April 2017 | St. Luke's United Methodist Church

28 04, 2017

A “Chance” Meeting

Sally Penning2017-04-28T09:18:05-05:00April 28th, 2017|All blogs, We Tell Our Stories|0 Comments

“After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.” Rev. 7:9 As Bonnie Hellums was walking down the hall of the church a couple of Sundays ago, she happened to hear a woman, with a foreign accent, asking a church greeter how to find the Encounter Service. The lady was there with a little boy. Bonnie said she was going to the service and would be glad to show them where it was. On the [...]

28 04, 2017

Finish your creation, God!

Sally Penning2017-04-28T09:11:46-05:00April 28th, 2017|All blogs, Inside-Out with Dr. Tom Pace|0 Comments

A PERSONAL PRAYERO Christ, you who are God and sitteth at the right hand of the Father, I praise you today for your mighty power and for your great love. When I consider all your promises, that you sent your Son so that your kingdom, the kingdom of heaven, will overcome the kingdom of the world…, that things will be made right, I am filled with hope and gratitude. When I envision the day that the hungry are fed, that the hurting are comforted, that the sick are healed, that the swords are beat into plowshares, that those imprisoned in oppression [...]

21 04, 2017

Double Dip Feelings – by Rev. Elizabeth Matthews Duffin

Sally Penning2017-04-21T09:06:32-05:00April 21st, 2017|All blogs, We Tell Our Stories|0 Comments

My husband Seann and I have two kids: James is almost four and our daughter Sara is seven months. We are both pastors, and two years ago we moved—we were sent from the church where we had been on staff together, to serve in new places. When we were leaving, one of the families gave us a book: Double Dip Feelings. It’s a collection of vignettes to help children understand emotions. But, just like the children’s messages here are for the children, but also for you, the book was for our son, but also for us. It goes [...]

21 04, 2017

Doubting Tom

Sally Penning2017-04-21T09:02:24-05:00April 21st, 2017|All blogs, Inside-Out with Dr. Tom Pace|0 Comments

A PERSONAL PRAYER God, I guess I fit my name pretty well. They call him “doubting Thomas.” I am a doubter by nature. Someone today just told me a story that seemed hard to believe. So… I didn’t believe it. I meet so many people who seem so sure about everything – their religious convictions, their politics, their judgments about other people. I just wish I was as convinced of one thing, God, as they seem to be about everything. Shouldn’t there be some humility? The more I study and learn about you, the more I realize how much I don’t know. Surely there [...]

14 04, 2017

It’s Friday

Sally Penning2017-04-14T10:06:37-05:00April 14th, 2017|All blogs, Inside-Out with Dr. Tom Pace|0 Comments

A PERSONAL PRAYER Early morning on Friday… snapshots from my imagination trickle through my mind. All night prayers in the garden, the anguish, sleeping disciples, kiss of betrayal by a friend, the clank of shackles. The horrors and indignities of Caiaphas, the chief priests. The early morning walk to Pilate, to Herod, the cruel crowd shouts for blood The scourge, the beloved man collapsed, the mocking, the crown of thorns The journey out from the city, stumbling, barely alive already. The nails. The cross. The gasps for breath. The darkness. Death. Yes, real [...]

7 04, 2017

Palm Sunday People

Sally Penning2017-04-07T08:57:18-05:00April 7th, 2017|All blogs, We Tell Our Stories|0 Comments

I grew up going to various church camps, retreats, and mission trips. Compelling sermons would stir something within me. We all know the feeling—the “high” we get when our faith is validated and renewed after spending time in intense worship, service, scripture study, and fellowship. In those moments, I envision myself on the streets of Jerusalem waving my palm branch and shouting, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem “stirred” the whole city, and they asked, “Who is this?” The crowd’s response? “This is the [...]

7 04, 2017

Convicted by His Gaze

Sally Penning2017-04-07T08:51:36-05:00April 7th, 2017|All blogs, Inside-Out with Dr. Tom Pace|0 Comments

A PERSONAL PRAYER Dear Jesus, my Redeemer, There are moments in my life that I prefer not to remember, times I have done things of which I am not proud. When I call these to mind, they sting and burn like poison and fog my mind with regret. They rob me of self-confidence and snatch away my sense of self-worth. I have tried to wash them away with your love, but it doesn’t seem to work. I know that they have left self-inflicted scars, and underneath those scars there is an ache, a sensitivity to touch that makes me wince [...]