St. Luke's Blogs

Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brethren, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature be thus minded; and if in anything you are otherwise minded, God will reveal that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained.

Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

It was a beautiful, sunny Oklahoma morning. I was on my way to work, making my way down I-40. I had some good music playing. I was enjoying my morning caffeine. All the sudden, I began to worry that I had left something at home. It was in this moment that I realized I had left my phone at home.  Oh No!!!  I quickly began to calculate how far I was away from home and if it would even be worth turning around to retrieve my phone. I had gone too far. Turning around would just waste too much time on a day when I had so much to do.

A panic settled into my car as I began to worry about what the day would be like without my phone. The beauty of the day began to fade as I lamented the mistake. After all, I do so much on my phone. Would it even be possible to make it an entire day without it?

Have you heard the parable about the starfish on the beach?  To paraphrase, the story is of a man walking along the shoreline when he comes upon a young boy tossing starfish from the sand back into the ocean.  When asked why he’s doing this, the boy says that the tide has washed the starfish onto the beach, and that they’ll be stranded and will die unless they’re thrown back.  The man points out to the boy that he could never save every stranded starfish along this several-mile stretch of beach, so his efforts really don’t matter.  The boy bends down, picks up a starfish and says, “but it matters to this one” before he tosses it into the sea…

Pennsylvania, unlike Oklahoma, receives lots and lots of snow. The average snowfall in Pennsylvania is just over 38” while Oklahoma only receives 5”.  Just last week, the state of Pennsylvania began to prepare for a severe winter storm. People began to rework their schedules to prepare for the approaching snow. Although the people of that area are used to heavy snow, preparations are still necessary.

The head coach of the Bethel Park, Pennsylvania high school football team decided that he needed to cancel the weightlifting practice scheduled for that Monday afternoon.  He sent out a message to the team that read, “Due to expected severe weather, Monday’s weightlifting has been cancelled. Find an elderly or disabled neighbor and shovel their driveway. Don’t accept any money! That’s our Monday workout.”

In 1974, my family hosted a foreign exchange student, Claes Matson, from Denmark. Claes brought my brothers a box of Lego’s from Legoland of Denmark.  The word, Lego, comes from the Danish words “LEg GOdt,” meaning “play well.”  My four brothers loved the plastic building blocks and were soon “playing well” and creating.  Over the years, Lego’s have only gained popularity and in 2022, they’re still one of the most popular toys!

When my two oldest brothers were in college, they worked for a carpenter during the summers.  They learned a lot from this man who had built many houses.  These brothers started out building and creating with Lincoln Logs and Lego’s, but they progressed to building with lumber and nails…

One of the most significant moments of my faith journey took place when I was 16 years old. I took part in a three-day retreat called Chrysalis. The leaders challenged us in our discussions about the faith. The work that was put into the planning and execution of the event was obvious. However, there was one thing that helped to make this a significant moment for me. I lost my voice the day before the event began. I had come down with a serious case of laryngitis…

Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed me, not only in my presence, but much more now in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure. Do all things without murmuring and arguing, so that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, in which you shine like stars in the world.

“Know this, my beloved brethren.  Let every man be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger, for the anger of man does not work the righteousness of God.”

One of my favorite TV shows from when I was a kid was Home Improvement. This great show featured Tim Allen playing Tim “The Tool Man” Taylor. The show was based on the fictional family, the Taylors. Tim and his wife, Jill, played by Patricia Richards, had a wonderful family with three boys. Their family, especially Tim, often found themselves in difficult situations. Although the show was a comedy, it was often based on real life struggles.

The show featured a dad that was often the cause of the struggles his family faced. Tim would unwittingly cause a problem and then try his best to solve it. Unfortunately, Tim did not always possess the wisdom needed to lead his family out of the problems he created. When he really struggled, he would turn to Wilson, his wise and experienced neighbor…