Serve by Design

After preaching recently, I received some kudos from close friends within our church family. While I appreciate these kind remarks, I always remember the saying, “You’re only as good as your last sermon!” Our fulltime pastors know well the weekly stress of sermon preparation. No sooner do you close the week’s message out with a benediction than it is time to begin the process all over again! I can remember many Sunday afternoons when my after-lunch time was spent at the computer with Bible in hand typing out the next week’s sermon outline! Among this most recent feedback, I was surprised by one comment. This sweet lady remarked, “Pastor, I appreciated your message last Sunday. And I like your accent, too! ” I wasn’t completely sure what accent she was referring to, but I ventured a guess with this reply, “You mean, as in Texas?!” And she nodded and responded, “Yes!” I then commented, “Well, you’re not the first to note that subtlety. I did spend fifteen years in Texas, and it did leave...

This spring has marked another epic chapter for our family. Two more of our grandchildren are now gainfully employed with part-time jobs! Klay, fifteen-years-old, is making pizza, subs, and salads at Dion's in New Mexico, and seventeen-year-old, Cam is taking orders (via the speaker!) for chili dogs, smash burgers, and shakes. He is also serving as an occasional carhop, cleaning the ice cream machine, and doing other duties as assigned at the Sonic Drive-In. Leander, Texas. The grands are growing up and moving on! Cam, Our Sonic Man! Cam took to his new job like the proverbial “duck to water!” He has been flexing his “cooking muscles” since taking Culinary Arts during his sophomore year. He received a “Food Handler’s License” after completing the class. At home, he can manage the toaster oven and any pan like a professional! Made from scratch Cheddar Bay Biscuits and Fettuccine Alfredo with homemade noodles are his specialties! There is another dimension of fast-food restaurants ...

I have often written about the impact of ideation on one of my favorite beverages – Dr Pepper! It wasn’t too long ago that I was snookered into buying Dr Pepper: Dark Berry Zero Sugar! I hated it and couldn’t give it away! This new attempt at ideation is another one I will be quickly sending off to the idea-garbage heap! This latest one was inspired by a TikTok campaign aided by the likes of Sonic Drive-In’s who are adding dill pickles to the sacred Dr Pepper formula! This is just wrong! What is this world coming to?? Static Media: shutterstock.getty.com The slogan “new and improved” may be the motto for product ideation, but I vigorously resist any attempts to cater to a sour-pickle-cult-following of social media “noodle heads” who want to mess with my Dr Pepper! Surely there are better ways to generate new ideas and at the same time protect the integrity of a product without going crazy! Now, I have no problem with ideation when it comes to Blue Bell Ice Cream choosing to add a new...

The Southwest has experienced a rough summer of drought conditions and extremely high temperatures. As we were making our way out of the Great State of Texas, after three weeks of catching up with family and friends, we listened to a Waco radio station forecasting another dry and hot day. The weatherman said that they had already registered 49 consecutive days without any measurable precipitation. Sadly, we observed this to be the case for many under the heat dome that had its grip on several states in the lower forty-eight. "Lipstick on a Pig?"😉 Image credit: istock.com We spent most of our time in the Austin area during our visit and watched station KXAN for the evening news. I was captivated and somewhat amused during one of the nightly newscasts by a unique service being offered. As would be expected with the adverse weather conditions, some lawn care businesses were trying to service their customers and recoup some of their seasonal losses with a unique addition to thei...

I have been the recipient of a very special Christmas ornament for several years now. As December comes around each year, I watch and wait for it to arrive. I have two dear Texas friends who make this gifting possible - Wanda and Deborah Crossland. Back in the days of my seminary education, Wanda served on the search committee that called me to FBC Granbury as an associate pastor. Her daughter, Debbie, became one of Monique’s closest friends. Now, forty-five years later, Wanda and Debbie continue to be two cherished friends and encouragers! "Welcome to Songfest!" The ornament arrived the other day and took its place on my little Christmas tree that sits prominently in the family room on top of a media shelf. These uniquely crafted ornaments (on sale at the Capitol Gift Shop) promote the Texas Preservation Board that “ensures the preservation and use of the State Capitol Old General Land Office Building in Austin.”  Each year these collectibles have a special theme. The 2022 T...

