Serve by Design

I stood in the driveway of Dad’s auto repair shop the day he confronted a gentleman representing the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP). Dad informed the man he was not interested in any such membership even though the fellow said it would only cost around $5.00 for three years. Dad ended the conversation that day by saying, “I’ll give you the five dollars if you’ll get off my driveway. I’ve got work to do!” Floating in the Dead Sea! Image credit: pixabay.com That terse response may have been what further emboldened Dad’s lifetime attitude about aging, “I ain’t old!” And he meant it! He was still showing up at the shop on this ninety-fourth birthday when I pulled up to get him to head out to our favorite restaurant for a barbecue baby back rib dinner! Over the years, we had used his birthday and mine as an annual occasion for such a celebration! I just celebrated my seventy-fifth birthday over a recent weekend that included some of my other favorites that I don’t get too ...

My family and I have been eating black-eyed peas with ham and corn bread on New Years Day since January 1, 1978. We had moved to Granbury, Texas, four months before and quickly began learning the culinary ways of Southerners. On that first New Years Day in the Lone Star State, some close friends invited us to dinner and introduced us to the tradition of eating black-eyed peas. We soon learned the reason behind this perceived good luck and prosperity! Photo: Compliments of our Texas son, Marc! This tradition is thought to have had its roots in the post-Civil War era when African American slaves celebrated the Emancipation Proclamation with hopes for freedom and a new beginning. While many northerners would consider black-eyed peas to be nothing more than animal feed, Southerners knew that these peas with ham hock had kept them from starvation during Sherman’s march. I cannot imagine the great suffering and loss behind the tradition that emerged from those awful days in our country’s his...

( 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.  ...

Seeking relief from a steady diet of news programing in the last months, Monique and I have been watching Public Television for the past several weeks on Sunday evening. We have been captivated by Masterpiece Theatre's series, All Creatures Great and Small , based upon the novels of James Herriot. These are about the adventures of Herriot (pen name for James Alfred Wight), a Yorkshire veterinarian who is practicing his craft in rural England during the 1930's. This series is pure, softly-paced, beautifully set and thoroughly entertaining. Galloping Stallion goodfreephotos.com Samuel West, who plays Siegfried Farnon, Herriot's boss and mentor, commented in a recent podcast interview about an especially touching episode in which James has to put down a beautiful race horse. The animal is in great pain because of an inoperable bowel constriction. Others attending the horse are openly reluctant to take such extreme measures because the animal is prized and has great financial v...