Be The Village
1-6-2026
Today I am hijacking a story that wasn’t written by me……but it touched me – and I’m hoping that it will touch you as well. I don’t know the author or I would give appropriate credit. If you know who wrote this, commend them, and let me know. Regardless, here we go:
I almost called the police. That’s the first thing you think of when you see a seven-year-old sitting on a curb in the freezing rain at 8:00 PM. I was filling up my truck at a gas station on the edge of town. The kind of place where the streetlights flicker and people don’t make eye contact. But I couldn’t look away from him. He was wearing a hoodie that was too thin for November, soaking wet, hugging a backpack to his chest like a life preserver. No umbrella. No adult. Just staring at the door of the 24-hour convenience store.
I’m 68 years old. My knees hurt when it rains, and I don’t have much patience for nonsense. But I have even less patience for a child suffering. I walked over. “Hey, son. You waiting for a ride?”
He jumped. He looked terrified. “My mom said stay right here. She said don’t move.”
“In this weather? Where is she?”
He pointed toward the massive warehouse distribution center across the street. A gray concrete block where people pack boxes for twelve hours straight. “She’s on overtime. If she leaves, they fire her.”
He said it with a maturity no second-grader should have. He wasn’t complaining; he was explaining the economics of survival.
“Come on,” I said. “I’m not leaving you out here.” I took him inside the store. I bought him a hot chocolate and a turkey sandwich. We sat on the metal stools by the window.
“I’m Frank,” I said.
“Leo,” he whispered, blowing on the steam.
“Does your mom know you’re out here, Leo?”
“She thinks I’m inside the lobby,” he admitted. “But the guard kicked me out. Said no loitering. So I waited on the curb.”
My heart broke. Not just a crack, but a shatter. We sat there for two hours. I learned that Leo likes Minecraft and hates math. I learned he wants to be an astronaut because “it’s quiet in space.”
At 10:15 PM, a woman in blue scrubs came running across the street. She looked exhausted, her hair plastered to her face by the rain. She burst into the store, her eyes scanning wildly until they landed on us.
“Leo!”
She ran over, grabbing him, checking his face, his hands. Then she looked at me. The fear in her eyes wasn’t just panic; it was the terror of a mother who thinks she’s about to lose her child to the system.
“Please,” she sobbed, backing away. “Please don’t report me. I’m a good mom. I swear. My sitter canceled last minute. I called five people. I have no family here. If I missed this shift, I can’t pay rent. Rent is $1,800. I had no choice.”
She was shaking.
“Stop,” I said gently. I held up my hands. “Nobody is reporting anyone.”
I looked at her. Really looked at her. I saw my own daughter in her. I saw a generation of parents breaking their backs just to keep a roof over their heads, paralyzed by the cost of childcare that costs more than a mortgage.
“I’m retired,” I said. “I used to be a mechanic. I sit at home and yell at the TV most days. It’s a waste of time.”
I wrote my number on a napkin. “Next time the sitter cancels, you call me. I live ten minutes away. I’ll sit with him. I’ll help him with his math. No charge.”
She stared at the napkin. “Why? You don’t know us.”
“Because he shouldn’t be in the rain,” I said. “And you shouldn’t have to choose between feeding him and keeping him safe.”
That was six months ago. Today, I picked Leo up from school. We went to the library. He’s actually getting pretty good at math. We cook dinner before his mom, Sarah, gets off her shift. But here is the part that matters.
I told my buddies at the VFW hall about Leo. Just old guys, veterans, retirees. Guys who thought their useful days were over. Now? We have a “Grandpa Patrol.”
My friend Mike picks up a neighbor’s kid for soccer practice because the dad works two jobs. Another guy, Dave, sits on the porch and watches the bus stop so the single mom next door can leave for her nursing shift without worry.
We aren’t doing anything big. We aren’t passing laws. We’re just filling the gaps.
Last week, Sarah got a new job. Better hours. No more night shifts at the warehouse. She cried when she told me she didn’t need me to watch Leo every day anymore.
“You saved us, Frank,” she said.
“No,” I told her. “I just held the umbrella.”
