Serve by Design

Recently, I visited one of our members in the hospital. She had just received a sobering diagnosis. I had no sooner entered the room than she shared what the doctor had told her. I had not met her before, but I think she had recognized me as the care pastor from the church before I had the chance to introduce myself. Image Credit: istock.com Although I have been in previous situations like this many times during the years of my pastoral ministry, it is still difficult to hear such a serious diagnosis. It gave me pause as I observed the pleasant expression on her face. I was gathering my thoughts just as one of the patient’s family came into the room from out of town. I reintroduced myself as he put some personal items down on a nearby couch. Then, as he made his way over to the loved one’s bedside, he spontaneously asked this question, “Are we going to pray?” I was caught off guard by his prompting, but immediately responded as I put my hat, gloves, and phone down on a chair, “Sure!...

Several years ago, during a visit to Paris, France, we saw the famous L'Arc de Triomphe on the Champs-Elysees. (Incidentally, Monique's grandmother was the proprietor of a quaint little dress shop nearby.) This national monument towering 50 meters stands in honor of those who served and died in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1792-1815. It has the names of all the victories and generals inscribed on its outer and inner surfaces. Underneath the structure is a vault that commemorates an Unknown Soldier from World War I. As you could expect, this memorial is a much treasured reminder for the French and a must-see work of art for visiting tourists. Photo Credit: Sylvan Chervin This prominent landmark has been the scene of an unusually creative project in these past weeks! All this effort fulfills the dream of a couple of avant-garde artists named Christo and his wife, Jeanne-Claude, who died in 2020 and 2009 respectively. Since 1961, this married couple had planne...