In this Week's Update:

Upcoming Worship

Upcoming Events

Upcoming Volunteer Opportunities

Upcoming Small Groups, Classes & Sign-ups

Daily Devotional

A Note from Pastor Bill

Dear St. Luke's Saints:

So here's the resume of the kind of person God apparently likes to use for big jobs:

• Adopted as a child into a family of a different race
• Raised in a religious tradition of multiple deities
• Impulsive murderer
• Escaped fugitive

In case you were wondering, that's the partial resume of Moses. It represents the portion of his life before he was called by God to lead the Israelites to the Promised Land. The turning point for Moses came not at the burning bush, but actually at the watering well. My guess is that not many people know about the story at the well, where in the middle of the Sinai, in the middle of his sin, Moses found mercy. The same God who had told Moses' ancestor, Jacob, "I will not leave you" never left Moses, and in the absolute middle of nowhere, Moses found the place for a new start.

In the arid places of the Middle East wells were - and still are - places where people met and found commonality in their search for the one thing you can't live without: water. It is no coincidence that when John is given a vision of heaven in Revelation he sees water. "Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city." (Rev. 22:1) This water is not contained in a well from which one has to work to retrieve it. This water freely gushes forth for everyone.

This is the water of life and grace, fully released in heavenly glory. But Moses might have regarded the well in the wilderness in just the same way. What happened there changed his life one day and prepared him for the next 80 years of living. Read Exodus 2:1-10 to find out why. In that place God gave Moses a new start and a new family. That's exactly what God continues to do even in our own time.

If you are not too happy with your resume and are wondering if there's any water in any well for you, any hope in the wilderness for you, any chance of a new start for you, get yourself to St. Luke's on Sunday. As always, we've got Good News!

With faith, hope, and love,

Bill
Follow me @ twitter: wmsbarnes

BIG NEWS, BIG DEAL, BIG OPPORTUNITY!

St. Luke's will be hosting the Global Leadership Summit on August 5 and 6. We are encouraging all of you to participate in this yearly leadership training event. Your role as a leader either within your church, your community and/or your work place is being put to the test. The Leadership Summit is an opportunity for you to connect with other leaders facing similar challenges and hear inspirational speakers to help keep you motivated and encouraged.

You will be inspired from persons with experiences from both the Christian and secular base. You will hear from persons who use their gifts and talents to create new business ideas and from world leaders. This year's featured speakers include Jim Collins, T.D. Jakes, Tony Dungy, Andy Stanley and Adam Hamilton, just to name a few. Our site will also be opened to other United Methodist Churches which will allow us time to fellowship and gather around the table with our fellow United Methodist for dialuge about how our denomination works together to implement some of the amazing information we will here throughout the Summit.

Please visit www.st.lukes.org/summit to find out more information about the Summit and how to register. St. Luke's members and attendees will receive a special discounted rate of $85 per person if registered by 6/22/10. After that date the price will increase to $105.00. You will need to use our registration password (you can find this code in the bulletin) to obtain these special rates. If you know of other United Methodist that would be interested in attending please forward this information on to them. They will also have special pricing and need a password. If they register by 6/22 their rate will be $155. If they register after 6/22 the fee increases to $165. Their password can be obtained by calling the church. Should you have any questions or need more detail on this event please contact Kelly Smith at ksmith@st.lukes.org or 407-876-4991 x 223.