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! ...

I have been serving as a law enforcement chaplain for twelve years as well as a workplace chaplain for over eighteen years. This has afforded me many opportunities for conversations and counsel that would not have been possible in any other way. Trust is a delicate thing between employees and chaplains that develops over time. It must be earned and there are no shortcuts in the process of deepening the confidence one person has in another. The more you relate and do life together, the more others see that you can be counted on to guard the secrets, concerns, and issues that many deal with on a day-to-day basis. The Strength of Teamwork! Image credit: unsplash.com One of the phrases I often hear among my fellow chaplains at our team training meetings is that “It’s such a privilege to be invited into workplace settings to serve as a chaplain resource to employees!” Where else, except the church, are religiously trained leaders invited to pray, affirm, and encourage workers while they are...

I’m excited about the future of our three eldest grandchildren who are moving into their adult years! Ben and Brady just graduated from their high schools and are headed off to college this August. Brady is attending his mother’s alma mater at the University of Missouri, Columbia, and Ben is attending Texas State University in San Marcos. Ben has chosen Biology as his major (and maybe will double it to include art!) and Brady will be majoring in Business. They are expecting to continue to work for Walmart and Lowes for the next four years as well. They are gifted, ambitious, and have some big dreams! Granddaughter Tech Support Chloe will be a junior this year. She is an A student in her home school program. Good humored and artistic in her temperament, she enjoys creating art pieces and entertaining videos for family and friends. She sings on the Delta church praise team alongside her mother. Who knows how God will use her talents in these next years? Everything is speeding by so quick...