Serve by Design

I enjoyed a special breakfast meeting this week with a couple of dear friends at one of our favorite restaurants. It had been a few years since we had all been together with each other in person. The three of us slid into the booth and the conversation immediately commenced. For what seemed like a few minutes, but spanned a couple of hours, we chatted, laughed, and shared life with each other! We just picked up where we last left off! I have repeatedly over the years experienced this gift and dynamic of true friendship! Image credit: vecteezy.com During this same week, I had conversations with three other friends. One said, “I sure do miss our small group meetings!” Another commented, “I so appreciate everyone’s prayers on my behalf!” And another newer friend suggested, “Why don’t we get together soon? I want to run some things by you!” My life is rich with such friendships! I find relational value in each encounter! I need that regular relational connection and I sense my friends need...

Many in our area have been recovering from storms that raged through numerous communities last week. Straight-line and even tornadic winds unleashed destruction with a force ranging from 80-120 mph. This powerful act of nature yanked down soft silver maple tree branches upon houses and properties as it severed power poles at their bases like they were toothpicks. The damage was random, but extensive. Many homes lost power for hours, days and now, over a week! We fared much better than many. Our power was only off for a few hours. We lost two large twelve to fifteen-foot limbs. One came resting upon our six-foot fence and the other sailed right for our picnic table denting the tabletop and shoving it into the side of the garage. There was only minimal damage to the table support, a nearby downspout, and the westside soffit. We were lucky. Some of our neighbors reported that large branches had penetrated their roofs like a spear! I have some mature trees that shed numerous branches thr...

Back-to-school is looking a bit different this year for many middle and high schoolers. Several schools are now requiring students to pack their textbooks, supplies and personal items in translucent plastic or mesh bookbags. School safety concerns are driving much of this. The thinking is that if the school gear is transparent, it might discourage mischief. I am not sure what impact this is going to have on the issue of mass shootings since some of these offenders come from outside the school population. Image credit: clipartix.com We recently attended an exceptionally large church with several thousand in attendance. As we entered the lobby foyer, I took note that uniformed police officers were strategically positioned throughout that gathering space. I have long advocated that churches should be more vigilant about their vulnerability as soft targets for violence. Back in the day, I encouraged training for our Sunday greeters to include being alert to any suspicious backpacks. We eng...

We like to stream medical-themed shows these days. They are rotated into our viewing queue of intense crime dramas, laugh-out-loud comedies and “who-done-it?” mystery-filled television series. The setting of our favorite “med shows” is usually the hospital emergency room. This is where the critically injured or ill patients are transported for triage. Some of these individuals are brought in for treatment without family or friends to accompany them. My Friend, Joel Newton! 20th Anniversary, Woodland, Peoria! “Is there anyone we can call for you to let them know you are here?” is a common question asked by hospital personnel. The other night, we were watching as doctors tried to treat a middle-aged professional who had a critical, life-threatening heart condition. He was demanding and impatient thinking he would be quickly diagnosed, treated, and released. You could expect this guy to describe himself as a “compulsive workaholic” and proud of it! A turning point in this episode came a...

Our beloved nine-year-old granddaughter Eloise and her school friend, Evelyn (Evie) enjoy their daily interactions with each other at school. Evie asked Eloise recently, “Do you think we’ll still be friends when we get old?” And Eloise enthusiastically responded, “Of course!” When Matt shared this with me, I thought, how sweet! I then asked him, “Well, what did you say to her?” He played the role of a “Daddy Downer” and said, “Honey, you shouldn’t have fibbed to her! You don’t know the future!” He reasoned, as an adult of experience, that we should be careful not to over promise because many friendships don’t last forever! Friends: Ellie and Evie Image credit: clipartmax.com One of my greatest blessings has been to keep up with friends from years back. And… one of my greatest disappointments has been the inability to keep up with all my friends!  Out of hundreds of relationships, I have only been able to keep current with a few of them. Occasionally, I will drop a Christmas, birth...

Keeping up with family and friends during the Pandemic is going way better than expected. We are still wearing our masks, social distancing and not meeting together in traditional ways these days, but we are connecting. We have learned different ways to check in on family and friends, celebrate special occasions, and participate throughout the week in worship and small group studies both near and far. The key has been through digital connections using our smart phone, laptop computer and other such devices. Thanks to technology, we are staying current with those who are near and dear to us! Eloise's Refrigerator Art Matt, Brady, Eloise, Mimi and Poppi We use these virtual connections for casual conversations, serious discussions and on occasions, for sharing recipes. Just this week, Klayton Michael, our fifth-grade grandson, "popped in" from New Mexico to talk to his Mimi by way of a video chat.  Klay called to review the recipe for a Jell-O cake that is one of his mom...

(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...

As you know and have repeatedly heard about Covid 19 or Coronavirus, "This is serious!" We have been staying home nearly all of the time except for an occasional run to the post office to retrieve the mail, or to the drugstore drive-up to pick up meds or a quick in and out at the neighborhood grocery store to restock the pantry. Instead of our usual Sunday worship schedule, we watched and participated in worship this past Lord's Day via a live stream through FaceBook since all public gatherings larger than fifty individuals have been discontinued. The Coronavirus emerging in pink. Credit: NAIAD-RML/de Wit/Fischer I recently heard this comment about the service, "This would not have been possible ten years ago!" (FaceBook Live was launched in 2015.) I generally agree. It has become easier because of today's social media platforms. However, I do remember being "snowed in" as a teenager in the sixties in Vandalia and watching my pastor preachin...

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...