Serve by Design

I wore my favorite baseball cap at the state fair yesterday! Nothing new. It’s comfortable and protects my thin-haired head from too much sun! What is interesting is how a logo on a hat can prompt such reactions especially since this team is barely playing .500 ball. I do confess that I’ve been a little hyped by how my team has just grinded out a series win with one of our historic rivals. We’ve even found a way to piece together a meager, but welcomed two-game winning streak! Image: istockphoto.com One reaction came as we walked past some rowdy musicians playing on a nearby stage. They were belting out an engaging rock song when I looked up and saw one of the band members gesture while singing. Then he surprised me with a shout-out “Hey, I like your hat!” I gave him the thumbs up with delight. Another fairgoer cryptically questioned as he strolled by, “Do you have a license to wear that hat?” Monique quickly replied, “Well, we won last night!” I’m still trying to figure out what all t...

Am I the only one asking this question? All of this started since my retirement in July of 2018. I was so "schedule driven" throughout my active ministry years. Much of my awareness of the day of the week was tied to normal commitments in vocational ministry: preparation of messages and studies, facilitating ministry teams, leading Sunday worship services, making hospital visits and other contacts, and taking occasional days off! It was much easier with this structure to know what day of the week it was as I anticipated the next thing on my weekly to-do list. Now-a-days, with this COVID-19 challenge of staying-in-place, many of us have been thrown off of our routines. We are living a "new normal" and an ongoing confusion about what day it is! This can result in day/week/ time distortion akin to an episode of the Twilight Zone ! (for a reminder, check this out... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxf_Dvy0VLs ) I find myself regularly inquiring, "What day is this...

Kickball at the Keppler's is nearly a daily experience this fall! Our two energetic grandsons, Danny and Charlie, gather on their "field of dreams," (actually, the front yard of our house) each day after school. It is their downtime to "blow off some steam!" Their daddy, Dan, made kickball famous with them during summer kids' club at church. They have loved it ever since they first joined in that simple activity of "one ball and four bases!" I've observed how the boys are like a "relational magnet" drawing other kids into the game! We have watched the numbers grow from two or three to regularly six to eight and some days more that a dozen neighborhood boys and sometimes, a couple of girls. Moms and dads have joined the crowd occasionally. When I say, "joined," I mean that literally. They are out there playing with the kids too! They are remarking to us, "Thank you so much for letting our kids play with yours!" An...