Serve by Design

Recently, I returned from a three-day trip with both sons to Minneapolis. We were there to watch our beloved Cardinals play the Twins at beautiful Target Field with its unique limestone facade and mid-tier wooden fold down seats. What a great venue and energized baseball setting! During this short flight up and back, we were surprised to find that Delta had outfitted their planes with several amenities and on-board enhancements. Yes! This is for "plug and play!" These are the conveniences most air travelers expect these days:   Wi-Fi, monitors for movie and television viewing, and charging outlets conveniently within reach. We should have known that with so many of us using our devices like laptops, smartphones, iPads, and wireless earbuds that these changes were going to be routinely implemented no matter what the destination or size of the aircraft! But we did have an issue with the outlet below the seat in front of us. It didn’t look like a standard outlet, but it was! W...

How many times recently have you heard someone disparage technology? Parents, schools, and employers regularly monitor the use of cell phones. Even our smartphones are programmed to calculate daily screen time and post the results on our home pages. The government is also concerned that certain platforms are being used to steal personal identities or track citizen movement. Some of this caution is justified because there are innumerable “bad actors” out there who are engaged in nefarious activities and disruptions. Daily, we read or hear about security breaches! Image credit: clipart-library.com Cybersecurity is one of the fastest growing industries today. A recent study revealed that there are 3.4 million cybersecurity jobs in the workforce. The number of college bachelor students seeking a degree in cyber engineering doubled from 3500 to over 7000 between 2018 and 2022! It is understandable that we should exercise some vigilance in the use of technology and avoid bad screen time. T...

One of my most interesting   and gratifying part-time occupations, as a retired pastor, is the weekly engaging of truck drivers. I am employed as a workplace chaplain serving several clients in different settings. One, for example, is a national food distribution company. My job is to reach out to over-the-road professional drivers by phone in real-time each week. I do my best in these chaplain-to-driver conversations to offer them encouragement and a listening ear to their joys and concerns. Hooray for downtime! image: png.com Most of these chats occur while the guys are driving and are usually short (3-5 minutes) in duration of necessity. However, occasionally, the calls become longer depending on the need. Sometimes their spouses and family members are included. I especially enjoy these because I seem to get more out of the men when their wives are listening and participating! During summer months, it is common to have these workplace friends to pick up the call, even when the...

Our sons and their families have been on a recent mini vacation in Corpus Christi, Texas. Just the other evening at twilight, they discovered a unique setting for a church. The First United Methodist Church is uniquely situated right on the bay just yards from the beach and gulf waters. While our grandson was Face Timing me the discovery at the water’s edge, his dad was sending a video of the whole experience while standing alongside of him on the sandy beach. The scene was picturesque to look up to this beautiful church across the street. This inviting portrait of the church spire in the evening silhouette of the setting sun would have made a great postcard or publicity piece! Church on the Beach! No kidding! I am sure that there was a calculated and strategically planned intention behind the choice of the location for this large church. In thinking about it, my mind went crazy with the possible promotional slogans for the church’s ad campaign. First, there was the “realtor’s promo” o...