Serve by Design

It was a day or two before Thanksgiving that our oldest granddaughter, Chloe, popped the question, "Poppi, when are you decorating your Christmas tree?" This grand is always jazzed about Christmas! Each year, since she was a little girl, Chloe Michelle has helped her Mimi and me with Christmas decorating. If you knew that she already had her room decorations up on November 1st, you can imagine that she was more than a little anxious to help her grandparents "catch up" to the Christmas Season! Inspecting Charlie's Gingerbread House! I am a stickler about not putting up our decorations until Thanksgiving Day is over. Although I enjoy the ambience of a well-decorated family room with a beautifully lighted tree adorned with keepsake ornaments, garlands and red bows above the entry ways, and greenery threaded with red stringed beads on the mantle, I don't like to hurry into Christmas! So, Friday or Saturday after "Turkey Day" is soon enough for me! It w...

After getting home from another graveside service yesterday, one of our grown children exclaimed, “Dad you seem to have had a lot of funerals lately!” And it is true that I have had a funeral and committal service three out of the last four weeks. Sadly, this has happened many times over the past fifty years in my pastoral ministry! This is just another season in our church life! Image: adobestock.com As we continued to discuss the frequency of these recent deaths in our church, even the funeral director remarked, “As care pastor, I’m sure you keep quite busy officiating funerals in such a large congregation!” And I agreed, while noting that our two full-time pastors are also ministering to several families dealing with loss and grief. Not all of these have been with older adults either. Our community has also dealt with the loss of some precious children. But it was one of our middle-aged sons who thoughtfully remarked with this probing question from his experience in large city chu...

I have had three interviews in the last two weeks! No, it’s not what you may think. I’m not referring to job interviews. I am officially retired, but as I have often remarked, I live a highly active retirement with several responsibilities, for sure. Some days, I think I have too much on this “retirement plate” with personal, family, and church commitments! Homework Crash! Rather, this is about Grandparent’s Day that officially fell on a Sunday this year, September 7th! I did not know that this emphasis existed until a few years ago when my wife, a regular substitute teacher at our local school, began talking about how many seniors were descending, this time every year, upon the school for a grandparent recognition, at the invitation of their grands and classroom teachers. Klaire, our eight-year-old, was the first to call. She lamented that since I couldn’t fly out to New Mexico for her class program the following week, she had a suggestion, with her mother’s counsel. Could we FaceTi...

I have become an advocate for the next generation of leaders. You’ve heard it said, “Today’s youth are tomorrow’s leaders!” I like what I see in today’s youth! That’s why I seldom turn down an opportunity to engage and be with them. This past week, I participated in a youth police camp sponsored by the local American Legion and the Illinois State Police. It was on the beautiful campus of Camp Lincoln here in Springfield, Illinois. This was my third year serving as an ISP chaplain and taking part in the camp graduation ceremony! Homemade Blackberry Pie Thanks, Sis!! The State Police Youth Academy was first conducted in July of 1972. Each year since, young men and women are invited and sponsored to participate in an intensive week of physical training, classroom instruction in law enforcement, field trips to interesting sites, and recreation that bonds them with new friends. They learn about discipline, teamwork, and respect for themselves and others. During this year’s ceremony, a ver...

My Grandson Benjamin looks out for his Poppi! He started treating me with respect and deference long before he was employed this summer as a part-time “stretch therapist” by the local chiropractor. I like to believe his gentle back rub greeting has been perfected since his clinical experiences of late! "My favorite tour guide!" Ben meets people well, loves his family and has numerous close friends. Subsequently, he has become a social magnet for serious discussions, understanding popular culture and is always up for the plain enjoyment of being together. He’s my “go-to guy!” We have enjoyed sharing insights about our current reads with each other while chatting near the bookshelf in his bedroom. Ben likes to read all kinds of literature. When it comes to movies…there isn’t anyone I’d rather see something special with on the Big Screen at Cinemark or even the Little Screen in the upstairs home theater than Ben! This year we adventured through Black Panther , Mission Impossib...

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...