Celebrating the legacy of Paul Harris and Rotary International

What goes around soon comes around.
We reap the things we sow.
We lead by serving others in their need.
A guy named Paul inspired
self-denial just like Christ.
And “service above self” became his creed.

Paul and his band of brothers
circled up for lunch each week.
That’s how (what we call) Rotary was born.
Paul Harris clothed integrity
in business suits and found
that “service above self” became the norm.

The Four Way Test soon followed.
Will it benefit the group?
Is it true? Will it build goodwill? Is it fair?
Rotarians all over
use that test to prove the point 
that “service above self” reveals you care.

Yes, Paul Harris birthed a movement
that is helping change the world.
Men and women of all ages lead the way.
We’re a family of servants
quite convinced we offer hope
and that “service above self’ will win the day.

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_P._Harris

Remembering loved ones on this All Saints Weekend

This is the weekend we recall
those ones who touched our lives
who closed their weary eyes and ceased to breathe.
We miss the way they made us feel.
We miss their smile and voice.
This weekend mem’ries beckon us to grieve.

These “saints” (though far from perfect)
left their footprints in our hearts.
They sanctified our lives and showed us grace.
We miss the way they ran toward peace.
We miss their quiet faith.
This weekend mem’ries call to mind each face.

Our parents and our siblings, too,
our children, neighbors, friends,
and all who’ve left us through the door of death.
We miss the way God used them all.
We miss their presence so.
This weekend mem’ries help us catch our breath.

“For all the saints who from their labors rest,
Who Thee by faith before the world confessed,
Thy Name, O Jesus, be forever blessed. Alleluia, Alleluia…”

Celebrating the amazing ministry of Operation Christmas Child

Boxes that had once held shoes
have been repurposed for “good news.”
When packed with clothing, toys and games
God’s love is visualized.

Yes, Operation Christmas Child
results in joy and countless smiles
as boys and girls in far-off lands
receive their shoebox gifts.

A gift that’s given undeserved
both strikes a chord and hits a nerve.
It is a picture of God’s grace
that begs to be explained.

And so it is when handed out.
Kids learn what God’s love is about.
They understand it can’t be earned.
It searches us ’til found.

A little box, a big surprise,
that’s filled with what a stranger buys
for children they will never meet
except in Heav’n some day.

Check out http://www.samaritanspurse.org/occ

Celebrating the undying faith of the Chicago Cubs’ fan

An ivy-walled cathedral stands at Addison and Clark.
The congregants assemble poised to praise.
But their dreams are dashed each season
as their prayers fall on deaf ears.
And yet these dreamers pray for better days.

To be a Cubs fan takes real faith.
Believing what’s not seen
requires true religion that breeds hope.
The faithful flock to Wrigley Field convinced their day will come.
Their years of penance fuel their means to cope.

Yet countless die still waiting
for the answer to their prayers
and are buried in their Cubbies red and blue.
The evidence of what’s unseen
remains within their hearts
and those who know that miracles are true.

Their faith will be rewarded.
It’s a matter just of time
when Cubs fans (the whole world over) loudly cheer.
And the Friendly Confines’ choir
will sing out through tears of joy.
Can you hear them? Just you wait! Is this the year?

Reflections on the shootings in Oregon

“Are you a Christian?” they were asked.
And when they answered “Yes!”
the young crazed gunman heartlessly took aim
at Roseburg students caught off-guard
who didn’t stand a chance
when they invoked their precious Savior’s name.

Much like the martyrs we’ve heard of
who lost their very lives
refusing to deny their source of life,
these young collegians gave their all
and forfeited their dreams
to one day be a husband or a wife.

What will you answer if you’re asked
about your true beliefs?
Will you (like Peter) vacillate and lie?
Or will you (like those brave young folks
in Oregon last week)
speak up for Jesus though it means you die?