Serve by Design

I was not exposed to a strong liturgical type of worship experience during my teenage years. However, at the larger than average First Baptist Church in our county seat town, we did have elements in the service that included: robed choir anthems, well thought out pastoral prayers followed by beautiful choral amens, response readings involving the congregation, organ preludes and postludes and a strictly followed and printed order of service. We followed the admonition of the Apostle Paul who taught, “Be sure that everything is done properly and in order!” (1 Corinthians 14:40, NLT ). A Happy Face! Last Sunday, we returned to my hometown on Father’s Day and attended another fine church where my dad is a member. Over the past years, their worship service has morphed into a more blended service of traditional and contemporary elements. Like many churches today, the words to the songs and Scripture readings were on video screens. The service included a couple of the old favorite hymns mi...

Monique’s sixty-something first cousin, Sylvain, is an avid and experienced skydiver. He loves the sport and sometimes sends us a photograph of one of his more spectacular dives. These pics make us shudder with fear and amazement! He is handsome, still single, and ever the beloved son of his French mother. We have asked many times, why do you do this? And he usually just laughs with delight! I think he would answer if he chose to, “I just love the daring and freedom of it all!” 10,000 feet and descending! Occasionally, I like to watch Indy Grand Prix car races where the drivers skillfully maneuver around tight turns and down straightaways of street or road courses at speeds exceeding 200 mph! I admit that there is something intriguing about speed. I am often tempted during vacation time  to “put the pedal to the metal” in the wide-open spaces of Texas or New Mexico where the official speed limits are quite generous! Just so you know, while growing up in my dad's auto repair shop, I...

Strawberries have been in the news recently and not in a good way! Some organic varieties are being recalled because they may be linked to a dangerous disease impacting liver health. This is a damper upon this time of the year in Illinois when strawberries are being harvested. This is the optimum season when there is a flurry of activity going on in the Keppler kitchen to prepare fresh strawberries for freezer jam to stow away for later in the year. We also like to save back some of those more ripened berries that are juicy bursts of "sweet deliciousness!" These will be served over pound cake, in a bowl of cereal or as an ice cream topping. Yum! Yes, strawberries are a big deal in this family! Strawberry Freezer Jam! 8 Pounds and 15 Containers! I eat strawberries all year long, but there is something about their tastiness at the end of May and into early June that is special to my palate. I used to pick strawberries with my brother when I was a kid. We competed to see how qui...