Serve by Design

Wash day is Saturday morning at our house. I returned from a morning meeting  at church to see a curious sight on the kitchen counter. It was a wadded-up Kleenex or two along with this note printed on masking tape that said, “We need to do a DNA test on this surprise…” I suspect that Mrs. K. already had a good idea who had tucked this little problem into his mowing shorts and had forgotten to remove it before the wash!😉 "It's Not Mine!" We were extremely lucky this time that the tissue had held together through the wash and dry cycles. Usually, after such a disaster like this, we have had to sort through our laundered clothes and tediously pick through and gather up a “thousand little pieces” of debris left behind on dozens of otherwise clean garments! It’s never fun when this happens and there are usually unpleasant words spoken by both of us. As “empty nesters,” we don’t have anyone else to blame these days! The culprit clearly has to be one or the other of us since ...

I have been using all methods of persuasion throughout my years as a church leader. It involves verbal and nonverbal communication in formal and informal settings. I have presented ministry ideas on paper, through email, texts and over the telephone. There have been numerous one-on-one meetings with key individuals, and there have been even more meetings with committees, teams and multiple groups covering tasks with diverse responsibilities. Credit: vectorstock.com The goal behind all this activity has been to facilitate collaboration and hopefully gain “buy-in” to ideas, action plans, implementation strategies, and the advancement of the organization’s mission. I have found this process both exhilarating and exasperating. It requires patience, support, and openness to divergent ideas. The latter has always been a particular challenge to me and to my impatience! But I have found all of this to be a necessary process for getting things done! I have been a student of communication all ...

There is no “best by” date for showing appreciation to your pastor or for that matter anyone! Many churches designate October as their Pastor Appreciation Month emphasis, but our beloved six-year-old granddaughter, Klaire, chose this past Easter. It was all her idea! Klaire’s family has been active members of the Paragon Church in Rio Rancho, NM, for several years now. It is an exciting church plant born out of their previous church, First Baptist.  Matt Sellers is the lead pastor. He and his wife, Christy, have served Paragon for over twelve years now and they are the proud parents of 7 children! Paragon is alive with many kids each Lord’s Day and three of them are our grands! An Easter Pastor Appreciation! Klaire loves her pastor, and she couldn’t wait to show it! She took her little pencil in hand and wrote him the sweetest note that said, “Pastor Matt. You are the best Pastor. Thank you for teaching me about Jesus. Klaire.” On Easter Sunday, she gave him the note along with a p...