St. Luke's Blogs

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…

The story of David & Goliath is one of the great stories of our faith. It is the story of a powerful solider, Goliath. He is a giant of a man, who is strong and brash. Goliath is described as a “Champion of the Philistines.” They are the dreaded enemies of Israel. Goliath and the Philistines had come to the Valley of Elah, which is only about 15 miles from David’s home outside of Bethlehem. They had a strong army, better equipped than the army of Israel, led by King Saul. Things were not looking good for Israel. They were outmatched on this battlefield and there was no better example of that than the great warrior Goliath…

a special gift was made to a teenager named Fallon.  Fallon is a young man who loves music.  He loves the guitar.  He often goes to the local music store to play the guitars on display.  He has a dream guitar in that store.  It is a bright blue “Flying V” guitar.  It is the same one played by Darrell Abbott, the now deceased lead guitarist of the band, Pantera.

One day, Fallon was in the store playing his favorite guitar when a stranger witnessed the joy on Fallon’s face.  After Fallon finished playing, the stranger (who remains anonymous) went to the store owner and bought the Flying V… for Fallon…

On December 7, 1941, “A day that will live in infamy,” the Japanese attacked the United States at Pearl Harbor. On that terrible day, 2,403 U. S. personnel and 129 Japanese personnel died. These actions catapulted the United States into World War II.  In just one day, our country went from a time of relative peace to preparing for war. In just moments, everything changed for our country.

One of the terrible decisions made by the United States during the start of our involvement in World War II was to intern those of Japanese descent…

During the summer of 2019, my family and I took a road trip. It was a wonderful time of relaxation and exploration. We journeyed through several states, spending time at the beach, eating great food and having fun wherever we went. We also took time to visit several historical sites on our trip.

One of the places Aimee and I wanted to visit, while we were in the state of Alabama, was the historic Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham. For many years this beautiful church served as a place of worship, a meeting hall, and a center from where the fight against segregation was organized. This church was the center in the struggle for justice…

“So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any incentive of love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfishness or conceit, but in humility count others better than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.

Ryder Kilam is a 5-year-old kindergarten student who loves school. Like any young child, he loves to play with his classmates and enjoys learning. Getting to school is sometimes a difficult journey for Ryder. He requires a wheelchair for mobility. Most mornings, Ryder is pushed to the end of the driveway by one or both of his parents and they wait for the bus to pick him up. This is fine when the weather is nice, but when it is raining or snowing, it is difficult for Ryder to make a quick trip from the house to the bus.

Ryder’s parents have tried several things to keep him dry on days with inclement weather. One day, Ryder’s dad asked his friends on social media if anyone had an old, large patio umbrella. He thought this might be large enough to put up on mornings when Ryder needed to wait for the bus in the rain or snow. Dan McKena, a local high school construction technology teacher, decided his class could help…

Several years ago, when our family of faith was constructing the new Edmond Campus, I visited the site every day to check on the progress.  We were all so excited to see the new building rise out of the ground.  I remember watching with great awe and wonder at how much time was spent on the footings and foundation.  The measurements, materials, and inspections all required great focus on the part of our contractor.  I could tell that building the foundation right was incredibly important.

There is no doubt that building a foundation for our lives is a critical component to success…

COVID is terrible. For almost two years our lives have been transformed because of the arrival of this virus. We have seen our schedules re-arranged and many things canceled.

We have been sick. We have lost loved ones. This pandemic has significantly changed and disturbed our lives.

 Unfortunately, my family and I caught COVID in 2021. Thankfully, our symptoms were limited. Although we were sick and not able to leave the house for a while, we did experience many blessings during that time. During our time with COVID we witnessed a wonderful outpouring of love and prayer for our family. We received cards, texts, and phone calls. Our wonderful congregational care team prayed for us.

One evening, we received a special meal. It was a beautiful homecooked meal. It was delivered to our front porch, hot and ready to eat.