Serve by Design

This past week, I was privileged to be involved in two ministries that united people near and far. My services, as a care pastor for our church, as well as a law enforcement chaplain with the state police, have given me unique opportunities to minister to others. I was privileged to officiate at the funeral of Terry Nydegger on Wednesday. Terry served the New Berlin community as Chief of Police and the Sangamon County Rescue Squad for a combined record-breaking 48 years of service! The Stars and Stripes credit: adobestock.com The life and service of Chief Nydegger was memorialized and widely celebrated across the county and state for his five decades of self-less dedication. His numerous skills and achievements were remembered along with his calm presence, hands-on experience, and steady leadership. He rescued and saved many lives and guided countless individuals through challenging circumstances as a SWAT team medic and member of the dive team. For the eight-mile motorcade from the ...

I have been a space enthusiast for as long as I can remember. When I consider the actual numbers, I have been watching launches since May 1961, when Alan Shepard and the Mercury capsule lifted off powered by a Saturn V rocket for that first American suborbital mission from the Air Force Base in Cape Canaveral, Florida. I was barely ten years old, but I was thrilled to join millions of others, from my generation, in following the space program through radio and television coverage. When I moved to Sharpstown, Texas, in southwest Houston to pastor in 1984, I lived in the same suburban community where the seven original Mercury astronauts were given starter homes back in their day. Our kids went to Ed White Elementary, the neighborhood school, that honored the memory of Edward Higgins White, born in San Antonio, who lost his life along with two fellow astronauts, Gus Grissom and Roger Chaffee. The terrible accident happened in 1967 when a fire broke out in the cabin during a pre-launch te...