Look around your neighborhood. There are Leos everywhere. They are the latchkey kids. The quiet ones. The ones waiting in cars while their parents run errands they can’t afford to skip. The world is hard right now. Prices are up. Patience is down. Parents are drowning in silence because they are too ashamed to ask for help.
You don’t need to be rich to fix this. You don’t need to adopt a child. You just need to notice. Buy the extra meal. Offer the ride. Be the safe place. We used to say “it takes a village.” somewhere along the way, the village burned down. It’s time we build it back up. One kid, one umbrella, and one act of kindness at a time.
Be the village.
Be Rich ’25
10-21-2025
This Sunday, October 26, we launch Be Rich ‘25 – our annual generosity campaign. I love Be Rich and all of the difference it makes in the lives of people here in south-central Iowa. We call this a “generosity campaign”, but what is generosity?
In Acts chapter 20 we learn something that Jesus said. He said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35b, NIV)
Generosity has to do with selflessness and kindness toward others. It involves being willing to share resources and look out for the needs of others, instead of focusing on ourselves and our desires. Generosity is commonly associated with money; however, there are other ways to be generous. Having an attitude that is willing to care about others and make sacrifices for others is an important part of generosity.
The Apostle Paul told Timothy:
“Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.” (1 Timothy 6:17-19, NIV)
The majority of Americans are not “naturally generous”. They’re willing to help if needed, but generosity goes even beyond that. With prayer, practice and help from God we can develop a generous heart. Some ways that we can grow our generosity include:
Giving: Offering our money or resources to both the church and others is a theme that we can see throughout many different passages in scripture. In the 21st chapter of Luke’s Gospel, a poor widow put two coins in the temple offering. In comparison to others, this was an insignificant amount. However, because she was generous with the little she did have, Jesus said she gave more than all the others. Even if we do not have much to give, we can still have a heart of generosity through giving.
Encouraging with words: We can also be generous with our words. Words are powerful tools for encouraging others and building others up. It doesn’t take a lot from us to give an uplifting word or compliment to someone who may need to hear it.
Spending time: Our time is a precious resource and we may hesitate to be generous with it. However, using our time is another way to show love and develop our generosity whether it be through volunteering with an organization or simply setting up a time to help a friend out or share a meal with someone.
Sharing God’s Word: Sharing the gospel with others shows we care about more than their temporary or physical needs but also their eternal salvation. We can generously share the news of Jesus Christ. This is the most valuable thing we can share with others.
Serving: Whether it is in the church or the community or your neighborhood, serving is something that everyone can do. Not everyone can do everything, but everyone can do something and serving goes a long ways toward blessing others.
Helping someone in need: Helping others in need may involve any of things previously mentioned or it could be something else altogether. However, when we help someone in need, we are demonstrating the love of Christ in a tangible way. Raking leaves, giving someone a ride, cooking a meal……the list is endless, and all of it shows the love of Jesus to others.
Never forget how generous God has been with you. He is the ultimate example, and He can help us develop our generosity far better than we can ever do on our own.
We’re launching a couple of new initiatives with Be Rich ‘25, so I hope you will join us in being rich toward God and toward others!!!
Chuck
Seize the Day
9-20-2025
The Bible tells the story of a blind man named Bartimaeus. One day, as Jesus and His followers left Jericho, they came upon him begging by the side of the road. When he heard that Jesus was nearby, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” (Mark 10:47 NIV).
When Bartimaeus got up that morning, he had no idea that this was the day Jesus was going to walk by. He thought it was just another ordinary day: same place, same cry for help, same situation. But suddenly Jesus was there. Bartimaeus had no time to prepare or think through his response. It was just an opportunity that dropped in his lap. And he chose to seize the moment. He decided not to delay or procrastinate. He was going to do it—now.
That’s the first key to a fresh start. Whether it’s a fresh start in life or work or a relationship, the key is: do it now. Don’t say, “Next year I’ll have that hard conversation,” or “Next month I’ll start looking for a better job,” or “Tomorrow I’ll finally deal with that area of my life.” Be like Nike, just do it. Seize the moment!
