Serve by Design

Each Lord’s Day, I usually take sermon notes. It helps keep me focused and attentive to what God is saying through the message. Last Sunday, I thought I would just listen and forget the note taking. We had taken a day off from our church to visit our son and celebrate our granddaughter’s birthday. As I listened to the message on a couple of the Ten Commandments, I couldn’t help but reach forward for a piece of note paper in the hymnal rack. With pen in hand, I feverishly tried to catch up with what I was hearing! Photo Credit: Andrew Moca unsplash.com We have worshipped in this setting before and have been blessed at other times to hear the lead pastor speak. He is a gifted communicator and always offers such insightful applications from the Bible text during his messages. The title to the sermon was “How to Keep Your Physical Blessings as Blessings.” The text was from Exodus 20 where Moses lists the Ten Commandments, and related teaching from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6. ...

"Storing Up!" Image credit: clipartmax.com Fall officially arrived a few weeks ago. The temperatures are moderating, the trees are changing from their summer green to yellow, golden and deep red colors. Another sign of this transformation to autumn is how wildlife prepares for the harshness of winter.  Since my desk is next to our French doors, I have a ringside seat to observe the squirrels who may be God's best example of prudent industriousness. These speedy and ambitious tree mammals come in two main varieties: the nimble grey squirrels with white chests and the slightly slower-paced fox squirrels with their distinctive rust-colored coats. At this time of the year, they are doing what squirrels do. They are "squirreling away" nuts for the long winter months! (Hey! That almost rhymes!) I have a beautiful maturing oak tree in the back yard that has produced an abundance of acorns this season. They are falling all around the perimeter of the tree like one of na...