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14 08, 2017

We Make Friends, We Give Ourselves Away

Sally Penning2017-08-14T14:18:18-05:00August 14th, 2017|All blogs, We Tell Our Stories|0 Comments

You can change one child’s life through KIDS HOPE USA! Hubie Fix, a KIDS HOPE mentor at Sutton Elementary School shares his story. “Long story short, you get a friend in KIDS HOPE. My journey with Henry started in the fall of 2015. We hit it off right away because of our mutual interest in sports, video games and learning. Each week we read, practice math flash cards, play board games and soccer or football. In our initial sessions it took some time for us to come out of our shells. We would read one or two books [...]

11 08, 2017

Sadie’s Baptism – by Rebecca Alsup

Sally Penning2017-08-11T14:29:16-05:00August 11th, 2017|All blogs, We Tell Our Stories|0 Comments

At St. Luke’s, we make friends. I confess I have not always given this habit the weight it deserves. I knew friendships were a beautiful outcome of church participation, and I am ever grateful for the friends I have made here – some of whom I have known for nearly 20 years! For some reason, though, “making friends” did not always seem as sacred an endeavor as praying, studying the Bible, and so on. Having fun with friends seemed more frivolous than holy, but I am learning that godly friendships are so much more than just a perk [...]

11 08, 2017

Meaning and Misery

Sally Penning2017-08-11T14:25:16-05:00August 11th, 2017|All blogs, Inside-Out with Dr. Tom Pace|0 Comments

A PERSONAL PRAYER God, I want, I want, I want. Sometimes it is “stuff.” …a motorcycle, and the sense of freedom that comes with it. (Thank you for giving me a wife who loves me and forbids such a thing.) …a house in the mountains, with horses, and someone to take care of it. And while you are at it, throw in a private jet to get me there on the weekend and back in time to preach. Just dreaming, God. Yada yada yada…Sometimes, it is something else I dream of. …security, a bank account big enough that I don’t have to [...]

4 08, 2017

Our Community of Mistrust

Sally Penning2017-08-04T08:47:03-05:00August 4th, 2017|All blogs, Inside-Out with Dr. Tom Pace|0 Comments

A PERSONAL PRAYER Jesus, you taught us that you were the truth, but, like Pontius Pilate, we are not sure what truth really means anymore. We live with the consequences of our violation of the ninth commandment; ours is a community of mistrust. We receive every bit of news, every statement from media or institution or leader or colleague, with skepticism. I confess that I have contributed to that community. God, forgive me… …when I say what others want to hear so that I will get their approval. …when I hide who I really am from others for [...]

28 07, 2017

Doing Business as a Christian

Sally Penning2017-07-28T09:36:52-05:00July 28th, 2017|All blogs, Inside-Out with Dr. Tom Pace|0 Comments

A PERSONAL PRAYER Yahweh Yireh, God who provides,You have always provided for all my needs. In times when I wondered if we would get by, we got by. In times I thought we would have enough, you poured in more than enough. My cup runneth over. I trust you. But I confess, God, that I don’t always act like I trust you. I have spent too much time worrying about money. I have rationalized selfish actions and greed. I have worked for deals that are fair, but are more fair to me than they are to others. I have given to others out of [...]

21 07, 2017

Putting Faith to Work in Love This week on Mission in Wilmore, Kentucky – by Joseph Patty

Sally Penning2017-07-21T09:32:52-05:00July 21st, 2017|All blogs, We Tell Our Stories|0 Comments

This week we took 23 high school students and seven adults on a mission trip to Wilmore, Kentucky with an organization called AdventureServe. Our primary project was to repair a roof for Penny, a single mother of four who is trying to put three of her kids through college. The roof leaked so badly that the ceiling caved on the inside. She is possibly one of the sweetest people on earth and has spent hours getting to know us and baking us cookies. We also rotated our students through a series of “mystery trips,” where we partnered with [...]

21 07, 2017

So much pain…

Sally Penning2017-07-21T09:28:32-05:00July 21st, 2017|All blogs, Inside-Out with Dr. Tom Pace|0 Comments

A PERSONAL PRAYER Gracious God, I thank you God for my marriage, for the gift of a partner in life, for a love that is real and gritty and resilient. Here is what I want: I want so much to be a man of my word, to be trustworthy, to keep all of my promises. I want to feel loved and appreciated, wanted and respected. I want loneliness to go away and to experience real intimacy. God, thank you for offering me what I want. I pray that you would show me how to grow my marriage so that my wife and I [...]

14 07, 2017

I’m mad as hell, and…

Robert Elliott2017-07-14T08:51:05-05:00July 14th, 2017|All blogs, Inside-Out with Dr. Tom Pace|0 Comments

We pray. We study the Bible. We make friends. We tell our stories. We give ourselves away in generosity and service. A PERSONAL PRAYER God of love, Sometimes you just expect too much. Prohibiting murder seems sensible enough. But Jesus tells us we can’t be angry at our sisters or brothers? Seriously? And we can’t call them fools? And I am supposed to reconcile with my enemies? What you are asking for seems beyond the reach of possibility. I can’t do it. And yet, the words of Scripture echo in my mind. “If you can? echoed Jesus. “All things are possible to him [...]

7 07, 2017

How Do I Honor Him?

Sally Penning2017-07-07T09:10:51-05:00July 7th, 2017|All blogs, We Tell Our Stories|0 Comments

I remember the day that my dad left. I remember sitting in his lap as he tearfully confessed the words that would be my first-ever heartbreak. I remember thinking that divorce was a thing that happened to other kids–not me. I remember the way he looked as he walked out of my home forever. I remember sleepless nights with me, my sister, and my mom huddled closely together in the same bed the first week of his absence. I remember losing a unique brand of childhood innocence that day. How do I honor this person? When I look [...]

7 07, 2017

Complicated Relationship

Sally Penning2017-07-07T09:04:40-05:00July 7th, 2017|All blogs, We Tell Our Stories|0 Comments

Loving God, you who are the perfect parent, I remember my mother, when I was small, involving me in the speech therapy program she operated in our home, so she could be both mother and professional at the same time. I remember going to the special needs summer camp with her in the summer. I think I can remember her stroking the bridge of my nose between my eyes when I was very little, soothing me to go to sleep. As a teenager, I remember getting up every morning to go to school, finding cooked breakfast on a hot plate [...]