May 2018 | St. Luke's United Methodist Church

25 05, 2018

Memorial Day, by Rev. Bill Denham

Sally Penning2018-05-25T09:34:21-05:00May 25th, 2018|All blogs, We Tell Our Stories|3 Comments

I leaned up against the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington that afternoon, one hand placed firmly over his name: William T. Hale. My shoulders shook, as the tears rolled down my cheeks. One name, his name, just one name among some fifty-eight thousand etched into that black granite wall. He had been my little brother in my fraternity. I had looked after him, or tried to, during his pledgeship. Standing six feet three inches tall, he really was a long, tall Texan, hailing from Big Spring. William Thomas Hale or Bill Tom, as we called him, had the biggest [...]

25 05, 2018

How can I tell you that I love you?

Sally Penning2018-05-25T09:19:54-05:00May 25th, 2018|All blogs, Inside-Out with Dr. Tom Pace|0 Comments

A PERSONAL PRAYER Dear God, I love you. That is what you have asked of me, to love you with all my heart, mind, soul and strength. And so I do. I love you. Sometimes that love is hot and fiery, full of the emotion of passionate worship. Sometimes it is a more nitty gritty kind of love, like taking out the trash is a way of loving my wife, or buying a birthday gift is a way of loving my grandson. You have shared in your scripture that the love language you hear best is our service [...]

18 05, 2018

Gratitude and Freedom, by Katy Byrd

Sally Penning2018-05-18T13:15:19-05:00May 18th, 2018|All blogs, We Tell Our Stories|0 Comments

My name is Katy Byrd, and I am a graduating senior this year. I am a third generation member of St. Luke’s, and could not be happier to have been born into such a loving community. I attended Sunday school throughout my childhood, and sang in the children’s chorus. When middle school came, I joined the youth choir and began attending small group meetings weekly. It was so amazing to have a community where I could make friends and grow in my faith at the same time. When I was in eighth grade, I began to go down [...]

18 05, 2018

Really Alive

Sally Penning2018-05-18T11:12:37-05:00May 18th, 2018|All blogs, Inside-Out with Dr. Tom Pace|0 Comments

Our inside-out habits: We pray. We study the Bible. We make friends. We tell our stories. We give ourselves away in generosity and service. A PERSONAL PRAYER Dear God, When I was young, I was so full of passion and enthusiasm, or at least that is how I remember it. I wanted to do everything there is to do. You remember how I was, God. Climb every mountain, ford every stream, follow every rainbow, yada yada yada. Somewhere along the way, then, I lost some of that fire in the belly. Did I just get tired? Did everyday [...]

11 05, 2018

Lovey Ministry, by Cindy Donaldson

Sally Penning2018-05-11T10:21:22-05:00May 11th, 2018|All blogs, We Tell Our Stories|0 Comments

My husband, Jake, and I, along with our three children, welcomed our newest addition, Elizabeth, to the family this spring. Shortly thereafter, we received a small package in the mail from St. Luke’s. The sweet gift inside was so touching – a soft, pink, silky lovey made just for her, embroidered with “St. Luke’s UMC.” While it’s true that by your fourth child you probably have all the “stuff” you need, it’s so meaningful for Elizabeth to have a few things that were given just for her and will be a keepsake that she (and I!) will tenderly [...]

11 05, 2018

Loving Like Mom

Sally Penning2018-05-11T09:56:16-05:00May 11th, 2018|All blogs, Inside-Out with Dr. Tom Pace|0 Comments

Dear God, Thank you for the moms in my life. Thank you for my mother, who was a working parent with significant responsibilities, but who gave herself to loving me and others. Thank you for her decision to begin a program for speech therapy at our home when I was small, so she could be with me. Thank you that she dragged me with her to camps and schools as she worked as a speech therapist, so that I might interact with all sorts of folks. Thank you for her decision to become a mother to my cousins when my [...]

4 05, 2018

Why Don’t I Fit In?

Sally Penning2018-05-04T08:51:29-05:00May 4th, 2018|All blogs, Inside-Out with Dr. Tom Pace|0 Comments

Our inside-out habits: We pray. We study the Bible. We make friends. We tell our stories. We give ourselves away in generosity and service. Dear God, Sometimes, I feel like I don’t quite fit in. I feel different from the people around me. I feel like the kid who plays alone on the playground. I realize that others may look at me and not see that sense of isolation. I know that part of it is due to decisions I have made not to show other people my true self. I also know that part of it is my desire to [...]