Friends, It has been quite a week at St. Luke’s church. Volunteer mucking teams have been out helping families, both from St. Luke’s and our neighbors. Our student ministry was a huge part of that effort, as the youth made the week a “mission trip at home.” Red Cross volunteers continued to sleep in the Fellowship Hall at night, and our folks provided great hospitality. Countless volunteers provided meals and laundry service. The Sharpstown and Gulfton communities gathered at our Gethsemane campus each day for a free meal, provided by our folks in conjunction with our Connect Community [...]

St. Luke’s Family, Beginning today, we will have 250 Red Cross workers sleeping at the church for a few days. We will do our best to show them the spirit of love in our church and whole city. I am amazed at all that I see God doing right here in our midst. In the midst of such difficult times, the goodness that is at the center of each of us, the “image of God” in which every one of us is created, shines through. Christian or non-Christian, atheist or agnostic or just plain confused – all of us [...]

For some, it is a literal term. Waters come pouring in and they can’t stop them. They watch the damage to home and possessions. Some wonder where they will live and, oh my, how they will pay for it. It's almost too much, as it seems the worst is over, and then the waters move from central city to the suburbs, with downstream flooding still in the future. It is just so much. For most, it is emotionally overwhelming. Some remain afraid of what is to come when the rivers continue to rise. For those of us without [...]

Friends, as the rainstorm approaches, please watch our website for information about worship on Sunday… A PERSONAL PRAYER Gracious God,The storm approaches, and deluge and floods threaten. We find ourselves anxious about safety, about possessions, about comfort, about those we love. Pour over us with your love, and take away our anxiety, and put our trust in you. We pray for all who are affected by this storm, and that you might show us how to respond, putting our faith to work in love. (Galatians 5:6)God, turn our attention to others. Help us to put aside our own needs, that [...]

We've talking about hospitality at St. Luke’s – Open Hearts and Open Doors. Hospitality means so much more than a nice table setting or a welcome mat. It is a deep desire to connect with others. It is a focus on the other person rather than ourselves. It is a willingness to be inconvenienced, or even put one’s self at risk, to meet another’s needs. It is a desire for there to be no “us” and “them,” but only an “us.” It is a willingness to let others into our private space, and more importantly, a willingness to [...]

A PERSONAL PRAYER God, Sometimes, I am lonely.  Sometimes, I feel like I don’t fit in, alienated from those around me. Sometimes, I don’t fit with the progressives or the conservatives, the rich and powerful or the poor and marginalized, the church folk or the secular folk, the Bible thumpers or the Bible deniers. Oh, I know I am privileged, God. But nonetheless, that feeling keeps returning in moments of uncertainty. Strangely, as I talk to others, I hear almost everyone say the same thing. Why is that? Your Scripture reminds me that I am simply on a sojourn, that this [...]