Serve by Design

( Today’s guest blog features my grandson, Klay. These edited devotional remarks were shared during a worship service in a nearby senior living facility.) “Good afternoon. I want to begin by thanking you all for having me here today. It’s truly a blessing to be with you and to have the opportunity to share. My name is Klayton Michael DeFrees. I’m fifteen years old, and I’ve been told many times that I have an old soul! I’m the oldest of four siblings, and I live in Albuquerque, New Mexico, about eighteen hours from here. I’m home for the holidays, spending time with the family I love very much, and I’m grateful to be here with all of you. My Poppi asked me to share a devotion today, and it’s an honor to do so. Klay & Poppi Making Big Plans! This afternoon, I’d like to reflect on a few lessons the Lord has been teaching me over the past year, and then look ahead together at how we, as the Church, can step faithfully into what God has prepared for us in the year to come.  ...

Those of us in the Midwest have had some unusually beautiful late fall days! Although it is still a day away from the official beginning of the winter solstice at 9:27pm on December 21 st , even the local tv weather person has coined a phrase, “fall-winter,” to describe the dry conditions and above average temperatures we have been enjoying for several weeks now. My fall leaf mulching detail has been extended to a few more weeks as a result! Surprise! Not just another sunrise! Photo credit: Granddaughter Eloise I’m not sure if it is directly connected to the weather, but I have personally seen some awe-inspiring sunrises during this period of above average temperatures. One of our artistic granddaughters, Eloise, captured such a gorgeous sunrise just a few days ago on her Friday car ride to school. She has an eye for beauty and found God’s handiwork that morning to be an excellent palette for her photo! She would be surprised to hear the following Sunday morning how her pastor had gott...

September 13th was a Harvest Moon in the Northern Hemisphere. A Harvest Moon is the closest moon to the autumn equinox which "falls" (pun intended!) on Monday, September 23.  The next one falling on Friday the 13th will be in thirty years in August 2049. These calendar oddities are rare to see in one's lifetime! The last Friday the 13th Harvest Moon was on October 13, 2000. I tried for two nights to capture the unique beauty of this Harvest Moon without success. Actually, no picture does this justice. I think it is best to view this phenomenon with the naked eye! Monique and I were riding home last Friday evening from Lincoln and repeatedly looked left and right as we traveled south to Sherman. In the eastern sky, there was emerging an extra large Harvest Moon in all of its golden wonder. Then, looking to the horizon in the west at the same time, we enjoyed a beautiful and expansive dark orange light show in the pre-fall sunset. It was another convergence of God's h...