Serve by Design

I was perturbed, and felt inconvenienced, until I discovered what was going on! This snow and extremely cold spell have had my nerves more than a little on edge. So, when I looked up to see 18-wheeler trucks and other vehicular traffic lined up farther than my eye could see, I complained aloud to myself, “Here they go again! These guys looking for a shortcut are further tearing up our badly maintained Sherman boulevard! What’s going on?!” Image credit: gettyimages.com Eventually, I would be able to make my right turn and join the flow traveling through a couple of traffic lights and across the Sangamon River up to Peoria Road. On the way, I saw a small but insightful sign above the I-55 directional sign. It simply read, “Incident Bypass.” I knew immediately, this was not about shortcuts, but rather IDOT was managing something up on the interstate highway that required a diverting of traffic through our quiet little village. Recently, I have had one thing after another of personal and...

( Today’s guest blog features my grandson, Klay. These edited devotional remarks were shared during a worship service in a nearby senior living facility.) “Good afternoon. I want to begin by thanking you all for having me here today. It’s truly a blessing to be with you and to have the opportunity to share. My name is Klayton Michael DeFrees. I’m fifteen years old, and I’ve been told many times that I have an old soul! I’m the oldest of four siblings, and I live in Albuquerque, New Mexico, about eighteen hours from here. I’m home for the holidays, spending time with the family I love very much, and I’m grateful to be here with all of you. My Poppi asked me to share a devotion today, and it’s an honor to do so. Klay & Poppi Making Big Plans! This afternoon, I’d like to reflect on a few lessons the Lord has been teaching me over the past year, and then look ahead together at how we, as the Church, can step faithfully into what God has prepared for us in the year to come.  ...

I have been eating Mars’ M&M’s chocolate candy for years! In every serving, I have enjoyed eating all six colors – brown, green, orange, red, yellow, and blue – of these delectable candies that “melt in your mouth and not in your hand!” However, those who know me best will tell you that I favor the blue ones most of all. My secret goes back many years until I was outed by some preacher friends with whom I met weekly in a small group. Imagine that?! Blue Makes Me Happy! During one of those meetings, a friend had spread a selection of M&M’s from his stash out on the table for the taking. I looked at the multiple-colored candies and immediately began to retrieve several blue ones and lined them up before me. This friend looked at me incredulously and asked, “What are you doing?” I answered sheepishly because by now everyone was staring at me, “I’m gathering the blue ones. They’re my favorite!” He said something like, “You’re crazy! They all taste the same!” From that day until ...

There are many things that I love about our yard at this time of the year. Our mature trees – the stately oak, silver maple and tulip have “leafed out” providing their beautiful shade to the property in bold greens. The rhododendron has “bloomed out” its purple gem flowers delivering a natural photo-op background for special occasions like Mother’s Day and May graduations. The Call of the Wild!😉 The Cardinal birds can be seen perched upon the fence. They are in the season of mating, building nests to secure their eggs, and then introducing their newly hatched young ones to a whole new habitat! We have recently seen their prodigy and eagerly welcomed the three fledgling Cardinals – two brothers and one little sister - into the backyard! It’s the rhythm of springtime in all its newness! That brings me to "The Call of the Wild!” During this season, we have a zealous woodpecker who pays us an annual visit (or at least I think it is the same one year after year!). At mid-morning, no...

For more than twenty years now, the guys of our family have had a tradition of attending the Saint Louis Auto Show. Grandsons have been added as they have come along and on occasion, we have even had a couple of granddaughters join us. Until our favorite near city eatery closed, the day used to begin with a delicious Cajun meal of gumbo, jambalaya, and stuffed crabmeat at the Gumbo Shop (Rock Hill). These days, we have opted for a great sandwich, chips and an Excel bottled beverage (Breese, IL - I have to get my Red Cream soda fix!) at Snarf’s Downtown MX just across from the America’s Center. The Dome plays host to the Show around mid to late January each year. It’s the Keppler way of welcoming in the New Year! Hey! It charges on this side!  The rave of this year’s show was all about the EV – electric vehicle! It was a bit “other worldly” seeing a charging station near each vehicle. And it was great fun looking under the hoods and trunk lids for an actual engine! There were none! ...

Seeking relief from a steady diet of news programing in the last months, Monique and I have been watching Public Television for the past several weeks on Sunday evening. We have been captivated by Masterpiece Theatre's series, All Creatures Great and Small , based upon the novels of James Herriot. These are about the adventures of Herriot (pen name for James Alfred Wight), a Yorkshire veterinarian who is practicing his craft in rural England during the 1930's. This series is pure, softly-paced, beautifully set and thoroughly entertaining. Galloping Stallion goodfreephotos.com Samuel West, who plays Siegfried Farnon, Herriot's boss and mentor, commented in a recent podcast interview about an especially touching episode in which James has to put down a beautiful race horse. The animal is in great pain because of an inoperable bowel constriction. Others attending the horse are openly reluctant to take such extreme measures because the animal is prized and has great financial v...