Serve by Design

Many regard the Memorial Day weekend as the beginning of summer. Sunday was exceptionally beautiful for our road trip to Vandalia for worship, dinner, and family time with my sister and dad. However, during the trip we ran into another frustrating detour that wasn’t clearly marked out. This has been ongoing for a few years now due to a critical mine subsidence issue necessitating numerous repairs on a two-mile stretch of Route 185 between Hillsboro and Coffeen. We were closing in on our destination and I thought, “Here we go again! I wonder how long this is going to take!” Another reminder... "Be Calm!" At this point, Monique, my “counselor of calmness,” offered some much-needed advice, “Let’s pretend we are on vacation and just take our time!” Immediately, this thought slowed me down, literally, and figuratively! This is what I needed to hear to relax as I steered the Buick over hill and dale not knowing exactly where we were going to come out of this. The detour was only a ...

We have family in France who is going through a challenging time of transition. An uncle is in a rehabilitation facility recovering from a recent fall. This means that the aunt is home and on her own as she tries to maintain a house and take care of her everyday needs. Both are in their mid-nineties. When you have to depend on others for grocery shopping and you are only cooking for one, an easy and nutritious microwave meal can help alleviate some of the stress. French Ready Meal The French have their own version of "meals-on-wheels!" A noontime meal is delivered to the door each day! The menu for a recent meal included: Beef Bourguignon (braised beef in red wine!), couscous, fruit, salami, cheese, a bottle of water, and of course, the quintessential, baguette! Voil`a! ("There it is!") A "Ready Meal!" In the Lord's Model Prayer, Jesus taught us about the daily focus. He instructed His Disciples to pray, "Give us this day our daily bread." (M...