Serve by Design

It’s a fact that a lot of what we do with family in the summer months involves food! If you were to track our gatherings, you would see that outdoor grills of every shape and size abound. It is a rite of passage that everyone from the youngest to the oldest become proficient in using these auxiliary cooking devices, especially, but not exclusively, the guys. It’s one way that the ladies get the guys out of the kitchen to make a mess they have to clean up! From H-E-B to the Grill! The outdoor grilling experience begins with a good product. When in Texas, our go-to store is the home grown and independently owned, H-E-B, founded in 1905 by the Howard E. Butt family. You can do the research on this grocery chain if you wish, but if you have lived in the Lone Star State any length of time, you know about the prolific H-E-B! ( The H-E-B Story ) While staying at Marc and Leslie's, we are conveniently in proximity to one of the companies’ flagship stores out in the Leander area. This 103,...

Many years ago, I remember promoting a special offering in our church to raise funds to build a modest educational stand-alone building. This would provide additional space for our young adult Bible study department. During the campaign leading up to the project, we utilized a giving chart, printed on five by seven card stock, that included an appeal letter in the mailing. This is a common approach used by many churches for short and long-term fund raising. Image credit: friendlyfriendshipchurch.com One day while walking down the hallway at church, I was met by an exuberant custodian waving her campaign giving chart. She blurted out her gratitude, “Bro. Mike, thank you so much for telling us what to give!” I was taken aback by her compliment and quickly replied, “Minnie, I wasn’t trying to tell you how much to give. I was only giving you some ideas that if you gave this much over the next months that at the end of the year you would have given this sum total. I expect that you and Jimm...