Serve by Design

We have been needing some extra prayers and support during the last two weeks. Monique recently took a fall as we entered a church where I was preaching and lightly sprained her left ankle. Four days later, she fell going down into our garage and badly twisted that same ankle, as well as sustaining a concussion. We are all “doctored up” now with a boot and a walker to help her get around, but every day she is still feeling the effects of that second fall! We keep telling ourselves, “These are the Golden Years!” But the gold may have recently tarnished a bit! Home Hair Care! We are blessed to have a daughter, Michelle, who lives just minutes away. She has been available to lend her help and support throughout the years. She cuts my hair, helps me with yard work and lavishes us with her verbal encouragement. After a haircut, she’ll brag, “Daddy, you look amazing!” Monique claims that I don’t have enough hair to merit all her heaping praises! This week, it was Monique who was blessed by h...

During forty-five years of fulltime active ministry, I planned and/or participated in numerous “guy events” that involved lay and clergy training, inspiration, and fellowship. In an effort to anchor these occasions in some of the memories of my readers, I will list just a sample of the settings, The camp-times would include Riverbend (Glen Rose, TX), Trinity Pines (Trinity, TX), Lake Sallateeska (Pinckneyville, IL) and Emmanuel (Astoria, IL). There were other retreat settings that included a ranch house First Baptist owned (Houston, TX), the Lady of the Snows Catholic facility (Belleville, IL), and the Assemblies’ Lake Williamson (Carlinville, IL). Truthfully, the additional places and occasions were too numerous to list! Image credit: depositphotos.com I have so many special memories where my relationship with friends and church leaders was deepened through guy-gatherings that often involved evening fish fries, cooking breakfasts over a modest cook-stove, and sleeping (or trying to!) ...