A Note from Pastor Bill

Dear St. Luke’s Saints,

I am having a very interesting July weather-wise.

Last week when I wrote to you from Sanibel Island it was raining non-stop like a hurricane. The low-pressure area off shore in the Gulf of Mexico that caused all the rain moved across Florida and into the Atlantic over the weekend where it organized into Tropical Storm Cristobal.

This past Sunday afternoon I flew to San Antonio, Texas, where I am writing this. I am here for a meeting of the Large Church Initiative (LCI) meeting, where the national committee received the final report on our “Making a World of Difference” conference held in January. Hurricane Dolly is expected to make landfall in the next 24 hours and San Antonio will receive some wind and a whole lot of rain. I seem to be a storm magnet! You might not want me to come home at all!

Even though the hurricane is south of San Antonio, just like in Orlando, hurricane preparedness tips and weather special reports dominate the TV. I fully expect to be home on Friday as planned, but there is a connection, as usual with our scripture lesson for Sunday.

The text, Ephesians 6:10-18, is also about preparedness, but not preparation for wind and rain, but preparation for the work of the Kingdom. Paul advises the believers to “put on the whole armor of God.” As we all know, batteries, water, plywood, flashlights, and generators are the basic stuff of hurricane preparedness. The basic stuff of Kingdom preparedness includes truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, and the word of God. Paul uses the imagery of spiritual warfare to describe the need for this “armor.” It is what the well-dressed Christian should be wearing.

Join us for worship this week as we explore this classic image of holy preparedness.

And by the way, the LCI Committee had high praise for our event, and asked me to share with you their sincere gratitude for how well we prepared for our sisters and brothers in ministry in the large United Methodist churches.

If the Lord is willing and the Texas creeks don’t rise, I’ll see you soon,

Bill