We humans are professional procrastinators. Procrastination is a strange phenomenon. You think it will make your life easier, when it actually does just the opposite. It’s a stress generator! When you know the right thing to do, today is the time to do it. The Bible warns over and over about procrastination. In the Message paraphrase, Jesus says, “No procrastination. No backward looks. You can’t put God’s kingdom off till tomorrow. Seize the day” (Luke 9:62).
Whatever God is prompting you to do, do it today. Follow the example of Bartimaeus and seize the moment.
A Different Path
9/9/2025
A Different Path
In the New Testament we have a couple of letters that the Apostle Peter wrote to followers of Jesus. In these letters he encourages them in their walk of faith. In his second letter we find a list of things that will help us in this walk. Here’s what he writes:
…..make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. (2 Peter 1:5-7, NIV)
When we take the time to examine this list, what we see is that Peter is talking about taking a different path. This list contains multiple things that our current culture either ignores or finds irrelevant. But each of these things is beneficial to us and they are critical to our walk with God……even if they put us on a different path than the rest of the world.
In the Old Testament we read something about a man the I’m sure you’ve heard of. His name was Noah. Remember him? He’s the one who built an ark. That’s a different subject for a different article, but here’s what we read about him in Genesis chapter 6:
Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless person living on earth at the time, and he walked in close fellowship with God. (Genesis 6:9, NLT)
If you and I are going to stay faithful in a world that’s resistant to the gospel, we must be willing to walk a different path than the surrounding culture. That’s not always easy, especially when things aren’t going the way you want them to go. Maybe you’re tired. Maybe you’re worn out. Maybe you’re frustrated or feel as though you’re going backward instead of forward.
Regardless of where you find yourself, stay on the path. Even when it looks so much easier to abandon all of it and just “go with the flow” of the rest of the world, stay on God’s path. It may seem that you’re not making much progress, but you are. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other because God is taking you somewhere on this path. I love what The Message paraphrase says about Noah. Check it out:
“Noah was different. GOD liked what he saw in Noah” (Genesis 6:8).
As you stay on the path, God likes what He sees in you as well. You don’t have to be flashy. You don’t have to go viral. You don’t even have to feel effective. Keep doing what God calls you to do. Keep adding to your faith the things in Peter’s list. Noah didn’t have Peter’s list, but he added those things anyway and that’s what set him apart. He walked with God, even when the rest of the world walked away.
Your steady, faithful walk matters more than you realize.
A Very Important List
7-23-2025
We’ve talked about this before, but like so many other things, we sometimes need a reminder………
Many people, if not most, navigate the day with some kind of prepared agenda: a to-do list, to be more specific. I get it. A to-do list is quite helpful in getting things done, keeping us on target and on track throughout the day. And, of course, it feels pretty great when we get to mark things off the list as we make progress.
However, another very important list – I would say, an equally important list – is a not-to-do list, or as I recently heard it called, a to-don’t list.
We’re usually focused on the to-do list and don’t think much about the to-don’t list. But what if today your to-don’t list looked something like this:
Today I won’t scroll endlessly on social media.
Today I won’t raise my voice to the kids (or spouse, or anyone).
Today I won’t skip Bible reading and prayer.
Today I won’t give in to temptation.
Today I won’t engage in self-pity.
Today I won’t get sidetracked by someone else’s agenda for me.
Sometimes the list will consist of actions that might be OK on other days, but this day you’re taking a break, such as putting down your phone for the afternoon or taking a day off from your hobby.
Other times the list is made up of actions and attitudes we must always avoid…..things like: I will not think these thoughts, I will not say these words, I will not entertain this idea. Two verses, both from Israel’s King David, come to mind:
In Psalm 101 King David declared: I will set no worthless thing before my eyes. (Psalm 101:3 NASB)
In Psalm 119 it became his prayer: Turn my eyes from worthless things, and give me life through your word. (Psalm 119:37)
Here is where we discover the power of the list. Avoiding the don’ts gives us more time for the greatest to-do of all: seeking God’s greater presence through the life-sustaining gift of His Word.