Serve by Design

Our granddaughter, Eloise, has a beautiful and fun-loving sister, Charlotte, whom she adores! Charlotte is eight years old and prefers to go by the shortened version of her name, Char. She is the youngest child of her family and has lots of energy and cuteness! We have seen her in action at gymnastics demonstrations. I can personally attest to Char’s athleticism. She can sprint about “faster than a jackrabbit” in sandals and then kick them off and upward with unusual ease and force! 😊 "A child shall lead them" Char is a cheerleader for the happiness of others. At the end of the school year and the beginning of June, she went to work on her chalkboard easel. She creatively sketched a message with images that embrace the summer season. Then she carried the message board out to the sidewalk to encourage all those passing by her house. Sometimes, you’ll see a lemonade stand in front of a house, but this time, it was just a simple and positive message: “Happy June! Happy Summer! ...

(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...