St. Luke's Blogs

“Finally, all of you, have unity of spirit, sympathy, love for one another, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or abuse for abuse; but, on the contrary, repay with a blessing. It is for this that you were called—that you might inherit a blessing.”

“And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” – Hebrews 13:16

I have many things to give thanks for, one of those being my parents. I was raised in a good home, with two loving parents. My parents were always supportive of me and that has made all the difference for me as a son, husband, father, and pastor.

One of the things that reminds me of how supportive my parents have been is a small gift from my mom that I keep on my desk. When I was graduating from college, with plans of entering full-time ministry, my mother gave me a small paper weight that reads, “Youth Pastor.”

At first glance, this paper weight may not look like much…

When your team is competing in the European Championships for track and field, every point counts. For the team from Belgium, 2 points were the difference between staying in the competition and being disqualified from the championship round. Unfortunately, both runners for the Belgium women’s hurdles were injured and unable to compete. This was devastating news.

Thankfully, Jolien Maliga Moumkwo was able to step up and compete in the 100m hurdles for her team. Jolien made international news with her first ever attempt at running the hurdles. She did not win. In fact, she came in last… way behind the other runners. You see, although Jolien is on the Belgium track team, she does not run…

“A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” -Proverbs 17:22

There are so many things that keep us trapped in a moment. Fear, worry, and negative thoughts can cause us to become almost paralyzed. These strong emotions can lock us down and keep us from being productive. Another powerful fixation is the desire for perfection. It is important to seek excellence in what we do, but the self-imposed demand for perfection can keep us from moving forward and finding joy in our work and in our personal lives.

Recently, a birthday invitation for a 5th grader became a viral sensation. It captured the attention of the parents who initially received it, for a very good reason. The invitation reads…

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” -Hebrews 11:1

This past week, I, like many others, had the opportunity to attend YF Ardmore.  YF (Youth Force) Ardmore is a mission trip that blesses people in many different ways, whether it’s the youth attending, the leaders who planned the event, or the homeowners themselves.

This was my third year to attend YF Ardmore.  The camp has always been a part of my life, even before I was old enough to attend it myself. My grandparents attended YF, my parents attended, their friends went, and eventually so did my older sister. Every time my big sister (Ella Kate) would go to YF, she would go with all the excitement in the world. She would return upset that it was over.  Personally, this always confused me…

The Hebrew people had been delivered from their captivity in Egypt.  God, through Moses, led them out of a place of slavery and miraculously saved them from the powerful Egyptian army. After a long time of living and traveling in the wilderness, the Israelites are now on the boarder of the land that God had promised.

In the book of Numbers, chapter 13, Moses is commanded to send twelve spies into the promised land.  These spies were leaders from each of the tribes. They were commanded to see if the people who occupied the land were “strong or weak” and to see if the land was filled with “good fruit.” The spies went into the promised land and did just as they were commanded. When they returned from their mission, they brought back evidence of good fruit. It was true, the land was flowing with “milk and honey.”

The spies also brought back a report about the strength of the people who occupied the promised land. Eight of the spies reported that the task of taking the land from the tribes that already inhabited the land would be impossible…

Then the angel of God who went before the host of Israel moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them, coming between the host of Egypt and the host of Israel. And there was the cloud and the darkness; and the night passed[a]without one coming near the other all night. Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. And the people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.  The Egyptians pursued, and went in after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. And in the morning watch the Lord in the pillar of fire and of cloud looked down upon the host of the Egyptians, and discomfited the host of the Egyptians, clogging their chariot wheels so that they drove heavily; and the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from before Israel; for the Lord fights for them against the Egyptians.”

I bless the Lord who gives me counsel;
    in the night also my heart instructs me.
I keep the Lord always before me;
    because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.

Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices;
    my body also rests secure.
For you do not give me up to Sheol,
    or let your faithful one see the Pit.

You show me the path of life.
    In your presence there is fullness of joy;
    in your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

“Trust the ropes.” That is what they kept saying to us as we were preparing to repel down a four-story tower with nothing but a rope and a harness to keep us from falling to certain doom. It was a beautiful summer day and I was enjoying a great time at camp, but on this day, we were going to learn repelling. We had stepped into harnesses that would hold the ropes and put on a helmet. As we sat at the base of this tower, I was truly petrified. Anyone who has spent much time with me knows that I am not a fan of heights, to say the least. The instructors were telling us what we needed to know to make it successfully to the bottom. We were focused on every word that came out of their mouths. No matter how much I learned while sitting on the ground, I knew that fear was going to overwhelm me when I made it to the top of the tower.

I made the long climb to the top of the repelling tower and the instructor began to feed the ropes into my harness. There was no hiding it, I was scared, and he knew it…

“But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.” – Psalm 86:15

I remember the first time I was pulled over by a police officer. I was only 16 and, apparently, he was not as impressed with my driving skills as I was. When he approached my car, he asked me for my driver’s license and if I might be aware of why he pulled me over. I quickly gave him my license and told him I was not sure why he was pulling me over. I sat in my car, shaking from being nervous. Because there were others in my car, the officer invited me back to his car for a moment. I had no idea what to expect! It was my first time being pulled over and my first time in a patrol car.

We sat in the front seat of the car…