St. Luke's Blogs

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
His love endures forever.
Give thanks to the God of gods.
His love endures forever.
Give thanks to the Lord of lords:
His love endures forever.
to him who alone does great wonders,
His love endures forever.
who by his understanding made the heavens,
His love endures forever.
who spread out the earth upon the waters,
His love endures forever.
who made the great lights—
His love endures forever.
the sun to govern the day,
His love endures forever.
the moon and stars to govern the night;
His love endures forever.

The Psalms were written for several occasions. Some were songs written to express the deepest of emotions such as fear, worry, shame and joy. Others were written to help the faithful worship God in the temple or while on pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Psalm 9 was written to express thanksgiving to God. This Psalm is written to express praise to a God who has done marvelous things for God’s children.

Psalm 9 was written by David. We know so much about David and we understand that God did much for David. It was appropriate for David to express his gratitude to God…

Through my job with Meals on Wheels here at St. Luke’s, I have the privilege of visiting over the phone with many of our wonderful clients. So often, I get to receive the gratitude for the work of many people – our chef, our drivers, our kitchen helpers and more. It always brings such joy to my day to hear the grateful messages of people who receive our meals.

Every Thanksgiving, St. Luke’s and some of our partner churches in the area work together to deliver a wonderful Thanksgiving meal to any client who needs one. As you can imagine, preparing for this project is a large task that requires some intense coordination between the entities. I remember being nervous last Thanksgiving morning that I would receive messages from clients who had accidentally been missed for one reason or another…

Every kid needs a fort. I was reminded of this truth when our family brought down our decorations from the attic. There were boxes for outside decorations and boxes for inside. We brought the boxes into the living room. It did not take long for my youngest daughter to discover these boxes. With the help of a blanket and a pillow, she quickly made a new fort. Soon, she was in her new hiding place with all the toys she needed.

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let all men know your forbearance. The Lord is at hand. Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

I give thee thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart;
before the gods I sing thy praise;
I bow down toward thy holy temple
and give thanks to thy name for thy steadfast love and thy faithfulness;
for thou hast exalted above everything
thy name and thy word.

The book of Romans is one of the most theologically rich letters written by the Apostle Paul. Throughout the 16 chapters of this amazing letter, Paul articulates his deep understanding of the Christian faith. In the book of Romans, we are taught some of Paul’s foundational understandings of the faith. Paul takes on topics such as the meaning of the law, salvation, death and so many other questions that cause concern for so many.

God‘s grace is truly amazing. Wrapped into our concept of grace are so many wonderful parts of our life of faith. Grace is God’s presence in our lives. We are not alone as we walk the journey of life. Deuteronomy states, “Be strong and of good courage, do not fear or be in dread of them: for it is the LORD your God who goes with you; he will not fail you or forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6)

You may not know the name of Eugenia Duke, but the people of Greenville, South Carolina do, and they recently took time to honor her legacy. Eugenia Duke lived in South Carolina. In 1917, Eugenia and her daughter Martha began selling her homemade sandwiches to the soldiers at the Army camp, Camp Sevier. Eugenia sold her sandwiches throughout World War I to help support her family.

At my daughter’s elementary school, the fourth graders were just given the opportunity to sign up for the Kindness Club. Carter, being my sweet gal, jumped at the opportunity. The Kindness Club is run by the school counselors and gives these students a chance to spread kindness in several ways. I was so impressed and elated when I read about this in the latest email. Students in the Kindness Club are asked to attend a morning meeting once a month and are given the chance to spread kindness around the school and the community.