Sally Penning, Author at St. Luke's United Methodist Church

About Sally Penning

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So far Sally Penning has created 12 blog entries.

2 08, 2019

Taught by the pack

Sally Penning2019-08-02T08:58:30-05:00August 2nd, 2019|Inside-Out with Dr. Tom Pace|Comments Off on Taught by the pack

A PERSONAL PRAYER Gift giving, generous God, Today, I choose gratitude. Yes, in my mind other things pop up. I complain. I judge others. I get anxious about the future, or even about the present. But today I choose not to let them linger, but instead to douse them with gratitude and turn my thoughts to giving thanks. Life is all a gift, and I am thankful to be allowed to live it. I am especially thankful to be a part of a church family in which gratitude is both spoken and acted out. I feel the vibe when I [...]

26 04, 2019

Gratitude in Hard Times

Sally Penning2019-04-26T08:53:58-05:00April 26th, 2019|Inside-Out with Dr. Tom Pace|Comments Off on Gratitude in Hard Times

A PERSONAL PRAYER God of love, Sometimes, I win. Sometimes I lose. Sometimes the blues get ahold of me, ah just when I thought I had made it. (With thanksgiving to Carole King, "Sweet Seasons." But all you boomers knew that.) It is so easy to give thanks in the good times. My heart is overwhelmed with how you have blessed me. Thanksgiving flows naturally from my heart filled with gratitude. But there are days things aren't going so well. I am so grateful that those are few and far between, but who knows what life will bring. I can [...]

5 04, 2019

It’s not supposed to be easy

Sally Penning2019-04-05T09:56:10-05:00April 5th, 2019|All blogs, Inside-Out with Dr. Tom Pace|Comments Off on It’s not supposed to be easy

A PERSONAL PRAYER Dear Jesus, The other day after a sermon about the idols we worship, someone confessed to me that he has made "comfort and happiness" his god. I thought a lot about that. I think I can make the same confession. So many times I long for life to be easy. I find myself wondering why everything seems challenging, why nothing just flows along nicely without any bumps and bruises along the way. I think, "well, I must be doing something wrong. If I was doing it right, then life would be going smoothly." Ah, but now I see it. It isn't supposed [...]

26 02, 2019

A Message from Tom Pace from the General Conference of the United Methodist Church

Sally Penning2019-02-26T18:54:50-05:00February 26th, 2019|All blogs, Inside-Out with Dr. Tom Pace, Uncategorized|Comments Off on A Message from Tom Pace from the General Conference of the United Methodist Church

Friends, The called session of the General Conference of the United Methodist Church to deal with issues around same sex marriage and ordination is concluding. The body passed an amended version of the plan called “The Traditional Plan,” which continues the current United Methodist position that same sex weddings cannot be officiated by our clergy or in our churches, and self-avowed practicing LGBT men and women may not be ordained. It also adds increased accountability for bishops and boards of ministry in enforcing this covenant. However, many of the components to increase that accountability already have been ruled in violation [...]

22 02, 2019

A special called session of the General Conference of the United Methodist

Sally Penning2019-02-22T09:09:19-05:00February 22nd, 2019|All blogs, Inside-Out with Dr. Tom Pace, Uncategorized|Comments Off on A special called session of the General Conference of the United Methodist

A special called session of the General Conference of the United Methodist denomination will be meeting in St. Louis from Saturday, February 23 – Tuesday, February 26. The purpose of the session is to make decisions regarding whether United Methodist churches or clergy are permitted to hold or officiate at same-sex weddings, and whether Annual Conferences can ordain self-avowed, practicing homosexual men and women. Ordinarily, the General Conference of the church meets every four years, with lay and clergy delegates from Annual Conferences around the world. In the regular session of the General Conference in 2016, a special commission (The [...]

22 02, 2019

Talking too much and doing too little

Sally Penning2019-02-22T09:02:07-05:00February 22nd, 2019|Inside-Out with Dr. Tom Pace|Comments Off on Talking too much and doing too little

A PERSONAL PRAYER God of love, I was reading a book this week and words jumped off the page at me. I think I heard you speaking to me through the text: "It's an obvious but often overlooked truth: Nothing changes until there is a change in behavior. Nothing has changed until people start acting differently." (Tod Bolsinger, Canoeing the Mountains: Christian Leadership in Uncharted Territory.) The author's intent was to teach about leadership, but the words spoke to me about my own life. I crave a closer relationship with you. I long to be sanctified by the power of your Holy [...]

11 01, 2019

Dealing With My Appetites

Sally Penning2019-01-11T08:49:17-05:00January 11th, 2019|Inside-Out with Dr. Tom Pace|Comments Off on Dealing With My Appetites

A PERSONAL PRAYER Gracious God, How much is enough? I confess that it seems no matter what I have, I think more would be better. A bigger house in which all these grandchildren could play would be excellent. A bigger bank account would mean I don't worry at all about money. Wouldn't it be awesome to have a house in the mountains where I could spend summers? I wonder, God, is my desire for such things inconsistent with love for you? In my mind I know that these possessions will provide pleasure and happiness for a while. But [...]

16 11, 2018

Worry, worry, worry…

Sally Penning2018-11-16T09:20:32-05:00November 16th, 2018|All blogs, Inside-Out with Dr. Tom Pace|Comments Off on Worry, worry, worry…

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 God, Last night, I lay awake and couldn't sleep. There was this concern spinning around in my head, and I couldn't seem to shake it. It wasn't a really big deal, but it got bigger the more I worried about it. And then today, I thought it would just resolve itself. But it is still there. I can't do anything about it, so I guess I will just worry. I wonder... [...]

3 07, 2018

Small Things

Sally Penning2018-07-03T10:10:49-05:00July 3rd, 2018|Uncategorized, We Tell Our Stories|Comments Off on Small Things

The goal to raise $5,000 for this year’s Vacation Bible School service project seemed lofty, especially with the impact Hurricane Harvey had on the city. But small things make a big difference in the kingdom of God. In total, the campers raised $8,093.11, which bought 404 special beds with netting for children in Africa that help ward off mosquitos and the diseases they carry. Raising this money was not all about children emptying out the excess change they have in their piggy banks at home, though. Through supporting a meaningful cause at the largest children’s event of the [...]

5 01, 2018

Getting to the root of it…

Sally Penning2018-01-08T13:34:52-05:00January 5th, 2018|All blogs, Inside-Out with Dr. Tom Pace|Comments Off on Getting to the root of it…

A PERSONAL PRAYER O God, Sometimes, I feel like I am addressing the symptoms rather than the illness. Sometimes, I feel like I am changing the clothes I am wearing rather than improving the health of the soul. I worry about the fruit of my life – what impact am I making? How can I treat people better? How can I listen more? How can I address the issues I am avoiding? How can I be happier, healthier, better? But all of these outward behaviors are simply outgrowths of something far more central, something at the core of who [...]

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