I have a fondness for all things Dr Pepper! I used to prefer the real thing that included Imperial Pure Cane Sugar! Back in the day, I would try to get to Dublin, Texas occasionally to get my “Dr P fix” in the little 8-ounce glass bottles. That is how Dr Pepper should be enjoyed! Now, I’m trying to go a little healthier these days and, every so often, will try some zero sugar products. That’s why I was tempted recently to buy a twelve-pack carton of Dr P “dark berry!”😮 Dr. Pepper and A Not-So-Fav Variety I found this oddity prominently on display at the Bloomington Hy-Vee. I stood there trying to figure out what this “Limited Edition” anomaly of Dr Pepper was all about when I looked up just as another guy standing across from me was putting two 12’s in his cart. I blurted out, “Have you ever tried this before?” He quickly responded, “No, but I was trying to imagine this “dark berry” in an ice-cream float!” That convinced me to give it try (sans ice cream the first time)! Texans have...

I am not a gardener, but I do enjoy putting out a few plants in a raised box each season. On the day after Mother’s Day, I set out three tomato plants, a Chile and a jalapeno pepper, along with a small watermelon and squash plant. I wasn’t expecting much, but I love to see things grow. Looking back over these past three months of uneven precipitation, I have been surprised with the fruit that has been harvested from six of the seven of these humble little plants! While the zucchini did not fare so well, the others have produced beyond my expectation! Tomatoes and Peppers Agriculture metaphors are often used in the writings of Scripture. Jesus regularly drew out teaching points from the everyday work of those who tilled the soil in His first century setting. Can you imagine how engaging and easy the style of the Lord was as He communicated with the common people of His day? He would begin a parabolic truth with the attention getting phrase, “Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seed…...

During our recent Texas vacation to visit family, we took a day trip northwest of Austin to Marble Falls. This attractive little community of 6,000 is situated on the Colorado River and attracts visitors and prospective residents seeking the slower pace of hill country living. The shelf of limestone cutting diagonally across the town's lake has a brownish exterior on its upper layer that could easily be mistaken for marble. Back in the days before the damming of the river, this waterway created a natural waterfall giving the town its distinctive name, Marble Falls. After passing through the downtown area with its restaurants, shops and art galleries, we drove up to Lakeside Park where we stopped, got out of our car and walked around to take it all in. Standing just above the beach of Lake Marble Falls, we looked out at a modern bridge spanning the bluffs in the distance. While standing there, Marc, our son who is a graphic design artist at his core, loves to capture moments using...

Can you imagine siting in your car for 30 to 45 minutes behind a line of 50 cars stretching several blocks and winding around streets? Add in another 30 pedestrians who had parked nearby and were now lined up outside of this business where a competition has obviously emerged between foot and motorized traffic during peak hours. What was this all about? This was a typical weekend exercise in patience as patrons waited for their World Famous Round Rock Donuts! Our son and daughter-in-law were on the “donut run” this particular Sunday morning at 8:00am all in an effort to retrieve a special treat for the “visiting old folks” and themselves. The treat was none other than a dozen of the quintessential fresh-hot, absolutely delectable and of course, well-storied (This is Texas!) and carefully packaged glazed donuts! Round Rock, Texas I had a lesson in patience years ago at a DQ in Calvert, Texas! I had just attended a denominational meeting in Fort Worth and was on my way back home to Southw...

