St. Luke's Blogs

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 dwells secure.
For thou dost not give me up to Sheol,
    or let thy godly one see the Pit.

Thou dost show me the path of life;
    in thy presence there is fullness of joy,
    in thy right hand are pleasures for evermore.

God’s kingdom is not defined by the absence of challenges and evil. In fact, when Jesus was teaching his disciples how to pray, he said for us to pray, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” Because evil is very real and present, the citizens of God’s kingdom must be intentional in avoiding evil and active in looking for, and participating in, God’s kingdom.

One of the ways that we participate in God’s kingdom is by focusing on the things that reflect God’s kingdom. God’s kingdom is defined by love, joy, and peace. We must look for the things that represent the attributes of God’s kingdom. One of the ways I choose to do this is by looking for positive stories. This is not easy to do…

This week, NASA revealed the first images of deep space from the James Webb Space Telescope. This is the most advanced infrared telescope in existence. It was designed through a collaboration between NASA, The Canadian Space Agency, and the European Space Agency. It took over two decades to design, launch into orbit, and begin relaying images to earth.

This past Monday, the first images of galaxies far away were revealed.  These are the clearest images of deep space ever seen.  As I look at them, it’s amazing to think that the stars, planets, and galaxies shown in these images are so far away that humanity will most likely never travel there. The beauty revealed in these images are better than the greatest of paintings. All the colors of spectrum seem to be present in a picture of creation that truly reminds us of how small we are in relation to space and time.

Long ago, the Psalmist looked into the heavens and considered our place in the universe…

A newborn lamb has become a bit of a celebrity in Australia and around the world. The lamb, Constable Sam, fell from a truck and suffered significant injuries. It fell on a busy highway in Victoria, Australia. Constable Sam was only a day old when he fell. Both front legs of the lamb were broken, and several other injuries were visible.

Several people on the busy highway witnessed the lamb fall from the fast-moving truck. A few people pulled over and a highway official was among them. They rushed the lamb to a nearby animal sanctuary…

The story of Paul’s conversion is a pivotal story in the life of Christianity. Paul was a young Jewish leader who was focused on combating the growing number of people who were following Jesus.  Paul decided to expand his persecution of Christians to Damascus. While on the road to Damascus, Paul is knocked off his horse and blinded. At the same moment, he hears the voice of Jesus.  From this moment on, Paul, who once persecuted the Church, now works to spread the news of Christ around the world.

Paul’s work helped the church to grow and blessed many lives. Paul did not work alone. He had many people who helped make his work possible.  One of the most significant people in the ministry of Paul was Barnabas.

When Paul first became a follower of Jesus, he was not well received by the other disciples. Who could blame them? Paul had been, “breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord.” (Acts 9:1) Paul was now a believer, but the disciples were not sure he was really on their team…

Logan Moore is a happy little boy. He enjoys all the things a growing little boy enjoys. Logan has a wonderful imagination and is always active. Logan has one obstacle to being an active young boy. Logan has Hypotonia. Hypotonia is decreased muscle tone and strength in children. The result is that children often have a difficult time walking.

To help children like Logan experience better mobility and build strength in their muscles, the children often use special walkers. These unique walkers are difficult to acquire and expensive. Logan’s parents knew he needed one, but their insurance was not going to cover the cost of the walker. Christian and Justin Moore turned to YouTube to see if it was possible to build one themselves…

And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil.

I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From whence does my help come?
My help comes from the Lord,
    who made heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot be moved,
    he who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, he who keeps Israel
    will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord is your keeper;
    the Lord is your shade
    on your right hand.
The sun shall not smite you by day,
    nor the moon by night.

The Lord will keep you from all evil;
    he will keep your life.
The Lord will keep
    your going out and your coming in
    from this time forth and for evermore.

The paramedics in Waco are used to dealing with health issues related to heat. That is why Paramedic Kent Haney and EMT Matt Linda were concerned when they spotted Margaret Durham mowing her lawn. Kent and Matt had not been called to Margaret’s home. While driving by, they spotted her working in her front yard. They were immediately worried, stopped their ambulance, and went to talk with Margaret.

After a brief conversation, the paramedics learned that Margaret Durham was 98 years old. She told them she had been mowing her own lawn for many years (I can only hope I am still able to mow my own lawn at 98).

The Israelite nation had been delivered from captivity in Egypt. They had wandered in the wilderness, led by God, to the land that had been promised to them. In the wilderness for 40 years, God used the difficulties they would face to help the nation become a righteous nation. They were given the law and taught how to be God’s people. They had arrived at the final place where they would camp before entering the promised land. After many years, they were home.

Before moving into the promised land Joshua, the leader of the Israelites, sent spies ahead. The first obstacle the Israelites would have to overcome would be the great city of Jericho. This strong, heavily fortified city would be almost impossible to conquer. The spies went ahead to learn all they could…