April the Giraffe

March 8, 2017

Have you heard about April? April is a giraffe at the Animal Adventure Park in New York and she is moving ever closer to the birth of her fourth calf. There is a webcam and information at aprilthegiraffe.com. For the past couple of weeks millions have tuned in at one time or another to the live feed. I have checked in several times to watch her do everything, except – give birth (apparently it is very difficult to predict the labor of a giraffe, it has been imminent for 2+ weeks!).

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Nana

March 3, 2017

My grandmother was a huge part of my life. My brother and I spent our days with her during the summer while my parents were at work and she helped to raise us and make us into the people we are today. She entered into God’s Kingdom eternal last week after battling dementia for several years, and she will be deeply missed. I look forward to being reunited with her one day.

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Find Your Small Group Connection at Group Link

March 1, 2017

“In a church as large as St. Luke’s, it is so important that everyone find a place to plug in and connect with other members of the family of faith, whether it be through volunteering with one of our incredible after-school ministries, attending a Sunday School class, participating in Wednesday Night Alive or another mid-week Bible study, or by signing up for our newest small group connection opportunity, Group Link.”

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Wednesdays with Wendy

Ash Wednesday

March 1, 2017

Today is Ash Wednesday and it marks the beginning of Lent. Lent is the 40 day period (not counting Sundays) before Easter. It is a time for reflection upon life – both life here on earth and life eternal. One of the most important services of the entire year for me is the Ash Wednesday service. The ashes come from the burned palm fronds that were used in the preceding year’s Palm Sunday service. I always find that deeply moving. I can imagine that some of the people who were there to greet Jesus as He came riding into Jerusalem on a donkey were there to condemn Him a few days later. Waving palm branches one moment, crying out “Crucify Him!” the next.

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Ash Wednesday

February 24, 2017

Ash Wednesday seems like such a strange day in the Church for modern people. Why do we rub ashes on our foreheads? Where do these ashes come from? Why do we give something up for Lent? Is this holiday ever mentioned in the Bible? These are all valid questions that we ask every year as we approach the start of the season of Lent.

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Credo

February 17, 2017

I have been re-reading a book this week called The New Gold Standard. It’s all about the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company and how they have created their legendary culture of hospitality and customer service. As they talked about how they create and maintain that culture it seems that everyone within the company points to one main concept as the primary factor – their “Credo”.

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Wednesdays with Wendy

Music That Changed the World

February 15, 2017

Currently we are in the middle of the sermon series, “Music that Changed the World”. It has generated a lot of discussion as to what particular music changed the world and in what way. I am sure everyone has their own list – especially in regard to how their life was changed by music. I can think of several pieces of music that had an impact on my world. When I think back to my apparently superstitious junior high days, I felt that the song, “Sad Eyes” by Robert John was one that you never wanted to dance to because it would cause the relationship to break up.

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Under Construction

February 10, 2017

This morning I met with our “Under Construction: Building Better Dads and Husbands” Community Group. We started a new study today on the five major world religions. One of the members of our group kicked this series off and led us in a discussion about Hinduism. I found it fascinating to see the parallels that could be drawn between Hinduism and Christianity. The commitments that we both have to peace, wisdom, unity, and blessing life was striking. It’s not that I thought Hinduism promoted violence or ignorance, but it was interesting to see just how much we really have in common. I think that’s probably true about many other religions or groups of people if we choose to look at what we have in common rather than what makes us different.

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Wednesdays with Wendy

Silent Gratitude

February 8, 2017

This year we are practicing “The Year of Gratitude” at St. Luke’s. We have been encouraging everyone to write one thank you note each day to someone. In a time where so much can seem wrong and negative, saying “thank you” may seem to be an insignificant act. Yet, it is something that is needed to encourage those who are making a difference to continue in the same way. Today there are people who think that what they do doesn’t matter.

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