Serve by Design

Can you imagine siting in your car for 30 to 45 minutes behind a line of 50 cars stretching several blocks and winding around streets? Add in another 30 pedestrians who had parked nearby and were now lined up outside of this business where a competition has obviously emerged between foot and motorized traffic during peak hours. What was this all about? This was a typical weekend exercise in patience as patrons waited for their World Famous Round Rock Donuts! Our son and daughter-in-law were on the “donut run” this particular Sunday morning at 8:00am all in an effort to retrieve a special treat for the “visiting old folks” and themselves. The treat was none other than a dozen of the quintessential fresh-hot, absolutely delectable and of course, well-storied (This is Texas!) and carefully packaged glazed donuts! Round Rock, Texas I had a lesson in patience years ago at a DQ in Calvert, Texas! I had just attended a denominational meeting in Fort Worth and was on my way back home to Southw...

Prayer on our home driveway. Extended conversations about family, health and life issues. Connecting, affirming, and showing loving concern for neighbors. This is a brief list of things I have recently undertaken in the front yard of our house. You could call them “front yard encounters.” Have you noticed how most front yards are relationally underutilized?   I realize this may be a misperception. There are some houses that have beautiful, wrap-around porches extending from the front door area. Many of these have porch swings and big wood rocking chairs that make a relaxing setting for home owners to look out to the street and the surrounding neighborhood. Beth's Turquoise Table Granbury, Texas Yet, in too many instances, we tend to retreat to the backyard to host our connecting events. It is here in this often out-of-sight setting that we have cookouts, swim parties and gatherings on the patio or deck. It is true that we have to mow the grass and tend to the flowers and shrubs at ...

During the summer games of the 2021 Olympics from Tokyo, we heard a lot about a condition some athletes deal with that is appropriately designated as the "twisties" or being "lost in space." There are an incredible number of rolls, spins and twists that precision divers undertake jumping off the platforms in the aquatic competitions. Equally skilled and gifted women gymnasts also execute these in their routines on the vault, uneven bars, balance beam and in the floor exercises. I can certainly understand how they could lose their sense of spatial orientation and put themselves in considerable danger of serious injury during entry into the water or by a missed landing on a hard surface. Image Credit: flickr.com Sports' specialists across the spectrum, including basketball players and golfers, say that the ability to keep the mind and body in sync is crucial to success. They speak of "muscle memory" and the ability to instantly recall skills and maneuver...

“Do you want green or red with that?” I can remember the first time I was asked that question! I was eating in a New Mexican restaurant in Santa Fe, NM. It was my lunch break while attending a training conference at Glorieta. I was stumped at first and simply asked, “Could I get those on the side?!” I did not have the foggiest idea what that question really meant. But, these many years later, I can now say emphatically, “I know how tasty green chiles are!” Truth be told, I have fallen into “culinary love” with the chile pepper!! This may sound sick, but I dream about green chiles! I even grow them in my backyard box! Now, I have family that prefer processed red chiles, but I do not share their passion for the red! Green is my choice! I’ve ordered jars of them from Weck’s, my favorite breakfast and lunch restaurant, and had them mailed to me by the case! I like green chiles in my scrambled eggs, layered in a beef and cheese-filled tortilla casserole dish, and combined along with relish...

Did you take note during the Pandemic of 2020 that the shelves in the big box grocery stores displaying rice and noodles were often laid bare? I was told that these staples were important to families who had to prepare quick meals for their children who were home and doing remote learning during that time. In these days since, I have observed that the demand for these items has been so strong that the grocers are making additional space for stocking and expanding the sales of these types of ready-to-go meals. Image Credit: lotusfoods.com Several news outlets covered an accident recently that occurred near Little Rock, Arkansas and could have threatened the re-stocking efforts of instant noodles! This must have sent "shock waves" throughout the country among those passionate about their Ramen noodles!  It was reported that an 18-wheeler, semi-truck carrying 20,000 pounds of this brand product left the roadway and slipped on its side into a lake about 30 miles north of the city...

In these days, we are back to flying after being “grounded” for nearly 18 months by the Covid-19 Pandemic! It’s a good feeling to be able to re-connect with our family in New Mexico and Texas this summer. Speaking of being grounded… we even took our first leg of the flight west from St. Louis to Dallas on a brand new Boeing 737 Super Max 800 series. This is the airplane that had been grounded for nearly two years after two fatal crashes that were caused by a faulty flight control system. I did not know what specific plane we were on until we were pushing back from the gate and I looked forward at the flight information brochure in the seatback pocket! Although, thankfully, this turned out to be a non-event for us, I will leave the specifics of this story for another time!  Image Credit: clipart-library.com Most commercial airplanes fly to an altitude of about 35,000 feet. In recent days, the term “Edge of Space” has become descriptive of the feat accomplished by Richard Branson, th...

Have you noticed how psychology is used in assessing sports today? I hear golf caddies going back and forth with PGA golfers as they review their play pad of notes about distances and club choices. Sometimes these conversations are enhanced by a microphone nearby that allows me to hear the substance of these collaborations. Recently, I heard Tom Lewis' caddie give this final word of advice before the next stroke, "Just trust your numbers!" I could hear in that phrase an attempt to encourage and bolster confidence in one's competence and experience. Image Credit: depositphotos.com After another hard fought game in a losing season that ended in an extra inning win this time for my languishing St. Louis Cardinals baseball team, I listened as manager, Mike Shildt, summarized the game using a bit of psychology during his post-game interview. He responded to a reporter's question by saying, "Very gritty win... scratching and clawing! Grit's an amazing attribute...