Rice University's Kinder Research Institute has reported that "Houston, Texas is the most ethnically diverse city in America." ( https://kinder.rice.edu/urbanedge/2019/05/14/not-only-houston-getting-more-diverse-residents-households-are-too ) That's a pretty bold statement and I could expect that some residents of Los Angeles, Chicago and New York might take exception to this research conclusion. I do know that it was the most diverse city I have ever lived in! From 1984 to 1991, I pastored in southwest Houston and witnessed firsthand how Sharpstown was undergoing demographic and ethnic changes. At that time, the Houston I.S.D. was a reflection of this shift with 125 languages being spoken within its school population. Our children were in the minority attending their neighborhood schools that were approximately 40% Hispanics, 40% Asians and the other 20% divided among the Blacks and Whites. Linking Hands and Hearts! Image Credit: clipart-library.com Our church was si...

(These reflections were adapted from what was read at a recent celebration of life service for one of my cherished Texas friends. Regrettably, I was unable to participate in the service due to cautions surrounding the COVID-19 Pandemic.)  Monique and I along with our 13-month old son, Matthew, moved to Granbury, Texas in September of 1977. I had already been attending seminary classes in Fort Worth for a month when the opportunity came to serve the First Baptist Church, Granbury as an Associate Pastor of Education/ Outreach. As it would turn out, my office would be adjacent to the work space of the church's secretary, Kitty Best. Our work-day lives would be inextricably connected for the next seven and a half years. Kitty Best June 8, 1929 - May 12, 2020 Although Kitty was the church's only secretary, she was so much more! Today, she would have the title Administrative Assistant. She managed our office and did so without computers, WiFi/ Internet service, or any of...

www.seriousbeanco.com Trademarked Dr Pepper/ Seven Up, Inc. I rounded the isle at the big box grocery store and my eyes fixated on a startling sight - Dr Pepper Beans! I thought at first, "Only in Texas!" but then I caught myself, "This is Springfield, Illinois!" We have been back in the Prairie State for 27 years now! What was I thinking? However, fifteen years of being brain-washed with the iconic Texas brew of Dr Pepper everything, does have a lasting effect on a guy! I wanted to buy a can, but Mrs. K put me off by saying she is well stocked with ranch beans, pork 'n beans and organic black beans. So, as soon as we work through our bean inventory in the pantry, I'm heading to the store to bring home some of those "Sweet and a bit Sassy" Dr Pepper Beans! I was surprised, however, and a bit disappointed to read on the label that these beans were distributed by Good Eats Foods Co. of Fayetteville, Arkansas. I don't have anything ...

Our son Marc put out a four-box garden this season at his new house. He has always done some minor vegetable garden work that started back when he lived in Illinois. Now that he is in Texas, he dreams of a two-season garden: spring and early fall. He has set out a neat area in the corner of his backyard for his garden boxes and has filled them with tomatoes, green beans, cucumbers, watermelons and okra. The roma and cherry tomato varieties have produced generous fruit for salads and sandwiches. The cucumbers provided jars of pickles. The watermelon made the summer meals more enjoyable. The green beans became the vegetable of choice for Sunday dinner. But, it was the okra that has been the gift that keeps on giving! It is a fact that okra loves the toasty temperatures of central Texas. This single plant has literally taken over the box and continues to reach upward each day bearing copious quantities of the most delectable of spiny projectiles. It requires daily attention in harvest...

I have a humorous reminder of the need for true friends. It is a cartoon depicting the sad occasion of a funeral visitation. It pictures two men standing before the casket of a deceased friend and contemplating their loss. One man laments, “I don’t understand why we are the only mourners here. He had more than 500 friends on his social media account!” Now, this is not a bashing of various online connections, but it is more a celebration of the face-to-face, tried and true variety of relating that we all need. There is no substitute for this blessing! We recently returned from our annual Texas vacation where we have a network of sweet friends. It has been our practice when possible to reconnect with them each summer while visiting our son and his family. Having lived in the Lone Star State for nearly 15 years, we put down some relational roots that have been enduring. Of course, we have cultivated just as many friends living back in Illinois these past 26 years as well. The old hy...