My very first job right out of college was at the Galveston County Daily News. I worked the night shift as a copy editor and layout designer, and for the most part, it wasn’t too bad. That is, it wasn’t too bad until the holiday season. I no longer had the luxury of stepping away from work and celebrating these days with my family. On Thanksgiving Day, my mom made a plate of turkey and all the sides for me to take to work, and I cried the entire way to the office. This one Thanksgiving away from [...]

Several years ago, I learned how unaware I had been about how a church service happens. As I entered the building on Sunday mornings, everything was in place: bulletins, collection plates for the offertory, attendance pads, children’s activity packets, Communion elements, ushers at the door, pews filling with the congregation. All I had to do was sit down and hopefully not fall asleep during the sermon! My perspective changed when I became a member of the Altar Guild. Many mornings of the year, I now arrive at 7:30 a.m. The church is already humming by the time I [...]

My grandfather had a tradition of giving a gold dollar to every young child he saw for almost twenty years. While this could be embarrassing when he would interrupt a dinner out to give coins to complete strangers, it was wonderful to see the joy he had in his heart every time he gave one away, especially to a child at church. Most Sundays, Granddad stood at the back of the church, collected the offering trays and counted the money. He would be overwhelmed when he would come across one of those gold dollars that a child had [...]

As a typical Methodist child of the early 1930s, my first prayers likely began “Now I lay me down to sleep.” Children tend to mimic and absorb that which they see repeatedly, and my parents were a praying pair that left a mark on my heart and head… prayers are powerful. Experiencing others praying for me through several very critical illnesses in childhood left no doubt that prayers were answered. I knew I had been blessed by those prayers. I also began to recognize that sometimes God’s answers are not ones we expect or want to hear, much [...]

Giving ourselves away in generosity and service can be a difficult calling to fulfill.  Like most families, our family faces challenging demands on our time and financial resources. At times it can be a daunting task to meet all of our obligations, and the thought of adding more demands can be overwhelming. When Kristin and I think about generosity, we try to stay grounded with one simple word… gratitude. Growing up we were blessed with parents who lived their lives full of gratitude.  Each Sunday we would watch our parents put a check in the offering plate regardless [...]

When the disciples gathered with Jesus for the Passover meal, Jesus surprised them by washing their feet as if he were their servant. It didn’t seem right. That wasn’t what their Messiah should be doing. Then, as they were eating and praying, Jesus changed the traditional words and told them that every time they shared the bread and drank the wine, they should remember him. And there was that time Jesus asked the disciples to feed all those people on the hillside who had come to hear him speak. Not only did they have to share their friend [...]

Excited as I ever was, I opened the door for my friend who was attending a retreat. We were ecstatic to see each other and ready for a weekend of worship and fun. What could be better than a weekend filled with donuts for breakfast, hours of ping pong and worship sessions? Since my house was the venue for the retreat, my family and I had to do a lot of work to prepare. It was worth it. Once the boys arrived at my house, we headed over to the church for worship. We entered the worship space. [...]

I’ve always had a sense of belonging. I was raised by loving parents who made sure I was in Scouts, ballet, regular attendance at church, and a myriad of other activities. But THEY were the ones who made those commitments for me. As an adult, I was busy raising children and pursuing a career. All extremely satisfying, but not a voluntary commitment to a community. Something was missing. I do remember one day stepping out of my comfort zone. I walked in to a theater stage production company in Albuquerque and said, “I would like to help”. “Great”, [...]

We were scared and anxious. Would we be able to make any friends or enjoy fellowship at another church, in another city, in our 60’s no less?!  There were so many unknowns in our future life. We had decided to move to Houston from Memphis, Tennessee, where we had always lived and where we attended the same church for over 40 years. What would our life be like? Were we making a mistake? With a prayer and a plan we visited St. Luke’s Methodist and quickly knew we wanted to become part of the St. Luke’s family. On [...]

I have such vivid memories from my childhood of the end of summer and preparing to go back to school. New school clothes, new shoes (just one pair—imagine that!), new school supplies, new classroom, new teacher, sometimes even a new school. I remember being so excited for that first day of school that I would lay out my new outfit to wear the night before. Beginnings are exciting. While my daughters were school-aged, I continued to experience the excitement of starting a new school year and all the activity that went along with it. I was excited for [...]