Dear Caroline, Today you’re the size of a small pumpkin, like the ones you, your mom, and I will paint funny faces on and put on the doorstep the day before Halloween. We’ll have a good time, the four of us. Yes, I’m counting the cat. Today is also Father’s Day. I guess this is my first Father’s Day as a father. You should know I have mixed feelings about this, because it means your arrival is coming within the month, and I’m not ready. Sure, we have all the gadgets and carriers to bring you home, and your [...]

Children’s Ministries' purpose is to build a spiritual foundation in each child that will last a lifetime. The two most important components of the Sunday School hour are building faith-filled relationships with the children and sharing the Bible story. The Children’s Ministry team writes our own curriculum and uses a variety of activities to bring clarity to the scripture and strengthen its impact on children's lives. ••• "My hope and prayer is that this will be a place that they will remember fondly as they grow older. I know that I will." – Jill Young, 5th grade Sunday [...]

It’s never easy to hear, “We are going to need to do a biopsy of that lesion on your spine,” but it happened to me. Alarm bells rang in my head as I tried to stay positive having been told that the doctors were only “ruling out” the scary diagnoses. Instructions to report to the oncology wing of the hospital only reinforced the fear that had engulfed me. While I knew that God was with me, my husband beside me, and mom on the way from Houston, the trembles of anxiety were real. When she arrived the day [...]

A few Sundays ago, St. Luke's confirmed 70 students. It has been amazing to journey with these young people and their families over the past three years. But what is next for them? In four short years these students will graduate and likely leave St. Luke's.  The question for us is "what will they take with them?" Our hope is for them to leave with a rich love for Christ and an eagerness to serve. Wherever they live in five years, we want them to be prepared to plug into a new community of faith. So how do [...]

Here’s a familiar symbol: the Cross and Flame emblem, a powerful reminder of who and Whose we are as United Methodists. The history and significance of the Cross and Flame emblem are as rich and diverse as The United Methodist Church. The insignia’s birth quickly followed the union of two denominations in 1968: The Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church. It is rich in meaning and relates The United Methodist church to God through Christ (the cross) and the Holy Spirit (the flame). The flame is a reminder of Pentecost when witnesses were unified by the [...]

Eclectic lights burn bright over colorful chairs in a lawn that was once empty. There is laughter and conversation. A mid-century church parlor is transformed with the smells of coffee and fresh pastries as people sit at new laptops and sound out unfamiliar words. Across the room, a couple of students are studying for the GED. In these spaces, community is happening and hope is alive. The Gethsemane campus has taken two existing spaces and transformed them into new gathering areas for young adults in the Sharpstown and Gulfton neighborhoods. Amy Kelley, Gethsemane’s Director of Family Ministries, said [...]

The Bible I received in my early adolescence sits on my desk. I often use it as a point of reference when I need to quickly look up a verse or two. Recently, I opened it up to Romans for some extra context for my daily devotional, but instead of a closer look into Paul’s letter I got a look into the Christian I was between the ages of 12 and 18. Reading the notes I wrote and the verses I highlighted years ago was much like going through an old photo album and finding your most awkward [...]

One hot, humid Sunday evening in August of 2015, I, the “new girl from Boston,” timidly walked into Vision Night with my parents guarding me on either side. I felt as if my life had been completely uprooted. But, coming into a completely foreign environment and anxious about the impending school year, I was comforted and felt an automatic place in this community. Small Group has been a sort of sanctuary for me. I love having this safety net of friends to share trials, celebrate accomplishments, and explore scripture with. It was intimidating at first. Many of these [...]

This is an excerpt from a series of devotionals called “40 Days of Doubt,” written by Rev. Eric Huffman, pastor of The Story Houston. This series is intended to speak to the questions being asked by the scores of skeptics, agnostics, and other nonreligious people coming to The Story. Confession time: I like dark TV and movies. I like to share a bottle of wine with my wife over dinner. Sometimes I curse — just when I'm alone in my car. Like anyone, if I had to choose between heaven and hell, I’d rather go to heaven. But [...]

I always knew growing up that I was adopted, but I didn’t understand what it really meant until I was in 7th grade when my mom and I would sit on the couch into the late hours of the night and I would ask her question after question. My mom was limited on what she knew, but the one thing she always circled back to was reminding me that my birth mom did what she did because she loved me and wanted the best life possible for me. Through these conversations, Mom supported me to one day meet [...]