoon, with friends and family gathered around, we sang praises to the Lord at Chris' request. Even in his reduced condition, he was spiritually leading us! Chris was worshipping the Lord with us, frequently mouthing the words to the songs, even saying a loud, clear "Amen" when we finished. His special song request was "Great is Thy Faithfulness".

Starting Wednesday morning Chris was taken off IV fluids, because his body was unable to process them. He has difficulty and his liquid intake is minimal. He's not showing any signs of discomfort or pain at this point and has been able to sleep at peacefully at night.

Although his lungs are starting to fill with fluid, causing him to occastionally cough and have a little difficulty breathing, he is still able to communicate using short, broken phrases.

He is at peace with this part of his journey. He shows no signs of anxiety or fear. God continues to work through Chris' life, even at this stage. He was was able to reminisce with some childhood friends who flew in just for the day, and he spoke of God's goodness even knowing he will soon be leaving us.

As the Lord provides, we will continue to update you.

Please pray for:

1. The Lord's will to be done in Chris' life in these last few days. Chris expressed a desire to finish strong.

2. Chris also asked for prayer for comfort for all of us, especially his parents.

3. The children and I desire that Chris would be free of pain. We would love to see him not need pain medication which would cause him to be less lucid and less able to communicate with us. We want him "here" us as long as possible!

Thank you for your continued, faithful prayers for Chris and all of us! We are so grateful for you. Soli Deo gloria!