Serve by Design

Our pastors often begin worship services with this phrase that calls the congregation to worship, “Let’s quiet our minds and center our thoughts.” Although it is unusual, there are still times when an occasional distraction occurs. Such was the case, during a recent sermon, when the ring tone of a congregant’s cell phone startled us by repeatedly playing the theme song from Gilligan’s Island. I was not alone in chuckling about the obvious distraction. 😊 Ringtone Surprise! Image: dreamstime.com During the final week of Advent, there is a hectic rush up to the “Big Day!” In these days, I find myself stressed and more in need of “quieting and centering” to protect my emotional and spiritual well-being. As many of us know, hosting a family gathering means that there are many necessary tasks that can potentially bring distractions from the blessed spirit of the Christmas season. These family gatherings require numerous tasks to be performed. For me, there are still several boxes to check...

During these days of Advent, I have been thinking about heaven. It’s funny how the mind works. It surprises me in strange ways. I popped into a local eatery on North Grand, Springfield recently. Our daughter and her family think this place has the best burgers in central Illinois. I must admit that their smash burgers and custard are something special. I do savor those crispy fried edges on the double cheese! Don’t tell Monique! Image: Krekel's Custard & Hamburgers I looked up on the tabletop and noticed a catchy advertisement on the napkin holder. It said, “Heaven is a Brown Paper Sack!” And appropriately so, this restaurant does a lot of take-out orders where you will see patrons clutching their brown paper bags filled with burgers and fries. While this isn’t the best food for your health, you can cherish “heavenly thoughts” of delicious greasiness in each bite! There is another notable brown bag establishment that I like on South Grand that stuffs its delicious fried fish ...

It was a day or two before Thanksgiving that our oldest granddaughter, Chloe, popped the question, "Poppi, when are you decorating your Christmas tree?" This grand is always jazzed about Christmas! Each year, since she was a little girl, Chloe Michelle has helped her Mimi and me with Christmas decorating. If you knew that she already had her room decorations up on November 1st, you can imagine that she was more than a little anxious to help her grandparents "catch up" to the Christmas Season! Inspecting Charlie's Gingerbread House! I am a stickler about not putting up our decorations until Thanksgiving Day is over. Although I enjoy the ambience of a well-decorated family room with a beautifully lighted tree adorned with keepsake ornaments, garlands and red bows above the entry ways, and greenery threaded with red stringed beads on the mantle, I don't like to hurry into Christmas! So, Friday or Saturday after "Turkey Day" is soon enough for me! It w...

A rolling stop is not a stop at all! Did you hear about the man who was driving home and was stopped by a county deputy police officer? It was a rural community with little traffic. The officer informed him that he had not come to a complete stop and then gave him a ticket for the violation. The man asked, “Don’t I get a warning?” The officer curtly replied, “Sure, here’s your warning: If you don’t come to a complete stop the next time, I will give you another ticket!” Image credit: istock.com Years ago, as a teenage driver, I had the embarrassing experience of being pulled over for a rolling violation. I was heading out to the local A&W Root Beer restaurant with a carload of church friends on a Wednesday night. We had just had a youth Bible study when a county deputy sheriff stopped me. I am from a small town where traffic on the main street is always light. The way it was configured, the stop sign was located about twenty feet back from the intersection. You were supposed to st...

Our eldest son and his beloved daughter took a trip to downtown Chicago this Christmas season. Matt loves to give Eloise experiences and she enjoys being with her daddy wherever the trip takes them. Matt’s work often takes him to the Windy City with all its hustle and bustle. He loves the waterfront charm, sky-scraper hotels, department stores, museums, and the infinite choices for dining and entertainment that the city offers! Hmm! Everything Looks So Good!😮 During this get-away, the “Dad-Daughter Duo” dined at a new high-end restaurant to eat t heir favorite item on the seafood menu - sushi!!  They also enjoyed the uproariously entertaining show, the Blue Man Group, with all their signature “speechless craziness!” Another of the more memorable experiences occurred one morning for breakfast at the Paris Baguette patisserie! When I saw pictures of such an assortment of delectable treats in their display case, I remarked to Matt, “Who said that only the French have the best breads ...

It has been an exciting month for space enthusiasts! (Moi included!). The Artemis 1 unmanned moon mission concluded on Sunday, December 11 with re-entry of the Orion space capsule and its splashdown and recovery after more than three-weeks. The mission, to and from, including a wide-swooping loop around the moon after 1.4 million miles, was epic. The images taken by the spacecraft cameras have been breathtaking and vivid! Borrowing an exclamation from the Star Trek television series, this mission into deep space (like the fictional Starship Enterprise) promises to take us in the future to distances beyond the moon “where no man has gone before!” "When I consider Your heavens...the moon and the stars... What is man that You are mindful  of him... that You visit him?" (Ps. 8:3-4). (Photo Credit: NASA) The 25,000-mph re-entry into earth’s atmosphere exposed Orion’s newly advanced heatshield to temperatures of more than 5000 degrees Fahrenheit. This shield had never been tested ...

Marc and I made a quick trip to Vandalia just days before Christmas so he could eat breakfast with Grandpa Joe. Living in Texas means that he doesn’t get the opportunity to catch up with his 92-year-old grandfather as often as he would like. Marc has always been a family guy. I refer to him as our middle child since he was born between his older brother and his twin sisters. As a result of his birth order, he has always championed both sides! He can easily brag on Matt and equally celebrate what Michelle and Melissa are accomplishing. He loves all things family and will make sacrifices of time and distance to put himself in the place where he can continue to bless all of us with his time and attention. Of course, this comes back to him because each of his siblings and his parents too, think he is a very special guy! Brooks' Farm, Vera, Illinois On many occasions when we are with grandpa, he likes to drive us around the town and countryside doing what he calls, “running his traps!”...

Mimi had a helper the other day as she decorated the Christmas tree. Eloise dropped in for a “working” lunch and to help get the season underway for her grandparents. She was so excited by all the ornaments and decorations in storage bins. Her excitement piqued when she saw so many personalized items. As you can see, she stretched to put her dad’s kindergarten picture ornament up as high as she could reach so that everyone could see it. This is a season to celebrate family and this granddaughter was relishing the opportunity to be decorating together. Our church has also been decorated and the worship space definitely has the feel of Christmas. We are anticipating larger crowds for this season. I believe that many are ready to get back into in-person worship after several months of caution because of the Pandemic and subsequent variants. We need to get back together for fellowship, study and inspiration. While online services have been a blessing to so many, there is still nothing to b...

Pretend this is a popular game show. The host makes a statement from a field of general knowledge (literature, history, science, religion, popular culture, etc.) and the contestant identifies the answer with a question. This is delightfully counter-intuitive! Usually, we ask a question and then the hearer simply answers it with a statement. Indulge me, please. First, the statement... "This man has been made famous by questions." Answer is... "Who is Alex Trebek?" I think you have already figured out that I was teasing you with this little exercise of engagement. "What is this about? Who is this child?"  Clip Art Credit: FAVPNG.com Alex Trebek lost his battle with pancreatic cancer on November 9 and passed away at the age of eighty. He will be missed and certainly remembered by his many followers as the quintessential and iconic host of "Jeopardy!" This syndicated game show created by Merv Griffin first aired in 1964 and Trebek had been the steady...