Leadership Communications
BLOGS . DEVOTIONS . LETTERS . AFFIRMATIONS . TEACHINGS
PRAYERFUL READING
LEADERSHIP LETTERS & MUSINGS
Thank You & Welcome Home
Our Quest for Faithful Presence Dear St Luke’s, Where has the time gone? I can’t speak for y’all but back in November 2021 when the conversation about the Griffith’s pilgrimage to Holden was initiated, eighteen months felt like a long time. My oh my, the time has...
A Full Heart… Thank You!
Our Quest for Faithful Presence Dear St Luke’s, Since Pastor Mark and I will be will be co-presiding and co-preaching on “Transition Sunday” (August 27th), this weekend will be my last opportunity to preach and preside solo. Amidst these weeks of transition, I find...
How St Luke’s is Impacting My Teaching
Our Quest for Faithful Presence Dear St Luke’s, This past Monday was my last meeting with St Luke’s Elders. It was so helpful to process my preparations for “Transition Sunday” (August 27th) with these wise spiritual leaders. One of the recommendations offered to me...
Transition Sunday
Our Quest for Faithful Presence Dear St Luke’s, As you may know, August 27th will be “Transition Sunday” at St Luke’s. The last Sunday of August will be my final Sunday serving as your Pastor; it will also be the return of Pastor Mark and the Griffith family....
Helping Others Thrive in Our Relational Network
Our Quest for Faithful Presence Dear St Luke’s, Back in the early 2000’s, I was pastoring, was a new father, and was knee deep in my doctoral studies. In my studies I was searching for a less prescriptive and more relational connective way of imagining the Christ’s...
Communicating Together
Our Quest for Faithful Presence Dear St Luke’s, Earlier this week you likely received an email from our “St Luke’s Communications Task Force” inviting you to weigh in on the church’s ability to get information to you in timely, and effective manner, and in a modality...
Family Gathering & Identity
Our Quest for Faithful Presence Dear St Luke’s, I’m back from my ‘family trip’ to Manitoba where I celebrated my in-law’s sixtieth wedding anniversary; and got to be with my folks and all of my dad’s siblings. I think we must have taken Seattle weather with us, as it...
Summer Travel
Our Quest for Faithful Presence Dear St Luke’s, Just a quick note, as I am packing up and heading to the airport. This weekend Pastor Deanna will be preaching and presiding. And Cheri has arranged a special musical guest. By the time you read this I will be...
Flourishing
Our Quest for Faithful Presence Dear St Luke’s, There’s no denying it, it’s summer! The calendar says its summer, it’s getting warm, we grilled last Sunday, our VBA kids went to the moon and back, school is out, and I finally finished grading my last papers of the...
Launch Lunch
Our Quest for Faithful Presence Dear St Luke’s, This weekend marks our launch into summer. As you walk onto our campus and into our building you will no doubt notice a large lunar lander and other out-of-this-world supplies. This summer’s Vacation Bible Adventure is...
Freedom for All
Our Quest for Faithful Presence Dear St Luke’s, Its nearly here! Summer solstice is this coming Wednesday. As a kid summer felt like freedom. No school, no teachers, no assignments; day after day of playing with friends, riding bike, going camping, making smores...
Tri-Une Living
Our Quest for Faithful Presence Dear St Luke’s, As you may recall, last Sunday we explored the question, “Who is God?” As it was Trinity Sunday we teased out some implications of Christian traditions’ understandings of God as three-persons-&-one-essence, rooting...
Trinity Sunday
Our Quest for Faithful Presence Dear St Luke’s, “Trinity Sunday” is this weekend. For those of you who grew up Lutheran you may well have observed a Trinity Sunday every year of your life. This will be my second Trinity Sunday… and its already one of my favorite...
Pentecost Sunday
Our Quest for Faithful Presence Dear St Luke’s, This weekend is Pentecost Sunday, the day in the church’s calendar when we celebrate God’s outpouring of the Holy Spirit on all followers of Jesus! Often people choose to wear something red on this day. As you may...
From Luther’s Rose to St Luke’s Rose
Our Quest for Faithful Presence Dear St Luke’s, Given the letter that our Board of Trustees sent out this week regarding the alarming state of our beautiful Rose window, I thought I’d explore a little bit of the story behind the window. Our Rose Window (right) draws...
Mother’s Day… It can be a bit complicated
Our Quest for Faithful Presence Dear St Luke’s, This Sunday, the USA and a handful of other countries will celebrate “Mothers.” More than 50 countries – world-wide – have a similar celebration at various times throughout the year, and rightly so… few, if any roles...
The Widow’s Offering… Butterscotch Hard Candy
Our Quest for Faithful Presence Dear St Luke’s, I got to meet a poet named Drew Jackson during this year’s Inhabit Conference. Drew was a pastor in New York city until accepting a new role at The Center for Action and Contemplation, with Father Richard Rohr. I ended...
Quilt Blessing
Our Quest for Faithful Presence Dear St Luke’s, It’s quilt and health kit blessing Sunday! I don’t know about you but I love seeing the quilts and health kits draped over the pews throughout our sanctuary. At least to me, there is something warm and homey in seeing...
Journey to Emmaus
Our Quest for Faithful Presence Dear St Luke’s, I’m really looking forward to being back with y’all on Sunday. Our Gospel reading for this weekend is the beautiful story of the journey along the road to Emmaus. You can find it in the 24th chapter of Luke. As you...
Reflections from our Board President
Our Quest for Faithful Presence Dear St Luke’s, Pastor Dwight is on vacation and so I will riff on some of his previous writing and add a few thoughts of my own. On Friday night I joined others in the sanctuary for a Holy Friday service. Holy Friday, the day we...
Holy Week
Our Quest for Faithful Presence Dear St Luke’s, Our Lenten journey comes to an end this weekend. Forty days of journeying with Jesus from the relative safety of his home base in Capernaum to the temple in the big city. Forty days of watching Jesus make the costly...
Palm Sunday
Our Quest for Faithful Presence Dear St Luke’s, Palm Sunday is this weekend, inaugurating Holy Week. We’ll gather in the narthex to take up palm branches before processing together into our sanctuary for worship. As you know we have a Holy Friday service at 7:00PM...
Belonging
Our Quest for Faithful Presence Dear St Luke’s, I don’t know about you but I had such a fun time engaging Mr. Rogers Sunday last weekend… thanks again to everyone who went out of their way to help make our day feel so special. Mr. Rogers’ invitation to look for the...
Mr. Rogers Day
Our Quest for Faithful Presence Dear St Luke’s, Sunday is Mr. Rogers Day & we’re having breakfast together, in the sanctuary during worship. Its going to be super fun! This will be our second observance of Mr. Rogers Day. Fred Rogers was born on March 20th 1928,...
Co-Presiding
Our Quest for Faithful Presence Dear St Luke’s, First things first… remember to adjust your clocks. We “Spring Forward” this weekend. So, as you go to bed, if it's 10:00PM adjust your clock forward one hour so is reads 11:00PM. See in you in the morning! As you may...
What does it mean to Belong?
Our Quest for Faithful Presence Dear St Luke’s, What does it mean to belong? This question is picking at my brain. I think it all started in a board of trustees meeting in last Fall, carried over into a staff meeting at the beginning of this year, and was fanned...
Some Prayer Options
Our Quest for Faithful Presence Dear St Luke’s, And so, our Lenten journey begins… as this Sunday is the first Sunday of Lent, you will notice a few changes with the season. The Altar Guild has switched the colors to purple, there are a number of changes to our order...