“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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

Remember when we sat in stackable plastic chairs as Dr. Pace preached in the Activity Center? Our St. Luke’s footprint looked so different back then. I’m thankful I was there one of those mornings. In his sermon that day, Dr. Pace talked about family dinner, about the importance of talking and laughing with our children, of establishing and nurturing real connections, while sitting down to share a meal. He referred to the family table as a “love feast” and gave us some gentle reminders to keep it loving as opposed to stressing. I remember feeling emotionally overcome, as [...]

Next week our shared St. John’s-St. Luke’s parking garage is scheduled to open. It is an exciting time. It means that our three-year construction project is completed, and, for me as a staff member, that is a little bittersweet. Yes, the bus was inconvenient, but there were some pluses to riding the shuttle. For starters, I have been a member of St. Luke’s my entire life, but until the shuttle dropped me off, I had never entered the Sanctuary through our beautiful front entry. There is a kind of camaraderie that develops when we are put together with [...]

The phone in my office rang a couple of times. I answered it and my antenna shot up. The pain and fear in her voice was loud and clear. She loved her husband, her life with him, and their two small children. She loved the Lord. How could she have cancer? How could this be? Was there anyone who could really help her? Just weeks before the dreaded “C” word had become a horrifying reality in her world. She had been healthy all her life. Eating judiciously and years of disciplined exercise made no difference for this predator. [...]

We moved to Houston with our son Nathan a year and a half ago from Queens, NY.  When we started looking for a church to attend we were looking for a place of belonging, but more importantly, we were looking for a place we could cultivate a deeper connection with our faith.  We both came from backgrounds that left us stagnant and longing for more spiritually.  With a young child, we wanted him to grow in a community of faith and worship. What we found far surpassed what we had hoped for.  The immediate sense of belonging and [...]

PM Pals was a life saver for my family. Since our son's diagnosis of autism at the age of two we have endeavored to relentlessly attack his disability with multiple therapies, diets, supplements and specialized private academic settings. All of which has taken a financial and emotional toll on our marriage. I don't know where my husband and I would be if we didn't have PM Pals. Some of the sweetest dates we have had in the last decade were Friday nights when our children were safely taken care of at PM Pals. 1:1 attention for our children is not typical; [...]

I had the day off on Monday, and as the wild storm blew in I snuggled my covers over me and watched the trees blow like crazy in the backyard. I knew that I wanted to try out the fancy new exercise bike, and make progress on some reading, but decided to have a second cup of coffee and stay between the sheets instead. It was luxurious time to rest and recharge. Another hour went by and I had still not budged. As much I wanted to get a work-out in and dive into my reading, I stayed [...]