Serve by Design

After moving back to central Illinois at the end of 1991, I immediately began asking about where I could get a good donut and coffee. One of our church secretaries, Polly Jones, advised that I try out the small shop down the street called Mel-O-Cream Donuts.  While I had never heard of this local and family-owned company, I did have some considerable experience with Shipley Do-Nuts in Texas (over 300 locations!).😉 I told her I’d give the new shop a try but had a strong feeling that it would be hard to beat the familiar  products of my past when I had a hankering for a good blueberry cake, sausage roll or fruit-filled kolache. Kelly Grant Jr., Owner CCO  (1954-2020) Well, that was then, and this is now, some thirty years later. Polly was right, Mel-O-Cream’s chocolate Long Johns, apple fritters, and even the plain old-fashioned donuts are so tasty with a good cup of Joe! Mel-O-Cream has been baking their products (over 100 varieties!) since 1932 right here in Springfield,...

Hardly a day goes by when Monique or I must search for something that has been misplaced! It could be our phone, keys, a shopping list, an item from our billfold or a purse. I’ve concluded that we are simply trying to keep up with the younger generation who boast of their ability to juggle multiple tasks all at the same time. I’m sure that it isn’t a sign of forgetfulness or old age!😉 "Found this... do you need it?" I recently received a text from my beloved sister who was wondering if I had seen a special angel bracelet that she thought she might have dropped on the floorboard of my car after our Sunday dinner together. No sooner had I returned from searching the backseat, I picked up my phone and saw this reply, “I just found it on my bedroom floor! Thank you!” I’m thinking that this misplacing of things may be catching! Last month, Marc and I made a trip to take Ben’s car to him on the campus of Texas State about an hour away. The vehicle needed some repair work, and th...

Our summer vacation was not so much fun for an important member of the family this year! I could call this report, “The “Kidney Stone Saga” as it would likely have some of you tremoring and wincing in pain over your own memories. Over years of pastoring, I have heard some graphic “war stories” that a few of you have reluctantly shared on this subject! It's smaller than a baby aspirin, but prickly as a cocklebur! 😠 This story started the day we arrived in Georgetown for our extended family visit. Monique felt some discomfort and thought she was dealing with another bladder infection (UTI), so we dropped into the local Urgent Care to get an assessment. Meds were prescribed and we were on the way with the usual advice to push the liquids. A week to the day later, we were back at the same place. This time it was advised that we visit a nearby emergency room that could offer more extensive testing services. After a C-Scan with contrast, the emergency room doctor offered what I felt w...

The Southwest has experienced a rough summer of drought conditions and extremely high temperatures. As we were making our way out of the Great State of Texas, after three weeks of catching up with family and friends, we listened to a Waco radio station forecasting another dry and hot day. The weatherman said that they had already registered 49 consecutive days without any measurable precipitation. Sadly, we observed this to be the case for many under the heat dome that had its grip on several states in the lower forty-eight. "Lipstick on a Pig?"😉 Image credit: istock.com We spent most of our time in the Austin area during our visit and watched station KXAN for the evening news. I was captivated and somewhat amused during one of the nightly newscasts by a unique service being offered. As would be expected with the adverse weather conditions, some lawn care businesses were trying to service their customers and recoup some of their seasonal losses with a unique addition to thei...